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Controversial director Michael Moore has slammed claims he feared for his life while urging youngsters in conservative Utah to vote against American President George W Bush. The Fahrenheit 9/11 star praised student organizers who battled against attempts to ban him from attending his sold-out speech to more than 7,000 people at Utah Valley State College on Wednesday as part of his Slacker Uprising tour aimed at encouraging young voters. Moore said, "I feel bad for students who had to suffer through this simply because they believe in freedom of expression. The whole country loves the Mormons. Why would I feel...

It's Here!Utah Freepers and Patriots Rally For The TroopsIgnore Moore and Have Fun Supporting Our Troops and Their Families at UVSC The Rally Will Include: Families of Servicemen/women Deployed Overseas Servicemen/women of the Utah National Guard BYU ROTC Speaker Patriots The list of activities may expand (check here for updates) Freepers and Lurkers: The McKay Events Center Parking will likely be free and open (IF you plan on arriving at least 1.5 hrs early). Do NOT Park at Wal-Mart or the old (empty) Home Base stores (you could get a boot placed on your vehicle). It may be best to...

Utah Valley State College officials may have violated school rules when they agreed to bring controversial filmmaker Michael Moore to the campus on Oct. 20 at a cost of $50,500. According to the student constitution, the college's student council cannot approve spending more than $50,000 for a single event without advising the student body of the expense and holding a forum to discuss it. But Phil Clegg, the UVSC administrator who signed the contract, said Moore's $40,000 speaking fee and $10,500 travel costs are two separate expenses. Because the two fees are separate, Clegg said, the contract did not violate...

UVSC expects continued support from most donors After two weeks of tempest, the storm of controversy swirling around Michael Moore's much-debated, much-anticipated appearance at Utah Valley State College appears to be waning. And that's a relief for UVSC chiefs, who braced for any financial repercussions over bringing the "Fahrenheit 9/11" filmmaker to Utah Valley, which during the 1980s earned the moniker as the most Republican county in the nation. "What we heard the first few days was a natural reaction, and I don't think people can be blamed for feeling that way," said Tom Heal, director of the UVSC Foundation,...

Can Moore mean less? Utah Valley State College donors - who vote with their pocketbook and are upset the Bush-bashing filmmaker is coming to the Orem campus - are saying yes. Hal Wing, a businessman and former Springville mayor, has yanked a $1.4 million art collection and nearly that much in cash promised for the school. Others are threatening to withhold millions more due to the Michael Moore invitation. One resident refuses to attend his grandson's spring graduation from UVSC, a school spokesman says, and parents are threatening to send their kids elsewhere. "They've kicked over a beehive," said Wing,...

Utah Valley State College President William Sederburg thinks the controversy surrounding filmmaker Michael Moore's visit to the Orem campus will be good for UVSC. He thinks the school's ongoing efforts to become a four-year university will be helped by the political discourse resulting from the ruckus over Moore. "We need civil discourse," Sederburg said during a panel discussion Tuesday about the controversy. "We need civil discourse. We need to learn to deal with uncomfortable issues. And we need to respect a variety of different opinions and points of views that might not necessarily agree with us all the time." Sederburg...

UVSC also paid Bush's mother $40,000 to speak She's the president's mother. He's a filmmaker known for attacks on her son.But former first lady Barbara Bush and controversial "Fahrenheit 9/11" director Michael Moore have something in common — getting $40,000 from Utah Valley State College to speak to its students. According to college documents obtained by the Deseret Morning News, UVSC paid GOP favorite Barbara Bush $40,000 in 1996 to speak at the McKay Events Center. That's the same amount UVSC's student government is paying Moore to address students on Oct. 20, which has prompted a public outcry, including threats...

From "The Facts" page:Lied. VOGEL and BASSI misrepresented their plan to spend an equivalent of the public-speaking budget on an alternative viewpoint. It was not until after the administration told them they had to; and after the majority of the funds had been committed that they chose to seek alternative speakers with the small budget remaining.Withheld information. They chose to delay the announcement of Moore's appearance, knowing the controversy it would bring. The information had to be leaked to the press before the student body was generally aware of the plan. They continue to refuse to divulge the contents of...

One shares the name of a Republican icon and former American president. The other is a conservative lightning rod and the nation's highest-rated talk show host. One charges 5,000. The other $100,000 - although their prices are negotiable. And one - either Michael Reagan or Sean Hannity - will be speaking at Utah Valley State College next month, days after liberal lion Michael Moore. An announcement is expected today.. "Both would get a big draw," Joe Vogel, vice president for UVSC's recently embattled student government, said Monday. They're both well known and they would provide a good alternative to Michael...

OREM — Several Republican Utah County state legislators are irked at the decision by Utah Valley State College's student leaders to use student funds to bring filmmaker Michael Moore to campus Oct. 20 for a speech. "Michael Moore is a grandstanding demagogue," said Rep. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem. "He discredits the use of the word documentary." Dayton said what disturbs her about Moore's invitation is that she thinks he would not be a top speaker choice for the majority of UVSC students. "UVSC is a terrific school," she said. "It's obvious to me this decision is not reflective of all the...