Chris Buttars, the Utah Republican state senator famous for racist and anti-gay outbursts, was removed from his post as head of the Judiciary Committee for breaking a deal with his anti-gay Republican colleagues to cool the rhetoric.

Buttars’ latest outburst was to a documentary filmmaker. He called same-sex relations “an abomination” and the LGBT movement “probably the greatest threat to America,” while comparing LGBT activists to Muslim “radicals.”

“Most of what Senator Buttars said, I agree with,” said Republican Senator Howard Stephenson, but his caucus felt Buttars had become too much of a “lightning rod” on LGBT issues.

A Salt Lake Tribune editorial called him a “Buttaraurus,” writing, “Buttars will never change. But Utah will.”

A “Buttars-Palooza” with live music and a DJ was organized by LGBT activists for the lawn of the state capitol on February 28 and attracted more than 1,000 people celebrating the GOP senator being taken down a peg. See Anti-Gay Senator Out; LGBT Festival Celebrates Gay City News

Controversial Sen. Chris Buttars was stripped of his Senate committee posts not because he went on an anti-gay tirade in an interview with a documentary filmmaker but because the West Jordan Republican broke a deal with Senate leaders not to talk about gay issues.

That’s what a Senate colleague revealed on a conservative radio program Saturday.

“I have to tell you publicly that most of what Sen. Buttars said — I agree with,” Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said on the weekly radio program “Inside Utah Politics” on KTKK-AM. “However, my concern is that we, as a Senate caucus, had an agreement that because Senator Buttars has become such a lightning rod on this issue, that he would not be the spokesperson on the issue.”

Buttars violated that agreement, Stephenson said, adding that the comments undermined “everything we’ve done” in the last three weeks of the legislative session. MORE

The Rev. Rick Warren, the megachurch pastor who became a lightning rod for controversy when he was anointed by President-elect Barack Obama to give the premier prayer at the inauguration, has decided to let his prayer speak for him.

Mr. Warren has decided not to grant any interviews before the inauguration next Tuesday, though he has received more than 100 requests for interviews, including strong appeals from competing celebrity television reporters, according to his spokesman, A. Larry Ross (who has also served for years as spokesman for the Rev. Billy Graham).

Mr. Ross’s firm released a statement saying, “Dr. Warren has determined there is no way he could fairly accommodate any interviews at the expense of others, but instead will let his prayer speak for itself.”

 See Rick Warren Chooses Silence
New York Times, United States