Jen's Green Journal

 Fellow Utah political blogger Bob Aagard sent out an email today to the lefty utah blogosphere:

"So, I read in this morning's Tribune that the Utah Eagle Forum had started a petition supporting Senator Chirs Buttars.

I had hoped to get a photo of me entering or exiting Blue Boutique for this post -- but I just haven't had the time. Since there have been threats from the community of photographing individuals who shop there to shame them, I thought I'd save them the trouble. And I wouldn't be ashamed.

For those outside of Utah, there is a Puritonian uproar about the Blue Boutique which had to move about 2 blocks east of their previous location in the quirky and fun part of Sugarhouse ( a unique neighborhood in Salt Lake City) due to the construction plans for that area. That moved the Blue about 2 blocks closer to my alma mater, Highland High School -- but is still a significant distance (about 1/2 mile) from the school. The Blue Boutique specializes in lingere in the front of the store, and adult sex toys and accessories in a restricted room (18 years and up) at the back.

My senior year at Highland I passed the Blue Boutique in it's Sugarhouse location daily on my walk home. While it's anecdotal, I didn't become as corrupt as some current Highland parents fear their kids will become. 

While the new opening of a Bikini Cuts downtown got my feminist side irritated, I have no problem with the Blue Boutique. I've been in the store a handful of times and purchased a few things there. What I like about the Blue Boutique  is it is more egalitarian in nature than certain sex industries that are more patriarchal women-exploiting types which have been majority of  what we've had through the centuries. Blue Boutique and shops like it remind us that sex is fun and can be enjoyed by both sexes.

I'd also like to suggest that stores like the Blue Boutique are not the problem. If I were these folks I'd be a lot more worried about the fact that Utah ranks number one in internet hits for porn sites coupled with the fact that Utah also was ranked #1 for depression. I'd theorize that the repressive atmosphere in this state is unhealthy and it's starting to show. 

The irony of this uproar is that it's likely to increase Blue Boutique's business -- it's free advertising to a broader audience, after all. And I also know from personal experience that nothing ups the titillation factor like making something seem forbidden, naughty or contrary to public acceptance.

And what I really don't get is this uproar over a store that isn't hurting anyone in a state that has the highest approval of a war that is killing and maiming a hell of a lot of people. How's that for priorities?

The more we make sex about something that is shameful and hidden, the more we become unhealthy about sex. And the more we become unhealthy about sex, the more that sex industries that exploit women will thrive. Personally, I'd rather the Blue Boutique and businesses like it thrive over their seedier and unhealthy cousins.

"In forty-eight hours I'm going to be deader than a Saturday night in Salt Lake City!"
 - Dave Lister, from the British Sci-Fi comedy "Red Dwarf" (Season 7, "Epideme")

Warning: Gushiness ahead . . .

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this here before -- but I'm very attached to Salt Lake City. I've lived my whole life along the Wasatch Front, but it wasn't until I was 13 years old (when my family moved here) that I've stuck around for good  -- or at least until the present.

I love Salt Lake City because almost all the best things that happen in the state happen here. We have amazing performing arts and culture. We have incredible festivals and events. We are close to everything: mountains, desert, loads of history and Trax. Despite the quote above, there is so much to see and do here if you know where to look. We have such amazing neighborhoods and the best architecture in the state. Yummy and diverse eateries. Lots of resources.

The people of Salt Lake City are interesting and diverse. We have a large percentage of green-living and peace-loving people here. And the politics here vs. the rest of the state . . .

It's been suggested to me to move out of Salt Lake City where rent is cheaper -- and I balk. I can't imagine living far away from all that I've become so used to and take for granted. I have a hard time going anywhere south of Sugarhouse -- I feel as if I'm in alien country, and I really, really hate commuting more than 3 or 4 miles. If I moved out of Salt Lake City I'd miss so much and I'd hate all the extra driving I'd have to do. So I choose to live here and pay a bit higher rent.

Before we moved into our current home, I was adamant that we live within easy walking distance of a Trax stop. When we were looking for a place, we drove around streets that were close to Trax. I want to live my green values as much as possible, which means that convenient public transportation is a must. I can walk or Trax to work from where I live. We are able to get by one small car for our family of 4.

 I also live very close to the most wonderful public library on the planet. I live close to some amazing film opportunities, like the free film screenings from the Salt Lake Film Center or the festival quality films at the Salt Lake Film Society. I can hop on Trax for a short ride to the Utah Museum of Natural History or the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, or any number of performing arts venues.

I have to admit I'm a little nervous about the changes for Salt Lake City ahead. I would love to see some really thoughful urban planning going on -- where groceries and other necessities are available through small businesses in less than a 5 min walk away from my home. I'd love to see some more walkability and attractive places to walk. I think it's important for the health of downtown to build more condos and places to live, but I'm worried that they'll be so overpriced that it will drive up all the property values in SLC and make it a playground for the wealthy that will push us poorer folks out. I'm worried about the LDS Church's involvment in development of downtown --I hope for the best but I'm not sure after the Main Street fiasco. I'd like to see the older architecture preserved and unique new architecture -- not the massed produce cookie cutter crap *ahem* that we see south and west of here.

There may come a time when I will leave Salt Lake City. I may have opportunities come up elsewhere. But wherever I end up, Salt Lake City will always be my home.

I hate to hinder democracy and all that, but it seems to me that having candidates for office take some type of test to make sure that their criitical thinking skills aren't damaged before being able to run might do us all a big service.

Case in point -- Rep. Paul Ray (R, Clearfield). He's introducing a "trigger law" bill to make abortions in Utah instantly illegal in the event that Roe v. Wade is ever overturned. His brilliant reasoning? If this doesn't pass there will be "an onslaught, a rush of abortions to go in and beat the deadline."

I can just see how that onslaught will happen: "Gee, I was gonna have this baby, but now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, I'd better go get that abortion 'cuz that'll be my last chance to have one." or "Oh crap! Roe v. Wade was overturned! I'd better get pregnant -stat!- so that I can get one last abortion."

Regardless of your personal views on abortion, you have to be worried that a guy who's best thought process came up with this "logic" is in a position to make laws in this state.

(thanks to Deanna for the info)

I've mentioned before that I have two friends that worked as poll workers this election season. There wasn't any funny business at either of their precincts, but there are some interesting stories they had to tell.

The first friend worked at a polling location in downtown Salt Lake City. He told me that only 15% of that precinct's registered voters came out to vote. He mentioned that that showing was not a good example of democracy in action. While thinking about his experience, I wondered what would have happened if 90% of that precinct had voted. Salt Lake City is a liberal stronghold in the state. If other Salt Lake City polling locations had similar turn out rates and generally have a population more liberal than the rest of the state, could we have changed some outcomes? Would these absent voters been enough to turn things around for Pete Ashdown? Would Sim Gill have won his race?

The interesting thing about this story is that the same phrase "Democracy in action" was used earlier Tuesday at work by a co-worker in a conversation about voting. He was asked if he had voted, and he replied that he accepted the political reality of Utah and found that Utah was not a good example of "democracy in action" and given the political reality of Utah, he had better things to do with his time than vote. Judging by my first friend's experience, there were probably several others who felt the same way. The irony here is that if more of those people had taken the effort to vote, it may have changed things enough that we could shatter the collective perception that progressives don't have a chance in this state. The results of this election will simply re-inforce that idea to those who didn't vote and it will be the same the next election, so on and so forth.

My suggestion to those who feel that way is to sign up for a perpetual "vote by mail" ballot which will be mailed each election day. No effort has to be expended on Election Day, and you can treat your mailed ballot as an investment in a future where Utah is more sane, than as a vote to win a particular election.

___

My other poll worker friend is a blogger on LiveJournal, and I just got through reading her account of the day. One aspect stood out for me:

"I can't believe more people aren't understanding how HUGE an issue the "Personal Choice" snafu was! For those unaware, the way the next button is positioned, along with the lack of ability to skip by the straight party page easily caused many voters to accidentally vote for the Personal Choice party. As a pollworker, I can tell you that I was helping confused people backtrack in the process and fix their mistakes AT LEAST 2CE/HOUR! At high voter turnout times it was much higher than that. And these were not all elderly people, many of them were fairly computer literate people. This wasn't an unknown issue, I know of at LEAST two people (including my TST) who informed county of the potential of this to cause problems. Neither of these people apparently were taken seriously though because they weren't "computer people". Yes, and neither are most of the voters. All one has to do is look at the abnormally high rates of people who voted Personal Choice in Salt Lake County to see what an issue it caused. If you weren't diligently reviewing your votes, you could accidentally misvote because of that issue very easily! I suspect it may have even altered the outcome of my local state house race. I'll be curious to see if any protests are made about it."

I had noticed the unusually high numbers for the Personal Choice Party, which surpassed many of the other 3rd parties. I think this could definitely have been a problem. I'll be curious as well to see how this will get resolved.

Ryan Kummer at The New Citizenship Project has an interesting history lesson that we can all learn from in our current "War on Terror" -- it seems that the ancient Romans had a similar problem back in 68 B.C., and it further seems that we are dooming ourselves to follow in their footsteps:
"For in the panicky aftermath of the attack, the Roman people made decisions that set them on the path to the destruction of their Constitution, their democracy and their liberty. . . <snip> By the oldest trick in the political book — the whipping up of a panic, in which any dissenting voice could be dismissed as “soft” or even “traitorous” — powers had been ceded by the people that would never be returned." Please read the whole post if you can -- you may know how true that those who "don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

Utah Peak Oil has also learned a bit of history -- the part where American car companies bought up rail companies so that we'd all be forced to buy cars and drive everywhere.

SLC Spin is posting a lot about the proposed 4th congressional seat. The World According to Me is having a Mention Mitt Romney Weekend (MMRW). Ed at Part of the Plan is posting a lot these days: from bribery in congress to polls that show that the Iraqis want us to leave yesterday. Deanna at Dee's 'Dotes is posting about corrupt military recruiters. Cliff at One Utah is hopeful that Chris Burridge can topple Chris Cannon.

During the Imagine Peace Festival, I got to briefly meet Marshall Thompson, the Iraq war veteran who's walking across Utah to promote the end to the Iraq war and the responsible withdrawl of troops. My daughter briefly heard him speak and was so impressed that she asked to have a photo taken with him.

"Utah is often called “the reddest state in the nation.” It seems to be a stronghold for those who advocate simply staying the course. I hope the walk will soften hearts and open minds to the idea of a responsible and timely withdrawal of troops. Plus I’d like the politicians to realize that even in good old Utah, people are demanding change."

The walk is scheduled to begin Oct. 2 at the Utah/Idaho border and end Oct. 31 at the Utah/Arizona border. The dates are subject to change, but Marshall is scheduled to be in Salt Lake City Oct. 7 which is a Saturday. They are hoping to encourage everyone to join in for this peace walk.

Oct. 7

8:00 am -- The Capital Building (300 N. State Street)
9:30 am -- 2100 S. and State Street
10:15 am -- 3300 S. and State Street
11:15 - 12:00 -- 4800 S. and State Street (lunch)
1:30 pm -- Fort Union Blvd. and State Street
2:45 pm -- 9400 S. and State Street

"We invite all outside of Utah to organize their own local peace walk on October 7, 2006. Please let us know what you're planning and we will post it on this website for others to join in.

Thank you for your support and willingness to join in.  Keep in mind that the times listed are approximations since he will be walking all day and it is difficult to gauge exactly how long each section will take. Please try to arrive early. We encourage you to bring signs that promote peace and an end to the war in Iraq.  We will be walking on the sidewalks and will try to walk single file or in pairs throughout the cities. (TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES AND CHANGES)"

More info at A Solider's Peace

P.S. Amy Goodman mentioned on Democracy Now! that Marshall will be on tomorrow's program. Democracy Now! plays locally on KRCL, or on the web at www.democracynow.org

Ever wonder what it would be like to have a president that would have a "State of the Union" address that both kicks a** and is not full of lies and spin -- one that strives for peace, works tirelessly for the health of the environment, isn't bigoted to any minority group (except corrupt politicians), cares deeply and would work to end genocide and suffering around the world? Hey, I can dream, can't I?

Express your thanks to Mayor Rocky Anderson for standing up and speaking truth to power here: Thank You Rocky Anderson

Link to Rocky's Speech here (written)
audio Link to Rocky's Speech

From Catalyst: http://www.catalystmagazine.net/files/pax/protest/index.html
From Ryan: http://psychenaut.insomnianow.com/gallery/
From Skeptic:  http://www.skepticle.com/gallery/SLC%20Protest/

National Coverage

The Nation: The Mayor Who Challenged the President

Rocky’s Speech on Common Dreams

Bob Geiger, Huffington Post: A Righteous Dude in a Wrong State also posted on the Alternet Blog here

NPR: Salt Lake City Mayor Protests President’s Visit

Baltimore Sun: Mayor leads anti-war protest ahead of Bush’s visit to Utah

Truthdig: Mayor’s Home Run for Truth: Antiwar Rally in Salt Lake City

Michael Moore.com: Thousands of Anti-War Protesters Demand: “Give Us the Truth”

 

Blogs

New Orleans Voices for Peace Blog: http://www.neworleansvfp.org/node/3079

 

Utah Blogs:

 

The New Citizenship Project

 

One Good Move

 

Small mentions in bigger story about Bush

 

MSNBC

Rocky Mountain News

 

It’s also kind of fun to read some of the comments on the Mayor’s speech posted on DailyKos.

Photos by Deanna Taylor and Tom King

http://deesings.livejournal.com/366445.html

http://deesings.livejournal.com/367286.html

Aug. 30th messages

Mayor Rocky Anderson July 28, 2006

(appologies for the bluriness of the photo -- I only took one and I didn't want to disturb others by using the flash)

I attended Mayor Rocky Anderson's presentation on global warming this evening. I was looking to learn more about how Salt Lake City is doing in the fight against climate change and I was also interested in the free ice cream that the Spotted Dog Creamery provided for the event.

Rocky and Salt Lake City's government have made some wonderful changes in the city: LED traffic lights, walking and biking safety and promotion; building to green standards, reducing energy consumption, using hybrid and compressed natural gas vehicles and much more.  Rocky and Salt Lake have been awarded many honors for the way that Salt Lake City and the government have been greening up.

In a brief question and comment period after the presentation, I got to plug the idea of giving CFLs to friends and family for Christmas to the packed auditorium.

After only a few minutes of participation by the audience, it was time for an announcement. Rocky started out by talking about his administration's accomplishments over the past 6 1/2 years. And then the semi-bad news -- Rocky announced that he would not be running for a third term as mayor of Salt Lake City.

Rocky wants to get back to grassroots activism -- working on climate change issues and social justice issues such as genocide. He mentioned that during the genocide in Rwanda back in 1994, the White House didn't take action because the American public didn't make enough noise -- and he wants to get busy making some in a way that he can't as mayor.

At the end of the speech, there was an instantaneous and very long standing ovation -- the longest standing ovation that I can ever remember. I admit I teared up a bit. I've been very proud to have such a progressive and forward thinking Mayor. As someone who is concerned for the well being of other people and the planet, Rocky has done much to earn my admiration. I look forward to seeing what he does when he returns to citizen-life and I'm excited to see what projects he takes on as a grassroots activist. Thank you, Rocky -- the person that follows you has some big shoes to fill.

Helpful links: Salt Lake City Green

Mayor Rocky waiting in line for ice cream	State House Rep. Ralph Becker at the ice cream party

Thanks to thecause for the link -- Salt Lake City Public Library is Library of the Year
I gushed with lots of love about our library in this post a while back: ". . . I walked through the library and thought in wonder about how something this amazing is even possible in a country where the almighty dollar rules -- where almost nothing happens unless there's a profit to be made. It seems incredulous that here in the reddest state on the map, we'd have something with such a socialistic mission -- that of allowing anyone and everyone the numerous opportunities offered there -- where the poorest people and the richest people have the same access to the same things."

I just found out about this Utah Bloggers Conference that's happening on Tuesday. I will hopefully be there, but it does conflict with the HEAL Utah Mini-Golf Classic that my family is planning on participating in.  It would be fun to meet fellow Utah bloggers.

My friend mwalton attended the Utah Democratic Convention this past weekend as a delegate. Her impressions here.

Bob Aagard's blog, The World According to Me, has been running a series called 1976. That was the year that Hatch won the Senate seat that he's been so jealously guarding for the past 30 years. The posts have been pointing out some of the things that Hatch said back in 1976, and it'd be really entertaining if it weren't so horrible.

UPDATE: A better way to check out the Utah Blogosphere Utah Bloghive. The latest post titles from Utah blogs, catergorized for your blog reading pleasure (and convenience).

I've had a link on my side bar for a few months to a "page" that I created of Utah political bloggers. After the recent blogswarm activity, I realize that I have to update that  -- this will become the new page that will be linked on the side bar.

This list will not be limited to progressive bloggers.

If you know of any other bloggers that cover Utah politics, please feel free to comment to this post.

Added 01/06/2007: Wasatch Watcher

Added 01/05/2007: Alienated Wannabe Supplemented "Republican family values with Western Family Rasin Bran to find just the right balance"

Added 10/26/2006: Left Out Front

Added 10/16/2006: Voice of Utah

Added 10/04/2006: Schreiner's Media Landscape

Added 9/22/06: Utah Peak Oil

Added 9/1/06: The New Citizenship Project

Added 7/12/06: A Liberal Mormon , Utah Bloggers

Jen's Green Journal	Progressive Utah	Dee's 'Dotes
One Utah	Part of the Plan	Utah True Blue
Utah Democrats	JuniperWest	SLC Spin
Orbiter Dicta by Steve	Gary Thronock	This Divided State
RedStateBlues	Pete Ashdown's Campaign Journal	Democracy for Utah
The Third Avenue	BYU Democrats	Unabashed Utahn
Formaline	Eric Hamilton's Reality Check	The State of the Beehive
Jeremy's Jeremiad	Green Party of Utah (group blog)	The Utah Amicus
Steve Urquhart	The World Accoring to Me (Bob Aagard)	Utah Politics
Hot Blava	Rural Blogging	Utahania
Reach Upward	Davis County Watch	Act Blue
Utah Conservative	Utah Planners' Corner	Running, but not out of breath
The Senate Site	Oblogatory Anecdotes

A good resource for political junkies in Utah Utah Policy Daily

I don't post a lot of calls to action, but this one is really important. We have until May 8th to write to the BLM our concerns about the proposed right-of-way to create PFS's nuke dump on the Goshute Reservation. This is one of the few things that the right and the left in Utah agree on. To make this easier, you can go here to take action.