Rocky Anderson (mayor of Salt Lake City)=Patriot

Question and stand up to authority that you feel is acting unruly.

This is what Rocky Anderson did. Amen that people still exist. Wake up to Authoritarian Era we are entering. Stand up and be counted.

Read the speech:

THIS is what American patriotism should quinessentially be defined as


www.dailykos.com...




[edit on 1-9-2006 by MRGERBIK]

mod edit to change utah to Salt Lake City in title

[edit on 2-9-2006 by DontTreadOnMe]

YEY Rocky!!
He is a pretty kewl Mayor for Salt Lake City......he has done alot of cool things and this is top of the list.

I was going to go to this 'protest' rally, but ended up just watching it on TV and avoiding the traffic. Lame of me I know, but gas and parking nowdays is nasty and TV is free.....


"go Rocky! go Rocky!"

"If they [the Bush administration] lack support in Utah, my God they're in trouble," the Rev. Tom Goldsmith of the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City told the lively gathering between protest songs and banner waving.
...
Anti-war expressions were one of many messages during an eruption of free speech Wednesday in Salt Lake City. Seven official rallies took place - most of them aimed at praising or pelting Rumsfeld, Rice and Bush's visit to Utah this week to speak to the American Legion national convention. The trio are on a campaign to bolster sagging public support for the three-year-old war in Iraq.

Two views:

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff addressed the group saying: "I have to support the right of Rocky to be stupid. But I will not support his right to hurt people. What he is doing is hurting those people whose loved ones gave the ultimate sacrifice."
...
Former Marine Capt. Eric Martineau was in his dress blues to protest the war in Iraq and the Bush administration policies. "I want to let Utah know that pre-emptive war is not LDS doctrine," he said, noting he is Mormon. "We'll look back at this [war] and see it as a turning point."

If anyone has seen the last episode of Band of Brothers, you know that WW2 vets didn't come home from that war. And I don't mean the dead. All of them were shipped there not to return (unless a casualty) until it was over. Unless you were Private Ryan. This could be an unspoken message? You are not coming back till the job is done?

And HERE is the magazine cover which, I don't know about you, but to me suggests the 9/11 connection.



Sweet, eh? You know that most of the people who read it (old geezers like me) don't have very good eyesight, so what do they see...?

Here's the Rocky quote I like:

"Blind faith in bad leaders is not patriotism."

His writeup is here.

And get this part:

Even last week, when I met with Thomas Bock, National Commander of the American Legion, I asked him why we are engaged in the war in Iraq. He said, "Why, of course, because of the 9/11 attacks on our country." I asked, "What did Iraq have to do with those attacks?" He looked puzzled, then said, "Well, the connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq."

I was shocked. Here is a man who has criticized us for opposing the war in Iraq--and he is completely wrong about the underlying facts used to justify this war.

Is anyone catching on yet? I know next to nothing about Anderson, but seems to be an up and comer who can be counted on to bring some intelligence back to politics.

This seems ironic coming from a state who was basically responsible for putting this idiot in power in the first place. I recall from the red/blue map after the election that Utah was THE reddest state in the entire country and remember feeling sorry for them that they must have so many brainwashed, uninformed people there. Little too late crying over spilt milk now...

Big brass ones, thats what this guy has delivering an address such as that. While its quite nice to hear someone whos not affriad to publicly question the powers that be I suspect his tenure will be quite short and reelection to his post a grim prospect. The comments by Attorney General Mark Shurtleff that what Anderson said was "hurting those people whose loved ones gave the ultimate sacrifice" seems to indicate he didn't listen beyone the opening volley and just simply filed Anderson away with all the others who dont agree with the Administrations actions and policies.

The man gave respect to the servicemen, and for the most part his barbs were aimed at the governement, not the soldiers who have no choice but to go where they are sent by said goverment. Is it just standard procedure now to immediatley pull on peoples heart strings and use the excuse of supporting the soldiers as away to attack the character of someone who differs in oppinion about the war and its surrounding mess? Supporting the soldiers and agreeing with the reasons they are abroad and risking their life are two different things, at least they sure seem that way to me.

I think that that speech is one of he best I have read. Great people never make it that far when they are against an opponent that is ruling our nation full of finished agendas.

Sad to see how much the truth in our country is put to rest and killed.

I will no be surprised that Anderson will be labeled a Fascist, so there you have it my friends, taking about the truth in our nation now a days will be damaging for you image.

Still Hooooorayyyyy for anderson.

Still people have the change to change their minds.

This is my favorite part:

That is not a patriot. Rather, that person is a sycophant. That person is a member of a frightening culture of obedience - a culture where falling in line with authority is more important than choosing what is right, even if it is not easy, safe, or popular. And, I suspect, that person is afraid - afraid we are right, afraid of the truth (even to the point of denying it), afraid he or she has put in with an oppressive, inhumane, regime that does not respect the laws and traditions of our country, and that history will rank as the worst presidency our nation has ever had to endure.

I think this gets to the heart of the matter.

I get so frustrated discussing these topics and running into the blank wall I call the "meat robot" effect. It's a desperate personal identification with authority figures, to the point where if you question the actions and statements of our leaders to these people, it means to them you might be in league with our enemies. If you question how our actions may have helped create those enemies, they become certain of it.

It's funny, because these folks never realize how much they are the precise mirror image of the very same fanatics they claim to be fighting. That it is the absolute faith in the inherent rightness of one's own "side" that gives people like Osama Bin Laden power, and makes their followers able to see brutal acts of mass murder like 9/11 as "justice."

Great speech by a true patriot, in the best sense of the word.
I've never heard of Rocky Anderson before, but I hope to hear more from him in the future.




[edit on 9/2/06 by xmotex]

Here we have the Florida Republican Party chairwoman trying to defend MiniMe, Gov. JEB, over school vouchers and class size--always a big distraction issue when major politics are being decided.

Things aren't all that sunny in Florida for the GOP grassroots efforts:

THE REPUBLICAN PUP TENT
[NORTH PINELLAS Edition]

St. Petersburg Times - St. Petersburg, Fla.
Aug 30, 2006


The Florida Republican Party's big tent is shrinking.

Gov. Jeb Bush sent a fundraising letter the other day to raise money for Sen. Alex Villalobos' Republican primary opponent. The governor is still angry that the Miami Republican had the nerve - we'd say the courage - to vote against his effort to restore tuition vouchers that the Florida Supreme Court had ruled unconstitutional. Villalobos also refused to back an effort to alter the popular class size amendment. Now he faces a tough primary that symbolizes the GOP's intraparty struggle. Bush wrote that Villalobos "has abandoned our party's principles and lost his way."

Sen. Nancy Argenziano, R-Dunnellon, supports Villalobos. Her typically blunt reaction to Bush's letter and the resulting exchanges:

Argenziano: "The governor has a history reflecting accommodation of special interests as evidenced by the agencies' contracts, and his flexible Republicanism is at odds with both America and actual Republican principles. In his heart of hearts, the governor prefers dictatorship to democracy."

Carole Jean Jordan, Florida Republican Party chairwoman: "Personal attacks on the sitting governor of Florida questioning his character are far beyond the bounds of responsible dialogue. I sincerely hope that Senator Argenziano will reconsider her comments, especially in light of all that Governor Bush has done for the people of Florida and for the Republican Party."

Argenziano: "Carole Jean Jordan can kiss my ass."

Guess she told her.


This would seem to put Argenziano in the same league as Rocky. Glad to see there are Republicans out there with their eyes wide open


[edit on 3-9-2006 by psyopswatcher]