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Despite frigid temperatures and snow, approximately 50 people attended the rally last night in Salt Lake City.  Here are  links to articles and photos about it.  Even though TV cameras from channels ABC4 and Fox13 took extensive footage and interviews, I can’t find anything on their websites about the event.

About 40 people meet in front of the Federal Building downtown to protest President Bush’s plan to send additional troops to Iraq.SLC protesters decry Bush decision.(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

SLC protesters decry Bush decision

The demonstration is one of 600 across the nation blasting the surge

By Jeremiah Stettler
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 01/12/2007 12:24:32 AM MST

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About 40 people meet in front of the Federal Building… (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune )

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Standing on a street corner in near-freezing temperatures, 7-year-old Aidan Carrier bobbed a sign to attract motorists’ attention.
   “Is 3,000 enough?” the placard read, providing a chilling critique of President Bush’s plans to escalate troop levels in Iraq, where nearly 3,020 U.S. soldiers have died in combat.
   Carrier explained matter-of-factly that he doesn’t like the conflict.
   “I think it’s really bad,” he said. “President Bush just wants to get more war.”
   Anti-war protestors gathered Thursday outside the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City to condemn Bush’s commitment of more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq.
   Despite an afternoon storm, the rally attracted about 40 people who waved signs and chanted, “How do we support our troops? Bring them home.”
   Their message was echoed at nearly 600 other protests across the nation, where volunteers rallied on street corners less than 24 hours after Bush’s speech, according to protest organizer AmericaSaysNo.org.
   Salt Lake City resident Kim Spangrude spent a year worrying about her son’s safety as he fought as a mortar launcher near the Iraqi town of Samara. He made it home. Others have not.
   She denounced the war as morally and ethically wrong, and said escalation only will lead to more deaths.
   “It is the same path with a different set of ruts in the ground,” she said.    Spangrude’s dissatisfaction with the war is not uncommon in Utah, where a recent Tribune poll found that 45 percent of residents disapprove with the president’s handling of the war, compared to 41 percent in favor.
   If nothing else, the Salt Lake City woman hopes to add support to Bush’s critics in this, one of the nation’s reddest states.
   “It’s OK to say that we are not for this war,” she said. “We want the troops home.”
   jstettler@sltrib.com

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News

 

Sophia Overfelt, 6, center, and Allyson Dugan, 10, picket with their parents at the Federal Building in Salt Lake City Thursday. Nearly 50 people gathered to protest President Bush’s new strategy of sending additional troops to Iraq. Protesters brought candles and signs proclaiming support for bringing American troops home. The rally was held in conjunction with similar events nationwide. People for Peace and Justice and Desert Greens Green Party of Utah organized the event, which planner Eileen McCabe said was a plea for peace. “We need to stop dying in a losing battle,” she said.

Today there will be a big protest in response to Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq.

I’ve been working on a banner that I will have to tonight:

Even in Utah, the numbers opposing this plan are more than those that are in support of it. But Utah’s representatives continue to support Bush.

Articles in today’s news about Bush’s announcement last night:
Will big gamble work? Call for troops sets up a showdown
Speech boosts support among some Utahns
Bush calls for New Way Forward
Many Utahns say give plan a chance
Americans weigh new Bush plan for Iraq
Most of Utah’s congressional delegation support Bush’s new Iraq plan

People for Peace and Justice of Utah has issued a call for citizens to conduct a picket the day the news publishes Bush’s announcement about “The Surge” of more troops to Iraq. The announcement is likely to be made Wednesday, with the picket, then, occuring on Thursday. See information here.

Kim Spangrude of Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) in Utah, is asking people to contact their representatives to ask that no more troops be sent to Iraq. She provides a template for a letter:

Dear Friends:

The next two to three days will be of utmost importance in terms of expressing to our
senators and representatives our opposition to the “Surge Plan” the President will most likely announce on Wednesday. They especially need to hear this opposition from military members and family members of those currently in the military.

I urge everyone to contact the following Utah members of the Senate and
House of Representatives and tell them we as family members of those in the military,
or friends of military members, oppose any plan to increase the number of troops in
Iraq, and that we urge Congress and the President to decrease the number of troops.

Here is a sample conversation you can use when you call or write our UTAH delegation
today:
—————————————————————-
Dear _________________________________’

I am a (friend/family member/active duty member/veteran) of the U.S. Military who (arecurrently serving/have served) in Iraq. I am strongly opposed to any plan to increasethe number and level of troops in Iraq, and I advocate for withdrawal of troops fromIraq. The only thing sending more troops will accomplish is to increase casualties. The situation calls for greater diplomacy, not more troops. The new troops would be sent to Iraq, according to Bush, to try to provide greater security, a mission that,inevitably, would place them right in the middle of escalating violence that has already taken thousands of American and Iraqi lives. The President’s decision- if it comes to that- would obviously disregard the will of the great majority of the U. S. people, including Utahns, who have made it clear they are opposed to this unjustifiable war. As your constituent, I urge you to express opposition to a surge in troop level, if the President plans to do this.

Sincerely,
___________________________
—————————————————————-
Whether you would prefer to call, send a letter or email, here is the contact info:

Bennett, Robert F.- (R – UT)
431 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5444
Web Form: bennett.senate.gov/contact/emailmain.html

Hatch, Orrin G.- (R – UT)
104 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5251
Web Form: hatch.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Offices.Contact

Jim Matheson (D-Ut)
Utah-2nd, Democrat
1323 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515-4402
Phone: (202) 225-3011

Chris Cannon (R-Ut)
Utah-3rd, Republican
2436 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515-4403
Phone: (202) 225-7751

Rob Bishop (R-Ut)
Utah-1st, Republican
124 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515-4401
Phone: (202) 225-0453

We ALL need to do this; it is very easy to call. You usually talk to the Aide, they
take your name down, and that is it!!!!

Please make a commitment to do this today.

Thanks, and Peace

Kim Spangrude
Utah MFSO