A Book Report - Let there be Luz in Utah's 2nd

The debate between Glenn Beck's associate Chris Stewart, our Congressman, and Luz Robles of the Utah State Senate the other night, was very entertaining. Robles certainly held her own - skilled on the issues from her state legislative experience - confident and secure in her positions. She reflects the best of Utah values. And as a Democrat in red Utah, she is far from a flaming liberal. She has been successful in working across the aisle. You can see a list of her accomplishments at Wikipedia

Vote Luz Robles

Stewart, on the other hand, has several problems. First of all, he is in a mutual appreciation society with the extremist televangelist and conspiracy-monger, Glenn Beck.

Stewart isn't just a guest on Beck's shows. They endorse each other's books and political movements.

Books, oh yeah, this was going to be a book report. Congressman Stewart has written a lot of books. His bestsellers are a series that explains the war on terror as a continuation of the war in heaven in LDS theology. It concerns me, at least, that he sees the world in religious terms as he defines good vs. evil. And I think he thinks he's the good guy. I'm not saying the terrorists are, but I have my doubts about Stewart and Beck.

I actually read one of Stewart's books some years ago. A friend lent it to me and I read it to be polite. It was just the first volume of a trilogy or series or something, but I could see where it was going. And it seemed to glory in gory war whether in his interpretive version of Mormon theology or his career in the military.

One of his reviewers on Amazon sums it up best of all:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Great, Just Terrible, January 7, 2005By
Rover Mars - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Brothers: A Novel (The Great and Terrible, Volume 1 -- Prologue) (Hardcover)This silly, unimaginitive book takes off where "Added Upon," and "My Turn on Earth" leave off, except that this one assumes that the pre-life is a right-wing, military-industrial corporate state, exactly the type of place that Dwight Eisenhower was afraid of. It strains credulity that dis-embodied spirits were actually fighting in defense of their property, but for Stewart, conceptualizing anything more imaginative (or doctrinal) than an idealized, 21st century conservative America apparently was beyond his comprehension. Leave this turkey on the shelf.

Stewart came into politics as another tea-party rabble-rouser. He recently spoke at my son's high school conveying the message of American Exceptionalism. My boy reported that Stewart's form of exceptionalism seems exceptionally well in sending off America's young people to war.

No, Chris, I'm not buying your bloody fiction.

Luz Robles is a bright, shining light in comparison.