Posts published in “Uncategorized”

Is the threatened species of Mazama pocket gophers really ruining Thurston County and costing us all millions? The current County Commissioners seem to want us to think so. Based on various public comments, the Commissioners blame: the Federal Government; US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); EPA; former Commissioners; the Governor;…

On April 12th, The Trident Three were found guilty of trespassing in Federal Court. Larry Kerschner, Gilberto Perez, and Bernie Meyer appeared in United States District Court, Western District of Washington at Tacoma. Magistrate Judge David C. Christel presided over the proceedings. A large number of supporters witnessed the trial. The…

Thursday, April 13 Olympia’s eight top-ranking performance poets went head to head in Olympia’s biggest poetry event for one of four spots on the 2017 Olympia Poetry Slam Team. The winning team of Dan Evans, Rachel Greene, Brian McCracken and Taylor Bereiter will travel to the 2017 National Poetry Slam…

If there’s a mini van parked next to the driver’s side of your car, crawl in through the passenger seat. There might be someone behind the dark glass waiting to open the door and snatch you. When you’re walking through an unknown place, hold your keys in your fist with…

Tacoma, WA—At noon on April 10, over 100 immigrants incarcerated at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) refused their lunch, launching a hunger strike to protest their treatment inside the immigration prison. The Tacoma, Washington facility, located on a superfund site, is the largest immigrant detention center on the West Coast,…

If we are ever going to get the kind of progressive change our society so desperately needs, we are going to have to elect representatives who will stand up to corporate power and fight for the progressive agenda that the majority of Americans want. We want things like a living…

If progressive voters of Washington’s 10th Congressional district want a real progressive to represent them, they should be thinking about replacing Denny Heck. Following is a list of 16 anti-progressive votes Heck has made in the U.S. Congress. Solid progressive Congressional reps like Bernie Sanders, Barbara Lee, Raul Grijalva, and…

Bernie Sanders’ call for a ‘political revolution’ against the establishment brought out over 12 million supporters who voted for him in primaries and caucuses. I joined his campaign in January 2016 and left on the day he publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton.  What he didn’t make clear to most of his…

The fossil fuel industry and the distortions of language and justice When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so…

“We must be willing to make fundamental changes” I have been running ragged lately. I work a full-time job that has a lot of surprise overtime. I have activist projects and now a partisan position as well. All of these things are different, but I view them as interrelated. We…

Some possibilities for the future The needs of Syrian people come first The evidence has continued to mount that the Syrian Air Force dropped Sarin gas on Khan Shaykhun in Idlib province in Syria on April 4th, 2017 killing at least 80 people and seriously wounding hundreds.  Evidence includes eyewitness…

The 2nd annual Indigenous Climate Justice Symposium will be held on Thursday, May 4 and Friday, May 5 in The Evergreen State College’s Longhouse Education and Cultural Center (10 am-4:30 pm). The evening’s keynote speakers (7-9 pm) will be key leaders of Native-led alliances to stop oil pipelines: Faith Spotted Eagle…

(OLYMPIA, Wash.) –YWCA of Olympia invites the community to the first-ever YWCA Racial Justice Summit “Intent vs. IMPACT” to be held on Saturday, May 6 at SPSCC. This multifaceted event will engage our community in deeper dialogue and understanding about the experiences of People of Color in Thurston County, and…

On March 16, 2017, the Office of Management and Budget released President Trump’s document entitled, “American First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again.” In the chart below, I’ve listed by federal department those programs that this budget has identified for elimination. These eliminations totally $54 billion dollars is…

A Preliminary Report The core of my first Budget Blueprint is the rebuilding of our Nation’s military without adding to our Federal deficit. There is a $54 billion increase in defense spending in 2018 that is offset by targeted reductions elsewhere.  – President Donald Trump. (America First: A Budget Blueprint…

The “insane and dangerous” campaign In late January, Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report was interviewed on The Real News Network. In response to the question of his thoughts on the transition to the Trump administration, Ford stated the following: “I think that, to the extent that this outpouring…

The first two weeks of the Trump presidency ought to be engraved in our memories as if in granite. Politics is a blood sport and the far right takes no prisoners – except, apparently, those it intends to torture. The Republican Party has demonstrated for a very, very long time…

In recent elections, the Electoral College has circumvented the will of the majority of those who voted. It is time that we people here in the United States exercise our sovereign right to self-rule and retake the freedoms granted by our constitution. Our rights have been stolen from us by…

WIP note: The following is a small portion of a much larger article by Janine, which can be found on her Little Hollywood blog. (janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com) Bill Fishburn, 47, of Rainier, has formally announced that he is challenging Port of Olympia Commissioner Bill McGregor for his District 2 seat. He made the…

WIP note: The following is a portion of an article posted anonymously on the Puget Sound Anarchists’ news website (pugetsoundanarchists.org). As of April 24, this incident has not been reported in the daily Olympia newspaper. WIP has put out feelers and reliable sources have verified the article’s claim of action…

As the Republican-dominated federal government bickers about how to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), concerns about losing both healthcare and protection from discrimination are rising in the transgender community. When asked if anybody was afraid of losing coverage if Obamacare is repealed, several people at the February…

The Lakeside Industries plant was built in the Nisqually Valley area of Thurston county. This Nisqually Valley area has zoning regulations prohibiting RAP (Recycled Asphalt) in asphalt manufacturing. Now the Thurston County Commissioners, this GOP Tea Party group, is going to change all of this, and allow Recycled Asphalt into…

Expose politicians’ exploitation of fear Throughout the 2016 election campaign season and after his inauguration, Trump was provoking fear and anger. He provoked fear of various groups of vulnerable people and urged people to retaliate against them. He exploited people’s fear of economic and social insecurity then directed people’s antagonism…

Sub-Area Plan rules do not allow reprocessed Recycled Asphalt Pavement in valley The 2017 Thurston County Commissioners are at it again. They want to change the Thurston County 1992 Nisqually Sub-Area Plan. These new Tea Party Commissioners want whatever economic development they can get, even if it pollutes our county.…

Dear [representative, senator, dean, administrator, etc.], My name is [_______] and I am a [citizen, resident, etc.] of [city, district, state, etc.]. I am writing to encourage your institution to follow the directive put forth by the Obama administration regarding trans* students using bathrooms, despite the current administration’s rollback. Legislation…

On January 21, 2017, thousands marched in the Women’s March. It was a massive demonstration against misogyny in American culture and politics that displayed the will for national change. Now is the time to use that power to support the trans* community. Recently, the republican administration rolled back President Obama’s…