From the September 2006 Idaho Observer:

While President Bush visited Salt Lake City August 30, 2006, to promote his administration’s policies in Iraq and its "war on terror," Salt Lake City Mayor Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson delivered an address at a peace rally outside City Hall that drew more than 2,500 people. The 20-minute (3,700-word) speech is arguably the most truthful and inspiring words to come through any politician in recent memory. His stand against the lies of the Bush administration and its sycophantic media mouthpieces about 9/11 and the subsequent wars on terror are doubly courageous because they were delivered in the heart of the pro-Bush, pro-war Mormon country.

For those who have Internet access, you can read the text of the speech online at www.slc.gov/mayor or see the live recording from CBS affiliate KUTV, Salt Lake City http://kutv.com/video/?id=18850@kutv.dayport.com. If you do not have access to a computer, send an SASE (63 cents) to The IO and we will send a copy to you.

Below are some excerpts from Mayor Anderson’s speech:

A patriot is a person who loves his or her country. Who among you loves your country so much that you have come here today to raise your voice out of deep concern for our nation—and for our world?

And who among you loves your country so much that you insist that our nation’s leaders tell us the truth? Let’s hear it: "Give us the truth! Give us the truth! Give us the truth!"

Let no one deny we are patriots. We love our country, we hold dear the values upon which our nation was founded, and we are distressed at what our President, his Administration, and our Congress are doing to, and in the name of, our great nation.

Blind faith in bad leaders is not patriotism. A patriot does not tell people who are intensely concerned about their country to just sit down and be quiet; to refrain from speaking out in the name of politeness or for the sake of being a good host; to show slavish, blind obedience and deference to a dishonest, war-mongering, human-rights-violating President.

We are here today to insist that those who were elected to be our leaders must tell us the truth.

"We are here today to insist that our news media live up to its sacred responsibility to ascertain and report the truth—rather than acting like nothing more than a bulletin board for the lies and propaganda of a manipulative, dishonest federal government."