KSL's book burning to Rep. Rob Bishop: Things in the political realm of Utah that have disturbed me as of late.

I was disturbed when I heard of a KSL radio contest in which the winner had the 'opportunity' to burn a book written by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. I am aware of Pelosi's poor reputation, which is even more profound in one of he two most republican states in the nation, and based on the performance of the U.S. congress over the past few years, I can understand her low approval rating, but does that justify a book burning that leads one to draw mental connections of the book burning scene in 'Footloose', or Nazi Germany?


I have never been a fan of Rep. Rob Bishop, who represents Utah's first district, and my disappointment increased recently after hearing of his rude treatment of an Iraq war veteran. The veteran sent requests to all Utah delegates so that he might inform them of problems he had seen in the war in Iraq. Rob Bishop was the only delegate which refused to meet with the veteran, so the veteran decided to go to a public Q&A session which Bishop was the speaker of. The veteran rose to ask his question, and because Bishop was familiar with the veteran's criticism of the Iraq war, he rudely interrupted him and did not allow him to speak.

I respect the differing ideologies within politics, but we as Americans should not allow fear, ignorance, or group think lead us to shutting out voices from the other side. When we embrace and appreciate what the other side has to say, we can compromise and actually get things done in this country.