Received this in a recent email:

THE UTAH PREMIERE OF
A SOLDIER'S PEACE: One Veteran's 500-mile Journey Into Activism.

WHERE: Wildcat Theater in Ogden, Utah
WHEN: Saturday March 8th at 4:30 pm

"We finally finished our documentary of Sgt. Marshall Thompson's 500-mile walk through Utah. We were able to interview peace activists Martin Sheen, Cindy Sheehan, Daniel Ellsberg, M.C. Hammer, Rocky Anderson, and many more. The film explores the cost and effectiveness of peace activism, apathy regarding the war, and the role of women in the movement, among other things. You can check out the trailer at www.soldierspeace.com.

Our documentary is screening at festivals throughout the country, but we're most excited about the Utah premiere because we hope to be joined by the people who made this walk possible. If you walked with Marshall, you may be in the film. You can purchase tickets at the door, or on-line HERE. If you're not in the area, and would like to organize a screening, e-mail us.

If you would like to carpool with people from your area, please e-mail us with relevant information (where you live, if you need a ride, or if you can drive, etc.) and we'll put you in touch with other interested people.

Thanks again for your involvement in Marshall's walk in fall of 2006. Hopefully you can be a part of our Utah premiere, as well."

photos I took during the Salt Lake leg of Marshall's walk can bee seen here: 1 2 3 4
 

Last night's Rocky Roast was the most fun I've had in a long time, and that's saying a lot, 'cuz I've had a lot of fun, especially when cheerleading, on a fairly regular basis in my life -- I make having fun one of my top 10 priorities. I laughed til I cried several times during the evening. Rocky would turn back to us and comment on the things that the roasters would say -- like when Babs DeLay made a comment about Rocky's "horrible" tie, he turned to us and said, "It's true -- she's always hated my ties." 

We led Rocky up to the stage, and beforehand we joked around -- he mentioned sneaking over to Squatter's while we waited to bring him up. A couple of times he tried to wheel his chair off-stage when the roasting got a bit embarassing and Piper wheeled him back into place. It felt as if we'd been casual buds with him for years, just hanging out together on stage.

Our performance went well -- I don't think there were any mess ups, and we got many compliments afterwards from attendees.

I ganked this photo off Deanna's post. It was taken by Tom King.


These photos were taken by my friend, cameragirl84109:



On stage with Rocky

Tomorrow night I, along with the other radical cheerleaders in Pom Poms not Bomb Bombs, will be performing as part of Salt Lake Acting Company's Fund Raiser Rocky Roast. We'll be joined by the Saliva Sisters, Hal Cannon and Phil Bimstein, Babs Delay, Dani Eyer, Pat Bagley, Tom Barberi, Jerry Floor, Jim Braden -- and MC'd by Chris Vanocur. It's quite an opportunity and I'm very excited to be participating.

Besides performing, we've been asked to escort Mayor Anderson to the stage, and to sit grouped around him during the other performances.

I thought I'd leak one of the three planned cheers:

R     the revolutionary
O     the one and only
C     control freak
K     keepin' it real
Y     because we dig our mayor!

Rocky - cuz we ride the trax
Rocky - cuz we cross with flags
Rocky! Go Rocky!

Rocky - cuz we love free speech
Rocky - cuz he says "Impeach!"
Rocky! Go Rocky!

Rocky - just don't call him Ross
Rocky - glad he's not my boss!
Rocky! Go Rocky!

Rocky - made our city great
Rocky - can you fix our state?
Rocky! Go Rocky!

Rocky do you have to go?
Rocky, cuz we'll miss you so . . .
Goooooooo Rocky!

I've enjoyed having Mayor Anderson as our mayor. As an activist and environmentalist I really admire his positions on many issues. Rocky's administration has been a breath of fresh air in a nation of of many corrupt politicians.

A mother's day action from Utah Moms for Clean Air:

If you thought last winter's bad air days were horrible, then you'd be appalled that Intermountain Power Agency is looking to make them worse. They want to build another coal fired power plant in Delta and sell the energy out of state.

There's a meeting tonight that Utah Moms for Clean Air has asked members to attend. Huge turn out to meetings like this can have a big impact. The meeting is tonight at 7:00 pm at the West Bountiful City building (550 north 800 west):

Directions from Salt Lake City: going north on I-15, take the 400 north exit and go west over the highway. take a right at the first stop sign. the city building is on your right just after the school.

A letter from one of the organizers of Utah Moms for Clean Air wrote:

" . . .in essence, the intermountain
power agency (IPA) is trying to finance its third
coal-fired power plant in delta by selling energy to
small out-of-state minicpilities, such as wasco county
in oregon.

the reason why we need to show up at this meeting is
that this plant will be built in OUR state, WE will
suffer all of the toxic pollution consequences and
receive NONE of the energy generated, meanwhile,
orgeon gets cheap power at the expense of OUR
children's health. clearly, this is a moral and
ethical issue and as moms, we must stand up for our
children's right to breathe clean air."

You don't have to be a mom to show up at this protest -- just a Utah resident concerned about our air quality:

We don't have cable in our home, but we do watch DVDs that we borrow from the library. I reserved a copy of Big Love's first season a few months ago, and it was finally in last week.

I'm kind of detail oriented, so I do find myself getting irritated over little things that don't work in the show or are inaccurate from a Mormon (I used to be one) or Utah cultural perspective. I'm decended from polygamists on both sides, but have no practical knowledge of that culture as my ancestors gave it up in the late 1800s, so I can't speak to that.

Other than those details, though, I really enjoy this series. The story lines are great, the characters are compelling. I find myself siding with Bill Henrickson and his family -- not wanting them to get caught. It's a bit ironic how much I enjoy it, as one of the major issues that helped me let go of "the Church" when I was 19 was the polygamy issue.

Barb, Nicki and Margene all have chosen to be where they are, and despite some minor jealousies and rivalries, as of episode 6 all seem to really enjoy having other adult family members around for companionship and team work. Of course, it is just a television show - and we know how well reality is usually portrayed on it.

I'd be interested to see what other Utahns, Mormons, or polys think of the show -- or really anyone else.

The ideology represented in the Rocky v. Hannity debate is mirrored on some Utah blogs. The most pronounced debate is at A Liberal Mormon's blog:

(below is from commenter "Jessica". Note: this is copy and pasted, not typed in. All errors belong to the original commenter)

"First of all, member of the church like you are disgracful. How can a member of the church, with the values and ehtics set forth by the church conducive to “being a liberal” It is an oximoron."

[snip]

"Personally, I want the terroists to think we torture regardless if we do or not. I personally don’t care. Send them anywhere but here for inprisonment. Do you want them in your back yard, at your county or state prison? Come on…we are the most powerful country in the nation, when did that become a bad thing? If we lose that, we are headed for ultimate destruction. The constitution will be hanging by a thread, and you of all people should know that is fortold by Prophets ancient and modern. Therefore, how can you being a member of the church live with yourself knowing that you are deconstructing and contributing to the breakdown this great nation. Just as conspracy and and tradegy has occured in the Church so does it in Washington. That doesn’t mean that it is justifiable to jump on the band wagon of Mormon bashing or Bush bashing…..it’s APOSTACY!!!! It may be your constitutional right to be this stupid, but it is not without it’s consequences both here and in the eyes of the Lord."

Emily on Utah Amicus: so does this mean . . .
The World According to me: I respond to A Liberal Mormon's Commentor

I'm focusing on clean air in Utah for the month of May, in honor of the formation of Utah Moms for Clean Air.

Did you know . . .

• The poor air quality in the Salt Lake Valley shaves off an average of two years per person's life span?
• Each red alert day is equivalent  to smoking half a pack of cigarettes? With 22 red alert days this past winter, each one of us -- including babies and children -- has had the equivalent of smoking 11 packs of cigarettes this year.

Citizen action of the day:

Sign up for at least 1 block of wind power from Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program, and if you are able, enough blocks to cover your power usage for the month. Each block costs $1.95 per month and covers a 100 kilowatt-hour increment.  Buying Blue Sky blocks encourages the development of clean wind power and reduces the demand of electricity from coal-fired plants which causes a significant amount of our dirty air.

http://utahmomsforcleanair.org/ - site is up. Plans for it (coming soon) will include interactive forums so that you can get involved in ways that best fit your interests and/or talents.

 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 )

I had just about finished writing a post about the alternative BYU commencement when I screwed it all up and lost it all!!!!

I'm too tired to rewrite it all, so I'll sum up briefly and will hopefully find some time tomorrow to go into greater detail.

Every single aspect of the commencement program was FANTASTIC. I was moved by everyone. Nader was great and funny. But the most incredible speakers of the event for me were BYU graduate Ashley Sanders and former Senatorial candidate Pete Ashdown.

Hopefully there will be some kind of transcript or video of the event available. I saw Steven Greenstreet (director of "This Divided State" ) and crew filming, so part of it might be captured that way. You can bug them about it over at the This Divided State blog: http://thisdividedstate.blogspot.com/

speaking of the This Divided State guys and gals -- here's a You Tube film they took at the campus protest on April 4th: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBAYTpTJXrQ

Here's the latest info -- note the time and venue change:


What: Alternative Commencement Rally (www.byualternativecommencement.com)
When: 7:30pm | Thursday, April 26
Where: McKay Events Center at UVU (formerly UVC) in Orem, Utah
Who's speaking: Ralph Nader, Jack Healey, and Pete Ashdown


Note: this event is NOT limited to BYU students. It is open to the public. This will not be a convocation exercise, but is a speaking event for the community. Please come and let Vice President Cheney know what you think about his policies. This event will be heard around the world if thousands come. If you or a group that you are affiliated with is planning an additional event on Thursday, please consider just attending this event and help with turning out thousands for these students.

BYU Alternative Commencement

If you want to avoid driving, you can take the Trax to the Sandy station and then take the 811 express bus to Provo which makes a stop at UVU (formerly UVC). Visit UTA for route schedules and fares info: http://www.utabus.com/


Thanks to your support, the students have been able to raise a large amount of money. They are still in need of a few thousand dollars. If you are willing to make an additional donation, please visit www.byualternativecommencement.com to make a donation via paypal or send a check to:


Zions Bank
1060 North University Ave.
Provo, UT 84604

(Make checks payable to the Eugene and Charlotte England Education Fund, and include a note saying such with your check)

Congrats to Holly Mullen, who is the new editor of City Weekly, Salt Lake City's alt paper. Holly, for those who don't know, was a great columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune who quit a few months ago. She's been participating in the Utah Blogosphere on a regular basis ( mullentown ).

I read City Weekly, but I've been unhappy with it on many occasions because it felt like too there was too much testosterone. I'm hoping things will balance out a little bit with Holly at the helm.

I got under the previous editor's (Ben Fulton) skin a couple of years ago when I wrote a scathing letter in repsonse to Fulton's Hit and Miss column that claimed that  anti-war protesters and war supporters were equally wrong. In response to my letter, he wrote an editorial the following week called Dictatorial Protesters. The first (and probably last) time I'll be featured in an editorial . . .

One of my favorite months -- April -- is finally here. I decided last year that I needed more than just a day to reflect on the Earth and all her inhabitants and what I can do to leave this planet better than I found it, so I spent all of last April as Earth Month, and I'm doing the same this year. I will be focusing much more on making improvements to my eco-lifestyle. I even plan on having a contest or giveaway sometime this month to celebrate.

There are a few events focusing on environmental issues this month:

April 10 - Nuclear Utah: Lessons from the Past, Thoughts on the Future, 7:00 p.m. University of Utah's Union Theatre. A panel discussion representing four different perspectives on nuclear issues in Utah

April 14 - StepItUp Climate Action Day. Global warming awareness events around the nation. Ten events in Utah, with three events in Salt Lake City with a different focus at each: Liberty Park, 12-2 p.m., focus on sun salutations.; Sugarhouse Park at pavillion nearest the pond (12-4 p.m.), focus: Spring Run-off celebration; City/County Building at Washington Square, 3 - 7 p.m., focus on political action. (note: the times listed conflict with other times I've seen for the StepitUP events, which might be due to the different events not wanting to conflict with the others. I'll try to keep this updated as I get more info). For the other Utah StepItUp events (Ogden, Park City, Provo, Smithfield and Springdale), please go here.

April 22 - Earth Jam, all day. Festival in Liberty Park celebrating Earth Day.

VegFest, which has been held the past few years on Earth Day won't be happening this year.

"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 took my 12 year-old daughter to one of Ralph Becker's 7 stops on his official campaign launch yesterday. She took notes and a few photos for a possible class newspaper story and I took photos of her with Ralph, Senator Scott McCoy, and OneUtah creator Cliff Lyon. I'd like to take her to see the other candidates as well, as events come up.

My daughter and Ralph Becker

My daughter and Scott McCoy

My daughter and Cliff Lyon

Commemorating Events from this weekend and today to be updated as they are posted

Logan's Peace Rally - KNVU for the People
Memorial Candlelight Vigil - Dee's 'Dotes
Rocky Rocked'em Again - One Utah, Cliff Lyon (includes good photos -- Cliff, I want a camera as nice as yours!)
March 17 Liars' Convention - Dee's 'Dotes (photos of a different kind of anti-war event)

It was a crazy rally for me today.

I had noticed not long after the march from Pioneer Park to Washington Square started that my camera bag (with my wallet and keys attached to it with a clip) was missing from my person. My camera was fine, as I had been busily snapping photos. I left the march to retrace my steps back to Pioneer Park which is home to many homeless, with no luck.

So I walked up to Washington Square to see if my husband had made it to the rally yet and to see if I could locate someone with a cel phone I could borrow to call the bank and cancel my debit cards. My wallet was found and returned to me later in the day (Thanks Kim of Military Families Speak Out!), so all's well that ends well.

I met one of the two Voice of Utah bloggers at the rally, who wished to remain anonymous --  which I'm glad to honor. If you haven't read Voice of Utah, you should. It's one of the funniest Utah political blogs in the Utah Blogosphere.

I also saw Cliff Lyon from One Utah and Bob Aagard from The World According to Me around the event.

I'd estimate (although I'm no expert and not particularly good at estimating) that there were around 1,000 or so at the rally -- not bad for an event in the middle of the work day.

Rocky had some great moments in his speech, but you can tell that he was an attorney in his past life - he was very thorough.

Two veterans, one from the current Iraq War spoke, and the Rev. Tom Goldsmith from the First Unitarian Church wrapped it up at the end.

Overall a successful event.
 

A partial view of the crowd

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson

My peace lovin' hubby at the rally. Behind him to the left is Bob from the World According to Me -- I didn't realize that I had him in the photo as well until I opened this up in photoshop.

 

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