About Utah: Nothing meek about this high road

By Lee Benson, Deseret News

Published: Monday, Feb. 7 2011 1:30 a.m. MST

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Deseret News

Summary

Sitting in an office far less opulent — figuratively and physically — than the one he used to sit in, the former mayor of Salt Lake City assesses his latest incarnation as head of an organization called High Road for Human Rights and says, "Everything I've done in my life has led me to this point."

"Two weeks into the Rwandan genocide in 1995, President Clinton's National Security Advisor Anthony Lake told a human rights worker, 'Make more noise!' He said the phones weren't ringing and without a manifestation of Americans caring about the genocide, intervention to stop it would not occur. No one in the U.S. made noise, phone calls weren't made — and 800,000 people were butchered in 100 days."

Says Rocky, "I'm making more noise now than I ever did when I was quote unquote on the inside."

He's not getting paid — hopefully that's only temporary — but that's OK. He is raising his voice. He is sticking up for human rights.

"I just can't see how anyone can sit back and say it's not their business," he says. "That's something I don't understand."

To donate, join, or learn more about High Road for Human Rights, go to www.highroadforhumanrights.org.

Lee Benson's About Utah column runs Monday and Friday. E-mail: benson@desnews.com.

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procuradorfiscal

Tooele, UT

Re: "If you don't shout, no one will hear you."

Maybe. But, if you've wasted your life shouting silly, irrelevant, demonstrably wrong political invective, taking the wrong side on virtually every issue, no one listens, no matter More..

5:10 a.m. Feb. 7, 2011
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AlanSutton

Salt Lake City, UT

Lee,

He loves attention, and this story gives it to him. But where are the success stories? We all know that if he had any, you would have heard about them.

Mainly, though, why does he seek to alleviate crime, hunger and poverty More..

9:03 a.m. Feb. 7, 2011
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Go Big Blue!!!

Bountiful, UT

How ironic for Rocky to be on "the high road". I guess there is always a first time.

9:00 a.m. Feb. 7, 2011
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