It’s a rainy Thursday afternoon in northeast Olympia, and local resident Tanner Milliren is bundled up in a communal woodshop where the construction of his new tiny home is well under way. Milliren had worked in construction for many years when he began to see tiny homes as a means…
Posts published in “Uncategorized”
I am so very sorry to share that Phyllis Dodds, a longtime SideWalk volunteer, died [February 3]. Phyllis carried the heart and soul of this organization in everything that she did and she held deep bonds with many of our volunteers and staff. I first met Phyllis thirteen years ago when…
I remember one day early on in my SideWalk advocacy days when Jill Esbeck, the operations manager, asked me which volunteer I would like to see honored in a newsletter that was going out. SideWalk is the point of contact for adults experiencing homelessness as well as a volunteer driven…
In a recent article in Washington Monthly magazine, James Bruno, a former diplomat, concluded that “(T)he United States has just endured a carefully planned and well-orchestrated assault against its democratic form of government in the form of a grand cyber-theft of information and targeted release of that information.” As evidence,…
A longer view on the spaces we leave and settle The Empty Cinema of Fear Those who lived in New York City during the 70’s might remember the story—part somber joke and part true story—that circulated among the Hispanic community living in Queens. It was told more or less like…
The Cold War continues with threats of escalation Before the Vietnam War in the 1960’s and 1970’s, there was the Korea Police Action in the 1950’s. Many similarities are shared by both, one being that they are products of the Cold War and the United States’ determination to stop the…
For over ten months water protectors and their allies have been occupying land in Cannonball, ND on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in opposition of the Dakota Access Pipeline. People from across the globe have stood in solidarity, sending prayers å support to everyone here. In early November I came…
Independent agencies proposed for elimination US Interagency Council on Homelessness (1987) Established in 1987 to coordinate 19 federal agencies’ response and create national partnership to end homelessness. With a $3.5 million budget and 20 staff (2016), implement 2010 strategic plan, “Opening Doors,” to provide affordable housing and sustainable employment for 550,000 without shelter each night in the US.…
After thirty-five years of serving the poor, homeless, and marginalized people of Thurston County, Bread & Roses (B&R) will be closing its doors. B&R has served the community in many different ways since its founding in 1982 by volunteers from the Catholic Worker tradition. The original house on 8th Ave…
The new Thurston County Commissioners (they call themselves “independents or Tea Party”) have joined other counties across the state in trying to figure out how to monitor their groundwater and issue building permits (with water wells) in the wake of a recent state Supreme Court ruling on Whatcom County water…
So this month I’m tipping and then promptly eating my hat to City Councilmember Clark Gilman for following through on his words. He actually spoke in quiet, respectful support of building a bathroom at the Artesian Well. Jessica Bateman spoke in fervor and strength calling for action. Jim Cooper pushed…
On the tenth of February I found myself in a more improbable place than I had imagined even just a few days before I travelled to the other Washington. I stood in front of the wrought iron gates of the White House with a dear friend, the mother of an…
This is my effort to understand the meaning and direction of the Trump Administration, based primarily on his cabinet nominations and executive office appointments. I’m doing this as part of an effort by many others to look for organizing strategies that might preserve some form of democratic life in the…
Thoughtful people know that the US is facing one of the most serious political crises in our nation’s history. A narcissistic, grossly ignorant, and psychologically unstable huckster has gained enormous political power. Worldwide, people are worrying about how to get out of this mess. By February 20, 2017 the Olympia…
My year in the Democratic Party Up until 2016, I had been a lifelong leftist independent. I was radicalized by the anti–Vietnam War movement in late 1970 while studying to be a social worker at WSU in Pullman where I grew up. Two years later, I was married and living…
We have a friend who teaches at George Mason University in Washington DC. We were at a higher education conference together when she got a text about a student who was suddenly unable to return to school. Originally from Syria, he had been studying at George Mason with a visa.…
(Ed. Note: Peter G Peterson Foundation (PGPF) is spending a billion dollars to convince people that the costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are driving the US economy to the brink of disaster. To enhance the effort, the foundation’s billionaire namesake lavishes funds on politicians urging them to cut…
RESOLUTION NO. M-1857 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON, DECLARING THE CITY OF OLYMPIA A SANCTUARY CITY WHEREAS, the City of Olympia is a welcoming city that serves and protects its residents regardless of their immigration status; and WHEREAS, in the City Olympia all…
RESOLUCION NO. M-1857 Una resolucion del concilio de la ciudad de Olympia, Washington, declarando a la ciudad de Olympia ciudad santuario POR CUANTO, la Ciudad de Olimpia es una ciudad acogedora que sirve y protege a sus residentes independientemente de su estatus migratorio; y CONSIDERANDO que la Ciudad de Olimpia…
Image description: a drawing in black with pen, marker and crayon on recycled brown paper of Christopher Kalonji, who has a big afro, full lips and a sweet baby face. there are hearts drawn around him, and there is hand written text, which reads: “On January 28, 2016 in Oak…
Unlike the 174 nations that have the responsibility of education written into their constitutions, the U.S. does not. In effect, educating young people in the U.S. has been left to the individual 50 states. Upon its founding, the state of Washington declared the necessity of a public education that is…
“I stand by my view that minimum-wage laws are harmful. They kill jobs, disproportionately hurt minorities, young people and immigrants. Simply put, minimum-wage laws do more harm than good. This does not mean people shouldn’t be paid a fair wage for their work. It means free people should be allowed to…
Hawai’i is humanity’s paradise on earth. However, what is little known is how racked these islands are with overwhelming issues like homelessness, rising ocean levels, US test bombings, racism, poverty, and mass incarceration. While most of these issues affect all on the islands, high levels of incarceration disproportionately affect Native…
At the frosty noon hour on January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy took the oath of office as the 35th President of the United States. He made a choice that day not to wear a coat; he wanted to demonstrate his resiliency at the height of the Cold War.…
And the counter-inauguration marches The constitutional inauguration of disaster It is impossible of course, to know what Chief Justice John G. Roberts was thinking when he administered the presidential oath to Donald Trump, particularly considering that Trump had publically called him a “dummy” and “an absolute disaster” after Roberts cast…
Why the Right can shoot us now A long-time anti-fascist was shot Friday night during a protest of alt-right racist and troll Milo Yiannopoulos, in the middle of a crowded square. The shooter, who later turned himself in, claiming self-defense, was released by UW police early Saturday morning. Somehow, this…
Did the DNC lie again? January 10—In a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the FBI’s finding of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, FBI Director James Comey testified that the FBI had made “multiple requests” at “different levels” to the DNC for access to the its servers, but the…