June 1-4 is Utah’s annual PRIDE celebration.
Two Desert Greens Green Party of Utah candidats are scheduled to speak at the political stage at the June 4 PRIDE festival at Library Square:
The Desert Greens Green Party of Utah will also be in the parade in the morning, in the “Peace ‘N’ Diversity” contingent, and will have a table at the all day event.
View the schedule here.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective have determined that Utah ranks 43rd out of 50 when it comes to 25 different laws from abortion bans to outlawing gay marriages, according to the groups’ “Mapping Our Rights” Web site which debuted Wednesday, May 31.
Utah earned slot 43 by its tally of “penalty” points assigned by the groups to laws they feel limit an individual’s right to choose who to marry, when to have children or access to certain types of health care. The higher number of points the worse the ranking.
Utah received points for state laws mandating counseling before abortion, a waiting period before an abortion and parental involvement in minors’ abortions as well as a lack of hate-crime laws for gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people, a ban on gay marriages, and an abstinence-only education policy in school, among other items.
Of course opponents to gay rights and abortion were pleased with the ranking:
But Gayle Ruzicka, president of the Eagle Forum, an anti-abortion group in Utah, said of the state’s low ranking, “Good for us.”
“I am certainly disappointed that we didn’t make 50,” she said.
Jane Marquardt, the board chair of Equality Utah, says that she has seen positive changes in the past 25 years as more gay people have become more open and things such as domestic partner benefits have come to light in the political arena. She pointed out that the Utah legislature has two gay members and that the whole country will experience a shift in its openness towards gay issues.
Yesterday’s and today’s news is that Utah will receive a significant cut in Homeland Security Funds next year. Utah’s share of the $1.7 billion being distributed to states from the Federal Government for Homeland Security will be $8 million, down from $20 million in 2005.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Federal authorities are now shipping more dollars to states they say are more prone to terrorist attacks, such as those with large metropolitan areas or critical facilities. California received the most funds, at about $232 million, in the 2006 grants, with New York in second place at nearly $184 million. Utah ranked 45th of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for the amount of money received, with some less populated states, such as Idaho and Alaska, taking in more funds.
This is another example of federal government mandates for programs to each state (such as No Child Left Behind) and not providing adequate funding for implementation, while at the same time issuing consequences to states that do not carry-out federally mandated programs.
I have updated my post on the Stop the Divine Strake action to include three video clips. For convenience, there they are in this post:
See video clip of sunrise ceremony here.
See video clips of indigenous leaders taking the group to the test site gate here and to a Western Shoshone man crossing the line here.
Here are articles from local news sources on Utah’s Special Legislative Session:
Deseret News
Guv puts leaders in touchy position: Dental-care vote could hurt GOP legislators
Dental funding sidestepped: GOP lawmakers vote to keep issue in committee
Huntsman defends dental-care request: He had hoped for enough votes for dental proposal
Special session fought over ‘technical’ details
Pignanelli gets strong nod for tax commissioner
Trading fines irk brokerage houses: They’re ‘talking about not doing business in Utah’
Windfall for brainpower: U., USU using funds to recruit top researchers
Schools see funds shrink: Public education getting smaller piece of pie
Legislator vows to revive bill on drug overdoses: S.L. Demo to rework rendering-aid plan for 2007 session
Salt Lake Tribune
Guv: Dental aid checkup:
He revamps health bill for special session
Dental aid bill takes back seat to parking: Guv’s $2M pitch for needy fails; $15M Capitol garage gets nod
Talks with Mexico’s Fox were substantive, governor says
House strikes back at governor
Revenge? Angry at a PR loss, lawmakers demand a special session on taxes
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See links to photos below each heading. See link to Salt Lake solidarity vigil here.
As reported via phone post, the Stop the Divine Strake Action is over and is considered to have been a highly productive and successful event. People came from as far away as Pennsylvania to attend the action.
Govinda set up an operation from which he ran a radio station that could be heard in the area. He broadcast the entire weekend and those with radios could listen from anywhere in the camp. Govinda conducted interviews with people there, mostly Western Shoshone, and also played clips recorded from the previous weekend’s Western Shoshone Defense Project’s annual gathering. Govinda also played a lot of activist and indigenous music.
Word reached us Saturday morning that breaking news had been delivered as to the “indefinite” postponement of the Divine Strake test and that protestors were “celebrating”. This was misleading. Yes, while it could be considered a “victory” that the test has been postponed, it by no means is a “celebration”. A “battle” may have been won but the fight is not over. I find it quite interesting and strategic that the announcement of this “postponement” came just as the Stop the Divine Strake Action was beginning. And guess what: a significant number of folks who were supposed to be present at this action were not. On one hand, I can see that traveling a far distance to protest a postponed test might be seen as a waste of energy and resources to save for future actions, but on the other hand, this is precisely what I feel the government wanted: for people to be temporarily “satisfied” that the test was not happening – yet. In some small way, however, it is empowering to think that our action may have influenced this decision of postponement. Organizers and participants at the action agreed that we won’t stop the pressure until funding is cut and tests are is CANCELLED.
Now on to the events of the weekend.
Friday, May 26 – Arriving
See photos here.
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Monday
Tearing down, saying goodbye, surroundings and anti-nuclear art
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Sunday Action
Direct action at the gate to the Nevada Test Site
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Sunday Morning
Sunrise Ceremony; programs
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Saturday
Setting up the water and meeting tent; scenery; Corbin Harney, Western Shoshone Spiritual Leader, blesses the evening’s food.
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Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 