Immigration Boycott Today

Today is the day that workers all over the U.S., including immigrant workers, are boycotting business by taking the day off and engaging in educational activities and rallies in “A Day Without an Immigrant”.

Here are links to articles about today’s events:

Salt Lake Tribune: Demonstrations, business boycotts spread nationwide over immigration reform
KSL Channel 5: Immigrants Plan Nationwide Day of Protest and Activists Encouraging Latino Community to Work on Monday
ABC Channel 4: ABC 4 NewsViewer Poll results: 88% say people should not get the day off for immigration protests

Big Brother is Watching

Sgt. Gehlen from the U.S. Central Command public Affairs has posted a reply to the post I made this morning about the 3rd anniversary of George W. Bush declaring the Iraq conflict as “Mission Accomplished”. He has graciously pointed me and my readers to CENTCOM for the most accurate and up to date figures on the war on terrorism.

Among the links on the CENTCOM site are:
What Extremists Are Saying
Heroes in Action
Afghanistan
Iraq

Thank you for this additional source of information to further my education and understanding on this issue.

Save Darfur

Here are some links to news articles about the campaign to save Darfur:

Deseret News: Darfur rebels reject draft peace accord
(interesting note: I could find no article about the Utah Darfur rallies in SLC and in Provo)
Salt Lake Tribune: Humanitarian disaster: Protesting the atrocities
KSL Channel 5: Crowds Gather to Urge End to Sudan Genocide
KUTV Channel 2: Darfur Peace Deal Rejected By Rebels: African Union Extends Deadline By 48 Hours
ABC Channel 4: Former NBA Star Manute Bol in Utah to Help Stop Genocide in His Homeland

Coverage on Blogs
Jen’s Green Journal
One Uath

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of George W. Bush landing in a jet on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast where, in a speech to the nation, he declared major combat in Iraq over. The banner his staff posted on the ship read “Mission Accomplished.”:

The irony is that since then approximately 2400 Americans and more than 30,000 Iraqis have lost their lives, in addition to the tens of thousand of others injured in the conflict.

Iraq Body Count
Cost of War

Today in history

May 1

1830
Mother Jones (born Mary Harris), Irish-American anti-war activist & labor radical, born in Cork, Ireland.
1886

May Day also became known as International Workers’ Day in 1886 when 340,000 went on strike for the 8-hour work day. May 1, 1890 May Day labor demonstrations spread to thirteen other countries; 30,000 marched in Chicago as the newly prominent American Federation of Labor threw its weight behind the 8-hour day campaign.
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Hiking

Today Tom and I went hiking in Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains. It’s mushroom season, so we will be spending all our spare time hunting mushrooms. We hit the jackpot today – enough for dinner! We found oyster and morel mushrooms.

I’m glad I have been riding my bike a lot because I feel if fairly good shape for hiking, although I still need some work.

Here are a few photos:


A snake slithers away when it is alarmed by us walking by

Oyster mushrooms growing on a dead cottonwood tree stump

The Word’s Out Now

So my son told his grandparents and other family members about his impending fatherhood. He told me he still feels like everyone will consider him a big disappointment – and I don’t know why because they don’t and, in fact, everyone is being really supportive. I hope he will get over this feeling soon.

Meanwhile, I will be accompanying Carmen to her next doctor’s visit on May 17! I dropped off several bags of food and personal items for her today, along with a book that I made on nutrition in pregnancy.

Words from a U.S. Soldier

I know someone who has a friend working for the U.S. military in Iraq. I told her I would share on my blog some of the words the friend of my friend’s has written. I think they speak for themselves – I don’t need to provide my commentary. There are more comments from soldiers at: Fight to Survive

Day 1:
It was good to hear from you. I haven’t written anything on myspace for awhile because I just odon’t have the motivation or energy to do it. I”ve about hit rock bottom and am counting the days until I get to come back.

Day 2:
I think it’s great when people over here speak out for what they believe. They always give us ample warnings to watch our mouths and opinions when reporters or generals, or anyone important for that matter comes around. Apparently Condoleeze Rice was here last month, they didn’t bring her around any place like our barracks, they are so shitty. They have also started cracking down on us for our Myspace websites, they found out a lot of guys had them, that’s why I took my old blogs off (it was probably time to anyway) but it’s all censorship, no freedoms for the “liberators”. To hell with this, I am pretty upset about he current state of the world, but I know it’s out of my control, as well as the majority of the other people who know/care. I can’t wait untikl I can get out of the military for good, they have so many tricks like stop-loss and other BS though.

Day 3:
I am so frustrated and infuriated at all this political BS, especially if we start having problems with Iran, although I don’t think we will. Maybe I will move out of the U.S., become an ex-patriot like Hemmingway did, although I have nowhere near the literary sense that he did. I’m shocked and amazed at the amount of people over here who don’t see anything wrong with the Bush administration, and that’s the ones who can tell the difference between Republicans and Democrats. To hell with it, I served my time and I will never come back over here, under any circumstances. I am just too morally opposed to this BS. Anyway, it’s only two months so I will put up with it.

Save Darfur

I took the day off from activism today since I was involved in two big events yesterday and will be involved in tomorrow’s immigration “Liberty Walk”.

Jen’s Green Journal has an account of today’s Darfur Rally

Blogswarm hits the paper

Well finally:

Anti-nuclear-waste rallies held in state Capitol and cyberspace