Totally Wrong
For those who have ever lived in Utah over the past several years will undoubtedly recognize the name Dell Schanze a.k.a. Super Dell. The once owner and proprietor of the computer store chain Totally Awesome Computers. What makes him recognizable is not that he owned a local chain of computer stores (sold to one of his friends), but rather the absolutely obnoxious commercials that he produced and paid for that were shown (nearly) around the clock and the infomercial her produced and paid to be played late at night that outlined his personal beliefs and the experiences that led to those beliefs. In truth, I believe (from what I’ve heard from people who grew up with Dell Schanze) that he was raised LDS, but that does not mean he is practicing the religion now
What makes Dell Schanze interesting is that he started the chain of stores, grew them all over the greater Salt Lake City-Provo-Ogden areas, and possibly farther, and then started other companies to include a firing range and gun shop (Totally Awesome Firing Range; Totally Awesome Guns) as well as a paraglide company (Totally Awesome Paragliders) and more. The problem didn’t come in his success, but it did come as a result of his success. He was arrested, charged, tried, and convicted on charges related to illegal possesssion and use of firearms. As a result of his conviction, he sold off his businesses and then went to jail. What this meant for Utah was that we were saved (for a period of time) from the inane rantings and ramblings of Super Dell. Yay!
The unfortunate side to Dell Schanze is that he got out of jail and was hired (or bought into) one of these title loan companies and started doing his stupidity on the air once again. Back in the day I wrote to most of the television stations in the area that carried his commercials (written letter, not email) and informed them that whenever they ran his commercials they were losing viewership. This is something they already knew, but as Dell Schanze was paying them to run the commercials and they were not willing to allow that income to go away, I was effectively told that they were aware of what was happening but didn’t feel that it was worth their time to worry about. On the flip side, Dell Schanzee leaving the public eye was probably a blessing to television viewers and was probably a life saving move for his neighbors and people in general. Dell Schanze went to jail for illegal gun possession and use in an altercation after driving at excessive speeds through a residential neighborhood.
So, all of this to build to what I saw yesterday. There was the state magazine on candidates for different offices up for grabs in the next election. Dell Schanze is running for governor of the state. In his statement (100 words or less) he tells the state that he is the only non-socialist candidate and that we are required to vote for him or else suffer the wrath of God. On his website (http://www.totallyawesome.com/) he states:
SUPERDELL, Utah’s ONLY Christian Candidate.
I am pretty certain that Dell Schanzee is not the only Christian candidate. More, I am pretty certain that under almost any definition of Christian he does not qualify. And I am even more certain that when we look at Christian (e.g. followers of Christ) that his life does not sufficiently support the idea or notion that he lives a Christ oriented, centered, or a disciples life. In fact, I can go so far as to say, “Dell Schanze, I don’t believe it when you speak about faith or religion.”
What he is doing, and what makes this really interesting, is that he is applying a Christian ethos to a public election. Now, I don’t think Dell Schanze has a prayer in hell of being elected to county dog poop collector. However, the fact that he decided to run, that he was put on the Libertarian ticket here in Utah. Granted, one of the purposes of a political party is to get recognition. The issue is that people vote a party platform rather frequently and ignore individuals. There are some exceptions, but often the exception is a part of a national party. In the sense of Libertarian, Dell Schanze doesn’t have a prayer, nor does that party.
And yet, he still promotes himself as the only person a truly Christian individual can vote for. What this tells me is that he is not mentally stable. I would be no less surprised to hear him tell the world that he was commanded by God to kill goats, sacrifice his children, and all in the name of Christian virtue.
The outcome of this will not be good for the State of Utah. We can’t stop people from running for office so long as they meet the minimum requirements. However, the idea that Dell Schanze is allowed to run and obfuscate the process makes me wonder if the State of Utah isn’t in need of doing more to filter on the front end of filing (to run) to run for public office. In short, I think that this is bad for the politics here in Utah which are currently in a state that desperately needs more people willing to actually vote their minds rather than what they think the church wants them to vote (e.g. a better distribution of Democrat and Republican). However, I am not in charge, I will be moving at the end of the year, and even though politics interests me I will probably never run for public office.
John Hattaway | smokingpen | Alicia Grey | Clockwork Princess | Cassandra West
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