Audio of the entire BYU alternative commencement


I wrote in an earlier post that Pete Ashdown's speech was one of the best of night of amazing speeches. I  have received permission from Pete to  repost his speech here.
( Pete Ashdown's alternative commencement speech )

Photo of Ralph Becker that I snapped at an ice cream party before Mayor Rocky Anderson's Global Warming presentation last July.

I haven't yet decided who I want to support for mayor of Salt Lake City, but I do like a lot of what I had to hear from Ralph Becker, who held a blogger's reception this evening at his campaign headquarters downtown. I was Ralph's constituent until 9 months ago, and I always thought he was a great representative in the Utah Legislature. He's the guy that always pushed for ethical reforms, like requiring the legislators to report all gifts they received from lobbyists.

We discussed a lot of different issues, from campaign strategies to what we thought would make Salt Lake City a great place to live. Some discussion on technology and adding free wireless internet access to more locations around the city, the predictable discussion on Utah's liquor laws, making downtown and Salt Lake City more walkable and livable. I appreciate Ralph Becker's commitment to the environment and education, and he was receptive to my suggestions to address the daycare situation in Salt Lake City, which I feel is very important if we want to keep families living here rather than moving to Sandy and places where daycare is easier to find.

I'm excited to follow this campaign.

About 15 bloggers were in attendance, some who I've already met, like Cliff from One Utah and Ethan from SLC Spin. I met some other bloggers from the Utah blogosphere that I only knew through their blogs, like Bob from The World According to Me, Rob from the Utah Amicus and "Oldenburg" from The Third Avenue. Some bloggers left before I had a chance to meet them and find out what blogs they write.



Cliff Lyon (left) makes a point at Ralph Becker's (center) blogger reception

 

Every once and a while something inspiring happens. That moment is a rare thing in Utah, and perhaps the rest of the country as well. It's even more inspiring when it comes from the mainstream media. These days,  the corporafication of the media and the attempts to stretch coverage as far right as possible to avoid the dreaded and disingenuous label of  "liberal media", plus the more entertainment and less serious nature that T.V. news has become, have made couragous moves like we have seen here unbelievable.

ABC 4 has come out against the Divine Strake test at the Nevada Test site. They even hand delivered viewer comments  to the Department of Energy in Las Vegas.

And then there was the 10 pm broadcast Wednesday night.

I can't get a link to video that will work, so I've ganked the transcript off "The World According to Me"


When Darwin Morgan, the Department of Energy spokesman accuses ABC 4 of “advocacy journalism”, he is right.

Objectivity is the goal of a good, professional journalist, and for months, ABC 4 has reported objectively on Divine Strake.

But after looking at the facts, ABC 4 has taken a determined stand in opposition.

This is my 40th year as a broadcast journalist. 30 of those years I’ve spent here in Utah, and I have never taken a position of advocacy before.

But more than a professional journalist, I am a citizen of Utah. My children live in Utah. My grandchildren live in Utah, as do those of the ABC 4 staff.

By the government’s own admission, the mushroom cloud from Divine Strake will pass over Utah.

The Dept. of Energy says it will not harm us, but we have heard that before in Utah. Their promises that the fallout from the atom bomb tests would not hurt us were either out-and-out lies or naively stupid.

I, too, am willing to put my professional reputation and career of 40 years on the line in taking a stand against Divine Strake. It is that important to the health and well-being of our families.

I am not willing to obediently accept the Dept. of Energy's assurance that it will not cause us harm in the years to come. They may be right, but I do not want to take the chance.

Obviously, more than 7-thousand of you feel that way, too.

ABC4, Terry Wood, and Divine Strake in the Utah Blogosphere:

The World According to Me: Terry Wood: My New Hero
KNVU's For the People:  Dr. Ed Firmage and Cliff Lyon on the Divine Strake
                                            & Terry Wood lays the smack down on Divine Strake
Dee's 'Dotes:  Utah ABC's Channel 4's bravery on confronting the government on Divine Strake
Deanna Taylor on One Utah: ABC Channel Takes a "Determined Stance" Opposing Divine Strake
The Utah Amicus: Terry Wood = Edward R. Murrow. Terry Wood, I am sooo proud of you!
                                 & Three Utah Republican Senators vote "Nay" on Resolution Against Divine Strake

and I would be remiss if I didn't include the very inspiring comments that were made at the Govenor's public hearings by Pete Ashdown (post from Pete Ashdown's campaign blog:  Divine Strake Hearing Comments)

My name is Pete Ashdown, and I am not an elected official.

I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. This is an important part of this process. As I have looked at Divine Strake over the past two years, I have always asked one question. I always see the Department of Defense and the DTRA saying, If we can do this, we’ll know this. But what I never see them doing is asking, “Why are we doing this?”

Saddam Hussein came out of a ten_foot hole. Adolph Hitler, which had the __ he had the backing of a nation behind him, came out of a 30_foot bunker. And he came out all by himself. So I went to the DTRA session, the information session, and I asked __ I asked Why are we doing this? And they had the great posters __ I don’t know if some of you saw __ that bunkers are a growing threat. Well, it seems to me that the growing threat are teenagers using cell phones and fertilizer to blow up our troops, not build bunkers with alien technology.

And I said, What’s wrong with dropping a five_ton bomb on the hole to the bunker so you can’t get access to the materials inside, and whatever is inside can’t get out?

Well, we want to destroy what’s inside too. Why? Well, it could be uncovered. They could remove the dirt. They could get it out. Who are we fighting? How can they do this? How can they avoid our spy satellites? How can they avoid our predator drones and use earth movers to uncover their bunkers? It’s baloney. It’s pure baloney. It’s military masturbation, and I’m tired of being forced to watch it.

When it comes to nuclear weapons, the United States is the chain smoker telling the rest of the world to quit. It starts today. We do not need nuclear weapons, and I will say it again. Senator Hatch, stop this test. I applaud Governor Huntsman for the opportunity to speak without being arrested. But I want Governor Huntsman to know that I will get arrested if this test goes forward, and I challenge Governor Huntsman to join me and thousands of other Utahns who will walk out on that range and get arrested so this test does not happen.

Thank you very much.

(emphasis mine)

I'm not a big fan of sports. In fact I think that sports bring out the worst in us, and what I see as the "sports mentaility" is, in my opinion, very destructive -- but that's another post.

That being said, I probably wouldn't have protested REAL's plans if they had been able to prove that it wouldn't be opperated at a loss to taxpayers.

But the numbers, as written my other Utah bloggers, just didn't add up. Peter Corroon had the difficult task of disappointing a lot of Utah sports fans and some powerful business leaders and politicians in this state. Even with all the pressure, Corroon chose the wise fiscal path and stuck to what was really important.

I don't usually have a lot of good things to say about our elected leaders, so when one does what is right and just, I want to thank them. Thanks Peter Corroon!

The Utah Blogosphere on RSL and Corroon:

The Third Avenue: why RSL must die
mullentown: REAL politik
Voice of Utah: Corroon's guts: Why we didn't care about the math