Plus: A ‘practical solution’ to fires caused by fireworks
(Naja Pham Lockwood) Naja Pham Lockwood, director of “On Healing Land, Birds Perch,” pictured with her family in Park City in 2009.
Happy Saturday, and welcome to Inside Voices, a weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here.
You’ve probably seen the brutal, black-and-white image of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Vietcong prisoner on a Saigon street.
It’s jarring, and it’s one that documentary filmmaker Naja Pham Lockwood knows very well. Her recent film, “On Healing Land, Birds Perch,” examines the story behind the photo, as well as how images like that one can tell the story of conflict, shape how we talk about suffering and, at times, “narrow the frame.”
Naja wrote an op-ed published in The Tribune this week that looks into her own experience leaving Vietnam during the Fall of Saigon. She shares how the rhetoric surrounding refugees can change the trajectory of their lives — for better and worse.
“I saw firsthand how a welcoming spirit can change refugees’ lives … I’ve seen it in the way Utah neighbors help sponsor newcomers, donate furniture, tutor children and show up with meals and warmth. For many like me, it helped rebuild our belief in belonging.”
“But, as a nation, have we truly learned our lesson?” she writes. “Today I see repeated, troubling patterns. The U.S. has entered talks with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine — without Ukraine at the table. President Donald Trump has deployed the California National Guard against American protesters who are demonstrating against sweeping deportations of immigrants, including those who once served alongside U.S. forces in the army or as interpreters in Afghanistan.”
As we went through the editing process, she expressed how stories like those have left her feeling “really helpless daily, like so many of my friends, who are once removed.”
“We are the children of refugee parents who escaped war-torn countries and believed in the ideals of America,” she told me, “that everyone in this country has the right to due process, will be safe and have freedom.”
I’m grateful for her honesty in sharing her unique perspective, and I hope you’ll read her commentary.
Utah Voices
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fireworks in North Salt Lake, on Monday, July 3, 2023.
The following excerpts come from letters to the editor recently published in The Tribune.
A targeted fireworks tax ‘offers a practical solution’
“Each summer, fireworks light up Utah’s skies — but they also heighten wildfire risks. With increasingly dry conditions, it’s time to act responsibly,” writes Tyler Riggs in Providence. “I propose our Legislature implement a modest 10% excise tax on consumer fireworks sales, with all proceeds dedicated to a Utah Wildfire Prevention & Response Fund. This policy is both fair and effective: Those who celebrate with fireworks would directly support wildfire mitigation efforts.” Read more.
Open primary ranked voting ‘puts the power into the voters’ hands’
“It is beyond time to eliminate party control of nominees,” writes Mary Hertert in La Sal. “Every election, the party faithful line up their favorites to choose the one person to serve as their warrior to stand in an election battle against the other in a weirdly unbalanced and limited choosing of our leaders.” Read more.
Slashes to the NOAA and NWS are ‘a threat to public safety’
“Flash floods are now the leading cause of storm-related deaths in the U.S. We need more resources for forecasting, not fewer,” writes Kim Fowler in Orem. “NOAA and NWS aren’t luxuries — they’re life-saving agencies, especially as extreme weather becomes the norm. Gutting them in the name of ‘efficiency’ is reckless and idiotic. You don’t save money by putting American lives at risk. If anything, these cuts will cost us more — in disaster relief, emergency services, and most tragically, in lives lost.” Read more.
Share Your Perspective
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sons of Utah Pioneers participate in the Days of ’47 Parade in Salt Lake City on Saturday, July 23, 2022.
Ahead of Pioneer Day, I want to know: What does being a Utahn mean to you?
From Bagley’s Desk
I’m always looking for unique perspectives, ideas and solutions that move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop me a note at voices@sltrib.com.