Friday, November 12, 2010

United Women’s Forum Minutes

November 10, 2010 Meeting
Conducting: Kris Kimball
Prayer: Edith Baker
Pledge: Lori Kinyon
Announcements: Kris Kimball Movie Night Nov. 19th at 7:00PM 1252 Lorien Dr. Bountiful. RSVP 299-9597 “Agenda”
Constitution Classes continues on Tuesday Nights, Seminar 3
Patriot’s Packets available today $17.87
Next Meeting: January 12, 2011 10:00am. @ ALH Have a Merry Christmas!!
Senator Dan Liljenquist: Medicaid or go Broke? Jan. 7th 7:00pm @ City Hall in Bntfl.
School Board Report: Barbara Derricott The State School Board is very entrenched with the idea of All Day Kindergarten and trying to see if they can get the Legislature to approve the 7.5M needed to fund the program. They also are looking into grading schools A-F, similar to what Florida did to raise their education performance with their students. The meetings are on the 1st Friday of each month. We need others who would be willing to attend, either morning or afternoon to help Barb cover the 3 different committee hearings.
David County Update: Davis County District Attorney Troy Rawlings was there to report on a community decency ordinance that is being violated by Victoria Secrets and Spencer Gifts. There will be a meeting for this issue in January and it will be very important for us to show up and show support for our Community Decency Standards. Troy has received over 400 emails in the last 3 weeks about this issue and he is very committed to doing what he can to protect Davis County from the influence of soft porn and the effect it has on our children.
Troy also spoke about the need for a Gang Task Force here in Davis County to help curtail a growing problem that he is seeing with gang activity. Right now 20% of the individuals in our county jails are known gang members. A gang task force would be ideal in being proactive with the different agencies in Davis County to deal with this issue. If you are in support of Davis County forming a County Wide Gang Task Force, the most important thing we can do is let our Mayors, City Council Members and Mayors know that we support this idea.
Due to time restraints, Troy was unable to report in detail on the gang activity in Davis County so we will have him back in January to discuss that issue with us in more detail. Davis County is still a safe place to be living, however we want to be pro-active to keep it that way. The following is contact information for the Bountiful Community:
Mayor Joe Johnson jjohnson@bountifulutah.gov
Councilman Tom Tolman tomsgrafix@aol.com
Councilman Fred Moss fred@dominioneng.net
Councilman John Marc Knight John.knight@us,army.mil
Councilwoman Beth Holbrook sandrus@bountifulutah.gov
Councilman Scott Myers sandrus@bountifulutah.gov
Police Chief Tom Ross ross@bountifulutah.gov
Special Guest Speaker: Newly Elected LaVar Christensen We were excited to learn LaVar had been re-elected to the State Legislature as a Representative from Bountiful. He was able to hear Troy Rawlings speak and was familiar with the Miller Case that Troy had talked about with Community Decency Standards. LaVar is willing to help Troy in any way he can from the legislative angle. LaVar also spoke about Principle #4 from the 5,000 Year Leap, religion in government. He did a wonderful job sharing all the different ways religion and morality were woven into the daily fabric of our Founding Fathers. The wall of separation between Church and State that Thomas Jefferson referred to was only Contained in a writtenletter to the Danbury Baptist Church in 1803. It is not found anywhere in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights or the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson had been referring to the Federal Government not having any say in any religious matters; that was left up to the states.
LaVar also shared with us the spiritual influence he received when he was writing Amendment 3 of the Utah Constitution and how critical each and every word was that he was crafting. This Amendment protects Traditional Marriage here in Utah, so we don’t end up with the same nightmare that we see happening in California with Prop 8.
We are excited to have LaVar’s wisdom and expertise this year in the Legislature to help protect families here in Utah.
Special Thanks to Marilyn Nielson and Diane Prince for providing soup and rolls for our luncheon.
Our next Meeting will be on January 12th 10:00-12:00pm at the Bountiful American Legion Hall 52 W. 200 S. Have a Merry Christmas!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

*** We had a wonderful meeting yesterday with Rep. Sandstrom and learned the real facts behind the illegal immigration problem. Minutes to the meeting will follow so you can read about what was discussed. KJZZ TV was interested in filming a story about our UWF and will air on KJZZ Channel 14 this coming Sunday morning, October 17, @ 9:30am - the Utah Matters Program. Both Debra Poulsen and Kris Kimball are in the 30 minute segment, so give it a watch.

*** This coming Tuesday the 19th there is a Cottage Meeting for Nicole Toomey Davis from 9:30am-10:30am at Kris Kimball's home 1252 Lorien Dr. Come and bring your questions and a friend.

*** Below is the audio link to the Education Forum that we sponsored back on September 29th with Kim Burningham and Nicole Toomey Davis, please take time to listen in so you can hear what both candidates have to say.

https://www.yousendit.com/download/WTNLak8wQXBrUmswTVE9PQ

*** Next UWF General Meeting - November 10th 10:00-12:00pm at the American Legion Hall, 52 W. 200 S. in Bountiful. Special Guest Speaker Rep. LaVarr Christensen Principle #4 from the 5,000 Year Leap “The Role of Religion”.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

October 2010 UWF General Meeting

Conducting: Diane Prince
Prayer: Laura Dixon
Pledge: Marilyn Nielsen
Announcements: Kris Kimball
KJAZZ is looking to do a show highlighting our United Women’s Forum. It would air on a Sunday
morning; details will be provided later on, if it ends up going on TV. A signup sheet was passed around to
handle luncheon assignments for the rest of our calendar year. Thank you to all of those who signed up
to help. It is renewal time for the UWF; the yearly membership fee is $10.00 and can be mailed to Kris
Kimball 1252 Lorien Dr. Bountiful, UT. 84010, make check out to UWF. TJC Monthly Patriots Package was
introduced; it is a monthly lesson plan including a DVD to teach Constitutional Principles to your family.
A Lesson plan for all ages; adult, teens and children is provided. Cost is $17.87/packet. Petitions were
passed out from the Family Watch International Group. The petitions are a pledge to support traditional
families. Sharon Slater’s wonderful book; Stand for the Family is available for only $10.00. Contact Kris
Kimball if you want your own copy for your home. Kris Kimball and Barb Derricott are hosting a Cottage
Meeting for Nicole Toomey Davis at Kris’ home on October 19th at 9:30am-10:30am 1252 Lorien Dr.
Bountiful, UT
Education Update: Nicole Toomey Davis reported for Barb Derricott. Nicole attended the
School Board Meeting in September. She reported how there was a real lack of learning and acceptance
of looking at new ideas in education. The extended day Kindergarten Plan was talked about that
contained a budget increase of 7M dollars; the attitude of the board was to just ask for the money from
the Legislature (or us the tax payers) without any talk or consideration on how they could find the
money themselves within their own budget. The information that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush shared about
the “Florida Miracle” was dismissed and not really given any consideration. She found the state school
board to be more defensive of new ideas instead of looking to see what they can learn from others.
State School Board Meetings are held on the 1st Friday of the month, anyone is welcome to go up and
help sit in and hear what is going on. If you decide you want to go be sure to give Barb Derricott a call
801-298-1891 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              801-298-1891      end_of_the_skype_highlighting to coordinate what meetings you would like to listen in on.



















Friday, June 11, 2010

Minutes of General Meeting - May 12, 2010

Bella Vida Clubhouse, North Salt Lake, Utah

Conducting: Diane Prince
Prayer: Jennifer Bertin
Pledge of Allegiance: Julie Hattabaugh
Announcements: Kris Kimball
• May 19 – Interim Session of the Utah State Legislature (contact Kris if you want to carpool)
• June 18 – Patrick Henry Caucus Picnic for Davis & Weber counties
• June 22 – Primary Election here – possibility of a United Women’s Forum sponsored candidate debate (District 19 & 20) – watch for notification
• July 17 Glenn Beck ‘American Revival’ at Energy Solutions Arena (10 am to 4 pm) – contact Kris immediately if you would like to go with UWF members
• Please donate, if you can, to the Koins for Kenya School fundraiser – we have just $700 needed to make the $10,000 amount needed for the Miguneni School; Kris and her daughter will be going there this summer! Thanks to everyone!

Principle #2 from The 5000 Year Leap: Hillary Diven
“A Free People Cannot Survive Under a Republican Constitution
Unless They Remain Virtuous and Morally Strong”
Hillary presented this in a very engaging way, acting as a spokesman recognizing individuals for acts and attributes of a virtuous nature and the way they positively affect our society. She passionately mentioned statesmen from the past for contributions they have made as well handing out ‘good citizen’ awards to members of the audience. In this chapter we are reminded that, “…each man must somehow be persuaded to submerge his personal wants into the greater good of the whole. Thanks Hillary!

Special Guest Speaker intro by: Nancy Peterson
Mr. LaVar Christensen
LaVar Christensen comes from a long line of public servants. He received his B.A. degree from Brigham Young University and his Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. He served in the Utah State Legislature from 2002-06 from District 48 (Sandy/Draper). Christensen was instrumental in the campaign for implementing Utah's successful Constitutional Amendment in support of traditional marriage.

Mr. Christensen prefaced his remarks by telling us of an experience he had as a 10-year-old where he realized he had an over-whelming love of his country and its history; indeed he said that the founding fathers were his boyhood heroes. As an adult, pursuing his law degree continued his awareness of the wonderful founding principles of our country. Much of what Mr. Christensen covered concerned the topic related to our principle today, that of ‘public virtue’. Some of his many points were:
• Our founding fathers did not want an all-powerful government similar to the monarchy they had just overthrown
• Posed the question of what is ‘public virtue’ – our rights come from our Creator and our Constitution was written for a moral people
• Virtue demands us to subordinate selfish, personal wants for the greater good of the people as a whole
• He challenged us to be a bold voice of morality
• He told of Pres. Lincoln’s warning to “beware of the silent artillery of time” --- hasn’t God been pushed into a closet and the door has been locked --- people can’t even mention him, it seems; many have turned their back on religion of any kind
• He said he does not like to be labeled a politician; rather he truly sees himself as a ‘public servant’
• In referencing current government, he said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”
• He told of Pres. Lincoln being berated and called ‘unfashionable’ as he expressed his belief in divine providence
• He told us the story of the phrase “separation of church and state” coming from an obscure letter written once by Jefferson --- this phrase is NOT in our Constitution or Bill of Rights
• He cited many examples of religious affiliation that have been ruled unconstitutional and said we should expect more of that in the future
• He spoke of the ACLU being in the business of dismantling religion
• He cited a quote by Chesterton saying, “Tolerance is the virtue of those who no longer believe in anything.”
He then took questions from the audience on several different topics.
We thank him for a most interesting hour!


September 8th is our next regular United Women’s Forum Meeting! Have a great summer.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Meet the Candidate Event April 23, 2010 House Seat District 20

Candidate Responses from The United Women’s Forum

1. SB77 Prohibits Education Union Representatives Taxpayer paid “release time” to lobby the State
Legislature or be in the State Legislature. How did you vote or how would you have voted for this
bill?
DJ Schanz YES B. Edwards NO C. Loftis (needed more education)

2. A bill to amend the State Constitution and exempt Utah from the Federal Affirmative Action
program was debated this last Legislative Session. How would you have voted/or how did you
vote on this bill?
DJ Schanz YES B. Edwards NO C. Loftis YES

3. How would you have voted/or did vote on SB251 E-Verify Bill?
DJ Schanz YES B. Edwards YES C. Loftis YES

4. How important is Republican Party loyalty to you? Have you ever voted for anyone other than a
Republican Candidate and if so whom?
It was determined in that:
DJ Schanz voted for Ron Paul in Primary; didn’t vote in General Election due to an emergence
Business Trip to New York. B. Edwards voted in the Primaries for Barack Obama C. Loftis voted
for Barack Obama in the General Election

5. Ethics Initiative Petition; were you for or against this petition?
DJ Schanz AGAINST B. Edwards FOR C. Loftu AGAINST

6. There was a bill to allow citizens an easier process to remove their name off of any petition that
they sign. A process that no longer involves a Notary Public. How did/or would you have voted
for this bill?
DJ Schanz FOR B. Edwards AGAINST C. Loftis FOR

7. Do you feel Government at any level should designate special rights to specific groups of people?
Examples were the Salt Lake City Discrimination Ordinance in regards to employment and
housing for homosexuals and the Common Ground Initiatives from the previous legislative
session.
DJ. Schanz NO B. Edwards YES C. Loftis NO

There were other questions asked about the education budget and what their 3 highest priorities were
facing the state of Utah. However their answers were longer and therefore will not be reported for the
sake of not leaving out something important from their answer

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

UNITED WOMEN’S FORUM Minutes - March 17, 2010

Conducting: Diane Prince
Prayer: Laura Dickson
Pledge of Allegiance: Sue Mercer
Announcements: Kris Kimball
• Caucus Meetings: Tuesday, March 23, 7 pm; locations by District and Party, available online
• US Healthcare – current tactic to circumvent Senate vote – discussion of ways to contact Rep. Jim Matheson who is undecided
• April 9 UWF-sponsored Forum of Utah US Senatorial candidates; 7 pm at the Bountiful City Council chambers

Guest introduction of Utah District 20 candidate for House seat, DJ Schanz—he was given a few minutes to introduce himself and tell of his views.

Principle #3 from The 5000 Year Leap: Tenna Hartman
“The Most Promising Method of Securing a Virtuous and Morally
Stable People is to Elect Virtuous Leaders”

This is a very timely topic with caucus meetings next week. She began with a quote by A. Maslow and then went on to tell of his hierarchy of needs model. This pyramid includes: basic biological & physiological needs, safety & security needs, belonging and love needs and finally at the top, esteem. Once a person reaches that level, they are able to share with others. These people can serve others in public position. It is incumbent upon us to elect those with high ideals. Samuel Adams said, “He therefore is the truest friend to liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man.” He goes on to say that public officials should have experience, training, proven virtue and demonstrated wisdom. Tenna challenged us to study this chapter and be involved in the upcoming grass-roots process in our community.

Special Guest Speaker: intro by Diane Prince
Utah Senator Dan Liljenquist

Dan is married to Brooke Davies, father of 5 and #6 due in May. He has a degree in Economics from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago. He is a business owner and former strategy consultant. He was elected to the Utah Senate in 2008. He is the vice-chair of the House Appropriations Committee and is highly respected on Utah’s Capitol Hill.

He began with some comments on the recent downfall of two fellow legislators, Killpack and Garn. It is very unfortunate as both of these men have worked hard of difficult problems facing the citizens of Utah. Without passing judgment he explained that politics can be ‘intoxicating’ including being able to handle power and pride; it can sometimes alter an individual’s sense of reality. He said as constituents we must be vigilant when it comes to those we have elected.

His main topic was a summary or legislative session ‘wrap-up’. Topics included ethics reform, pensions for government employees, budget issues, Utah’s rainy-day fund, education funding (public and charter schools), federal vs. state land issues, etc. Much of his focus, because of his assignment on the Appropriations Committee, was on the good resolution of the state budget in these terrible economic times. He said that Utah is only 1 of 3 states that even has any savings; the Legislature did not touch the ‘rainy-day’ funds. He also pointed out that 95% of what the Legislature does has to do with money and that is what impacts people’s lives. Overall, he is pleased with the results of this session given the current economic problems

He believes in smaller federal government and strong state government---that Utah needs to make sure it is self-sufficient.

He was asked about his future public service but said he does not know what the time frame will be, but said, “Make your life count.” He ended with a quote by Adam Lindsey Gordon: “Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone, Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own.”


Luncheon provided by:
Jyl Marsden, Julie Hattabaugh and Kris Kimball


Next UWF Meeting April 14th
Special Screening in honor of Earth Week “Not Evil Just Wrong” and Principle 7 from The 5,000 Year Leap “The Proper Role of Government is to Protect Equal Rights, not Provide Equal Things.”

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

United Women’s Forum February 2010 Minutes

Conducting: Diane Prince

Prayer
: Janet Seamons

Pledge: Jyl Marsden

Announcements:
Kris Kimball; update from the Legislature on the abortion bill and states’ rights bills. Upcoming events Constitution Seminar Feb 19 and 20, Lunch with the Legislators Feb. 17

Jim Nielson introduced himself as a candidate; he is in the same race with Kris Kimball, along with Ben Horsley and John Pitt. They are running for District 19 House Seat currently held by Sheryl Allen

5 Minute Principle: #16 Tammy Hulse


Speaker Cherilyn Eagar (submitted from notes Tammy Hulse provided from her newsletter.)

I had an opportunity to listen to Cherilyn Eager last week as she spoke to the United Women’s Forum in North Salt Lake. This was a unique opportunity, for she was not speaking as a candidate, but as a woman to other women who wanted to preserve liberty. She shared an observation made by a government leader in Washington. “When a conservative woman walks in the room, it neutralizes the effect of her liberal counterparts” When one conservative woman speaks out it has a great effect. The liberals recognize the threat and have responded with attacks on women like Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann. Good women across the country must not underestimate the power of influence they hold! Cherilyn talked about the great women who have influenced her life and said that they have three characteristics in common.
1. They do not quit
2. They speak out on principles
3. They are “magnanimous” in meeting adversity and opposition.


The definition of magnanimous is to be courageously noble in mind and heart. A magnanimous woman possesses a loftiness of spirit which enables her to bear trouble calmly, to disdain meanness and pettiness, and to display a noble generosity and forgiveness of others. A woman of such a character has a powerful influence on her community.
Mothers who have sacrificed so much to bear and nurture children have developed such a character. Women who have defended correct principles and high moral standards in the work place and community have displayed magnanimous leadership. I know that our state and nation has many, many women of such character.

Lunch provided by Diane Prince, Marge Clayton, and Kris Kimball

March United Women’s Forum meeting will be March 17th a week later than normal. Our guest speaker will be Senator Dan Liljenquist, He will be telling us what happened in the Legislative Session and that is why the week delay. We will also be covering Principle #3 of the 5,000 Year Leap.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

United Women's Forum January 13, 2010

UNITED WOMEN’S FORUM Minutes of General Meeting held Jan. 13, 2010
Bella Vida Clubhouse, North Salt Lake

Conducting: Kris Kimball

Prayer: Marilyn Nelson

Pledge of Allegiance: Celestia Himstreet

Announcements: Kris Kimball

· 14 Jan. (Thurs.) – Sutherland Institues hosting a Forum on the Ethics Initiative; call 801 355-1271 or visit www.sutherland.org for details.

· 15 Jan. (Friday) – Independence Caucus Constitutional Evening ; see www.independencecaucus.org for details to register.

· 16 Jan. (Saturday) – Eagle Forum Convention, 9 am to 9 pm.; see www.utaheagleforum.com to register

· 23 Jan. (Saturday) – Common Sense Rally, 5 pm in the Pinnacle Building in Orem; free event with 3 speakers, live patriotic music, delegate training and Constitutional class.

· 30 Jan. (Saturday) – Free Concert at the Capitol rotunda with the Millennium Choir and 500 singers from state high school choirs. Speakers, music, with the concert called, “One Nation Under God”. This 1 hour and 15 minute event will focus on God being the author of our rights, and not the government.

· 31 Jan. – Sunday evening fireside by Dr. Glenn Kimber regarding family organizations, family finances, missions, and community; from 6-8 pm, tentative location is the American Legion Hall in Bountiful at 52 W. 200 South.

· 19 & 20 Feb. (Fri. & Sat.) – Constitution Class begins again ‘God’s Hand in the Building of America’. All 4 sessions will be covered in this 2-day event. Cost is $39.00 and includes your workbook. Friday night hours 6:30-9:30 pm; Saturday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Must sign up and pay in advance. Seminar to be held in the American Legion Hall in Bountiful, 52 W. 200 So.


Training: Kris Kimball

· Democracy or Republic – showed a short YouTube video on this subject. This was a great civics review lessons. Highlights include 1)Explanation of the different forms of government, with ‘oligarchy’ being the most common one in the world; 2)the proper amount of government makes everyone more free; 3)Democracy is the rule of the people, can include at its worst, ‘mob rule’; 4)the word ‘democracy’ does not appear in any of our country’s founding documents; 5)Republic is government by the Law and is how our country was founded; 6)the “essence of freedom is the proper limitation of government” It can be viewed by going to YouTube and entering ‘democracy vs republic’.

· Current Ethics Initiative signature campaign – Kris gave us a handout to explain this to us and the pitfalls of it. Some sites to visit to become more educated about it include www.le.Utah.gov and www.strengthendemocracy.org and www.utahnsforethicalgovernment.org It is vital that people do not sign this petition without knowing what they are signing. It is found in some local businesses.

Training: Dalane England

Dalane’s handout was titled “How to have fun LOBBYING your Legislature”! With the Utah State Legislative session scheduled to begin on January 25, 2010, she presented a wonderful starter course for citizens like us to become involved. One of her main points was to let us know it is not difficult or scary to be involved, either from home or going to the Capitol in person. For starters, of course, the website to bookmark is www.le.utah.gov

Some things covered were:

· Sending Emails: Put the title and number of bill in the ‘subject’ line; include YES or NO on the subject line too; when mailing several legislators, send ‘BCC’ using a generic greeting, i.e. ‘Dear Representative’ or ‘Dear Senator’; if mailing separately, cut and paste and add their name.

· Check your email for all Representative and Senator addresses – they will be sent; then cut and paste into your contact list.

· Park in the northeast parking lot or on the street where not prohibited; if you arrive before 7:30 a.m., you can usually get a spot in the east parking lot.

· UWF members can meet at the Eagle Forum spot in the southeast corner of the Cafeteria, which is in the East building.

· For locations of meetings, the East Building is the Senate Building and will have ‘S Rm#; the West Building is the House Building and will have ‘H Rm#’ and rooms in the Capitol itself will say ‘C Rm#’.

· In Committee meetings, take notes then go back and share information. They are from 8:00 to Noon and 2:00 to 4:00.

· Floor time – take notes then share information. They are 10:00 to Noon and 2:00 to 4:00.

· Website has tons of information and is user-friendly. Video and audio feeds are available for many events.

· There is a ‘Tracking’ service on the site that allows you to list bills that you want email reminders about and updated information on that will alert you in your email.

· There is also a ‘What’s Happening Today’ feature that can be very valuable.

· Phone calls and written notes are also valuable to do

Kris and Dalane will be there throughout the session on many days and are happy to meet you or even carpool. Sometimes going with someone else may make you feel more comfortable going when it is unfamiliar at first. Kris also will only email lots of information during the session to those who request it. If you want to be included in that, just let her know.

Lunch: provided by Jennifer Bertin, Hillary Diven and Janet Seamons

Next Meeting: February 10, 2010 at the Bella Vida Clubhouse, North Salt Lake