Mother Blog www.OneUtah.org

Come see us at www.OneUtah.org.

This one is just for fun and free storage.

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

Rocky's Remarks at Pioneer Park

Remarks by Mayor Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson
Pioneer Park, Salt Lake City, Utah
August 22, 2005

We are here today to let the world know that even in the reddest of red states, where George W. Bush enjoyed the greatest margin of victory in both his presidential elections, there is enormous concern about the dangerous, irresponsible, and deceitful public policies being pursued by President Bush and his administration. And we will continue to speak out, with the growing ranks of people in this country finally willing to stand up and say, “We’re not going to take it any more.”

As more and more people throughout the US now understand, blindly following this President has brought us to disaster. Some of the blind followers have called into question our patriotism – at least they’ve called into question my patriotism – for speaking up today. These are people who are afraid of what we have to say, so they attack us for being unpatriotic, disloyal, or unsupportive of our troops.

What better sign of a healthy, open democracy than people coming together to express their concerns? Those who take a principled stand for better government, who challenge violations of our Constitution, and who stand up against deceit and abuses of power by governmental officials – those are true patriots! You are patriots for being here today.

I spoke at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention this morning. We are honored to be their host and we are grateful for what they have sacrificed for our country and for our freedoms. As I said during my remarks this morning, those of us who disagree with our political leaders are supportive of our troops and deeply appreciate the sacrifices of our veterans and for the freedoms they have preserved.

Let’s demonstrate our deep appreciation for the great veterans who have fought so valiantly for the preservation of our freedoms. And let’s show our appreciation for our troops, who put it all on the line every day.

As to those who say we shouldn’t be speaking up today, don’t they read? Or do they just find it more convenient to ignore the indisputable evidence that our nation was lied into a war? Are they so lulled into apathy and moral somnolence that they prefer just going along to standing up against injustice, violations of fundamental civil and human rights, and a fiscal and environmental recklessness that will have tragic repercussions for many generations to come? If our media’s complicity results in such utter complacency on the part of so many in our country, then it’s up to us – the people – to keep speaking up.

The good news is that the ranks of the blind followers are dwindling. The poll results, with approval ratings for President Bush ranging from the low 40s to the 20s, demonstrate that people are listening, learning, and regretting the tragic direction this country has taken under the Bush administration. By the millions, people in this country are deciding that they aren’t going to take it any more.

I congratulate those of you who have come to make your voices heard – and urge others to fulfill their moral duty to speak out in protest of what this administration is doing to our dear country.
The Bush Administration and his Republican Congress don’t talk a lot about “fiscal conservatism” these days. It should come as no surprise. President Bush came into office with an enormous surplus, and he and his Republican Congress frittered it away – leaving us, and the future, with enormous, historic deficits.

These deficits are the result of huge tax cuts for members of President Bush’s ultra-wealthy class, and unbelievably reckless spending, in part to benefit his and Vice-President Cheney’s chums like the folks at Halliburton. Let’s let the President and Congress know that, when it comes to enormous tax cuts for the rich while building up devastating national debt, “We’re not going to take it any more!”

I’m a mayor. I love my city, and I want the best for the people of our city. So I’m furious to see our President show such disdain for our cities. While spending hundreds of billions of dollars on our war in Iraq, President Bush seeks to destroy long-time programs that have been of huge benefit to our cities. He has set out to destroy the Community Development Block Grant Program, which has helped lower-income people in our cities for more than 30 years. He has eviscerated Community Oriented Police programs and Local Law Enforcement Grant funding for local communities – harming the security of our home towns while setting up a huge bureaucracy in the name of Homeland Security. Because of the policies of the Bush Administration, 120 fewer families in Salt Lake City will have access to Section 8 affordable housing. Ask them how secure they feel!

On behalf of our cities, on behalf of our police, and on behalf of those who are in need in our community, let’s let the President, the Congress, and the nation know, “We’re not going to take it any more!”

President Bush, never having to really make it in life on his own, has also shown a remarkable contempt toward working people in this country. Although over two million people in the US earn minimum wage or less, and although today’s minimum wage is lower in buying power than the minimum wage in 1955, President Bush refuses to support raising the minimum wage. The outsourcing of millions of jobs during the Bush administration has driven an even greater wedge between the very wealthy – that is, George Bush and Dick Cheney’s classmates – and the middle class and poor. With the influence of money in government, we no longer live in a democracy; our nation is a plutocracy – run by the ruling rich. Those of us who believe that government ought to be of the people, by the people, and for the people – and not just run by and for the benefit of Halliburton and the rest of the very wealthy – we’ve got a message here today: “We’re not going to take it any more!”

Then there’s the going-it-alone Bush Administration, blowing off our long-time allies around the world by choosing a so-called pre-emptive war in Iraq, with a fabricated rationale that is now known to have been a monstrous lie. So, with deaths of US servicemen and servicewomen approaching 2,000, with tens of thousands of Iraqis dead, and many, many thousands of people seriously injured, our President and Congress continue to make more enemies of the US and have made this a far less stable and safe world than before we blundered into Iraq. We stand here today to say, “No more deceit,” “No more unnecessary wars,” “No more nonsense about ‘We did it for the Iraqis.’” If we want to help people in horrific circumstances, why has our country turned a blind eye toward the Darfur region of Sudan, during two years of genocide?

We stand here today to say, “We’re not going to take it any more!”

· The continued refusal to join the rest of the industrialized world in the Kyoto Protocol to combat global warming. “We’re not going to take it any more!”

· The status quo energy policy, to enrich Exxon while ignoring conservation and clean-energy alternatives. “We’re not going to take it any more!”

· The storage of high-level nuclear waste at the Goshute Reservation near Salt Lake City and the transport of nuclear waste through our city to Yucca Mountain. “We’re not going to take it any more!”

· The hostility to equal rights for gays and lesbians. “We’re not going to take it any more!”

· The incursions on our civil liberties in the Patriot Act and the torture of prisoners in violation of Army regulations and international law. “We’re not going to take it any more!”
There is a growing movement in this great country – and it’s going to lead us back to what we love most about our nation. But f or things to change, we all need to stand together, and we need to make it abundantly clear: President Bush and Congress, we’re not going to take it any more!

Rocky's Speech at VFW National Convention

Veterans of Foreign Wars
106th National Convention
Welcome by Mayor Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson
August 22, 2005

· We are honored to be your hosts in Salt Lake City.

· You, and those who have served our country before you, have sacrificed so much. You exemplify the highest notions of courage, commitment, and the generosity reflected in offering so much so that others can be free.

· Courage and commitment to the highest ideals of human freedom have characterized our nation’s military since even before our country was founded.

· In this difficult time, with war raging in Iraq, we must make it clear that, regardless of our views toward the war, we all, without reservation, proudly support our troops.

· In a democracy, civilian leaders determine how our military resources will be utilized. We can debate – as we should in a free country – the decisions of our political leaders, but we must always support, and be grateful toward, our men and women in the armed forces.

· It’s not enough, however, to just say the right things. We must demonstrate our support by providing our troops with the best equipment our technology has to offer, and the resources our troops need to be as safe and effective as possible in their very dangerous and important work. Our political leaders must listen and respond when our soldiers point out they are not receiving adequate support!

· Also we need to be firm in our commitment to support you, our veterans, who have served this country so heroically.

· Some of our nation’s leaders have proposed eliminating funding for veterans’ medical, housing, and education programs. Instead of slashing benefits for veterans, we should be providing high quality health care, housing and education benefits.

· You risked your lives for this country, and some of you suffered injuries in battle, both physical and emotional. As a nation we must live up to our promise that you will receive quality health care assistance through the Veteran’s Administration.

· Organizations like yours play such an important role in our communities, by helping us to remember and provide for the needs of veterans, and by educating our young people about the huge sacrifices you, and your fellow soldiers, have made for this country.

· We should all encourage young people to read about those who have given so much to sustain our freedoms. I just finished the book 1776 and found it to be an inspiring account of what George Washington and his troops gave in order that our nation could be independent. Our young people would learn so much, and be instilled with such gratitude, if they would read books like that written by my friend Gene Jacobsen about his sacrifices during the Bataan Death March and his three years in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. With the learning of these sacrifices comes a deeper appreciation of our freedoms and what so many have sacrificed to sustain them.

· You who have gathered in Salt Lake City are a tremendous part of our history. By telling your stories you are helping the next generations remember what we should never forget about the freedoms we enjoy and the tremendous sacrifices made by so many to make this a free nation.

· We are pleased that we have a beautiful place in our City, Memory Grove, dedicated to the memory of those who have given their lives in the service of our country. I hope you’ll be able to visit this inspiring place during your visit. We must do all we can to keep those memories alive.

· Thank you for coming to Salt Lake City. We are honored by your presence. And thank you for your great service to this nation.

Cindy Sheehan Vigil SLC

Over 200 people showed up at the Cindy Sheehan vigil outside the City County Building in Salt Lake. This wasn't really about Cindy. It was really about an opportunity to stand and be counted. Cindy is but a galvanizing event.

All the local stations TV were there. The media under estimated the number of people there. I counted. (over 200) Many people spoke. It was powerful. This war affects so many in Utah.

There is something very strange about this war, and the divisions in this country. It's eerie. Sometimes it feels as if we're living a nightmare. Something is very wrong.

Turn Up The Volume

This blog is under contruction. Please come back soon.