Showing posts with label US Government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Government. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Change of Scenery- Utah State Senate

Let's change the scenery a little and see what is going on in Utah! Most of you will not remember the name Betty Sawyer. Some of us will.

This is the same Betty that always had herself together through high school! The candidate for State Sentate District 18 in Utah is none other than Betty Sawyer of Pocomoke City many years ago. Betty graduated from Pocomoke High School in 1971.

Betty, all of us from the Pocomoke High School graduating class 1971 wish you lots of luck today. We will be watching........

Residents of State Senate District 18 would be lucky to have Betty Sawyer representing them in the Utah Legislature.

That's why the Standard-Examiner endorses the Democratic candidate in her race against former Democrat-turned-Republican Stuart Reid in the seat being vacated by Republican Jon Greiner.

Sawyer, a 35-year resident of Weber County, is a vigilant spokesperson for the underprivileged and underrepresented. Her tireless public service efforts on behalf of children and senior citizens is renown across the Top of Utah. She has a commonperson style that makes her accessible and pleasant.

However, that doesn't mean she is lacking in qualifications. She is currently a academics success coordinator for the Office of Diversity at the University of Utah. She has a masters degree in public administration and was an appointee in Gov. Mike Leavitt's administration. She has worked with the Boys and Girls Club, Project Success, the Weber County Health Department and the Utah State Office of Black Affairs.

She is a strong proponent of ethics reform at a time when the public trust in how the Legislature does business is lacking.

Some may say that because she is a Democrat, Sawyer will lack influence and effectiveness in the Republican-dominated Legislature.

Hogwash.

We feel that kind of logic becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that denies quality individuals like Sawyer the opportunity of holding public office.

Quite frankly, we are bothered by the circumstances that led to Reid filing for the seat in the first place. In his meeting with the board, Reid, who previously ran for the District 18 seat as a Democrat, indicated that Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey had recruited him to run as a Republican. Reid said he wavered back and forth, and didn't decide to file until the last minute. He also told us he's not sure how long he would even serve in the Legislature if elected.

This doesn't sound like a guy whose heart is in it. It's clear his party-switch had nothing to do with a change in philosophy, but everything to do with politics.

In contrast, Sawyer, who has been a lifelong Democrat, is committed to serving and speaking for those she feels don't have a voice.

Sawyer is the type of person who won't be silent and will effectively represent her district through sheer determination and grit.

As luck would have it, she will give her heart and soul to the job.


GOOD LUCK BETTY!

www.standardnet.com

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Jimmy Carter To Go To North Korea To Secure Release Of Aijalon Mahli Gomes

Jimmy Carter to the rescue?

The former president is planning to leave for North Korea on Tuesday in hopes of securing the release of an American man who was put behind bars for illegally entering the communist nation, according to U.S. officials.

The country agreed to free 31-year-old Aijalon Mahli Gomes if Carter came to retrieve him.

The Boston resident was teaching English in South Korea, but was sent to eight years in a hard labor camp and fined $700,000 on Jan. 25 for allegedly crossing into North Korea and for an unspecified "hostile act."

Two officials who spoke anonymously because the sensitivity of the situation, told the Associated Press that Carter will spend one night in North Korea and will return with Gomes on Friday.

A senior U.S. official said that Carter is not representing the U.S. government and was going on the mission solely for humanitarian purposes. In early August, state department officials secretly took part in a failed mission to North Korea in attempt to free Gomes.

The case mirrors that of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two American journalists detained in North Korea after they crossed illegally into North Korea. Former president Bill Clinton went to the country in August 2009 to secure their release at the request of the communist country.

It is not clear why Gomes entered North Korea. He had previously attended protests in Seoul in support of Robert Park, a U.S. missionary who entered the country to protest human rights abuses. Park was eventually released.

Gomes had tried to commit suicide in the labor camp last month, North Korean news agencies reported.

www.nydailynews.com