Alternate Realities Roundup 3/22 | Buzz Blog

Friday, March 22, 2013

Alternate Realities Roundup 3/22

Posted By on March 22, 2013, 9:35 AM

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In time for the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Democracy Now hosts dying Iraq veteran Tomas Young to talk about his deathbed, anti-war letter he wrote for George Bush and Dick Cheney.---

Top of the Alty World

“Exclusive: Dying Iraq War Veteran Tomas Young Explains Decision to End His Life”—Democracy Now!

Ron Finley discusses his guerrilla planting of urban gardens in impoverished south central neighborhoods.—TED

Truthout talks with experts and former government officials to predict how Afghanistan will fare after a draw-down of U.S. troops.--Truthout

A hunger strike worsens for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, even though hopes for closing down the controversial detention center are quickly shrinking.—Rolling Stone

In time for March Madness, Mother Jones has a bracket of the “mean sixteen,” states with laws most detrimental to women. Utah is up against Idaho!—Mother Jones

Top of Alty Utah

Queer-rights activist Turner Bitton has announced he will run for the Ogden City Council.—Q Salt Lake

Students at the University of Utah seek to pass a resolution calling on the school to divest from fossil fuels.—Salt Lake City Weekly

A federal judge has decided Utah has claim to 12 out of 15 roads in a recent court decision.—KUER

A group is filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in an effort to protect southern Utah plant life from the release of a defoliating Asian beetle, originally released to destroy tamarisk plants that choke local waterways.—Salt Lake City Weekly

Utah Political Capitol has created an algorithm to rank the least and most effective legislators from the 2013 session.—Utah Political Capitol

Ranotsphere

Q Salt Lake commends openly gay Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, for reaching out to conservative firebrand Gayle Ruzicka.

“What Dabakis did by inviting Ruzicka to speak and provide an open and comfortable atmosphere was more than admirable. There’s no denying her influence. She controls the most powerful political-action group in the state and can have hundreds or even thousands of e-mails, phone calls and letters sent to lawmakers in a split-second. Denying Ruzicka’s influence and power in Utah politics is folly. But working with such a strong-willed, conservative and anti-equality advocate often seems impossible. That is, until, Dabakis joins the foray. With less than a full legislative session under his belt, Dabakis is already a commanding force on Capitol Hill and if he’s able to bring Ruzicka into a room full of gay-rights advocates and have an open discussion, he ought to be commended.”—Q Salt Lake

The Long View

The Boulder Weekly looks at a Colorado’s county’s battle to ban genetically modified crops on county open space.

“This year, the discussion of GMOs comes with a twist in the form of a question. If it’s possible for county government to stop allowing GMO crops to be grown on open space, and by doing so, also generate millions of additional dollars into the Boulder County economy in the form of environmentally friendly economic development, does county government have a fiduciary duty to county residents to make that happen as quickly as possible? It’s a good question, considering that just such a scenario is not only possible but, apparently, quite practical to implement, as well, raising another question: Why has the county not been doing more to make it happen? These questions have come to light from a study that apparently didn’t go anywhere, a study actually commissioned by Boulder County less than five years ago that appears to have gotten lost in the shuffle of the great GMO debate.”—Boulder Weekly

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