April 3
1958
Three day, fifty mile peace march began from Trafalgar Square, London, to Aldermaston, Berkshire site of the AWRE (Atomic Weapons Research Establishment). This famous march marked the beginning of many protests against Britain’s development of nuclear weaponry.
David and Renee Gill at the first Altermaston march 1958
David and Renee Gill at the April 2004 march
Some 10,000 people joined the 1958 rally.
still protesting for nuclear disarmament.
Read their story
When I opened my campaign account on Friday I was asked if I wanted to order checks. My response: “No”. I am pretty sure that the checks obtained from my credit union are not recylced. Yesterday I ordered checks for my campaign treasury from Check Gallery, a company I have been using for years. Their checks are recycled. They have over 700 designs and many of the checks are for various organizations. I really like the NOW checks (National Organization of Women). They have several sets:
There are a number of other socially repsonsible organzations with this service.
After about an hour of trying to decide, I finally went with a “southwest art” design and an earth logo in the upper left corner.
At any rate, although I wanted green checks or checks with a sunflower logo (the Green Party symbol), my responsibility for having recycled checks outweighed the design I wanted.
Next I plan to make business cards out of recycled paper – preferrably old money paper.
Today’s Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that the Indian Walk-in Center in Salt Lake could be axed under Bush’s budget plan.
President Bush’s 2007 budget proposes canceling all funding to the nation’s 34 urban Indian health clinics. Utah’s share of the $33 million cut is $1.1 million, roughly 90 percent of the Walk-In Center’s budget.
The center services over 7,000 of Utah’s poor each year. Most clients are uninsured Indians living below poverty level.
“That would pretty much wipe us out. I’d hate to say we’d disappear, but we would close our doors to regroup,” said Thomas Burkes, the center’s development director.
“We’re Utah’s only urban Indian health clinic to close.” Fast Horse-White said, “I wouldn’t take the initiative to go somewhere else. I would just go without.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Senator Bob Bennett of Utah stated that Senator Bennett is looking into what he can to restore the funding.
April 2
1903
A demonstration of 10,000 liberals, in Monterrey, Nuero Leon, protesting the re-election of General Bernardo Reyes as state governor, were fired on by federales under the command of Reyes himself. 15 protesters were killed & many more wounded.
1917
Jeannette Rankin, (R-MT) the first woman ever elected to Congress, took her seat. (1917)
1960
Nearly 100 student from 19 states attend workshop at Highlander School; Guy Carawan teaches them 1930s labor songs: “We Shall Not Be Moved,” “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize,” “This Little Light of Mine,” “We Shall Overcome.”
1966
One hundred thousand Vietnamese demonstrated in Da Nang against both the U.S. and South Vietnamese governments.
1970
Massachusetts enacted a law which exempted its citizens from having to fight in an undeclared war.
There is an article in the Emery County Progress on Emery County Elections Clerk Bruce Funk and his rejection of the Diebold voting machines for use in that county. The article explains at length how Funk discovered the deficiencies in the machines.
I have just committed to traveling to Emery County on April 18th for the Emery County Commission meeting (9am – 12noon at the Castle Dale courthouse) with Kathy Dopp.
This should be an interesting trip.
I found it surprising that the online edition of today’s Salt Lake Tribune did not have on its front page the visit of Sandra Day O’Connor to Salt Lake this weekend. (However I am pleased that the top headline is students protesting immigration legislation.) The article on O’Connor appears first in the Utah section of today’s paper.
O’Connor, 76-year-old retired Supreme Court Justice, spoke of her concerns about the state affairs with the U.S. Government to an audience of “lawyers, elected leaders and dignitaries” at a dinner for the Constitutional Services Project.
“We as a nation face many challenges,” O’Connor said. “I’m worried about the stability of the constitutional system of checks and balances that has served us so well for 200 years.”
After taking dinner attendees on an imaginary trip to Phildelphia, PA of the Constitutional Convention delegates meeting during the summer of 1787, O’Connor stated: Modern Americans need to learn the same commitment to the document. Each generation has to re-commit itself to the Constitution,” she said. “It’s not simple work. It takes time and energy and the kind of commitment our forefathers had. It isn’t passed down through the gene pool.”
O’Connor sadly attested to the fact that civics education is lacking in our schools and cited some statistics of people’s misperceptions of what the First Amendment is. O’Connor stated “What matters is not whether people can recite part of the Constitution or pass a test,” O’Connor said. “What matters is that people understand the principles that give it life today.”
I feel so fortunate that I teach in a school where an integral component of the curriculum is incorporating the teaching and principles of the First Amendment.
Today’s news is full of articles on the immigration issue. (See my previous posts.) I’ve listed below the various items in Utah’s two major papers.
There should be no reason why people cannot move freely about under an established set of criteria.
The current trade laws are aimed at business only and not people. If money and goods can freely move across borders, why can’t people? It’s the “same old, same old” – the laws are designed for those who benefit the most from themn – the elite wealthy.
Deseret News
The real border issue – Deseret Morning News editorial
Illegals are hot issue for Utahns – article on election year issue with focus on state house races.
Salt Lake Tribune
Students make their voices heard: Utah students stay focused on immigration
April 1
April Fool’s Day
1621
The Pilgrim-Wampanoag Peace Treaty is signed.
1649
Diggers occupy Saint George’s Hill, seizing land to hold in common & to plant.
1841
Brook Farm, perhaps history’s most famous utopian community, was founded by George and Sophia Ripley near West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Its primary appeal was to young Bostonians who shrank from the materialism of American life, and the community was a refuge for dozens of transcendentalists, including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathanial Hawthorne.
Today I opened my political campaign bank account at my credit union, set up my contribution page, and worked in my platform.
My platform, so far, encompasses the following issues:
Check my campaign website for updates.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged desert greens, politics, salt lake county council, Utah
Today marks the two year anniversary of the debut of Air America. Intended as a “voice for liberals”, it first aired on five stations.
Listeners can listen via the web to any of its shows. A featured talk show host is Al Franken of The Al Franken Show. Last August Al Franken had Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson on his show after the August 22nd protest of George Bush when GW was in town for the VFW conference. The protest attracted abotu 3,000 people. The Al Franken show also used one of my photographs of that protest on the tv version of that show and they sent me a DVD of that show as a thank you for allowing them to use the photograph.
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 