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OUR VIEW: ICE jail rules ridiculous

Last updated Monday, October 3, 2011 - 9:57am

We have a common-sense rule for how jails should be run. Although there may be the rare exception for a celebrity or notorious criminal, there should not be disparate treatment between prisoners. There should certainly not be favoritism based on political ideology. That's why we support the Weber County Sheriff's Office in its dispute with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE has removed 32 of its detainees from the Weber jail, claiming they're not being treated well. That's ridiculous. What's actually going on is an exercise in political correctness. ICE mandates that these inmates do not undergo strip searches, do not have to pay a $10 copay for medical treatment, do not have their mail read and deserve a separate barbershop with water between 105 degrees and 120 degrees. In other words, ICE wants the county jail to treat these 30-plus inmates different than the 900 or so who are also in the jail.

This might make sense if these ICE inmates had been snatched out of their homes or work solely for being illegals. However, that is not what is happening. These ICE inmates were jailed for criminal offenses and then upon booking were discovered to have been illegals. In other words, they have been jailed for the same offenses other inmates have.

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OUR VIEW: MacKay verdict appropriate

Editorial Board Standard-Examiner

Last updated Sunday, August 28, 2011 - 11:44am

The guilty verdict on 40 counts for Brigham City doctor Dewey C. MacKay for illegally prescribing dangerous painkillers appears to be appropriate. The evidence appeared to be clear that MacKay, who was seeing 120 patients daily and prescribing more than 3.5 million painkiller pills over four-plus years, was running an assembly line of "patients" being handed their fix of painkillers. The jury concluded that a great many of the prescriptions MacKay handed out were not for proper medical purposes.

The result was inevitable, the death of a patient, and MacKay was convicted of distributing a controlled substance to David Leslie Wirick, 55, of Ogden, who died in 2006. What troubles us even more than MacKay's crimes and conviction is that we suspect there remain many similar examples in Utah and elsewhere. We urge the doctors to re-evaluate the criteria for prescribing these addictive, dangerous prescription drugs. Overdoses of these drugs are rapidly passing other causes of death in grim popularity. What was learned from the MacKay trial is that many, many patients are seeking painkillers via doctors to maintain an addiction.

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OUR VIEW: Faux campaign coverage

Editorial Board Standard-Examiner

Last updated Sunday, July 10, 2011 - 2:12pm

As the 24-hours news cycle continues to slice, dice, obsess, debate, scrutinize, hypothesize and conjure campaign news, we remind voters that we are still several months from the first votes being tallied in the 2012 Republican presidential campaigns.

All this faux campaign coverage of "frontrunners" and "has-beens" may be amusing, but it has no relevance. Just ask MSNBC commentator Howard Dean, who about seven years ago was considered the "big-money" grabber among Democrats challenging George W. Bush.

At that same time, a guy named John Kerry was considered to be fading as a candidate.

Four years ago, if we recall, Hillary Clinton still looked a sure bet for the Democrats and a guy named Rudy Giuliani was the frontrunner for Republicans. Another Republican candidate in 2007, John McCain, was perceived as an out-of-cash loser.

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OUR VIEW: Debt limit poseurs

Standard-Examiner Editorial Board Standard-Examiner

Last updated Sunday, July 3, 2011 - 2:21pm

Can anyone show any leadership in Washington over the debt limit talks? The sole accomplishment over reaching a deal to maintain America's ability to pay its bills is that Congress has agreed to return to work on July 5. This has oddly been hailed as a sign of resolve. Only among politicians is taking one day off for a holiday considered a sacrifice.

It's time for all members of the political game in Washington -- and that includes President Barack Obama -- to get to the negotiating table and hash out a plan that is fiscally sound and will extend our nation's obligations and credit. The pre-planned walkout of talks with Vice President Joe Biden by Rep. Eric Cantor and other Republicans was cynical and unserious.

And President Obama needs to insert himself into the debt limit talks. His scoffing at such a suggestion at last week's news conference underscores his oftentimes reluctance to lead. We didn't elect Vice President Joe Biden to guide this nation out of its fiscal dysfunction. Being the president comes with required leadership responsibilities -- President Obama should meet that criteria.

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OUR VIEW: Prayer diversity works

Standard-Examiner Editorial Board Standard-Examiner

Last updated Thursday, June 30, 2011 - 10:02pm

On Thursday, July 7, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed will open Layton's city council meeting with a prayer. Layton, like many other communities and cities, begins meetings with prayer. However, Mayor Steve Curtis and Layton administrators seek diversity with the prayers, inviting denominations of different religions to send a representative to offer prayer.

It's a great way to defuse the tensions that come with having prayer in a public meeting. Rather than having a consistent Christian-based prayer that could be considered exclusionary to some people, the variety of prayers work because they stress the diverse difference that make up communities. Instead of being exclusionary, the prayer becomes an instrument of inclusion. Also, having prayers from distinct faiths is a teaching tool -- it provides an education of world beliefs.

Zed, who is president of the Universal Society of Hinduism and a contributor to the Washington Post's "On Faith" section, plans to read from the Rig-Veda, which are ancient Hindu scriptures. After reciting the prayer in the ancient language of Sanskrit, Zed will read an English translation.

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Accurate facts in Doonesbury? Ask Politifact.com

Charles F. Trentelman Standard-Examiner staff

Last updated Friday, February 18, 2011 - 11:02pm

Ever since it started more than 40 years ago, the comic Doonesbury has used real life as a jumping-off point for its comic take on the world around us.

Creator and author Garry Trudeau has always kept the strip timely, as witnessed by his current story line reflecting the uprisings spreading through countries in the Middle East.

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