Tag Archives: Utah

Hypocrisy of the Elections Office

The Elections Office in Utah never ceases to amaze me. Not the staff that works in the office but, rather, the policies that come forth from that office.

Yesterday I was informed by utahpolicy.com, a really great daily newsletter of the day’s utah politics news, that from now on I could not use “Nationally Affiliated Green Party of Utah” when submitting calendar items. I then noticed that they changed reference to NAGPUT in the calendar listings they had already on their calendar to “Desert Greens”.

Now, I’m not saying that the DG name shouldn’t be used and, in fact, it should – along with the NAGPUT name. For one thing, the NAGPUT Desert Greens has legal rights to the name under Utah Commerce Law. For another, we are affilaited with the Green Party of the United States. And for another, Desert Greens is the registered political party – for election purposes only. All other activities are organized under NAGPUT. Period.

It was made obvious to me that someone complained to utahpolicy.com about them printing our name. I then was told by the person who does their calendar that the elections office recommended that they only print us under “Desert Greens”.

Wait a minute. The Utah Elections Office specifcally told us, in writing, that they would “remain silent” on the name issue. And now they are advising entities and individuals what they should print? That’s hypocrisy!

But it doesn’t surprise me.

In our outreach, we make sure to tell folks that there are two parties using the name Green Party of Utah and that our registered political party is “Desert Greens”. That’s all we say about the two groups. We decided a long time ago that we would advocate who to vote for – not who to vote against.

We will continue to use Desert Greens Nationally Affiliated Green Party of Utah. It’s legal. And it’s the fact. Almost all other organizations publish what we ask them to and choose not to be lured into the middle of this situation, even despite complaints they receive.

17-year-old Kanab resident challenges Natural Family Resolution

Today’s Salt Lake Tribune has as its top headline in the Utah section: Kanab kid takes on mayor – in person–Radio broadcast: Teen blasts him for skipping town after writing letters.

Matt Livingston, the 17-year-old columnist who took on Mayor Kim Lawson over Kanab’s passage of the headline-grabbing natural-family resolution, did so again Wednesday – this time not in the weekly newspaper but face to face during a live radio broadcast.
“People look at Kanab and think it’s a crazy place,” said Livingston, who was applauded by about 200 residents and students attending the KUER-FM broadcast at Kanab High.

The mayor said he supports free speech but that journalists should stick with basic facts (who, what, where, when) and not editorialize issues.

The “natural family resolution” is hurting business, according to business owners in Kanab.

(Read my previous posts on this and other related issues HERE.)

Governor’s Operations Committee Meeting – Voting Machines

Today Tom and I attended the Governor’s Operations Committee Meeting at the Utah State Capitol Building. We attended because they had on their agenda to discuss the voting machine issue.

Kathy Dopp of Utah Counts Votes was there with Bruce Funk, Elections Director of Emery County (btw, I was supposed to go to Emery County yesterday to attend the biweekly commissioner’s meeting, but was later warned against doing that since it was determined that “outsiders” might hurt the cause, so I didn’t go.). The public was not permitted to give comment at this meeting, but Kathy was permitted to give her document “What Utah Lt. Governor’s Office is Not Telling You” (see below) to committee members.

Michael Cragun, Director of Elections for Utah, gave a briefing on HAVA (Help America Vote Act, and the new voting system in Utah, bascially saying how wonderful the system is going to be. He answered a few logisitical questions of committee members and then continued to give them symbolic pats on the back for all the hard work and passing HB 348 which was what helped move the Diebold Voting Machine Acquisition forward. He also really played up Diebold and how much support they are giving Utah.

That part of the meeting lasted about 15 minutes. Since there was no public comment, Tom and left (we rode our bicycles from West Jordan, using TRAX, to attend this.). Kathy reports that she was interviewed by KCPW radio and the Salt Lake Tribune.
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PDF version of “What Utah Lt. Governor’s Office is Not Telling You”
Continue reading

Rocky on Democracy Now!

I got notice last week that Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson would be featured on the Pacifica Radio Program, Democracy Now! in a segment on the immigration march/rally in Salt Lake. I wasn’t able to listen to it live, but thankfully Rocky’s website has it archived. The clip has great photos of the march.

You can listen and/or watch the interview at the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Website.

How to handle immigration

Part of the Plan has posted a tongue-in-cheek

Utah Latino Boy Scouts criticized for being involved in immigrant rallies

This is “something”. The Boy Scouts of America (aka “Brown Shirts of America”) in today’s news:
Boy Scouts chastised for immigrant rallies–Politics: Official says Latino troop violated policy of involvement.

A Utah Boy Scout official has warned a Latino troop earning merit badges for “Citizenship in the Community” that it violated policy against involvement in political events with its participation in immigration demonstrations this week in Salt Lake City.

Now there’s promoting of, advocating for and teaching our children about democracy and citizenship.

Michael Clara, scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 987, said he received a phone call on Wednesday from Vic Rowberry, a Great Salt Lake Council of Boy Scouts of America field director, who said the troop shouldn’t have participated in the events.
Clara disagreed, saying he didn’t understand the difference between providing the flag ceremony and staying to observe the Republican State Convention in August 2005 and carrying and passing out flags at the nonpartisan immigration demonstrations on Sunday and Monday.

Clara, a Utah Republican, was told that he would have been in compliance if the troop would have performed the flag ceremony at the demonstration and then left. Yet, troops performed the ceremony at the Republican convention and stayed.

I don’t get it.

Clara said he believes the troop is being “singled out” because it participated in a “nontraditional event.” As the organization tries to diversify its troops, Clara said it needs to understand that ethnic minorities are going to participate in events that some Utah Boy Scouts have not joined in the past.
Clara said the organization teaches civic responsibility and being tolerant and respectful of people’s differences.
“The very thing we’re teaching our young men, the council is not doing to us,” Clara said.
Kay]]Godfrey [spokesman for the Great Salt Lake Council,]called those comments by Clara “ridiculous.”

Sounds like a double standard to me.

Remember your roots

John Saltas wrote in this week’s Salt Lake City Weeklyabout the demonstraton against immigration legislation that was held last weekend. He referenced the mass multitude of protestors and the handful of anti-protestors, a group of “minutemen” that advocates for illegal immigrants to be sent back to their countries. Saltas says:

Those protesting the marchers proclaimed that “illegals” want to steal our freedoms. Really? More than 10 percent of the United States war dead in Iraq have Hispanic surnames, including a Utah war casualty who had yet to gain U.S. citizenship. They claim “illegals” take money from the economy by working for cash pay at low wages. Is that so? Then throw the employers in jail for exploiting them. They shouted that the marchers should not wave the Mexican flag. Where were those patriots on St. Patrick’s Day?

Well said.

Stay tuned. May Day (May 1) may see more action.

“Davey” wins in South Jordan

Sometimes Davey wins.

Goliath tumbled yesterday as residents in South Jordan rallied to protest the city’s possible action of selling a 4-acre Jordan River Park parcel to the LDS church or other developers. The city, made very aware of the loud opposition to this, basically “caved” and retracted their announcement of that possible decision-making action.

City officials tried to cover up by stating:
“I want to make it clear we were not poised to sell it to the church,” [Ricky]Horst[city manager] said. “If we did sell it, we would have to put it to the open market.”
Horst said the city is not disappointed to have dropped the idea.
“It was not a big deal to the city either way,” he said. “We just had a request from the church to look at it, so we said we’d look at it, and we did.”

Residents were ecstatic that their voices were heard. Democratic process in action. Chalk one up for Davey.

Pentagon says “Divine Strake” test is environmentally safe

Nevada has requested proof that the June 2 “Divine Strake” test meets all environmental standards. The Pentagon says it does and will provide that proof to the Nevada Governor’s office.

Despite the Nevada governor’s concerns, the pentagon has not postponed or cancelled the test.

First, a detonation of 700 tons of explosives above a tunnel cannot possibly be “safe”.

Second, this disturbed me even more: Nevada Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Shelly Berkley, had expressed concern about the test, but after a briefing with Pentagon officials both said they were reassured the test could be conducted safely.

And although Utah Representative Jim Matheson has voice his opposition to the test, he isn’t really taking any drastic measures to stop it. Instead, he states that he recognizes the test “can’t be stopped”, but he can help make it harder to provide proof that this isn’t in preparation for the development of a new line of nuclear weapons.

When will our representatives just plain put their foot down and lead a massive movement to stop this madness?

“Tax Freedom” Day

The average Utahn has to work from January 1 to April 17 to pay taxes.

Utahns carry one of the higher tax burdens in the West. A per household measurement is a more accurate calculation, experts say, because Utahns have more children on average than any other state.

Here, again, is where more education is needed. (See my post yesterday on education in domestic violence.)
In a state where “abstinence only” can be taught in health classes, there is something wrong with this picture. Our tax burden could be gradually decreased if our educational efforts in various areas were revised….