Tag Archives: Utah

Divine Strake Test Delayed

Posted on August 2, 2006 | Leave a comment


Divine Strake weapons test postponed for further study
Nevada site may be out for the blast test–
Delayed again: Director of Pentagon agency to assess other locations
Divine Strake postponed until 2007
Divine Strake explosion delayed, possibly moved

….and from HEAL Utah:

The ditch has already been dug. The 700 tons of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil to fill it have already been purchased. But thankfully, the concerned voices of downwinders have delayed again the Pentagon’s intent to resurrect 10,000-foot mushroom clouds on our horizon.

The Department of Defense announced yesterday that the Divine Strake test would be delayed until at least “several months into 2007,” but that it would proceed at that point if it is determined that the blast can comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and there is a favorable ruling in the lawsuit brought by the Western Shoshone and Downwinders.
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Donations to Relocate Cottonwood Heights Mobile Home Residents Sought

Posted on July 10, 2006 | Leave a comment

Last month I published two posts about senior citizens being evicted due to the development of luxury homes in place of thier mobile homes. So while many of us are planning ways to protest the current regime’s visit to SLC, are holding weekly sidewalk vigils and doing outreach to expose the government’s corruption, the effects of that corruption are right at our doorstep: Corporations’ interesets over human needs.

Today’s Desert News has published a follow-up article about Cottonwood Heights officials seeking donations to help relocate those residents. Some of the residents could move their homes for anywhere between $7,000 – $12,000. But if their homes were built prior to 1976, as many of them were, they cannot be moved. Many of the residents are not only elderly, but on fixed incomes.

The Salt Lake Community Action Program is providing services for the residents. Please consider giving a donation. The SLCAP contact info is:

764 S 200 West Salt Lake City, Ut 84101 (801)359-2444 (801)355-1798 (f)
Cathy Hoskins Executive Director, CCAP

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Independence Day – Being an American

Posted on July 2, 2006 | Leave a comment

As I see the increasing incidences of flag displays and fireworks sales as Independence Day approaches, I cannot help but wonder of people acutally really know what the significance of July 4 is.

Ruben Navarrette has had a piece published in today’s Salt Lake Tribune from SignOn San Diego, entitled Being an American by a technicality.
Navarrette is a hispanic american. He lists the reasons why he is an American.
Here is his list – go to the article (linked above) to read his explanations:

  • I’m an American because I love and appreciate freedom, and I want people around the world to have the chance to experience it firsthand.
  • I’m an American because I don’t believe in isolationism or disengaging from the rest of the world.
  • I’m an American because my sympathies lie with the little guy (especially when he is being pushed around by the big guy) and because I won’t stomach bullies, foreign or domestic.
  • I’m an American because I reject protectionism.
  • I’m an American because I’m convinced that U.S. law exists to protect the rights of minorities — racial, religious, those with a particular sexual preference, etc. — because the majority can protect itself.
  • ‘m an American because I believe the U.S. government can’t run roughshod over civil liberties and simply lock up people and throw away the key.
  • I’m an American because I believe in the power of public education to change the lives and destinies of individuals and entire families.
  • I’m an American because I believe that, with personal rights come personal responsibilities.
  • I’m an American because I believe that the future belongs to the bold, the optimistic and the hardworking.
  • I’m an American because I believe that immigrants are our most valuable import and that we should welcome as many as possible.

    Navarrette’s ending intrigued me the most:
    an immigration restrictionist – recently took issue with something I’d written and informed me that the fact I was an American citizen was just a “technicality.”
    If that’s the case, it’s a technicality for which I’m immensely grateful.

    My comment: We are all, by default, then, American citizens by technicality because America was founded by immigrants to a land already inhabited.

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    Re: Money supercedes human needs -AGAIN

    Posted on July 2, 2006 | Leave a comment

    Earlier last month I posted about Senior Citizens being evicted from their long established homes.

    Today’s Salt Lake Tribune has a follow up story on this issue.

    This appears to be a growing trend in the real estate world. With Utah’s land values increasing, developers eye up mobile home parks for the building of luxury homes for the rich.

    It’s the seventh mobile-home-park displacement Virginia Marrufo Martinez, community organizer for Salt Lake Community Action Partnership, has assisted with since September 2001.

    I am wondering if people who purchase homes in these new developments are ever made aware of the cost of human needs to provide them the “home of their dreams”.

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    Stop the Divine Strake Website

    Posted on July 1, 2006 | Leave a comment

    I want to remind readers that a fellow activist in Utah created the Stop the Divine Strake website and is keeping it updated. I have added it to the end of my links list in the left sidebar.

    Be sure to refer to it for updates on the Divine Strake Test.

    CANCEL THE DIVINE STRAKE! STOP WEAPONS TESTING ON WESTERN SHOSHONE LAND! END NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION!

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    Campaign Financial Disclosure

    Posted on June 30, 2006 | Leave a comment

    Campaign Financial Disclosure Reports are available for some races. You can see mine and my contenders’ reports at: Financial reports (Scroll down to SLCO Council #5).

    The Salt Lake Tribune published a report on disclosures on June 22nd. The words used in this report were “Here is where the major Salt Lake County candidates rank in campaign contributions” (followed by the numbers of only the Republicans and Democrats running for office.). This listing, in my opinion, gives an unfair advantage to the “major” candidates by publishing their candidacies in the newspaper (free advertising).

    Apparently the Utah Republican party is really forking out the bucks for their candidates.

    My campaign accepts contributions. Please be sure to read the criteria for accepting contributions (no PACs or corporate contributions) – and thanks in advance.

    I plan to make lawn signs and organize “meet and greets” and “honk and waves”, as well as making brochures.

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    Utah’s Liquor Laws – Seniors Revolt

    Posted on June 30, 2006 | Leave a comment

    This week’s Salt Lake City Weekly has an article about the recent protest by senior citizens over being i.d.’d for alochol at the Utah Arts Festival.

    Seems a group from Mesquite took a bus trip to Salt Lake to attend the Arts Festival, most being in their 70’s and above. Some of them left their valuables on the bus and just carried their cash around with them. But when they went to purchase a beer, they were denied since they didn’t have i.d. – even though some of them were told they looked like they were 90. They still have to “prove” they were over 21.

    So the seniors protested – by juming in the fountain at Library Plaza.

    Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson even showed up later with a case of Cutthroat and joined the senior fountain splashers. Anderson publicly recognized the ridulous-ness of the state’s liquor laws.

    Apparently this garnered national media attention. Where was it in the Utah media?

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    Campaign site updated

    Posted on June 29, 2006 | Leave a comment

    I have updated my campaign site to include photos on these pages:

    Peace Issues
    Environment Issues
    News

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    Would this kill the PFS project?

    Posted on June 29, 2006 | 1 comment

    The Salt Lake Tribune published this article: Panel rejects PFS nuclear storage–
    U.S. Senate: A subcommittee votes to allow facilties only in states with reactors    .

    A Senate panel dealt a blow to Private Fuel Storage’s plan to build temporary nuclear storage in Utah on Tuesday, voting in favor of short-term storage, but specifically prohibiting storage at the PFS facility.
    The Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee included $10 million for the temporary storage facilities, but requires them to be federally run and located in states that have nuclear reactors.
    The spent nuclear fuel would be kept there until a technology can be developed to extract the reusable parts of the fuel and dispose of the rest.

    Since Utah has no reactors, this would significantly impact the PFS storage project on the Goshute reservation.

    Of course, PFS spokespersons are stating that by doing this Congress if just prolonging the storage of waste since, according to PFS, licensing will take 8-10 years for any facility.

    It will be interesting to see how this plays out and I’ll be sure to provide any updates here.

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    Derailment of Train Headed for Utah Hauling Atomic Waste in Michigan

    Posted on June 26, 2006 | Leave a comment

    The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) has issued a statment on the Safety and Security Concerns about Derailment of Train Hauling Atomic Waste: Inconsistencies Raise Questions about Emergency Preparedness.

    According to Kevin Kamps of NIRS, a train bound for an EnergySolutions facility derailed in Michigan last week. Disturbingly, no one seems to know what the actual contents of the rail cars is. Please read the press release above. We will keep you informed about when this train will be traveling through Utah, and what we will be doing about it. We will be posting articles shortly about the derailment.

    More information:
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