Utes to Leave the MWC, and Ron Paul endorses Lee

First, this is a non-political issue but it is an issue that is important to Utah. It is being reported that the Utes are going to receive an invite to the PAC-1?. Although I hope against hope that the Utes aren't actually considering this, statements from Utah President Young indicate otherwise:

On Friday, Young said while Utah and BYU have benefited from being in the same conference as rivals, the two schools had to do what was best for themselves. He expressed a desire for the rivalry to continue no matter what happens.

"At the end of the day I feel a real sense of commitment to this conference," Young said of the MWC. "But every circumstance is different and you have to evaluate what is best for your institution, just as (BYU) President (Cecil) Samuelson does. If they got an offer from the Big 12 and we didn't, we wouldn't stand in their way if it is the right thing for their school and we'd think they'd do the same for us. We'd miss them and work with them, but we'd find ways to continue to work with them."

A Bay area sports website has gone online with information confirming that the invite will be formally extended to Utah tomorrow.

I really wish Utah wouldn't take the invite.

First, the MWC is so close to getting an AQ spot in the BCS and Utah is a critical piece of the puzzle. The PAC-10 is a competitive league, but the MWC could be just as competitive if Utah or the other strong schools in the conference don't jump ship for the bigger money leagues.

Second, I enjoy the BYU-Utah rivalry almost more than Christmas. If Utah and BYU are no longer in the same league than the rivalry game becomes a meaningless (or less important) non-conference game -- it will still have venom and passion for fans without meaning or importance to the players.

Oh well.

Ron Paul

In what appears to seal Mike Lee's (to quote Ethan Millard) "fulfillment of the white horse prophecy" campaign, fellow beloved politician of far-right wingers Ron Paul has endorsed Mike Lee for Utah senator. Paul gave the following statement to the press:

Mike is a dynamic young leader who understands our constitution and will fight against out-of-control government to restore our liberty. Mike has the courage to stand up against the bailouts and government takeovers being forced down our throats by Washington insiders"

The Lee campaign appears to take the endorsement in stride saying that they realized that the Paul endorsement is not a game changer.

Ron Paul was a candidate who turned a lot of people off with the rhetoric used by supporters. For instance, one of the clearest memories I have of the Paul campaign was a (this is the only way I can describe him) street preacher proclaiming the end to be near and Ron Paul to be the man that will save us all outside the ESA before Jazz games in 2008. A whole lot of Mike Lee's rhetoric turns me off as well.

I have a hard time taking Mike Lee seriously, mainly because he is so willing to advocate for the mass deportation of 20 million illegal aliens while admitting that crossing the border illegally is a civil violation akin to "speeding". Tim Bridgewater, despite his continued use of the term "anchor baby", at least gets the fact that the immigration solution needs to include border protection and immigration laws that allow hopeful citizens to attain that goal in less time and for less than their entire life's fortune.


UPDATE: The Utah Board of Trustees has set a meeting for Thursday. The Tribune reports that it expects the board to approve the departure from the MWC for the PAC-12. The meeting is set for 12:30pm tomorrow.