Last time I checked, this is America, folks. You know, land of the free and such? Innocent until proven guilty, the right to bear arms, the right to defend our livelihoods—yes, even those pesky bar owners [“In Your Face,” April 28, City Weekly].
The Canyon Inn and its owners are brave, yet are sacrificial lambs. This state is under the gross and unfortunate misconception that as long as its leaders are acting under the guidance of the Good Book, they don’t have to answer to America’s intolerance for discrimination.
There are crusades by overzealous DUI arresting officers who seem to think they will purify the fallen flock. Running the Canyon Inn out of town then allows the Cottonwood Heights Police to breathe easy while writing reports in their overpriced SUVs and motorcycles. Go ahead, look the other way while your partners camp outside the Canyon Inn during last call (or, as they call it, “making their presence known”).
Maybe it was these same time-management skills and lack of prioritizing that kept Elizabeth Smart missing in the hills for so long. I can see how those who commit kidnapping and rape may seem lower on the totem pole than, say, those who consume a gin & tonic or two.
But the fact of the matter is this: Harassment and intimidation tactics used by police have grown tiresome and ridiculous. I know there is a strong passive-aggressive LDS undertone from those who hide behind badges, political offices, legislation bills and the like.
Perhaps we would all be wise to bleach our roots, order excessive amounts of ranch dressing with each meal and maintain an unhealthy relationship with Diet Coke to blend in with the environment. Perhaps, then, we alcohol-consumers would finally find asylum—freedom from a bullying and volatile police force out for blood, which remains blinded by its insatiable appetite for controlling the damned.
The more pressing and disconcerting issue here is the blatant threat against our civil rights. Jim Stojack is no different from those in our country’s history who have stood up in the face of corruption. Remove the Canyon Inn and your problems won’t disappear, because Americans are bred to survive and thrive no matter the cost or the odds. Perseverance under scrutiny and discrimination is no stranger in this town. We will have our day in the sun. That much I can guarantee.
My hat goes off to you, Jim. Keep your light on.
Danni Nutter
Salt Lake City
The Canyon Inn and its owners are brave, yet are sacrificial lambs. This state is under the gross and unfortunate misconception that as long as its leaders are acting under the guidance of the Good Book, they don’t have to answer to America’s intolerance for discrimination.
There are crusades by overzealous DUI arresting officers who seem to think they will purify the fallen flock. Running the Canyon Inn out of town then allows the Cottonwood Heights Police to breathe easy while writing reports in their overpriced SUVs and motorcycles. Go ahead, look the other way while your partners camp outside the Canyon Inn during last call (or, as they call it, “making their presence known”).
Maybe it was these same time-management skills and lack of prioritizing that kept Elizabeth Smart missing in the hills for so long. I can see how those who commit kidnapping and rape may seem lower on the totem pole than, say, those who consume a gin & tonic or two.
But the fact of the matter is this: Harassment and intimidation tactics used by police have grown tiresome and ridiculous. I know there is a strong passive-aggressive LDS undertone from those who hide behind badges, political offices, legislation bills and the like.
Perhaps we would all be wise to bleach our roots, order excessive amounts of ranch dressing with each meal and maintain an unhealthy relationship with Diet Coke to blend in with the environment. Perhaps, then, we alcohol-consumers would finally find asylum—freedom from a bullying and volatile police force out for blood, which remains blinded by its insatiable appetite for controlling the damned.
The more pressing and disconcerting issue here is the blatant threat against our civil rights. Jim Stojack is no different from those in our country’s history who have stood up in the face of corruption. Remove the Canyon Inn and your problems won’t disappear, because Americans are bred to survive and thrive no matter the cost or the odds. Perseverance under scrutiny and discrimination is no stranger in this town. We will have our day in the sun. That much I can guarantee.
My hat goes off to you, Jim. Keep your light on.
Danni Nutter
Salt Lake City
