The Salt Lake Tribune has conducted a poll, the results of indicate that Utahns are “increasingly skeptical about U.S. odds of success in Iraq”
I hope this means that folks are finally waking up.
The Salt Lake Tribune has conducted a poll, the results of indicate that Utahns are “increasingly skeptical about U.S. odds of success in Iraq”
I hope this means that folks are finally waking up.
Rallies abound this week: Thousands expected at events revolving around Bush visit
Unfortunately, this one is listed first:
• “Death to Israel” rally
Follwed by:
• “We the People for Peace and Justice” rally, march and evening demonstration
• “Freedom Rally”
• “Liberty Rally” about immigration
• “Welcome and Appreciation Rally for President Bush”
Greens in Maine participated in a protest during Bush’s visit to Kennebunkport. Bush was there to attend a relative’s wedding on Saturday.
About 1,000 people (the media has documented 700, but colleagues of mine said at least 1,000) were able to get within a half mile of the front doorstep of the residence where Bush was attending the wedding.
What local police estimated were about 700 anti-war demonstrators marched Saturday to within half a mile of the Bush compound before being turned back at a security checkpoint. Called Walker’s Point after the family of former President Bush’s mother, the stone-and-shingle retreat covering a craggy promontory is owned by the current president’s parents.
The protesters sang, chanted, beat drums, waved signs and even played fiddles to call on Bush to bring troops home.
Jacqui Deveneau, my green colleague from Maine and who participated has written:
It was a wondeful day and although the press really played up our intruding on the wedding. It didn’t even effect the wedding. Nor anything he did while here[as usual] But it did take the attention and focus it on the Protest and why we were there and was picked up[if you Google Protest against Bush in Maine] by papers and news reports all over the US! The estimated number was 700, but it was more like 1000, as you all know how they love to choose a lower number. Plus the whole thing was planned in lass then a week! I marched with the Maine Greens Banner and we were listed on the web site as one of the supporters. Pat had to be in Northern Maine at an event and Eder had another engadgement too, but Jonathan Carter who had run for Governor before helped lead the Green folks.
The end of the article mentions Bush’s upcoming travels, including to Salt Lake City on Wednesday.
In my conversations the past week with folks who want to come the Bush Protest rally on Wednesday, I’ve heard a LOT of complaints about the time of day of the rally. Many folks (especially those working low-income jobs) CANNOT take the time off work to attend this. And those are the folks most affected by the Bush Regime’s policies.
Upon reviewing the program schedule for this rally, I see that there are **eleven** speakers scheduled, something which I do not think is a good idea for an outdoor rally. It looks like Rocky Anderson and Cindy Sheehan are scheduled last.
So here is my suggestion to those of you who have to decide what portion of the rally to attend – IF you can take the time off of your jobs.
Come at noon so you can hear Sheehan. You may have the opportunity to hear the other speakers some other time, since they are local and some of them have repeatedly been speakers at other rallies so you may have even heard them before. But hearing Cindy Sheehan in person (assuming she will be well enough to keep her schedule) may be a once in a lifetime opporunity – so that should be your priority if you are faced with that decision.
The Latino Community was right on target with the immigration protests back on April and May – Weekends and evenings. This ensured that folks could make the rallies when they WEREN’T WORKING there (often) multiple jobs. And they got the numbers.
In the future event/rally organizers need to be sensitive to the fact that those that are most affected by America’s discriminatory policies need to be able to attend these things and be sure to plan accordingly to get these people out. We all too often cater to the armchair upper middle class activist popluation only and ignore those who are most affected. They have voices too and we need to hear and support them.
Come at noon – August 30 – City/County Buidling, Salt Lake City, 400 South 200 East.
‘Atomic veterans’ sift fallout from court ruling
It looks like vets and their families are not going to easily seek compensation for the effects to them as a result of exposure from nuclear testing and biologicial and chemical agents, according to a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Ruling this past week.
This is how the U.S. thanks its military servants – screw the vets.
In a quiet ruling that nonetheless resonates nationwide, a federal appellate court rejected efforts by Broudy and others seeking claims on behalf of “atomic veterans,” exposed to radiation during nuclear tests and in post-war Japan. The same court simultaneously rejected bids by other veterans exposed to biological and chemical agents.
Alice Broudy married her husband, Charles, in 1948. Three years earlier, he’d walked the war-poisoned streets of Nagasaki. Within a decade, he was facing radiation in the Nevada desert. He died of lymphatic cancer in 1977. Though she has since received partial compensation, Broudy has been confronting the federal government for more. She has now lost three separate lawsuits.
“This closes the door,” Cynamon said of the latest appellate court ruling, which was issued Wednesday. “It will make it very difficult, if not impossible, for individuals who are victimized by government cover-ups.”
Salt Lake will be a-buzz on Wednesday. Multiple rallies are popping up everywhere. At least one of them has created quite a bit of convtroversy.
Mr. Breeze, please change the title of your rally.
Other articles in today’s news:
Bush’s Salt Lake digs will be Grand
A Mother’s Pain
Cindy Sheehan
The only thing I ever wanted to be my entire life was a Mom. I never even
thought of having a career because I always wanted to have babies. My own
family was pretty dysfunctional when I was growing up and I just wanted to
have a family of my own to love and nurture.
Continue reading
The Utah news has been filled with a variety of stories the past few days on how American citizens who are speaking out against the Iraq War are hurting the morale of our soldiers and making them more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
This is unbelievable to me. Here is what hurts morale:
I heard a story from an Iraq vet last weekend who shared that in slow times there he and his buddies would do target shooting of small animals and objects. One day they were sitting around talking about their target shooting practice. One buddy of his became quite serious and said: You know what’s even more fun? Killing kids. A short time later, that person was witnessed purposefully turning his weapon on a group of children and killing them all.
I cried when I heard that story. Outside the tent where I heard that story is a garden of children’s shoes to symbolize the lives of children lost to war.
I HAVE to speak out on this. We are teaching our children to kill children and delight in this. This is not acceptable. By speaking out and demanding that we get out of Iraq, I feel I am helping our country to get out of a horrible, horrible situation – NOT hurting the morale of our troops.
Here are links to those stories:
Deseret News:
Rocky, vet exchange views: Mayor and Legion chief find little in common
‘America isn’t bad guy’: Legion chief fears Salt Lake protest will hurt morale
Salt Lake Tribune:
Family urges war support
Mother’s e-mail to The Trib
Cindy Sheehan was supposed to be interviewed on KCPW’s program “Midday Metro”. However they announced that she had to cancel at the last minute “due to complications from surgery.”
I will provide an update here when I receive one.
Bill Holloway, of the Texas Greens, has a wonderful account of CCIII on his blog, Oliver’s Arrow, in which he includes:
Deanna Taylor and Tom King of Utah came to Camp Casey for the weekend, and we all had a great time. Deanna and Tom became instantly popular around camp as hard-working volunteers, and Tom put his skills as a master electrician to good use. Cindy returned to camp at the end of the weekend. And there were lots of great workshops. The one I enjoyed the most I think was the “Freeway Blogger,” named Scarlett. He’s gotten famous for posting simple but large and well-executed black-on-white cardboard signs over freeways with slogans like “Osama bin Forgotten” and “The War is a Lie”. In fact, I spent last night with him painting signs. No one is doing this work in Austin. Well…that’s about to change! We recommend to people to “become the media.” Here’s our chance!
Here is also what Bill has to say about the final days of Camp Casey III:
Winding Down
With Cindy Sheehan recovering in the hospital following a successfulhystorectomy, virtually all of the Code Pink folks in Austin for aretreat, and the celebrity guests largely departed now to catch up at
home before Camp Democracy, Camp Casey III has wound down.
It was just little old me, the security tent folks, and Ray McGovernof the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, and a few dustdevils gracing the sacred ground of CCIII as I took down the Green Tent Wednesday. Ray, Larry Everest, and Ann Wright had everyone on the edge of their seats Tuesday night with news of their Bush Crimes Commission delivery to the White House of formal indictments on
charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity to the Bush administration.
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