Articles in today’s newspapers about state legislature-related News:
Salt Lake Tribune
S.L. County poised to tack on fee for Corridor land:
An extra 10 bucks to drive?
Deseret News
State spending is surging: Year’s 17.5% jump far outpaces population growth and inflation
Huntsman hails USTAR: He likens the initiative to U.’s Research Park
Lobbyists’ favorite tool was food
Utah has uveiled it’s new state slogan: “Life Elevated”.
ohhh……kaaaaay.
Today in the Salt Lake Tribune Paul Rolly has a piece called“New slogan should slow things a bit”.
In it he outlines the top 10 alternative slogans discussed amongst his acquaintances:
Thinking outside the box: In conversations with a few media types, some alternative state slogans were tossed about. Here are the top 10:
l Land of the Wives
l The Heterosexual State
l Ain’t No Monkeys Here
l No Rich Child Left Behind
l The Special Session State
l Home of Orrin Hatch
l Run, Merrill, Run
l Where Democrats Aren’t Allowed
l Bring Your Guns
l Where the Fish Whirl
Part of the Plan also has a piece on the new slogan.
More appropiate would have been: “Utah! Where Ideas Converge Because Difference Of Opinion Is Prohibited”
Articles in today’s newspapers about state legislature-related News:
Salt Lake Tribune
Logic of legislators defies pattern-seekers: Analysis – Legislators focus heavily on the unborn
Utah lawmakers say e-mail privacy issue will resurface: Officials moved to withhold communications from constituents among other privacy concerns
School-voucher group hopes to oust opponents–Parents for Choice: The political action committee has a list of legislators it wants to replace with friends
Despite record surplus, lawmakers cut contribution to open-space fund
Huntsman hopes hardball works second time around
Deseret News
Oly hotel project seeks OK on Hill
Legislature chips away at GRAMA: 7 bills passed in ’06 to alter records-access law
Session a mixed bag for Dixie: Area’s lawmakers got funds for flood relief but little for colleges
Tax distribution measure may hurt several cities
Will medical-mistakes bill pass judicial muster?
The Nationally Affiliated Green Party of Utah held its nominating convention from March 9 – 12. The voting in this convention resulted in the following people being nominated for candidacy in 2006 Utah races for the Desert Greens Green Party of Utah:
Tom King, State House District #43
Deanna Taylor, Salt Lake County Council District #5
Chuck Tripp, Salt Lake County Council At Large
Candidates will file for office this coming week.
These candidates were nominated in addition to Julian Hatch, who was nominated in Novebmer 2005 for the 2006 U.S. Senate race.
Julian Hatch…………………………Tom King
Deanna Taylor……………………..Chuck Tripp
Tom happened to be in the Elections Office yesterday finalizing the process for the Desert Greens Green Party of Utah to become registered and…..
Lo and behold who should appear?
(no, not Santa and his eight tiny reindeer….)–
Orrin Hatch and his entourage this year!
Cute rhyme, huh!
Orrin Hatch filing for candidacy for 2006 (photos taken by Tom King):
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Green Party, julian hatch, orrin hatch, politics, Utah
Articles in today’s newspapers about state and Federal Legislature News:
Salt Lake Tribune
Huntsman seals the deal on 103 bills
March 21 is deadline: Toll-road measure gets signature, as well as tighter tattoo laws and looser FBI checks for military, missionaries
Bennett says some parts of New Orleans shouldn’t be
Science panel urges major overhaul of nuke-waste rules–Utah affected: The report notes current statutes are a patchwork formed over 60 years
Hatch picked for oversight panel on wiretaps
Deseret News
College tuitions soaring: Board of Regents blames Legislature for the increases
Recently I posted about the Green Party of Utah completing its ballot access drive and the numbers being certified by the state.
The next step in the process was to choose a new name for the ballot, due to another group having the same name as the Nationally Affiliated Group (with the Green Party of the United States). The unaffiliated group finished its drive first and the state recognized them with the affiliated group’s legal (incorporated and trademarked) name, stating that only the courts could resolve the name dispute for the ballot, remaining silent on state commerce law.
Putting the split issue aside (because of the need to move forward),and after a lot of deliberation with teh Elections Office, the new name for the political arm of the Green Party of Utah is “Desert Greens”.
By the end of March there will be a website linked from the Green Party of Utah‘s site to the political arm Desert Greens. The Desert Greens site of the Green Party of Utah will contain all the political, electoral, and candidacy information of Greens running for office for this party. The Desert Greens site will link back to the Green Party of Utah site.
By early next week canidates will be filed with the Desert Greens Green Party of Utah.
The Nationally Affiliated Green Party of Utah retains its legal name and will use it everywhere, in conjunction with its registered political party name, “Desert Greens”, except on the ballot. The name “Desert Greens” only will appear on the ballot.
I am involved with represenatives of several organizations in planning a mass rally and march on March 18th, the weekend of the 3rd anniversary of the Iraq War. It will be a day of protest against that illegal war of agression that continues.
There will be other “celebrations” on that day.
I found this in today’s Deseret News – an announcement about an event being held blocks from my house:
Public invited to attend Thank A Soldier event
WEST JORDAN — The public is invited to attend the second annual Thank A Soldier event on Saturday, March 18, at Veterans’ Memorial Park, 7800 S. 1985 West.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be music, entertainment, camouflage face-painting for children, a rock climbing wall and more. There is no charge for admission.
I am not necessarily opposed to an event whereby citizens want to honor soldiers for their work, depending on the “work” such as disaster relief. I am opposed to honoring soldiers for the work in illegal wars and wars of agression and I am also opposed to glorifying the military with our children (or anyone else for that matter) by holding activities such as “camouflage face-painting”.
Is the concept of camouflage also going to be explained to the children? Will it be explained to them about the original concept verses camouflage in modern warfare as is explained in How Military Camouflage Works?
Will the concepts of concealment and deception in war via the use of camouflage be explained to children?
I am highlighting the camouflage concept of this event to point out that war is being glorified, not soldiers, even though events like this are framed as the latter. War should not be glorified, no matter what the justification in peoples’ minds. War is ugly and devastating. To celebrate war is to celebrate violence.
Utah’s legislative session passed a hate crimes and anti-bullying law this year. I think it sends mixed messages to our children to educate them on character in these areas while at the same time glorifying violence in the form of war.
Articles published in today’s newspapers on Utah Legislative News – inlcudes news on U.S. Senators and U.S. House Represenatives from Utah:
Salt Lake Tribune
2006 Legislature: One for the history books
Bishop rejects Patriot Act amendments, while Cannon and Matheson vote yes
Hatch’s flag bill will move to floor: Proposed constitutional amendment: Utah senator’s measure would let Congress ‘protect’ American symbol
Matheson backs line-item veto
Today’s Deseret News has an article on Deb Sawyer, a local peace activist in Salt Lake.
Deb is the director for The Gandhi Alliance for Peace, which has the mission of bringing the teachings of Gandhi to schools and providing assistance to citizens in countries ravaged by war and disaster. Projects of the Gandhi Alliance for Peace include Landmines (through its Adop-A-Minefield Program–providing support to remove landmines in Afghanistan) and Tsunami Relief.
“Our kids aren’t being taught non-violence,” she says. “Their images of bravery are of people standing up to violence with more violence. We want to teach them that there’s another way.”
Currently, Deb and her friends are raising funds to help villagers in Afghanistan, a country littered with millions of land mines and unexploded ordnance. Through the “Adopt-a-Minefield” program, land is being cleared so war refugees can find a safe place to resettle.
Deb has provided speeches and stories at local peace rallies in the past:
March 15, 2003
September 11, 2003
Every year the The Gandhi Alliance for Peace holds “Night of a Thousand Dinners” to raise money for its Adopt-A-Minefield Program. My vocal students from school are always invited by Deb to perform at this event, which is enjoyed by many and a great experience for my students.
Deb Sawyer is truly a model for peace activists in our community. I have always admired her and was happy today to see her and the work she is doing highlighted in a major Utah newspaper.
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 