Category Archives: Uncategorized

Updated: The project described below is the project of Triple Pundit

This was waiting for me in my emailbox when I opened it a few minutes ago:

It looks interesting. All you green bloggers might want to join.

It’s very sad that we are in anticipation of the 2000th soldier to be killed in Iraq. Cities all around the country have organized vigils for the impending event (including Salt Lake).

A video is being circulated in the e-waves. Here it is:

2000th soldier

I got this from the Organic Consumers Association.

SENATE DEBATES CUTTING FOOD AID TO 150,000 IMPOVERISHED U.S. CHILDREN
The Senate is currently debating cutting $3 billion from farm conservation and food stamp programs. Spearheaded by Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga) and GOP supporters, the proposal would eliminate food stamps for more than 300,000 impoverished people. Currently, more than half of all food stamp recipients are children, and a quarter are senior citizens. While millions of Americans are looking for ways to cope with the aftermath of hurricanes and drought, powerful members of the Senate are being swayed by agriculture industry lobbyists, who are pushing for food stamps cuts while supporting massive tax payer subsidies to the nation’s wealthiest industrial agriculture operations. “Right now the difference between life and death for many Americans is the food stamp program,” said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. “We should not, we cannot, cut the very nutritional programs that are literally saving lives.”

Send a letter to your U.S. Senator here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd-subsidy.htm

In today’s news:
Utah:
The Deseret News continues its series on illegal immigration:
Status questions ignored; counting cost comes 2nd – While the political fight over illegal immigration polarizes the community, professionals such as doctors and teachers who interact with undocumented families daily accept them without question.
and
Calling Utah home: Churches choose to stay out of questions of status
Update on Rocky’s Italy trip issue

New tack on hate-crime law
U. disputes claims nuclear facility unsafe
Envirocare cleaning up in New England
Activists ratchet up fight over Kane roads

Elsewhere:
Ken Sain has interesting links to news items on the Bushites.

Margaret Thatcher questions Blair’s motives for invading Iraq.

Islamabad, other cities receive 67 jolts in last 24 hours

Vivian Malone Jones, the first black person to gradutate from the University of Alabama, died yesterday at age 63.

Jones is most famous for being escorted to the doors of the school which resulted in (then Alabaman governor) George Wallace’s famous “stand in the schoolhouse door”.

Read the Associated Press article on
CNN
and
London Guardian

More links to Jones:
Opening Doors
“The Schoolhouse Door” — Forty Years Later
Kennedy Library Draws Boston Public School Teachers to Six-Day Civil Rights Institute
Wallace in the Schoolhouse Door
Vivian Malone Jones: Leading the way

I received the email pasted in my box today. It is from a doctoral student at the U of U regarding the Wheels of Justice Tour that is in Salt Lake City through tomorrow.

From: Jeff Spiegel [mailto:rfs4@utah.edu]
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 8:38 AM
other recipient names snipped;Deanna Taylor
Subject: UofU and terrorist apologist speakers on campus RE: Salt Lake speaking Events Oct 13 and 14

Mazin Qumsiyeh is a terrorist sympathizer and as a student of the University of Utah, I find it deplorable that the university campus is being used by “Wheels of Justice” (name snipped) to bring such speakers to campus. Academic freedom does not mean supporting hate-mongering speakers who develop conspiracy theories against countries they hate.
Continue reading →

I thought I’d lump a few of today’s headlines into one post.

We’re number one! We’re number one! We’re number one!

There is a lot of news in today’s Utah papers about Utah’s “accomplishments”, including highest in the nation in gender disparity in the workforce, highest in birth rate, and the homicides at its highest in two years. Read on:
————————————-
Utah is great in a lot of areas….including treating men better than women in the workforce.

Women often do the same job as men yet get paid less, according to an article on a federal report in today’s Salt Lake Tribune’s Utah among highest in gender wage gap.

One of the reasons, according to the report, is that there is a gap in the education of men and women, with a higher percentage of men than women obtaining post high school degrees. And the reason for that statistic is because women are having more kids and being pulled out of the labor force at times during the most salary gain.

But, Sarah Wilhelm, an economist for the nonprofit Utah Issues, says the wage difference can be attributed to what she calls “channeling,” where girls are told to go into different professions than boys.

If you look at the demographics and culture of the state, in my opinion, it makes sense that a certain percentage of women here would not only be treated this way, but would do as they are told.

Fortunately there are women in Utah who are trying to change that mindset and getting more women into higher paying fields.
—————————–
But wait….there’s more!

Utah is tops in birthrate

With two months left, Utah’s homicide rate highest in years

And in other news:

The Deseret News continues its series on immigration:The role of the law: Enforcing immigration laws not so easy

Where did that state surplus of funds go? Not to mass transit:
UTA riders may face a 25¢ fuel surcharge

For background, see other posts:

The Word is out – it’s Official – Greenfield vs. Clinton
Greenfield joining Dems? New York Greens endorsing Dems?

——————————
To the Secretary of the Green Party of New York State:

On this day the following public statement was released by me:

October 12th, 2005
Contact: Steve Greenfield, bicyclesax@earthlink.net, (845) 255-2516 For Immediate Release

National Green Party officer Steve Greenfield of New Paltz, NY, who had earlier announced his intention to leave the Green Party and become a Democrat, changed party enrollment at the Ulster County Board of Elections at 11:00 this morning. At a sidewalk press conference following the filing, Greenfield also announced his intention to run in next year’s Democratic Party primary against Hillary Clinton for United States Senate.

Greenfield’s decision to leave the Green Party was motivated by his experience and observations as a national Green Party delegate that caused disenchantment with strategies of failure, lack of democratic process, and serious ethical questions regarding party finance that remain unaddressed.

“My decision to enter the primary against Hillary Clinton is to provide the Democratic Party voters of New York, shown by polls to overwhelmingly oppose the war in Iraq, the USA PATRIOT Act, corporate welfare, and the licensing of Indian Point, a fair opportunity to send forth a candidate who shares their views and promises to vote accordingly, who promises to serve New Yorkers for the full term of office, and could be more meaningfully distinguished next November from any of the field of potential Republican opponents,” said Greenfield.

—————————————-
Tender of resignation

This is a terribly painful crossroads for me, since, as you are well aware, the building and promotion of the Green Party has been the central theme of my life in the Mid-Hudson Valley since moving to New Paltz in January of 2001. While many local Green Parties and the State Green Party here in New York are thriving and operating admirably, as exemplified by the stellar operations and mulitple candidacies of the current New Paltz Green Party to which I have devoted myself these last four-plus years, the controlling directorship of the national Green Party does not have the principles, the willingness or the competence to fight the current battles for peace, economic and social justice, environmental protection and democracy that are the foundation of the Green agenda. Unfortunately, at this time, the critical decisions of our time affecting these societal needs, even at the local level, are being made in the national arena, and that is where my personal sense of duty requires my energies be directed for the foreseeable future. So on this day, the 12th of October, 2005, I have officially entered a change of enrollment from Green to Democrat with the Ulster County Board of Elections, a time-stamped copy of which I have in my possession, and announce at this time that I will be entering the Democratic Party Primary for United States Senate against Hillary Clinton.

Although the election law of the State of New York does not recognize the party change as official until mid-November, my personal ethics and respect for Green Party conduct requires that at this time I must and do voluntarily tender my resignation from the New Paltz Green Party, the New York State Green Party, and all positions I hold on and on behalf of the New York State Green Party, including service as a delegate to the Green National Committee and the Peace Action Committee. I request that you remove my access to the State listserves, and notify the Secretary of GPUS to do likewise for all national party listserves.

Thank you very much.

Steven Greenfield
New Paltz, NY

Tonight Tom and I went to the city sponsored “Freedom Forum” – a monthly series which involves panelists on an issue and audience participation. Tonight’s theme was “The Freedom to Criticize the Government”. The program was aired live on KCPW Radio and will be aired on SLCTV at some point in the near future.

The panelists were: