Rolling Stone looks at how drone strikes have become a common occurrence in Yemen.---
Top of the Alty World
“Death From Above: How American Drone Strikes Are Devastating Yemen”--Rolling Stone
High Country News recaps with photos the tense standoff between a Nevada rancher and out-of-state militia members against federal Bureau of Land Management officials.--High Country News
The makers of Turbo Tax have been linked to a campaign to fight against free simple tax filing.--ProPublica
The Atlantic looks at the “dark power” of anti-vaccine celebrities.--The Atlantic
Top of Alty Utah
Legislators will not convene a session to override any of Governor Herbert's vetoes.--Utah Policy
UTA takes to Twitter to defend high salaries and bonuses for its executives.--Utah Political Capitol
A defense attorney says politics is driving the prosecution of a mentally ill man who turned himself in for wanting to go on a shooting spree at the City Creek mall.--Salt Lake City Weekly
Salt Lakers drink some of the cleanest water but it's going to take a lot of work to keep it that way.--Salt Lake City Weekly
Rantosphere
In the lead up to the GOP convention a mailer stealing the logo of a good government group out of Florida was sent to delegates in the House District 57 race, stealing the organization's good name to promote incumbent Rep. Brian Greene, R-Pleasant Grove while blasting his opponents. After Greene won at convention a new letter was sent to delegates—anonymously--apologizing for the previous letter. Utah Politico Hub isn't very accepting of this “apology” letter from the nameless election-wreckers they lovingly dub “Utah's Profile in Courage.”
“Next, Utah’s Profile in Courage asks our forgiveness. After all, Utah’s Profile in Courage promises they’ve never made up crap under an anonymous name before and never will again. So really Utah’s Profile in Courage is a victim here. After all, they “got swept up in the ugliness of politics.” See, when you get swept up, it’s okay. We’ve all written anonymous letters stealing someone else’s logo to lend credibility to our views, haven’t we? Let he who is without sin commit the first fraud.”--Utah Politico Hub
The Long View
Salt Lake City Weekly looks at the tragic story of a Pakistani family that fled fundamental violence in coming to Utah to get swept up into another bloody dispute with an Afghan family.
“In comparison to the lack of freedom in Pakistan, Nisar says, “This place was heaven, I couldn’t be more happy. There were times I used to sit and thank God for taking us out of that dirty country.” But while the Rahimis thought they’d left violence behind them, the very cultural values that Haji had advocated against in Pakistan were waiting for them in Utah. Nazir’s relationship with Nargis Mullahkhel—an Afghan single mother in the middle of a divorce, at odds with her family’s strict cultural values—led to friction, then violence between the two families, and ultimately to the death of Nargis’ 19-year-old brother and Nazir spending five years in prison for his killing.”--Salt Lake City Weekly