SLC Anti-War Protest Pioneer Park
Well over 3000 people showed up at today's protest on the heals of Bush's speech at the Veterans Convention in Salt Lake. The media is reporting far fewer. Not sure why. Rocky spoke to a spirited and pasionate audience. There was a meager showing by a few pro-Bush supporters.
The media is also reporting that Rocky "organized the protest. That's simply not true. A paid operative from the San Francisco office of TrueMajority.org did the organizing and a local organization invited Rocky to speak.
Thank you to both!
Click below for full text of The Mayor's remarks at:
VFW Convention
Pioneer Park Rally
More later - Cliff
posted by Cliffs Blogger Profile at 3:36 PM
7 Comments:
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Rocky Anderson is an embarrassment to the state. Your photos speak volumes about all the nary-do-wells that attend ended Rockystock. It certainly wasn't "the greatest demonstration in Utah history" that Rocky billed it as. I have an article in my blog come check it out if you like. It is called "Rocky (Heck No, We Won't Go) Anderson.
I think its so funny that so many people are agianst was going on with Iraq when most people have never even been there. I mean before all this...
You mean, there are actually socialists in Utah?
Ken,
I commend you for the vigor of your attempt to condemn Rocky for his role in the anti-war protest yesterday as expressed on your blog. However, your attempt to invoke Utah Code against using municipal office for political activities in misguided and without merit. In fact, your accusation is so devoid of substance; I would be surprised if Mark Shurtleff offers more than casual passing comment as to the vacuous nature of your accusation.
Rocky was elected mayor of Salt Lake City in a fair democratic process by a majority of city residents. As such, he is compelled to represent the feelings and attitudes of his constituency as they relate to public safety (increased threat of domestic terrorism), personal safety (risk of death of our sons and daughters serving in the military), misuse and overextension of our National Guard, and the threat to our economic security (huge deficits compounded by expensive nation building).
Utah Code is clear about inappropriate political activity, quoting; “may not directly or indirectly coerce, command, or advise another municipal officer or employee to pay, lend, or contribute.”
If you re-read the red highlighted area carefully, you will discover that Rocky did nothing even remotely addressed in the statute.
Of particular note is the very poignant fact that the anti-war movement and majority disapproval of Bush does not fall along party lines. For example Hillary Clinton and many other democrats are NOT calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, and of course a 62% disapproval rating suggest a significant number of Republicans disapprove of the war, the incongruent and factually wrong reasons for going there, and the resulting increase of terrorist activity both in Iraq and worldwide.
As much as you condemn Rocky by association with broad cultural terms such as “liberalism”, painfully absent is any direct or valid criticism of specific policy with the exception of Legacy highway. To be fair, the construction of legacy highway was stopped because it failed to meet federal guidelines required by law. Would you have our Mayor condone breaking federal law?
Especially disingenuous, is your suggestion that Legacy is a Davis County issue. I wonder if you are aware of the singular importance of the Great Salt Lake as a migratory pathway for birds which populate the entire northern hemisphere? To criticize Rocky for stimulating public discussion of environmentally AND fiscally sound alternatives only betrays a shallow if not utterly corrupt understanding of the responsibilities of public service. Like it or not, Rocky is looking out for YOUR best interests.
I must refrain from responding to your mean-spirited comment on my blog regarding “nary-do-wells” at the protest, except to say, the same sort of observation might have referred to Jesus.
And finally, your claim that the ‘It certainly wasn't "the greatest demonstration in Utah history’ could be easily supported by telling us which demonstration was bigger.
I look forward to your reply and supporting evidence.
Thank you for you well reasoned response to my article. First of all the fact that Rocky Anderson was lawfully elected by a majority of voters is not in dispute. He handily defeated Frank Pignanelli and deserves to be in his position. Polls did show that if more Republicans and especially LDS voters had actually gone to the polls that Rocky may have lost, but that is their fault, not Rocky’s.
That being said, I agree that if Rocky announced he was giving a speech in Pioneer Park denouncing the war and president Bush while the President was in town, that would certainly be within his rights. However he billed it as a protest and invited those in attendance to participate in a protest. A demonstration such as the one that Rocky organized is a political event. He was certainly within his rights as a private citizen to do what he did but he crossed the line when he organized the protest in his official capacity as Mayor, and used city property for the event.
We will have to see if Attorney General Shurtliff or the Salt Lake City council has the guts to go after Rocky. If we put enough pressure on them then maybe they will. Who knows?
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