February 28
1854
The Republican Party was organized. Their main platform was preventing an end to the expansion of slavery.
1877
U.S. Government seizes Black Hills from Lakota Sioux in violation of treaty.
1937
1,000 rally against war, Hyde Park, London.
1947
Peace Memorial Day, also called 228 Memorial Day, in Taiwan, commemorating a 1947 incident of government oppression.
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So I took my students to the capitol today. Well, we got there on time. The kids were amazed at how “different” they looked from everyone else – you know, school kid attire vs. legislator attire. We got seated in the observer gallery of the House Chamber (we decided on the House vs. the Senate) and waited. And waited. And waited.
We learned that the legislature sessions do not start on time. This we found out after sitting for nearly half and hour and complaining, when someone in the room stated “oh, they almost always start 1/2 hour late.”
Great. So it turned out that by the time the floor session started, my students got to hear about 15 minutes of debate and voting.
Next year I’ll be sure to take them on the Youth in Legislature Day (I totally missed the boat on that one this year).
I stayed at the capitol for almost the rest of the session today. Here are some of the bills voted on:
SB 160 – Physician Licensing: Allows temporary licensing for up to 1 year for new physicians to the state (if licensed in another state) until they get their Utah license. Passed.
SB 174 – In State tuition for the National Guard: Clarificaion of exisitn gpractice. Passed.
SB 84 – Non-Profit Entity Amendments: motion added to make non-profits more accountable. Passed.
SB 71 – Consumer Credit Protection: Provides protection against indentiy theft with consumer reporting agencies. Puts more control in consumer’s hands. Passed.
SB 54 – Revenue Flow from Speeding Violations: Would give 1/2 money generated from speeding citations in rural areas with only state roads but where municipal law enforcement issues citations to the state. Failed.
Well, it was…interesting.
Today the History teacher at my school and I are taking a group of our students (11th and 12th graders) to observe today’s floor session of the Utah Senate. I am anxious to hear the students’ perceptions. I faciliate the learning of this group of students in our school’s Service Learning Class. It is this class time that will be used for the field trip. Our history teacher will be spending the class time at school today preparing them for the trip by reveiwing the procedure of the Senate and House sessions and what bills have been introduced and debated this year. We will be spending one hour observing the Utah Senate.
After the session, I will be joining supporters of the GLBT community in a peaceful demonstration just outside the Senate building (4pm) to voice opposition to the school clubs bill by Senator Buttars. I have mentioned the demonstration to students in case they want to observe yet another way that citizens make their voices heard.
…..getting rid of our National Forests! Yes, that’s how we fix things – sell stuff!
The Secure Rural Schools Forest Service FY 2007 Initiative is aimed at reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools program for another five years. To help fund this initiative, the Administration recommends selling a limited number of acres of National Forest System lands around the nation. Lands that are potentially eligible have been identified and are displayed in a table at the following link Lands Potentially Eligible for Sale by State and National Forest.
Here are the Utah sections of forest proposed to be sold (click link).
Learn more about the Sale of FS Lands.
There you have it. Instead of reducing expenditures in other areas (like the WAR department), we’ll just degrade our environment further by cutting down forests for services that should be funded without going to this extreme.
Today I read a post on another blog entitled UPS leads the way
UPS have announced they are adding 50 hybrid vehicles to their fleet, and 4,100 low-emission conventional vehicles this year. Currently their alternative fuel fleet is 1,500 vehicles, one of the largest in the country. Alternative fuels being used by UPS include natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, electricity and hydrogen. The 50 hybrid vehicles will be deployed in Dallas in June and are expected to reduce the fuel consumption by 44,000 gallons over the year, and should reduce CO 2 gases released by 457 metric tons. It would be amazing to think what the effect would be if they converted their whole fleet, when you consider that they delivered 3.6 billion packages and documents in 2004 (internationally).
Read more:
UPS’s plan
UPS’s Sustainability Practices
UPS: Alternative Fuels
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged alternative fuel, environment, light rail, mass transportation
This week’s Carnival of the Green is hosted by The Naked Vegetarian, who has dedicated it to
the Spirit of New Orleans, home of the original “Carnival,” Mardi Gras. Tomorrow is “Fat Tuesday,” and so from all of us in the Carnival of the Green we wish the people of the Gulf Coast and disaster victims everywhere a greener, brighter new year.
This week’s Big Top-ics include:
Articles in published in today’s Utah newspapers about Utah Legislature and related news:
Salt Lake Tribune
Public funding for state’s community colleges on decline–Not just Utah: Students are paying more to offset inadequate public funding for community colleges
Achievement gap attacked–Batch of legislation would help minority students catch up with whites
Deseret News
Don’t expect Legislature to police ‘drops’ – Opinion
Parental choice in education overdue – Opinion
Utah woos Harvard researchers
Toll-road bill nears OK, but opposition building
Alpine is reviewing its policy on clubs
Ovations, not jeers, for hate-crimes bill:Litvack’s new approach to divisive issue pays off
February 27
1927
Birth of consumer activist Ralph Nader.
1939
The Supreme Court outlawed sit-down strikes. Such strikes had become a very effective strategy employed by workers to organize unions. For example, the 1937 Flint sit-down strike of autoworkers at General Motors forced GM to recognize and negotiate with the United Auto Workers as the union representing its members.
Flint sit down strikers, 1937
Articles in published in today’s Utah newspapers about Utah Legislature news:
Salt Lake Tribune
Legislative clock ticking on controversial bills–
Three-day rush: With the session set to end Wednesday, hundreds of proposals are pending
Lawmaker says pawnshops not abetting thieves
Bad rap? Lockhart’s amendment would let the stores sell items without a waiting period
Deseret News
Deadlock makes for a wild legislative session – Opinion
Huntsman brings out ‘big stick’: He’s ready to use veto, twist arms
Most oppose records restriction
Increase in roads funding favored
Cities may soon control schools
February 26
1965
Jimmie Lee Jackson was beaten and shot by state troopers as he tried to protect his grandfather and mother from a trooper attack on civil rights marchers, in Marion, Ala.
1966
Four thousand picketed outside New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel as President Lyndon Johnson received the National Freedom Award. As Johnson began his speech in defense of his Vietnam policies, James Peck of the War Resisters League jumped to his feet and shouted, “Mr. President, peace in Vietnam!” On the streets, meanwhile, activist A.J. Muste presented the crowd’s own “Freedom Award” to Julian Bond, who had been denied his seat in the Georgia legislature for refusing to disavow his opposition to the war., and for his support of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.
Julian Bond at a peace rally New York City, 1966.
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 