4.28.2006

Oppose Nuclear Waste in Utah 2

Here's what I'd like to see more of in the West Desert.















Photo by Tom Nedreberg

Please remember to e-mail Pam Schuller at the BLM with your thoughts on why nuclear waste shouldn't be stored in Utah, or send her a letter at the following address:

Pam Schuller
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Salt Lake Field Office
2370 South 2300 West
Salt Lake City, Utah 84119

For sample comments to put in your letter, click here.

And, check out other what other bloggers are saying!
SLCSpin
Part of the Plan
Utahania
Jen's Green Journal
The Utah Amicus
Reach Upward
Dee's Dotes
Obiter Dicta
Eric Hamilton's Reality Check
Running, but not out of breath
Utah Planners' Corner
Rural Blogging
Utah Conservative
The State of the Beehive
One Utah
Utah Democrats

Governor Huntsman

Whether he believes the way I do or not, Governor Huntsman continues to pleasantly surprise me by coming down on my side of issues.

Not only did he veto the natural parent bill that passed the legislature this year as well as several other damaging bills, and come out against nuclear storage and Divine Strake, he's recently come out with a goal of increasing Utah's energy efficiency 20% by 2015.

He's my kind of Republican.

News to Me

According to Grassroots, an uber-conservative organization that grades the legislature every year, Utah's lawmakers aren't conservative enough.

Do these people even live here?

4.27.2006

Oppose Nuclear Waste in Utah

I grew up on the edge of the Great Basin, overlooking the West Desert of Utah...a place not only of sagebrush and juniper trees, but home to seasonal bald eagles, deer, coyotes, antelope, rabbits and many other interesting and varied species. And beauty...beauty that has to be experienced to be truly appreciated. The muted colors of the soil, rocks and sparse plants rising to clear blue skies dotted with white clouds. And at night, the dazzling brilliance of the Milky Way, and the sounds of life all around you. And the sunsets, more golden and overwhelming than anywhere else I've ever seen a sunset.

The BLM has said that if they have enough public opposition, they will be able to bar nuclear waste from being dumped in Utah's west desert, a mere 45 miles from the Wasatch Front.

I for one, do not want it in my back yard, my home.

According to Gov. Huntsman: "Utah is not a dumping ground for the country and I will not allow this to happen on my watch. We must join together and say 'No Way' to nuclear waste."

I'm hoping anyone reading this will do as I have done and send comments to the BLM. The BLM is accepting public comment until May 8.

Letters may be addressed to:

Pam Schuller
US BLM
2370 S. 2300 W.
SLC, Utah 84119

Emails may be sent to Pam_Schuller@BLM.gov

Drop me a comment if you sent something in! Or, if you have the time, attend a special press conference on Friday at noon in the auditorium of the State Office Building just north of the Capitol. Show the powers that be how much you care about the place you call home.

Day of Silence Poem

By Cameo Garrick, 17 West Jordan High School senior

I WILL NOT BE SILENT ANYMORE
The lies we spin
for our family, our friends
Our G.S.A.'s become "Drama Club"
Our thoughts and voices become dubbed
We get scared when people inquire about our lives
We don't know how to take that dive.
We don't know what they would think, or react
Would they be disgusted or just face that fact
We are not ashamed, but there is silence
about who we are and love, we
don't want to be an inconvenience
But I have come to a conclusion
I love who I am, and I have made my decision
I WILL NOT BE SILENCED ANYMORE!!!!!

Read more about the Day of Silence observation in Utah Wednesday by clicking on title, above.

Support Our Troops?

I'd like to thank Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett for taking money away from my brother that is currently fighting in Iraq so they can give more funding to keeping the American Dream away from fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who want nothing more than to improve their lot the same way we do.
Is it fiscal responsibility to send our soldiers into hostile territory without proper body armor?
Is it fiscal responsibility to spend more and more on war while simultaneously cutting taxes?
Is it fiscal responsibility to tell a mother that blatant racism deserves the dollars that could have saved her son?

4.26.2006

Some links on recent LDS Marriage amendment support

Small Town Report uses the LDS church's own ideology to refute it's stance on gays and gay marriage.

Cindy Purvance gives us the top ten reasons to screw the Gays. Finally we understand!

Fear and Loathing in Salt Lake City discusses the slippery slope that gay marriage may lead to. And to think I could have married my set of horses! Maybe my best friend could marry her collection of Barbie dolls!

Sons of Perdition promotes the proxy gay marriages of several prominent LDS church leaders. As you may know, the LDS church performs proxy baptisms and marriages for deceased people all the time. Why not this?

The Ancient Pissing Contest

Many people get up in arms when it is suggested that we may descend from apes. But I've learned something else: apparently, we descended from dogs.
Since the dawn of time humans have gone around fighting for scraps, gnawing at ancient bones, better known as grudges, and pissing on fire hydrants to mark their territory.
An e-mail has been circulating with a speech by former governor of Colorado, Dick Lamm. After checking to make sure it was true through several hoax sites, I found out that it is indeed. Read it below:

I HAVE A PLAN TO DESTROY AMERICA RICHARD D. LAMM
I HAVE A SECRET PLAN TO DESTROY AMERICA. IF YOU BELIEVE, AS MANY DO, THAT AMERICA IS TOO SMUG, TOO WHITE BREAD, TOO SELF-SATISFIED, TOO RICH, LETS DESTROY AMERICA. IT IS NOT THAT HARD TO DO. HISTORY SHOWS THAT NATIONS ARE MORE FRAGILE THAN THEIR CITIZENS THINK. NO NATION IN HISTORY HAS SURVIVED THE RAVAGES OF TIME. ARNOLD TOYNBEE OBSERVED THAT ALL GREAT CIVILIZATIONS RISE AND THEY ALL FALL, AND THAT "AN AUTOPSY OF HISTORY WOULD SHOW THAT ALL GREAT NATIONS COMMIT SUICIDE." HERE IS MY PLAN:
I. WE MUST FIRST MAKE AMERICA A BILINGUAL-BICULTURAL COUNTRY. HISTORY SHOWS, IN MY OPINION, THAT NO NATION CAN SURVIVE THE TENSION, CONFLICT, AND ANTAGONISM OF TWO COMPETING LANGUAGES AND CULTURES. IT IS A BLESSING FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO BE BILINGUAL; IT IS A CURSE FOR A SOCIETY TO BE BILINGUAL. ONE SCHOLAR, SEYMOUR MARTIN LIPSET, PUT IT THIS WAY:
THE HISTORIES OF BILINGUAL AND BICULTURAL SOCIETIES THAT DO NOT ASSIMILATE ARE HISTORIES OF TURMOIL, TENSION, AND TRAGEDY. CANADA, BELGIUM, MALAYSIA, LEBANON-ALL FACE CRISES OF NATIONAL EXISTENCE IN WHICH MINORITIES PRESS FOR AUTONOMY, IF NOT INDEPENDENCE. PAKISTAN AND CYPRUS HAVE DIVIDED. NIGERIA SUPPRESSED AN ETHNIC REBELLION. FRANCE FACES DIFFICULTIES WITH ITS BASQUES, BRETONS, AND CORSICANS.

II. I WOULD THEN INVENT "MULTICULTURALISM" AND ENCOURAGE IMMIGRANTS TO MAINTAIN THEIR OWN CULTURE. I WOULD MAKE IT AN ARTICLE OF BELIEF THAT ALL CULTURES ARE EQUAL: THAT THERE ARE NO CULTURAL DIFFERENCES THAT ARE IMPORTANT. I WOULD DECLARE IT AN ARTICLE OF FAITH THAT THE BLACK AND HISPANIC DROPOUT RATE IS ONLY DUE TO PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION BY THE MAJORITY. EVERY OTHER EXPLANATION IS OUT-OF-BOUNDS.
III. WE CAN MAKE THE UNITED STATES A "HISPANIC QUEBEC" WITHOUT MUCH EFFORT. THE KEY IS TO CELEBRATE DIVERSITY RATHER THAN UNITY. AS BENJAMIN SCHWARZ SAID IN THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY RECENTLY: "...THE APPARENT SUCCESS OF OUR OWN MULTIETHNIC AND MULTICULTURAL EXPERIMENT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED NOT BY TOLERANCE BUT BY HEGEMONY. WITHOUT THE DOMINANCE THAT ONCE DICTATED ETHNOCENTRICALLY, AND WHAT IT MEANT TO BE AN AMERICAN, WE ARE LEFT WITH ONLY TOLERANCE AND PLURALISM TO HOLD US TOGETHER." I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL IMMIGRANTS TO KEEP THEIR OWN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE. I WOULD REPLACE THE MELTING POT METAPHOR WITH A SALAD BOWL METAPHOR. IT IS IMPORTANT TO INSURE THAT WE HAVE VARIOUS CULTURAL SUB-GROUPS LIVING IN AMERICA REINFORCING THEIR DIFFERENCES RATHER THAN AMERICANS, EMPHASIZING THEIR SIMILARITIES.
IV. HAVING DONE ALL THIS, I WOULD MAKE OUR FASTEST GROWING DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP THE LEAST EDUCATED - I WOULD ADD A SECOND UNDERCLASS, UNASSIMILATED, UNDEREDUCATED, AND ANTAGONISTIC TO OUR POPULATION. I WOULD HAVE THIS SECOND UNDERCLASS HAVE A 50% DROP OUT RATE FROM SCHOOL.
V. I WOULD THEN GET THE BIG FOUNDATIONS AND BIG BUSINESS TO GIVE THESE EFFORTS LOTS OF MONEY. I WOULD INVEST IN ETHNIC IDENTITY, AND I WOULD ESTABLISH THE CULT OF VICTIMOLOGY. I WOULD GET ALL MINORITIES TO THINK THEIR LACK OF SUCCESS WAS ALL THE FAULT OF THE MAJORITY - I WOULD START A GRIEVANCE INDUSTRY BLAMING ALL MINORITY FAILURE ON THE MAJORITY POPULATION.
VI. I WOULD ESTABLISH DUAL CITIZENSHIP AND PROMOTE DIVIDED LOYALTIES. I WOULD "CELEBRATE DIVERSITY." "DIVERSITY" IS A WONDERFULLY SEDUCTIVE WORD. IT STRESSES DIFFERENCES RATHER THAN COMMONALITIES. DIVERSE PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE MOSTLY ENGAGED IN HATING EACH OTHER-THAT IS, WHEN THEY ARE NOT KILLING EACH OTHER. A DIVERSE," PEACEFUL, OR STABLE SOCIETY IS AGAINST MOST HISTORICAL PRECEDENT. PEOPLE UNDERVALUE THE UNITY IT TAKES TO KEEP A NATION TOGETHER, AND WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS MYOPIA. LOOK AT THE ANCIENT GREEKS. DORF'S WORLD HISTORY TELLS US: "THE GREEKS BELIEVED THAT THEY BELONGED TO THE SAME RACE; THEY POSSESSED A COMMON LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE; AND THEY WORSHIPED THE SAME GODS. ALL GREECE TOOK PART IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN HONOR OF ZEUS AND ALL GREEKS VENERATED THE SHRINE OF APOLLO AT DELPHI. A COMMON ENEMY PERSIA THREATENED THEIR LIBERTY. YET, ALL OF THESE BONDS TOGETHER WERE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO OVERCOME TWO FACTORS . . . (LOCAL PATRIOTISM AND GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS THAT NURTURED POLITICAL DIVISIONS . . .)" IF WE CAN PUT THE EMPHASIS ON THE "PLURIBUS," INSTEAD OF THE "UNUM," WE CAN BALKANIZE AMERICA AS SURELY AS KOSOVO.
VII. THEN I WOULD PLACE ALL THESE SUBJECTS OFF LIMITS - MAKE IT TABOO TO TALK ABOUT. I WOULD FIND A WORD SIMILAR TO "HERETIC" IN THE 16TH CENTURY - THAT STOPPED DISCUSSION AND PARALYZED THINKING. WORDS LIKE "RACIST", "XENOPHOBE" THAT HALTS ARGUMENT AND CONVERSATION. HAVING MADE AMERICA A BILINGUAL-BICULTURAL COUNTRY, HAVING ESTABLISHED MULTICULTURALISM, HAVING THE LARGE FOUNDATIONS FUND THE DOCTRINE OF "VICTIMOLOGY", I WOULD NEXT MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO ENFORCE OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS. I WOULD DEVELOP A MANTRA - "THAT BECAUSE IMMIGRATION HAS BEEN GOOD FOR AMERICA, IT MUST ALWAYS BE GOOD." I WOULD MAKE EVERY INDIVIDUAL IMMIGRANT SYMPATRIC AND IGNORE THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT.
VIII. LASTLY, I WOULD CENSOR VICTOR HANSON DAVIS'S BOOK MEXIFORNIA — THIS BOOK IS DANGEROUS — IT EXPOSES MY PLAN TO DESTROY AMERICA. SO PLEASE, PLEASE — IF YOU FEEL THAT AMERICA DESERVES TO BE DESTROYED — PLEASE, PLEASE — DON'T BUY THIS BOOK! THIS GUY IS ON TO MY PLAN.
"THE SMART WAY TO KEEP PEOPLE PASSIVE AND OBEDIENT IS TO STRICTLY LIMIT THE SPECTRUM OF ACCEPTABLE OPINION, BUT ALLOW VERY LIVELY DEBATE WITHIN THAT SPECTRUM." — NOAM CHOMSKY, AMERICAN LINGUIST AND US MEDIA AND FOREIGN POLICY CRITIC.


If what the governor says is true, maybe we didn't really evolve yet. Maybe we still are dogs. But life teaches us that we should grow and become better with each passing generation. If we truly have evolved into humans, then we should be able to look past each other's differences and unite in the celebration of those differences.
It is not the ideas of multi-culturalism and tolerance that are bad. It is the people in the midst of all this that believe they are. People on both sides of the racial divide are guilty. A white man hates a Mexican woman because she cannot speak English, while the Mexican woman hates a black neighbor because he is big and scares her, and the black man hates a white man because he has had everything handed to him.
We all have our greivances. Every single one of us. But if we are ever to evolve into something more than dogs, we have to have a higher ideal in mind. We have to stop fighting for scraps. We have to stop gnawing at those ancient grudges and ripping open past wounds. We have to stop marking our territories. After all, the greatest capacity we have as humans is the ability to care for one another. If we cannot do that, we will most certainly fail.

4.24.2006

Long Weekend Reprisal

It's been another long weekend...and every weekend in the foreseeable future promises to be the same.
Friday night I worked my first night at a second job...a second job I got because, as I told a good friend today, I make enough to live as I am now, and I'm not okay with that. I have goals: marriage, kids, etc. So I get a second job and suddenly work nearly 60 hours a week.
Anyway, while the night went by quick, I'm still sore.
Saturday morning was the big move. It only took an hour to get the stuff out and twenty minutes to get it into the new house. Unfortunately, the move caused me to miss the Democratic County convention.
BUT SCOTT MCCOY GOT THROUGH!!! I'm glad he could do it without my partner and I, and I only hope we can help in some way in the future.
Anyway, met a lady my dad's friend keeps trying to set up with him. She was cool. Had a cool accent. I don't think he's ready. Maybe I should remind him.
Then had a barbecue at a friend's house and fell in love with a dog we probably can't have. We have a serious lack of good fencing on our property right now. And me with two jobs and my partner in retail with rotating shifts, it would probably be unfair to bring a dog in. Plus, I don't want the cat freaking out.
Sunday I mowed the lawn for the very first time. My lawn. It was a beautiful experience. Finished cleaning out the apartment and then went to work at Job 2. And I'll be back at it tonight.
But the good news is, Job 2 gave me the discount to get a pair of Ugg's for $6.80. I've wanted them as long as I can remember. It's pretty sweet.

4.21.2006

Miller opens mind?

Larry H. Miller met with students and faculty that opposed him speaking at the U yesterday. One thing that particularly grabbed my attention:
"In 2006, it's wrong that they have to live in that fear," he said about the stories he heard during the meeting.
But the only way that we can stop living in fear is if we are accepted and not marginalized.
I only hope that Miller truly feels remorse and has truly had a change of heart.
"Maybe their well-being trumps my beliefs, my rights to express myself."
Is this something he really believes?

4.20.2006

Radio West visits Kanab

Congrats again to Matt Livingston, the gutsy 17-year-old who took on his elected officials in Kanab over the "Natural Family Resolution." He's had a chance now to finally meet with the mayor face to face. I wonder if Lawson invited Matt's stake president to look on from the audience with a special "don't step out of line" look?

Senator Hatch buries head in sand...again

Senator Hatch, when asked questions by reporters at the Salt Lake Tribune Wednesday about global warming, proceeded to promptly bury his head in the sand.
He then pulled his head back out and remarked that the sand was warmer than he last remembered it being.
Though muffled, reporters thought they heard Hatch say something about the scientific consensus on global warming being "science fiction."
He then went on to say he didn't think the Bush administration would doctor anything to their benefit, such as watering down reports of global warming to make the problem seem less pervasive.
"They've never done that before," he said, burying his head further in the sand when the reporter mentioned the doctored intelligence that got us into Iraq.
Though several scientists have gone on record as saying they had been censored by agencies and administration officials, Hatch spat sand when it was suggested they might be telling the truth while risking their jobs.
"Science fiction," he said.
Senator, please pull your head out of your ass...I mean, the sand, of course.

4.19.2006

Earth Day Stuff

Vanity Fair publishes first ever Green Edition. The Sierra Club comments here.

My thoughts: Vanity Fair, according to the Sierra Club, "has probably done more to stoke the engines of consumption and materialism in this country than most advertising agencies." And so, they conclude, it's almost hard to stomach a green edition. I remember a year or so ago I got a gift subscription to Mother Earth News. In the first issue I received, greens were blasting the magazine for putting a celebrity on it's cover and guffawing at celebrities building "green" homes the size of my home town. I had one thought for them: get off your high horse.
After all, if environmentalism and living green is reserved only for those that do it for the right reasons, as these greens seem to think it is, then a difference will never be made. It is only when it become popular and mainstream, even chic, that the green movement will start to make a difference globally.
And so it is that each time a magazine comes out promoting a green lifestyle, regardless of the kind of magazine it is or what it has promoted in the past (and probably future), I celebrate. Getting the word out to people who may not even have thought about it and making them think it's the only way to live is a good thing. People should live green for all reasons...not just the right ones.

Read "50 Ways to Save the Planet" from the latest Vanity Fair.


The Environment and Christians: They Can Co-Exist!

The National Council of Churches of Christ has an extensive website on it's Eco-Justice Programs which I have discovered on this fine Earth Day. I have always believed the Christian faith requires that we treat our surroundings with respect, but it seems that opinion falls on deaf ears. It's good to see I'm not the only one who thinks that way.
They even created a special sermon resource for Earth Day Sunday! And you can browse subjects back through Earth Day '99.
More of their issues include:
Biodiversity
Climate & Energy
Consumerism
Green Buildings
Land & Wilderness
Sustainability
Water

It's heartening, isn't it?


More Great Earth Day Sites to Browse

The Nature Conservancy: With "Messages of Hope" from celebrities like Tom Cruise and Jane Goodall
New American Dream: Learn about your impact in the Turn the Tide section and more ways to live the American Dream with less STUFF throughout the website.
Earthdaynetwork: Call it the Earth Day Home Page if you will. Get resources for hosting your own event and measure your ecological footprint. Also talks about Religious celebrations of Earth Day. Hallelujah!

Envirocare makes good

Lest anyone forget, Energy Solutions is the same company as Envirocare...just with a new name and a new walk.

Trying to overcome all the bad press and bad choices of the former named company will take more than a spiffy new get-up. But Energy Solutions seems to grasp that a lot better than it's former personality.

Their recent contribution to Utah Lake State Park is very exciting. I have long been exasperated by Utah County's ability to almost completely ignore, and worse, abuse, the amazing resource they have in Utah Lake. Such a large, natural freshwater lake in such a dry western state is something that shouldn't be so overlooked...and should maybe even be capitalized on. Energy Solutions' donation of $103,000 will help renovate one section of space near Utah Lake that actually acknowledges that it's there. Hopefully, it will be only the beginning.

Utah Lake could have a nice waterfront district with shops and restaurants and more beach access. Of course, no one wants to swim in the lake because it's been so polluted by Geneva and other industrial enterprises along it's shores. Perhaps the next big project should be a redevelopment of the land where Geneva stands. A park and trail system that could be extended down the length of the shoreline, maybe a nice Gateway- or Shops at Riverside-style development. Maybe some housing. Something, anything, to make people notice the lake and it's beauty.

4.17.2006

National Parks

I recently posted concerning the raising of prices at Zion National Park.

Click on the link above to read more about costs of maintenance and price raising nation-wide.

Here are my thoughts:

I work for a non-profit environmental group that purchases land and preserves it. We have several preserves that are free and open to the public and have fine facilities and upkeep. We still have problems, but I think the Park Service should approach things a little more like a non-profit.
Perhaps they should develop a philanthropy department. Through this department donations from wealthy individuals and corporations could help with the costs of upkeep on our national parks. While we would never allow things like "Office Max Arch" or "Pepsi Presents: The Grand Canyon," there could be tasteful memorials with bricks or boards engraved with donors' names.
They should definitely develop a stronger volunteer base. There are hundreds and thousands of people out there that would love to rebuild a trail or spend a week patrolling the back country for nothing more than a National Parks pass and maybe a meal or two. If the Park Service could build a strong corp of volunteers with experience and love of our parks, they could accomplish much of the maintenance that has been waiting on the backburner for many years for a fraction of the cost. They could also free up full-time employees to work on bigger jobs.
While I'm sure the Park Service already has these things, perhaps stepping up volunteer and philanthropy programs could help get the much-need cash-flow into the parks without raising the costs to the point that many Americans will not be able to afford getting in.

4.14.2006

Juniper Breezes

John Bunker worked construction from the time he was fifteen. His dad was a subcontractor and helped finish I-15 through the Nephi area (one of the last stretches of interstate to be completed).
He worked the day his three-year old daughter came home with a cold. He worked late that day, and since there was so much traffic in Utah County, where he was working on I-15 himself, he didn't hear his phone ring.
But he soon found out his three-year old had died of the flu, and his six-year old son and wife were both infected. But he could not afford to miss work.
So he went back to the interstate the next day, and put all his pain into building that road.
Three guys called out sick that day.
The next afternoon, his wife passed. That evening, his son went too.
He had nothing else to do after the funerals on Saturday, so he went back to work on Monday. He wasn't the kind of guy to let his feelings show.
But on Monday, only three of the crew of twenty showed up for work. They didn't speak much, but went to work and finished nearly as much as the entire crew could have in that day. There was a lot less traffic.
By the end of the week, there was no traffic.
The flu killed all of John's family, friends, and coworkers. Soon, there was no one left but himself, and he didn't take the time to look for any other survivors.
He went back to work.
John was determined to build that road. He spent every daylight hour working the machines and expertly creating the perfect road: there were no cracks and no bumps. He worked for three months, carrying out the dusty old plans in the foreman's trailer, plotting out the road, even putting up barrels to direct traffic, should any come his way.
But none did. As it was, John would have been wasting his time to look for any survivors. He was the last man alive on earth.
It took him a year, but John finished that road. When he was done, and had nothing left but the sorrow of his losses, he packed a bag and walked on that road out to the horizon.
And so it was that the last accomplishment of man on earth was the building of a road.

4.12.2006

A Vision for Downtown

The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce is thinking it might be about time to come up with a master plan to help direct the development of downtown Salt Lake City. With massive redevelopment being planned by the church in various areas, and other companies planning on building new skyscrapers, and no new plan since the 1960's, I would have to agree. There are some things that make some downtowns in the West particularly exciting places...so I wanted to offer my thoughts on what we could do here:

Seattle: While I know that we are not a port city with tons of water and lakes everywhere and fresh shipments of fish every hour on the hour, I would like to see something like Pike's Place market...a year-round farmer's market type place with lots of fresh local fare, crafts and goods. It could be set up similar to the Caputo's Market area...with little shops of all different flavors, bakeries and plenty of variety.

Tempe: With statues on every corner, theaters that host Broadway touring musicals, little boutiques, a tasty variety of restaurants and clubs that pulse late into the night, Salt Lake could learn a lesson or two from the art-friendly, pedestrian-oriented and youth-centered set-up of downtown Tempe, AZ, which is adjacent to Arizona State University. A thriving downtown should have a thriving night scene, and plenty of interesting things to see as you walk from a showing of Rent to your favorite cantina. And without attracting the area's youth, as Tempe does, downtown will always remain dull and drab.

Portland: My favorite thing about this city was the amazing amounts of restaurants with outdoor seating. From high-class cuisine to mid-street deli's, everyone had a table outside. With the great weather we enjoy in Utah from March to November, restaurants in downtown Salt Lake could take a clue from Portland and keep the streets alive from lunch through closing time by putting diners out where they can see and be seen. Plus, I'd love to see Sam Wellers books expand to be a Powell's rival.

Minneapolis: Okay, I know this isn't the West to those of us who live here, but this town is one of the most beautiful I have visited. It boasts over three miles of biking/walking/running trails. Of course, the river makes trails easier, but it might do downtown SLC good to better develop the trails in Memory Grove and City Creek (and the Jordan Parkway) and find a way to connect more with the natural world around us. Whether that is putting a bit more landscaping on our city streets or building a few more parks in the downtown area, or perhaps looking more into the hair-brained idea of bringing City Creek back up to the surface, I'm not sure. Or, look at the success of the Gateway (which reminds me a lot of Minneapolis' Nicollet Mall) Olympic Fountain. Incorporating the natural world through the use of trees, plants, flowers and water (preferrably in as natural a way as possible) is a sure-fire way to make your downtown more livable and attractive to visitors.

I'm open to comments from anyone on their favorite Western cities and what makes them so great...and of course, ideas on how SLC could incorporate those ideas in a meaningful way.

4.11.2006

A Waste of Time

I hope I am not right, but I feel that Soulforce's visit to BYU and other private colleges that discriminate against gays and lesbians is really a waste of time. I guess I cannot really speak for other private universities, but I know, being brought up LDS myself, what a homophobic and stubborn bunch of people the Mormon Church can be.
What bothers me most is the judgement that is passed freely by members of the church. One man who spoke at the rally at Kiwanis park yesterday is a practicing LDS man, who happens to be gay. He is currently attending BYU and is living the honor code. Read: he is a practicing Mormon, not a practicing homosexual. But he is also honest with himself in recognizing that he is gay, and that feels right, but also Mormon, and that feels right. But somehow, he still gets all this judgement from his peers and fellow members. Simply because, according to church rules, he cannot be with someone he may love. And he chooses to fight his urges, which makes him a far stronger person than any of them. Yet they would throw him out from among them. That isn't what the church is about.
So I applaud Soulforce for striking at the heart of discrimination, and hope that they may change some hearts and minds. But I cannot foresee BYU changing it's strict policies for anyone except football players anytime soon.

4.10.2006

I am inspired


So many people look at immigrants, illegal or not, as others. Outsiders. Never truly and fully American. But after this weekend, I see proof that they know more about what it means to be American than many people here that just happened to be born in the right place.
They marched to let the government know they are here, rather than apathetically staying home and watching another episode of Lost or Survivor.
They work hard every day, earning barely enough to scrape by, and say they have found the American dream, rather than job-hopping, or complaining about supervisors or work load at some white-collar job downtown where people are over-paid and over-compensated in comparison.
They start businesses at a faster rate than the mainstream and raise families in deeply-rooted religious and cultural traditions, rather than waiting for a handout from a homogenous society that seems not to value differences anymore.
Some things are quite obvious: we would collapse without them, and we are all immigrants here. Each of us has ancestry that comes from somewhere else, except perhaps the Native Americans. I am Norwegian, Swedish, and English. My partner is English, French, Native American and many others ancestries she doesn't even know of. One of my friends is third generation Mexican and Spanish. These are the differences that unite us. That is what makes America so great. We can look different, believe different, speak different, and hold different traditions, yet we can still live together working towards a common goal: freedom.
These immigrants that so many hate or want to send back to the countries that many of them have never even seen embody the American spirit far more than the rest of us. We should be embracing them and thanking them for keeping the American dream alive.
As one sign at the Utah Capitol said: "I dream of liberty and freedom for my family." If that is not the American dream, then what is?

Read more about the marches here, here, here, here, here, and here (far more coverage in the Tribune than the Deseret News...telling huh?). And read the opposing point of view here.

Breakdown of Bill in Congress.

4.09.2006

Welcome to Zion?

Zion National Park is proposing yet another rate increase for access to the park. It is already the most expensive park to visit in the state. And while most will pay it, including myself, I have to ask: what happens to people who can't? Are they not welcome in our National Parks anymore? These are public lands, not private entities, and while I understand that it takes a lot of money to run a park and keep things in the park maintained, I worry that National Parks will become a place that only the elite can visit. In reality, it is the poorest and most beleaguered among us that would benefit most from contact with the natural world.

4.07.2006

The Best of Utah Recap

Hello, and sorry it's been so long since my last post. It turns out the new house is sucking all my free time away. I should have known. However, I wanted to give my thoughts on City Weekly's Best of Utah list:

Best Fortuitous Phone Number: 587-7827 Call it now, folks, to hear from LDS-STAR, aka, Walter Larabee. He's an excommunicated drag-queen. This might be a good number to give that obnoxious returned missionary that keeps bothering you, girl!

Best Smoke Free Mountain Music: Spur Bar & Grill in Park City. You should probably check this one out because soon (though not soon enough) all clubs and bars will be smoke free. I can hardly wait for the day! My clothes from last weekend are still smoking in the corner!

Best Break Up Spot: Temple Square. I wonder if this would work for lesbians?

Best Intersection: Van Winkle and 900 East. After over a year of blowing through here at 55 mph or more, I would have to agree. However, it's much better if you're heading southeast through this intersection. You almost feel like you've left the city when you see the eyes of raccoons in your headlights. However, I think it would be better if they could make this intersection more pedestrian friendly. I almost died there once getting off the bus and trying to cross the street!

Best People-Watching: Main Street TRAX stations: while I agree that it's amazing the variety and type of people you can see here, suddenly put on an equal level, I would have to put in for the DMV. After all, not everyone has to ride TRAX. But at some point, everyone has to stand in line for a Driver's license or to register a car. People here range from downright gross, to drunk to well-dressed folks who refuse to sit in the chair. Interesting times.

Best Burritos: Cafe Rio: I continue to be in awe that the shredded chicken salad is overlooked. I can get five or six of these a month and never tire of the creamy tomatillo dressing, tortilla strips, guacamole, lime and all things put together that create this little slice of heaven!

Best Chinese Takeout: Sampan: Even better in the restaurant, these folks probably know my partner and I by name by now. I also put in a vote for it to move up in the Best Chinese category!

Best Mexican: Red Iguana: Which is almost a given! I wish they'd open another one so we wouldn't have to wait so long, but I guess that's the old Utah logic that's often applied to roads. If we build more, wider, bigger roads, the traffic will flow better. I think building more Red Iguana's would only make things worse. Case in point: Cafe Rio.

Best Pizza: The Pie Pizzeria: We just discovered the Pie this year, and WOW! To think we have been wasting our time on Pizza Hut and Dominos when this has been right down the road. I really love the graffiti-covered walls too! Also, special mention goes to Wild Mushroom pizza, which is quick and tasty, with some REALLY good subs!

Best Sushi: Happy Sumo: Hurray for Happy Sumo's fantastic rolls and addicting Mt. Fuji chocolate cake. I went to Ichiban the other day, often relayed to me as the best sushi in town, and realized it was nothing next to my beloved Sumo. And you know it has to be good to have a chain in Provo that's actually successful!

Best Thai: Thai Siam: Perhaps City Weekly has not yet heard of Thai Siam knock-off (though it makes them really upset to be referred to like that) Sawadee. Located on South Temple (so much closer to downtown workers who want a good cheap lunch), their lunch special is only $5.95 and includes a salad, two entrees, a spring roll and rice. And the atmosphere is much calmer...no waiters and waitresses dipping behind a big picture of Thailand to get your drinks here!

Best Brine Shrimp Website: wildlife.utah.gov/gsl : Hurray for our namesake, the Great Salt Lake! Best Place to View Brine Shrimp: The Nature Conservancy's Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve.

Best Place to Dispose of Your American Flag: Colonial Flag & Gift: I wonder if they would give me 10% off the purchase of a Canadian flag if I brought in my old American?

Best Creep Catchphrase: "A full quiver of children.": ah Southern Utah, your wealth of amusing politicians is neverending!

Best Dedicated Publisher: Greta DeJong, Catalyst: When I first moved to Salt Lake I picked up a copy of Catalyst and knew I could stay in Utah, as long as it was close to a place where this free magazine is easily accessible.

Best Name Return: Salt Lake Bees: if only they weren't owned by Larry Miller, I could enjoy! As it is I'll be second-rating it with the Ogden Raptors or driving long distances to see the Dodgers or Rockies. Worth the extra money to not support The Man.

Best Persistent Media Misnomer: Chris Buttars: a man with "morals": City Weekly hit this right on the head. That's like saying Larry Miller is moral by pulling Brokeback, while showing things like Basic Instinct 2 (Rated R for strong sexuality, nudity, violence, language and some drug content), V for Vendetta (far more liberal (read: immoral) than Brokeback), Lucky Number Slevin (Rated R for strong violence, sexuality and language), She's the Man (about a girl dressing as a boy...a little to transsexual for comfort, wouldn't you say? Plus contains some sexual content), and Slither (Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some drug content and sexuality/nudity). Family values all around!

Best Pregnant Pauses: Radio West's Doug Fabrizio: I only mention this here because I fall into the category of NPR nerd. And I WAS amazed at how young, vibrant and good looking Diane Rehm is! But, to Doug, I say congrats on a successful show! Just get to the point already!

Best Talk Radio Station: KUER 90.1: And I couldn't agree more! I'll admit I find it hard to tear myself away from the familiar format of KUER to try out other local NPR stations. Why mess with a good thing?

Best Activist: Scott McCoy: and with the 3rd runner up being Jackie Biskupski, it appears Utah is giving a shout out to the gay community! Repeal of amendment 3 up and coming? Probably not in my lifetime, but you've got to make progress somehow.

Best Bastions of Tolerance: Utah High Schools: From the mouths of babes...the voting of a lesbian couple as cutest couple just shows that the old dinosaurs in the Legislature and nationwide will always eventually be replaced by younger and more tolerant generations of people who see things in society their parents didn't see, and understand better what it is to be a good human being.

Best Defender of Incestuous Fathers: Sen. Darin Peters, R-Nephi: It makes one wonder what happens behind the closed doors of the homes of some Utah legislators. This is common sense human rights: a person has the right to be defended from those who would hurt them.

Best Evidence Utah is Progressing: iProvo?: My vote is in for City Weekly's naming of two gay legislators to the Best Activist category and the acceptance and tolerance of Utah high schools among the others mentioned. Also, to the Best Political Cause.

Best Evidence Utah is Regressing: DeeDee Corradini: And of course Chris Buttar's would be mentioned. But should be more prominently mentioned. Intelligent design should have also been included. After all, that's Dark Ages thinking right there.

Best Political Cause: Gay Rights: It feels good to have a series of hate-filled bills killed on the floor or by the governor's pen. I have gained more respect for Hunstman in this session than his entire career previous.

Best Tax Dollars in Action: Education: If only, if only we could squeeze a little more. It's amazing that with a huge surplus, lawmakers couldn't give a little more to our real future: children.

Best Way to Get Redneck Yahoos out of Utah: The Utah Minuteman Project: And a close runner up would be the NASCAR races in Vegas! I have some good friends that are fans of NASCAR, but putting them aside, I've discovered this to be a rather scary group of narrow-minded gits. I hear the leaded gasoline has a lot to do with it.

4.03.2006

The longest weekend of my life

It's been a long weekend.

It all started one chilly Friday night when my partner and I met six of her coworkers at a hot local sushi joint. I was determined to only have two rolls, some edamame and a beer, but one flamboyantly gay boy decided he would not leave until he had all of us thoroughly drunk and had surpassed his previous bill of $170. He managed to finish it off at $200 this time. And I had a very nice buzz after some Kirin beer, blueberry and pomegranate martinis, mojitos, sake bombs (I should have known better...I hate sake), and some things I didn't even know the name of.

Then Saturday came. At 11:00 we got the keys to our new house, and we wasted no time getting started. We picked up our new washer and dryer (easily the best thing about owning a home for me!), bought some paint and had one room painted by 7:30 that night. Then we went home, got ready, and went out with some friends to a local lesbian bar. We had to dance all night because there wasn't anywhere left to sit, and after a Corona, a Fuzzy Pussy (I think it was sour apple puckers) shot, a shot of Jagermeister, and two shots of something called a Blow Job (I'm not even sure what exactly was in it, but it was sure tasty), I was dancing with abandon. I guess I'm a lightweight. I should be...my partner and I, as I have mentioned before, are not partiers. I don't think we've had more than one drink a night in six months or more. And we don't drink every night...maybe once a week.

Sunday morning we got up and went back over to the house, where we finished with the second coat on the hallway, painted the office twice and put the first coat on the master bedroom. In between all this we made several trips to Home Depot, stopped for lunch, grabbed pizza for dinner, attempted to hook up the washer and dryer with my Dad (who knew the dryer didn't come with a cord to hook it up?), and my partner (very proud of her lesbianness) managed to fix our first leaky faucet. It was a busy day. Probably four hours of painting and the sore muscles to prove it. The walls are all textured, so you have to push extra hard to get paint into all the hills and valleys. My shoulders are killing me, since apparently I have become the designated maven of the ceilings.

But progress has been made. We have managed to cover up three rooms of yellow paint that I have grown to loathe with a passion. I think that color is too reminiscent of the water in the toilet after you've been drinking all night. Believe me, after this weekend, I would know! But those dark north-facing rooms are now light and shiny...and I'm a light person. The light in a place has an interesting effect on my mood, so it was important to make the place brighter. And to make it our own. Which I think, in only a day and half, we've done remarkably well.

4.02.2006

Fearing Fear Itself

In a fantastic op-ed peice printed Saturday in the Salt Lake Tribune, Pat Shea made some interesting points about the use of fear, since 9/11 in particular, to promote political agendas.
He also related a story about his grandfather and a herd of sheep. When he shot his gun into the air the sheep started and ran away from the sound of the gun, around the pasture, and finally stopped in the same place they were when the shot was first fired.
I would venture to say that since the shot was fired on 9/11, the Bush administration has run us around in circles, but we are not in the same place we were. Neither have we gone forward. We have taken a step back.
One need only look at the national debt, the anti-Christian government of "liberated" Afghanistan, or the precipice on which Iraq hangs, waiting to stumble into civil war. Has anything we have done since September 11th moved our country forward? Are we better off now than we were on things such as the environment, Social Security, education or even faith-based initiatives? Has our country grown together, or been wedged further apart? Have we stopped terrorism, or created more?
And what is terrorism but actions taken to instill fear in the hearts of the people? So, are we fighting it? Or are we becoming what we should be fighting?