From Deseret News archives:
Welcoming Bush to Utah
Many mayors undoubtedly would do all they could to drum up the kind of support necessary to keep attracting such conventions. Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson, however, has decided instead to lend his influence toward organizing massive protests against the president's visit.
This is a curious economic-development strategy. Welcome to our city. Now stand aside while we hurl invectives at your principal speaker, the president of the United States. Do come again.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars tend to be patriots of the flag-waving variety. They understand what it means to put their lives on the line in unfamiliar and hostile parts of the world so that others can be free. They are not stupid, and they no doubt are taking careful note of the mayor's actions, even as he, ironically, delivers a welcoming address to their convention this morning.
These folks certainly have the right to protest. Americans correctly value their constitutional right to speak against their elected officials. But Anderson's decision to become a protest organizer, of sorts, diminishes his own position as an elected official and is an embarrassment to the city.
It's also a futile strategy. Which among the many interests represented by the above groups is the president supposed to hear? Far from the effectiveness of the anti-war demonstrations in the 1960s, protests today have become hackneyed and ineffective an expected accompaniment to any presidential visit, including to his own home in Crawford, Texas. Chances are, the president isn't going to pay any attention. Some people oppose him. He knows that.
Reasoned arguments that resonate with the public would have an impact. Loud chants and slogans will not. There is indeed growing concern about the war by many Americans, as shown by recent opinion polls. This has nothing to do with people carrying signs.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars should not judge Utah by the actions of Salt Lake City's mayor. Neither should the president as he makes his second official visit to the state.
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