Hold on to something steady. This’ll knock your socks off:
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson called for “the biggest demonstration this state has ever seen” to protest President Bush’s appearance Monday before a national veterans convention.
“This administration has been disastrous to the country,” Anderson said Friday. “If people could organize and speak out in an effective manner from the reddest state in the country, that would garner a lot of attention.”
In an e-mail Wednesday to about 10 activist leaders, the maverick mayor of Utah’s capital called for a diverse demonstration to greet Bush when he speaks to the Veterans of Foreign Wars at the Salt Palace Convention Center. The mayor plans to join the protesters. … (Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 20, 2005) MORE BELOW:
Update [2005-8-20 23:50:23 by susanhu]: “A Utah television station is refusing to air an anti-war ad featuring Cindy Sheehan, whose son’s death in Iraq prompted a vigil outside President Bush’s Texas ranch.” (NBC)
“There should be a collaboration of health-care-provision advocates, seniors, the [gay, lesbian and bisexual and transsexual] community, anti-Patriot Act advocates and other civil libertarians, anti-war folks, pro-Social Security advocates, environmental advocates, anti-nuclear-testing advocates, and anti-nuclear-waste-shipment-and-storage advocates,” the mayor wrote in the e-mail.
The mayor’s message drew a howl of outrage from Mike Parkin, senior vice commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Atomic Post 4355 in Salt Lake City.
”Excuse my French, but – that son of a bitch!” he said. “It makes the mayor look very, very unpatriotic. It makes him look despicable.”
Parkin said such demonstrations, particularly against the Iraq war, give comfort to America’s enemies and will be particularly offensive to the 13,000 to 14,000 veterans gathering at the convention.
“I voted for the son of a bitch and I’ll never vote for him again,” said the Vietnam War veteran. …
(Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 20, 2005)
THANKS to Susan T in Michigan for sending this jaw-dropper to me!
The mayor is going to address the veterans. That should be something:
well, I’ll be damned!!!!!!!!! What do we have here..a movement a comin’ on???!!! Thanks, Susan, as always youare terrrrrrrrriffffffic
Very, very encouraging. I’m…thinking…that…things…are…beginning…to…finally…change…in…this…country! Thank you Cindy :O)
Incredible! And further in the article there is this that goes along with your other diary today, Susan:
He also said: “I don’t understand people simply blindly going along with the sort of deceit and utter cruelty of this administration. It’s not just we have the right to speak out, but we have the obligation to speak out when we see misconduct on the part of the government. The most patriotic thing we can do is stand up against the misuse of governmental power.”
“utter cruelty of this administration.”
Go, Rocky! Who IS this guy?
Is it wrong to have an image of Sylvester Stallone running up steps and that “Getting Strong Now” theme song in my head?
For you, kansas, anything! (actually, I was curious too)
Here he is trying to support gay rights in the face of Utah’s ballot initiative last fall….and another one in that same vein
And here he is talking about his own version of the Kyoto treaty and slamming Bush in the process.
Rocky working toward incentivizing fair wages
Ok that’s enough of that — sure is a lot out there on him though!! 😉
lol! Thanks, Brinn! That will give me much reading pleasure. If I find other good stuff, I’ll try to return the favor.
A quote from one of those articles you cited:
Because of the council’s conservative bent and the near-constant tension between the mayor and council,
Ha! I’ll bet!
Who is this Guy?
Well I knew Rocky pretty well 30 years ago when I was an officer of the ATU in SLC. Rocky was State President of the AFL-CIO in Utah. . .our Union helped campaign for him and get him elected as the state Union Head. He Was extremely active in those days and he has been, no doubt, ever since. Great sense of humor and a very dynamic and determined guy.
Spent a considerable amount of time in state AFL-CIO meetings with Rocky and the rest of the crew representing my Union to the State body.
I knew someday that he would run for office. . .I just haven’t kept up with SLC politics since I moved to Idaho 24 years ago.
I would say the City is in great hands if Rocky is running the show and calling the shots. From what I remember of him, he wouldn’t be making claims and taking such a stand without considerable backing from many diverse groups. This guy knows how to build a consensus and hold it together.
So A big tip of the hat to Rocky and Go Guy!!
That is absolutely cool that you know him, Shirl! I hope people will help track this story … maybe you too? It’s just terrific.
Cool! I had him pegged in my mind as a union guy. Something about the no-shit manner of speaking. . .
Hey, between the Gov of Montana and the Mayor of SLC, we’ve got some terrific Western Dems.
Well, okay, two.
Wow! This is encouraging.
Looks like we’re in for it – bush is hitting the road on a 5-day “Iraq” tour. It’s all over the print media on Yahoo.
do not a “tour” make!
What a wuss he is — why doesn’t he take his sorry ass to DC and NYC??? (Oh, that’s right, I forgot, he’s on vacation…) I heard he was going fishing up there in Idaho.
sorry – tour was me, not the news. The headline was “5 days” talking.
Ok. Found it:
“Bush next week will speak to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Utah, and meet with members of the Idaho National Guard and the Mountain Home Air Force Base, which played a leading role in the air bombing campaign in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.”
Safe, secure, limited civilian access.
And not only that, but very obviously chosen to try and offset the damage Cindy’s done to his reputation.
Goes without saying. She was the catalyst. Our side had better damn well be ready to put out counter-arguments point-by-lying-point. That means all of them in the House & Senate. And Dean better be on the talk shows this weekend pre-empting the bullshit.
Wait. That means an organized response. Sorry, wrong party.
Oh man, New York would eat his ass alive. Wait, that doesn’t sound right :o)
He’s gonna find that there are fewer and fewer places for him to pick up a sympathetic ear as Cindy Sheehan has popped his bubble and the air is quickly going out of his sails.
Yes, it’s time to dog Bush wherever he goes.
Yes, that is it exactly. Dog him wherever he goes, relentlessly.
Got network? Definitely a “teachable moment”.
Dang! I LOVE THIS! Excuse the shouting but that’s the best news in seems like forever. Thank you Susans!
I would donate money to see the Arlington West crosses follow Bush to every city he visits.
When anybody in any office in SLC grows Cojones enough to express even their dislike for Bush, let alone calling for demonstrations in protest of Bush……I take that as a sign of Bush is Sunk, Goner, Loser, Pathetic, Doomed, Headed for Prison, Stealing Air Force One and looking for a new country to take over.
The desire to support a not too “popular” position has almost become the trade-mark of our great country! When a mayor, albeit one considered to be a maverick, stands up for a principle and does so in what will be a dramatically hostile environment – then it becomes everyones’ responsibility that believes in that principle to stand up and be counted.
There have been so many examples for us to look at that will give us the strength to finally get up off our proverbial a..es – Paine, Brown, Parks, King, Mandella, Ghandi…..I bet each one of US could add a name to this quilt!
Anyway, this old man will march with all who are beginning to arise to tell the fool from 1600 pa ave that – As Mr D said- THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING!
(And maybe an E-mail to the Salt Lake Mayor might be nice!)
anyhow peace!
billjpa@aol.com
WHOA!!! Think maybe Rocky’s talking to Harry Reid?
This is amazing, could the tide be finally turning? W’s polling is in the tank and heading south, Thursday, Dick “Dick” Cheney embarrassed himself and the admin in front of the The 73rd national convention of the Order of The Purple Heart. See Here
This is definitely getting interesting.
Kudos Susanhu and Susan T.
Peace
Yes dick you have acknowledged that you are indeed an asshat coward who has the courage to decide to send others into harms way, yet you yourself cowardly had other priorities.
Dick the dick Cheney, asshat, coward chickhawk.
Bush is coming to McCall Idaho, which is a beautiful resort town on a very lovely lake. A small town. And I am sure the red-hearted red-necks will love it, but there is a Veterans group that has prepared a Candle light vigil for while he is there and a protest about Iraq. So all of Idaho is not hypnotized. Just apparently 59% of them.
I hope they bring their dogs, because here in Idaho dogs just love to pee on the bushes.
Is it near you, Shirl? Can you go?
It is on the other side of the state, about 300+ miles. I am in the midst of some important legal stuff on the sale of my house. . .but if I can break away, I surely will go.
Yep, it appears like SLC’s mayor is one cool dude. I sent him a short email msg of support. mayor@slcgov.com Think we could melt his mailbox?