The terrible three’s.
I heard yesterday that Condi Rice will be joined by Donald Rumsfeld on August 29th in SLC – they both will be addressed the American Legion that day. Bush is scheduled to arrive on August 30th, and according to a recent SL Tribune article, will be speaking on the 31st.
It’s finally here – the day we are headed to Camp Casey.
We are very excited to be able to take advantage of this opportunity. Not knowing what internet access there is, I may not be blogging until after I return late Monday night. If my cell phone works, I may phone in a post, but no guarantees.
I’ll be bringing with me lots of energy and enthusiasm, encouraging messages from fellow Utah activists, desire to network with other greens and activists and a resolve to be part of a growing movement to demand accountability from the U.S. Adminsitration.
Both of today’s major Utah papers have articles on their front pages about Cindy Sheehan coming to Salt Lake during George Bush’s visit later this month.
Salt Lake Tribune: Anti-war activist Sheehan to badger Bush in Salt Lake
Deseret News: Sheehan to join Rocky in anti-Bush rally
Green Commons has an article posted which contains Michigan Green Sylvia Inwood’s Address to the State Nominating Convention in Shaftsburg MI on 8/5/06 Sylvia specifically speaks to the key value of non-violence and how, in the spectrum of world history, non-violence is a “radical” idea. She quotes Gandhi and gives some personal history. Her overlying message: The Green Party is the only Peace Party. Here are a couple of portions from her speech:
While there are specific local issues for each candidate to address, I believe it is important, in this election cycle, to see the big picture, to keep making the connection between the wars being waged here at home and those waged abroad. While our government ignores or punishes the working poor, the unemployed, women, children, the elderly and the dispossessed, Bush and his cronies are waging corporate imperialist wars throughout the planet. State and city funds are tithed yearly to the federal government. These are funds urgently needed in our state and in our cities and rural areas to repair school buildings, to provide textbooks, for healthcare, for transportation, to create jobs, to feed and house people. Instead our money is going to Washington to fund Bush’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; to provide military aid to Israel so they can murder Lebanese civilians; and to pay for all the other dirty little wars and dirty big wars this government has its blood-stained hands in.
One way to work toward social change is to elect individuals to public office who truly speak for the people and who are committed to Green values. I urge all delegates here today to listen carefully to all those seeking nomination. Hear what they have to say, read their statements, consider their presence and choose the ones you think will best represent Green values and who will best be able to reach out beyond this small group assembled here to the great number of disaffected voters. We need to let Americans know they don’t have to vote for the lesser of two evils. There is an alternative.
It’s called the Green Party.
John Kevin Fabiani has posted an article by the International Herald on July’s Death Toll in Iraq
I like how the article puts into perpsective what this would mean in terms of American death toll would the tables be turned:
n average of more than 110 Iraqis were killed per day in July,according to figures from Iraq’s Health Ministry and the Baghdad morgue. At least 3,438 civilians died violently that month, a 9 percent increase over the total in June and nearly twice as many as in January….When the July tally for total civilian deaths is added to Iraqi government numbers for earlier months, the total indicates that at least 17,776 Iraqi civilians died violently in the first seven months of this year, or an average of 2,539 per month.
America is roughly 11 times the population of Iraq (rounding down). That means the proportional civilian death rate in America would be: 1,210 civilians slain daily, 37,818 civilians slain in July, and 195,536 civilians slain in 7 months – an average of 27, 929 civilians slain per month.
John also provides a link to an article in New York Times in which George Bush is referenced as mentioning his frustration with the dissatisfaction about what is going on in Iraq:
More generally, the participants[in a private lunch meeting with Bush on Monday] said, the president expressed frustration that Iraqis had not come to appreciate the sacrifices the United States had made in Iraq, and was puzzled as to how a recent anti-American rally in support of Hezbollah in Baghdad could draw such a large crowd. “I do think he was frustrated about why 10,000 Shiites would go into the streets and demonstrate against the United States,” said another person who attended.
In today’s SL Tribune: Buttars’ crusade stirs the pot again Pending bills: Church and state, judges’ terms are the focus this time
The conservative West Jordan Republican has asked state attorneys to draft a bill defining the separation of church and state outlined by America’s and the state’s founding documents. At the same time, he is proposing legislation to require state judges to face legislators in a second confirmation hearing after their first term in office. Critics say such a law would undermine the sacrosanct division between the branches of government.
“It’s gotten ridiculous. We have Christmas wars and White Cross wars,” said the chairman of the Judicial Confirmation Committee, referring to battles between atheists and the state. “The state has become hostile to religion.”
Buttars won’t release the details of this bill.
The other bill on which Buttars is working is obviously a personal one to get rid of what he calls “activist judges”.
Buttars’ other bill to change judicial retention rules is much more public. Buttars believes the vast majority of Utah judges – “about 98 percent,” he says – are doing their jobs just fine. It’s the others, the ones who have overstepped their bounds, he wants to hold accountable. He has a growing list of a dozen cases where he says judges have ignored or redefined state law – including a divorce battle over insurance.
But has Buttars overstepped his boundaries?
Buttars acknowledges he has not reviewed whether such a law would be constitutional. Legal scholars and judges alike say Buttars is creating a problem where none exists. They say Buttars’ legislation would upset the time-honored, delicately-balanced separation between the branches of government. The U.S. and Utah Constitutions already provide frustrated lawmakers a simple remedy for errant judges – they can simply change a law if they do not like a judge’s interpretation. Disgruntled voters can dump a judge they don’t like.
Quite a few folks are interviewed in this article about Buttars’ proposed legislation, most of whom recognize the absurdity of it.
Former University of Utah Law School professor John Flynn, who specialized in the Utah Constitution, agrees. He says Buttars’ legislation would be constitutionally “suspect.” Beyond that, “it’s asinine and absurd.”
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged education, evolution, gay issues, marriage, politics, Utah
Out of Context: The Tribune’s political writers’ blog. writes about the announcement of my trip to Camp Casey this weekend.
Of course this blogger did not reference ALL of the media release – like the part that says that Bush refuses to meet with Sheehan and why CC is still camped where it is and what will happen to CC on Sept 2 (it will become “Camp Democracy” and move to DC).
It appears to me that this bloggger is attempting to discredit not only me and Tom and our campaigns, but also Camp Casey and Cindy Sheehan. But maybe not. It might just be my perception. At any rate I’m thankful that he called attention to this.
Two Utah political hopefuls say they’ll go to Crawford, Texas,
We not only say, we are.
Taylor and King indicated in their statements their trip is less about Bush than Sheehan. King called her “one of America’s most courageous and dedicated contemporary figures.” Taylor called her “an inspiration to women everywhere.”
Not at all. We support Sheehan because of her unending commitment to stand up to the Bush Regime. We are traveling the CC to be part of the movement that demands accountabiltity of the U.S. Administration. Women are not empowered in this country to take a stand. Sheehan has inspired women all over our country to speak out. She is courageious and dedicated.
What this blogger probably doesn’t know is how brave and courageous the two candidates he mentions actually have been in the past as well, not to mention their constant vigiling, organzing, and outspokenness against the Bush Regime.
I’m sure if this SLTribune staff person does their research, all sorts of articles will be found on Tom King and Deanna Taylor in Utah’s anti-war movement.
(See comment to the blog entry at: http://blogs.sltrib.com/utahpolitics/2006/08/texas-road-trip.htm)
I’m sure that if reporters would have contacted us, as KCPW radio did, they would have found out more information about our stance against the Bush Regime Policies that could have added even more substance to any publication of information from the press release that was sent out.
I’d like to also point out that the temperature in Crawford is in the 100’s with high humidity. We aren’t going to be hanging out with celebrities in air conditioned accomodations. We aren’t staying in a hotel. We aren’t going to be staying in a house. We will be sleeping in our tent. We will be cooking our meals on a backpacking cookstove. We will be networking with activists from around the country who have a mission and a purpose. We will be camping and working to help the operation of the camp
http://www.kcpw.org/article/1460
No Nutcakes Allowed
Aug 14, 2006 by Julie Rose
Organizer Hopes for Bush Protest With Different Feel
(KCPW News) When Utahns gathered last year to protest President Bush’s visit,
a prominent U.S. Senator referred to many of the demonstrators as “nutcakes.”
The comment fueled outrage from protesters – and inspired one local
businessman to envision a new kind of rally. Greg Felice hopes to give the
traditional anti-Bush protest a makeover when the President comes to Utah
later this month. He tells KCPW’s Julie Rose that he’s shooting for a
“no-nutcake” rally:
(Go to the link above to listen)
Greg Felice is helping to stage a protest during Bush’s visit on August 30th.
Details are online at http://www.utahvoices.org — remember to wear your tie.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged anti-war, immigration issues, iraq, peace, politics, Utah
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 