This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When Gov. Gary Herbert and Superintendent Sydnee Dickson issued a joint statement last week condemning harassment and bullying in schools after Donald Trump's election victory, they encouraged students to be tolerant and compassionate toward their classmates.
Perhaps they should have addressed those statements to their parents.
A Davis County relative of mine, whom I won't identify for fear of backlash, was blindsided by those she considered good friends and colleagues in her Mormon ward, or congregation, berating her 12-year-old daughter because the family had a Hillary Clinton sign in the yard.
The harangue came during a car pool, in front of the child's friends, chiding her for her parents being evil Democrats.
The tongue-lashing has strained the relationship between their daughter and the innocent preteen whose parents had the audacity to support Clinton. The two girls had been best friends.
The anti-Clinton parents — the wife is the women's Relief Society president in the ward — later told the 12-year-old's mother they no longer would attend the Sunday school class taught by her husband.
They must not have gotten the memo from top leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reaffirming the Utah-based faith's political neutrality and encouraging members to be active in civic affairs and reminding them that Mormon principles can be found in various parties.
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Can't go home again • One of the many stories I have heard about post-election backlash came from Idaho.
A reader says her daughter teaches in an elementary school in Middleton. The school's social worker overheard some students saying they may be sent back to where they were born.
"Oh, no," said one student. "Does that mean I'll have to go back to Utah?"
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Silver lining? • State school board member Terryl Warner works in victim services in Cache County and serves with her husband in an LDS Spanish congregation.
She has reported several incidents of racially motivated harassment since the election, but she observed something Sunday that brought her hope.
The Mormon Spanish congregation's meeting was filled with worshippers because large numbers of Mountain Crest High School students in Hyrum had come to participate. They had been encouraged by a teacher to join the Latino church members to show solidarity.
"To say it was emotional for many parents, including me," Warner said, "is an understatement."
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Censors no more? • KSL-TV shocked Utah's broadcasting industry in 2013 when, after 18 years of refusing to air NBC's edgy "Saturday Night Live," it changed course and welcomed the show into its lineup.
KSL's boycotting of certain shows it deemed inappropriate for its audience was a longtime policy of the LDS Church-owned station.
So with the KSL changing course and accepting "SNL," Utah viewers — like much of the rest of the country — were treated to comedian Dave Chappelle unleashing the N-word during his routine Saturday.
Darned if you do; darned if you don't.
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What's in a name? • While there is no exact count, there were more write-in votes for president this year than usual, Utah election officials say.
That's because neither Republican Donald Trump nor Democrat Hillary Clinton was popular in the Beehive State, and while many voters saw an alternative in independent Evan McMullin, others decided to choose their own candidate for the ballot.
Some were pretty clever.
Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and the darling of Utah, was the most frequent name written in, but there were lots of others.
LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson was a popular pick, as was former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.
Here are some others who caught the attention of ballot counters:
John Wayne, Willie Nelson, Foghorn Leghorn, Darth Vader, Edward Snowden, Bill Murray, Chewbacca, Jon Stewart, Goofy, Joseph Smith and Kanye West.
Some voted for "My Dog." One voted for "Trump's cat."
The most unusual write-in: "God save the queen and America's screwed."
Unfortunately, some foreign dignitaries visiting Utah were invited in the counting room of the Salt Lake County clerk's office to view how American democracy works and they saw that ballot.