Author Archives: Paul Mero

The Boy Scouts of America are scheduled this week to decide whether or not to lift its long-standing ban on accepting homosexual scout leaders in local troops. The push to lift the ban comes from two members of its national board who both support homosexual scout leaders but worry more about how progressive-minded corporations extort BSA over its no-gay policy. These corporations threaten to quit donating to BSA until the ban is lifted.

There are no serious political threats to BSA driving this renewed debate. Nobody beyond homosexual activists and those two BSA board members are pushing the issue. There’s no legal threat against BSA – in 2000, the United States Supreme Court settled the issue: BSA does not have to accept homosexuals scout leaders if it doesn’t want to. read more

A few weeks ago I mentioned that the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council was coming to Salt Lake City. Well, it’s here and it’s time to get to work. Sutherland Institute is a proud sponsor of the conference and as a sponsor I have a few insights I can share given the controversies surrounding it.

ALEC, as it’s called, is a lot like Sutherland Institute, except its operating model is a bit different. Instead of being a state-based think tank like Sutherland, it’s a national think tank comprised of delegate members. It’s like a mini-Congress in function. Center-right state legislators from across the nation are ALEC’s primary targets and non-politician supporters make up the rest of its membership because, frankly, somebody’s got to pay the bills for its meetings. read more

My first day working for Congress as a young man was January 5, 1987. That same year the Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug for the purpose of prolonging the lives of AIDS patients, a medicine called AZT. That was 25 years ago. Yesterday the FDA approved another drug, this time taken by healthy people at high-risk for HIV infection. The drug, Truvada, is supposed to be able to reduce the risk of contracting the disease. The FDA’s decision comes less than two weeks after it approved an at-home test for HIV. read more

When my sister, Leslie, was born in 1950 there was no such thing as autism. Back then she was “mentally retarded.” She was born with a few physical defects as well, not major, but you could tell she was different. Leslie played with all of the other kids in the neighborhood and was their relative equal until sixth grade or so when her differences began to become more apparent.

Although Leslie is my only sibling, I grew up mostly as an only child. In her teen years and well into her young adulthood my parents had Leslie in a variety of special schools. read more

A few years ago I commented here on the problems of bullying and addressed whether or not the state Legislature should act to stem its tide. I mentioned how, for whatever personal reasons, I’m like a one-man, heat-seeking anti-bully defense system. I mentioned briefly how I’ve seen my disabled sister treated by school kids and how that there’s just something about bullies that sets me off – so much so, in fact, that my reactions to bullies are often mistaken that I’ve become the bully.

The legislation I addressed on this subject back in 2009 remains with us. Representative Carol Spackman-Moss continues to champion the victims of bullying and would like to see penalties in place to try and mitigate its awful influences. This year there’s an indication that this legislation would include a provision on bullying against kids who are seen as, or self-identify as, homosexuals. A conservative Republican state senator, Howard Stephenson, has expressed his support for that provision. read more

The American Legislative Exchange Council, known as ALEC, has been around as long as I’ve been in politics. ALEC is a non-profit membership organization comprised mostly of state legislators from around the country. It’s philosophy is center-right and, like other organizations serving state legislators, such as the National Conference of State Legislators, or NCSL, ALEC focuses on helping legislators craft model legislation – usually involving the protection of free markets. ALEC rarely gets involved with social issues. read more

It seems as if the problem of bullies runs deeper than we think. I’m Paul Mero. I’ll be right back.

Within the past week there have been two incidents, both at the fast-food restaurant McDonald’s for some reason, where a group of kids assaulted another kid. In one case, an adult, who tried to intervene, was shot dead. These stories are being attributed to bullies and, I suppose each case, and others like them, could be seen as bullying. My guess is that both of these extreme cases are actually gang related. Even the youngest kids, now, are becoming dragged into gangs. read more

This week I want to talk about religious liberty. The proposed mosque at Ground Zero in New York City is capturing a lot of attention these days. The discussion is testing the meaning of religious liberty. A related, but even tougher, debate regards the wearing of hijab, the religious coverings worn by orthodox Muslim women.

All throughout Europe, parliaments are banning the wearing of hijab, whether simple head scarves or more traditional burqas that leave only a woman’s eyes exposed to the public. Even in the United States, these religious coverings are being addressed in our courts of law. Just what are the bounds of religious liberty compared to workplace safety or culture? read more

This week I want to talk about the bounds of propriety. In some respects what I’m about to share is old news. Last week, during the entertainment portion of KVNU’s For The People, a controversy was stirred. It was primary election day last Tuesday and I had the pleasure of being in studio with Tyler, Jonathan and Jason. We had done the regular show between 4 and 6 and then moved into a half-hour discussion of entertainment news.

Tyler started the news with a story about a young teen idol, Miley Cyrus, or Hannah Montana, or something. Evidently she’s a singer in addition to being an accomplished thespian and named-brand clothing designer for Wal-Mart. Well, during one of her recent rock concerts, Miss Cyrus had a wardrobe malfunction and her “privates” were a bit exposed. The news agency, Reuters, snapped a pic at an inopportune moment and the young lady’s privacy immediately vanished. read more

This week I want to talk about the congressional move to repeal the ban on homosexuality in the military. In the old days, homosexuality was considered pathological behavior frowned upon by the military. It felt as if such behavior compromised critical and confidential efforts. It was also viewed as just plain weird within gender-segregated living conditions.

But attitudes have changed. For many people today, a public admission of homosexuality is no big deal – much like someone saying they’re a heterosexual (if they felt compelled to even say that). People just look at you and wonder why you felt to share that tid-bit. read more