May 30th, 2008
Peace and Human Rights Rally - Protesting Bush in Salt Lake
5th Avenue and ‘A’ Street - SLC, UTAH - Standing up to tyranny in unity with demonstrators (All Photos by Sheyda Samie)
Leaders of the LDS Church and Utah dignitaries like Governor and CFR member John Huntsman and Orrin Hatch warmly welcomed President Bush to Beehive state while the media heralded his arrival as historic. Meanwhile protesters stridently gathered in the Avenues, Washington Square and in Park City along the route to the big-ticket fundraiser at Mitt Romney’s luxurious Deer Valley home to denounce this dismal presidency, the wars of aggression, failed policies, constitutional grievances, etc and his visit to Utah.
President Bush visit on Wednesday, May 28th was for the fund-raising events of John McCain and the motorcade made it’s way to the home of Samuel and Diane Stewart, the hosts of the $500 per person reception, and a $10,000 per person private luncheon beforehand. Lackluster ticket sales had prompted the event to be moved to the Stewarts’ home from the Grand America Hotel.
I proudly displayed a ‘9/11 Truth for Peace’ sign with fellow protesters on the corner of 5th Avenue and ‘A’ Street in the Avenues awaiting President Bush’s arrival. There were about ten people practicing resistance to the globalist and perhaps a dozen or so on-lookers watching as we demonstrated in front of the home of a friend which was right across the street from the event . The corporate-controlled media from KSL, KUTV and the AP were also on the scene looking for a story.
Brian Mullahy of local KUTV channel 2 news approached us and asked if we’d heard about Scott McLlelland’s book, What Happened, in which he exposes the Bush administration for using propaganda to sell the invasion of Iraq among other assertions. I had read and heard news of the book which was just out that day and agreed to an interview.
I held my 9/11 truth sign up and made sure I referred to it when asked about the propaganda and lies that McLlelland’s asserts the Bush Administration spoon-fed us. It was all I could do to keep my composure and stay on point as my mind went in a thousand directions of all the grievances of this administration.
I answered that I was pleased that some truth was coming out, but that McLlelland and others should have come out sooner and perhaps thousands of lives could’ve been saved and that many other whistle-blowers and insiders have also been telling us of these lies among others for sometime now. I recalled that the White House was mustering up the same old rhetoric in an effort to squelch the messenger by saying the Scott seems ‘disgruntled’. I said that we should all be disgruntled as we’ve been mislead and not only about WMD’s, but about the truth of the events of 9/11 etc. I was nervous and have thought about all the things I should have said, but I was gracious for the opportunity.
The bomb squad, police, and secret service were vigilantly surveying the area and keeping order. The surveillance was heavy as they took pictures of us, we were taking pictures of them. The valets were parking the Hummers, Mercedes and other elitist wanna-be cars with care. My friend hollered to a valet as he was parking a large SUV that he’d pay him $1,000 dollars if he left the vehicle in the road and quit his job to join us. The valet seemed to consider it for a moment and requested “for $10,000?”. The secret service and police listened and appeared amused as the atmosphere grew electric.
The police / secret service then cracked down and requested that we evacuate the public walk way as the Bush regime was closer to arriving. We retreated to the private property / lawn of our kind friend and insisted that we had that right and the police agreed. We were told that a two-block area would be on ‘lock-down’ and that we would be stranded until 5o’clock or so. We were also instructed that we would be arrested if we so much as stepped on the public walk way or street during this time period.
This ‘threat-down’ encouraged many people to leave. It seemed the confrontation and the fear of missing the scheduled rally that evening at Washington Square drove them off. I stayed until the last protester left - the patriot / terrorist circa 1776 with the flag-musket - then I decided I would also leave so I didn’t miss the big evening rally.
This is unfortunate because Bush did show up within the hour and approached the families that were on site - including the children of my friend. They shook hands and had pictures taken with Mr. Bush. The irony is thick here because my friend is very strident in the protesting of this president and his policies, and his two children end up meeting the man as he came directly to hi son. I could’ve confronted the man if I’d stayed, but perhaps he wouldn’t have approached us or this group if we had stayed in protest - or at least that’s what we tell ourselves.
The Peace and Human Rights rally that in the evening at the Salt Lake City and County Building in Washington Square was well-attended and an inspiring success.
“This is not a partisan gathering,” Anderson, the events organizer said in an interview Friday. “This is a gathering of people of conscience, raising their voices to communicate that we will not accept the immorality of torturing and kidnapping people around the world; that we insist on the rule of law; and that we will not stand idly by as the president acts in contravention of our Constitution, domestic laws and treaty obligations.”
And the people of conscience did show up instead of idly standing by as this president shreds the Constitution, tramples the law of the land, starts wars of aggression and destroys America. And it was truly a great site to see the 2,000+ people come together who represent the movement for peace and human rights and to let our voice be heard. It was a diverse crowd with many platforms represented from Ron Paul supporters to Students Opposing Bush - from patriots spreading truth about the North American Union to those spreading cannabis awareness and, of course, the anti-war sentiment.
Daniel Ellsburg, the whistle-blower who in 1971 leaked to newspapers classified documents known as the Pentagon Papers, which revealed information about casualties in the Vietnam War was a tremendously inspirational speaker.
“To me, (Ellsburg) is our generation’s greatest voice of conscience,” Anderson has said.
In 2004, Ellsburg started the Truth-Telling Project, urging past and present government officials to reveal to Congress and the public the truth about governmental wrongdoings, lies and cover-ups. He recently has been calling on whistle-blowers to come forward with any information about possible plans of the Bush administration to attack Iran.
Anderson said that too many Americans have become complacent and have let their voices fade in the call for an end to the Iraq war and illegal acts by the Bush administration.
“Their focus is on a new election,” he said, “and they think this administration is irrelevant. But there is so much damage that can still occur. … By all appearances, it looks like they’re gearing up to attack Iran.”
Also speaking at the peace and human rights rally was Marshall Thompson, an Iraq War veteran and peace activist who walked the entire state of Utah calling for withdrawal from Iraq; and Kathy Snyder, a Utah mother of serviceman who was killed in Iraq.
It was an exhilarating and inspiring evening and I was proud to be involved. I did find it interesting how so many looked at my 9/11 truth for peace sign with apparent fear. They would take pictures of folks around me with homemade hippy peace posters and they would look at my sign and quickly look elsewhere and scamper away. Even within the peace movement, it seems that folks are still asleep to all of the atrocities that are taking place. But, to the credit of these peoples seeking peace and justice , quite a few did approach me and agree that we were lied to about 9/11. One gentlemen wearing silk pot-leaves around his neck and his liberal side handing out all over said, “You go to New York City and just about everybody there knows the truth about 9/11!” Another person, a middle-aged woman sitting on the lawn taking it all in smiled and said “I like your sign.” I simply responded “thank you.” Another group of men drove by as I was leaving and as they noticed my sign they yelled “the TRUTH will set us FREE!” I agree.
And we’re learning more truth everyday as we the people stand up and speak truth to power in confronting tyranny. As Rocky Anderson stated, “We won’t keep our mouths shut!”
Awesome slideshow of anti-war rally protesting Bush in SLC
Raytheon’s Pain Ray: Coming to a Protest Near You?
(Next time it might not be so easy to assemble in PEACE)
