Today in history

December 16

Hanukkah
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (which is November-December on the Gregorian calendar). In Hebrew, the word “Hanukkah” means “dedication.”

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Bills call for on site nuclear waste storage

Today’s Deseret News is reporting the proposal of a bill in the U.S. House and Senate that would keep nuclear waste stored on site where it is generated. This would mean that the PFS Project in Utah would potentially be squashed.

“He’s so gay”

That’s what my students would say about Utah State Senator Chris Buttars, who wants to prohibit gay clubs in Utah schools.

Buttars has also been aggressive about pushing for the public school curriculum in Utah to teach the religious based theory of “intelligent design” as an alternative to the theory of evolution. Buttars’ recent initiative to get the gay clubs out of schools is being supported by the Utah Eagle Forum, a right-wing fundamentalist Christian Lobbyist organization.
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Today in history

December 15

1815
Convention of New England States recommends protection of citizens from possible draft, Hartofrd, CT.
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3rd Investor withdraws from PFS project

A few days ago I posted about two investors withdrawing from the venture to store nuclear waste on the Goshute Reservation in Utah.
The Deseret News has reported today that a third investor, Florida Power and Light Co., has withdrawn from the venture.

The article gives credit to U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch for approaching the three investors and getting them to change their minds about supporting the PFS project. Hatch apparently is approaching the other investors as well.
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Utah Republicans propose $230 million tax cut

At a time when infrastructure is jeopardized, citizens are facing a 30% increase in heating costs, Many Utahns are without health care, and educational systems are floundering, Utah Rebpublican legislators have proposed a $230 milliontax cut. This amount is four times more than Governor Huntsmans recommended cut (already an impractical measure, in my opinion).

The people who will see the “benefits” of this cut, if it passes, are not the working people. Further, if this cut passes and the following year sees a big tax increase, it will not be the wealthy that feels that increase. It will be the people who were never benefited from the tax cut of the year before.

It’s a lose-lose situation. Our budget should be taking surplus funds and funds that would be given back in the form of tax cuts and allocating them to much needed services that would benefit everyone.

Today in history

December 14

1791
The Bill of Rights was ratified.
Constitution of the United States of America
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Today in history

December 13

1917
Denmark, which was not involved in World War I, recognized the right to conscientious objection to military service. Norway did so in 1900, Sweden in 1920, the Netherlands went so far as to write it into their constitution in 1922, and Finland enacted it in 1931.
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Free the Four

Demracy Now had a segment on its show today on how there is No Word on the Fate of Four Kidnapped Christian Peace Activists as the Deadline From Captors to Kill Them Passes in Iraq.

More than 35,000 people have signed an online petition urging their release and support from Muslim activists has been especially significant.

Tom Fox, a Virginia Green Party Member is one of the four abducted.

More changes

I just found out that the “baby” amongst my dad’s siblings, Uncle Jerry, died yesterday.
He had been suffering from cancer with which he had been diagnosed fairly recently.
He was 69.
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