Orrin Hatch is a narcissist.

[Shaka]

I'm wondering if this is a Utah thing.

I've been noticing several religious, active, intelligent LDS people who just sit there and stare during the hymns, not even opening the hymn book or anything. Maybe it's just me, but I don't seem to recall noticing this very often in the other places I have lived.

While not sure that I meet the intelligent part of your criteria I can state that after years and years of the same hymns I no longer have much desire to sing because they bore the crap out of me.

[CardiacCoug]

While not sure that I meet the intelligent part of your criteria I can state that after years and years of the same hymns I no longer have much desire to sing because they bore the crap out of me.

Sure, I get that. Add to that the fact that most wards sing the hymns way too slowly and it can be pretty unbearable.

[Solon]

That sounds kind of entertaining. Is there a video of it somewhere?

I remember sitting in my living room on 9/11. Everyone had been sent home in our office and so I came home to watch as much coverage as possible.

One of the national news outlets was interviewing Orrin Hatch and he claimed that he knew that this was going to happen all along. He also said that 9/11 could have been avoided if people had listened to him.

He seems like a good guy but he has never struck me as the greatest speaker. He also crashed and burned recently in the BCS hearing. Not good.

I remember hearing that, on 9-11, as Hatch told CNN that there were efforts to find those responsible by tracking their cell phones, terrorists who were watching TV promptly switched their cell phones off.

Orrin Hatch's "talk" at Ted Kennedy's memorial service was an embarrassment. The whole thing was Mormon this and Mormon that, and Ted Kennedy spoke to Mormon missionaries in Boston, and "I wrote a song and Ted's wife loved it." Blah blah blah. The only good part was when Orrin called BYU the Harvard of Utah, which is accurate.

When Hatch called BYU the "Harvard of Utah," I think he was talking about football.

I can't stand Orrin Hatch, and I've met him a couple of times. He's extremely aloof and can't seem to ever answer a question. Plus, he ran for office (against Moss, IIRC) on the platform that it was time to root out career politicians. That was 30+ years ago.

[JohnnyLingo]

I remember hearing that, on 9-11, as Hatch told CNN that there were efforts to find those responsible by tracking their cell phones, terrorists who were watching TV promptly switched their cell phones off.

It's disturbing when people or organizations put their own interests above that of our national security.

Although I suppose Hatch could have just been not thinking.

I'm not sure that the NY Times can use that excuse.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I'm wondering if this is a Utah thing.

I've been noticing several religious, active, intelligent LDS people who just sit there and stare during the hymns, not even opening the hymn book or anything. Maybe it's just me, but I don't seem to recall noticing this very often in the other places I have lived.

You should visit a ward in rural Utah. None of the men sing. It is strange.

[SoonerCoug]

Like CJF I just watched the speech for the first time on the links provided. I have to be honest, I didn't see a thing wrong with it.

That's because it was intended for a Mormon audience.

[Solon]

It's disturbing when people or organizations put their own interests above that of our national security.

Although I suppose Hatch could have just been not thinking.

Agreed. I think Hatch just made a dumb mistake.

[Shaka]

That's because it was intended for a Mormon audience.

Of course it was. You can tell by the number of LDS people in the audience.

[SoonerCoug]

Of course it was. You can tell by the number of LDS people in the audience.

My point is that he spent an inordinate amount of time talking about Mormons. It was weird. This is a memorial service for a Catholic senator, so why is the talk about Mormons? It's about Mormons because Orrin Hatch wants the talk to be a Mormon/Orrin Ad. "Hey look everybody! I'm a Mormon, and Ted liked Mormons! And his widow loves my music!"

[Shaka]

My point is that he spent an inordinate amount of time talking about Mormons. It was weird. This is a memorial service for a Catholic senator, so why is the talk about Mormons? It's about Mormons because Orrin Hatch wants the talk to be a Mormon/Orrin Ad. "Hey look everybody! I'm a Mormon, and Ted liked Mormons! And his widow loves my music!"

Much of the fuel that drove the friendship was based around the participants being a Boston Catholic and a Utah (by way of Pennsylvania) Mormon. This was part of their unusual relationship so I do not find it strange that Orrin talked about it. This part of their relationship was a constant part of their personal banter both in and out of the Senate. I guarantee you that if Orrin had died first Ted's speech would have included a lot of stuff about his Catholicism and Orrin's Mormonism.

[TripletDaddy]

I will use this moment to put in a plug for my favorite Orrin Hatch tune, "America Rocks."

If he had any love at all for TK, he would have sang that song as a tribute to the fallen Senator.

[Babs]

When Hatch called BYU the "Harvard of Utah"...

I couldn't help but think to myself, "just how much competition is there in Utah?" Or maybe he meant to say that BYU is the Harvard of the Intermountain West? Perhaps just edging out U of Idaho and UNLV?

Reminds me of Bronco's musings about ND last week. These guys are like a case study in how to use rhetoric to undermine your point.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Mohammed Ali is a Christian Conservative? I really want to hear more about this.

Do you have a pic of your meeting him Shaka? That would be cool to see.

[TripletDaddy]

I couldn't help but think to myself, "just how much competition is there in Utah?" Or maybe he meant to say that BYU is the Harvard of the Intermountain West? Perhaps just edging out U of Idaho and UNLV?

Reminds me of Bronco's musings about ND last week. These guys are like a case study in how to use rhetoric to undermine your point.

There was a time when locals would refer to BYU as "the Harvard of the West" but now apparently it has been pared down to encompass only Utah.

I guess these same people finally realized that schools like Stanford, Cal, SC, and UCLA are also in "the West."

[Babs]

There was a time when locals would refer to BYU as "the Harvard of the West" but now apparently it has been pared down to encompass only Utah.

I guess these same people finally realized that schools like Stanford, Cal, SC, and UCLA are also in "the West."

Right. It's one thing to say that Stanford is the Harvard of the West (I didn't realize BYU ever claimed the title), because it's going up against SC and Berkeley and so on. But the Harvard of Utah? I mean, OU may well be the Oxford of Oklahoma, but that's hardly anything to brag about.