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# Works in Progress

Advocating for social justice since 1990

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://archive.olywip.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Olympians Want AI Powered Surveillance Out of Our City!](https://archive.olywip.org/olympians-want-ai-powered-surveillance-out-of-our-city/) - Olympia WA: On the evening of November 10th, over 150 community members packed shoulder to shoulder into a cafe, overflowing onto the side walk, with many standing outside the doors to hear about Flock Safety Company's AI-powered Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs). These cameras are tracking our community in Olympia and have been used by
- [The Promise and the Anguish of the so-called ‘Cease Fire’:  Justice advocates watch, worry and search for ways to support the people of Gaza and their allies](https://archive.olywip.org/the-promise-and-the-anguish-of-the-so-called-cease-fire-justice-advocates-watch-worry-and-search-for-ways-to-support-the-people-of-gaza-and-their-allies/) - The Ceasefire People in Gaza have experienced the evolving (or devolving) ceasefire with relief or disbelief... as its meaning morphs over time. They sift through the remains of lives and buildings, trying to imagine Gaza in recovery. The ceasefire feels tentative, vulnerable, on-again/off-again... almost a fiction to many. It is widely referred to as “the
- [Photo Essay and Editorial: Can We Keep Our Republic?](https://archive.olywip.org/photo-essay-and-editorial-can-we-keep-our-republic/) - Sitting between four lanes of Olympia traffic during the 3rd No Kings Day since Mr. Trump’s return to The People’s House, a 75-year-old attendee held up a book entitled “America: A Patriot’s Handbook” in her left hand. Comprised of more than fifty documents that celebrate this country as the land of liberty and freedom, there
- [Federal Suit in D.C. Circuit Alleges State Misled DOJ, NOAA, and the Court Over Capitol Lake–Budd Inlet—Deschutes Restoration Project](https://archive.olywip.org/federal-suit-in-d-c-circuit-alleges-state-misled-doj-noaa-and-the-court-over-capitol-lake-budd-inlet-deschutes-restoration-project/) - A federal NEPA lawsuit in the District of Columbia is raising serious questions about whether Washington State agencies misled not only the public—but also the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), NOAA, and the federal court—about the true status of the Capitol Lake–Deschutes Estuary/Budd Inlet restoration project. Environmental advocate Arthur West filed suit in the U.S.
- [Community Calendar - December 2025 and onward...](https://archive.olywip.org/community-calendar-december-2025-and-onward/) - Olympia Unitarian Universalist Church Book Nook Sale - Shop online here for 25% off discounted books. If you buy 5 or more books, you will receive an additional 10% on your total purchase. December 1 - Midnight December 6 - All proceeds will benefit the Thurston County Food Bank. Rally against the use of Flock
- [What’s happening at The JOLT?](https://archive.olywip.org/whats-happening-at-the-jolt/) - The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater is Thurston County’s own nonprofit daily news service. It is succeeding but struggling like almost all local journalism around the country. As WIP undergoes reorganization, we encourage our readers to subscribe and financially support The JOLT, our only independent and unbiased local news source. I sat down with
- [Port Commission Election Portends a New Direction for the Port of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/port-commission-election-portends-a-new-direction-for-the-port-of-olympia/) - Running on a platform of no special interests, financial transparency and environmental stewardship, Krag Unsoeld and Jerry Toompas were elected Port of Olympia Commissioners on November 4. Their election could prove to be a major turning point for the Port, how it operates, what projects it pursues and how downtown Olympia will develop. Several residents
- [Sierra Club Oregon's Wood Pellet Fact Sheet](https://archive.olywip.org/sierra-club-oregons-wood-pellet-fact-sheet/)
- [Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund's “Democracy Playbook” - A Primer on Community Action](https://archive.olywip.org/community-environmental-legal-defense-funds-democracy-playbook-a-primer-on-community-action/) - The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund - CELDF - has published a “Democracy Playbook” A Primer on Community Action. The Primer walks you through the typical scenarios of what you can expect when a corporate project wants to come to town, like elected officials saying their hands are tied or that if we just present
- [Palestine Action South Sound - Help End U.S. Complicity in Israeli Genocide](https://archive.olywip.org/palestine-action-south-sound-help-end-u-s-complicity-in-israeli-genocide/)
- [Not What You Signed Up For? Support Resources For Service Members](https://archive.olywip.org/not-what-you-signed-up-for-support-resources-for-service-members/)
- [Want to De-Monopoly your Organization?](https://archive.olywip.org/want-to-de-monopoly-your-organization/) - Do you use - Google docs to keep track of your members? - Google calendar to schedule your meetings? -Instagram or X to advertise your events? We get it! These BIG TECH companies have huge teams of people working to build and maintain them (and fill them with AI sloop and crappy chatbots!) Do you
- [Islamic Center of Olympia - Building Bridges](https://archive.olywip.org/islamic-center-of-olympia-building-bridges/)
- [Announcement - ICE out of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/announcement-ice-out-of-olympia/)
- [Welcome Blankets in City Hall](https://archive.olywip.org/welcome-blankets-in-city-hall/) - The Welcome Blanket Project is a national initiative that began in 2017. Conceived by artist Jayna Sweiman, it reimagines the concept of a border wall - replacing it with 2,000 miles of handmade blankets. Since its inception, more than 7,500 blankets have been made across the United States and around the world. A local group
- [Register Today for the 2026 South Sound Labor School](https://archive.olywip.org/register-today-for-the-2026-south-sound-labor-school/)
- [Saving the Nisqually Delta - Author Presentation](https://archive.olywip.org/saving-the-nisqually-delta-author-presentation/) - See our review of this book Located eight miles northeast of Olympia, Washington, the Nisqually Delta is one of the country’s last unspoiled estuaries. Janine Gates, author of Saving the Nisqually Delta, will discuss her book and present a slide show about the historical pressures applied by ports, counties, cities, and corporations to industrialize the Nisqually
- [Cartoon by El Machete](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-by-el-machete/)
- [Poem - Solvent](https://archive.olywip.org/poem-solvent/) - The brambles jumps and the ivy creeps, Through my eyes and through my dreams, I don’t want to be the sole causation of my own misery, I don’t want circumstance to be the only reason I breathe, I want my words to create a crescendo of colors in the minds of mankind alike, I want
- [The Spin Cycle of Distortion/ How Media Narratives Undermine Nonviolent Movements](https://archive.olywip.org/the-spin-cycle-of-distortion-how-media-narratives-undermine-nonviolent-movements/) - The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement began as a plain moral claim: Black lives matter, in response to systemic racism and police violence. Yet as its visibility grew, its core message was bent by selective framing, politicized counter-slogans, and a media ecosystem incentivized to polarize. The distortion is not accidental noise; it is a form
- [The Challenges With Medicaid](https://archive.olywip.org/the-challenges-with-medicaid/) - In recent issues, I’ve addressed the huge financial challenges facing Social Security and Medicare. This issue I’ll address the third of the big three “entitlement” programs, Medicaid. Like Social Security and Medicare, Medicaid is in trouble. Unlike the problems with Social Security and Medicare, these problems are not really driven by the population pyramid issue
- [Book Review - Saving the Nisqually Delta, by Janine Gates](https://archive.olywip.org/book-review-saving-the-nisqually-delta-by-janine-gates/) - This is a much-needed history of the long struggle to save one of the last unspoiled river deltas on the west coast. First, though, before engaging in this epic story, take a moment to gaze at the image of the delta that graces the book’s cover. In the hazy distance are the Cascades, crowned by
- [Then This Happened 2 - Snohomish River Rights of Nature Case Update](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-2-snohomish-river-rights-of-nature-case-update/) - See original press release here. November 20, 2025 Standing for Nature to Appeal Ruling Striking Down Everett’s Snohomish River Rights Law Grassroots organization says the fight is just beginning as it mounts a strong appeal on core legal issues. EVERETT, Washington — Standing for Nature announced today that it will appeal Snohomish County Superior Court
- [LISO: A Community Response to an Urgent Need](https://archive.olywip.org/liso-a-community-response-to-an-urgent-need/) - Legal Immigration Services of Olympia - LISO - began the way most community-rooted work does: with a simple, urgent truth that could no longer be ignored. For years, many families across Southwestern Washington have faced immigration detention alone, with almost no legal support organization available south of Tacoma. Folks living in rural counties, working long
- [South Sound Round Table Organizes Regional Coalition](https://archive.olywip.org/south-sound-round-table-organizes-regional-coalition/) - A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong” - Tecumsah The Social Movement Round Table of the South Sound held its 3rd meeting on November 15, convening more than 40 groups and organizations who are building local resistance and solidarity in the face of hostile bosses, the federal administration’s actions, and other
- [Letter to the Port Commission on a Planned Warehouse - 11/29/2025](https://archive.olywip.org/letter-to-the-port-commission-on-a-planned-warehouse-11-29-2025/) - Dear Port Commissioners and Staff, The Port is planning on spending $6.5 million on a warehouse. They've thus far spent $500,000 on design and planning. It will cover 70,000 square feet, 150 feet × 460 feet. It will be a metal frame covered with seven layers of ripstop nylon fabric. It will be placed between the existing warehouse and the
- [A Better Vision for the Port of Olympia: Prosperity Through Public Space](https://archive.olywip.org/a-better-vision-for-the-port-of-olympia-prosperity-through-public-space/) - At recent Port of Olympia meetings the conversation has focused on how to make the waterfront “pay for itself”. Commissioners have talked about ensuring that redevelopment is “profit-based” and that land must be put to its “highest and best use.” Those phrases sound responsible. But if we look around the state — and the nation
- [A Call to Save Works in Progress](https://archive.olywip.org/a-call-to-save-works-in-progress/) - Dear Readers, Two years ago, Works in Progress almost came to an end after its former volunteer staff, who for years put in long hours and a lot of effort, decided to bow out. Not wanting to lose such a valuable community asset, a small group of us stepped in, led by our now deceased
- [Index - October 2025 Issue](https://archive.olywip.org/index-october-2025-issue/) - No Kings No Kings Protest Will Bring Thousands to State Capitol on 10/18 Poem – To the Man With the Haunted Look by Anya Woodhall Local Politics Opinion – Financial Mismanagement at the Port of Olympia Port Commission Candidate Statements What do you think Olympia should look like? Local Good Governance Coalition urges Adoption of
- [Then This Happened:  Updates to Previous Articles](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-updates-to-previous-articles/) - Where is Zahid Chaudrey? Zahid Chaudrey is a Pakistani emigrant, local community activist and disabled US veteran of two American-born children who was detained by ICE during a scheduled court hearing for citizenship, He has been held in the Northwest Detention Center since August. His wife and supporters have been working tirelessly to have him
- [Poem - To the Man With the Haunted Look by Anya Woodhall](https://archive.olywip.org/poem-to-the-man-with-the-haunted-look-by-anya-woodhall/) - To the Man with the Haunted Look who found me at the end of a line of black-clad allies holding warning signs and said, "I get it. I see. But what do I do?" Here is what I wish I'd said, as forests bloom across the land, graced by protest songs & second
- [Elon Musk is About to Be a Trillionaire. What is That?](https://archive.olywip.org/elon-musk-is-about-to-be-a-trillionaire-what-is-that/) - The United States has more wealth inequality than any other major developed nation The Pew Research Center found that the wealth gap between America’s richest and poorer families more than doubled from 1989 to 2016. In 1989, the richest 5% of families had 114 times as much wealth as families in the second quintile (one
- [Can Centrism Save Us?](https://archive.olywip.org/can-centrism-save-us/) - Political views traverse along a rocky path from the Ultra-Liberal Democrats to the MAGA Right Republicans. Differences in “party politics” can quickly become inflamed and even harm relationships great and small. Between these polar opposites in ”political views” lies the self-interested citizen, used here to describe any individual in any city, in any town, anywhere.
- [Photo Essay: Something Evil (Perhaps) This Way Comes](https://archive.olywip.org/something-evil-perhaps-this-way-comes/) - Not long ago, a homeless woman named Sonya was sitting on the ground next to a bench in Sylvester Park in downtown Olympia, Washington. Her clothing was strewn across the wet grass; her appearance was disheveled; her speech chaotic. “Why bother with her?” a man said as he walked by. “She’s nothing more than a
- [Three Cartoon Puns by R. Lovitt](https://archive.olywip.org/three-cartoon-puns/)
- [Poem - Just Now by Pam Pride](https://archive.olywip.org/just-now/) - The hummingbird found the gentle morning mist rising from the spray of water I was aiming at the brown leaves of a shriveled bush. She circled round the edges of the mist darting in and out to find the sweet spot—not so much that she’d tumble over like a mainsail tipping toward the ocean surface
- [Community Spotlight -   October 15-December 1, 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-october-15-december-1-2025/) - Clark Gilman Gathering: Standing Up for Olympia’s Values of Peace & Justice - south end of Percival Landing, 4th Ave & Water St - October 17, Vigil @4:30-6PM, 1 hour meeting to follow to review what has been done and what the City might do in the future to be a city of Compassion, Justice
- [Cartoon - Watching Genocide by El Machete](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-watching-genocide-by-el-machete/)
- [Justice, you shall pursue: Rabbi David Mivasair’s lifeline to Gaza](https://archive.olywip.org/justice-you-shall-pursue/) - Reprinted with permission from PeaceVoice On a damp morning in Hamilton, Ontario, Rabbi David Mivasair leans over a laptop in his home office, toggling between WhatsApp threads filled with names he now knows by heart — families in Gaza he has been speaking with for nearly two years. A father searching for insulin for his
- [Who Will Defend Ordinary Working People Against Trump and MAGA?](https://archive.olywip.org/who-will-defend-ordinary-working-people-against-trump-and-maga/) - Reprinted with permission from PeaceVoice You don’t have to be radical leftist to be concerned about the way Donald Trump and his MAGAs are threatening the well-being of ordinary Americans—and government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In a recent Washington Post poll, those polled disapprove of how Trump is handling the
- [As the Military Occupies Your Town - Give Them Flowers and a Note](https://archive.olywip.org/as-the-military-occupies-your-town-give-them-flowers-and-a-note/) - Reprinted with permission from PeaceVoice During some of the large anti-war demonstrations during the 1960s some of the protesters gave flowers to the troops faced off against them. In the 1967 March on the Pentagon it was the 503rd Military Police Battalion, and elsewhere the National Guard was deployed. An iconic photo from 1967 shows a young
- [Medicare:  A Challenged Program – Part II – How Can Congress Keep it from Disappearing in 2034?](https://archive.olywip.org/medicare-a-challenged-program-part-ii-how-can-congress-keep-it-from-disappearing-in-2034/) - (If you missed the first part of this article, see this issue of WIP for “Medicare: A Challenged Program – Part I – The Current Situation”.) Past Attempts to Solve Medicare’s Solvency Problems The Congress has done a number of things to attempt to “fix” Medicare – to keep benefits coming. Most important is that
- [Medicare:  A Challenged Program – Part I – The Current Situation](https://archive.olywip.org/medicare-a-challenged-program-part-i-the-current-situation/) - (Jim Lazar describes past “fixes” and proposed future solutions in Part II of this article, published in this issue of WIP.) How does Medicare’s Solvency Problem Compare with Social Security’s? Last month I looked at the challenges facing Social Security. There, the problem is relatively simple. The program is based on today’s workers paying retirement
- [Cartoon - Tritium Fart - El Machete](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-tritium-fart-el-machete/)
- [Cartoon - Don't Mess With Mother Nature](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-dont-mess-with-mother-nature/)
- [The Climate Challenge Series: Divesting from Climate Fossil Fuels](https://archive.olywip.org/climate-challenge/)
- [Discuss Issues Impacting Our Community with Thurston Climate Action Team](https://archive.olywip.org/discuss-issues-impacting-our-community-with-thurston-climate-action-team/)
- [Solving Stormwater - Puget Sound Green Infrastructure Summit](https://archive.olywip.org/solving-stormwater/) - (Click to view full-size)
- [Proposed Appeals Process Deters Citizen Input -  Case in Point: Johnson Creek Mine](https://archive.olywip.org/proposed-appeals-process-deters-citizen-input-case-in-point-johnson-creek-mine/) - Public Input on an Important Change The Board of County Commissioners will be holding a public hearing on November 18 @ 3:30 to decide whether to change the process by which appeals of hearing examiner decisions are reviewed. Presently, those appealing a decision by the hearing examiner are able to present their case to the
- [Support for general strike preparation gains traction at labor conventions](https://archive.olywip.org/support-for-general-strike-preparation-gains-traction-at-labor-conventions/) - Reprinted with permission from the Freedom Socialist Washington State Labor Council Union delegates came to the annual Washington State Labor Council convention in July fired up to resist Trump’s wholesale assault. Rage over mass deportations and the genocide in Gaza produced resolutions calling for mass actions and a general strike. Despite fiery speeches, however, council
- [Olympia Workers’ Bill of Rights: Myth vs. Fact](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-workers-bill-of-rights-myth-vs-fact/) - Originally published at https://www.olyrising.com/facts Empowering workers. Strengthening our community. Myth: “Raising the minimum wage will cause massive job losses.” Fact: Research consistently shows that moderate wage increases have minimal impact on employment. In some cases, they even lead to job growth due to increased consumer spending. Economic Policy Institute | UC Berkeley Labor Center Myth:
- [Olympia’s Workers’ Bill of Rights: A Step Toward Fairness and Stability for All Working People](https://archive.olywip.org/olympias-workers-bill-of-rights-a-step-toward-fairness-and-stability-for-all-working-people/) - This November, Olympia voters have a chance to make history by voting Yes on Proposition 1 — the Workers’ Bill of Rights. It’s a community-driven initiative that puts fairness, stability, and dignity at the center of our local economy — for workers in every field, from grocery clerks to caregivers to nonprofit staff. For too
- [Local Good Governance Coalition urges Adoption of a Resolution to Protect Constitutional Rights](https://archive.olywip.org/local-good-governance-coalition-urges-adoption-of-a-resolution-to-protect-constitutional-rights/) - On September 17, the Local Good Governance Coalition (LGGC) sent a request to the cities of Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm and to Thurston County asking that they adopt a Resolution to Protect the Constitutional Rights of its residents. The Local Good Governance Coalition consists of local organizations and interested individuals who have come together to
- [Text of the Proposed Resolution to Defend Constitutional Rights](https://archive.olywip.org/text-of-the-proposed-resolution-to-defend-constitutional-rights/) - RESOLUTION FOR THE CITY OF OLYMPIA (LACEY, TUMWATER, YELM, THURSTON COUNTY) CITY COUNCIL TO SEND REQUEST TO WASHINGTON’S FEDERAL AND STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS TO DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF RESIDENTS The following Resolution was duly presented for consideration by the City Council: WHEREAS, as lawmakers sworn to uphold and protect the Constitution of
- [Port Commission Candidate Statements](https://archive.olywip.org/port-commission-candidate-statements/) - Works in Progress invited the 4 Port Commission candidates, Krag Unsoeld, Jerry Toompas, Bob Iyall and Anthony Hemstad, to answer 3 questions. We only received responses from Krag Unsoeld and Jerry Toompas, which are below. 1. The Port dredges to remove toxic sediments and to maintain the shipping lane for freighters. As federal dollars become
- [What do you think Olympia should look like?](https://archive.olywip.org/what-do-you-think-olympia-should-look-like/) - Before beginning my graduate school capstone project, my professors told me to look back at all the papers I’d written and identify themes. A pattern emerged almost immediately. In paper after paper, I was asking the same question: “Why is Olympia like this?” Why did that restaurant close? What is that smell? Why hasn’t anything
- [Index - September 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/index-september-2025/) - Environmental News Poem – I love Olympia, 20 years from now Daylighting Moxlie Creek for a Renewed Olympia Flawed County SEPA Process Jeopardizes Environment at Johnson Creek Quarry Putting New Farmers on the Land Local Social and Political News Walking in the shoes (or not) of the homeless – Empathy is crucial Who Owns The
- [Opinion - Financial Mismanagement at the Port of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/financial-mismanagement-at-the-port-of-olympia/) - A version of this article appeared in The JOLT. The Port of Olympia owns approximately $500 million in property, according to data received from the County Assessor. But, unlike a normal landlord, it loses money on each of its major commercial business units – the Marine Terminal, Marina, Airport, and rental properties. It subsidizes these
- [No Kings Protest Will Bring Thousands to State Capitol on 10/18](https://archive.olywip.org/no-kings-protest-will-bring-thousands-to-state-capitol-on-10-18/) - Who: Organized by Olympia Indivisible and Evergreen Resistance. Speakers: the Honorable John Erlick; Reverend David Reaves; youth advocate Negev; immigration attorney Steffani Powell; and emcee Alfie Alvarado, former WDVA director. Musical performances by: Artesian Rumble Arkestra; Sticks & Bones; Good Noise; Bada Boom; Next Stop: Cosmos; Stella Jay and the Love Monkeys; Dry Lightning; Evergreen
- [Condemning the Assault on Life and Limb in Gaza - Part 1 - Building a Movement for Justice - Actions to Date](https://archive.olywip.org/condemning-the-assault-on-life-and-limb-in-gaza-part-1-building-a-movement-for-justice-actions-to-date/) - On July 25th, a group of community folks gathered outside the office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland and along nearby College Ave. to convey our grave concerns about Gaza and her hesitancy to take a stand for the people there. We issued this statement, written by Dr. Antoon-Walsh: Local constituents banged pots and pans outside of
- [Flawed County SEPA Process Jeopardizes Environment at Johnson Creek Quarry](https://archive.olywip.org/flawed-county-sepa-process-jeopardizes-environment-at-johnson-creek-quarry/) - The proposal to expand the Johnson Creek Mine, owned by Weyerhaeuser, from 10.4 acres to 228 acres has red flags that should alarm Thurston County residents. While this issue may seem like it is isolated to residents in a pocket of Tenino, the breakdown in the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process demonstrates a
- [Walking in the shoes (or not) of the homeless - Empathy is crucial](https://archive.olywip.org/walking-in-the-shoes-or-not-of-the-homeless-empathy-is-crucial/) - Walking in the footwear (or not) of a homeless person is more than just a metaphor – it is an invitation for the housed to empathize with the unhoused. Taking the time and effort to understand what many of the homeless have encountered in their lives is not easy to do. Who wants to talk
- [Community Calendar   September 1 - October 15](https://archive.olywip.org/community-calendar-september-1-october-15/) - Workers Over Billionaires - We are over it! - Banner & Sign Wave - Sleater-Kinney I-5 Freeway Overpass and Street, 525 Sleater Kinney Rd SE, Lacey - September 1, 11am-12:30 PM - Labor & community are planning to stop the billionaire takeover through collective action in 1000’s of communities across the country to demand a
- [The Stolen Children](https://archive.olywip.org/the-stolen-children/) - This article was originally published in PeaceVoice Amongst the worst things I have been exposed to as a Doctor of International Conflict Management is the abuse of children. I am not so naïve as to have forgotten that US Presidents have participated in human bondage, starting with George Washington, who "owned" at least 13 slaves;
- [How’s life under the occupation?](https://archive.olywip.org/hows-life-under-the-occupation/) - This article was originally published in PeaceVoice The US invaded Iraq and Afghanistan as illegally as Putin invaded Ukraine, a bad place to begin "democracy building." It taught its young troopers how to take over neighborhoods, conduct door-to-kicked-down-door searches and seizures of homes, no warrant needed—grab folks for “interrogation,” no presumption of innocence, and jail
- [Fascism Continues Its March in America](https://archive.olywip.org/fascism-continues-its-march-in-america/) - Using state power to limit full and frank public discourse - e.g., shutting down the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Firing apolitical civil service experts because they do not subscribe to the ruling party’s preferred ‘untruths’ - e.g., firing the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Endorsing blatantly anti-democratic endeavors - e.g., support for Texas’
- [Unity of the center and left is critical to stopping MAGA](https://archive.olywip.org/unity-of-the-center-and-left-is-critical-to-stopping-maga/) - This article was originally published in PeaceVoice After World War I, Germany became a constitutional democratic republic for the first time. The country was in desperate circumstances subsequent to the war and the early years of the Weimar Republic were laden with grave problems, including hyperinflation and political violence. By 1924 much stability was restored,
- [Ripples of power: How helping others helps ourselves](https://archive.olywip.org/ripples-of-power-how-helping-others-helps-ourselves/) - This article was originally published in PeaceVoice I’ve been thinking about power, and people who use their power to be kind to others. A mediator friend described a case in which a tenant lost her job, got behind on rent, and started using drugs. Happily, she had an epiphany, turned her life around, and got
- [Civil society is playing a vital role in defense of human rights](https://archive.olywip.org/civil-society-is-playing-a-vital-role-in-defense-of-human-rights/) - This article was originally published in PeaceVoice From online news reports to social media platforms, the rise of authoritarianism and the surge in catastrophic armed conflicts are being broadcast in real time. The world has witnessed numerous atrocity crimes, causing many observers to speak out against the violence, but with no clear end in sight.
- [Cartoon - Unveiling by Eric J Garcia](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-unveiling-by-eric-j-garcia/)
- [Cartoon - America First by Lester](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-america-first-by-lester/)
- [Poem - Alligator Alcatraz by Sam Hendrian](https://archive.olywip.org/poem-alligator-alcatraz-by-sam-hendrian/) - “Alligator Alcatraz” Left church 10 minutes early To go for a Sunday drive Down to the bottom of the country Where golf clubs and cheap pubs abound. Paused for a VIP tour Of a brand-new facility Lovingly crafted For allegedly loveless individuals. Couldn’t conceal their excitement As they passed the narrow bunk beds
- [Poem - The Fawn by Pam Pride](https://archive.olywip.org/poem-the-fawn-by-pam-pride/) - The Fawn I find a piece of wood on the trail so closely resembling a deer hoof I want to pocket it. I resist. Let others discover and delight in it. I am rewarded. Up ahead, a tiny fawn is curled in the grass. Just looking. Pam Pride is a sometimes poet
- [Rural Guatemala and Climate Change - How One Community is Adapting to Their New Reality](https://archive.olywip.org/rural-guatemala-and-climate-change-how-one-community-is-adapting-to-their-new-reality/) - In June, I visited the community of Copal AA La Esperanza to participate in the 12th annual Festival de la Madre Tierra. I wrote about that experience in Works In Progress' June issue. In brief, Copal AA La Esperanza (the hope) is a community of returned, indigenous folks who had fled from Guatemala to Mexico during
- [Condemning the Assault on Life and Limb in Gaza - Part 2 - Building a Movement for Justice — How YOU Can Help](https://archive.olywip.org/condemning-the-assault-on-life-and-limb-in-gaza-part-2-building-a-movement-for-justice-how-you-can-help/) - Part 1 of this article, in this issue of WIP, describes the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the many actions that PASS (Palestine Action of South Sound) has taken to influence our local federal representatives. In this Part 2 of the article the authors explain ways that readers can help PASS or other local activists
- [Models of Disability and the Christian Church: Moving Beyond Charity ](https://archive.olywip.org/models-of-disability-and-the-christian-church-moving-beyond-charity/) - There has been great progress within the Christian Church when it comes to minorities. There are hundreds of articles covering the history of the modern-day treatment of women and persons of color in Christian congregations. But I will focus on a slightly less studied topic; the status of persons with disabilities within the Church. To
- [Why Is Social Security in Trouble? What’s the Fix?](https://archive.olywip.org/why-is-social-security-in-trouble-whats-the-fix/) - This is one of two related articles for WIP; the second is about Medicare, which is also in trouble. This article gives an introduction to the problem for both, and then focuses on the problems and solutions for Social Security. Look for the Medicare article in the next issue. Medicare and Social Security are in
- [In Memory of Roger Robinson - Decades long Defender of Green Cove](https://archive.olywip.org/in-memory-of-roger-robinson-decades-long-defender-of-green-cove/) - On July 4, we lost Roger Robinson. Roger lived adjacent to the Sundberg Gravel Pit since 1999 and spent decades documenting the illegal dumping, grading and disturbances that were taking place there, endangering his neighbors and the surrounding area with unknown toxic substances. Roger meticulously mapped the areas where he found various kinds of debris
- [Her legacy is all around us - In Memory of Sue Danvers](https://archive.olywip.org/her-legacy-is-all-around-us-in-memory-of-sue-danvers/) - This article is reprinted from The Echo, the newsletter of the South Sound Bird Alliance Last month the natural world lost one of its strongest, most passionate and committed advocates. Sue Danver passed away after a long illness and the return of cancer. Sue was a force for conservation all her life. From teaching environmental
- [Labor Day September 1st Overpass Bannering in Washington: Because We’re Over It](https://archive.olywip.org/labor-day-september-1st-overpass-bannering-in-washington-because-were-over-it/) - Olympia, Washington — On Labor Day Weekend, banners will be lifted over highways across the west coast. In Washington State, from 10 am to 1 pm on September 1st, Evergreen Resistance, a Washington chapter of the 50501 Movement, in partnership with Indivisible and Backbone Campaign, with the help of numerous volunteers from our own neighborhoods,
- [Constitutional Change for a Livable Future:  The Green Amendment Tour](https://archive.olywip.org/constitutional-change-for-a-livable-future-the-green-amendment-tour/) - From September 14th to 19th, Maya K. van Rossum, founder and leader of the national movement to incorporate Green Amendments into state constitutions, will be touring Washington State across six cities. The purpose of this tour is to educate residents and legislators about the Green Amendment (GA) and Washington’s efforts to pass one. The national
- [A New Vision for Childcare](https://archive.olywip.org/a-new-vision-for-childcare/) - What IF families didn’t have to go their separate ways every morning - kids to daycare and parents to work? What IF kids could play where their parents worked? What IF families could stay connected in a warm community of caretakers throughout the day? Those are the questions Dr. Schyler Raad and their spouse, Rachel,
- [Who Owns The Olympian Newspaper And Why It Matters](https://archive.olywip.org/who-owns-the-olympian-newspaper-and-why-it-matters/) - The Olympian newspaper sounds like it is headquartered here. The newspaper started as The Washington Standard, transforming into The Daily Olympian in February 1889 and then The Olympian in 1982. If you ask online, “Who owns The Olympian newspaper?,” the first answer is the McClatchy Company. But, further searches uncover the fact that The Olympian
- [Putting New Farmers on the Land](https://archive.olywip.org/putting-new-farmers-on-the-land/) - This is a time when land available for new farming operations is shrinking while costs to purchase land to permit entry to farming have become all but prohibitive. At the same time, the farmer population is largely beyond retirement age and the recruitment of new and younger farmers to replace those leaving farming faces bleak
- [Daylighting Moxlie Creek for a Renewed Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/daylighting-moxlie-creek-for-a-renewed-olympia/) - Olympia has always been defined by its relationship to the water. Local waters have shaped our city’s history, culture, and quality of life. One of our greatest potential treasures, however—Moxlie Creek—runs through town buried in a large concrete pipe. By restoring and daylighting Moxlie Creek through downtown Olympia we have an opportunity to bring back a
- [Poem - I love Olympia, 20 years from now](https://archive.olywip.org/poem-i-love-olympia-20-years-from-now/) - I love Olympia. The fingers of the Salish Sea hold thriving wildlife, Hordes of salmon satisfy school children as they point and watch From the Fifth Avenue Bridge. Jellyfish and sailboats, canoes and Cranes, oysters, and osprey. The brewery now brews Kombucha. I love Olympia. I can afford to live here. I can walk downtown
- [July 2025 Index](https://archive.olywip.org/july-2025-index/) - Local News & Environment From What Is to What If – Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want – by Rob Hopkins From What is to What If – Unleashing the Power of Imagination To Create The Future We Want – Part 2 Tree Ambassador Project Announces Winners of its Olympia
- [Join Your Local Grange and Build Community](https://archive.olywip.org/join-your-local-grange-and-build-community/) - The American farmer is a very rare being; threatened for sure, but on the verge of going extinct. Less than one percent of the population is now engaged in farming. This is not just tragic, it is frightening and dangerous. As of 15 years ago the average age of farmers was 60. Maybe it
- [Signs from the No Kings Rally, June 14th](https://archive.olywip.org/signs-from-the-no-kings-rally-june-14th/) - The following photos are from the No Kings rally at the Olympia State Capitol on June 14th. Photographs are by LionKats unless otherwise noted.
- [From What Is to What If - Unleashing the Power of Imagination  to Create the Future We Want -  by Rob Hopkins](https://archive.olywip.org/from-what-is-to-what-if-unleashing-the-power-of-imagination-to-create-the-future-we-want-by-rob-hopkins/) - This is part 1 of a two-part article. View part 2 here. To all the dystopian gloom and doomers out there. Things can turn out OK. That’s the message of Rob Hopkins’ book, “From What Is to What If -Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want.” And he’s got the proof
- [From What is to What If - Unleashing the Power of Imagination  To Create The Future We Want - Part 2](https://archive.olywip.org/from-what-is-to-what-if-unleashing-the-power-of-imagination-to-create-the-future-we-want-part-2/) - This is part 2 of a two-part article. View part 1 here. There are SO many What if questions we can ask. What if residential streets could be play streets? What if there were food forests in every neighborhood? What if our public buildings were powered by renewable energy? What if we could swim in
- [Tree Ambassador Project Announces Winners of its Olympia Largest Tree Contest.](https://archive.olywip.org/tree-ambassador-project-announces-winners-of-its-olympia-largest-tree-contest/) - The Tree Ambassador Project of Restoring Earth Connection has completed a 5-month project canvas of the neighborhoods of Olympia to find its largest trees. This was a project sponsored by the City of Olympia’s Inspire Grant. Volunteer “Ambassadors” shared with neighbors a handout listing the many benefits of their trees: drawing down pollution, drawing down
- [Stormwater Permit Loopholes Risk Endangered Species Habitat](https://archive.olywip.org/stormwater-permit-loopholes-risk-endangered-species-habitat/) - I appealed two stormwater discharge permits to the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB). Stormwater permits are supposed to limit the amount of pollution that drains into lakes, rivers and marine waters. I became concerned when I saw how Oregon Spotted Frog egg masses would dry out and kill thousands of tadpoles. These frogs are listed
- [Difference between a Green Amendment and a Standing for Nature Amendment](https://archive.olywip.org/difference-between-a-green-amendment-and-a-standing-for-nature-amendment/) - Green Amendments are a monumental step forward for nature, but they are different than rights of nature in that they focus on the rights of citizens to a healthy thriving environment rather than giving the environment its own right to exist and thrive. Green Amendments tend to focus on the government’s duty as a trustee
- [Key Indicators of Global Climate Change 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/key-indicators-of-global-climate-change-2024/) - AR6, the Sixth Assessment Report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, was released on March 20, 2023. Forster, P. M., Smith, C., Walsh, T., Lamb, W. F., Lamboll, R., Cassou, C., Hauser, M., Hausfather, Z., Lee, J.-Y., Palmer, M. D., von Schuckmann, K., Slangen, A. B. A., Szopa, S., Trewin, B., Yun, J.,
- [Cartoon - Power to the Pupa by R. Lovitt](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-power-to-the-pupa-by-r-lovitt/)
- [Government Debt - What It Pays for and Who Pays](https://archive.olywip.org/government-debt-what-it-pays-for-and-who-pays/) - There has been a lot of recent talk about the level of government debt. The City of Olympia had a 2024 debt of $85 million. Governor Ferguson inherited a Washington State debt estimated at $13 billion. And the One Big Beautiful Bill will balloon the federal debt (currently $37 trillion) by another $3 trillion, despite
- [How Federal Budget Cuts will Impact Washington](https://archive.olywip.org/how-federal-budget-cuts-will-impact-washington/) - The following infographics were obtained from The Poster Project, “an all volunteer group of concerned citizens who are researching, fact-checking and designing these graphics. The information they have gathered is from “non-partisan, publicly available data sources” and includes a hyperlink to a page listing the sources for the graphic’s content. They have compiled data showing
- [Greed: The Survival of a Primitive Emotion](https://archive.olywip.org/greed-the-survival-of-a-primitive-emotion/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice Congressional passage of Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” provides the latest evidence that human greed, despite its primitive nature, remains alive and well. Perhaps most noticeably, the legislation provides for over $3 trillion in tax cuts that disproportionately help the wealthy and their corporations. This largesse is facilitated by slashing over $1.4 trillion
- [Naturalize Or Terrorize? ICE Is a Racket – And It’s Costing Too Much](https://archive.olywip.org/naturalize-or-terrorize-ice-is-a-racket-and-its-costing-too-much/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice After spending months firing federal workers, slashing public services, gutting healthcare, and raising taxes for everyone but the rich, our country just wasted hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on a detention center in Florida. Dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, it’s nothing more than a collection of tents on an old airstrip in
- [Azzbackwards Alligator Alcatraz!](https://archive.olywip.org/azzbackwards-alligator-alcatraz/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice Why are we still screwing around? I mean, come on, it’s time to bite the bullet and get ‘er done! Why are we spending so much time and money on rounding up immigrants, then more money on shipping them overseas and paying other countries to jail ‘em? I thought DOGE was
- [Community Spotlight - July 15-September 1](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-july-15-september-1/) - Sign Waving Rally - Park at the Park&Ride at Martin Way, I-5 exit 109. We will sign wave along Martin Way - July 17, 5-7pm - Sign wave about any issues that are troubling you as part of the Good Trouble Lives On national day of nonviolent action. Organized by Olympia Indivisible. Join One Million
- [Event - Moral Mondays in DC - 6/2/25](https://archive.olywip.org/event-moral-mondays-in-dc-6-2-25/)
- [Letters of Resistance](https://archive.olywip.org/letters-of-resistance/) - Thurston Regional Planning Council 2411 Chandler Court SW Olympia, WA 98502 Members of the Thurston Regional Planning Council, The League of Women Voters of Thurston County is providing comments related to the current Draft Update to the Regional Transportation Plan as presented by the Transportation Policy Board. The League is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic organization
- [Cartoon: Just How Much Is It? by Leo Bar](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-just-how-much-is-it-by-leo-bar/)
- [Cartoon: I am You-Man by Grace Okay](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-i-am-you-man-by-grace-okay/)
- [Cartoon: Stop The Steal by Leo Bar](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-stop-the-steal-by-leo-bar/)
- [How Medicaid Cuts Impact Washington](https://archive.olywip.org/how-medicaid-cuts-impact-washington/) - Dani Cook compiled statistics on medicaid cuts for each state, available at https://substack.com/@thedanicook.
- [There’s No Real Future Without Empathy](https://archive.olywip.org/theres-no-real-future-without-empathy/) - Originally published in PeaceVoice From Gulf of America to mass expulsion of “illegals” (people of color) to continuing genocidal complicity in Gaza to whatever the daily news brings us...welcome to Trump America! Welcome to the small-minded, white nation so many long for, free once again from those large, inconvenient values – e.g., the Declaration of Independence –
- [How Will We Respond Today?](https://archive.olywip.org/opinion-how-will-we-respond-today/) - Originally published in PeaceVoice A person escapes slave labor, torture, rape, and murder, and illegally crosses a border to a land where such crimes are outlawed, to a land where people have the right to work for wages and are protected by the law. Anyone in this “Free Land” who harbors or aides such an
- [They Thought They Were Free - the Germans 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer](https://archive.olywip.org/they-thought-they-were-free-the-germans-1933-1945-by-milton-mayer/) - Forty years ago when I first read Milton Mayer’s “They Thought They Were Free - the Germans 1933-45” I wanted to learn the history - how one of the most civilized countries in the world devolved into the most barbaric. What drove me to read it again was an overwhelming sense of dread that what
- [Scenes from the Resistance, April 19, 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/scenes-from-the-resistance-april-19-2025/) - Some scenes from the rally at the Capitol, April 19, 2025.
- [Community Calendar - June 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/community-calendar-june-2025/) - Olympia Visibility Brigade Banner Hang - Chehalis Western Trail Footbridge over I-5, Lacey, WA - Monday, June 2, 4:30pm - You’ve seen those big signs at recent demonstrations – made of almost-invisible netting with big orange letters you can read a block away. Join Olympia Visibility Brigade’s effort to stand up against attacks on democracy
- [Index - April 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/index-april-2025/) - Local News Development Myths The Hidden Costs of Development Cartoon- Annoying NIMBYS – Leo Bar Springwood Development – How the Planned Project is Detrimental to the Neighborhood Your Input Is Needed to Improve Draft Comprehensive Plans Olympia’s Workers Step Up: A Community-Led Push for a Workers’ Bill of Rights Body of Evidence: Medical Trauma in
- [Justice for Victims of Genocide? A Visit to the Ixil Region of Guatemala](https://archive.olywip.org/justice-for-victims-of-genocide/) - It's been a busy month-and-a-half for me at NISGUA, with two weeks of intensive training and month of regular work under my belt. Last week, I took my first salida, or trip, to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the sentence of genocide committed against the Maya Ixil People.(1) On May 10th, 2013, the Guatemalan criminal
- [Earth Day Is the Planet’s Future](https://archive.olywip.org/earth-day-is-the-planets-future/) - Originally Published in PeaceVoice, Let Earth Day be every day! Let it transcend the present state of politics and our economic hierarchy. Let it open us to the future we long for but do not yet envision. We live on one vulnerable, extraordinary planet. We are not its overlords; we are part of an evolving
- [Trump from the Perspective of a Mental Health Provider](https://archive.olywip.org/trump-from-the-perspective-of-a-mental-health-provider/) - Originally published in PeaceVoice For the past seven years, I’ve served as a case manager and/or therapist at Tri County Community Services and presently through TeamBuilders Behavioral Health in Taos, New Mexico. In this capacity, I’ve witnessed the hardships of some of Taos’s most vulnerable and fragile community members and done my best to support
- [Reimagining U.S. Priorities: How Canada’s Costed Platforms Could Shift Spending from Military to Human Services](https://archive.olywip.org/reimagining-u-s-priorities-how-canadas-costed-platforms-could-shift-spending-from-military-to-human-services/) - Originally published in PeaceVoice Canada just held its federal election this week. I watch it closely because I have dual US and Canadian citizenship. I’ve always been intrigued by the way that all political parties in Canada literally have to “bring the receipts” for any proposals that they suggest on the campaign trail. They call
- [Poetry: "weigh and cast" by Robert Lovitt](https://archive.olywip.org/poetry-weigh-and-cast-by-robert-lovitt/) - what if we skipped the million-dollar mouthfights the canned barbs beamed from fancy shmancy studios - and instead aired the real thing: presidential hopefuls in low-budget real-time competing on location at a roadside lunch counter - competing in serving up chili dogs yes, aprons on no teleprompters, no note pads just sweat, grease and the
- [Then This Happened - June 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-june-2025/) - Recycling Act passed The bill promoting recycling in the legislature, SB 5284, mentioned in our March issue, was signed into law on May 17 and goes into effect July 27, 2025. The bill will require producers to manage their materials from design to end-of-life,ensuring responsible planning and funding to mitigate environmental impacts. It also mandates
- [Wood pellet plants pose a risk to our forests — and our health](https://archive.olywip.org/wood-pellet-plants-pose-a-risk-to-our-forests-and-our-health/) - Re-printed with permission from Washington State Standard https://washingtonstatestandard.com As Washington residents who live near Longview and Hoquiam, we are concerned about two wood pellet plants proposed for construction in these Washington communities. These mega-plants could soon compete with existing industries to buy timber, wood chips, and sawmill residues as raw material for wood pellet manufacture.
- [Besides Big Timber, Big Biomass Targets West Coast Forest Resources](https://archive.olywip.org/besides-big-timber-big-biomass-targets-west-coast-forest-resources/) - As if primary West coast forests weren’t threatened enough by Big Timber, now foreign corporations are targeting them for the production of wood pellets. Two large wood pellet producers are exploring establishing plants in the Pacific Northwest that would use our native forests to produce pellets, primarily to export to Asia to burn in coal
- [Climate Convention advances Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan](https://archive.olywip.org/climate-convention-advances-thurston-climate-mitigation-plan/) - Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT) sponsored the fourth South Sound Climate Action Convention at The Evergreen State College on Saturday, May 17th. The all day event brought together a diverse group of community leaders interested in climate action. The event featured nearly 50 speakers, 18 sessions, and three plenaries as well as a reception at
- [A Sanctuary for Healing: Black Dawg Farm and Sanctuary](https://archive.olywip.org/a-sanctuary-for-healing-black-dawg-farm-and-sanctuary/) - Nestled in the heart of Rainier, Washington, Black Dawg Farm and Sanctuary is more than just a refuge for abused and neglected animals—it’s a transformative space where both the creatures and the people who care for them experience healing. Amidst the quiet beauty of this sanctuary, volunteers of all ages come together to provide life-saving
- [Choosing the Underground: UW Lab's Pattern of Secrecy and Disregard for Animal Life for Self-Preservation](https://archive.olywip.org/choosing-the-underground-uw-labs-pattern-of-secrecy-and-disregard-for-animal-life-for-self-preservation/) - The University of Washington’s animal research has been a heavy source of controversy. While representatives have, on multiple occasions, claimed the lab has made significant progress — such as finally eliminating the use of live pigs for paramedic training after many years of criticism from physicians and scientists — the progress is at best exaggerated. Regardless, even
- [Call to the Democratic Party for Real Action](https://archive.olywip.org/call-to-the-democratic-party-for-real-action/) - Dear Democratic Party, I need more from you. You keep sending emails begging for $15, while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time. This administration is not simply “a different ideology.” It is a coordinated, authoritarian machine — with the Supreme Court, the House, the Senate, and the executive pen all under its control.
- [Organizing for a General Strike](https://archive.olywip.org/organizing-for-a-general-strike/) - A decentralized grassroots movement to organize a general strike in resistance to the federal government is taking shape online at generalstrikeus.com . (GSUS) Their website states “We’ve voted, we’ve protested, and still, they ignore us. Our government refuses to meet our basic needs while the billionaire class hoards wealth and power. “The General Strike is
- [No Kings! Interfaith Litany](https://archive.olywip.org/no-kings-interfaith-litany/) - Reader 1 - We stand today in the long tradition of prophets, spiritual leaders, and freedom fighters from our sacred traditions who have, also, stood up to the empires, kings, and unjust rulers of their day. Today we are taking to the streets nationwide with a clear message: No Kings! Reader 2 - As we
- [Olympia Friends support Quakers Lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-friends-support-quakers-lawsuit-against-the-department-of-homeland-security/) - On January 23, three East Coast Quaker groups were the first religious bodies to bring a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, challenging a Trump administration decision that would allow immigration enforcement (arrests, etc.) at houses of worship. Soon after, the Olympia Friends Meeting (Quakers) made the following statement in support of the lawsuit.
- [What Nonviolent Tactics to Use in This Moment: Part II](https://archive.olywip.org/what-nonviolent-tactics-to-use-in-this-moment-part-ii/) - Part I is available here. On April 1, Cory Booker very movingly said in his marathon speech before the Senate, "The Constitution is only a piece of paper unless we live it and protect it." We are all the way fully into Constitutional crisis in the past week as the President has refused to obey
- [What Nonviolent Tactics to Use in This Moment: Part I](https://archive.olywip.org/what-nonviolent-tactics-to-use-in-this-moment-part-i/) - We on the left are having a hard time knowing what to do in this particular and hugely significant moment. Emotionally we perch somewhere between still being in shock, the bargaining stage of grief that does not want to believe that this is really what is happening – to being incapacitated by grief for all that has
- [The Hidden Costs of Development and the Future of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/the-hidden-costs-of-development-and-the-future-of-olympia/) - I live in North East Olympia, where we were recently informed of a development project called Springwood Gardens that would destroy a beloved parcel of forest and farmland and replace it with 39 McMansions and three new roads. The project is called Springwood Gardens. Neighbors received a vague letter detailing the plan on a Thursday,
- [Development Myths](https://archive.olywip.org/development-myths/) - Development. What does this word even mean? We see it thrown around a lot these days in a variety of different contexts and topics. Fetuses develop. Parents follow their child’s sequential achievements to check its “normal” development. Film develops. Constructing new buildings is also considered development. Yet, the original definition of develop comes from the
- [Community Sustaining Fund of Thurston County Spring 2025 grant applications](https://archive.olywip.org/community-sustaining-fund-of-thurston-county-spring-2025-grant-applications/) - Announcement Calling all Changemakers! The Community Sustaining Fund of Thurston County (CSF) is accepting Spring 2025 grant applications beginning March 17 through April 28 for creative and impactful applications that meet our grant criteria. Funding criteria and applications available at: https://thurstoncsf.org/oly-food-co-op-connection/ How to Support Established in 1987, CSF has regularly gathered and dispersed funds in
- [Your Input Is Needed to Improve Draft Comprehensive Plans](https://archive.olywip.org/your-input-is-needed-to-improve-draft-comprehensive-plans/) - Right now jurisdictions in Thurston County are updating their Comprehensive Plans. Each jurisdiction’s Comprehensive Plan will guide policy and projects for the next ten to twenty years. The updates are a once in a decade project designed to reflect changing community expectations and changes as required by the Washington Growth Management Act (GMA). The process
- [Community Spotlight - April & May 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-april-may-2025/) - Procession April Art Studio Hours - Armory Creative Campus, 515 Eastside St. SE - Tuesday-Friday:3-9pm/Saturdays:10am-6pm/Sundays:Noon to 6 pm Fix It Fair - Lacey MakerSpace, St. Martin’s University, Zaverl Hall-Building 5, Baran Drive SE, Lacey - April 16, 2:30-5:30pm - Fix-it Fairs are free community events that bring together volunteers with fixing skills and community members
- [Cartoon - Annoying NIMBYS - Leo Bar](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-annoying-nimbys/)
- [Index - March 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/index-march-2025/) - Local News BAR Holdings and the UGA Swap Law: How to buy cheap rural land, use political ties to rezone it urban, and make a killing Why People Came to the Anti Trump/Musk Protests Olympia Indivisible membership soars The Problem of Too Much Stuff – Recycling in Thurston County Part I The Problem of Too
- [Olympia’s Workers Step Up: A Community-Led Push for a Workers’ Bill of Rights ](https://archive.olywip.org/olympias-workers-step-up-a-community-led-push-for-a-workers-bill-of-rights/) - In Olympia, we believe in taking care of one another—and that means making sure working people have what they need to live, thrive, and contribute to a strong, vibrant community. After encouraging the City Council to move forward on this issue, it became clear that a timely path forward wasn’t in sight. So, in the
- [Democracy’s breaking point](https://archive.olywip.org/democracys-breaking-point/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice How we lost our rights in the kingdom of Musk-Trump As a person who consumes large amounts of information about peace and conflict in the world, I spend a considerable amount of time talking with people about how the governance of their communities is working. I talk with educators about what
- [Are We Fine with Empty Seats?](https://archive.olywip.org/are-we-fine-with-empty-seats/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice Not long after the Trump administration took office, my son noticed several empty seats in his sixth-grade classroom. At first, he didn't understand why his Hispanic classmates were missing. Later, when my wife and I took him to a protest in solidarity with our immigrant community, he realized their parents had
- [Freedom of Speech: Keeping Sanity Alive](https://archive.olywip.org/freedom-of-speech-keeping-sanity-alive/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice Freedom of speech is kind of like eggs nowadays – too expensive! For Columbia University, the cost imposed on it by the Trump administration was suddenly $400 million in rescinded federal funding, at least if the speech was pro-Palestinian and critical of Israel. What choice did the school have, except, as Jennifer
- [Springtime for Donald and Elon](https://archive.olywip.org/springtime-for-donald-and-elon/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice Once we depose Trump and deport Musk we can laugh about their greedy corrupt behavior even as we tend to the disastrous damage they did. They will fail, if Americans rise up in massive nonviolent noncooperation. That is a big IF. But the women of Liberia, faced with years of a
- [Everything That Doesn’t Matter](https://archive.olywip.org/everything-that-doesnt-matter/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice I need some help here. The Trump presidency and the “America only” future he’s hawking to the public like the world’s most arrogant snake-oil salesman feels beyond my ability to address right now, even though I consider doing so my life’s work. But sometimes the news of the day simply feels
- [Cartoon - DOGE Efficiency - Lester](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-doge-efficiency-lester/)
- [Fighting For(ward)](https://archive.olywip.org/fighting-forward/) - The cynics of the world say there are no wins in fighting “for”: elections are swayed by “against,” by pitting patriots with snarling teeth against the so-called aliens, by splitting towns, by blaming sick and poor by ripping hearts free of the weeds they used to know as “kindness.” But I have seen a mama
- [Biocultural Restoration Field Stations](https://archive.olywip.org/biocultural-restoration-field-stations/)
- [Then This Happened - Where Things Stand with the Everett Watershed Rights Lawsuit](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-where-things-stand-with-the-everett-watershed-rights-lawsuit/) - As many of you know, Standing for Nature (the 501c3 organization affiliated with Standing for Washington) has intervened in a lawsuit filed earlier this year by development and business interests—including the Master Builders Association—seeking to overturn Everett Initiative 24-03, the voter-approved ordinance recognizing the rights of the Snohomish River Watershed and giving it legal standing
- [Then This Happened - Updates on Clearcut Legacy Forest in Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-updates-on-clearcut-legacy-forest-in-olympia/) - In the September 2022 issue of WIP, we wrote about the 25 acres of legacy forest adjoining the the Cooper Crest green space on Olympia’s Westside that were clearcut despite considerable community opposition. The land, previously slated for development, was sold to Silvimantle LLC, investors who anxious to take advantage of a strong log market,
- [Cartoon - EPA Revises Rules - Leo Bar](https://archive.olywip.org/cartoon-epa-leo-bar/)
- [Parallel University - Conversations with Harry Branch - Marine Biologist Part 2](https://archive.olywip.org/parallel-university-conversations-with-harry-branch-marine-biologist-part-2/) - The following are excerpts from conversations between Kim Dobson, host of Parallel University, and Harry Branch, marine biologist, which were broadcast on KAOS 89.3 FM in March 2025. You can listen to Parallel University every Thursday at noon on KAOS. On West Bay Kim - So we have a proposal by the city and developer
- [Parallel University - Conversations with Harry Branch - Marine Biologist Part 1](https://archive.olywip.org/parallel-university-conversations-with-harry-branch-marine-biologist-part-1/) - The following are excerpts from conversations between Kim Dobson, host of Parallel University, and Harry Branch, marine biologist, which were broadcast on KAOS 89.3 FM in March 2025. You can listen to Parallel University every Thursday at noon on KAOS. On Budd Inlet - Past and Present Kim - There’s a couple of proposals that
- [Forging an Evergreen Future for Washington's Imperiled Forests](https://archive.olywip.org/forging-an-evergreen-future-for-washingtons-imperiled-forests/) - As Washington prepares to officially adopt “The Evergreen State” as its nickname, it’s impossible to ignore the irony of this commonly used description for our corner of the Pacific Northwest while gazing out over mile after mile of muddy brown clearcut wasteland. While the timber industry will claim “it will just grow back” and boast
- [Family Caregiving - A Work of the Heart](https://archive.olywip.org/family-caregiving-a-work-of-the-heart/) - Life is full of joy and woe and when this we rightly know Safely through the world we’ll go (from William Blake) Every Wednesday for 6 weeks a small group of strangers unburdened their hearts and shared their personal lives on Zoom bound by a common experience. They were all caring for an elderly or
- [Body of Evidence: Medical Trauma in Gaza –  Doctors struggling to save lives amidst genocide and despair](https://archive.olywip.org/body-of-evidence-medical-trauma-in-gaza-doctors-struggling-to-save-lives-amidst-genocide-and-despair/) - On April 11, members of the community gathered to hear from Dr. Mimi Syed, Emergency Physician here in South Sound. The event was organized by the Rachel Corrie Foundation in memory of Rachel at the time of her birthday, and also sponsored by PASS – Palestine Action of South Sound. Our evening together was opened
- [Springwood Development - How the Planned Project is Detrimental to the Neighborhood](https://archive.olywip.org/springwood-development-how-the-planned-project-is-detrimental-to-the-neighborhood/)
- [The March Goes On](https://archive.olywip.org/the-march-goes-on/) - Here are photos of the March Against Trump, and two brief videos. The march started at Heritage Park in Olympia and proceeded to the Capitol Building.
- [Tumwater Hides Critical Evidence on the State of the Davis Meeker Oak Tree](https://archive.olywip.org/tumwater-hides-critical-evidence-on-the-state-of-the-davis-meeker-oak-tree/) - A lawsuit filed by local open government and environmental activist Arthur West on February 4 claims the City of Tumwater violated the public records act by failing to disclose a Root Crown inspection Report, ultrasound images, pictures of the tree’s root system and related records and reports from Todd Praeger and Associates, who was hired
- [Olympia Indivisible membership soars](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-indivisible-membership-soars/) - Olympia Indivisible (OI) is a non-partisan group with a 100% volunteer base of grass roots activists who are defending our Constitution and democratic checks and balances. It has been active since the first Trump administration advocating for progressive causes. On Election Day 2024, it had 736 members. Now, there are 1195 members taking action to
- [Why People Came to the Anti Trump/Musk Protests](https://archive.olywip.org/why-people-came-to-the-anti-trump-musk-protests/) - On February 5 and February 17, 2005, I attended the protests at the Capital Campus in Olympia against recent actions by the Trump administration. The JOLT, NPR, and The Olympian, among other mainstream press, published comprehensive articles on both protests. So below I report just what I learned from talking to protestors in the crowd
- [Then This Happened](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-16/) - The West Bay Yards project took another step closer to realization on February 27 when the Olympia Design Review Board approved, with one dissension, the concept design laid out by Ron Thomas of Thomas Architectural Studios. West Bay Yards is a proposal for the development of 478 multifamily residential units in 5 buildings atop a
- [Community Spotlight - March 1st - April 15th , 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-march-april-2025/) - 2025 Procession Community Art Studio Orientation and Open House - Olympia Creative Campus Armory at Eastside and Legion Way - March 1, 10am-6pm Information about March Studio hours, workshop dates and group projects will be available. Volunteers and donations are welcome Public Observation Day:West Bay Sediment Sampling - Port Plaza - March 4, 10am-2pm- The
- [Why Bother to Vote for Conservation District Commissioner?](https://archive.olywip.org/why-bother-to-vote-for-conservation-district-commissioner/) - Many people do not know about the special elections for commissioners of the Thurston County Conservation District. This year between February 3 and March 11 voters in the Conservation District can ASK for a ballot by emailing ballotrequest@thurstoncd.com or by phoning (564) 669-4929. They can also pick up a ballot at the Thurston County District
- [Dana Lyons’ New CD “Cracks in the Heartland”](https://archive.olywip.org/dana-lyons-new-cd-cracks-in-the-heartland/) - Dana Lyons, Washington’s own Pete Seeger, has released a new album, “Cracks in the Heartland.” Since 1985 when Dana’s song “Our State is a Dumpsite” was proposed in the Washington state legislature as the official state song, to the 1996 release of the comedic ballad, “Cows With Guns”, Dana has been writing and singing songs
- [A Letter - Species Extinction in Thurston County](https://archive.olywip.org/a-letter-species-extinction-in-thurston-county/) - To Tumwater and Olympia Councils and the Port Commission: Species are now disappearing at a faster rate than at any time in human history. Budd Inlet is ground zero. In response, the City of Olympia has given a green light to a waterfront development that will set a precedent. In a few years the length of
- [Historic Snohomish River Watershed Rights of Nature Initiative Faces Legal Battle](https://archive.olywip.org/historic-snohomish-river-watershed-rights-of-nature-initiative-faces-legal-battle/) - We reported on the historic success by Standing for Washington of Everett Initiative 24-03 which gave legally enforceable rights to the Snohomish River Watershed in our December 2024 issue. It comes as no surprise that such a landmark change would lead to a legal challenge. Sure enough, the Master Builders Association and others have filed
- [The Problem of Too Much Stuff - Recycling in Thurston County Part II ](https://archive.olywip.org/the-problem-of-too-much-stuff-recycling-in-thurston-county-part-ii/) - “Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot!” - Ben Zoma (Pirkei Avos) What Happens to Your Recycled Items? The County only handles a small portion of the county’s recycling because much of it is handled by private haulers like LeMay Pacific Disposal, now part of Waste Connections, the third largest integrated solid
- [The Problem of Too Much Stuff - Recycling in Thurston County Part I](https://archive.olywip.org/the-problem-of-too-much-stuff-recycling-in-thurston-county-part-i/) - “Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot!” - Ben Zoma (Pirkei Avos) Stuff. We’ve got tons of it. It’s stuffed into our minds at every turn - stuff on TV, stuff in the stores, stuff delivered to our doors. Our economic indices consider lots of stuff being produced and transported an indication
- [Waiting](https://archive.olywip.org/waiting/) - Waiting... In a place where time is much more than a dial on the wall in constant rotation. It's literally the way of life. Imprisoned and forgotten for deeds not done, I've been Waiting for my life to revert back to at least some sliver of normality for years, yet with only more years to
- [Ten Harmful Trump Administration Immigration and Refugee Policies](https://archive.olywip.org/ten-harmful-trump-administration-immigration-and-refugee-policies/) - Originally Published by Human Rights Watch The Trump administration has enacted new immigration policies at a dizzying pace, some of which obliterate programs built over decades to enable avenues to safety for people fleeing war and persecution. The impact of these policies is felt directly by the asylum seekers, migrants, refugees, their families and communities.
- [Peltier’s Release, a Nation’s Healing](https://archive.olywip.org/peltiers-release-a-nations-healing/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice “. . . I write today from a position rare for a former prosecutor: to beseech you to commute the sentence of a man I helped put behind bars.” Thus begins one of the most stunning letters I have ever read, written almost four years ago by former U.S. Attorney James H.
- [Are We Great Yet?](https://archive.olywip.org/are-we-great-yet/) - Originally Published by PeaceVoice It takes time. That’s what people keep saying in response to concerns about the Trump Administration. It’ll take time before he can get the good stuff done. They say the promised benefits to this chaos are coming soon. Don’t hold your breath. The egg prices are still sky-high. How much time
- [BAR Holdings and the UGA Swap Law: How to buy cheap rural land, use political ties to rezone it urban, and make a killing](https://archive.olywip.org/bar-holdings-and-the-uga-swap-law-how-to-buy-cheap-rural-land-use-political-ties-to-rezone-it-urban-and-make-a-killing/) - This is the first of a series of articles that looks into political influence in land use permitting. Specifically, we investigate how business interests in Thurston County exploit their close ties with planning department staff to get around environmental regulations. We start with the recent attempt by Rob Rice, Thurston County’s largest homebuilder, and his
- [Trump Is Moving Rapidly to Destroy Workers’ Rights](https://archive.olywip.org/trump-is-moving-rapidly-to-destroy-workers-rights/) - Originally published by PeaceVoice Only a month into his second term as president, Donald Trump is well underway toward destroying crucial rights of American workers. Currently, the best known of these threatened rights is probably job security, for the sudden onset of Trump’s mass, indiscriminate firing of more than 200,000 federal government workers has sparked
- [Letter Addressed to the Olympia City Council Regarding the Worker Bill of Rights](https://archive.olywip.org/letter-addressed-to-the-olympia-city-council-regarding-the-worker-bill-of-rights/) - City of Olympia Mayor and Councilmembers 601 4th Ave E Olympia, WA 98501 January 3, 2025 Dear Mayor Payne and Members of the Olympia City Council: On behalf of UFCW 367, and our community partners, we urge you to take decisive action at your retreat in January to leave with a clear timeline of passing
- [Defending Democracy from Fascism](https://archive.olywip.org/defending-democracy-from-fascism/) - I was raised in a society that on 4th of July cheers for the birth of democracy and calls itself the greatest democracy on earth. My father served in WWII and my parents both celebrated the end of fascism in Europe which had threatened their entire generation. In many movies and TV shows throughout my
- [Defending Democracy against Fascism Legislatively](https://archive.olywip.org/defending-democracy-against-fascism-legislatively/) - In “Defending Democracy against Fascism” in this issue of WIP, I wrote about general trends in the rise of fascism, trends that we must resist. In contrast, this opinion piece is about two specific Congressional battles that will need your attention in the coming months. Designating Nonprofits as Terrorist-Supporting Organizations One threat to democracy was
- [Historic Oak Gets Another Favorable Court Ruling](https://archive.olywip.org/historic-oak-gets-another-favorable-court-ruling/) - The citizens group working to save an historic 400-year-old oak tree in Tumwater are celebrating this week after receiving a second partial victory in the Washington Court of Appeals. It came a month after another ruling in the tree’s favor by the same court. In the latest ruling, the court decided that the group did
- [Community Spotlight January 15-March 1, 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-january-15-march-1-2025/) - Housing Instability - A Solutions Forum - Capitol Convention Center, 6005 Tyee Drive SW, Tumwater - January 15, 6:30 to 8:00pm sponsored by The League of Women Voters, NAACP, and Olympia for All : We encourage progressives and socialists to show up at this event and make our voices heard for housing for all. There
- [Aspirational Genocide](https://archive.olywip.org/aspirational-genocide/) - Originally published by PEACEVOICE, peacevoice.info Is Putin conducting genocidal acts on Ukrainians? Looks like Israel is, ironically, attempting some sort of genocide against Gazans, with Hamas trying their version of a genocidal attack against Israel on 7 October 2023. How about China's aggression against the Uyghurs or Myanmar's against Rohingyas? Here is the official description: The
- [When Israel’s army destroyed a hospital in Gaza on Dec. 27](https://archive.olywip.org/when-israels-army-destroyed-a-hospital-in-gaza-on-dec-27/) - On December 27, 2024 the Israeli army stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, setting it on fire, and forcibly removed patients and staff from the hospital. At the time Kamal Adwan was the last remaining major medical facility in north Gaza. Dr Mads Gilbert posted this description of what took place that day: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEFKODuqavi/ : “The Israeli
- [Syria:  Past, Present and Possibilities](https://archive.olywip.org/syria-past-present-and-possibilities/) - Reconstructed from notes on a lecture given December 16, 2024 sponsored by Palestine Action of South Sound (PASS) In examining Syria today, it is important to begin with the needs, desires, concerns and possibilities of the Syrian people, especially the popular classes, women, and ethnic and religious groups that have been discriminated against. A thumbnail
- [2 cartoons by Robert Lovitt](https://archive.olywip.org/2-cartoons-by-robert-lovitt/)
- [Killing of the United Healthcare CEO Sparked Long Overdue Conversation About Greed](https://archive.olywip.org/killing-of-the-united-healthcare-ceo-sparked-long-overdue-conversation-about-greed/) - Originally published by PEACEVOICE, peacevoice.info Call him a misguided hero or villain, but the man who killed the United Healthcare CEO struck a nerve, exposing a deep rage shared by many Americans across the political spectrum — anger at an industry that earns obscene profits from the suffering of others. His chilling act shifted the
- [An Antiwar President?](https://archive.olywip.org/an-antiwar-president/) - Originally published by PEACEVOICE, peacevoice.info In at least three separate elections, Donald J. Trump was portrayed by his supporters and right-wing intellectuals as an ‘anti-war’ candidate. This framing was interesting in that the Trump doctrine as he and those allied with him have articulated over time is one that should be familiar to most people: “peace
- [Poem - Repeal and Replace](https://archive.olywip.org/poem-repeal-and-replace/) - repeal and replace clarity with smog kindness with clenched fists governance with profit margins bridges with barricades empathy with anarchy repeal and replace justice with leverage the earth with scorched shards the constitution with impulse hope with dread repeal and replace democracy with dynasties a free press with soldered muzzles grace with a snarl repeal
- [2025: Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst](https://archive.olywip.org/2025-hope-for-the-best-prepare-for-the-worst/) - Originally published by PEACEVOICE, peacevoice.info Here comes a new year. We are about to transition from a bumbling elderly president's administration to a chaotic malignant elderly narcissist's attempt at autocracy. What could possibly go wrong? But also, what could go right? The US military has some 750 bases in at least 80 other nations, with more than
- [A Constitutional Right to a Healthy Environment](https://archive.olywip.org/a-constitutional-right-to-a-healthy-environment/) - As the New Year begins, Olympians will have two novel avenues to advocate for protection of their rights to a clean and healthy environment. Standing for Washington will be collecting signatures in Olympia and Tumwater for an initiative to give legal rights to the Budd Inlet Watershed, and Green Amendments for the Generations will advocate
- [How a Green Amendment differs from Rights of Nature Law](https://archive.olywip.org/how-a-green-amendment-differs-from-rights-of-nature-law/) - Green Amendments are a monumental step forward for nature, but they are different from rights of nature in that they focus on the rights of citizens to a healthy thriving environment rather than giving the environment its own right to exist and thrive. Green Amendments tend to focus on the government’s duty as a trustee
- [Developers Propose Flawed UGA Swap Policy in Effort to Dodge New Law](https://archive.olywip.org/developers-propose-flawed-uga-swap-policy-in-effort-to-dodge-new-law/) - On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 3:30 p.m., the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners is set to decide whether to adopt policy language to carry out the state’s UGA swap law. Click here to see highlighted language. The policy language could have a detrimental effect on rural lands. The policy language was written by
- [Building a Path Forward: Challenging Trumpism in the South Sound](https://archive.olywip.org/building-a-path-forward-challenging-trumpism-in-the-south-sound/) - The presidential election of Trump has many of us feeling disheartened about what the next four years will bring. Perhaps many of us are still reeling in denial or apathy–all components of an emotional response to experiencing grief. This is normal. The most important thing to remember though is that there is a path forward.
- [FDR’s Second Bill of Rights](https://archive.olywip.org/fdrs-second-bill-of-rights/) - When considering the idea of a Workers’ Bill of Rights, know that this is NOT a new idea. 81 years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation during his State of the Union Address and proposed a Second Bill of Rights or Bill of Economic Rights. Roosevelt was acting in the context of the
- [In Support of Our Local Bus Drivers!](https://archive.olywip.org/in-support-of-our-local-bus-drivers/) - Have you ever ridden the bus to get you or a loved one from point A to point B? Here in Olympia, our local Intercity bus drivers are unionized through the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Local 1765. ATU´s contract with the transit agency expired on December 31st, 2024 and the union has been bargaining for
- [Intercity Transit Workers Fight for a Living Wage](https://archive.olywip.org/intercity-transit-workers-fight-for-a-living-wage/) - Local bus drivers for Intercity Transit (IT) are in the midst of contract negotiations with the Transit Authority to obtain a living wage. I talked with Reed Ingalls, Adam Shea, Rich Harper and Jeremy Smith, the negotiating team for ATU Local 1765 which represents IT drivers, about the challenges facing its members and their demands
- [The Workers' Bill of Rights: Advancing Fairness, Equity, and Dignity in the Workplace](https://archive.olywip.org/the-workers-bill-of-rights-advancing-fairness-equity-and-dignity-in-the-workplace/) - In a time when economic disparities and workplace inequities continue to make headlines, the proposed Workers' Bill of Rights (WBR) for Tacoma and Olympia stands as a bold step forward for labor reform. This initiative champions essential protections for workers—focusing on fair wages, predictable schedules, and safer workplaces—to ensure that employees across the South Sound
- [Will Protecting the Oregon Spotted Frog Protect our Water Supply?](https://archive.olywip.org/will-protecting-the-oregon-spotted-frog-protect-our-water-supply/) - I don’t know but its worth finding out. Pavement, warehouses, roads and new housing. All create ‘polluted’ runoff. The Clean Water Act was established to protect our water. And in order to get a permit to build, one must get a suite of permits, one of which is a permit from Ecology to comply with
- [Visualising U.S. Military Spending vs Other Top Countries](https://archive.olywip.org/visualising-u-s-military-spending-vs-other-top-countries/) - Originally published by Visual Capitalist, at https://www.visualcapitalist.com/u-s-military-spending-vs-other-top-countries/ U.S. Military Spending vs Other Top Countries The U.S. is well known for its immense military and defense spending. In 2020, the nation ranked #1 in the world in terms of military spending at $778 billion outpacing the next nine highest spenders, which came out to $703.6 billion
- [Federal Suit filed in the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project](https://archive.olywip.org/federal-suit-filed-in-the-deschutes-estuary-restoration-project/) - Environmental and Open Government advocate Arthur West has filed a suit in the United States District Court in Washington DC claiming that the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project (“Project") violates the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This follows on the heels of a September 27 suit filed in Thurston County Superior Court alleging the Project’s Intergovernmental
- [Index - October 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/index-october-2024/) - INDEX Local News State Lands Commissioner Race Will Decide Whether Legacy Forest Remains in Our Capitol State Forest—and Statewide Candidate Statement: Bob Iyall for State Senate District 22 Information on Registration (Even Same Day), Ballots and Ballot boxes for November 5 Election Vote NO on All Four Initiatives: 2066, 2109, 2117, and 2124 Celebrate Democracy
- [Puntoons by Robert Lovitt](https://archive.olywip.org/puntoons-by-robert-lovitt/)
- [COMMUNITY CALENDAR DEC 1, 2024- JANUARY 15, 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/community-calendar-dec-1-2024-january-15-2025/) - DSHS Mobile Office is Coming - Olympia library parking lot 313 8th Ave SE - December 2, 11-3pm Hop on board to apply for food, cash, and/or medical benefits. You can also drop off paperwork, complete a review, make changes to an existing case or request a replacement EBT card. Emergency Financial First Aid Kit - Tumwater library 7023
- [Can Politics Merge with a Sane Future?](https://archive.olywip.org/can-politics-merge-with-a-sane-future/) - “America is for Americans – Americans only!” The words are those of Stephen Miller, speaking last month at the infamous Madison Square Garden rally, but they define Donald Trump. This is the message – the cry from the mountaintop – he brought to the country . . . at least to approximately half of it. It’s
- [A Government for the World](https://archive.olywip.org/a-government-for-the-world/) - Donald Trump’s latest rollout of his hyper nationalist “America First” policy underscores the world’s long-term slide toward catastrophe. Within nations, when conflicts inevitably erupt, there are laws, as well as police, courts, and governments that enforce the laws. On the global level, however, the situation approaches international anarchy. Although the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and the
- [Donald Trump Rides Patriarchy Back to the White House](https://archive.olywip.org/donald-trump-rides-patriarchy-back-to-the-white-house/) - Across the country, millions and millions of citizens who supported Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign are no longer walking around in a haze, instead moving toward the light. Still, there is emotional fallout that needs our attention. Our nerves are frayed; it’s impossible to ignore the stress. It’s a good time to sit quietly, take deep
- [A Call to Post-Election Action](https://archive.olywip.org/a-call-to-post-election-action/) - He Ran the Table Unbelievably, Donald Trump not only won the presidency – capturing the popular and electoral votes necessary to do so fair and square – but he also ran the table, meaning his party likely controls both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court. Whatever he wants to do for the next four years
- [No! We Did Not Survive the First Term](https://archive.olywip.org/no-we-did-not-survive-the-first-term/) - As a seemingly comforting phrase for those struggling with the results of the recent U.S. presidential election, I’ve heard variants of “It’s okay, we survived the first term.” While this may be a well-intentioned attempt to provide comfort to those in distress, it deserves a more thoughtful examination. A parent might comfort a child by
- [When it Comes to Criminal Justice, Inconsistency Rules](https://archive.olywip.org/when-it-comes-to-criminal-justice-inconsistency-rules/) - Throughout courtrooms across America we hear words like “fair”, “harsh”, and “too lenient” being thrown around as if crime deserves an equal standard when being addressed regardless of what state or territory it’s conducted in. But wait a minute… This brings up a good point: Why shouldn't there be a standard for all to follow?
- [Hands On Children’s Museum Set to Expand on East Bay Toxic Hot Spot](https://archive.olywip.org/hands-on-childrens-museum-set-to-expand-on-east-bay-toxic-hot-spot/) - The Hands On Children’s Museum on the East Bay waterfront is planning a fourth expansion since it opened in 1996. The HOCM sits atop one of the most contaminated hotspots on Port property. From the late 1880’s until 1968, it was the site of timber-related industries which caused soil and groundwater contamination. This area is
- [Flying into the Center of a Hurricane](https://archive.olywip.org/flying-into-the-center-of-a-hurricane/) - Before a strong hurricane hits, millions of people are evacuated from the area. Why would anyone deliberately head into the danger zone? That is exactly what Red Cross volunteers do. I interviewed Stephanie Gilstrom, an Olympia resident who is a licensed mental health clinician. Since retiring six years ago, she has volunteered five times as
- [Everett Voters Grant Groundbreaking Legal Rights to Snohomish River Watershed; Could Olympia Be Next?](https://archive.olywip.org/everett-voters-grant-groundbreaking-legal-rights-to-snohomish-river-watershed-could-olympia-be-next/) - In a historic vote that could reshape environmental protection, Everett, Washington became the first city in the state to grant legally enforceable rights to a natural ecosystem. Everett Initiative 24-03, which gives the Snohomish River Watershed legal standing in court, passed this November with a decisive 57% of the vote despite facing significant opposition. This
- [Special Election 2024 Announcement](https://archive.olywip.org/special-election-2024-announcement/) - In the September and October issues of Works in Progress, WIP published articles and opinion pieces related to the November 5, 2024 election. As a reminder, as usual those opinions do not represent the opinions of WIP, but rather those of the authors. Despite WIP requesting statements from all campaigns for candidates for local
- [Your Most Valuable Resource - Musings from an Incarcerated person](https://archive.olywip.org/your-most-valuable-resource-musings-from-an-incarcerated-person/) - "You reap what you sow." In the old days this was the axiom that was fed to the youth to groom them into hard-working, self-reliant people. The idea is that You Get What You Give - if I sit on my behind all day and do nothing I can expect to get nothing in return;
- [Vote NO on All Four Initiatives:  2066, 2109, 2117, and 2124](https://archive.olywip.org/vote-no-on-all-four-initiatives-2066-2109-2117-and-2124/) - Initiative 2066: “This measure would repeal or prohibit certain laws and regulations that discourage natural gas use and/or promote electrification, and require utilities and local governments to provide natural gas to eligible customers” (from the Voters’ Pamphlet, General Election November 5, 2024). This initiative is quite complex: it will repeal only some provisions of House
- [Candidate Statement: Bob Iyall for State Senate District 22](https://archive.olywip.org/bob-iyall-for-state-senate-district-22/) - Works in Progress asked candidates in all Thurston County races to submit statements, but did not receive responses from all candidates. I'm Bob Iyall, a long time Thurston County resident, Nisqually Tribe elder, and proud candidate for State Senate. I’m a retired, 45-year member, of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Union, I’m currently serving
- [Lawsuit Challenges Implementation of Deschutes Estuary Project](https://archive.olywip.org/lawsuit-challenges-implementation-of-deschutes-estuary-project/) - After decades of studies, in 2022 the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) approved the decision to restore the Deschutes River Estuary by removing the 5th Avenue dam in Olympia. A natural river estuary would eliminate the need to maintain Capitol Lake, and, at least in theory, promises restored salmon runs and cleaner water. However, the
- [Piecemealed to Death - The Demise of Budd Inlet](https://archive.olywip.org/piecemealed-to-death-the-demise-of-budd-inlet/) - Ultimately, the entire universe...has to be understood as a single undivided whole. David Bohm SEPA regulations - WAC 197-11-060 3(b) (b) Proposals or parts of proposals that are related to each other closely enough to be, in effect, a single course of action shall be evaluated in the same environmental document… agencies may find it
- [Memorial for Glen Anderson](https://archive.olywip.org/memorial-for-glen-anderson/) - Works in Progress will publish remembrances of Glen Anderson in this issue and the next. Please send your remembrances, even if only a few lines, to olywip@gmail.com
- [Soul Cafe Moves to a New Venue - Traditions](https://archive.olywip.org/soul-cafe-moves-to-a-new-venue-traditions/) - The concept of a Soul Cafe is to represent a place, a container, for people to gather and receive nourishment on a soul level through authentic relating and inspired connections. When my husband and I opened Soul Cafe in late summer of 2022, more than anything else, this was the call that we felt compelled
- [The JOLT needs your support!](https://archive.olywip.org/the-jolt-needs-your-support/) - Local journalism across the country has suffered from the consolidation and monetization of news organizations, causing many local papers to downsize while increasing prices. Thurston County is fortunate to have the online newspaper The JOLT to fill some of the holes left by declining local coverage by the local daily print newspaper. The JOLT was established
- [Criminal Justice in Thurston County](https://archive.olywip.org/criminal-justice-in-thurston-county/) - How does Thurston County’s criminal justice system work? Is there bias in the system? What’s being done to deter people from entering the criminal justice system and to keep them from returning? I’ve been hanging around the County’s justice system for the last ten years asking these questions. Here’s a summary of what I’ve learned.
- [Budd Inlet - You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone](https://archive.olywip.org/budd-inlet-you-dont-know-what-youve-got-till-its-gone/) - Olympia Washington lies at the southern end of Puget Sound. Over the past 100 years the waterfront has been extensively modified to accommodate growth and industry. Efforts at restoration have met with strong political opposition. Background Introduction Budd Inlet, the bay which the city adjoins, is fed by several fresh water sources. To the east
- [Celebrate Democracy](https://archive.olywip.org/celebrate-democracy/)
- [Information on Registration (Even Same Day), Ballots and Ballot boxes for November 5 Election](https://archive.olywip.org/information-on-registration-even-same-day-ballots-and-ballot-boxes-for-november-5-election/) - Voter Registration Information Washington State implemented Same Day Voter Registration in the August 2019 Primary Election. You may register to vote online, by mail, voter registration drive or by any other means up to 8 days prior to Election Day. You may register to vote in-person and update your voter registration address up to 8 p.m. on Election Day. By
- [State Lands Commissioner Race Will Decide Whether Legacy Forest Remains in Our Capitol State Forest—and Statewide](https://archive.olywip.org/state-lands-commissioner-race-will-decide-whether-legacy-forest-remains-in-our-capitol-state-forest-and-statewide/) - During the November 5 general election voters will decide who will be the next Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands, the head of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The winner of that office will be crucial in the fight to protect Legacy Forest in our local Capitol State Forest. The two contenders are Dave
- [Glen Anderson -- Why WIP Still Exists](https://archive.olywip.org/glen-anderson-why-wip-still-exists/) - Works in Progress would not exist right now without the leadership of Glen Anderson. When he got word about the WIP WRAP party in October 2023, he contacted people who had contributed to WIP and asked if they were willing to keep WIP alive. The result was a meeting of 12 people and the beginning
- [Glen Anderson, Early  Founder of Olympia’s Peace and Justice Movement](https://archive.olywip.org/glen-anderson-early-founder-of-olympias-peace-and-justice-movement/) - Background on how I met Glen: I moved to Olympia, WA from Omaha, NE for a job in July 1976. In Omaha I had volunteered with The Peace Center and United Nations Association. In early 1977, I was at an event at Seattle Center and a man was tabling for United Nations Association. His name
- [Glen Anderson - A Pillar in Olympia’s Chapter of the Green Party](https://archive.olywip.org/glen-anderson-a-pillar-in-olympias-chapter-of-the-green-party/) - Glen Anderson's death marks the end of an era. He had been a loyal Green Party member for 30 years. He used to give talks for the state party (on Peak Oil for instance) and he led a 12-part series on Re-examining Capitalism for our local party in 2010 (after the 2008 meltdown). He led
- [How I Became "Mentally Ill" from JFK to Today](https://archive.olywip.org/how-i-became-mentally-ill-from-jfk-to-today/) - I urge you to learn the harsh facts that lurk behind the mask of official illusion with which we have concealed our true circumstances, even from ourselves. Our country is in danger: not just from foreign enemies, but above all, from our own misguided policies—and what they can do to the nation that Thomas Jefferson
- [In Honor of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi and International Struggle](https://archive.olywip.org/in-honor-of-aysenur-ezgi-eygi-and-international-struggle/) - From the Pacific Northwest to Palestine, the world mourns the tragic killing of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi. Ayşenur was protesting against an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank when Israeli troops opened fire upon demonstrators. During a memorial service for Ayşenur that took place in the city of Nablus, a civil serviceman said “when
- [Cracking Open Gender’s Role in Electing Presidents](https://archive.olywip.org/cracking-open-genders-role-in-electing-presidents/) - Vice President Kamala Harris’s dramatic entry into the presidential race in July—including selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate—put a new twist on the already gendered nature of the election. A woman was now at the top of the ticket. Instead of Donald Trump’s and JD Vance’s misogynous manhood solely driving the media
- [We’re Voting for a Team](https://archive.olywip.org/were-voting-for-a-team/) - Voters need to keep in mind that when we head to the election booth on November 5th we’re voting for a whole team, not just an individual. People who are frustrated, unhappy, or otherwise feel like the system isn’t working for them are likely to vote for the candidate who promises to shake things up, get
- [What this Election Means for Parents and Parenting](https://archive.olywip.org/what-this-election-means-for-parents-and-parenting/) - Parents face unprecedented levels of stress these days, so much so that the mental health challenges they experience constitute “a serious public health concern for our country.” That’s the message the U.S. Surgeon General communicated to the nation last summer. Today it’s a message with implications for the current presidential election, since the differences between candidates Kamala
- [U.S. must act now to prevent further escalation in the Middle East](https://archive.olywip.org/u-s-must-act-now-to-prevent-further-escalation-in-the-middle-east/) - Oct 4, 2024 This week, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel and Israel continued its intensive bombing campaign against Lebanon, the Lebanon-Syria border, Gaza, and the West Bank. These developments mark a new stage in the already heightened situation in the region. They occur in the context of decades of Israeli’s collective punishment of the
- [Community Spotlight - October-November 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-october-november-2024/) - October Poetry Reading with Olympia Poetry Network - Traditions, 5th &Water St - October 16, 6-7:30pm Open Mic Signup opens at 5:30 pm— Featured writer Gary Copeland Lilley is the author of 8 books of poetry . Gary has received the Washington DC Commission on the Arts Fellowship for Poetry. He teaches in the Western
- [Bloodworks Northwest's Attempt to Stifle Olympia Union](https://archive.olywip.org/bloodworks-northwest-attempts-to-stifle-olympia-union/) - The first week in September is National Blood Donation Week, but employees at Bloodworks Northwest’s Olympia Donor Center won’t be celebrating. They’ll be demonstrating against unfair labor practices and management’s response to their recent vote to unionize. Workplace challenges Before the pandemic, when you went to a Bloodworks donor center to give blood, you would
- [Opinion - Bloodworks Puts the Squeeze on Donors, Employees](https://archive.olywip.org/opinion-bloodworks-puts-the-squeeze-on-donors-employees/) - If you’ve ever tuned in to one of Bloodworks Northwest’s “Code Red” announcements, then you know first-hand how effective their messaging is. Potential donors are encouraged to schedule appointments online, and with one click they are greeted by a large banner across the homepage that reads, “Our local blood supply is running on fumes.” There
- [Table Of Contents - July 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/table-of-contents-july-2024/) - Local Environmental News Water for People! – Water for Fish! – Water for Coca-Cola? Stop Private Companies from Buying Water Rights in Washington State Our Puget Sound Coho Salmon Are Failing Department of Ecology seeks comments on Water Quality Standards by July 26 Rights of Nature/Legal Standing for the Watershed Initiative Going Strong in Everett,
- [Endorse No on 2117](https://archive.olywip.org/endorse-no-on-2117/) - (Click on any of the below images to view these fact sheets in PDF form)
- [Billboards inform Puget Sound residents of Moral and Physical Dangers of Nuclear Weapons in Our Back Yard ](https://archive.olywip.org/billboards-inform-puget-sound-residents-of-moral-and-physical-dangers-of-nuclear-weapons-in-our-back-yard/) - Pax Christi USA has joined with Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action to purchase five billboards that begin on August 19 for four weeks with a message from Pope Francis, declaring that the use and possession of nuclear weapons is immoral. The sign, designed by Pax Christi in the Pacific Northwest, also reminds us of
- [Better Together: Combating Loneliness and Isolation](https://archive.olywip.org/better-together-combating-loneliness-and-isolation/) - This piece originally appeared in The JOLT News Loneliness and isolation are silent epidemics in our society, exacerbated by modern lifestyles and the pervasive influence of technology. This growing crisis calls for immediate action to foster individual well-being, social connection and stronger community. As leaders of key community organizations— Senior Services for South Sound, United
- [Sign Petition to Stop Shipping Logs from Port of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/sign-petition-to-stop-shipping-logs-from-port-of-olympia/) - Concerned community members have launched a petition to end log shipping as soon as possible at the Port of Olympia’s Marine Terminal. The goal is to ensure that Port resources be used for the benefit of the public and that Commissioners are responsible environmental stewards and protect the health of future generations. The log storage
- [Poems - Choices and The Waiter - Nina Douglas](https://archive.olywip.org/poems-choices-and-the-waiter-nina-douglas/) - Choices Privilege and money bring choices of lifestyles and fashion and diets and 10 brands of craft beer. The hungry don’t choose gluten, organic or vegan, how far the food comes from, or how it is raised. The naked don’t choose between cotton or poly, Target or Gucci, or this or last season. The poor
- [LWVWA Takes Stand Against Three Ballot Initiatives](https://archive.olywip.org/lwvwa-takes-stand-against-three-ballot-initiatives/) - Seattle—The League of Women Voters of Washington announces its opposition to three initiatives that will appear on the November ballot. "Our stance against these initiatives is a reflection of the League’s firm commitment to equitable education funding, climate resilience, and accessible long-term care,” said Mary Coltrane, president of the League of Women Voters of Washington. “We’re
- [Our Best Interest - Healthy Soils for a Healthy Food Supply](https://archive.olywip.org/our-best-interest-healthy-soils-for-a-healthy-food-supply/) - When Olympia Brewery at Tumwater Falls was running strong the famous slogan for its beer was “It’s the Water!” And there was truth in that. However, what few people realize is that a similar slogan, “It’s the Soil!,” applies equally to the nutritional quality and taste of food produced in this part of the state.
- [Real Hope for Green Cove Cleanup](https://archive.olywip.org/real-hope-for-green-cove-cleanup/) - On August 26, Olympia residents got their first look at the Department of Ecology’s cleanup plan for the decades old solid and hazardous waste dump on Olympia’s Westside, also known as the Sundberg Gravel Pit and Cooper Point Log Yard, and the site for the proposed Green Cove Project, the 5th housing project that developer
- [Community Spotlight - September and October 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-september-and-october-2024/) - Open Book Club: Offsite Event at The Brotherhood 119 Capitol Way N- September 3 & October 1- 7-8:30pm Come and talk about whatever you’ve been reading and hear about what others are reading in a casual bar environment (21+only) with other book appreciators. Meets every first Tuesday in the back left corner of The Brotherhood
- [Olympia Municipal Court hosts re-launch of Community Court](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-municipal-court-hosts-re-launch-of-community-court/) - The Olympia Municipal Court is excited to announce its re-launch of the Community Court program. This new recreation is focused on evidence based best practices to ensure participants get the most effective experience they can. Community are invited to watch Community Court and ask questions of the Judge and the attorneys after the court session.
- [Who will Decide the Future of Olympia’s Waterfront](https://archive.olywip.org/who-will-decide-the-future-of-olympias-waterfront/) - There are major plans afoot for Budd Inlet. The Port plans to dredge East Bay to maintain Swantown Marina and build the Marine Center building and other structures along the waterfront. The City is moving ahead with plans to allow the construction of eight five story buildings along West Bay, thirty feet from the high
- [Wishing well.. All creatures  great and small.. Exploring  legacy natural areas in our backyards](https://archive.olywip.org/wishing-well-all-creatures-great-and-small-exploring-legacy-natural-areas-in-our-backyards/) - I learned about a new creek in the last month.... With stunning potential! Percival Creek. A local treasure! I have driven past its mouth a thousand times: Driving along Capitol Lake, cross the bumpy train tracks at Marathon Park. Look southwest over the water to the forest. There, Percival Creek enters the cove on Capitol
- [Local Community Advisory Workgroup Delivers a Tough Message](https://archive.olywip.org/local-community-advisory-workgroup-delivers-a-tough-message/) - In 2020 Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater city councils, along with the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners, approved the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (TCMP). The plan lays out 72 action areas that support reducing county-wide greenhouse gas emissions 45% below 2015 levels by 2030, and 85% below by 2050. With 2030 looming on the horizon,
- [Who’s in charge of fertile women’s bodies?](https://archive.olywip.org/whos-in-charge-of-fertile-womens-bodies/) - The Roe v Wade decision said that there is no possible way that the framers in the 16 uses of the word “person” in the Constitution could have been thinking about embryos or fetuses. What is not in dispute is that women are people under the Constitution.
- [Department of Ecology seeks comments on Water Quality Standards by July 26](https://archive.olywip.org/department-of-ecology-seeks-comments-on-water-quality-standards-by-july-26/) - The future standards of water quality within the state are determined by the people of Washington (RCW 90.48.010). While our water quality standards are reviewed by the federal EPA, ultimately, the future standards of water quality within the state are determined by the people of Washington . You can inform the water quality standards! Now.
- [Community Events - July thru September](https://archive.olywip.org/community-events-july-thru-september/) - The Thurston Conservation District is sponsoring all-ages garden art events through the summer. Rock Painting Party 11 am start time July 13, 2024: Sunrise Park July 20, 2024: Yauger Park Upcycled Pollinator Waterers 11 am start time July 27, 2024: Sunrise Park August 3, 2024: Yauger Park Scarecrow Making 11 am start time August 1,
- [The Imperial Presidency Is Now Legalized](https://archive.olywip.org/the-imperial-presidency-is-now-legalized/) - The US Supreme Court’s July 1 decision to grant absolute immunity to a President’s official acts is indeed, as Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote on X, “a sad day for America” and “our democracy.” Donald Trump and future presidents are evidently now free to follow their worst instincts if they don’t like
- [Letter to the Editor: David Upthegrove for Public Lands Commissioner](https://archive.olywip.org/letter-to-the-editor-david-upthegrove-for-public-lands-commissioner/) - Public Lands Commissioner-- what does this position even do? Are you tired of driving through some rural area that you have not been to recently and finding large ugly clearcuts where once there was beautiful forest? The Department of Natural Resources is required by state law to manage these lands to produce some money for
- [Syd Locke for the People: A Campaign for Basic Rights For All To Thrive](https://archive.olywip.org/syd-locke-for-the-people-a-campaign-for-basic-rights-for-all-to-thrive/) - Syd Locke is running for the Washington State House of Representatives in Legislative District 22. Eleanor Steinhagen - a mother, worker, 20-year Olympia resident, and supporter of the campaign - sat down with him to talk about his priorities and experience ahead of voting in the August 6th primary. Why did you decide to run?
- [Follow The Money: 2024 WA State Legislature LD 22 Democratic Campaign Contributions & Donors](https://archive.olywip.org/follow-the-money-2024-wa-state-legislature-ld-22-democratic-campaign-contributions-donors/) - Over the past few election cycles, we have come to see more clearly how corporate donors influence legislators, and just how many political candidates accept corporate donations. Candidates who accept donations from corporations are expected to do their bidding in a variety of ways. These include: By creating or supporting legislation that further empowers the
- [Solar Group Purchasing Program Supports 500 Washington customers with Clean, Renewable Energy](https://archive.olywip.org/solar-group-purchasing-program-supports-500-washington-customers-with-clean-renewable-energy/) - Olympia Community Solar has enrolled over 515 Washington homeowners in their fourth annual Solarize campaign, their largest solar energy program to date. The campaign serves residents of Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Island, Whatcom, Skagit, Walla Walla county, and the City of Kenmore residents. Residents of nine counties can reserve their free solar assessment at olysol.org/solarize. Help
- [Rights of Nature/Legal Standing for the Watershed Initiative Going Strong in Everett, Postponed in Olympia and Tumwater Until 2025](https://archive.olywip.org/rights-of-nature-legal-standing-for-the-watershed-initiative-going-strong-in-everett-postponed-in-olympia-and-tumwater-until-2025/) - Standing for Washington, a Washington state political committee formed in March 2024 with initial support from the Rights of Nature Initiative nonprofit, launched a multi-city initiative campaign to recognize the rights of watersheds within those cities and grant them legal standing. The campaigns began in Olympia, Tumwater, and Everett, based on an ordinance template created
- [Ancient Oak Under Threat by City of Tumwater](https://archive.olywip.org/ancient-oak-under-threat-by-city-of-tumwater/) - Near the southern end of Puget Sound lies the intersection of two ancient trails. Estimated to have been in use for more than 9,000 years, the north-south Cowlitz Trail and the east-west Cowlitz-Yakama Trail were main routes for Indigenous people of the region to travel and trade. The trails meet on the homeland of
- [Our Puget Sound Coho Salmon Are Failing](https://archive.olywip.org/our-puget-sound-coho-salmon-are-failing/) - Dying before spawning sucks as reproductive failure. Sockeye and pink salmon are susceptible to prespawning mortality (PSM) in the interior Fraser and Columbia River drainages and on the southeastern-Alaska coast from too much summer heating which is worsening with climate change. It also happened in the Klamath River to Chinook and coho over 2 decades ago, when
- [Stop Private Companies from Buying Water Rights in Washington State](https://archive.olywip.org/stop-private-companies-from-buying-water-rights-in-washington-state/) - I am totally opposed to Crown Columbia Water Resources LCC’s application for an area-wide water permit for water banking in the Columbia River Basin. Requesting an area-wide water permit for the Columbia River Basin is a new approach to water banking. It would provide Crown Columbia the opportunity to control water resources from the Okanogan
- [Water for People! - Water for Fish! - Water for Coca-Cola?](https://archive.olywip.org/water-for-people-water-for-fish-water-for-coca-cola/) - The Olympia Brewing Company produced Olympia’s most famous export, Olympia beer, from its founding in 1896 by Leopold Schmidt till it closed its doors in 2003. Situated on the Deschutes River, the original brewhouse gave way to the more modern brewery site south of Custer Avenue built in 1906 featuring its distinctive Old Brewhouse Tower.
- [Community Spotlight – June 1 to July 15, 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-june-1-to-july-15-2024/) - Women’s Wisdom - June 2 - 10 AM- 12PM - New Traditions. Join us as we connect through song and utilize our group wisdom to co-imagine a new culture of normalizing and honoring women’s life transformations. Enjoy being guided through exercises to release your voice, small group conversations, wisdom songs taught by ear, and connections
- [Protect Our Communities and the Environment - NO on 2117](https://archive.olywip.org/protect-our-communities-and-the-environment-no-on-2117/) - As people of faith and conscience, we cherish the beauty of Washington State and are committed to caring for the diversity of people and creatures who live here. Together, we can protect our communities and the environment by voting “No on Initiative 2117” in November.
- [US Army Officer Resigns Over ‘Unqualified’ Support for Israeli Slaughter in Gaza](https://archive.olywip.org/us-army-officer-resigns-over-unqualified-support-for-israeli-slaughter-in-gaza/) - Reprinted with permission from AntiWar.com An Army officer working at the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has resigned in protest of the US’s “unqualified” support for the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. Maj. Harrison Mann posted his resignation letter on LinkedIn and said it was initially distributed within the DIA on April 16. In
- [Forgotten Code - The Strategic Groundwater Reserve for the State Capitol](https://archive.olywip.org/forgotten-code-the-strategic-groundwater-reserve-for-the-state-capitol/) - In 1986, Washington State adopted WAC 173-591 - Reservation of Future Public Water Supply for Thurston County - pursuant to the Water Resources Act of 1971. It followed the year after the legislature had passed RCW 90.44 to regulate public groundwater, which included a provision that recognized the need to manage groundwater aquifers for future
- [Quality Compost Production and Recycling](https://archive.olywip.org/quality-compost-production-and-recycling/) - Quality Compost Production and Recycling Gary L. Kline Clean Black Lake Alliance (CBLA) is a citizen's group seeking an ecosystem management approach to restoring the health of Thurston County's largest lake and its associated watershed and wetlands. Among the 5 major goals of CBLA is a call for mechanical harvesting of excessive aquatic plant growth
- [Olympians Want Federal Budget to Prioritize Peaceful Programs, NOT Militarism](https://archive.olywip.org/olympians-want-federal-budget-to-prioritize-peaceful-programs-not-militarism/) - On Friday and Saturday April 26 and 27, a fairly random sample of people in downtown Olympia took a “penny poll.” Each person was given ten pennies to represent the federal budget and invited to allocate them among six jars to show how they would spend the federal budget. Here are the results of what
- [The Nuclear Age Is Already Over](https://archive.olywip.org/the-nuclear-age-is-already-over/) - Either nuclear weapons kill us or we move beyond them, soon. Via mass death or the building a new security system, the nuclear age is finished. The nuclear deterrence system that the world presently relies upon for its security is rotten, evil, completely unworkable, and obsolete. It is nuclear war waiting to happen, a war
- [The Green Party in 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/the-green-party-in-2024/) - The Green Party was conceived in the 1990's as a kind of ideal party, one free from the defects of the D's (too warlike) and the R's (too oppressive), and unlike either of them, one fully committed to preserving our environment. It has attracted many followers and much international success. In the US the electoral
- [A First-Hand Report on the Lives of Palestinians](https://archive.olywip.org/a-first-hand-report-on-the-lives-of-palestinians/) - "Israel's occupation of Palestine is the longest and one of the most deadly military occupations in the world. For decades it has been characterized by widespread and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians. The occupation has also enabled and entrenched Israel's system of apartheid imposed on Palestinians," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General on
- [Budd Inlet Needs Legal Rights](https://archive.olywip.org/budd-inlet-needs-legal-rights/) - Let’s start with a dream, sometime in the future. The dam has been removed and the river is flowing. The Marine Terminal, Percival Landing and the Yacht Club are being scoured by artesian springs and wells with minimal dredging. East Bay has been cleaned up, the upper beach has been restored and the lower half
- [Help Protect Our Watersheds By Giving Them Legal Rights](https://archive.olywip.org/help-protect-our-watersheds-by-giving-them-legal-rights/) - Concerned community members are running a ballot initiative to grant Budd Inlet and the Deschutes River watersheds legal rights. By granting legal standing to our watersheds, we acknowledge the intrinsic value of the natural world and its essential role in supporting life on Earth. By signing the petition, you are asking the City to adopt
- [In Pictures: May 4th Gaza War Protest in Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/in-pictures-may-4th-gaza-war-protest-in-olympia/) - Olympia - Approximately 350 concerned Suget Sound citizens gathered in the rain on the morning of May 4th to protest the ongoing war in Gaza. The event was organized by Palestine Action of South Sound (PASS), a group that formed in the immediate aftermath of the October 7th attacks and subsequent invasion of Gaza. George
- [Healthcare not Warfare - The Fight for Universal Health Care](https://archive.olywip.org/healthcare-not-warfare-the-fight-for-universal-health-care/) - Whole Washington, a grassroots coalition of healthcare professionals and volunteers, kicked off its series of Town Halls, “Let’s Make Healthcare Happen,” at the Olympia Center on April 25. Formed in November 2016, Whole Washington endorses, organizes and fights for federal and state-based universal, single-payer healthcare that puts people over profits. The Town Halls intend to
- [No, the Evergreen State College Did Not Agree to Divestment](https://archive.olywip.org/no-the-evergreen-state-college-did-not-agree-to-divestment/) - No In a May 1 article (the article) in The Cooper Point Journal (CPJ), Sako Chapman falsely claimed that “TESC AGREES TO DIVESTMENT” in the headline. This has resulted in the spread of false and misleading information around the country. (On May 4, after the article had circulated widely online, the headline was changed to
- [Donald Trump's Assault on the Wages of American Workers](https://archive.olywip.org/donald-trumps-assault-on-the-wages-of-american-workers/) - Although Donald Trump, as president, proclaimed in his 2020 State of the Union address that he had produced a “blue-collar boom” in workers’ wages, the reality was quite different. Using his control of the executive branch of the U.S. government, Trump repeatedly undermined the wages of American workers by blocking raises and imposing wage reductions. Only
- [Index - April 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/index-april-2024/) - Local News Community Spotlight School Levies and Lacey’s Police Project Reflect Our Government’s Backwards Priorities Contaminated Sediment Remediation off West Bay Drive NW Local Community Rallies to Provide Safe Housing for Survivors of Police Violence Portrait of a Frog If We Can’t Protect Our Watershed, Let’s Give The Watershed The Right To Protect Itself Stopping
- [Pro-Palestinian Protest at Rep. Strickland’s Office](https://archive.olywip.org/pro-palestinian-protest-at-rep-stricklands-office/) - On Monday afternoon of Tax Day, April 15, 2024, protesters held a vigil near the district office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland, Federal District 10, to protest the use of U.S. tax dollars for weapons to Israel and particularly Strickland’s support of Israel. This vigil was part of more than fifteen Pro-Palestinian protests held nation-wide on
- [Community Spotlight - April 20 to May 31, 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-april-20-to-may-31-2024/) - Charles Mitchell and the Puget Sound Underground Railroad. Olympia Center—April 20. 1 pm. When 13 years old, Mitchell escaped enslavement in Olympia in 1860 by traveling by steamer from Olympia to Victoria, B. C. via the Puget Sound Underground Railroad. Author Dr. Lorraine McConaghy will offer an illustrated program followed by a moderated community discussion.
- [Holly Gwinn Graham --1946-2024, A Retrospective](https://archive.olywip.org/holly-gwinn-graham-1946-2024-a-retrospective/) - Since 1990, Holly Gwinn Graham has been a treasure of Olympia’s music and activist communities. In September 2023, she released her 10th album, Hopeful Traveler, at Traditions Cafe, the site of many of her concerts over the years, to a crowd of friends and fans. Sadly, she passed in February, leaving her wonderful songs to enlighten our hearts and minds for years to come.
- [Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes](https://archive.olywip.org/where-your-income-tax-money-really-goes/) - (Click on images to view full-size) Originally published by the War Resisters League. For more information on War Tax Resistance, visit https://www.warresisters.org/
- [School Levies and Lacey’s Police Project Reflect Our Government’s Backwards Priorities](https://archive.olywip.org/school-levies-and-laceys-police-project-reflect-our-governments-backwards-priorities/) - I was recently working in a 6th grade classroom when a student told me that they tried to end their life the night before. I was the first adult they shared that with that day. Not because we had any rapport, but because the counseling office had sent them back to class to wait until
- [A Christian Cry for Peace in Palestine](https://archive.olywip.org/a-christian-cry-for-peace-in-palestine/) - I participated in “The Stones Cry Out Solidarity Delegation from Palestine to Washington, D.C.” in March 2024. The delegation included twenty-three American Christians from twelve different denominations across the United States. Although most were pastors, I am a layperson. The first act of love is to listen, so in Palestine we met with seventeen Christian,
- [Portrait of a Frog](https://archive.olywip.org/portrait-of-a-frog/) - “The first thing you need to know. People hold the fate of Adams garden in their hands”, so said our tour guide. A drive through rural Thurston County took us past wet meadows, grazed fields, some ‘overgrown swamps’. At several stops, a verdant green landscape of grass and wetlands stretched to the distant hills under
- [Contaminated Sediment Remediation off West Bay Drive NW](https://archive.olywip.org/contaminated-sediment-remediation-off-west-bay-drive-nw/) - A State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) was open for public comment for the removal of contaminated sediments at the former Dunlap Towing Company on 2003 West Bay Drive NW. The Dunlap remediation site is north of the proposed West Bay Yards project just past Tugboat Annie’s and West Bay Marina. This project is not the
- [Local Community Rallies to Provide Safe Housing for Survivors of Police Violence](https://archive.olywip.org/local-community-rallies-to-provide-safe-housing-for-survivors-of-police-violence/) - Imagine how you would feel if your child was shot in the back by a city employee. Imagine the fear, anger, and disillusionment of learning that a police officer, whose job is to protect people, has shot and disabled two of your children. How would you expect your community to respond? What would justice look
- [Mixed News on Thurston County Docketing for Rezone Requests](https://archive.olywip.org/mixed-news-on-thurston-county-docketing-for-rezone-requests/) - In the March 2024 issue of WIP, Betsy Norton and Sue Danver published an article asking readers to comment on four proposed Thurston County items for the 2024-2025 Comprehensive Plan Docket. In all four cases the landowners were requesting a rezone from Rural Residential/Resource (RRR) to Rural Resource Industrial (RRI) – in other words from
- [Goodbye to the Wildland Urban Interface Code – For a While!](https://archive.olywip.org/goodbye-to-the-wildland-urban-interface-code-for-a-while/) - Environmental groups like Black Hills Audubon Society, Restoring Earth Connections and Whatcom Million Trees were overjoyed when on March 15, 2024, Governor Inslee signed into law ESB 6120, “concerning wildland urban interface”. The new law requires property owners to use ignition-resistant materials and methods for new and existing residences if those residences are within high
- [Stopping the Sale of Ivy](https://archive.olywip.org/stopping-the-sale-of-ivy/) - Whatcom Million Trees Project is leading an effort to prohibit the sale of ivy in Washington State. Their petition to the Washington State Department of Agriculture can be found at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-selling-english-ivy-in-washington If thousands sign the petition, the WSDA board may add ivy to the WSDA Prohibited Plants and Seeds List at their meeting in May.
- [Demonstratin' the Awesome Power of Poot('n) Propulsion](https://archive.olywip.org/demonstratin-the-awesome-power-of-pootn-propulsion/)
- [If We Can’t Protect Our Watershed, Let’s Give The Watershed The Right To Protect Itself](https://archive.olywip.org/if-we-cant-protect-our-watershed-lets-give-the-watershed-the-right-to-protect-itself/) - In the September 2018 edition of Works in Progress, longtime Olympia resident, sailor, and ecological activist Harry Branch lamented recent decisions by the Olympia Hearing Examiner on appeals by the Olympia Urban Waters League (OUWL). OUWL was fighting a large development in the heart of the historic Moxlie Creek Estuary, which OUWL was hoping to
- [March 2024 - Index](https://archive.olywip.org/march-2024-index/) - Local News Biochar: Banishment or Bonanza? Compensation for Cooper Crest Your Voice Needed to save Rural Lands Help “fix” the Wildland/Urban interface “Green Amendment” Proposed for Washington State Thurston County Resource Hub offers services for those in the Justice System Can Trees Really Sing? Culture Return of the Procession of the Species Holly Gwinn Graham
- [Works in Progress Transitions to Online Issues](https://archive.olywip.org/works-in-progress-transitions-to-online-issues/) - Works in Progress, or WIP, is transitioning. The workers of the past few years will no longer be with the paper; also, a key philanthropist has died and we must adjust to the loss of his funding. Until other sources of funding can be secured, after this WIP will be an online paper.....
- [Compensation Coming for Cooper Crest Clearcut](https://archive.olywip.org/compensation-coming-for-cooper-crest-clearcut/) - The restoration of Cooper Crest, the “ghostly forest" remaining after a clearcut, may finally be getting some help from the City of Olympia. On October 24, 2023, Judge Thomas McPhee, acting as arbitrator, granted the City treble damages against Silvimantle, LLC for illegally harvesting trees from the City’s Cooper Crest property during its logging operation
- [Timesheet](https://archive.olywip.org/timesheet/) - Fern Roush is a writer, teacher, organizer, long-distance runner and hiker based out of Olympia, WA. Her/their work has appeared most recently in the Cooper Point Journal, Slightly West, The Jackson Hole Poetry Box, and The Mobile Moon Collective Zine. She was a featured poet at the 2023 Cultivating Voices Pride Poetry March online reading,
- [Return of the "Procession of the Species"](https://archive.olywip.org/return-of-the-procession-of-the-species/) - On April 26 and 27, Olympia’s downtown will be a joyful jumble filled with creatures of the air, land, fire and sea as the Luminary Procession and Procession of the Species celebration returns after a 4 year interlude caused by the COVID lockdown. The free community art studio that is at the core of Procession
- ["Green Amendment" Proposed for Washington State](https://archive.olywip.org/green-amendment-proposed-for-washington-state/) - On January 22, 2024, Representative Debra Lekanoff (D-Bow) introduced a “green amendment” to the Washington State legislature. HJR 4210 would have added a new section to the Washington State Constitution giving present and future generations ”the right to a clean and healthy environment, including pure water, clean air, healthy ecosystems, and a stable climate,” and
- [By March 14—Your Voice is Needed to Save Rural Lands](https://archive.olywip.org/by-march-14-your-voice-needed-to-save-rural-lands/) - Four landowners are requesting to change from Rural Residential/Resource (RRR) to Rural Resource Industrial (RRI) zoning. Three projects would enable large warehouses to be built within 50 to 300 feet of valuable habitats and waterways, and in one case “do more intensive” industrial work....
- [Help “Fix” the Wildland-Urban Interface Code](https://archive.olywip.org/help-fix-the-wildland-urban-interface-code/) - WIP readers will be overjoyed to hear that NOT ONE BUT TWO SOLUTIONS have been proposed to correct problems caused by including defensible space requirements in the 2021 Wildland-Urban Interface Code. But both remain in doubt. You can help by registering your support for ESB 6120. Best solution – Pass Senate Bill 6120 In January
- [Deepest Midnight In America, Mishap on a White House Floor](https://archive.olywip.org/deepest-midnight-in-america-mishap-on-a-white-house-floor/) - Brydon Stewart is a longtime Olympia artist whose work may be found at the Saturday Farmers Market
- [The Brass Ring](https://archive.olywip.org/the-brass-ring/) - Privilege weaves blinders so soft and light they are almost not there. I could peek, but guilt is the price of seeing. No matter that I started with a leg up, a few rungs up the ladder. Life isn’t fair or so my parents told me. I never knew the brass ring was
- [Support the Hub](https://archive.olywip.org/support-the-hub/) - I urge folks to support a new County service, the Thurston County Resource Hub located at the Thurston County Courthouse Complex. It’s geared toward people who are involved in the justice system, but service is open to anyone. The Hub helps clients find housing, support for substance use, jobs, peer support, case management, and social
- [Biochar:  Banishment or Bonanza?](https://archive.olywip.org/biochar-banishment-or-bonanza/) - At its essence Biochar is pure, black CARBON, the basis of life; the foundation of all organic matter; the ultimate sequester of carbon in soil and remover of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere for centuries. And the beauty of it is that it is made from waste that nobody wants and turns it, within a
- [Community Spotlight -- March 2023](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-1/) - Monthly spotlight on events happening in Olympia, Washington
- [Community Spotlight -- March 2024](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-march-2024/) - Zine Workshop -- Food Planet Future -- Music of the Forest -- Lacey Cultural Celebration -- Greet your creatures -- Capitol Theater -- Story Swap... More
- [Reviving the Concept of Trusteeship as a Stepping-Stone to Peace in the Middle East](https://archive.olywip.org/reviving-the-concept-of-trusteeship-as-a-stepping-stone-to-peace-in-the-middle-east/) - Like it or not, our world has become so interconnected and interdependent that events that have hitherto been regarded as regional in nature now threaten our well-being everywhere. The Ukraine war triggered global food and energy crises, global inflation, exacerbated the worldwide refugee crisis, and renewed the specter of a nuclear war. The war in
- [Meditation by Unacquainted Lives](https://archive.olywip.org/meditation-by-unacquainted-lives/) - I’ve been alive for a long time. I survived the rain, ice, floods, wind. I found a home here in Thurston County as the glaciers receded. Under the prairies. Over the meadows. I swam the vast marshes with beaver dams. As those habitat creations evolved to airports and farms, I ‘made it through’ on mowed
- [Can Trees  Really Sing?](https://archive.olywip.org/can-trees-really-sing/) - Can Trees Really Sing? How do they sound when they sing? Do they change their tune when it’s sunny or wet? What is it like to dance barefoot in a forest? How can we connect to nature indoors? Find those answers and many others at Dancing to the Music of the Forest on Friday March
- [Yearning for Peace in the Middle East](https://archive.olywip.org/yearning-for-peace-in-the-middle-east/) - “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” -Buckminster Fuller Just as the US was founded on the ideas of equality and democracy, with diverse people united by that common ideal, the original Jewish people were also a diverse group united
- [Nightfall in Amerika](https://archive.olywip.org/nightfall-in-amerika/) - This Trump design is taken directly from the Nazi Party's 1932 election poster showing Hitler standing behind a speaker's podium wrapping himself in the Nazi Party flag, his pose identical to my Trump/Republican Party's figure. The original Nazi poster featured the Nazi's election slogan in the upper left corner "Ein Reich/Ein Volk/Ein Fuhrer" (One Nation/One
- [A Jewish anti-Zionist Perspective on Palestine](https://archive.olywip.org/a-jewish-anti-zionist-perspective-on-palestine/) - My background causes me to support the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation of Palestine including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Since 1967, I have actively opposed the U.S. military aid and ideological support for Israel, and in solidarity with Palestine. I mourn the deaths of 26,000 people murdered in southern Israel and
- [Keeping the City of Olympia Honest](https://archive.olywip.org/keeping-the-city-of-olympia-honest/) - The Local Good Governance Coalition, which consists of several Thurston County civic groups focusing on housing and environmental issues, recently voted to send a letter to the City of Olympia to urge them to adopt a code of ethics, which it does not currently have. Several other Washington cities, including Tacoma and Redmond, have recently
- [Autonomous Action Successfully Blockades Amazon Fulfillment Center](https://archive.olywip.org/autonomous-action-successfully-blockades-amazon-fulfillment-center/) - Lacey, WA - On Sunday afternoon, December 17th, nearly 100 people gathered in Lacey to shut down an Amazon fulfillment center and halt the flow of delivery trucks. Amazon is the technologic backbone of the Israeli apartheid regime - they have multi-billion dollar contracts providing cloud services and servers to the Israeli state, its police,
- [RE/MAX Profits From Israeli Apartheid](https://archive.olywip.org/re-max-profits-from-israeli-apartheid/) - The Action On Friday December 15, 2023, there was an action at the Eastside Olympia, WA RE/MAX office to protest ReMax’s business dealings in Israel. This action was organized old-school style. Kept off social media, word of mouth and distribution of printed flyers got the word out. On the day of the action, dozens of
- [Creating Permanently Fertile Ground](https://archive.olywip.org/creating-permanently-fertile-ground/) - What can we do to enhance the resilience of our community and the long-term productivity of our land? Permaculture is a system that answers that question with general principles that are adapted to each bioregion. Permaculture has been practiced under that name since the 1970’s, and for thousands of years before by traditional societies. However, it
- [Rural Revival](https://archive.olywip.org/rural-revival/) - This is part one of a two-part series on this issue. Click here to view part two. This article was submitted to Thurston County for consideration in the land use chapter of its Comprehensive Plan update, Thurston 2045. Just about everyone deplores and bemoans the sad state of rural America. Local, small town economies are
- [Warehouses or Farms in Our County?](https://archive.olywip.org/warehouses-or-farms-in-our-county/) - Thurston County has begun the Comprehensive Plan Update, called Thurston 2045. As the name implies, the update will determine codes for the next twenty years. One important question will depend on citizens’ values – do we want industrial development, including mega-warehouse complexes, on land currently zoned for agriculture? Or do we want to follow the
- [Preserving Thurston County’s Farms And Rural Character](https://archive.olywip.org/preserving-thurston-countys-farms-and-rural-character/) - This is part two of a two-part series on this issue. Click here to view part one. Thurston County is in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan, known as Thurston 2045. The comprehensive plan is the 20-year growth plan and policy document for unincorporated Thurston County that guides future land use, housing, economic development,
- [Thurston County Prosecutor Harasses Elderly Infirm Widow](https://archive.olywip.org/thurston-county-prosecutor-harasses-elderly-infirm-widow/) - The District Court set a November 2, 2023 date for a case brought by the Thurston County Prosecutor charging the abuse and neglect of 2 horses, and he was doubtless confident it was an easy win to boost the Office’s conviction rates. It didn’t turn out that way. Here are the facts of the case
- [What is the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?](https://archive.olywip.org/what-is-the-treaty-on-the-prohibition-of-nuclear-weapons/) - In 1945 the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on two cities in Japan. Since then eight other nations, (Russia, United Kingdom France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea) – fearing for their own “national security” – developed nuclear weapons. Since the 1940s the U.S. has led each step in escalating the nuclear arms race and
- [Book Review - “Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson](https://archive.olywip.org/book-review-elon-musk-by-walter-isaacson/) - I love electric vehicles. And until I read this book about Elon Musk, I had a fairly good opinion of Elon Musk, the owner of the biggest electric vehicle company in the world. But now my opinion of Musk has changed. Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Elon Musk, published in Nov. 2023, has some information
- [Beaver Creek Farm Targeted for Warehouse Development](https://archive.olywip.org/beaver-creek-farm-targeted-for-warehouse-development/) - Citizens’ Voices Must Be Raised Again In 2021 the owners of Beaver Creek Dairy Farm requested that the 365-acre property be rezoned from Rural Resources/Residential to Rural Resources Industrial. In 2021 over 150 people, including many biologists and hydrologists, wrote comments to the county opposing this rezone because of the environmental sensitivity of the property.
- [2024 Legislative Session Opportunities for Important Issues and Great Non-Profit Orgs](https://archive.olywip.org/2024-legislative-session-opportunities-for-important-issues-and-great-non-profit-orgs/) - The Washington State Legislature will convene on Monday January 8, 2024, for the short even-year session (into early March). Sessions in odd-numbered years (after the even-year November elections) are longer. Important issues are dealt with every year. A great number and variety of excellent non-profit organizations work on legislation every year. Here are some organizations
- [Organize Grassroots Movements for Issues You Care About](https://archive.olywip.org/organize-grassroots-movements-for-issues-you-care-about/) - It is not enough to lobby elected officials. We must build a big grassroots movement to make elected officials do what we want. When we talk to elected officials, they think there are only a few of us, so it’s safe to simply listen politely and then ignore what we are asking them to do.
- [Thoughts on the Theme: Fall 2023 -- For the love of news](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-fall-2023-for-the-love-of-news/) - When they got an invitation to a Wrap Party celebrating and saying farewell to Works in Progress, a lot of people expressed shock and dismay. There were two kinds of people: the ones who said they loved the paper and would miss it, and the ones who blamed current WIPsters for “shutting it down.” But the former? Let’s take up their cause. Why do they love WIP? Let us count the ways...
- [Should thousands of trees be removed from residences in Thurston County?](https://archive.olywip.org/should-thousands-of-trees-be-removed-from-residences-in-thurston-county/) - That sounds like a crazy question! Most people love trees, especially mature ones. Besides being beautiful, trees absorb the greenhouse gas carbon and emit oxygen, reduce air pollution, cool houses and neighborhoods in summer, reduce urban heat sinks that cause deaths from cardiovascular disease, retain soil moisture, reduce flooding and stabilize slopes. But the new
- [Nonviolence Is Both Practical and Powerful](https://archive.olywip.org/nonviolence-is-both-practical-and-powerful/) - OPINION: Most people assume that violence solves problems. Actually violence only makes problems worse. We must replace the cycle of violence with fresh nonviolent strategies and actions. Some people think that nonviolence is too weak for the real world. Actually, violence does not work. Nonviolence is the truly practical alternative that really does work....
- [A Thriving Community Gathering Place: Traditions Fair Trade](https://archive.olywip.org/a-thriving-community-gathering-place-traditions-fair-trade/) - Since 1996 Traditions Fair Trade has provided a special space for community gatherings, concerts, and justice events in downtown Olympia. The cafe closed in January, but the international fair trade shop is a robust business. Events of all kinds take place many times a week. "We've been working with community members to expand use of
- [A very brief history of the current conflict in Palestine](https://archive.olywip.org/a-very-brief-history-of-the-current-conflict-in-palestine/) - PERSPECTIVE: The roots of the current conflict did not start in the past week nor was it “unprovoked” as the mainstream media would have us believe. 2023 is the 75th anniversary of the violent creation of the state of Israel. Palestinians and much of the world call this event the “Nakba” or “The Catastrophe.” For 75 years there has been...
- [Community Spotlight -- November 2023](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-november-2023/) - Native Art Exhibition, Past, Present and Future, TESC ♦ Native Art Exhibition: Chehalis Baskets, SPSCC ♦ Olympia's History
- [Gaza](https://archive.olywip.org/gaza/) - In vain I search for words to wrap around genocide and slip the truth of it inside the human heart....
- [A future for print journalism?](https://archive.olywip.org/a-future-for-print-journalism/) - Is there a market for serious reporting that seeks the truth? You might think the Olympian would be a robust and widely read paper. It covers the state capital, after all...
- [About this issue -- March 2018](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue/) - The pursuit of happiness was our theme for this issue. We were guided in our thinking on that topic by Martin Luther King Jr., who said ““[If] a man doesn’t have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists.” Joselyn Trivett’s
- [About this issue -- April 2018](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-2/) - The theme for this issue is “collective memory.” We’ve tried to include a variety of stories that touch on memory - a memory that lives through an activist community today (Rachel Corrie); how there are echoes of memory in the present (Carpenters); how we forget things and need to be reminded (Trump & Kim) and how
- [About this issue -- May 2018](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-3/) - Eight hours of work… Everyone was so worn out from commuting, overtime, cell phone calls, flextime schedules that very few had time to write up their experiences! Check out the stories about Amazon, Mother Jones, Wobbly victory at Burgerville…
- [About this issue -- June 2018](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-4/) - This issue's theme: The surveillance society I took a class in college in the 60s called “Totalitarianism and Society” (and the college wasn’t Evergreen). Totalitarianism is a political concept where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to control every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible. The professor assured us
- [About this issue -- July 2018](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-5/) - This issue's theme: On the edge —inequality and poverty. Is it possible that most people are beginning to realize that inequality is intrinsic to our celebrated “market system”—and even a goal of government policy? One apologist said, “I believe inequality is an economic good that has received too much bad press.” Political liberalism will not
- [About this issue -- May 2019](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-may-2019/) - This issue is dedicated to Labor in all its forms, from waged to unwaged, labor that takes place in traditional settings such as factories, hospitals, construction sites, offices, schools, etc. to less recognized forms of participation in the economic relations of society like reproductive female labor, rearing children, and caring for elders....
- [About this issue - August 2019](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-august-2019/) - Who’s running the show? Let us give some thought to the idea of how a city gets built. And who has the power to shape how that city gets built. Sometimes it is possible to discover some of the steps that lead to something like the “Missing Middle”—where the idea came from, who managed the
- [About this Issue -- September 2019](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-8/) - The future is the past in disguise, but it is also constructed from our hopes, wishes, and actions in the present. In other words, as this month’s WIP theme suggests, the future is something we create....
- [About This Issue - October 2019](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-october-2019/) - Prejudice and hostility as the official vocabulary of the nation With President Trump and other high-ranking officials of his administration, prejudice and hostility against some nations and members of specific ethnic groups have become a predictable and integral part of official White House discourse. This attitude reflects what has come to be known as America
- [WIP readers share ideas for Artesian Commons Park -- Center Fold](https://archive.olywip.org/wip-readers-share-ideas-for-artesian-commons-park/) - WIP readers share creative ideas for the Artesian Commons Park. It is a vital city resource and needs to be revived with citizen's and the city's help.
- [About this Issue -- What does keep us safe? -- January 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/what-does-keep-us-safe/) - I made a list of the things I think keep us safe: I started the list on a Sunday, on a scrap of paper and I put it on the refrigerator together with the picture of our new grandchild, the neighbors’ daughter, the current grocery list, and other random items. I wrote things like “a
- [About this Issue - Our Lived Values - February 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-our-lived-values/) - If we look around we can see a difference between values that are professed -- and those we express in how we behave. But this is a moving target.
- [About this Issue -- The bill of rights -- March 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/the-first-amendment/) - It might seem from news stories that the biggest “threat” to free speech today comes from intolerant students—both those who shout down speakers promoting white supremacy, and those who disrupt presenters arguing for Palestinians. In fact, there are few such incidents, though those are extensively reported...
- [Our youth call us to act on the Climate Emergency](https://archive.olywip.org/our-youth-call-us-to-act-on-the-climate-emergency/) - Over 2,000 Olympians, students, and other local Washingtonians gathered on the steps of the State Capitol last month to stand united facing the threat of climate change...
- [History of student movements and activism at The Evergreen State College](https://archive.olywip.org/history-of-student-movements-and-activism-at-the-evergreen-state-college/) - Students and student movements have played a major role in struggles for reform and revolution in the United States and around the world. Here are a few examples of student organizing and protest on campus since I came to Evergreen in 1987.
- [A unique community paper takes a look back](https://archive.olywip.org/a-unique-community-paper-takes-a-look-back/) - In its 33 years as a print newspaper, WIP has routinely published stories that were overlooked by local papers --- or that failed to offer readers serious truths. Even with unpaid, volunteer contributors, our “citizen reporters” dug into issues and provided our readers with accurate information and critical context. In this article, we’ve printed three stories of consequence from past issues of the paper.
- [Keep wilderness wild](https://archive.olywip.org/keep-wilderness-wild/) - What disturbs us so much about wild places? Is it that they seem to have little concern for our needs? Do they challenge our obsession with mastery and control? Maybe wilderness just terrifies us.
- [Don’t cry for me Miami](https://archive.olywip.org/dont-cry-for-me-miami/) - I grew up in Yakima and came to Olympia in 1971. The WSU student newspaper had assigned me to do a story on TESC, a new college opening in the fall. Unhappy at WSU and intrigued by Evergreen, I became an original Greener.
- [POWER and WIP](https://archive.olywip.org/power-and-wip/) - For many years, POWER (Parents Organizing for Welfare and Economic Rights), an Olympia Welfare Rights non-profit organization has worked tirelessly to educate our community on the struggles and strengths of low-income parents in our community, and to fight the stigma tied to parents on welfare. Monica Peabody, former Executive Director of POWER, has led many
- [People who have been convicted of a felony can vote!](https://archive.olywip.org/people-who-have-been-convicted-of-a-felony-can-vote/) - A new law that took effect last year that automatically restores voting rights to people with felony convictions the moment they exit prison in Washington – a change that expanded the franchise to more than 12,000 Washingtonians on probation and parole, along with an indeterminate number who owe court fines.
- [Eco-social activist/scientist sees  dysfunction in the Olympia City Council](https://archive.olywip.org/eco-social-activist-scientist-sees-dysfunction-in-the-olympia-city-council/) - OPINION: Authorities now practice top-down control, often ignoring citizen opinions for Olympia parking, public-safety, etc.
- [American Midnight—War, Peace, Crisis](https://archive.olywip.org/american-midnight-war-peace-crisis/) - BOOK REVIEW: In his detailed history, subtitled The Great War: A Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis, Adam Hochschild guides the reader through an extensive examination of the turmoil in American society during the period of the Wilson administration before, during and after World War I.
- [The Communist Party in 1970s Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/the-communist-party-in-1970s-olympia/) - Ann Vandeman is in her kitchen on 6th Avenue in Olympia. She is making me dinner and I’m asking her questions about what it was like being involved in the Communist Party here in the 1970s. The actual CPUSA...
- [It’s only a legacy if you leave it](https://archive.olywip.org/its-only-a-legacy-if-you-leave-it/) - In the Natural Climate Solutions provisions of the WA Climate Commitment Act, Washington legislators for the first time affirmed the carbon storage benefits of lowland forests, acknowledging that Legacy Forests are critical to the health and wellbeing of the broader ecosystem.
- [Publishers of two online papers take on the challenge of covering local news](https://archive.olywip.org/publishers-of-two-online-papers-take-on-the-challenge-of-covering-local-news/) - Ask about the public’s appetite for local news, and journalists naturally reach for a nutritional metaphor. People say they want local news, but plenty of tastier fare vies for their attention online...
- [Community Spotlight -- Fall 2023](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-fall-2023/) - Hidden Histories ♦ Oly-Rafah Solidarity Mural ♦ Harvest Festival ♦ Orca Recovery Day ♦ Visioning & Art in the Forest ♦ Punk Rock Flea Market ♦ Books, Brownies & Beans ♦ Women's Lib Book Club ♦ Headless Mumby ♦ Bridge Music Project ♦ More...
- [The Farmer’s Lawyer](https://archive.olywip.org/the-farmers-lawyer/) - BOOK REVIEW: Part court thriller, part chronicle of a crucial labor struggle, part reminder that when people work together they can overturn great injustices, and workers can triumph against corporate-government collusion, The Farmer’s Lawyer is an inspiring, enjoyable read.
- [The once and future Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/the-once-and-future-olympia/) - LETTER FROM FRED: I am a proud citizen of our quaint city and a witness to the changes which have come downtown over the twelve years I have resided here. For the most part, we have held our own in the battle of civic pride vs. uncivil behavior, but the spectre of “gentrification” has overtaken those in authority, bringing a new set of problems and solving few of the old ones.
- [Civic activist and historian Thelma Jackson will speak](https://archive.olywip.org/civic-activist-and-historian-thelma-jackson-will-speak/) - Thelma Jackson will be the keynote speaker for the YWCA 2023 Women of Achievement awards gala. The year 2022 was a very busy year for Dr. Jackson. In February, she published a book titled “Blacks in Thurston County, Washington, 1950-1975: A Community Album.”
- [Olympia needs a code of ethics to restore public trust in local government](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-needs-a-code-of-ethics-to-restore-public-trust-in-local-government/) - PERSPECTIVE: The City of Olympia has no code of ethics. But a movement is afoot to urge Olympia’s City Council to establish an Ethics Code and Commission. This will help ensure that our elected officials and government agencies are transparent and act without bias--free of commercial or political interests that can influence them to make decisions that improperly benefit one group over another.
- [Maybe it’s the water](https://archive.olywip.org/maybe-its-the-water/) - The first time I submitted an article to Works in Progress, I was nervous. I had no idea who the editors were, or what the process for reviewing submissions was. Much to my surprise, a very friendly and encouraging person—Sylvia Smith—reached back to me. It turned out that, in contrast to what I was imagining, Works in Progress ran on a shoestring. A shoestring and at least a hundred hours per month of unpaid labor from the managing editor, plus the contributions of writers, artists, poets, photographers, tech savvy students, advertisers, proofreaders, distributors and many many others.
- [Works In Progress is hosting a party](https://archive.olywip.org/works-in-progress-is-hosting-a-party/) - We’re inviting volunteer WIPsters, contributors and readers to celebrate and share their stories about WIP on October 20. If you plan to come, reply by email to olywip@gmail.com with OCTOBER 20 RSVP in the subject line, and we’ll send you details.
- [Replace simplistic “national security” with true security](https://archive.olywip.org/replace-simplistic-national-security-with-true-security/) - Glen Anderson is proposing a “wise alternative” to the status quo. In the above table he sets out the basic distinctions between TRUE security (in the middle column) and the status quo assumptions about “national security” (in the column on the right).
- [Thoughts on Hawaiian History Month](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-hawaiian-history-month/) - PERSPECTIVE: Aloha: A warm welcome and a fond farewell. An essence of being—with love, peace, compassion, and mutual respect. A way of living in harmony with the people and land around us with mercy, sympathy, grace, and kindness. Aloha to this September’s Hawaiian History Month.
- [The UAW strike involves more than a contract dispute](https://archive.olywip.org/the-uaw-strike-involves-more-than-a-contract-dispute/) - Workers’ wages at Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis have declined dramatically over the past 50 years. Today temporary workers at GM start at $16.67 and top out at $20, half as much as workers five decades ago.
- [We Won’t Be Here Tomorrow](https://archive.olywip.org/we-wont-be-here-tomorrow/) - BOOK REVIEW: Hey you guys. Climate change is going to kill us. We are going to fight each other to the death in violent uprisings and wars over water. Of course. But have you considered the role that antifascist Norse warrior ghosts (don’t call them vikings) might play in the world of tomorrow? How about lesbian mermaids? And how are those Free Orcas of Cascadia going to handle it all? Oh, you haven’t considered that? Well Margaret Killjoy has...
- [Seattle billboards called attention to our neighboring nukes](https://archive.olywip.org/seattle-billboards-called-attention-to-our-neighboring-nukes/) - Peace proponents opposed to nuclear weapons joined forces recently to display a quote from the pope on four billboards in Seattle and Tacoma. The Poulsbo-based Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action joined with an international Catholic group, Pax Christi USA, to pay for a billboard ad, in an effort to reawaken public awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons in the Puget Sound region, said the release. The billboards stayed up for four weeks...
- [Spring grants totalling $3600 support missions of grassroots groups](https://archive.olywip.org/spring-grants-totalling-3600-support-missions-of-grassroots-groups/) - Those who “round up for CSF” at the Olympia Food Co-op are “walking the walk.” Generous donations totaling $3600 meant that this Spring, the community provided grants to strengthen the fabric of people, environments, and habitats throughout our Thurston County. 100% of contributions go directly into the fund’s twice-yearly grant cycles.
- [“Olympia’s Hidden Histories” connect us to the past and to our world](https://archive.olywip.org/olympias-hidden-histories-connect-us-to-the-past-and-to-our-world/) - “Olympia’s Hidden Histories” is a collection of self-guided multimedia walking tours that make visible the stories of Olympia’s diverse communities, natural ecology, and connections to the world.
- [Save the legacy trees in Capital Forest](https://archive.olywip.org/save-the-legacy-trees-in-capital-forest/) - READER WRITES: The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is selling off trees to be logged on public land that includes mature (legacy) and old-growth trees. Three parcels with legacy trees in Capitol Forest may be auctioned in the next eight months. For many reasons, the sale of the Juneau, Carrot and Evergreen Gold parcels must not go forward. .
- [Then this happened -- Summer 2023](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-summer-2023/) - City officials blamed ill-informed voters. ♦ The US Navy deployed new low-yield warheads. ♦ Habitat for Humanity paid the city $1.00 for property. ♦ The state will for the first time set aside public timber acreage for carbon sequestering
- [Thoughts on the Theme:  Summer 2023 -- What do we mean when  we say, “Children are our future?”](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-summer-2023-what-do-we-mean-when-we-say-children-are-our-future/) - What is it about children? They can melt the hearts of the most curmudgeonly misanthrope, test the patience of Job, and show astounding awareness of the world around them—at the same time. We speak of children as “hope for the future.”...
- [Revisiting Capital Homecare Cooperative](https://archive.olywip.org/revisiting-capital-homecare-cooperative/) - A new Washington law, SB 5096, provides a path for workers in Washington businesses to create cooperatives. In the Spring issue of WIP, we interviewed Nora Edge, founder and former General Manager, and Paulette LaDouceur, current General Manager of Capital Homecare Cooperative. We decided to revisit some of their insights into the benefits a cooperative structure offers for workers.
- [Make America safe for child labor—again](https://archive.olywip.org/make-america-safe-for-child-labor-again/) - America’s social studies textbooks urgently need an update — on child labor. Our textbooks, ever since the middle of the 20th century, have been applauding the reform movement that gradually put an end to the child-labor horrors that ran widespread throughout the early Industrial Age. Now those horrors, here in the 21st century, are reappearing.
- [Poverty, by America](https://archive.olywip.org/poverty-by-america/) - BOOK REVIEW: Matthew Desmond has written a powerful, compelling complement to his 2017 Pulitzer Prize winning Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.
- [Breeding hope:  The paradox of parenthood in a world on the brink](https://archive.olywip.org/breeding-hope-the-paradox-of-parenthood-in-a-world-on-the-brink/) - REFLECTION: I ask myself the same questions many others in my generation ask: Should I have kids, given the world we live in today? What will my future child’s life look like if climate projections come to fruition? How will my child’s existence affect the earth’s ecosystems, plants and animals? Will it be better to be alive, despite these challenges, than never to have been born at all?
- [An Anniversary of War](https://archive.olywip.org/an-anniversary-of-war/) - The dictator looks over his shoulder, afraid. The actor rallies his countrymen, tired...
- [Clean Black Lake takes on the challenge](https://archive.olywip.org/clean-black-lake-takes-on-the-challenge/) - Building on its experience and advocacy for cleaning up Black Lake, Citizens for a Clean Black Lake has applied for non-profit status as the Clean Black Lake Alliance (CBLA). CBLA is dedicated to educational and environmental research and remediation of Black Lake and its watershed.
- [To thrive, students need more than just a good teacher](https://archive.olywip.org/to-thrive-students-need-more-than-just-a-good-teacher/) - In the long and merited discussion of teacher pay, one group of educators in the classroom has been forgotten: paraeducators. These are the people working in and out of classrooms to fill the gaps to help ensure that vulnerable students receive a quality education and a chance at a good life.
- [Of Boys and Men:  Why the modern  male is struggling](https://archive.olywip.org/of-boys-and-men-why-the-modern-male-is-struggling/) - BOOK REVIEW: Males increasingly struggle in school, work and families. The reasons are varied and somewhat mysterious, says author Richard Reeves, who proposes, among other things, “a simple but radical reform:” redshirt the boys.
- [Critical home repair program to preserve homeownership in Tumwater](https://archive.olywip.org/critical-home-repair-program-to-preserve-homeownership-in-tumwater/) - South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity is proud to announce the launch of its Critical Home Repair program, an initiative designed to provide affordable repairs to homeowners in Tumwater WA. The program aims to help families live in safe and decent homes by addressing critical repairs that would otherwise be unaffordable.
- [Not a Single kid has died in a mass reading](https://archive.olywip.org/not-a-single-kid-has-died-in-a-mass-reading/) - Not a single kid has died in a mass reading, yet they're banning books instead of guns.
- [Missing: Men in elementary school classrooms](https://archive.olywip.org/missing-men-in-elementary-school-classrooms/) - As a kindergarten teacher, Chad Hargrove purposely emulates the late Fred Rogers, better known as children’s television host Mister Rogers. No one in Hargrove’s class needs to be told that men can be kind and soft-spoken...
- [For-profit schools masquerading as free public education](https://archive.olywip.org/for-profit-schools-masquerading-as-free-public-education/) - Along with many former coworkers, I only found out we were working for a for-profit school when I was denied credit for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. This program, which seemed like a dream come true for teachers and others struggling to pay off school loans, was out of reach. We felt duped.
- [Unplugged music in the streets: You, too, can make it!](https://archive.olywip.org/unplugged-music-in-the-streets-you-too-can-make-it/) - Think of joyfully singing old Beatles tunes on a road trip with friends, or stomping your feet to Queen’s “We Will Rock You” at a sporting event. How did it make you feel? Connected? Energized? Part of something larger than yourself? You don’t need to be told that music, with or without lyrics, has a powerful binding energy.
- [Homeownership and the legacy of racially restrictive covenants](https://archive.olywip.org/homeownership-and-the-legacy-of-racially-restrictive-covenants/) - At one point in America’s history state and federal policies were designed to encourage families to own their own home. But not all families...
- [You can influence how our communities grow over the next 20 years](https://archive.olywip.org/you-can-influence-how-our-communities-grow-over-the-next-20-years/) - “The devil is in the details” is all too true when it comes to Comprehensive Plans that determine the shape of the communities we live in. The plans identify a series of goals, objectives, policies, actions and standards that guide day-to-day decisions of local government officials. The plans go a long way to determining how quiet our streets will be, whether there will be trees, thriving farms and wetlands, will there be affordable places for families to live, and on and on.
- [Should City Councilors expand the boundaries of Olympia?](https://archive.olywip.org/should-city-councilors-expand-the-boundaries-of-olympia/) - Olympia officials are considering a major annexation of neighborhoods at the Southeast periphery of the city that would increase Olympia’s population by about 18%. If it moves ahead, the annexation will have a significant economic and political impact on the city of Olympia. All evidence to date shows an adverse effect
- [The Parasitoid Port of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/time-to-revise-its-mission-for-the-21st-century/) - UNCENSORED: The Rev. Dr. John R. Van Eenwyk has retired as a clinical psychologist and Jungian analyst in private practice, an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church, a clinical instructor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and an Adjunct Professor at Antioch University. He co-founded the International Trauma Treatment Program here in Olympia.
- [Housing—a ‘crisis’ we have no intention of solving](https://archive.olywip.org/housing-a-crisis-we-have-no-intention-of-solving/) - PERSPECTIVE: In 2023 Washington legislators proclaimed a housing crisis. Their solution? Build more housing! Nothing to stabilize costs for families or support affordable housing. Our legislators assume that developers are the solution—when in fact they are the problem....
- [Launching the Columbia Street Food Co-op](https://archive.olywip.org/launching-the-columbia-street-food-co-op/) - In 1977, the brand-new storefront Co-op downtown on Columbia Street was slowly coming together, the result of volunteers building shelves, laying flooring, and setting out food. I had moved out West to find my people—the hippies. The best place to look was near co-ops and collective restaurants that sprouted up wherever hippies had settled.
- [Growing up Black in Jim Crow Texas](https://archive.olywip.org/growing-up-black-in-jim-crow-texas/) - An excerpt from a memoir, From the Depths of Darkness, by Dawud Al-Malik, (with James O’Barr), Mud Flat Shorts (mostly Fiction), Mud Flat Press, 2022 ...I was born David Washington Riggins—what I came to think of as my slave name...
- [Community Spotlight -- Summer 2023](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-summer-2023/) - Arbutus Open Mics ♦ Juneteenth ♦ Olympia Zine Fest ♦ Young Producers at TCTV ♦ Lacey Youth Council ♦ Juice Box Theater ♦ Community Volleyball ♦ Ranked Choice Voting
- [Does the future have a future?](https://archive.olywip.org/does-the-future-have-a-future/) - THE SPLINTER IN THE EYE: Answering this question calls for some clarification. Whose future are we talking about? What do we mean by having a future? And finally, is this question relevant?
- [About the Cover -- Spring 2023](https://archive.olywip.org/about-the-cover-spring-2023/) - The theme of this issue came from a line in a Robert Frost poem: “Before I built a wall, I’d ask to know / What I was walling in or walling out...” When our cover illustrator Aicha El Beloui read that line, she thought about a Tetris: “It is one of the few thought-provoking metaphors
- [Breathe](https://archive.olywip.org/breathe/) - If we worshiped water and air Things like Ohio wouldn’t happen Or Valdez, Chernobyl, Deepwater Horizon There would be no DAPL to protest...
- [We need to expand young voters’ access to the ballot](https://archive.olywip.org/we-need-to-expand-young-voters-access-to-the-ballot/) - PERSPECTIVE: On April 20, Cleta Mitchell, a leading voice in conservative politics said this: Republicans should make it harder for young people to vote. On April 20, Cleta Mitchell, a leading voice in conservative politics said this: Republicans should make it harder for young people to vote. This brazen campaign of youth voter suppression is morally wrong. And it is especially high-stakes in this political moment, when youth turnout has been credited for electing presidents and staving off red waves.
- [Dawud Halisi Al-Malik](https://archive.olywip.org/dawud-halisi-al-malik/) - Dawud Al-Malik’s story, Fifty Years in Prison for Crimes He Didn’t Commit, was told in a two-part interview with Wendy Tanowitz in the July and August 2018 issues of Works In Progress. An excerpt from his memoir is in this issue.
- [People Over Pentagon Act](https://archive.olywip.org/people-over-pentagon-act/) - As politicians wrangled about cutting future spending on existing programs, in exchange for agreeing to raise the limit on US borrowing (“the debt ceiling”) it turns out that defense spending is untouchable. No cuts there, period. The weapons industry has institutionalized the permanent war economy...
- [¿Donde está Dan Leahy?](https://archive.olywip.org/donde-esta-dan-leahy/) - (o porqué los revolucionarios no van al cielo) ¿A donde van los revolucionarios después de muertos? Su destino no es el cielo ni mucho peor el infierno
- [The café is closed for now, but Traditions carries on](https://archive.olywip.org/the-cafe-is-closed-for-now-but-traditions-carries-on/) - The owner of Traditions Café in downtown Olympia hopes rentals can sustain this community venue that never recovered from Covid. The café, connected to New Traditions, a fair-trade store located on Fifth Ave., has been known for hosting concerts, fund-raisers and other events for 26 years. On Dec.31, the café served its last meal, said
- [Dan Leahy 1943–2022](https://archive.olywip.org/dan-leahy-1943-2022/) - Dan Leahy was a storyteller, teacher, organizer, traveler and writer. He contributed regularly to Works in Progress, where his political analysis and organizing work were reflected in articles about housing, local elections, traffic on neighborhood streets, oil companies and oil trains—and private developers and their role in government among other issues. Most recently he organized
- [Community Spotlight -- Spring 2023](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-spring-2023/) - Download as PDF Krystal Two Bulls, Women’s Day Speaker. March 8, 11-12:30 on zoom. Krystal Two Bulls is an Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne water protector who is co-executive director of Honor the Earth (with Winona LaDuke). Two Bulls has opposed coal mining at Northern Cheyenne and an oil pipeline at Standing Rock. She is
- [More than bad brakes caused Norfolk Southern’s train wreck](https://archive.olywip.org/more-than-bad-brakes-caused-norfolk-southerns-train-wreck/) - The major fiery train wreck in Ohio last month serves as a reminder of just how potentially dangerous long and heavy trains can be. Add to this the fact that in the last 10 years, Class One rail carriers have dramatically increased both the length and tonnage of the average train, while cutting back on maintenance workers and inspection times,..
- [An open letter to Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland](https://archive.olywip.org/an-open-letter-to-congresswoman-marilyn-strickland/) - Dear Madam Congresswoman, As a lifelong Democrat who eagerly voted for you to succeed Lt. Governor Heck as our community’s representative in Congress, I am shocked and saddened by your yes vote for H.Con.Res.9, “Denouncing the horrors of socialism.” This resolution states that “Congress denounces socialism in all its forms, and opposes the implementation of
- [Olympia’s review of a proposed development leaves the question unanswered](https://archive.olywip.org/olympias-review-of-a-proposed-development-leaves-the-question-unanswered/) - The City of Olympia has again ignored state law in its handling of developer Jerry Mahan’s application to build family homes on a toxic waste dump.
- [Hands-on learning about the housing industry](https://archive.olywip.org/hands-on-learning-about-the-housing-industry/) - Some time ago, I was employed as a cost estimator for a large local siding company. We installed siding on hundreds of single-family new homes and several multi-family buildings throughout Puget Sound every year. I would create estimates and order packages on between 25-50 homes each week. That experience provided me a view of the
- [The “point in time” count of people living outdoors](https://archive.olywip.org/the-point-in-time-count-of-people-living-outdoors/) - I was among the many social workers, state employees and volunteers who approached and questioned our unhoused neighbors in Thurston County during the last week of January.
- [Community Sustaining Fund awards $3,605 in fall grants to local groups](https://archive.olywip.org/community-sustaining-fund-awards-3605-in-fall-grants-to-local-groups/) - For 36 years the Community Sustaining Fund (CSF) has funded individual and organizational efforts to strengthen the fabric of people, environments and habitats that make up our Thurston County communities. The Community Sustaining Fund (CSF) was able to offer support to four local community organizations as part of its Fall 2022 grant cycle. This was
- [A new curriculum tells the history of the Nisqually tribe](https://archive.olywip.org/a-new-curriculum-tells-the-history-of-the-nisqually-tribe/) - With a click of a mouse, 15 years of cooperative work to create a Nisqually Tribe curriculum to be used by local school districts zipped over to an Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) employee’s remote drive.
- [SPSCC looks for ways to avoid a budget shortfall](https://archive.olywip.org/spscc-looks-for-ways-to-avoid-a-budget-shortfall/) - In an attempt to blunt an impending budget shortfall, South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) has offered employees a $25,000 incentive to leave their jobs.
- [Readers’ Alert— review a book! Get $50!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-review-a-book-get-50-6/) - WIP has new funding for our “Readers Review” offer. Each month we publish a list of books (here). If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse you if you buy it) and pay $50 if the
- [The man who saved the world from thermonuclear annihilation](https://archive.olywip.org/the-man-who-saved-the-world-from-thermonuclear-annihilation/) - At a time when the probability of nuclear war is as nearly as high as it was during the Cuban Missile Crisis, it is crucial that we recall the story of Vasili Arkhipov, a Soviet submarine officer who prevented a Soviet nuclear strike against US surface warships during that very crisis in 1962. An attack
- [“Uncaged Art” transformative work by children who crossed a border](https://archive.olywip.org/uncaged-art-transformative-work-by-children-who-crossed-a-border/) - Uncaged Art is an exhibit of large-scale photographs of art made by adolescents, ages 13-17, from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. The exhibit, including educational elements, was organized by members of local cultural and activist organizations. The young artists were detained at the Tornillo Children’s Detention center in El Paso County, Texas, from June 2018 to January 2019.
- [Walling in and walling out](https://archive.olywip.org/walling-in-and-walling-out/) - In his book Myth and Reality, the late scholar of religion Mircea Eliade suggests that, contrary to the popular understanding of myth as a fiction, in early religious practice it defined both the constitution and understanding of reality—a line that defines the limits of belief or a wall that defines a city. Myth tells of
- [Poverty is the recruiter for our “volunteer” army](https://archive.olywip.org/poverty-is-the-recruiter-for-our-volunteer-army/) - Oh, the children! Filling the ranks is more complicated than it used to be, thanks to a change that occurred back in 1973, a year of startling historical significance. 1973 was the year of the Roe v. Wade decision and the Watergate hearings (remember those?).
- [Days of Change](https://archive.olywip.org/days-of-change/) - Olywa Days of Change is gathering memories from the 1960s to the 1980s for a book project. A group has met online for over two years, encouraging each other to write down stories, share histories and gather photographs and graphics.
- [The 1975 origins of SafePlace](https://archive.olywip.org/the-1975-origins-of-safeplace/) - In 1975, one of Olympia’s social spots for young adults and students was, oddly, the local crisis clinic. Many Evergreen and Saint Martin’s students looking for ways to connect volunteered there.
- [When an employer steals your wages](https://archive.olywip.org/when-an-employer-steals-your-wages/) - If someone steals money from their employer, they could be guilty of a serious crime. But what if an employer takes money from their employee’s paychecks? Employers steal billions of dollars from their employees each year by working them off the clock, by failing to pay the minimum wage, or by cheating them of overtime
- [Sharing ideas and strategies that can actually work](https://archive.olywip.org/sharing-ideas-and-strategies-that-can-actually-work/) - For the public to understand the dangers posed by many jobs, it’s vital that journalists write about the real story of everyday conditions, risks and strategies affecting working people.
- [Will private investors build affordable homes?](https://archive.olywip.org/will-private-investors-build-affordable-homes/) - New legislation mandates zoning in cities statewide to allow multiple housing units on a single-family lot Every piece of legislation begins with words like these: “The legislature finds that…” What follows is free from any grounding in evidence or constraints of logic. “Findings” are not a place to recognize reality with all its complexity, but
- [Worker ownership and empowerment in the home healthcare industry](https://archive.olywip.org/worker-ownership-and-empowerment-in-the-home-healthcare-industry/) - The need for in-home care is growing rapidly. While the field of in-home care is known for low wages, cooperatives provide an alternative. Recently WIP’s Matt Crichton talked with Nora Edge, founder and past executive director of Capital Homecare cooperative, and CHC current executive director Paulette La Douceur.
- [A new Regional Fire Authority for Olympia and Tumwater?](https://archive.olywip.org/a-new-regional-fire-authority-for-olympia-and-tumwater/) - An election this April could impose the biggest increase ever in property tax bills for people in these two cities Olympia and Tumwater voters will decide in a special election this April whether to merge their fire departments into a new Regional Fire Authority (RFA, Authority). Proposition 1 requires approval by 60% of the Olympia
- [Thumbs down on more legacy timber sales](https://archive.olywip.org/thumbs-down-on-more-legacy-timber-sales/) - Proponents of saving Washington’s few remaining legacy forests testified at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) monthly public hearing wearing yellow caution arm bands. On the auction block were four large parcels of land including legacy forests—defined as forests containing trees over 100 years old.. The community action group showed thumbs down when the Board
- [SPSCC reopens program offering discounts on car repair](https://archive.olywip.org/spscc-reopens-program-offering-discounts-on-car-repair/) - A local college is again offering discounted auto repairs to the public, and applications are easier than ever with a new online form. The automotive department at South Puget Sound Community College is offering auto repair for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. The public is invited to get their cars fixed by
- [The Heroico Batallón de San Patricio](https://archive.olywip.org/the-heroico-batallon-de-san-patricio/) - During the years of 1846-1848, many Irish people were immigrating to the US due to extreme economic hardship and famine in Ireland. This coincided with the US invasion of Mexico, known as the Mexican-American War. Many new Irish-Catholic immigrants joined the US army to earn money and possible citizenship in the war against Mexico.
- [The Ecosystem Guild—Budswell and Springtime](https://archive.olywip.org/the-ecosystem-guild-budswell-and-springtime/) - The Ecosystem Guild is not an institution, it is a community network built of relationships in pursuit of a regenerative bioregional culture. The Guild has been emerging across the Salish Sea and Cascadia for generations. A website was developed by stewards in the estuary cities of Olympia and Tumwater, where the Deschutes River enters Budd
- [Sentencing Task Force recommends major changes in WA criminal law](https://archive.olywip.org/sentencing-task-force-recommends-major-changes-in-wa-criminal-law/) - The sentence for attempted murder in Washington state is between 308.25—411 months. You might expect therefore that a teenager who shot his marijuana dealer during a drug transaction would be charged with attempted murder, and if found guilty could face up to 35 years in prison.
- [Then this happened -- December 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-december-2022/) - …police accountability took a hit . …the City of Olympia posted an opening for an entry-level police officer …one year after it was filed, a citizen petition denied...
- [Hostages to the future — Thoughts on the Theme — December 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-hostages-to-the-future/) - We can’t escape our future. The sum of our collective actions as humans acts as another force of nature, influencing the big physical systems that underpin the small blue, watery planet we’ve all come to know. We are in the process of making our own collective future. Our collective status as hostages to the future
- [Thurston County Citizens for a Sensible Wireless Code](https://archive.olywip.org/thurston-county-citizens-for-a-sensible-wireless-code/) - Your comments are needed at the BOCC public hearing on Tuesday February 7th at 5:30 pm, either by Zoom or in-person at the Atrium Facility, 3000 Pacific Ave
- [Blue Heron becomes a Co-op](https://archive.olywip.org/blue-heron-becomes-a-co-op-2/) - Another Co-Opportunity! Blue Heron Bakery, which has successfully served the South Sound community and beyond for over 45 years, will become a community-owned cooperative in 2023. The bakery joins an increasing number of successful businesses operating as co-ops, to the benefit of both workers and consumers. “Our intention is to keep the legacy of the
- [Black eye for the left](https://archive.olywip.org/black-eye-for-the-left/) - The most dangerous times on an airplane are take-off and landing. These are transitional times between two conditions that are not clearly defined. In the first case, the mass of the plane is yet to be airborne, and in the second case, a mass that is elevated in the atmosphere needs to come down.
- [Where to site wireless facilities in Thurston County](https://archive.olywip.org/12919-2/) - When Thurston County’s Board of County Commissioners created a stakeholder committee to provide additional input on zoning changes to rural wireless facilities, hopes were high among the private citizens in the group that the safest and most conservative decisions would be made to protect public health and property values.
- [Will Thurston’s latest climate mitigation plan make the difference?](https://archive.olywip.org/will-thurstons-latest-climate-mitigation-plan-make-the-difference/) - The Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan: Framework for Climate Mitigation Action for Thurston County and the Cities of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater was finished in December 2020. It starts out by listing several years of previous city and county resolutions, strategies, and plans – all concerned with slowing global warming.
- [An insatiable desire for warehouse land](https://archive.olywip.org/an-insatiable-desire-for-warehouse-land/) - The new economy shows up in proposals to expand airports, or build new ones, as cargo planes crowd out passenger flights. It has also created a seemingly insatiable demand for more and more rural and agricultural land to be rezoned for industry and warehousing. This race for space looms over the whole country and Thurston County is no exception.
- [Home so far away](https://archive.olywip.org/home-so-far-away/) - REFLECTION: The vistas are stunning. The Olympics to the west and the Cascades to the east, blue sky reflected in waters of the Sound, houses dotting evergreen-filled hills. The air is crisp, hints of salt water mixed with musk of western hemlock, Douglas fir, red cedar. Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier stand regally as reminders of roiling powers deep below rich farmland.
- [Tenant protests force developer to pay $26,500 in relocation assistance to families](https://archive.olywip.org/tenant-protests-force-developer-to-pay-26500-in-relocation-assistance-to-families/) - Home in Tacoma for All and Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America announced an important victory for residents of Meridian Mobile Estates, who faced mass eviction from the mobile home park in Puyallup slated to close October 1st. Following protests, the owners of Timberlane Holdings, a large developer, agreed to negotiate with tenants.
- [PETITION - If you build it they will come](https://archive.olywip.org/petition-if-you-build-it-they-will-come/) - To the WA state legislature, Governor Inslee, WSDOT, Thurston county local leaders, stakeholders and members of the community: We the undersigned strongly oppose creation of a new major commercial airport in Thurston County.
- [Northwest Tribal nations lead on climate change](https://archive.olywip.org/northwest-tribal-nations-lead-on-climate-change/) - Indigenous peoples have been among the most vocal proponents of solutions to climate change effects, but their advocacy has often been marginalized. A recent conference titled Evergreen Tribes and Climate Change Conference at the Squaxin Island Tribe’s Little Creek Hotel (November 8-9) made that advocacy more visible. One hundred faculty from 20 colleges attended, many
- [Redevelopment of the City of Olympia’s Triangle Subarea:  A Westside Perspective](https://archive.olywip.org/redevelopment-of-the-city-of-olympias-triangle-subarea-a-westside-perspective/) - We, the undersigned, are residents of the Westside of Olympia. We intend to be part of the “robust analysis and public engagement” that Mayor Selby indicated will be part of the City of Olympia’s Subarea planning effort. The City is scheduled to begin this effort in March, 2022.
- [Community Spotlight -- December 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-december-2022/) - Cougar Theater ♦ String & Shadow Puppet Theater ♦ Center for Responsible Forestry ♦ Rosie’s Place ♦ LOTT Treatment Plant ♦ Traditions Fair Trade ♦ South Sound Progressive Alliance ♦ Olympia Lamplighters ♦ Orca Books ♦ Brotherhood Lounge ♦ TOGETHER ...
- [Olympia school board appointment sparks national panic](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-school-board-appointment-sparks-national-panic/) - PERSPECTIVE: The Olympia School Board’s unanimous decision to appoint Talauna Reed to the board has sparked vocal ire cloaked in concern. Ms. Reed is the first African American board member and has criticized the police in the past.
- [The gerrymandered world of US democracy](https://archive.olywip.org/the-gerrymandered-world-of-us-democracy/) - BOOK REVIEW: One of the pleasures of reading detective novels is getting to know the setting. Sara Paretsky’s detective series, which features V.I. Warshawski, exposes new sides of Chicago. The same is true with Cara Black‘s series, featuring Aimee Leduc, which is set in Paris...
- [Racial disparities in WA homeownership are greater today than in the 1960s](https://archive.olywip.org/racial-disparities-in-wa-homeownership-are-greater-today-than-in-the-1960s/) - A new Washington state report highlights the stark reality that black and indigenous people, and people of color (BIPOC) would need to buy more than 140,000 houses in the state to achieve parity with white homeownership on a percentage basis. The housing gap is even more significant today than in the 1960s, when housing discrimination and redlining were legal.
- [Tiny homes at Quixote Village get a big solar boost](https://archive.olywip.org/tiny-homes-at-quixote-village-get-a-big-solar-boost/) - Olympia Community Solar and South Sound Solar just completed installation of a solar array at Quixote Village as part of their work to leverage solar energy as both a powerful tool for equity and a contribution to Thurston County’s renewable energy transition.
- [A movement needs electoral allies](https://archive.olywip.org/a-movement-needs-electoral-allies/) - Renowned sociologist Francis Fox Piven shared a somber analysis with The Guardian on Nov. 25, 2022: “I don’t think the fight over elemental democracy is over, by any means. The United States was well on the road to becoming a fascist country—and it still can become a fascist country.” Large-scale progress has never been made
- [Cooper Crest: A clear cut case for community rights](https://archive.olywip.org/cooper-crest-a-clear-cut-case-for-community-rights/) - Instead of seeing a legacy forest while driving north on Cooper Point Road in Olympia, you now see a devastated clearcut landscape and a large sign for OlyEcosystems, the new owner. They have already begun stabilization and restoration of the property with two community work parties that began planting trees in November. Members of the
- [Good reasons for a national strike by rail workers](https://archive.olywip.org/good-reasons-for-a-national-strike-by-rail-workers/) - After almost three years of stymied contract negotiations, rail workers voted 99% this summer in favor of a strike. That threat was averted when the Biden administration stepped in. By September there was a tentative proposal agreed to by the companies and submitted to the unions. But it’s not over.
- [Haki Farms Collective](https://archive.olywip.org/haki-farms-collective/) - The Haki Farmers Collective was founded by Mercy Kakutani-McGee and her daughter Elisa as a continuation of the work started by elders who called the valleys of Kandara, Kenya home.
- [Discover Olympia’s hidden histories](https://archive.olywip.org/discover-olympias-hidden-histories/) - On October 7, several “Olympia Hidden Histories” self-guided walking tours were introduced to the public. The multimedia walking tours are a collaboration of student authors and faculty at The Evergreen State College, with the “Walls Tell Stories, Olympia” project of Art Forces and Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice.
- [Building a relationship between the  Nisqually Tribe and North Thurston Schools](https://archive.olywip.org/building-a-relationship-between-the-nisqually-tribe-and-north-thurston-schools/) - Partnering with the Nisqually tribe, the North Thurston School District plans to develop a course in the traditional Lushootseed language with the goal of offering it at River Ridge High School starting in the 2023-2024 school year. Works in Progress correspondent Margaret Thomas met with Nisqually Tribal Chairman Willie Frank III in his office this fall to talk about Lushootseed in the schools. Excerpts from their 40-minute conversation appear below.
- [Reader Alert!](https://archive.olywip.org/reader-alert/) - Reader Review Grant is back…but with a difference. Each issue we will suggest a book to review. If you’re interested in reviewing the book, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse you if you buy it) and pay $50 if the review is accepted. The
- [Thank you from the Estuarium](https://archive.olywip.org/thank-you-from-the-estuarium/) - Come to the Estuarium on December 17 to discover the orcas that share the waters of the Puget Sound. You will learn the history of southern resident orcas in this area and the survival challenges they face.
- [Then this happened -- September 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-15/) - Maybe they’ll drive electric cars?...Maybe we didn’t need new taxes....Maybe it’s worth fighting....Maybe Washington could address the wage end of the “affordable housing” crisis....Maybe ensuring everyone has access to basic needs is scary.
- [Better ships than citizenship -- Thoughts on the Theme -- September 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/better-ships-than-citizenship-thoughts-on-the-theme-september-2022/) - Many stories in this issue say that our governments’ priorities don’t reflect the priorities of the governed but instead serve the demands of profit. Their decisions direct public resources—and even the modest resources of workers and other members of the public—into the hands of investors for their private gain. Illustrating this are articles about turning
- [A white American cultural habit](https://archive.olywip.org/a-white-american-cultural-habit/) - In May 14, a young white supremacist armed with a semi–automatic assault rifle traveled over 200 miles to the zip code 14208, which seemed an ideal place for implementing his plan to kill black people.
- [State logging permit voids decades of community planning](https://archive.olywip.org/state-logging-permit-voids-decades-of-community-planning/) - Until the last week of this July, there was a forest of 80– to 100–year–old trees in a residential neighborhood, on Cooper Point Road between 20th and 28th Streets.
- [Turning Olympia into an asset class for investors](https://archive.olywip.org/turning-olympia-into-an-asset-class-for-investors/) - This is not a story about the broad swath of Olympia residents who spend half their income to pay for a place to live. It's about reshaping Olympia for investors.
- [What can you and I do to lower our carbon footprint?](https://archive.olywip.org/what-can-you-and-i-do-to-lower-our-carbon-footprint/) - In The Armies of the Night, Norman Mailer writes about going to a big demonstration against the Vietnam War. He isn’t planning to go at all, but a friend calls him up about it. He feels as if he ought to go, though he doesn’t want to. Finally he goes.
- [The Rape of Orithyia](https://archive.olywip.org/the-rape-of-orithyia/) - The Rape of Orithyia, mountain gale nymph, by Boreas, god of the north wind, a mytho–poetic interpretation of the wrath of the Goddess and her hand in the devastating Marshall Fire, Colorado 2021.
- [A tale of two refugee camps in Tijuana](https://archive.olywip.org/a-tale-of-two-refugee-camps-in-tijuana/) - It turns out that if you’re a refugee trying to escape horror and death by coming to the United States via the Mexican border—make sure that you are Ukrainian!
- [Making affordable housing a reality—somewhere else](https://archive.olywip.org/making-affordable-housing-a-reality-somewhere-else/) - In June, Rhode Island passed a $10 million pilot program that will use COVID-19 stimulus money to build mixed-income public housing.
- [SHIT YOU SHOULD KNOW](https://archive.olywip.org/shit-you-should-know/) - CENTER PAGE: We live in an age when ignorance is praised. Ignorance and division are being manufactured on a mass scale. There is essentially an industry teaching us to doubt what we know...
- [Public awareness of the value of Legacy Forests grows](https://archive.olywip.org/public-awareness-of-the-value-of-legacy-forests-grow/) - For years, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources has treated its responsibility to manage state forests as requiring them to maximize timber harvest and revenue generation for public services including, especially, school construction.
- [What happened after employees at Cooper Point Village Starbucks voted to form a union](https://archive.olywip.org/what-happened-after-employees-at-cooper-point-village-starbucks-voted-to-form-a-union/) - As Starbucks reports quarterly profits of $40 billion, they try to quash organizing efforts of baristas and other staff who are voting to unionize for better working conditions. Recently Matt Crichton talked with one of the baristas at the Cooper Point Village Starbucks about the employees’ experience trying to form a union.
- [How the City of Olympia orchestrated support for a $2.3 million “cultural access” sales tax](https://archive.olywip.org/how-the-city-of-olympia-orchestrated-support-for-a-2-3-million-cultural-access-sales-tax/) - Late in July 2021, the head of Olympia’s Office of Community Vitality requested $200,000 as a new “enhancement” to the City’s operating budget. It would pay for the City to hold a special election in the spring, to put a .1% sales tax increase before voters....
- [“Neighborhood” centers— or centers of commerce?](https://archive.olywip.org/neighborhood-centers-or-centers-of-commerce/) - Most Olympia residents would welcome a coffee shop or small grocery store into their neighborhood, yet plans for such Neighborhood Centers have been in talks for years with little to show for it.
- [Washington will feel the impact](https://archive.olywip.org/washington-will-feel-the-impact/) - The day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating a constitutional right that had stood for nearly 50 years, much of Washington revolted. Thousands of pro–choice protestors took to the streets of Olympia and Seattle in response to the Court’s June 24 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization.
- [More risk falls on people working outside](https://archive.olywip.org/more-risk-falls-on-people-working-outside/) - Heat, smoke and climate assault have become “new normal” conditions that daily threaten workers, especially in agriculture.
- [Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media](https://archive.olywip.org/free-speech-a-history-from-socrates-to-social-media/) - BOOK REVIEW: I suppose it will surprise no one to learn that the age–old fight for free speech goes on, and likely will continue as long as there are unpopular ideas...
- [Solar energy: decades of sabotage](https://archive.olywip.org/solar-energy-decades-of-sabotage/) - In Who Owns the Sun, Environmental activists Berman and O’Connor offer a scathing explanation of why solar technology has played such an insignificant role in meeting America’s energy needs. Politicians, utility companies and even many mainstream environmental groups come under attack for either their lack of leadership on this issue or for their downright hostility
- [Elegy for a clearcut forest](https://archive.olywip.org/elegy-for-a-clearcut-forest/) - PERSPECTIVE: Ever wonder what a Department of Natural Resources (DNR)–approved clearcut of public forestland looks like after the fact? Our Whatcom County field team got a close look...
- [The strange case of Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer](https://archive.olywip.org/the-strange-case-of-pierce-county-sheriff-ed-troyer/) - In 2020, the same year Ed Troyer ran for Sheriff of Pierce County, Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier commissioned a study of use–of–force incidents committed by the Sheriff’s Department. Published in November 2021, the report of the Pierce County Criminal Justice Work Group noted that black residents of Pierce County experienced 5.62 times as much
- [The Supreme Court cited “ordered liberty” to overturn “Roe”](https://archive.olywip.org/the-supreme-court-cited-ordered-liberty-to-overturn-roe/) - What the hell is “ordered liberty”? Most people in the United States are not familiar with this archaic legal term, but it reveals the direction that the current attacks on our freedoms and civil rights are headed.
- [1000 miles by electric vehicle](https://archive.olywip.org/1000-miles-by-electric-vehicle/) - I’ve always been intrigued by electric cars. I love driving but hate the problems that cars bring—like maintenance and the looming possibility of another expensive thing breaking that I don’t know how to fix. A car is “the gift that keeps on taking.” So, when the State motor pool offered me the option of reserving
- [A Call to Action: Washington forests for “all the people”](https://archive.olywip.org/a-call-to-action/) - On July 21, 2022, the Washington State Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling in Conservation Northwest v. Commissioner of Public Lands, the “All the People” case.
- [No one here to tie up the loose ends -- Thoughts on the Theme -- May 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/no-one-here-to-tie-up-the-loose-ends-thoughts-on-the-theme-may-2022/) - WIP editors began working on this issue of the paper with the idea that we would look back at our stories over the past few years to see where there are “loose ends.” What stories did WIP publish about government actions or environmental threats or citizen efforts to improve things—where there needed to be on-going coverage?
- [Conundrum](https://archive.olywip.org/conundrum/) - BOOK REVIEW: At a time when transgender youth are being threatened with parental separation [1] and transgender women and transfeminine people of color are being murdered at record rates [2], "Conundrum" is especially poignant.
- [Five arrests over 24/7 public restrooms in downtown Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/five-arrests-247-public-restrooms-downtown-olympia/) - In all the commotion and live-streaming and sit-in demonstrations Just Housing organized for 24/7 public restrooms downtown last weekend, let’s not forget the five people of conscience who were arrested for the crime of sitting in public restrooms (aka “criminal trespass first degree”). They are: Tyler Gundel(“Tye”), outreach worker Walker Stephens, Ho Ho Hobos wreath stand S,
- [Seeking to change the profile of leadership in Washington](https://archive.olywip.org/seeking-to-change-the-profile-of-leadership-in-washington/) - An interview with Maria Siguenza, who will run for Position 1 of Washington’s 22nd Legislative District. The seat is now occupied by Laurie Dolan who has announced her retirement at the end of this term.
- [Peace is not always gentle](https://archive.olywip.org/peace-is-not-always-gentle/) - POETRY: True peace is served by shattering our illusions with the stone of Truth....
- [Community Spotlight -- May 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-may-2022/) - Olympia Little Theatre ♦ Harlequin Productions ♦ Community Farmland Trust ♦ Solstice Women’s Retreat ♦ Olympia Fiddle Camp ♦ Living History Museum podcast series ♦ Underground Pop Cassettes ♦ Deschutes Estuary Restoration ♦ Parallax Perspectives ♦ Olympia Free Clinic♦ Queer Body Love
- [Booming corporate profits drive today’s inflation](https://archive.olywip.org/booming-corporate-profits-drive-todays-inflation/) - RETHINKING EVERYTHING: The inflation spike of 2021 and 2022 has presented real policy challenges. In order to better understand this policy debate, it is imperative to look at prices and how they are being affected.
- [Revitalizing local food one cut at a time](https://archive.olywip.org/revitalizing-local-food-one-cut-at-a-time/) - The founder and resident kitchen god at Delmonico’s, “Olympia’s only truly artisan butcher shop,” Brian McDonald, who seems to have found his niche after years gaining experience and honing skills in the culinary arts, the food service business, and related pursuits. He says he got his start at home. “My grandmother taught me how to
- [With 750 global bases, US military uses 4.6 billion gallons of fuel annually](https://archive.olywip.org/with-750-global-bases-us-military-uses-4-6-billion-gallons-of-fuel-annually/) - The Manchester Fuel Department (MFD) is the Department of Defense’s largest single-site fuel terminal in the United States. The depot provides military-grade fuel, lubricants and additives to U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels, and to those from allied nations like Canada. Records available from 2017 show over 75 million gallons of fuel stored at MFD.
- [The continuing shame of Guantánamo](https://archive.olywip.org/the-continuing-shame-of-guantanamo/) - GUEST COLUMN: Thirty-nine suspects remain in the United States’ prison on Guantánamo Bay, or “GITMO” as it’s commonly known. And nobody can reasonably predict when, if ever, they will be freed.
- [Amazon and other corporate climate pledges](https://archive.olywip.org/amazon-and-other-corporate-climate-pledges/) - It’s easy to make a pledge to reach “net zero.” It’s much harder to create a credible plan to reach that goal and then execute that plan. Beyond mere pledges, are these companies demonstrating real leadership on climate issues by taking meaningful action?
- [This is Olympia on music](https://archive.olywip.org/this-is-olympia-on-music/) - Listening to live music is one of the most enduring sources of joy for humans but even though its roots are just as deep and its rewards every bit as satisfying, participatory music-making by non-professionals is hard to find in most communities. Not so in Olympia,...
- [Bridge Music Project nurtures young talent in collaborative songwriting workshops](https://archive.olywip.org/bridge-music-project-nurtures-young-talent-in-collaborative-songwriting-workshops/) - The stage is set with speakers, a foldout table with audio controls, and a MacBook. A mess of cords snake over the stage and three group members wheel a piano from the shadows behind the curtains and situate it within the temporary base. Behind them is the Bridge Music Project logo, printed on vinyl, stretched
- [City Builders and Vandals in Our Age: Articles and Essays on Socialism](https://archive.olywip.org/city-builders-and-vandals-in-our-age-articles-and-essays-on-socialism/) - BOOK REVIEW: In two inspiring and optimistic books, Caleb Maupin lays out where we are politically, how we got here, and points the way forward. You may not agree with him on some things, but he presents ideas and asks questions that merit consideration by any who favor transformative progressive change....
- [Habitat for Humanity takes the lead on affordable low-income housing](https://archive.olywip.org/habitat-for-humanity-takes-the-lead-on-affordable-low-income-housing/) - South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity last month hosted a Home Dedication for two families moving into homes they helped to build with their own hands. The Deyoe Vista community in Lacey is brought to life by hundreds of volunteers and donors each year...
- [Ukraine and the Theater of War](https://archive.olywip.org/ukraine-and-the-theater-of-war/) - If we are willing to understand war, any war, there are a few principles to keep in mind.
- [The words of Governor Dan Evans echo down the years](https://archive.olywip.org/the-words-of-governor-dan-evans-echo-down-the-years/) - The Evergreen State College celebrated its inauguration and dedication on April 21, 1972 —colliding with a call for a national student strike against escalation of the Vietnam War. Eirik Steinhoff, an Evergreen adjunct faculty member, retrieved Governor Dan Evans’ speech at the event...
- [As sales taxes grow, so does Washington’s income inequality](https://archive.olywip.org/as-sales-taxes-grow-so-does-washingtons-income-inequality/) - According to an index created by the Institute on Tax and Economic Policy, Washington state has the most unfair state and local tax system in the US...
- [Community Sustaining Fund Grant Applications due May 15](https://archive.olywip.org/community-sustaining-fund-grant-applications-due-may-15/) - Calling all Changemakers! The Community Sustaining Fund of Thurston County (CSF) is now accepting Spring 2022 grant applications through May 16, 2022, for creative and impactful applications that serve Thurston County communities. In
- [$2.3 million in new sales tax for Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/2-3-million-in-new-sales-tax-for-olympia/) - Twenty percent of Olympia’s registered voters just imposed a sales and use tax on everyone else.
- [Works In Progress:  Transitioning to four times a year](https://archive.olywip.org/works-in-progress-transitioning-to-four-times-a-year/) - This May issue marks the end of our monthly publishing schedule. We’re taking a break and then beginning a quarterly publication schedule. The next issues of WIP will appear in September 2022, December 2022, March 2023, and June 2023.
- [A new era for old forests or business as usual at DNR?](https://archive.olywip.org/a-new-era-for-old-forests-or-business-as-usual-at-dnr/) - On April 6, the Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands launched an unprecedented carbon leasing project. The first of its kind on state trust lands, this initiative enters ecologically valuable forests into leases to generate revenue for trust land beneficiaries by reserving them for carbon storage uses.
- [Cooper Point Starbucks workers vote for union and a say in working conditions](https://archive.olywip.org/cooper-point-starbucks-workers-vote-for-union-and-a-say-in-working-conditions/) - On the corner of Cooper Point and Harrison, it’s a typical mall setting. Cars dominate the foreground, small chain shops border the asphalt parking lot; a Starbucks serves a steady stream of customers. One thing is not typical....
- [Reading Dave Jette, with gratitude](https://archive.olywip.org/reading-dave-jette-with-gratitude/) - Dave Jette, one of the founders of WIP and longtime contributor, passed away in January 2022. The Seattle Times published an obituary that provides a contour of Dave’s life, including his love for his family, his passion for organizing hiking trips, his accomplishments as a physicist researching radiation treatments for cancer, and his political involvement.
- [Then This Happened -- April 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-april-2022/) - Olympia residents turned out in force... Remember that “urban village”
- [Time bends and ancestral voices whisper in the ears of those who will but listen -- Thoughts on the theme -- April 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/time-bends-and-ancestral-voices-whisper-in-the-ears-of-those-who-will-but-listen-thoughts-on-the-theme-april-2022/) - For April, we invited the community to submit stories related to how we use—or misuse —time. We just didn’t realize the submissions would reveal as much about the messengers as their messages....
- [Community Spotlight -- April 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-april-2022/) - Length of Rope ♦ The Paper Moon ♦ Koresh Dance ♦ TSTSC Plant Sale ♦ Wild Grief ♦ Bicycle Challenge ♦ Deschutes Estuary ♦ Mycology Club ♦ Sharing Time with Elders ♦ Thousand Chestnuts ♦ Black Rose ♦ Olympia Lamplighters ♦ Women of Color ♦ More….
- [Rise of the Warrior Cop](https://archive.olywip.org/rise-of-the-warrior-cop/) - BOOK REVIEW: The idea of police being that positively engaged with the community seems Rockwellian and made me want to read Radley Balko’s new book, Rise of the Warrior Cop, to better understand whatever happened to “officer friendly”.
- [Guiding Principles for the Capital Mall Triangle Subarea](https://archive.olywip.org/guiding-principles-for-the-capital-mall-triangle-subarea/) - Residents of West Olympia, mostly from the SW neighborhood, gathered for dinner and a photo at the Mediterranean Breeze restaurant to celebrate delivery of a set of principles to guide changes to a “Capital Mall Triangle Subarea” selected by City Planners for new “transit-oriented” investment.
- [Re-evaluating solar, hydro and wind power as the climate solution](https://archive.olywip.org/re-evaluating-solar-hydro-and-wind-power-as-the-climate-solution/) - PERSPECTIVE: Current analyses assume that renewable energy technologies like electric vehicles, wind power and solar power are the answer to limited oil reserves. Those assumptions should be re-examined before we commit more resources to their development.
- [An important milestone that could lead to a free-flowing Deschutes River](https://archive.olywip.org/an-important-milestone-that-could-lead-to-a-free-flowing-deschutes-river/) - PERSPECTIVE: The Washington Department of Enterprise Services has announced the “Estuary Alternative” will likely be the preferred option for the Capitol Lake/Deschutes Estuary. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) team expects that alternative to be confirmed in their final EIS next fall.
- [Why Black Lake should be allowed to keep its name](https://archive.olywip.org/why-black-lake-should-be-allowed-to-keep-its-name/) - A stable pH level is vital for healthy lake ecosystems. Moderately high pH provides the best productivity (for fish and other organisms) in both freshwater and marine habitats, but acids eliminate aquatic buffering by reducing alkalinity. Black Lake gets its name from humic (and other) acids that naturally occur from surrounding coniferous trees. As organic
- [Deals for developers, tax hikes for households](https://archive.olywip.org/deals-for-developers-tax-hikes-for-households/) - YOU WRITE TO WIP: Must be nice to have the “authority to spend taxpayers’ money, support real estate developers with sweet deals—including incredible tax incentives even when interest rates have been near 0% for many, many years.
- [But there is no military solution to the war in Ukraine](https://archive.olywip.org/but-there-is-no-military-solution-to-the-war-in-ukraine/) - Peace, in the deepest sense—in the midst of war—requires a clarity and courage well beyond the boundaries of linear understanding. The warning lights flash. World War III has entered the red zone.
- [Looking at property taxes in a  distorted and inequitable market](https://archive.olywip.org/looking-at-property-taxes-in-a-distorted-and-inequitable-market/) - The City of Olympia gets about 72% of its operating budget from property taxes paid by residents and sales taxes paid by everyone who buys things or pays for services here. Lately property taxes have loomed larger and larger in the budgets of residents. And as for sales tax,at 9.4% Thurston County ranks higher than 90% of other Washington counties.
- [Youth Climate Strike!](https://archive.olywip.org/youth-climate-strike/) - Students from area high schools and their supporters* staged a walkout/demonstration on Friday, March 25th in Olympia to draw attention to the urgency of addressing climate change. Planned to coincide with Greta Thunberg’s global “Fridays for Future,” Climate Strike, students gathered to demand that Washington State legislators implement more of the Thurston County Mitigation Plan.
- [Panattoni will begin developing warehouses without overall planning input from Tumwater](https://archive.olywip.org/panattoni-will-begin-developing-warehouses-without-overall-planning-input-from-tumwater/) - Panattoni will begin developing warehouses without overall planning input from Tumwater
- [What lies beneath is better faced than feared -- Thoughts on the Theme -- March 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/what-lies-beneath-is-better-faced-than-feared-thoughts-on-the-theme-march-2022/) - Like most issues of Works in Progress, this one came together while the stories were still (d)evolving. Russia made good on its promises concerning Ukraine, students weary of racist policies at a local high school staged multiple day walkouts, city officials initiated an extensive planning process for Olympia’s Westside...
- [Community Spotlight -- March 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-march-2022/) - Erin Jones at Capital High School ♦ Holding Israel Accountable ♦ Stories of How Art Connects Us ♦ The Automat film ♦ The Nuclear Arms Race in Oak Ridge, TN ♦ Olympia Family Theater Poetry! ♦ Tending This Moment: Community Care and Connection ♦ Infused Honeys, Vinegars and Shrubs ♦ KOUG TV at Capital High ♦ Furnace Club
- [Redevelopment of the City of Olympia’s Triangle Subarea](https://archive.olywip.org/redevelopment-of-the-city-of-olympias-triangle-subarea/) - Over 100 Olympians signed a letter to City officials last month asking them to honor their promise of “public engagement” in redeveloping a westside land parcel known as the Triangle Subarea. Signers want input in defining the area, selecting consultants, and most importantly, assurance that future development prioritizes affordable housing, public spaces, and green design elements. Current residences, bike paths, pedestrian pathways and existing tree stands should be preserved , they say, and a community center should be included in the plans. Read their letter here.
- [“They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds”](https://archive.olywip.org/they-tried-to-bury-us-but-they-didnt-know-we-were-seeds/) - Looking back at the life of Olympian Rachel Corrie and the continuing legacy of genocide.
- [Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret](https://archive.olywip.org/waste-one-womans-fight-against-americas-dirty-secret/) - BOOK REVIEW: Activist and author Catherine Coleman Flowers writes that it is common for accepted methods of wastewater treatment to be unaffordable for Americans who live at the poverty level. If they are unable to pay for municipal services or a septic system, fines or jail time are just the beginning of the problem. The epidemic of raw sewage that leaks into living areas in and outside homes has been proven to lead to parasites like hookworm. Flowers founded The Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice but the fight for recognition of the problem is ongoing.
- [Prioritizing workers pays off even when wages don’t](https://archive.olywip.org/prioritizing-workers-pays-off-even-when-wages-dont/) - Employee shortages and low wages. Supply chain disruptions and business closures. Non-existent benefits and unsafe working conditions—the economic consequences of the pandemic have exacerbated an employment market that’s been in decline for decades. According to the New York Times, corporate consolidation and dwindling labor unions have led to worker compensation now being lower than at
- [Windows to the soil: how fungi help restore personal and planetary health](https://archive.olywip.org/windows-to-the-soil-how-fungi-help-restore-personal-and-planetary-health/) - If eyes are the windows to the soul, mushrooms might be the window to the soil. Fungi are indicators of diversity, burned carbon, the abundance of microbes, or the lack thereof. An undergrowth of fungi could indicate a healthy microbiome or a damaged one, based on what kind of fungi is fruiting and when. Mushrooms are
- [Natural resources, campaign finance and regulatory capture](https://archive.olywip.org/natural-resources-campaign-finance-and-regulatory-capture/) - PERSPECTIVE: In the last several months, representatives of Washington state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have responded to an unprecedented volume of public outcry and reasoned argument objecting to the agency’s “business-as-usual” plans to clearcut mature older forests on state land...
- [The best time to stop a war is before it starts](https://archive.olywip.org/the-best-time-to-stop-a-war-is-before-it-starts/) - PERSPECTIVE: The situation between the United States and Russia over Ukraine is very dangerous. Russia is a capitalist country headed by an authoritarian and militaristic leader, Vladimir Putin. A major Russian invasion of the Ukraine began on February 24, together with massive bombing.
- [Will the City of Olympia act to support housing for working people?](https://archive.olywip.org/will-the-city-of-olympia-act-to-support-housing-for-working-people/) - One proposal reflects the City’s goal for its Boulevard Road property of “maximizing affordable housing for working class people.” Or will they go for more “market rate?”
- [Will citizen perseverance lead to a clean Black Lake?](https://archive.olywip.org/will-citizen-perseverance-lead-to-a-clean-black-lake/) - Citizens for a Clean Black Lake (CCBL) will finally get a hearing March 8 on their petition to have Thurston County Commissioners dissolve the Black Lake Flood Control District which was formed improperly and has worsened lake-wide water quality problems. The CCBL request was recently bolstered by a Federal court decision in December, 2021. The
- [Black students at North Thurston press for their right to a safe school environment](https://archive.olywip.org/black-students-at-north-thurston-press-for-their-right-to-a-safe-school-environment/) - For five days, from January 31 to February 4, 2022, students from River Ridge and North Thurston High Schools carried out a multi-faceted protest to call attention to the failure by North Thurston administrators and others in leadership roles to address continuing incidents of racism in their schools. A list of some of the most
- [New bills would eliminate gains in curbing lethal police maneuvers](https://archive.olywip.org/new-bills-would-eliminate-gains-in-curbing-lethal-police-maneuvers/) - In 2010, John T. Williams, a 7th generation Nuu-chah-nulth Elder and woodcarver, was walking near downtown Seattle with a closed wood-carving knife. A police officer yelled from his car to get his attention but, because he was hearing impaired, Williams did not respond. Seven seconds later, Williams lay dead in the street.
- [Then This Happened -- February 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-february-2022/) - Not soon enough.... Just in time.... Not at all....
- [Grifters, moochers and… lovers? -- Thoughts on the Theme -- February 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/grifters-moochers-and-lovers-thoughts-on-the-theme-february-2022/) - It wouldn’t be our style to have an entire issue, even a February one, devoted to flowers and Valentines, but if you look closely, love is a major player in this issue. But before we go there, here’s a question....
- [Legacy forests are key to a future in a changed climate](https://archive.olywip.org/legacy-forests-are-key-to-a-future-in-a-changed-climate/) - Almost all of the old growth forests that once populated the south end of Puget Sound have been logged. The South Puget Sound lowlands are now covered mostly by commercial and residential developments, agricultural fields, and industrial forestlands.
- [Volunteers sought for potting parties and plant sale](https://archive.olywip.org/volunteers-sought-for-potting-parties-and-plant-sale/) - For 11 years, Thurston Santo Tomás Sister Community Association volunteers have donated time and energy to fundraisers that support young people in Olympia’s sister community in Nicaragua, who are pursuing education in the face of challenges from political unrest and ongoing economic crises.
- [Goodbye, Greta](https://archive.olywip.org/goodbye-greta/) - WIP’s unofficial four-legged mascot, Greta Ahimsa Star, crossed o’er the rainbow bridge early this year. A service companion for longtime WIPster Scott Yoos, Greta was a familiar sight to Olympians, walking and bussing around town with Scott, faithfully delivering the paper and greeting her many friends. Our condolences to all on Greta’s passing.
- [YWCA honors local leaders with Womxn of Achievement celebration](https://archive.olywip.org/ywca-honors-local-leaders-with-womxn-of-achievement-celebration/) - For 27 years, YWCA Olympia has recognized community members leading change at the intersection of racial and gender justice. On February 19, Womxn of Achievement recognizes Elizabeth Satiacum and Ti’eri Lino. Elizabeth Satiacum is the Native American Coordinator at Puget Sound Education Service District (PSESD), where she works with over 350+ Indigenous youth and their
- [Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home](https://archive.olywip.org/orca-shared-waters-shared-home/) - BOOK REVIEW: Lynda Mapes’ book opens with the heart-breaking story of Tahlequah, a member of the J pod who in 2018 touched the hearts of millions of readers as she carried her dead calf, who lived for only 30 minutes, for 17 days and over 1000 miles. Sharing in Tahlequah’s grief, the world was asking why. Why was her newborn calf unable to survive?
- [Oral history project records challenging times and creates new community connections](https://archive.olywip.org/oral-history-project-records-challenging-times-and-creates-new-community-connections/) - Window Seat Media is a community storytelling organization in the South Sound that uses oral history and personal narrative to spark conversation, connection, and social change. When it launched its Third Thirty Oral History Project to honor and amplify elder voices, Window Seat trained community members in oral history interviewing and editing techniques and encouraged
- [Funding and decision-making power are needed to address structural inequality for BIPOC farmers](https://archive.olywip.org/funding-and-decision-making-power-are-needed-to-address-structural-inequality-for-bipoc-farmers/) - Not surprisingly, statements pledging a new commitment to “equity,” and acknowledging the effects of racial discrimination began to appear in many public documents after the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the summer of 2020.
- [The $800-billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)](https://archive.olywip.org/the-800-billion-paycheck-protection-program-ppp/) - The Paycheck Protection Program provided $800 billion for uncollateralized, low interest loans of up to $10 million to businesses with fewer than 500 employees. These forgivable loans were administered through the private banking system. 94% of eligible firms took advantage of the program.
- [Serial rent increases drive people out of their homes](https://archive.olywip.org/serial-rent-increases-drive-people-out-of-their-homes/) - Grifters get the money—grandma gets the boot On Halloween, 2021, six grandmas and one grandpa in a 16-unit apartment community received a notice from their new property management company. It said “120-day renovation notice” and referenced an upcoming rent increase. The notice was quite a shock, because over this last year, any time maintenance or supervisors for
- [Persistent concerns about a new Port of Olympia commissioner](https://archive.olywip.org/persistent-concerns-about-a-new-port-of-olympia-commissioner/) - Amy Evans won election to the Port of Olympia Commission in 2021. Evans is a Vice-President at Kidder-Matthews (K-M), one of Thurston County’s most prominent commercial real estate firms, which has regular dealings with the Port of Olympia. Evans took the lead with K-M Senior V-P Evan Parker in negotiating one such deal in 2020,
- [How dangerous is Trumpism?](https://archive.olywip.org/how-dangerous-is-trumpism/) - LOOKING FORWARD: How dangerous is Trumpism? Are people not more rational, long-term, than this, able to reject much of Trumpism once the leader is out of power and not setting the agenda? To get insight into such possibilities, we examine what transpired in the Soviet Union with the rise of Stalin.
- [Then this happened -- January 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-january-2022/) - Media Island’s low-power radio station KOWA is no more. No turning the dial to 106.5 and getting an earful of great Pacifica Radio programs. Years ago, when the operators at Media Island had problems with their transmitter, they moved it from Black Hills into town. They never found a suitable new location and now the
- [New program helps retiring business owners maintain their legacies](https://archive.olywip.org/new-program-helps-retiring-business-owners-maintain-their-legacies/) - According to Project Equity, 85% of business owners do not have a succession plan. In Washington State, 49% of small business owners are baby boomers nearing retirement age. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic—from safety restrictions and supply chain disruption to the “Great Resignation”— suggest the majority of small business owners will not find a
- [The consequences of personal choice should not be mistaken for oppression](https://archive.olywip.org/the-consequences-of-personal-choice-should-not-be-mistaken-for-oppression/) - PERSPECTIVE: In the January 2022 issue of Works in Progress, “Cassandra” wrote a perspective piece objecting to vaccine mandates. She compared restaurants requiring proof of vaccination to Jim Crow and called abortion rights “the mantra of progressive left voters.” Here is my response to what I found to be a thoughtless and irresponsible “perspective.”
- [New coalition will improve citizen access to local government processes](https://archive.olywip.org/new-coalition-will-improve-citizen-access-to-local-government-processes/) - What often makes a real difference in the lives of Thurston County residents are decisions about policies and projects made by the city councils, the Port of Olympia, and the county Board of Commissioners. To influence those decisions, residents are directed to contact their local appointed and elected officials directly or during public meetings. But
- [Where are the “Housers”?](https://archive.olywip.org/where-are-the-housers/) - “We call ourselves Housers,” said a former staffer of the Housing Authority of Thurston County. I had never heard the term before but now I had a word for the opposite of “Developers.” Housers build housing for people in need of homes and a place to live at a price that reflects the reality of
- [We need a worker-led social movement now](https://archive.olywip.org/we-need-a-worker-led-social-movement-now/) - Our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is growing rapidly and the unemployment rate is low, yet there’s been a mass resignation by workers, an increased number of strikes, inflation is high and we are all experiencing greater stress and anxiety about the future. What’s going on?
- [Commissioners should hold the reins at the Port of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/commissioners-should-hold-the-reins-at-the-port-of-olympia/) - YOU WRITE TO WIP: The Port of Olympia investigation of Port Commissioner Amy Evans’ possible conflicts of interest has to be done by an outside group. The Port’s staff and their attorney answer to Port Director Sam Gibboney who has shown herself to be biased in this issue. We recommend that new Chair Bob Iyall select an independent investigator.
- [Gentrifying the forest](https://archive.olywip.org/gentrifying-the-forest/) - Every few months we read about another parcel of land being sacrificed for housing. The planned destruction of the forest near Evergreen and the ten acres of “non-forested” land at LBA Woods are recent examples and more will follow. Indigenous people have a different way of seeing the natural world. In my tradition, Ojibwa, we
- [Beg, borrow or steal, but...   Thoughts on the theme -- January 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-beg-borrow-or-steal-but-january-2022/) - After the year we just had, asking readers where they find light may sound like a maddening and unanswerable Zen koan. And honestly, given our species’ epic capacity for self-delusion and antipathy, abandoning a trope as shopworn as darkness giving way to light seems justifiable.
- [Community Spotlight -- February 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-february-2022/) - Download as PDF IT Bike Commuter Winter Challenge February 1 - 28 It's time to celebrate winter bicycling, with the Winter Bicycle Commuter Challenge! The Winter BCC runs for the whole month of February, with awesome prize drawings each week, and a bonus drawing at the end of the month for everyone who logs rides
- [National coalition addresses the need to safeguard our essential workers](https://archive.olywip.org/national-coalition-addresses-the-need-to-safeguard-our-essential-workers/) - In the first two weeks of December, around 700 worker health advocates made their way (online) to the 10th annual COSHCON—Council on Occupational Safety and Health Conference.
- [Will democracy return after COVID?](https://archive.olywip.org/will-democracy-return-after-covid/) - PERSPECTIVE: I ask that we consider a thing called a ‘Reasonable Accommodation’ standard. It says, in effect, that we must make some accommodations for the needs of others who may be at risk....
- [The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth](https://archive.olywip.org/the-constitution-of-knowledge-a-defense-of-truth/) - BOOK REVIEW: Rauch reminds readers repeatedly that truth isn’t what I think, or what you think. Truth is what we think, a fragile consensus based on current evidence and always subject to revision.
- [More counselors needed to meet increasing demand for mental health support](https://archive.olywip.org/more-counselors-needed-to-meet-increasing-demand-for-mental-health-support/) - INTERVIEW: Peter Sanderson is a licensed marriage and family therapist who practices in both Thurston and Mason Counties. He participates among other things in 3 of the state’s five Medicaid Managed Care plans. He was interviewed by Matt Crichton for Works in Progress in December 2021....
- [Fire](https://archive.olywip.org/fire/) - REFLECTION: Fire has been central to our existence as humans since the time before time. Fire helped to bind us to each other. This is where I find light.
- [What’s in your walet?](https://archive.olywip.org/whats-in-your-walet/) - REFLECTION: When the Capital One credit card “campaign” was launched in 2001, we were besieged with the phrase “what’s in your wallet”? I was really annoyed by this question and horrified by such offensive messaging....
- [The educational vs the custodial function of school](https://archive.olywip.org/rethinking-everything-14-the-educational-vs-the-custodial-function-of-school/) - RETHINKING EVERYTHING #14: I was a teacher at the pioneering Small School in Devon [England] which opened in 1982 and closed in 2017. Pupils ranging from eleven to sixteen were offered a broad, balanced program of academic, creative and practical activities.
- [Community Spotlight -- January 2022](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-january-2022/) - Download as PDF A commercial fire in Olympia on December 15 took three hours to extinguish. A small 2-story building that housed several unique small businesses and an apartment had water damage in addition to structural damage. No one was injured, but everyone must find a new place to live and work, and then try
- [Readers’ Alert—Review a book! Get $50!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-review-a-book-get-50-5/) - WIP still has funds from our “Readers Review” grant. Each month we publish a list of books (see right column). If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse you if you buy it) and pay
- [You write to WIP](https://archive.olywip.org/you-write-to-wip-3/) - Dear WIP, The article “Elected officials in Thurston County begin allocating new federal funds,” in the November/December issue, is an encouraging example of watchdog journalism...
- [Birdseye Medical Clinic](https://archive.olywip.org/birdseye-medical-clinic/) - Covid Testing, Mon-Fri, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Next to the old Greyhound bus station, 7th and Capitol Way S. in downtown Olympia
- [Facing the facts about gun violence in the US](https://archive.olywip.org/facing-the-facts-about-gun-violence-in-the-us/) - A day after yet another tragic school shooting, I just finished teaching a criminology class about gun violence and how to reduce it in the US. I found that my students have many misconceptions about the scope and nature of the problem. I believe they are not alone, and that these misconceptions that many others
- [Replace cheap meat with new policies that respect people and animals](https://archive.olywip.org/replace-cheap-meat-with-new-policies-that-respect-the-people-and-animals/) - Set a livable minimum wage across the economy, and make real food more accessible. Hungry people who work hard and long are the ones who must buy fast food, cheap meat and junk food. Lift the prosperity of working-class Americans while supplying the market with affordable and healthy alternatives instead of inventing more “choice.” Provide a
- [Court actions and other safeguards may keep renters from eviction](https://archive.olywip.org/court-actions-and-other-safeguards-may-keep-renters-from-eviction/) - One month after Governor Inslee lifted the Eviction Moratorium on October 31, 2021, only 12 cases were filed in Thurston Superior Court. This is less than the number of cases filed in October when the moratorium was in effect.
- [Solar energy comes into its own](https://archive.olywip.org/solar-energy-comes-into-its-own/) - Frustrated by the lack of local, state, and federal action to address the climate emergency, in 2019 a group of local activists set out to create tangible change.
- [Nurturing a thriving music culture in Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/a-place-unlike-any-other-nurturing-a-thriving-music-culture-in-olympia/) - When I moved to Olympia in the spring of 2000 the musical landscape was considerably more active than we find it today. Local labels K Records and Kill Rock Stars were at the height of their power and influence...
- [Oil vs solar subsidies](https://archive.olywip.org/oil-vs-solar-subsidies/) - You could tell the independent oil men by their pinkie rings. The Big Oil guys wore expensive brown suits and conservative ties.
- [Gimme shelter -- Thoughts on the theme -- November/December 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/gimme-shelter-thoughts-on-the-theme-november-december-2021/) - Whether it’s permanent refuge for undocumented immigrants, sustainable housing for low-income people, creating zones of protection from electromagnetic frequencies, or making sure habitats remain intact for native species, contributors to our theme of “Gimme Shelter” make it clear they understand the primacy of shelter and that safe haven is the right of all sentient beings.
- [Then This Happened -- November/December 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-november-december-2021/) - ...a happy ending! ...never-ending ...never enough?
- [Real money goes to actual childcare providers in Seattle](https://archive.olywip.org/real-money-goes-to-actual-childcare-providers-in-seattle/) - Theresa Mosqueda of Olympia was one of three sponsors of a Seattle City Council program that awarded up to $835 per childcare worker to over 3,500 childcare providers in Seattle. In her regular news to residents of the city where she serves, Mosqueda said that the money is “an important small step toward recognizing the
- [Haunting at City Hall](https://archive.olywip.org/haunting-at-city-hall/) - Eleven ghostly souls braved the elements on December 4 to underscore the city’s lethargy in implementing the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan. Adopted in all jurisdictions of Thurston County last year, the plan lists over 70 action items that must be completed within the next decade to maximize adaptation and preparation for the impacts of climate
- [Green Cove has friends at City Hall](https://archive.olywip.org/green-cove-has-friends-at-city-hall/) - The continuing quest by local attorney Burgess and City staffers to turn a toxic waste site into a housing development This summer, the President of the Economic Development Council, the legal counsel for the Thurston Chamber of Commerce’s public policy advocacy arm, the former Port of Olympia attorney and the attorney representing developer Jerry Mahan,
- [A plea to eliminate New York’s non-medical vaccine exemptions](https://archive.olywip.org/a-plea-to-eliminate-new-yorks-non-medical-vaccine-exemptions/) - Three years ago, 47 states (all but California, West Virginia, and Mississippi) allowed either philosophical or religious exemptions to school vaccine requirements – including New York. New York didn’t allow philosophical exemptions but did allow parents to avoid vaccinating their kids for school by declaring that they held a “genuine and sincere religious belief” against such
- [Recognizing emergent fascism](https://archive.olywip.org/recognizing-emergent-fascism/) - In Thinking Like a Terrorist, published in 2008, Mike German proposes a Government Accountability Scale ranging from “fascism” to a “free government”...
- [A watershed moment for the Chehalis River Basin](https://archive.olywip.org/a-watershed-moment-for-the-chehalis-river-basin/) - A small section of the Chehalis River is easily viewed from I-5 between Centralia and Chehalis, but this river is much more. To start with, it is the largest watershed completely within the boundaries of Washington State. It’s a watershed of immense reach, 2,700 square miles in area, with over 3,300 miles of tributary rivers
- [50 years ago there was the Satsop music Festival, the ‘Woodstock’ of Pacific Northwest](https://archive.olywip.org/50-years-ago-there-was-the-satsop-music-festival-the-woodstock-of-pacific-northwest/) - BOOK REVIEW: Somebody Else’s Dream: Dakota, The Buoys, & “Timothy” by rock journalist Maxim W. Furek celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1971 song “Timothy” and the legendary Satsop River Fair & Tin Cup Races Festival....
- [Who’s building low income housing in Olympia?](https://archive.olywip.org/whos-building-affordable-housing-in-olympia/) - Are there any low income housing complexes in Olympia? Where are they, how much do they charge and are there any projects under construction?
- [Readers’ Alert—Review a book! Get $50!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-review-a-book-get-50-4/) - WIP still has funds from our “Readers Review” grant. Each month we publish a list of books (see right column). If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse you if you buy it) and pay
- [No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban and the War through Afghan Eyes, by Anand Gopal](https://archive.olywip.org/book-review-no-good-men-among-the-living-america-the-taliban-and-the-war-through-afghan-eyes-by-anand-gopal/) - BOOK REVIEW: "No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban and the War Through Afghan Eyes" explains everything about the US occupation and how it avidly pursued its own failure.
- [Rural residents ask that new wireless tower rules do more to safeguard health](https://archive.olywip.org/rural-residents-ask-that-new-wireless-tower-rules-do-more-to-safeguard-health/) - Despite these blue sky promises, a proposal to revise the code governing deployment of wireless towers alarmed residents of rural Thurston County this fall...
- [RETHINKING EVERYTHING #13 -- Our world on the verge of transition](https://archive.olywip.org/rethinking-everything-13-our-world-on-the-verge-of-transition/) - We are moving from a world in which individual choice and competition made sense to one in which collective choice and cooperation are necessary, not because ideologies have changed but because both the problems we face and the nature of the resources required to solve them have changed...
- [A Real Estate Forum offers answers from a market perspective](https://archive.olywip.org/a-real-estate-forum-offers-answers-from-a-market-perspective/) - Growth was still the grail at the Thurston Economic Development Council’s Real Estate Forum on Oct 7. Specifically, growth in the commercial and industrial sector --with opportunities for South Sounders to make money in related real estate development.
- [Community Spotlight -- December 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-november-december-2021/) - Download as PDF Harlequin Theater performances Until the Flood, through Sat., Dec 4. . This riveting play uses a series of staged interviews to explore the uprising in Ferguson, Mo. following the shooting of Michael Brown. A Christmas Carol, through Dec. 31. Lots of special effects make this holiday classic a super way to lighten
- [Granting religious exemptions: church Trumps state](https://archive.olywip.org/granting-religious-exemptions-church-trumps-state/) - Governor Inslee’s vaccine mandates are widely credited with increasing the overall vaccination rate for our state. According to the WA Department of Health, as of November 8, 2021, 79.6% of our state population aged 12 and up have received at least one dose and 73.5% are fully vaccinated. Inslee is widely credited with basing public
- [New resources for landlords and tenants can help avoid eviction](https://archive.olywip.org/new-resources-for-landlords-and-tenants-can-help-avoid-eviction/) - Early in the pandemic, state and federal governments enacted moratoriums to prevent eviction of tenants for nonpayment of rent. People losing jobs, losing wage-earners, and losing childcare were falling behind on rent. The moratoriums meant that at least they wouldn’t lose their homes. The moratorium ended in Thurston County on Oct. 31, and landlords can
- [How the Thurston Housing Trust found its first property](https://archive.olywip.org/how-the-thurston-housing-trust-found-its-first-property/) - This is the story of how the Thurston Housing Land Trust (THLT) was able to offer its first affordable home to a low-income family on Olympia’s westside. Community Land Trusts provide a model for our community to assure people in low-or-moderate income households that they can own a home.
- [Good news for farmers, developers, conservationists—and gophers](https://archive.olywip.org/good-news-for-farmers-developers-conservationists-and-gophers/) - For over six years farmers, development interests and conservation advocates eagerly waited for a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). This 30-year plan will cover the entireThurston County outside the cities' urban growth area. It targets four endangered animals—the Mazama pocket gopher, Oregon vesper sparrow, Oregon spotted frog, and Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly. Getting building permits faster, easier
- [Fair immigration policies still elude a nation of immigrants](https://archive.olywip.org/fair-immigration-policies-still-elude-a-nation-of-immigrants/) - I have been an immigration lawyer for more than 30 years. My work has always been mainly to help people inside the US to secure permanent legal status. Most of my clients have been or are currently part of an undocumented class. Some have been in deportation proceedings—the government actively trying to detain or remove
- [Distress calls to SafePlace lead to healing and empowerment](https://archive.olywip.org/distress-calls-to-safeplace-lead-to-healing-and-empowerment/) - When Becky* unlocked the door to her room at the SafePlace Emergency Shelter, she described it as the first time she could remember having a place she could relax enough to rest. Her home life had become so dangerous that she’d taken to sleeping in a car to avoid her partner’s physical abuse. A neighbor
- [Exploring fresh models of cooperativism and permaculture design for Olympia’s housing crisis](https://archive.olywip.org/exploring-fresh-models-of-cooperativism-and-permaculture-design-for-olympias-housing-crisis/) - Olympia planners must awaken to two things if they hope to fundamentally shift the affordable housing landscape of our city: our bioregional climate reality and the viability of cryptocurrency and related technologies.
- [Let’s not do that](https://archive.olywip.org/lets-not-do-that/) - The Olympia City Council in June approved a Housing Action Plan that lists specific actions the City will take to ensure our housing supply is adequate and affordable for the people who live here now and in the future. It also lists actions the Council considered but decided to exclude from the Plan. Both lists
- [2021 election results—Olympia Council and Port of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/2021-election-results-olympia-council-and-port-of-olympia/) - The challenge by real estate to take direct control of the City Council failed as City voters rejected the candidacies of Spence Weigand, Robbi Kesler, Cory Gauny and Candace Mercer in the general election, as well as Wendy Carlson’s candidacy in the primary.
- [Fearful prayer of a high-rise developer](https://archive.olywip.org/fearful-prayer-of-a-high-rise-developer/) - Dear Lord, my latest high-rise plan is this...
- [Elected officials in Thurston County begin allocating new federal funds](https://archive.olywip.org/elected-officials-in-thurston-county-begin-allocating-new-federal-funds/) - Soon after Biden took office, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP Rescue Plan). Thurston County jurisdictions will share a windfall of over $82 million in “fiscal recovery funds.”
- [Then this happened -- October 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-october-2021/) - ...but not to us....Northwest Carpenters called a strike ...we are shocked, shocked ...we are surprised, surprised
- [We reap what we sow -- Thoughts on the theme -- October 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-we-reap-what-we-sow/) - The idea that we reap what we sow was probably embedded in the collective consciousness long before it became a Bible verse, but whether it was meant as a warning or a promise is a little less clear. The articles in this issue suggest the verse is just another way of saying what quantum mechanics
- [Trying to insert a 114-unit apartment building onto a land-locked parcel](https://archive.olywip.org/trying-to-insert-a-114-unit-apartment-building-onto-a-land-locked-parcel/) - People on Olympia’s Westside know Grocery Outlet and the Westside Lanes near the intersection of Harrison and Division. Residents know there’s a piece of vacant land next to Westside Lanes where a pedestrian path leads from Jackson Avenue NW to the shopping center. In December 2020, Kyle Schrader and Taylor Wood (dba Crosswater Construction) bought that two-plus acres for a mere $75,000....
- [Santa Claus is gunning for Joe Biden](https://archive.olywip.org/a-cautionary-tale/) - Santa Claus is gunning for Joe Biden. The stock market is falling today, in part a reaction to GOP threats to shut down the government: it’s all part of their plan....
- [The Climate Justice Mural Project](https://archive.olywip.org/the-climate-justice-mural-project/) - The mural was an outgrowth of TCAT’s Chrysalis Project in which a series of online meetings held in 2020 engaged over 200 area participants who shared writing, painting and other creative responses to the climate crisis using the lifecycle of a butterfly as thematic inspiration.
- [Hitchhiking, homelessness, Hell, and hope](https://archive.olywip.org/hitchhiking-homelessness-hell-and-hope/) - Earlier tonight, I was driving home along Harrison Ave around 9pm when I passed a woman with her thumb out. She was very skinny, barefoot, wavering in her walk, and wearing too-large cargo pants tied up with a scarf....
- [Soil fertility is the ultimate agronomy](https://archive.olywip.org/soil-fertility-is-the-ultimate-agronomy/) - The predominant conventional and chemical mode is steadily destroying and degrading soils all around the world. We need a revamped agronomic system that can restore biodiversity, halt soil carbon loss, sequester carbon and ban the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. But bold new approaches are almost never named, much less vigorously advocated.
- [League offers local candidate forums](https://archive.olywip.org/league-offers-local-candidate-forums/) - The League of Women Voters of Thurston County (LWVTC), in collaboration with Thurston Community Media (TCMedia), invites voters to view candidate forums featuring candidates for: Port of Olympia Commissioners, Districts 2 and 3 Olympia City Council, Positions 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 Lacey City Council, Position 7 Tumwater City Council, Position 6 Olympia School
- [Public engagement is essential to success for the Port of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/public-engagement-is-essential-to-success-for-the-port-of-olympia/) - E.J. Zita was elected as a Commissioner of the Port of Olympia in 2015 on a promise to work for greater accountability, transparency and environmental responsibility at the Port. She has chosen not to run again in 2021. Matt Crichton interviewed E.J. Zita for Works in Progress. The interview is edited and condensed here.
- [Look at us (poem)](https://archive.olywip.org/look-at-us/) - Look at us We are of earth and water Look at them It is the same Look at us We are suffering all these years Look at them They are connected Look at us We are in pain Look at them Surprised at our anger Look at us We are struggling to survive Look at
- [First, do not intimidate](https://archive.olywip.org/first-do-not-intimidate/) - One of the difficulties in discussing Critical Race Theory is that the term has become entwined with the ideas in Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility. Endless disclaimers that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is about systemic rather than individual racism seem specious to those who conflate the idea with the so-called “anti-racism training” ...
- [Déjà vu all over again at the Port of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/deja-vu-all-over-again-at-the-port-of-olympia/) - Olympia Port Commissioners should have listened to the guy’s wife. The Port (and the Olympian) celebrated last year, when Bart Lematta bought the 67-year-old Evergreen ferry after it had been seized for nonpayment from the previous owner. At the time of the sale Lematta said, “My wife thinks I’m nuts and I think I may
- [Constitutional amendment would grant legal protection to state’s land and water](https://archive.olywip.org/constitutional-amendment-would-grant-legal-protection-to-states-land-and-water/) - What if we lived in a culture where all living beings, human and otherwise had a voice, and where our laws were based on our interdependence with nature? That is the premise of the ever-growing movement for the Rights of Nature which is gaining traction around the world and in Olympia.
- [Rural Thurston County under pressure from an expanding warehouse economy](https://archive.olywip.org/rural-thurston-county-under-pressure-from-an-expanding-warehouse-economy/) - Is there a need to designate more rural lands for warehouses? That’s what would happen if Thurston County were to approve the latest request to rezone rural residential land to rural industrial. According to the 2021 Buildable Lands Report, Thurston County already has plenty of industrially zoned land, more than double the amount that we
- [Business as usual… or broader  perspectives at the Port of Olympia?](https://archive.olywip.org/business-as-usual-or-broader-perspectives-at-the-port-of-olympia/) - The Port of Olympia has a fairly small annual budget but capital assets in the tens of millions. The Port’s five most recent major capital investments totaled over $27 million—obtained largely using public funds. These investments are: the mobile harbor crane, new log loaders, the marine terminal stormwater system, the marina fuel dock, and the Commerce Business Center in Lacey. Every one of the recent commercial investments has failed to support itself.
- [Readers’ Alert—review a book! Get $50!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-review-a-book-get-50-3/) - WIP still has funds from our “Readers Review” grant. Each month we publish a list of books. If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line.
- [Olympia Council members act in behalf of their Hearing Examiner](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-council-members-act-in-behalf-of-their-hearing-examiner/) - The “Appearance of Fairness Doctrine” is crucial to preserving trust in decisions made by judicial officers. Dan Leahy recently filed a complaint showing that Olympia’s Hearing Examiner had violated the fairness requirement by failing to disclose his relationship with businesses near a proposed development. The letter below addresses Council members considering whether to act on the complaint.
- [Will there be a Home Fund for Thurston County?](https://archive.olywip.org/will-there-be-a-home-fund-for-thurston-county/) - People sleeping in tents and on park benches are only the most visible of those who suffer from being houseless in Thurston County. For Olympia alone, the 2021 “point in time” count of people experiencing homelessness—notoriously an undercount—found “1,145 people experiencing homelessness in 2021...
- [The police rode away](https://archive.olywip.org/the-police-rode-away/) - Dear WIP, On the eve of a planned extremist action to “demand justice” for right-wing thug Tusitala Toese, I am writing to provide a brief account of what happened the day he was shot. I heard the shooting, but did not witness it. What I did witness were numerous and diverse people running away from
- [The 24/7 education channel - Thoughts on the Theme - September 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/the-24-7-education-channel-thoughts-on-the-theme-september-2021/) - Back-to-school—the comforting seasonal phrase that conjures images of kids with backpacks, pencils and lunchboxes. We trot it out every year as a reminder that some things can be relied on to help us maintain a sense of continuity. Like so many other things, going back to school has taken on new meaning. Being in the
- [About the Cover](https://archive.olywip.org/about-the-cover/) - In 1994, students in the master’s in public administration program at The Evergreen State College tried to characterize the future (our current) historical epoch. Few would argue their forecast, twenty-five years later, was inaccurate.
- [Then this happened - September 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-14/) - We ran out of license plates!...Another loss for a public voice...Housing the homeless in under-used hotels...Once–decent jobs are being chipped away...Show me your papers!
- [Community Spotlight -- September 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-september-2021/) - A Place to Reflect • GarageBand for iPad • Black Hills Audubon Annual Picnic • Variety Show Auditions • Become a Gleaner • "Walls Tell Stories" Walking Tours • Join Orca Board of Directors...
- [Community spotlight -- April 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-april-2020/) - The Rachel Corrie Foundation • Olympia Mutual Aid Collective • OlyAssembly: Are we in this together or not?
- [A brief biography of Larry Kerschner](https://archive.olywip.org/a-brief-biography-of-larry-kerschner/) - Larry Kerschner is the poet Laureate for Veterans for Peace Rachel Corrie Chapter and has written a few books of poetry including Grave Lines and United States Military Diplomacy: From Wounded Knee to Afghanistan. Prolific writer of Letters to the Editor. His blog can be followed at: larrywrites.livejournal.com In his own words: I work as
- [Keep Zahid home rally & vigil in Seattle](https://archive.olywip.org/keep-zahid-home-rally-vigil-seattle/) - On March 12, 2018 from noon to 12:40 pm, a rally will be held in Seattle in support of Olympia local Zahid Chaudry, who faces deportation. We will gather at 1000 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA in front of Immigration executive ‘court’ building. Zahid’s hearing will begin promptly at 1:00 pm, 25th floor. An Olympia/Lacey area
- [The untold story of military academies past](https://archive.olywip.org/the-untold-story-of-military-academies-past/) - A military career was once viewed as an honorable path out of poverty for millions of destitute farmers’ sons and ghetto children. After the “good” war (WWII), a thankful nation was eager to offer every opportunity to our surviving veterans on their return. After all, casualty rates for the two million Allied troops during Operation
- [Pacific County neighbors raise funds to help families raided by ICE](https://archive.olywip.org/pacific-county-neighbors-raise-funds-help-families-raided-ice/) - Peninsula — Neighbors are trying to come up with cash to help families of immigrants who’ve been rounded up in federal raids across Pacific County. A newly-formed local group, the Immigration Assistance Committee has given more than $4,000 to help eight affected families with expenses, such as rent, food and moving costs, volunteer Sandy Nielson
- [Will voters remake the Olympia City Council in November?](https://archive.olywip.org/will-voters-remake-the-olympia-city-council-in-november/) - Three stories were told about housing and homelessness as candidates vied for votes in Olympia’s primary election. All three stories will be part of the general election. Three different narratives The first story comes from incumbent Council members Jim Cooper, Lisa Parshley and Yen Huynh. They say the solution to the housing crisis is to
- [Correction](https://archive.olywip.org/correction/) - An August article about Olympia’s Hearing Examiner, highlighted his role in a case where citizens were appealing a new zoning ordinance adopted by the City. The HEX had rejected the group’s appeal, leaving the ordinance intact. The article pointed out that when the citizen group took their case to the next level (Growth Management Board),
- [Terrorism](https://archive.olywip.org/terrorism/) - In the last column, I reviewed the movie Imperium based on the experiences of undercover FBI agent Mike German who infiltrated white supremacist organizations, as related in his book Thinking Like a Terrorist published in 2008. Here we shall see how the author approaches the problem of terrorism, in contradiction to the way that terrorism
- [In an overheating world, farmworkers should not pay the price](https://archive.olywip.org/in-an-overheating-world-farmworkers-should-not-pay-the-price/) - On Tuesday June 29, temperatures in Eastern Washington farm communities including Ephrata, Wenatchee and Yakima rose above their highest recorded levels, reaching 116 degrees in Ephrata and 113 in the other towns. Farmworkers in those communities and across the state endured the brutal heat with little protection or respite....
- [Where is the outrage about domestic abuse?](https://archive.olywip.org/where-is-the-outrage-about-domestic-abuse/) - Another unarmed black man was killed at the hands of police last month. Marchers took to the streets, fists in air. The mother and father of the victim cried on TV. And countless other parents of black and brown bodies shuddered at the thought of this crime visiting upon their sons’ heads someday...
- [A community effort to identify, support and educate our homeless youth](https://archive.olywip.org/a-community-effort-to-identify-support-and-educate-our-homeless-youth/) - Many people who qualify as homeless do not live on the street or solicit donations with a cardboard sign. They have full or part-time jobs, live in cars or tents, or lodge with others in dwellings designed as single family units. Among them are over 40,000 school-aged children in Washington...
- [Residents ask County Commissioners to dissolve the Black Lake Flood Control District](https://archive.olywip.org/residents-ask-county-commissioners-to-dissolve-the-black-lake-flood-control-district/) - Black Lake District residents have submitted a petition to the Thurston County Commissioners asking for the dissolution of the current Black Lake Flood Control District (BLFCD). More than 200 residents from across Thurston County submitted a supporting petition requesting that the County create a Lakes Management District in place of the BLFCD.
- [Olympia’s low and middle-income renters won’t be served by Boulevard Road project](https://archive.olywip.org/olympias-low-and-middle-income-renters-wont-be-served-by-boulevard-road-project/) - When the City of Olympia purchased park land at LBA Woods in 2016, it quickly moved forward with a plan to set aside ten non-forested acres fronting Boulevard Road to develop as affordable multifamily housing.
- [The Taliban surrendered in 2001](https://archive.olywip.org/the-taliban-surrendered-in-2001/) - At a US Special Forces camp near Kandahar, Afghanistan, on December 5, 2001, the Taliban offered an unconditional surrender. They would disband and disarm: a military force would no longer exist. George W. Bush ignored the offer ...and continued attacking the Taliban until the end of his term. If only in self-defense the Taliban fought back,
- [Community Spotlight -- August 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-august-2021/) - Art ‘N The Alley * Music at West Central Park * Empowerment camp for girls * Tour of Bigelow House * Women’s Rights Day * Trees Action Group * Olympia City Council * Regenerative bioregional culture project * Free movies and stuff on the waterfront * South Sound senior centers* Glen’s Parallax Perspectives
- [All of a sudden we look around -- Thoughts on the Theme -- August 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-august-2021-all-of-a-sudden-we-look-around/) - It’s like Chatham Strait writes in his article about the Evergreen State ferry moored at the Port of Olympia. The boat is daily decaying at its berth, but to us it looks the same as it looked 66 years ago.
- [About the Cover](https://archive.olywip.org/about-the-cover-august-2021/) - It’s hot and the water is cool and wet! A new spray park in Olympia’s Westside has become a gathering place for people from nearby neighborhoods. From toddlers to elementary schoolers and up—that’s the action in Woodruff Park this summer. There’s a picnic shelter, restrooms and trees making enough shade for folks to spread out
- [Then This Happened -- August 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-august-2021/) - ...remember how the City Council ...remember how two votes make a majority ...In a victory for the climate
- [Readers’ Alert— review a book! Get $50!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-review-a-book-get-50-2/) - WIP still has funds from our “Readers Review” grant. Each month we publish a list of books (see right column). If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse you if you buy it) and pay
- [Works in Progress is looking for a Distribution Coordinator](https://archive.olywip.org/works-in-progress-is-looking-for-a-distribution-coordinator/) - Requirements for this $150/month position are: A commitment to overseeing the distribution of WIP to over 30 locations in Thurston and Mason County every month as soon as the paper is delivered from the printer Reliable transportation to deliver issues in Olympia and beyond Coordination between team members to ensure that stacks of each issue
- [To Charlie](https://archive.olywip.org/to-charlie/) - (In 4/4) Listen —a sharp snare cracks A simple rock fill strides down On the toms boom, daboom—boom. Right foot plows the kick—exactly. There’s wild prancing singing up front But built on this groove. Do you ever wonder, How long in the pocket Can one stay? It’s a mystery, Only so much in the meter,
- [County Commission postpones decision on Beaver Creek rezone](https://archive.olywip.org/county-commission-postpones-decision-on-beaver-creek-rezone/) - Public outcry may have prompted delay In February 2021, when members of the public learned that purchasers of the large dairy farm once owned by the Doehlman family wanted to build a warehouse/distribution center, the outcry was immediate. The proposal for the parcel, located at 13333 Case Road SW in South Olympia, was to amend
- [Local advocacy groups converge to increase efficiency, leverage](https://archive.olywip.org/local-advocacy-groups-converge-to-increase-efficiency-leverage/) - Local Good Governance is a new Thurston County coalition formed to make the advocacy work of environmental and affordable housing nonprofits more efficient and their voices stronger. The coalition is the brainchild of a small working group of League of Women Voters Thurston County (LWVTC) with support from Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT). Based on their
- [Who thought up such a thing as "squeeze shifts”?](https://archive.olywip.org/who-thought-up-such-a-thing-as-squeeze-shifts/) - Not much news about working people makes the news. We hear about the stock market every day: Dow Jones—up today! Lookin’ good. Oops, Nasdaq—down today! Disappointing result. Oops, S&P-500, up, as investors look past poor economic data. And drilling into our brains despite us. On the other hand, we have no clue as to what’s
- [Clean-up at Green Cove due to  community research and persistence](https://archive.olywip.org/clean-up-at-green-cove-due-to-community-research-and-persistence/) - Getting to this point took extensive effort by individuals in the community, including a final hurdle last winter.
- [An invitation to a brief hang-out in a different Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/an-invitation-to-a-brief-hang-out-in-a-different-olympia/) - Those who grew up in Westside Olympia during the 50s through the 70s had few restraints on the length and breadth of their society. The Null Set was a particular sort of offbeat joint for our band of underage youths to partake in an Olympia underground of poets, artists, musicians and the like. We would
- [I don’t know](https://archive.olywip.org/i-dont-know/) - I don’t know how the mud flats...or how the prairie grasses.
- [A win for the “bubble up” approach to politics](https://archive.olywip.org/a-win-for-the-bubble-up-approach-to-politics/) - India Walton—a self-described democratic socialist, former nurse, and founding executive director of Fruit Belt Community Land Trust—shocked the Buffalo NY establishment by defeating four-term incumbent Mayor Byron Brown in the Democratic Party primary by a seven percentage-point margin (51.9 percent to 44.8 percent). If Walton prevails in November, she will become the first socialist mayor
- [Before there were Dollar Stores and chains galore](https://archive.olywip.org/before-there-were-dollar-stores-and-chains-galore/) - Before there were Dollar Stores, before there were Starbucks, before there were cinemas in the Mall, before there were Target and Walmart and Netflix—there were three towns with quirky entrepreneurs and room for everyone. We grabbed some memories from Reddit and elsewhere to give you a hint of what we’re missing—in the words of some
- [A successful Hearing Examiner system depends on an informed City Council](https://archive.olywip.org/a-successful-hearing-examiner-system-depends-on-an-informed-city-council/) - Olympia council members decided this June to review their Hearing Examiner contract with an eye toward opening another RFQ “to get a gauge on the market.” This could lead to appointment of a new hearing examiner.
- [How long will the Evergreen State be at the Port of Olympia?](https://archive.olywip.org/how-long-will-the-evergreen-state-be-at-the-port-of-olympia/) - In 2017, the new owner of a retired Washington State Ferry arranged to moor the vessel at the Port of Olympia’s Marine Terminal while he arranged to take it to the Caribbean. The Florida businessman had no previous involvement with boats. Three years later, the Evergreen State Ferry was still at the Port but the
- [Key tax rules](https://archive.olywip.org/key-tax-rules/) - BACKPAGE: Key tax rules. Who really pays the taxes.
- [Community Spotlight - July 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-july-2021/) - Master Gardener Plant Sale ♦ Wild Grief Teen Day Hike ♦ Solar panels at Farmers' Market ♦ Restoring watersheds ♦ Estuary Explorers ♦ Big Brothers/Big Sisters ♦ Abolish Nuclear Weapons ♦ Stonewall Youth 30th! ♦ Washington: Easy to vote! ♦ Glen’s Parallax Perspectives ♦ Music at West Central Park
- [About the Cover—July 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/about-the-cover-july-2021/) - In late May, artist Kathy Gore-Fuss brought to fruition an idea that had been building in her mind for months - an outdoor art installation addressing the physical and emotional losses of the pandemic. Gore-Fuss and other artists wrapped thousands of flowers onto the surface of a large stone sculpture (by local artist Boucante, who
- [Then this happened—July 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-13/) - …attention 3 Percenters and Proud Boys.... ...a new tactic to nullify the First Amendment right... ...with friends like this... ...just stop complaining!... ...Jeff needs help with childcare!... …One dollar, one vote...
- [The Ballot or the Bullet](https://archive.olywip.org/what-does-it-mean-the-ballot-or-the-bullet/) - THOUGHTS ON THE THEME: What does it mean, “the ballot or the bullet”? When we first thought of the theme for the July issue, we were thinking about Malcolm X’s declaration that 1964 “would be the year of the ballot or the bullet.”
- [Labor shortage for railroads that have slashed workforce by 33%](https://archive.olywip.org/labor-shortage-for-railroads-that-have-slashed-workforce-by-33/) - Railroads are grappling with a weird phenomenon that is a combination of “labor shortages” and 12.6 million people still claiming some form of unemployment compensation, amid stimulus-fueled demand.
- [Bringing clean energy to the Farmers’ Market](https://archive.olywip.org/bringing-clean-energy-to-the-farmers-market/) - On a misty, cool Saturday morning, vendors at the Olympia Farmers Market begin their weekly routine of arranging produce, preparing their displays and drinking their coffee before the market opens.
- [Readers’ Alert—Review a book!  Get $50!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-review-a-book-get-50/) - WIP still has funds from our “Readers Review” grant. Each month we publish a list of books (see below). If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse you if you buy it) and pay $50
- [Remembering Hali Panneton](https://archive.olywip.org/remembering-hali-panneton/) - Olympia lost beloved community member Hali Panneton on March 12, 2020. Hali was 63 and passed unexpectedly at home from a cardiac event. Due to limitations on gatherings during the pandemic, her memorial celebration was held this summer on June 22, which is Hali's date of birth. Hali was a much relied on WIP proofreader,
- [Rum & Coke: Cuba in the American imagination](https://archive.olywip.org/rum-coke-cuba-in-the-american-imagination/) - Not Russia, China, North Korea, nor even for that matter Israel or Palestine, is able to focus the American mind the way Cuba does. Simultaneously, the official American right and the official American left (with a few honorable exceptions among the latter), have overcome the self-righteous character of their respective political discourses and — like
- [Thoughts on the Theme -- Time -- February 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-time-february-2021/) - There’s a sentence that has stuck in my mind for years. I think it was in a book written by Richard Wright (the author of Invisible Man), but I’m not positive. This is the sentence: It’s not that we don’t know what to do. It’s that we’re not going to do it.
- [Citizen LocalMotive creates a central community calendar](https://archive.olywip.org/citizen-localmotive-creates-a-central-community-calendar/) - In the days and weeks following the 2016 Presidential election, people in our South Sound region and all across America got to work organizing, protesting, developing resources, planning actions, networking, and creating websites and Facebook pages. In the Spring of 2017, Olympia Indivisible’s original web developer Nono Burling was working on a calendar for their
- [Special events - October 2019](https://archive.olywip.org/https-olywip-org-special-events-october-2019/) - The Women theater.. IWW Organizer training... Labor wars of the Northwest... Nutritional Pest Control.... Freedom Socialist Party National Convention... Olympia Food Coop Elections & Annual Meeting... Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons... Celebrate 10 Years of DERT... What is Socialism... Olympia Tenants Assembly... Thurston LWV Educatin Fund Luncheon... Womxn of Achievement Celebration...
- [Technology and the Drone War](https://archive.olywip.org/technology-and-the-drone-war/) - The United States is rapidly increasing its capability to fight high-tech warfare. Not only has space become littered with US satellites collecting information on other countries (friends as well as enemies) around the world, not only are the Americans preparing to fight cyber wars where their military can disable the computers of their enemies, the
- [Large demonstrations at airports against Trump’s Executive Order](https://archive.olywip.org/large-demonstrations-airports-trumps-executive-order/) - In an immediate and fierce response to President Trump’s executive order refusing to admit people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya, over three thousand people demonstrated at SeaTac airport on January 29 and January 30, 2017, as did tens of thousands of people at airports across the U.S. Governor Jay Inslee condemned
- [Betraying your constituents: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid in the crosshairs](https://archive.olywip.org/betraying-constituents-social-security-medicare-medicaid-crosshairs/) - (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 these programs or turn them
- [(Which) People’s Budget Forum](https://archive.olywip.org/peoples-budget-forum/) - On November 14, at First Christian Church, organizers, activists and community members met to attend the People’s Budget Forum, an event put on by Olympia City Councilmember Clark Gilman; he has a background as a union organizer and representative, and prior to his appointment to his City Council seat, he was a member of the
- [Train tracks sabotaged to stop  fracking equipment](https://archive.olywip.org/train-tracks-sabotaged-stop-fracking-equipment/) - 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 taken. “Early in the morning
- [Resolution declaring Olympia a sanctuary city](https://archive.olywip.org/resolution-declaring-olympia-a-sanctuary-city/) - Be it resolved that: The City of Olympia declares itself to be a Sanctuary City and; As a Sanctuary City, City employees will serve all residents, and City services will be accessible to all residents regardless of immigration status; and The City of Olympia will not inquire upon a resident’s immigration status in providing municipal
- [This is our revolution. Si, se puede!](https://archive.olywip.org/revolution-si-se-puede/) - The present political reality and the choices for Bernicrats in November and beyond Currently, we arguably live in an oligarchy. It is described by Wikipedia as "a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These people might be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, education, corporate, religious
- [The role of faith-based organizations in providing aid to homeless communities](https://archive.olywip.org/the-role-of-faith-based-organizations-in-providing-aid-to-homeless-communities/) - The role of faith-based organizations in providing aid to homeless communities Abstract This article aims to identify where support for those who are homeless comes from and analyze the relationship between communities of faith and communities of persons who are homeless. Camp Quixote, a tent community for the homeless in Olympia, Washington, began and
- [Florida imprisons domestic abuse victim for 20 years](https://archive.olywip.org/florida-imprisons-domestic-abuse-victim-for-20-years/) - As a human being and a person of value, I am infuriated at the treatment Marissa Alexander a mother of three, and an MBA holder has received under the draconian and racist policies of the Florida state Legislature and the Florida State Attorney’s office and specifically the fraudulent behavior of the prosecuting attorney Angela Corey.
- [Israel lawfare group plans “massive punishments” for BDS activists](https://archive.olywip.org/israel-lawfare-group-plans-massive-punishments-bds-activists/) - “Why are we using the word Palestinian? There’s no such thing as a Palestinian person,” Brooke Goldstein declared to enthusiastic applause at a meeting of key Israel lobby operatives in New York in June. [A video of her statement can found on The Eletronic Intifada website.] Goldstein is the director of the Lawfare Project, a
- [Two years later… We are still Troy Davis](https://archive.olywip.org/two-years-later-we-are-still-troy-davis/) - An interview with Kimberly Davis and Jen Marlowe In 2011, the ACLU stood in solidarity with millions of people across the country in demanding clemency for Troy Davis. But despite our appeal, on September 21, 2011, Troy was executed. Two years later, our collective efforts to challenge the death penalty in the name of Troy
- [How a few West Olympia neighbors defeated the Bing Street Apartment project](https://archive.olywip.org/how-a-few-west-olympia-neighbors-defeated-the-bing-street-apartment-project/) - A how-to article on protecting your neighborhood from bad development On October 18 2012, Olympia city staff denied approval for the proposed “Bing Street Apartments”—a six-story 119-unit apartment building located in a neighborhood of one- and two-story single family homes and duplexes. Just six months before, approval of this car-spewing, shadow-casting behemoth seemed likely. We
- [An indirect approach to challenging white supremacy](https://archive.olywip.org/an-indirect-approach-to-challenging-white-supremacy/) - My last column discussed the movie Imperium, about the infiltration of white supremacist groups by FBI agent Mike German. The commercially available disc of this movie has some extra features, one of which is an interview with the producers and German. They make the crucial point that many white supremacists are fundamentally motivated by fear
- [Guest workers at risk in WA farms](https://archive.olywip.org/guest-workers-at-risk-in-wa-farms/) - The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would likely lead to enormous increases in the number of workers brought to the US by growers.
- [Thurston County Democrats take a step toward eliminating corporate money in local politics](https://archive.olywip.org/thurston-county-democrats-take-a-step-toward-eliminating-corporate-money-in-local-politics/) - I think back to instances where the real state of America, so flagrantly defined, stood unabashedly before us, baring itself for all to see. I often referred to my husband’s favorite sports team as “Team Xbox” which caused unrest in our home. I could not stand the corporate take-over of America, and he hated to
- [An opening to life with Wild Grief’s teen wilderness programs](https://archive.olywip.org/an-opening-to-life-with-wild-griefs-teen-wilderness-programs/) - Wild Grief is an Olympia-based non-profit whose mission is to facilitate peer groups for teens, young adults and families who are grieving a death by creating the space for sharing, connecting and healing in nature. We do this because we know and have witnessed that nature heals.
- [Public support isn’t just for developers](https://archive.olywip.org/public-support-isnt-just-for-developers/) - Washington is known for having a strong economy; however, even before the pandemic, one in four Washingtonians struggled to make ends meet. Obscured by the one in four number is the fact that those who are Black, indigenous or people of color in Washington are sometimes two to three times as likely to live in deep poverty as those who are white.
- [The Grief We Hold](https://archive.olywip.org/the-grief-we-hold-poem/) - POETRY: Blackbirds carry tear filled carnations wrapped with green fern leaves, twisting together memories...
- [A major mural with a climate message](https://archive.olywip.org/a-major-mural-with-a-climate-message/) - Six Thurston County artists with the support of Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT) met with members of the public on June 26 to imagine and plan for a large climate justice mural to be painted in Olympia in the coming year.
- [Creating an anti-racist, equity based education at North Thurston Public Schools](https://archive.olywip.org/creating-an-anti-racist-equity-based-education-at-north-thurston-public-schools/) - INTERVIEW: Christine Yorba is part of a coalition of educators from the North Thurston Public Schools (NTPS) working for meaningful teaching around equity and anti-racism. She recently talked to WIPster Matt Crichton about her experiences with the implementation of that goal at NTPS.
- [Mirage of Police Reform - By Robert Worden and Sarah McLean](https://archive.olywip.org/mirage-of-police-reform-by-robert-worden-and-sarah-mclean/) - BOOK REVIEW: If you were walking by your favorite independent bookstore and saw the title Mirage of Police Reform: Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy, by Robert E. Worden and Sarah J. McLean, you might think what awaited you between the covers would be a look at the many cycles of proposed police reform of the past few decades.
- [CSF awards spring grants for “culture”](https://archive.olywip.org/csf-awards-spring-grants-for-culture/) - Toward a happier, healthier community Each year, the Community Sustaining Fund (CSF) awards funds to local groups based on applications in the Spring and Fall. The Fund is supported primarily by people contributing via the “Round Up at the Register’’ option at the Olympia Food Co-op; and in recent years by the Sue Lundy Fund
- [Community Spotlight – June 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-june-2021/) - Earth Regenerators Study Group ♦ Haki Farmers’ Collective. ♦ Olympia Mutual Aid ♦ Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons ♦ Whole Washington ♦ HOST Homes ♦ Student Art at Capitol ♦ Prayers for World Peace♦ GRuB & GRAVITY ♦ 2021 Meet the Beach ♦ Capital City Pride
- [Then This Happened -- June 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-june-2021/) - ...crabs are coming back... ...an observant local man wondered why.... ...Los Angeles took a different approach
- [About this Issue -- The Big Lie and big-ish lies -- June 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-the-big-lie-and-big-ish-lies-june-2021/) - THOUGHTS ON THE THEME: When we established this theme, we were thinking about the Big Lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and the Democrats stole it. But the more we talked about it, the more we realized that there are a lot of big-ish lies out there, not just one Big Lie.
- [Washington State and the production and deployment of nuclear weaponry](https://archive.olywip.org/washington-state-and-the-production-and-deployment-of-nuclear-weaponry/) - Resisting nuclear build-up at the ballot box—or in the street Citizens of Washington State consistently vote for government officials who support building and stationing nuclear weapons in our state. In the 1970s, Senator Henry Jackson convinced the Pentagon to locate the Trident submarine base on Hood Canal. Senator Warren Magnuson obtained funding for roads and
- [Readers’ Alert—new book titles for review!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-new-book-titles-for-review-2/) - WIP still has funds from our “Readers Review” grant. Each month we publish a list of books (see right column). If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse you if you buy it) and pay
- [Strategic advances for immigrant rights in the 2021 WA legislature](https://archive.olywip.org/strategic-advances-for-immigrant-rights-in-the-2021-wa-legislature/) - We were told that the “COVID session’’ was to be limited to one bill passed per issue. Think again. What we accomplished was perceived in January as impossible, but it is true what Nelson Mandela said: “They will say it is impossible until it happens.”
- [Women Who Rock: Bessie to Beyoncé, Girl Groups to Riot Grrrl - Edited by Evelyn McDonnell](https://archive.olywip.org/women-who-rock-bessie-to-beyonce-girl-groups-to-riot-grrrl/) - BOOK REVIEW: Women Who Rock is a celebration of, and a tribute to, 103 female musicians throughout history who not only shaped music, but used their voices, their instruments and their songwriting to fight for human rights, civil rights and societal change.
- [Suddenly—concerns for women in Afghanistan are news](https://archive.olywip.org/suddenly-concerns-for-women-in-afghanistan-are-news/) - In an interview on Democracy Now, Zaher Wahab makes it clear that current claims that the US needs to stay in Afghanistan to keep women safe ring hollow.
- [The storm that Netanyahu unleashed](https://archive.olywip.org/the-storm-that-netanyahu-unleashed/) - On Friday, May 7 —just five days ago, though it seems like an eternity—public attention in Israel was totally riveted to the complicated dance of party politics. Prime Minister Netanyahu, facing three serious corruption charges at the Jerusalem District Court, had just failed in his efforts to form a new cabinet.
- [Out with the old price, in with the new](https://archive.olywip.org/out-with-the-old-price-in-with-the-new/) - Our city leaders keep telling us that building more market rate housing will help moderate real estate prices. More supply brings prices down. Thousands of new housing units have been built in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater in the last year or so—including many of the sought-after single-family homes. It won’t be long until all those new housing units
- [A cynical use of the “poor and infirm” on behalf of Olympia’s No. 1 developer](https://archive.olywip.org/a-cynical-use-of-the-poor-and-infirm-on-behalf-of-olympias-no-1-developer/) - Over the past seven years or so, the city of Olympia has offered a variety of incentives to several developers to invest in “market-rate” apartment buildings downtown. One of the most lucrative offers is an 8-year exemption from property taxes for the building’s owner.
- [Transforming Olympia’s Mitigation Site with new structures and systems](https://archive.olywip.org/transforming-olympias-mitigation-site-with-new-structures-and-systems/) - On a given Tuesday morning last month, anyone traveling on or around Franklin Street in downtown Olympia would have beheld a curious spectacle.
- [Community Spotlight -- May 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-may-2021/) - P.O.W.E.R Fundraiser ♦ Black Mama’s Day Bail Outs! ♦ American Friends Service Committee ♦ Evergreen seminar: College behind bars ♦ League of Women Voters ♦ Genealogy Cafe ♦ GRuB ♦ Glen’s Parallax Perspectives: ♦ OCEP Victory!
- [Works in Progress is expanding its editorial team](https://archive.olywip.org/works-in-progress-is-expanding-its-editorial-team/) - Are you a prospective Wipster? WIP is evolving! Along with a new Managing Editor who will oversee production (beginning in October), WIP is expanding our editorial team to include new volunteer Section Editors.
- [Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter and the Hidden Cost of America’s Cheap Goods](https://archive.olywip.org/made-in-china-a-prisoner-an-sos-letter-and-the-hidden-cost-of-americas-cheap-goods/) - BOOK REVIEW: Stalinist Plutocracy was never going to be a pleasant social arrangement. But now that Red China is the world’s most influential power, surveillance technology so cheap and artificial intelligence software so widely deployed (accurate or not), Stalinist Plutocracy is amplifying there.
- [Award-winning short film “The Present” gives a glimpse of Palestinian life](https://archive.olywip.org/award-winning-short-film-the-present-gives-a-glimpse-of-palestinian-life/) - MOVIE REVIEW: The Present, a short film shot in the West Bank, just won the 2021 British Film Actors’ Award for Best Short Film along with an Academy Award nomination and dozens of prizes around the world.
- [Thurston’s Guardian ad Litem Program fills an important role](https://archive.olywip.org/thurstons-guardian-ad-litem-program-fills-an-important-role/) - In Thurston County, the need for advocates for children who have been relinquished to the foster care system is intensifying. Local volunteers who work with children in foster care report that the pandemic has affected children’s welfare in ways that may be unseen.
- [The big-ish lie that there’s a labor shortage](https://archive.olywip.org/the-big-ish-lie-that-theres-a-labor-shortage/) - The news lately is that businesses just can’t find people to fill the jobs they’re offering. But it’s not a sign that people don’t want to work, it’s a sign that something is wrong with the American economy. Businesses have become addicted to a low-wage economy—one that contributes daily to increasing inequality and malaise among
- [Then this happened...  May 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-may-2021/) - ...left at the altar—again …housing prices aren’t “filtering down …‘trickle down” doesn’t work either! ...the City was not convinced, item 1. ...the court was not convinced, item 2. ...the judge was not convinced, item 3.
- [About this Issue -- Finding common ground -- May 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/10622-2/) - There’s a lot of talk these days about how polarized “the country” is. The talk fixates on Trump voters vs everyone else, or Democrats vs Republicans or liberals vs conservatives...
- [Protecting the sacred place where life begins](https://archive.olywip.org/protecting-the-sacred-place-where-life-begins/) - The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain is one of the world’s most extraordinary intact wilderness and wildlife areas by any measure of ecological value or wilderness character. These internationally unique wild natural values have been officially documented and reported through decades of detailed studies and reported by those of us who have been privileged
- [Essential Work:  Requirements vs Rewards](https://archive.olywip.org/essential-work-requirements-vs-rewards/) - Comparison of the requirements versus the rewards of a registered nurse, schoolteacher, police officer and property owner.
- [Lessons of "Imperium"](https://archive.olywip.org/lessons-of-imperium/) - Imperium is a 2016 movie based on the real experiences of undercover FBI agent Mike German who infiltrated white supremacist organizations, as related in his book Thinking Like a Terrorist published in 2008. Unfortunately, the lessons found in the movie are all the more relevant today, as white-supremacist Trumpism increasingly gains strength in our country.
- [Where will the money come from?](https://archive.olywip.org/where-will-the-money-come-from/) - Where will the money come from? The big question and the Republicans’ number one argument against President Biden’s long-overdue program to repair the country’s infrastructure is: where will the money come from? For example, what about the $40 billion the President asked Congress to spend on the huge need for public housing? Maybe it could
- [Sowing the seeds of community with veterans in the garden](https://archive.olywip.org/sowing-the-seeds-of-community-with-veterans-in-the-garden/) - The seed for GRuB was planted in 1993 as the Kitchen Garden Project (KGP). Inspired by the work of Vietnam veteran Dan Barker (founder of the Kitchen Garden Project—KGP), South Sounders Richard and Maria Doss began building free vegetable gardens for low-income people in southwest Washington....
- [Growing community in the Victory Garden on Martin Way](https://archive.olywip.org/growing-community-in-the-victory-garden-on-martin-way/) - It’s Saturday afternoon and we are at the Victory Garden, a fenced 2-acre plot owned by the Thurston County Food Bank on Martin Way in Lacey. ...
- [Are We Not One](https://archive.olywip.org/hard-ball-press/) - Nick Leppmann is a Seattle-based artist who depicts the often overlooked impact of our ambitions on the natural world. He can be reached at nickleppmann.com, on Instagram at @ nickleppmannart or on Facebook at @NickLeppmannArt.
- [Endless war update](https://archive.olywip.org/yemen-and-afghanistan/) - President Biden announced in February that he would end support for Saudi Arabia’s offensive operations in Yemen. No more refueling warplanes, providing logistical support, no more advanced weapons systems for the Saudi war effort. But the warplanes are still delivering their bombs....
- [Coded Bias](https://archive.olywip.org/coded-bias/) - MOVIE REVIEW: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are getting more powerful, to the point where the programmers who created AI do not know what is going on inside—a black box, if you will.....
- [Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents](https://archive.olywip.org/caste-the-origins-of-our-discontents-2/) - BOOK REVIEW: We believe this book to be so important that we are running a second review. Isabel Wilkerson’s masterwork, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, makes painfully clear exactly who we are. She expertly lays out how systemic discrimination, abuse, and murder of those within the lowest caste of the US is intrinsic to the fabric of our country....
- [OCEP appeals Oly City Council decision on West Bay Yards contract](https://archive.olywip.org/ocep-appeals-oly-city-council-decision-on-west-bay-yards-contract/) - “Stewardship of the commons is a fundamental purpose of local government” On March 30, Olympia City Council members signed a 15-year contract needed by Milestone Companies to attract financing for their “West Bay Yards” project, a luxury mixed-use development on the edge of Budd Inlet. Hundreds of citizens weighed in with objections to the contract,
- [What the search for an OPD chief says  about the hope for police reform](https://archive.olywip.org/what-the-search-for-an-opd-chief-says-about-the-hope-for-police-reform/) - REFLECTION: The Olympia Police Department (OPD) is roiled in a troublesome search for a new Chief of Police. Olympia’s City Council had hired Karras Consulting to help recruit Oly’s next top cop, and on March 25, the City announced the names of four finalists under consideration for the job.
- [Mutual aid groups build community in Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/mutual-aid-groups-build-community-in-olympia/) - Everyone has something to contribute; Everyone has something they need The COVID-19 pandemic response in the US has challenged communities, as local food banks experienced shortages and shelter beds became even more restricted. Confronted by an uncertain and under-resourced governmental response, many communities countered with energized “mutual aid” organizing. People recognized their common need and decided
- [Poetry: Ashes on West Bay](https://archive.olywip.org/poetry-ashes-on-west-bay/) - When we to home on the westside returned from an excursion to the north Cascades....
- [A year after the national outcry over the killing of George Floyd](https://archive.olywip.org/a-year-after-the-national-outcry-over-the-killing-of-george-floyd/) - REFLECTION: Nearly a year ago, George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin during an arrest, after a store clerk alleged that Floyd had passed a counterfeit $20 bill. The obscenely violent act of kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, killing him—seen and known about only because one young bystander caught it all by video on her phone—ignited a nation into action....
- [Thurston County Sheriff’s Office— a law unto itself?](https://archive.olywip.org/thurston-county-sheriffs-office-a-law-unto-itself/) - A February report from Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson reveals that the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) refused to cooperate with an AG inquiry into whether law enforcement agencies are complying with Initiative 940. Among other mandates, the law created by 1-940 requires that investigations of police use of deadly force be conducted by an agency independent of those involved....
- [Community Spotlight -- April 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-april-2021/) - Poor Peoples’ Campaign • Military Affairs Meeting • South Sound Food System Network • Pizza Klatch Annual Gayla • Purple Martin Monitoring Training • Healing destructive divisions • Solarize Thurston • Working with Local Government • Weekly Peace Vigils • Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons • Trans & Nonbinary Gender Health Clinic • Thurston Conservation District
- [Then this happened… April 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-april-2021/) - …Mike Kreidler dealt the insurance lobbyists …Our legislators think that cities and towns shouldn’t be allowed to make their own zoning rules. …Ecuador defied the trend …it’s old news, but really. …Speaking of bi-partisanship?
- [Thoughts on the Theme -- April 2021 -- Why we can’t have a $15 minimum wage or a lot of other nice things](https://archive.olywip.org/why-we-cant-have-a-15-minimum-wage-or-a-lot-of-other-nice-things/) - A warrior Republican President, Dwight Eisenhower spoke clearly about the link between our military spending (see the back page pie chart for details) and the reasons we choose to impoverish so many working people: “To amass military power without regard to our economic capacity would be to defend ourselves against one kind of disaster by
- [By train via Stampede Pass to Yakima and beyond](https://archive.olywip.org/by-train-via-stampede-pass-to-yakima-and-beyond/) - Regarding Tom White and Bill Moyer’s article about passenger trains, I understand that it was focused on a comparison between improving current N-S Cascades service and the proposal for Ultra High Speed Rail that would essentially parallel the current Cascades N-S route but on “dedicated” track....
- [Reflecting on ways to bring people to the table](https://archive.olywip.org/reflecting-on-ways-to-bring-people-to-the-table/) - It’s been hard to hope. Beginning with the 2020 election in November, and then the Electoral College vote in December, and then the official electoral vote count in January 2021, and then the inauguration on January 20, each was an opportunity to hope....
- [There’s a change in the Works](https://archive.olywip.org/theres-a-change-in-the-works/) - The volunteer Managing Editor of Works in Progress is stepping down after five years. Unless someone volunteers for the position and is in place by August 1, the last issue of the paper will appear in September. To support a new managing editor (if one is in place) we are also looking for individuals to
- [Jesuit priest detained by Feds at Sea-Tac continues resistance to nuclear weapons](https://archive.olywip.org/jesuit-priest-detained-by-feds-at-sea-tac-continues-resistance-to-nuclear-weapons/) - Sea-Tac, April 1. Father Steve Kelly, S.J., a Jesuit priest and longtime nuclear resister, was brought in chains to Tacoma on March 30 to appear in the US District Court on a warrant for a previous probation violation.
- [Readers’ Alert—new book titles for review!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-new-book-titles-for-review/) - We will run issues monthly with a maximum length of 750 words. We currently have reviews scheduled through June, so there’s plenty of time to read a big book! Moving the Bar: My Life as a Radical Lawyer—Michael Ratner (Autobiography “taking the law to places where it had never been”) The Sum of Us—Heather McGhee
- [A victory for railroad workers and the public](https://archive.olywip.org/a-victory-for-railroad-workers-and-the-public/) - Like most private corporations, railroad companies are continuously trying to do the same work with fewer employees. In the case of freight trains, the goal has been to get down to a single crew member running an entire train. Automation can take care of the rest. The goal would have been met, if a three
- [There’s a right track and a wrong track for the future of Washington state rail](https://archive.olywip.org/theres-a-right-track-and-a-wrong-track-for-the-future-of-washington-state-rail/) - Washington state has two potential tracks toward a 21st century rail future, with starkly different outcomes. One provides higher speed, climate-friendly passenger service linking as many as 13 communities on the Cascadia corridor, with increased capacity for freight trains. It has been in development since 1991 and some elements have already been completed. It would
- [A new nuclear arms race is brewing](https://archive.olywip.org/a-new-nuclear-arms-race-is-brewing/) - Can we heed the lessons of the past? On March 16 the United Kingdom that it will increase the limit on its nuclear arsenal for the first time in decades. Instead of maintaining a cap of 180 warheads (as it had previously stated), the UK will increase its stockpile cap to 260 warheads—a 40% increase.
- [Flooding in the Chehalis River Basin](https://archive.olywip.org/flooding-in-the-chehalis-river-basin/) - This dam idea isn’t new Although I’ve lived and worked in the Chehalis Basin for fifteen years, I did not experience the 2007 and 2009 floods first hand. But I vividly remember the footage of catastrophic property damage: dead cattle and images of people and their families devastated by the floods. Many people in Western Washington
- [Can’t get a break](https://archive.olywip.org/cant-get-a-break/) - Working single moms in the pandemic: One thing has become clear over the past year, the pandemic didn’t affect everyone equally.
- [Annual plant sale benefit for Nicaraguan scholars coming up](https://archive.olywip.org/annual-plant-sale-benefit-for-nicaraguan-scholars-coming-up/) - How novel to be together, scattered safely across Jean’s yard on Oly’s Westside, potting up perennials once again. It’s our annual plant sale to raise money for scholarships for students in our sister town of Santo Tomás, Chontales Nicaragua. Every weekend from mid-March through April, masked volunteers will be chatting and digging, dividing, and potting
- [BOOK REVIEW:  Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents](https://archive.olywip.org/caste-the-origins-of-our-discontents/) - Reading Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste provides a foundational perspective to address the questions about Trumpism. As indicated by the subtitle, The Origins of Our Discontents, her work is an etiology, a search for origins and causes. We live in a time of deep social discontent. To understand the origins of our discontents, Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste should be required reading.
- [Nonprofits of Thurston County call for racial justice](https://archive.olywip.org/nonprofits-of-thurston-county-call-for-racial-justice/) - In response to the movement and demand for justice for Black Lives, and because these times are calling on us to have a wise and courageous response, Thurston County nonprofit communities have signed onto this collective letter indicating our intention to align with racial justice and a local racial equity-focused policy agenda.
- [Citizens:  An environmental review should precede a binding contract for West Bay Yards](https://archive.olywip.org/citizens-an-environmental-review-should-precede-a-binding-contract-for-west-bay-yards/) - Members of the public had an opportunity to talk to the City Council about the viability and desirability of facilitating the introduction of an “urban village”—a 470-unit apartment/townhouse-retail-commercial complex — between West Bay Drive and the edge of Budd Inlet at the site of a former plywood plant.
- [Olympia City Council elections](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-city-council-elections-2021/) - Olympia City Council elections: Statements from candidates on the West Bay Yards issue
- [A maximum wage: prelude to economic equality](https://archive.olywip.org/a-maximum-wage-prelude-to-economic-equality/) - REFLECTION: The federal minimum wage in the United States, signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938, has been a topic of debate ever since. Its purpose was to protect workers from being paid a wage lower than what is necessary for survival....
- [The Commons: Reclaiming what is ours](https://archive.olywip.org/the-commons-reclaiming-what-is-ours/) - The Commons is a documentary film about communities re-asserting sustainable futures using consensus, equity, and shared resources—ancient Commons principles. The film offers many examples of how it is possible to take the inspired path toward a communal future so many are drawn towards.
- [West Central Park is an oasis in the heart of Olympia’s Westside](https://archive.olywip.org/west-central-park-is-an-oasis-in-the-heart-of-olympias-westside/) - Work that’s its own reward For years it was home to an abandoned building. In 1997 the City paid to demolish the building, leaving the lot vacant. It was the last unoccupied parcel located at the intersection of two busy arterials on the Westside—Harrison and Division. Early one May Day morning, guerilla gardeners from TESC
- [Alert to readers!](https://archive.olywip.org/alert-to-readers/) - WIP has received a grant to print book reviews in 2021. How will it work? Each month we’ll publish a list of books (see right column). If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse you
- [The incident at the Red Lion Inn](https://archive.olywip.org/the-incident-at-the-red-lion-inn/) - What happened during...and after? In December 2020, a group named Oly Housing Now (OHN) formed to organize an action at the Red Lion at the end of January. Days before, President Biden had signed an executive order extending FEMA’s Public Assistance Reimbursement policy to states that provide safe housing for people struggling as a result
- [How will Olympians view a memorial to nuclear sub USS Olympia?](https://archive.olywip.org/how-will-olympians-view-a-memorial-to-nuclear-sub-uss-olympia/) - On March 15, Commissioners at the Port of Olympia heard from Olympia officials about what the City hopes will be a shared initiative to memorialize the “maritime history” of Olympia.
- [Community Spotlight -- March 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-march-2021/) - Safe Rides Community Survey • New Overnight Winter Shelter • Olympia Indivisible • “Women rise up globally • The Estuarium • Thurston Conservation District election • Olympia Seafood: The F/V Terry F • Nominations open for Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award • Defund OPD
- [About This Issue -- March 2021 -- Thinking about the  theme](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-march-2021-thinking-about-the-theme/) - This month’s theme is what’s been revealed by the pandemic. If you’ve ever been played in a shell game, you know things move very fast. You think you know where the hidden object will be when the shells stop moving, but you almost never do. Sometimes, there’s nothing under any of the shells...
- [Then this happened... March 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-march-2021/) - They should have had Olympia SWAT at the Capitol … More homeless in the making … Cancel culture comes in handy!
- [“Have you ever been to jail for justice?”](https://archive.olywip.org/have-you-ever-been-to-jail-for-justice/) - This was Anne Feeney’s theme song. The singer and labor activist who was a familiar face and voice in the South Sound, died February 6 of COVID 19, at age 69.
- [Kiss the Ground—optimism for the climate](https://archive.olywip.org/kiss-the-ground-optimism-for-the-climate/) - MOVIE REVIEW: Kiss the Ground, a documentary, now screening on Netflix, is a breath of fresh air among the constant bad news about climate change. Not only is it highly informative and educational, it also reveals a plausible solution to the global warming crisis.
- [Homewreckers ](https://archive.olywip.org/homewreckers/) - Growing up with tales of the American Dream pouring out of books, TV, and radio so steadily that the psyches of many young Americans are imbued with the belief that if you worked hard, you would grow-up to be a successful adult—owning a home and having a spouse, 2.5 children, and a dog—or a close variation.
- [Oly Housing Now tries to pressure officials](https://archive.olywip.org/oly-housing-now-tries-to-pressure-officials/) - Early in February, some of the wet, cold people living outside in Olympia tried to take rooms in the downtown Red Lion, aided and encouraged by activists from Oly Housing Now. Staff members of the hotel fled to the basement and called the police....
- [West Bay Yards: the elephant in the election](https://archive.olywip.org/west-bay-yards-the-elephant-in-the-election/) - In Olympia's City Manager system, Council members exercise little direct control over decisions that shape the City and its neighborhoods. The Council delegates land turnover decisions to the City staff. The Council states they can’t interfere in the planning process. They send citizens to the Hearing Examiner who reinforces staff decisions. Only with a Superior Court
- [An energized movement steps up for essential workers](https://archive.olywip.org/an-energized-movement-steps-up-for-essential-workers/) - A reinvigorated safety and health (S&H) movement is taking on the long historic injustice of work-related illness, injury and death. It’s also digging deep into structured inequality to reveal the race/class/gender discrimination that shapes that inequality in both small and screamingly obvious ways...
- [Lennar home models in SW Olympia—Merlot and Chardonnay](https://archive.olywip.org/lennar-home-models-in-sw-olympia-merlot-and-chardonnay/) - I’m torn between Merlot and Chardonnay—those houses in that new Lennar development behind the Auto Mall. I mean, they both have the Shaker-style wood cabinets with crown molding. All the bathrooms have the elongated comfort seat toilets. And a whole list of other luxury features. There is one difference—would it be better to get Chardonnay
- [The county’s two biggest healthcare employers compromise worker health and safety](https://archive.olywip.org/the-countys-two-biggest-healthcare-employers-compromise-worker-health-and-safety/) - Providence slashes tech unit workers’ sick leave benefit Providence Health System, one of the country’s richest hospital chains, has eliminated sick leave for workers in its nine tech units at St. Peter Hospital. To protect this and other benefits, the technicians have unionized and are represented by UFCW 21. They have been in negotiations for
- [Senator Mullet guts bill to end racist element of insurance rates](https://archive.olywip.org/senator-mullet-guts-bill-to-end-racist-element-of-insurance-rates/) - Last summer George Floyd, many others, and the BLM movement reminded us that we haven’t made much progress against racism worldwide or locally over the last several hundred years, or maybe forever. Corporations rushed to cloak themselves in noble statements about their support of Black Lives Matter and the value of racial justice. Others committed to
- [Enhanced mitigation for nearshore projects on Budd Inlet](https://archive.olywip.org/enhanced-mitigation-for-nearshore-projects-on-budd-inlet/) - The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in November of last year issued new mitigation requirements for nearshore developments — like West Bay Yards, for example. The opinion includes significant increases in mitigation necessary to protect juvenile chinook salmon and the Southern Resident Killer Whale from extinction.
- [Our unemployment insurance system’s failings are by design](https://archive.olywip.org/our-unemployment-insurance-systems-failings-are-by-design/) - Our unemployment insurance system has failed the country at a moment of great need. With tens of millions of workers struggling just to pay rent and buy food, Congress is now forced to consider a third emergency spending bill, providing stimulus payments, special weekly unemployment insurance, and temporary unemployment benefits to those not covered by
- [Positive policing bills in the state legislature](https://archive.olywip.org/positive-policing-bills-in-the-state-legislature/) - The OlyDSA DefundOPD committee has been researching and organizing around cutting the police budget, reinvesting in community and increasing accountability. They reviewed 19 bills related to policing in the legislative session, and identified this annotated list of bills to support.
- [An Anti-Right front?](https://archive.olywip.org/an-anti-right-front/) - Trump is out and Biden is in. Where do we go from here, in combating the cancer of Trumpism and working to transform our society in a socialist direction?
- [Calling all changemakers](https://archive.olywip.org/calling-all-changemakers/) - The Community Sustaining Fund (CSF) provides grants to support progressive, community-oriented projects across Thurston County. Their goal is to empower individuals and organizations that advance social justice, environmental health, and community activism. For over 30 years, the CSF grants have supported local innovation and creative collaboration potential....
- [Community support for an encampment](https://archive.olywip.org/community-support-for-an-encampment/) - On January 17, the Olympia community came together to clean up a tent encampment adjacent to Marathon Park by Capitol Lake. The camp had been devastated by a recent storm that left belongings and trash scattered all around. Leaders of several activist groups jumped in to help support the folks living in the encampment....
- [Affordable treatments for COVID-19  you don’t know about (but should)](https://archive.olywip.org/affordable-treatments-for-covid-19-you-dont-know-about-but-should/) - Now that the campaign to vaccinate the planet for COVID-19 is well underway, news of effective, affordable treatments—and deterrents—is finally coming to light. Studies on ivermectin, colchecine and hydroxychloroquine, published in the US, Spain, India, Iran, Egypt, Argentina and elsewhere indicate that these drugs, used prophylactically and in early and late treatment, can greatly reduce
- [Readers’ Alert!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-3/) - WIP has received a grant to print book reviews in 2021. How will it work? Each month we’ll publish a list of books (listed below). If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, contact us at olywip@gmail.com and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse
- [A Development Agreement without a development?](https://archive.olywip.org/a-development-agreement-without-a-development/) - West Bay Yards West Bay Yards Development Project was initially presented to Olympia’s Community Planning and Development staff (CP&D) in May. At a “presubmission conference” the architect provided 19 pages of detail, including a site plan, designs showing the location of all elements of the project, numerous renditions of the buildings, floor plans for the
- [Community Spotlight -- February 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-february-2021/) - WA Notify ♦ Gilda Sheppard and Simone Nicole Savannah ♦ Film: The Commons ♦ Garden raised bounty ♦ Just Housing Workshops ♦ Mutual Aid Partners ♦ CIELO ♦ Creative Writing ♦ Glen’s Parallax Perspectives ♦ West Central Park Ground Breaking
- [Then this happened -- February 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-february-2021/) - Get out of jail free! ♦ Didn’t slow to a trickle. ♦ More like a flood.
- [A “fixed and functioning West Bay” for whom and to what end?](https://archive.olywip.org/a-fixed-and-functioning-west-bay-for-whom-and-to-what-end/) - As new “market rate” apartment buildings sprout up all over downtown Olympia, developers have set their sights on prime shoreline across the bay. What is more appealing to a well-heeled transplant than a view of sailboats and an iconic mountain with picturesque Budd Inlet for your front yard?
- [PORT REPORT: What’s been happening at the Port of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/port-report-whats-been-happening-at-the-port-of-olympia/) - Olympia Port Commissioner EJ Zita provided this review of Port activities over 2020 with a look ahead to the coming year.
- [A way to hold the past in your hand](https://archive.olywip.org/a-way-to-hold-the-past-in-your-hand/) - The National Archives at Seattle holds 56,000 cubic feet (1 million boxes) of permanent records, including documents and artifacts from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Access to these documents and artifacts is particularly important to genealogists, historians, writers, and others who seek a more intimate understanding of and connection with our region’s past.
- [Diagnosing the 2020 election malady](https://archive.olywip.org/diagnosing-the-2020-election-malady/) - The author is a veteran of five decades of electoral work. His goal for 2020 was to take the Senate for Democrats. He agreed to work in Montana, a Trump state, but where the popular Democratic Governor was challenging a first-term Republican. He spent the last three weeks before the election leaning into cold winds from the mountains, talking with the dispersed voters of Montana. It turned out the headwinds from the Biden ticket were so powerful that they crushed the life out of the workers’ hopes for the down-ballot race. 2020 ended in Montana with a Red sweep. Here is Jeff’s diagnosis of how to cure the illness before the next cycle
- [Telephone of the Wind](https://archive.olywip.org/9840-2/) - This telephone from times past appeared mysteriously on a tree in Priest Point Park in January. It is there now with a sign inviting anyone to make a call – a call that allows you to connect with someone not otherwise available, or to speak your mind, even to connect with your own emotions.
- [Washington’s new food distribution project](https://archive.olywip.org/washingtons-new-food-distribution-project/) - The Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC), together with a network of over 30 entities, is devoting the next three years to address food system infrastructure, food access, and education as the recipient of a $994,400 grant from the US Department of Agriculture Regional Food System Partnerships Program.
- [Deep trouble awaits if we pursue seabed mining](https://archive.olywip.org/deep-trouble-awaits-if-we-pursue-seabed-mining/) - We know more about the moon and the surface of Mars than we know about the deep ocean. Yet increasing demand for rare metals and valuable minerals could bring industrial-scale prospectors to the sea floor before we understand the nature of the ocean itself, let alone the consequences of ocean mining. The insatiable extractive economy
- [Poetry: Just Desserts](https://archive.olywip.org/poetry-just-desserts/) - A thousand crystal droplets of water...
- [On the inseparability of race and class](https://archive.olywip.org/on-the-inseparability-of-race-and-class/) - Towards the end of his life, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began arguing that racism, poverty, and militarism must be addressed as interrelated issues, as a package, in order to create a more equitable society. Many scholars today claim that connecting those issues is what led to his untimely death.
- [How to submit your writing or art to Works in Progress](https://archive.olywip.org/how-to-submit-your-writing-or-art-to-works-in-progress/) - Works in Progress is a community resource, so please take advantage by submitting your writing, drawings or cartoons. Our priority is to focus on stories that are ignored or misrepresented in the mainstream media, especially those that relate directly to our mission. Informed opinion pieces are welcome, especially when accompanied by facts, examples and sources. We like articles or stories or reflections that relate to the issue outlined for the theme, but that’s not necessary. Once we receive a submission we will contact you if we are interested in publishing it.
- [A new international treaty outlaws use of nuclear weapons](https://archive.olywip.org/a-new-international-treaty-outlaws-use-of-nuclear-weapons/) - Beginning January 18, 2021 four billboards around Puget Sound will display a public service announcement: “NUCLEAR WEAPONS BANNED BY NEW U.N. TREATY; Get them out of Puget Sound!” The four billboards will be located in Seattle, Tacoma and Port Orchard, and are paid for by Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action and World Beyond War.
- [MLK Day: Peaceful Transition—Respect the Vote](https://archive.olywip.org/mlk-day-peaceful-transition-respect-the-vote/) - In mid December, thirty neighbors on the Westside of Olympia began planning for an MLK Day event and chose Peaceful Transition, Respect the Vote as their theme. They had planned two previous events on the 4th Avenue Bridge, one in support of the National Nurses Union and one calling for Justice for George Floyd and all Black Lives.
- [COVID-19 and the Crisis of Racial Capitalism](https://archive.olywip.org/covid-19-and-the-crisis-of-racial-capitalism/) - The escalating COVID-19 pandemic impacts all of us, but for Black and brown people in particular, the combined health and economic devastation is truly terrifying. Communities of color have higher rates of asthma, less access to health care centers, are more likely to live in food deserts, and are among the most vulnerable in the
- [What we already know about the idea of “healing”](https://archive.olywip.org/what-we-already-know-about-the-idea-of-healing/) - World his­to­ry books are not sto­ries of peace. They are sto­ries of war, jeal­ousy and mur­der on a grand scale, stretch­ing back thou­sands of years. They are sto­ries of empires that rise vio­lent­ly, taste momen­tary glo­ry, and are then destroyed — either by the rot of their own cor­rup­tion, or by the rage of those they stole
- [BOOK REVIEW: United States of Distraction](https://archive.olywip.org/book-review-united-states-of-distraction/) - Media Manipulation in Post-Truth America (And What We Can Do About It), by Nolan Higdon and Mickey Huff This book is an essential read for those who are confused by Trump’s rise to political power and by the complacency of many in the nation even when confronted with his bad behavior and policies. The authors
- [Biden ends discriminatory policies affecting travelers, immigrants and refugees](https://archive.olywip.org/biden-ends-discriminatory-policies-affecting-travelers-immigrants-and-refugees/) - President Trump and his advisors used their power to stop people from majority Muslim and other disfavored countries from entering the US, and to get rid of people from those and other countries who already lived here. Trump’s “travel ban” first prohibited people from six countries from coming here and then was extended to exclude
- [West Bay Woods](https://archive.olywip.org/west-bay-woods/) - Once you’ve walked the streets of your neighborhood more times than you can count, there are two trails on Olympia’s westside where you discover the magical shelter of the West Bay Woods. The West Bay Woods is a special kind of park, on land purchased to protect and restore habitat for the Pacific Great Blue
- [Readers’ Alert!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert-2/) - WIP has received a grant designated for including book reviews in 2021. How will it work?
- [An exercise to shift from fear to calm](https://archive.olywip.org/an-exercise-to-shift-from-fear-to-calm/) - We’re all familiar with suggestions for countering occasional feelings of anxiety, fear and depression such as taking a walk, listening to music or reading something uplifting. All are helpful but they may not go far enough in harnessing the power available to us to create a physical shift in our feeling life.
- [Salud en tiempos de COVID](https://archive.olywip.org/salud-en-tiempos-de-covid/) - Nuestra experiencia de duelo, pérdida y aislamiento Al entrar en las “horas más oscuras” del invierno, cada uno de nosotros está lidiando con el aislamiento, el distanciamiento social, la ansiedad, el dolor y la pérdida por los efectos de la pandemia. Muchos en esta zona del país se enfrentan al SAD, o Trastorno Afectivo Estacional,
- [Mental health in the time of COVID Experiencing grief, loss and isolation](https://archive.olywip.org/mental-health-in-the-time-of-covid-experiencing-grief-loss-and-isolation/) - As we enter the “darkest hours” of the winter, each of us copes with isolation, social distancing, anxiety, grief and loss from the effects of the pandemic. Many in this area experience SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, the absence of sunshine. The pandemic has layered new symptoms on mental health issues already present. Our society tends
- [Will the US sign the treaty?](https://archive.olywip.org/will-the-us-sign-the-treaty/) - The nine countries that have held the world captive to the threat of nuclear war are losing moral ground to 122 smaller countries that approved the world’s first nuclear weapons ban in July 2017. Once 50 of those 122 approving countries completed the ratification process of the UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- [Community Spotlight -- January 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-january-2021/) - Stories of Resilience: Graduate Micro-Business Showcase ♦ Annual Arab Festival for online viewing ♦ Leonor R. Fuller Gallery Postcard Exhibition ♦ FairVote Washington ♦ Regional Housing Action Plan Forum ♦ Glen’s Parallax Perspectives ♦ Educate, Agitate, Organize ♦ Thurston County Food Bank
- [Then this happened -- January 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-january-2021/) - The City of Olympia gave developers millions in property tax exemptions ♦ Remember when Trump said he could shoot someone in downtown New York and nothing would happen? ♦ Speaking of investigations ♦ A Police Department at risk! ♦ Another arrest
- [About this Issue -- January 2021 -- Things to do, 2021](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-january-2021-things-to-do-2021/) - Our theme for January picked up on a statement by James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” It seemed to us facing a few big things in 2021 could be the first step toward changing them. We made a “to do” list.
- [A comparison of the Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater Police Departments](https://archive.olywip.org/a-comparison-of-the-olympia-lacey-and-tumwater-police-departments/) - A comparison table of the three police departments, plus links to download the city agreements with the police officers' guilds
- [Where it’s illegal to carry a loaded gun in public](https://archive.olywip.org/where-its-illegal-to-carry-a-loaded-gun-in-public/) - California’s Mulford Act prohibited anyone outside of law enforcement officers (and others explicitly authorized to do so) from carrying loaded firearms in public. It was enacted largely in response to the militant activities of the Black Panther Party.
- [Money spent: Some Olympia PPP loans under the March 2020 CARES Act](https://archive.olywip.org/money-spent-some-olympia-ppp-loans-under-the-march-2020-cares-act/) - Dan Leahy The Small Business Administration (SBA) has released names of entities awarded Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loans of less than $150,000 under the CARES Act. In Olympia, 1,680 entities received these loans. The chart shows only the 115 recipients of loans above $100,000. These 115 loans totaled $14,321,642. The recipients were generally concentrated in
- [A hope-filled greeting to our readers](https://archive.olywip.org/a-hope-filled-greeting/) - We see that sparks of hope are igniting against this war which is the same around the world. From distant geographies we turn toward each other, toward the struggle for life, which forms a language through which we recognize one another. From all of us at School for Chiapas, we wish you health and happiness,
- [A Breath Out for a Breath In](https://archive.olywip.org/a-breath-out-for-a-breath-in/) - Your first breath took mine away.
- [My Life](https://archive.olywip.org/my-life/) - This fall, Capital High School’s Climate Club proposed a “climate fiction” challenge for local students. Club VP Karina Greenlee said they had invited students to paint their vision of the world in the context of climate change. Published here are two of many "Cli-Fi" stories submitted.
- [Sustaining Fund makes grants to Farm Land Trust and Bowl of Hope](https://archive.olywip.org/sustaining-fund-makes-grants-to-farm-land-trust-and-bowl-of-hope/) - We are here for each other Contributions from local donors allowed Olympia’s Sustaining fund to award generous grants to two projects that address food needs. The Winter Grant Cycle for the Community Sustaining Fund of Thurston County (CSF) was special this year. In addition to funds received through the “Round Up at the Register ‹›
- [A real opportunity for renters to become owners](https://archive.olywip.org/a-real-opportunity-for-renters-to-become-owners/) - “If it were not for our community being self-managed, and maintaining the same rent since inception, there would be no way I could afford to live in this area.” That’s the happy situation of Peggy Searce, a 71-year-old retired nurse and resident of Hidden Village. A community of homes, not investment properties Hidden Village is
- [Bringing the people who voted for Trump to the table](https://archive.olywip.org/bringing-the-people-who-voted-for-trump-to-the-table/) - The real work It’s November 7, and Joseph Biden is projected to become the 46th president of the United States. The day has been an emotional roller coaster, as I reconcile my relief, jubilation, and disbelief: Donald Trump’s presidency is coming to an end. The sensation is palpable. I feel as if a weight has
- [Outside/Inside—Propagating the vision of a new society](https://archive.olywip.org/outside-inside-propagating-the-vision-of-a-new-society/) - I hate to spell out gloom and doom, but the fact is that the presidential election demonstrated how politically dangerous is the situation in the United States. Sure, we succeeded in voting Donald Trump out of office (though at the time of writing he’s trying to avoid leaving), but only by the slimmest of margins
- [Cooking up some political power](https://archive.olywip.org/first-elect-progressives-then-hold-them-accountable/) - First elect progressives, then hold them accountable At our house, we’ve been watching cooking shows to help us weather the pandemic. My recent favorite actually involved very little cooking, however. The cook. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. forgot about her “salmon-cream-pasta situation” as she broke down what ordinary people need to know as we head into the next
- [A foreign policy “to do” list for President Biden](https://archive.olywip.org/a-foreign-policy-to-do-list-for-president-biden/) - Donald Trump loves executive orders as a tool of dictatorial power, avoiding the need to work through Congress. But that works both ways, making it relatively easy for President Biden to reverse many of Trump’s most disastrous decisions. Here are ten things Biden can do as soon as he takes office. Each one can set
- [Rethinking Everything](https://archive.olywip.org/rethinking-everything-3/) - The very phrase “American Dream” comes from [the Great Depression], and was coined in 1931 by historian James Truslow Adams in his book, The Epic of America.
- [A Pandemic Nurse’s Diary](https://archive.olywip.org/a-pandemic-nurses-diary/) - In her diary, Nurse T. offers a first person account of working in a public hospital as the initial wave of coronavirus swept through NYC. The diary describes the personal, physical and emotional toll on the staff as they face overwhelming conditions each day.
- [Coronavirus exposure in state prisons: We can do better](https://archive.olywip.org/coronavirus-exposure-in-state-prisons-we-can-do-better/) - POINT OF VIEW Advocates with Washington Community Action Network (CAN) gathered in Olympia on December 9 to mourn the lives of incarcerated people lost to COVID–19, and to raise awareness for prison reform. Noreen Light, a local activist whose son has been in prison for the last 18 years, said that without releasing more inmates
- [Getting beyond “the argument culture”](https://archive.olywip.org/getting-beyond-the-argument-culture/) - Working with couples who are at odds brings into clearer, sharper relief the existential struggle to have a dialogue outside the framework of “The Argument Culture” which is all over Cable News, Fox, and everywhere. In the Argument Culture, no one wins; there’s no person-to-person affirmation; no genuine affection building human bonds—quite the opposite. What
- [On radicalization and grief](https://archive.olywip.org/on-radicalization-and-grief/) - An aspect of becoming radicalized that I think is under attended to is the grief that, for some, comes with it. As I learned more of history, more of the theory, more of the experiences of people who have the least to gain from our system, the more I had to let go of the
- [A Mason County model of mutual aid](https://archive.olywip.org/a-mason-county-model-of-mutual-aid/) - If there is anything that COVID-19 has shown us, it’s that building real-world models that allow everyone to thrive via strong community safety nets is imperative in an economy that requires human beings to properly function.
- [Community Spotlight -- November/December 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-november-december-2020/) - Scientists on the Go ♦ Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons ♦ West Central Neighborhood Park ♦ Vigils -- not vigilantes ♦ Olympia Tribune ♦ Olympia Mutual Aid Partners ♦ International Migrants Day ♦ Electronics recycling at Best Buy ♦ Orca Books ♦ The Shower Bus ♦ Olympia Free Clinic ♦ International Day of Solidarity
- [Thoughts on the Theme -- November/December 2020 -- How to politic... beyond the status quo](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-november-december-2020-how-to-politic-beyond-the-status-quo/) - As mass protests have taken place all over the nation, the images of well-armed and flak-jacketed police facing off against protesters and violently subduing them while remaining encased in protective gear stands in stark contrast to our desperately under-equipped health care workers who have been vainly trying to save as many lives as possible during the coronavirus pandemic.
- [DIY politics when elected politicians don’t serve the people](https://archive.olywip.org/diy-politics-when-elected-politicians-dont-serve-the-people/) - Last issue, we listed some citizen initiatives that would have contributed to more stable and healthy lives for families and communities. We went back to see which ones won and which ones lost: Housing San Franciscans notched up the tax on real estate transfers to put money into affordable housing, and also authorized the city
- [Remembering Rachid Benkhalti](https://archive.olywip.org/remembering-rachid-benkhalti/) - Rachid Benkhalti was born in Marrakesh, Morocco, on September 4, 1955. He passed away at home in Olympia on November 27, 2020. We have lost a great soul, father, brother, uncle, and so much more. Rachid was a man of great spirit, with a ready smile and generosity.
- [Readers Alert!](https://archive.olywip.org/readers-alert/) - WIP has received a grant designated for including book reviews in 2021. How will it work? Each month we’ll publish a list of books we’d like to see reviewed. If you’re interested in reading and writing a review of one of the books, contact us at olywip@gmail.com. We will buy the book and pay $50
- [Olympia police, vigilantes and a safe community](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-police-vigilantes-and-a-safe-community/) - It was the end of a week of demonstrations in Olympia: peaceful marches punctuated by broken windows and nighttime confrontations between opposing groups. During the week, men armed with assault rifles had patrolled the streets of Olympia’s downtown and neighborhoods. Attention armed citizenry! On Thursday, June 4, the proprietor of a gun shop in West
- [“Never enough”](https://archive.olywip.org/never-enough/) - I was never “enough” to be cool enough or arty enough—never punk rock enough. But when a friend told me never give up. I decided to muscle up and pretend that I am. My conclusion? I am—you are—absolutely everything enough!
- [The struggle for justice](https://archive.olywip.org/the-struggle-for-justice/) - The struggle for justice is the theme for this issue. For 30 years it has been embedded in the mission of Works in Progress and reflected in its pages. Should the struggle for justice be hard? When something is “just” we see that it’s deserved or merited, and often we believe that what is just
- [Rethinking everything: Police officer or social worker?](https://archive.olywip.org/rethinking-everything-police-officer-or-social-worker/) - …well over 90% of the calls for service I handled were reactive, showing up well after a crime had taken place. We would arrive, take a statement, collect evidence (if any), file the report, and onto the next caper. Most “active” crimes we stopped were someone harmless possessing or selling a small amount of drugs. Very, very rarely would we stop something dangerous in progress or stop something from happening entirely. The closest we could usually get was seeing someone running away from the scene of a crime, but the damage was still done.
- [When will housing “Action Plans” shift from “plan” to “action?”](https://archive.olywip.org/when-will-housing-action-plans-shift-from-plan-to-action/) - Thurston County has faced a housing and homeless crisis for a decade. But our government officials are still researching it and working on plans to fix it. Reproduced below are Olympia’s “Housing Action Plan” from its 2020 Operating Budget plus the County Plan plus the “Regional Housing Action Plan” being planned by Thurston Regional Planning
- [Humpty Dumpty had a great fall](https://archive.olywip.org/humpty-dumpty-had-a-great-fall/) - One of the consequences of the popular (multi-ethnic, anti-racist, anti-police brutality, and pro Black Lives Matter) movement that emerged after the death George Floyd and other black people killed by the police was the altering of urban public spaces.
- [Is President Trump leading us into fascism?](https://archive.olywip.org/is-president-trump-leading-us-into-fascism/) - To consider this question, it is necessary to understand the role fascism plays in a capitalist society, and why the capitalist class has an interest in facilitating the rise of fascism. Such understanding is provided in the essays in Radical Perspectives on the Rise of Fascism in Germany, 1919-1945.
- [Reading black women](https://archive.olywip.org/reading-black-women/) - In a brilliant take-down of the so-called “public intellectuals” in the US, specifically those writers who are paid to write personal essays or “op ed” columns, Tressie McMillan Cottom points out that for the most part, Black women are ignored. Completely. She writes, “A Professional Smart Person can be one without ever reading black women,
- [The good and useful measures that were put in place are running out](https://archive.olywip.org/the-good-and-useful-measures-that-were-put-in-place-are-running-out/) - Millions of people are about to experience the falling dominoes of economic disaster that will engulf their lives, destroy their wealth, and leave them with nothing.
- [Washington State—the poster girl for voting by mail](https://archive.olywip.org/washington-state-the-poster-girl-for-voting-by-mail/) - “There is tremendous evidence of fraud whenever you have mail-in ballots,” Mr. Trump claimed during an appearance in Arizona, a statement that has no basis in the experience of the states that give voters the option of voting by mail. Since 2011, Washington voters have marked ballots at home and sent them to the county
- [A socialist feminist response to COVID-19](https://archive.olywip.org/a-socialist-feminist-response-to-covid-19/) - Nationalize the medical system with workers’ control over decision-making and management. Make the industry nonprofit, including pharmaceuticals, hospitals, supply companies, and nursing homes. Guarantee a living wage for healthcare and homecare workers.
- [A French banker freaks out about bicycling](https://archive.olywip.org/a-french-banker-freaks-out-about-bicycling/) - Un cyclist est un désastre pour l’économie du pays—il n’achète pas de voiture et ne prend pas de prêt automobile—N’achète pas d’assurance automobile—n’achète pas de carburant—n’envoie pas sa voiture pour l’entretien et les réparations, N’utilise pas de parking payant, ne cause pas d’accidents majeurs, ne nécessite pas d’autoroutes a plusieurs voies, ne déviant pas obese, oui…et bien, on sang! Des gens en bonne santé ne sont pas nécessaires à l’économie, ils n’achètent pas de médicaments, Ils ne vont pas dans les hôpitaux et les médecins, Ils n’ajoutent rien au PIB du pays.
- [REFLECTION: How to be a cycling lady legend](https://archive.olywip.org/reflection-how-to-be-a-cycling-lady-legend/) - The romantic image of the solo cyclist first began when cars in our money-driven world supplanted cycling and the clubs that sustained the riders. While today the bicycle seems ready-made for individual characters, if you look beyond the media focus on pros and record holders, you can see that it actually takes a lifetime to
- [A “time bar” that denies people even the opportunity to have their case reviewed](https://archive.olywip.org/a-time-bar-that-denies-people-even-the-opportunity-to-have-their-case-reviewed/) - If you look at criminal laws passed toward the end of the 1990s, most were passed under the guise of stringent punishment and keeping the community safe. They were designed to produce prolonged sentences that would keep people in jail for most of their lives, if not all.
- [An open letter to city officials in Thurston County](https://archive.olywip.org/an-open-letter-to-city-officials-in-thurston-county/) - Pass an ordinance so that rental debt accrued during the COVID-19 crisis is not a basis for evictions during this time or thereafter. In order to prevent an eviction crisis and not push people into homelessness, it is increasingly necessary for cities and counties to put into place policies that make debt accrued during this time not a reason to evict at any point in the future.
- [Where are our elected leaders?](https://archive.olywip.org/where-are-our-elected-leaders/) - After over ten months of an encampment bordering Deschutes Parkway on the privately-owned greenbelt next to the 5th Avenue bridge, the property owners notified the residents that they could not stay past July 23.
- [Raise the social cost: an important strategic concept](https://archive.olywip.org/raise-the-social-cost-an-important-strategic-concept/) - In the late 1960s, McGeorge Bundy, who had been the national security adviser to Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, in a debate at MIT, said he had turned against the Vietnam War. Bundy said he now favored US withdrawal from Vietnam not because the US war was immoral or wrong or not in US “interests,” but because college students, including at elite schools, were becoming radicalized.
- [Black activists organize to demand an end to police brutality and systemic racism](https://archive.olywip.org/black-activists-organize-to-demand-an-end-to-police-brutality-and-systemic-racism/) - For the last couple of months, multiple people and organizations have held demonstrations across Thurston County, mostly in Olympia. But because organizers face violent threats, leaders are difficult to find. Washington Community Action Network (CAN), Olympia SURJ: Showing up for Racial Justice, Justice for Yvonne McDonald and Olympia Black Lives Matter Community Council are a few of the organizations that have held or been affiliated with demonstrations and rallies since George Floyd’s murder.
- [Educating in and being educated by the pandemic](https://archive.olywip.org/educating-in-and-being-educated-by-the-pandemic/) - On Thursday, July 23, the largest representative of public school employees, Washington Education Association (WEA), issued the following statement on safety first: As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to grow across Washington, we are sadly faced with a choice between two bad options—eit her return to schools and put our educators, students, and community at risk or return to a distance learning and virtual instruction model.
- [Back from the brink](https://archive.olywip.org/back-from-the-brink/) - Since May 2017 the Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (OCANW) has worked in strategically smart grassroots ways to build a local movement to abolish nuclear weapons. We hold a giant banner one hour a week over I-5.
- [Billboards remind us of nuclear weapons deployed in Kitsap County](https://archive.olywip.org/75-years-after-bombing-japanese-people/) - Accept Responsibility, displayed on billboards through August 9, is a plea for citizens of Puget Sound to accept their role and responsibility—as taxpayers, as members of a democratic society, and as neighbors to the Trident nuclear submarine base in Hood Canal—to work to prevent the use of nuclear weapons.
- [A new invitation to investors](https://archive.olywip.org/a-new-invitation-to-investors/) - Olympia’s planners have a new proposal that promises to worsen the city’s housing shortage and escalate costs beyond existing levels. Their new initiative focuses on “short term rentals,” (STRs), where a room or a house is rented for stays of less than 30 days. Airbnb is a familiar example.
- [Then this happened -- August 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-august-2020/) - Best ever quarter” (yes, best EVER) for Washington Business Bank profits ♦ It’s official—the proposed “Green Cove Park” project site contains “confirmed and suspected contamination.” ♦ Police said it...but it wasn’t true! ♦ 5.4 million American workers lost their healthcare coverage
- [Thoughts on the Theme -- August 2020 -- What kind of country is produced when money is the measure?](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-august-2020-what-kind-of-country-is-produced-when-money-is-the-measure/) - The theme of this month’s issue, When Money is the Measure, resonates with a concept that Karl Marx identified a hundred fifty years ago—the accumulation of social power in money-form. The correlation between money and social power is examined in this issue in several articles by writers who approach the question in a variety of ways.
- [Olympia’s PPP bank roll: Following the money](https://archive.olywip.org/olympias-ppp-bank-roll-following-the-money/) - “Keeping American Workers Paid and Employed” is the name of Title I of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) that Congress passed at the end of March, 2020. Section 1102 of Title 1 authorized $340 billion for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and laid out the terms for lenders to give loans
- [In pursuit of defunding the Olympia PD](https://archive.olywip.org/in-pursuit-of-defunding-the-olympia-pd/) - It can happen here. As the struggle for racial justice unfolds in Olympia, my biggest fear is that too many people believe our city is too liberal for anything like what happened to my aunt or Rosebud Denovo or George Floyd to happen here.
- [Then this happened](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-12/) - No shots were fired when US Marshalls arrested the MV The Dream, formerly the Evergreen State ferry without incident, at the request of the Port of Olympia on Sept 15. The 310-foot ferry, which has a fuel capacity of 30,000 gallons has been occupying a moorage at the Port since April 2018. There’s a new
- [Be a voter beginning now!](https://archive.olywip.org/be-a-voter-beginning-now/) - The League of Women Voters of Thurston County urges all eligible citizens to make sure that they are registered to vote at their current residence and VOTE as soon as possible before November 3, 2020. If you are uncertain whether you are currently registered as a voter in Washington at your current address, you can
- [Thirty years: WIP editors look forward and back](https://archive.olywip.org/thirty-years-wip-editors-look-forward-and-back/) - WIP recently invited former WIP writers, editors and agitators to share reflections from their time with the paper for its 30th anniversary edition. We received, and continue to receive, thoughtful responses that shed light on the marriage of activism and journalism that is key to WIP’s longevity. They remark below on just a few of
- [A win-win for the Port and campers evicted from Port property](https://archive.olywip.org/a-win-win-for-the-port-and-campers-evicted-from-port-property/) - A modest proposal with thanks to Jonathan Swift On Monday Sept. 14, 2020, a group of people camped on property belonging to the Port of Olympia were confronted by Thurston County Sheriff deputies and a big dumpster: they were to leave immediately. Port Commissioner Joe Downing explained that “the particular piece of land that the
- [An ode to volunteers](https://archive.olywip.org/an-ode-to-volunteers/) - The current cadre of WIPsters It is a sensible warning that if you’re going to acknowledge the work of anyone, you have to acknowledge everyone—and since inevitably you will leave someone out, you better figure out another way. This is the better way we’ve hit upon. We’ll tell you about the three groups of people
- [Attorney Larry Jefferson selected to receive the 2020 Daniel Bigelow award for outstanding achievement](https://archive.olywip.org/attorney-larry-jefferson-selected-to-receive-the-2020-daniel-bigelow-award-for-outstanding-achievement/) - Attorney Larry Jefferson was selected by the Board of the Thurston County Bar Association (TCBA) to receive this year’s Daniel Bigelow Award in recognition of outstanding achievement in professional and community service.
- [Can flood control bonds be used in behalf of recreation interests on Black Lake?](https://archive.olywip.org/can-flood-control-bonds-be-used-in-behalf-of-recreation-interests-on-black-lake/) - Citizens for a Clean Black Lake has made progress in its effort to show the County Commission that it is illegal to use a flood control district to fund treatment of algae bloom in Black Lake. The Black Lake Special District (BLSD) had requested Thurston County Commissioners to back a bond issue for $1.4 million
- [Moving forward with black indigenous people of color and marginalized communities](https://archive.olywip.org/moving-forward-with-black-indigenous-people-of-color-and-marginalized-communities/) - Haki means Justice in swahili—a widely spoken language in Africa. Haki Farmers collective seeks to bolster and reincorporate traditional and inherently sustainable farming knowledge that is present in our migrant and indigenous communities.
- [The extrajudicial execution of Michael Reinoehl](https://archive.olywip.org/the-extrajudicial-execution-of-michael-reinoehl/) - Washington police deprived Michael Reinoehl of two crucial rights, the right to a fair trial and the right to be alive. By killing Reinoehl, the police took on the role of judge, jury and executioner.
- [Pie in the sky on the campaign trail](https://archive.olywip.org/pie-in-the-sky-on-the-campaign-trail/) - While campaigning for the presidency in 2016, Donald Trump promised to “repeal and replace” Obamacare with a “fantastic” health plan: a better plan that would “cover everyone” and “cost less!” He made the promise repeatedly for the next four years. He has yet to offer any plan let alone a better and cheaper plan. But
- [No potash export facility at Port of Grays Harbor](https://archive.olywip.org/no-potash-export-facility-at-port-of-grays-harbor/) - Setting the bar higher It was good news and bad news in Grays Harbor when BHP Billiton announced September 4 that it is withdrawing its permit applications for a proposed potash export facility at Terminal 3 in Hoquiam, Washington. The good news, for those of us who live in Grays Harbor who have been attending
- [“The best possible stewards of the land”](https://archive.olywip.org/the-best-possible-stewards-of-the-land/) - Skokomish Valley Farm The first time all 18 new owners of Skokomish Valley Farms got together, they discovered that none of them had ever lived or even worked on a farm. The structure of the farm was also new: each of the 18 owned a 40-acre parcel in what had once been a family farm
- [The Community Sustaining Fund fall grant cycle is here](https://archive.olywip.org/the-community-sustaining-fund-fall-grant-cycle-is-here/) - The Community Sustaining Fund of Thurston County is accepting grant applications up until Friday, November 13, 2020. The grants are available to Thurston County organizations and individuals. Grants will also be available from a fund created by the Olympia Kiwanis to honor Sue Lundy, a long-time community activist and volunteer at the Kiwanis Food Bank
- [The political origins of Works in Progress](https://archive.olywip.org/the-political-origins-of-works-in-progress/) - Our story begins with the 1988 presidential campaign of Jesse Jackson. All around the country “Rainbow Coalitions” organized at the local and state level in support of the campaign. In Washington state, there came into being an incipient Rainbow Coalition with various components including the Thurston County Rainbow Coalition (TCRC). After the election, various efforts
- [WIP stories show citizens making up for local government failures](https://archive.olywip.org/wip-stories-show-citizens-making-up-for-local-government-failures/) - Looking back at WIPs coverage of development in Olympia and Thurston County, the conclusion has to be that citizen opposition to many initiatives has kept planners from sacrificing neighborhoods to the demands of the market.
- [The future of Olympia’s urban zoning](https://archive.olywip.org/the-future-of-olympias-urban-zoning/) - In the face of covid-19 and climate change The paradigm of ever-expanding development on a finite planet is ill-fated, especially forcing neighborhoods to sacrifice to accommodate more “yuppie” transplants. This doesn’t meet Growth Management Act requirements and would change Olympia from being a small, close-knit city into a mess similar to Surrey, BC, Canada, where
- [Who does the Port of Olympia serve?](https://archive.olywip.org/who-does-the-port-of-olympia-serve/) - Works in Progress accounts reveal a 21st century history of a government that serves many interests, but without a focus on helping people in Thurston county.
- [WIP against the backdrop of American history](https://archive.olywip.org/wip-against-the-backdrop-of-american-history/) - Works In Progress came into being and continues to exist, thanks to three decades of generous and the mostly anonymous volunteer labor of hundreds of individuals.
- [Coping with life under capitalism:  Hope without denial](https://archive.olywip.org/hope-without-denial-coping-with-life-under-capitalism/) - Like it or not, we all live in a capitalist society, and THAT is hard to deny. The implications of this are multiple, and vary according to the class location of the individuals within the system. If you are Lisa T. Su, the CEO of Advance Micro Devices, your salary for 2020 would have been $58.5 million.
- [Thoughts on the theme -- September 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/thoughts-on-the-theme-september-2020/) - The theme of this month’s issue, “Hoping, coping, doping, and shopping” comes from a phrase in the book, How Will Capitalism End by Wolfgang Streeck. Streeck argues that we are witnessing the tail end of the uneasy alliance between democracy and capitalism. As he writes, “Democracy was always a problem in a capitalist society. There’s an enormous inherent tension between the two. Democracy is inherently egalitarian because every citizen has one vote. And the rich also have one vote but the rich are only five percent. Whereas in the market, every dollar has a vote.”
- [The undoing of illusions](https://archive.olywip.org/the-undoing-of-illusions/) - Governments have obscenely well-funded intelligence agencies that are literally dedicated to orchestrating secret conspiracies around the world, but if you say they might be conspiring in some part of the world people call you a mentally ill conspiracy theorist. The fact that the Phoenix Program existed is by itself an unassailable argument for permanently dismantling the entire
- [Then this happened…  September 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-september-2020/) - ...material from the Olympia police investigation of the 2018 death of Yvonne McDonald will soon appear …there is no “there” there. After taking office, Trump set up a fancy commission to study “voter fraud.” ...Steve Hall takes a fall.
- [Olympia Port Commissioners rely on lobbyists for a key financial commitment](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-port-commissioners-rely-on-lobbyists-for-a-key-financial-commitment/) - Port Report: The Port of Olympia in July approved a proposal to develop almost 200 acres of land on its New Market Industrial Campus (NMIC). The new Panattoni Lease Option Agreement (Panattoni Agreement) is fraught with potential negative impacts on the community. There are financial, environmental, public health, school safety, and other quality of life issues at stake.
- [A few words about THAZ–the Tumwater Hill Automobile Zone](https://archive.olywip.org/a-few-words-about-thaz-the-tumwater-hill-automobile-zone/) - On the ninth of August, I saw a sign. It was not a metaphorical sign, but a mundane handwritten sign duct-taped to a traffic cone. It was in the Tumwater Hill area, at the northern intersection of 5th Avenue and Bates Street, and it read: “Tumwater Hill Automobile Zone: Welcome to THAZ.”
- [“Strike for Black Lives” action wins a victory for Seattle transit workers](https://archive.olywip.org/strike-for-black-lives-action-wins-a-victory-for-seattle-transit-workers/) - Rallying in sync with the July 20 “Strike for Blacks Lives,” over 250 union and community activists picketed King County Executive. Dow Constantine’s offices in the heart of downtown Seattle. They called for immediate action in response to racist incidents at Metro transit bases and other county worksites. They demanded a rollback of layoffs and
- [Poetry -- Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front](https://archive.olywip.org/poetry-manifesto-the-mad-farmer-liberation-front/) - Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be afraid to know your neighbors and to die.
- [In response to defacement of the Olympia-Rafah solidarity mural](https://archive.olywip.org/in-response-to-defacement-of-the-olympia-rafah-solidarity-mural/) - Last month, we were made aware of the targeted defacement of a section of the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural in Olympia. The defacement targeted one of the leaves making up the mural’s central olive tree, a leaf that was designed by artist Gail Tremblay of the Onondaga and Mi’kmaq nations in collaboration with geographer Zoltán Grossman,
- [Green sturgeon for tomorrow and beyond](https://archive.olywip.org/green-sturgeon-for-tomorrow-and-beyond/) - Sturgeon are living icons of estuaries. These ancient fish who have survived unchanged for 200 million years, are now heading towards extinction due to habitat change and overfishing. Two of the 26 living species of sturgeon inhabit the west coast of North America, the white and the green. Before colonizers moved into the Chehalis River
- [Poetry -- Nature and Art](https://archive.olywip.org/poetry-nature-and-art/) - Sheriff Snaza was eaten by a bear. I should know: I was there. Seeing the Spreader, the bear was intent on this task. And, responsible. Unlike Snaza, the bear wore a mask.
- [The need for farmworker justice yesterday and today](https://archive.olywip.org/the-need-for-farmworker-justice-yesterday-and-today/) - This is part of a speech given by Cecilia Pérez on Saturday, August 22 on the streets of downtown Olympia as part of the March Against Farmworker Exploitation. Cecilia is a Chicana and the proud daughter of immigrant farm workers from the Yakima Valley in Central WA. She currently lives and works as an RN in Olympia. Her story touches on farmworker justice and the long history of US economic imperialism in Mexico.
- [Enough is enough](https://archive.olywip.org/enough-is-enough/) - The Milwaukee Bucks, along with NBA players from Orlando, Houston, Oklahoma, Los Angeles and Portland refused to take the floor for their playoff games last month in protest against the latest police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A white police officer shot a black man named Jacob Blake 7 times in the back. The players were
- [Beirut explosion underscores risks of abandoned vessels](https://archive.olywip.org/beirut-explosion-underscores-risks-of-abandoned-vessels/) - The Rhosus was only supposed to be in Beirut’s harbor for a short time. The 284-foot cargo vessel had been en route to Mozambique with her cargo of ammonium nitrate when she made an unscheduled detour to Lebanon to pick up additional cargo. When she arrived, either due to failing a Port State Control inspection,
- [An election is coming: the rich vs. everyone else](https://archive.olywip.org/an-election-is-coming-the-rich-vs-everyone-else/) - I came across economist Heather Boushey’s work first by stumbling on her article, “The coronavirus recession and economic inequality: A roadmap to recovery and long-term structural change.” I don’t bump into that many women writing about structural inequality, so I checked her out. That led me to read her 2019 book, Unbound: How Inequality Constricts
- [Citizen group demands Thurston County drop toxic algae treatments at Black Lake](https://archive.olywip.org/citizen-group-demands-thurston-county-drop-toxic-algae-treatments-at-black-lake/) - Prompted by the Black Lake Special District’s (BLSD) recent request to the Thurston County Commissioners that they back a bond for $1.4 million to apply alum as a measure to counter toxic algae overgrowth, a group of citizens who live around the lake and other environmental advocates formed Citizens for a Clean Black Lake (CCBL),
- [Call of Action to the City of Olympia](https://archive.olywip.org/call-of-action-to-the-city-of-olympia/) - We celebrate the collective effort of our Olympia community to grow and continue the Black Lives Matter Movement locally. From participating in protests and demonstrations, to donating money and supplies to those on the ground, to the hundreds of meetings and conversations happening to build lasting safety, belonging, and well-being for Black and People of
- [Collective action—the secret to  empowering the people who do the work](https://archive.olywip.org/collective-action-the-secret-to-empowering-the-people-who-do-the-work/) - What about [Amazon’s] warehouses? It’s a matter of fact that workers are saying they’re at risk in the warehouses. I don’t think the media’s done a terribly good job of telling their stories. I went to the video chat that got Maren and Emily fired, and found listening to them moving. You can listen too if you’d like.
- [How to politic when the politicians won’t](https://archive.olywip.org/how-to-politic-when-the-politicians-wont/) - There is so much more to politics than deciding between what the Democratic Party and Republican Party chooses to put on the ballot. Around the country this year, people organized in behalf of direct ways to address the inequality that is driving us toward disaster. Here some of the efforts - check them out to
- [City leaders: Please get your act together](https://archive.olywip.org/city-leaders-please-get-your-act-together/) - The letters below were sent to members of the Olympia City Council after they asked Governor Inslee to change state laws to provide severe penalties for people who form private armed militias—complaining that existing penalties were insufficient. The fact that Olympia’s city leadership hadn’t enforced even those penalties struck some citizens as a problem.
- [In a time of crisis, push for investments, not cuts,  to stabilize our economy.](https://archive.olywip.org/to-stabilize-our-economy-push-for-investments/) - The coronavirus pandemic has left Washington state not only facing a public health emergency, but also a budget crisis that will shape public policy for years to come. We’ve seen an economic fallout like this before in our state, and the response by legislators then continues to haunt the decisions we make today. During the
- [In Washington, people participating in unauthorized militias are breaking the law](https://archive.olywip.org/in-washington-people-participating-in-unauthorized-militias-are-breaking-the-law/) - What is a militia? Federal and state laws generally use the term “militia” to refer to all able-bodied residents between certain ages who may be called forth by the government to defend the United States or an individual state. See10 U.S.C. § 246.When not called forth, they are sometimes referred to as the “unorganized militia.”
- [Community Spotlight - July 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-july-2020/) - Orca Books Solidarity Co-op ♦ BlackoutDay ♦ Students Stay Woke ♦ Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons ♦ Primary candidate forums ♦ Rachel Corrie Foundation ♦ more....
- [Then this happened...](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-july-2020/) - Workers who struck for better protection in the Yakima apple sheds have died from COVID 19... WIPs story about rent reform was confirmed when the Fed painted a grim view for the economy... Thurston's public safety officers jailed blacks at 5.9 times the rate of the white population in 2019... Transmountain pipeline spilled 50 gallons of oil just across the Canadian border.
- [About This Issue -- July 2020 -- Unintended Consequences](https://archive.olywip.org/about-this-issue-july-2020-unintended-consequences/) - Not all unintended consequences are alike It’s no surprise that we live in a world of unintended consequences. Yet we rarely stop to think that our very existence as humans is nothing but the result of a long chain of events in the material world which, combined with the laws of evolution on our planet,
- [A guide to organizing that pays off for insurgents](https://archive.olywip.org/a-guide-to-organizing-that-pays-off-for-insurgents/) - In the summer of 2016, two years before Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ousted Joe Crowley in New York and kicked off a national insurgency in the Democratic Party, progressives in Rhode Island were organizing one of their own.
- [A response to climate crisis and green hypocrisy](https://archive.olywip.org/a-response-to-climate-crisis-and-green-hypocrisy/) - The Chameleon blockade Residents of the South Sound region are blessed with a panoply of natural beauty surrounding us: Cascades to the east, Olympics and ocean to the west, and some unique and wild places right here in our backyard. The unrecognized value Anyone who has spent time in our native second-growth forests (forests allowed
- [Dia de los Muertos at the NW Immigrant Detention Center](https://archive.olywip.org/dia-de-los-muertos-at-the-nw-immigrant-detention-center/) - On Sunday, November 1 (Dia de los Muertos), leaders from La Resistencia guided the creation of an ofrenda, or offering, to honor people who died in custody at the hands of, or because of, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This year, many lives were lost due to violence incited by law enforcement and negligence treatment of
- [Estabilizar la economia con inversions](https://archive.olywip.org/estabilizar-la-economia-con-inversions/) - La pandemia de coronavirus ha dejado al estado de Washington no solo frente a una emergencia de salud pública, sino también a una crisis presupuestaria que dará forma a las políticas públicas en los próximos años. En el pasado ya hemos visto una secuela económica como esta en nuestro estado, y la respuesta dada por
- [The on-going assault on representative democracy](https://archive.olywip.org/the-on-going-assault-on-representative-democracy/) - Our government prides itself—officially—on the idea that its authority is based on the consent of the governed. We rely on elections to manifest this consent: the more of those governed who vote, and the more the majority vote is reflected in the government, the more legitimate is the authority of the government.
- [How things played out at home…](https://archive.olywip.org/how-things-played-out-at-home/) - While ballots were being counted in many states days after election day, here in Washington State, our legislature remains solidly in Democrat hands. However, as everyone knows, all Democrats are not equal. The question is, how well will we do in the upcoming legislative session? The answer, from a progressive point of view? Better. The
- [On turning blue](https://archive.olywip.org/on-turning-blue/) - Washington’s Democratic legislature and Republican Secretary of State have made it easy for any citizen to vote in Washington State. Easy to register, easy to get a ballot, easy to vote, easy to return your ballot. One result is that Washington is a predictably blue state: Washington voters have checked the box for the Democratic
- [Building a politics that serves the many](https://archive.olywip.org/building-a-politics-that-serves-the-many/) - It’s a tall order trying to build a more humane world and save ourselves from ecological collapse. In the Olympia chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), we know that the solutions to our biggest problems must come in the form of working people organizing from the bottom-up, to protect and build power for ourselves.
- [What is social housing?](https://archive.olywip.org/what-is-social-housing/) - Dear Editor, I am a faithful reader but could not find a definition of “social housing,” which occurred in a number of articles. If you or one of your staff could offer a definition, I’d be much obliged. As a retired fishery biologist, I write to those in power about climate change, but the current
- [The lessons of the Wynoochee River Dam](https://archive.olywip.org/the-lessons-of-the-wynoochee-river-dam/) - The era of dam building is over for a reason. Take the Wynoochee River, a tributary of the Chehalis River. The US Army Corps of Engineers dammed it in 1970. The government promised that the dam would “improve river conditions” for salmon during hot summers. Instead, runs of wild salmon have been decimated and the
- [Make Juneteenth a national legal holiday](https://archive.olywip.org/make-juneteenth-a-national-legal-holiday/) - It is time to make Juneteenth a national legal holiday to celebrate the abolition of slavery in the United States. June 19, 1865 was the day General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people were now free. He read General Order #3 which states “The people of Texas are informed that,
- [Health and safety is underfunded—except for the police](https://archive.olywip.org/health-and-safety-is-underfunded-except-for-the-police/) - Police department budgets in Thurston County’s main cities have been increased year to year. at least for the past few years. Funding for police departments in Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater are now approaching a quarter of the general fund. In some cases, the department received additional roles and responsibilities. Tumwater, for example, shifted recently its
- [Defunding the police—it’s about revisioning and building anew](https://archive.olywip.org/defunding-the-police-its-about-revisioning-and-building-anew/) - An exchange between Angela Davis and Amy Goodman
- [“Law and order” and the role of the police](https://archive.olywip.org/law-and-order-and-the-role-of-the-police/) - It is estimated by the US Bureau of National Affairs that “…the dollar cost of corporate crime is over twenty times greater than the combined larcenies, thefts, robberies, and burglaries committed by individuals.”
- [How the old face of fascism hides in the new rhetoric](https://archive.olywip.org/how-the-old-face-of-fascism-hides-in-the-new-rhetoric/) - The image of far-right groups as just hooded Klansmen or goose stepping Nazis is seriously outdated, and dangerously minimizes the real threat of fascism.
- [Olympia bans use of tear gas—for a while](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-bans-use-of-tear-gas-for-a-while/) - The use of chemical weapons for crowd control no longer will be an option, at least for now, for the Olympia Police Department and for the Washington State Patrol officers who work in the state Capitol.
- [Olympians want their City to address police misconduct](https://archive.olywip.org/olympians-want-their-city-to-address-police-misconduct/) - Hundreds of people contacted their mayor to demand removal of Olympia police officers who thanked a group of armed men organized to “defend” a gun store and cited state laws against allowing gun-wielding individuals to intimidate citizens. Many messages described situations where police intervention made situations worse, listed desired reforms, and called for shifting funds from police to social services.
- [Then This Happened -- June 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-june-2020/) - Last month, WIP printed a photo of Father Leahy offering “curbside confessions” in Olympia. Then this happened: others have followed Leahy’s lead.....
- [About This Issue -- June 2020 -- Linkages](https://archive.olywip.org/only-some-of-us-are-in-this-together/) - Only some of us are in this together. The COVID-19 pandemic makes connections visible, like a three-dimensional holograph that includes space and time. So do certain traumatic images. The virus has managed to travel the world, demonstrating how our fate is connected to the fate of people in countries everywhere.
- [Community Spotlight -- June 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-june-2020/) - World BEYOND War * TESC's Pandemic Academy * The Chrysalis Project * Boldly Creating the World We Want * Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons * Hummingbird Solar Project
- [Who are the terrorists?](https://archive.olywip.org/who-are-the-terrorists/) - An open letter to Cheryl Selby, Mayor of Olympia: Mayor Selby, your description of the incident wherein protesters spray-painted “BLM” on your house as “like domestic terrorism” is a boot in the face to actual victims of domestic terrorism. I mean really and truly, Mayor Selby? Having your house spray-painted is like the Boston Marathon bombing?
- [A question about cops and steroid use](https://archive.olywip.org/a-question-about-cops-and-steroid-use/) - A reader reports Anabolic steroid use by law enforcement officers has been identified by numerous organizations and researchers as a factor in the increasing aggression and violence of police. Derived from the hormone testosterone, steroids have been a controlled substance since 1990, ostensibly available only by prescription. Sought for their ability to increase muscle mass
- [Working people must stand together](https://archive.olywip.org/working-people-must-stand-together/) - I grew up right here in Grays Harbor County, Washington. I am a proud member of the working-class. I come from working-class timber workers. My dad was a log-truck driver and my step-dad a millwright and a saw filer. My grandfather was also a saw filer. I’m a nurse. Our legacy is one of a
- [Rethinking everything: Defunding the police?](https://archive.olywip.org/rethinking-everything-defunding-the-police/) - It turns out that reform hasn’t worked: more training; lethal holds; new guidelines for use-of-force, new leadership; more training. These reforms assume that the police are neutrally enforcing a set of laws that are beneficial to everyone. Instead of questioning the validity of using police to wage an inherently racist war on drugs, advocates of
- [Banned for use abroad but not at home](https://archive.olywip.org/banned-for-use-abroad-but-not-at-home/) - The key ingredient of tear gas is actually a solid powder. To use the gas, you need a dispersal agent, such as the solvent methylene chloride, to carry the particles through the air. A typical tear gas grenade contains a variety of additional chemicals for heat dispersal of the irritant. The grenade can be shot
- [More than marching: creative support for Black Lives Matter](https://archive.olywip.org/more-than-marching-creative-support-for-black-lives-matter/) - In addition to the vigils, marches and protests taking place daily in the streets and parks of Olympia after the death of George Floyd, groups and organizations throughout our area found ways to make clear that they want the Black Lives Matter movement to continue; to grow and succeed. Here are a few examples of
- [Juneteenth 2020 (poem)](https://archive.olywip.org/juneteenth-2020-poem/) - You died under the knee Of white revenge warlords enforcing imaginary utopian hopes and dreams with The reality of racial capitalism. Carrot on a stick, the White capitalists lure. Conscripting black And white working masses. Selling the false narrative, Commodifying black and brown Dreams in endless spirals. Promising utopias unleashed Across the human spectrum. But
- [Books to Prisoners awarded a Sustaining Fund spring grant](https://archive.olywip.org/books-to-prisoners-awarded-a-sustaining-fund-spring-grant/) - In the spring and fall each year the Community Sustaining Fund (CSF) accepts applications for grants up to $1000 for projects meeting certain criteria intended to fulfill its mission. Usually, around 6-10 individuals or groups apply for grant funding for their projects each cycle, held twice a year. The Spring Grant Cycle this year fell
- [A timeline history of Juneteenth](https://archive.olywip.org/a-timeline-history-of-juneteenth/) - April 16, 1862: Congress outlawed slavery in the District of Columbia and the Western Territories, paying money to people who considered themselves slaveowners for the loss of their “property.” President Lincoln recommended that newly freed people emigrate to Haiti or Liberia, since he believed that both “races” suffered when they lived together. January 1, 1863:
- [Return of the “outside agitator”](https://archive.olywip.org/return-of-the-outside-agitator/) - As millions of people take to the streets to protest racism and police violence, voices of the Right—both its fascist and corporate incarnations—cry out to blame a favorite bogeyman, the “outside agitator.”
- [Fighting to keep a roof over your head in a time of economic chaos](https://archive.olywip.org/fighting-to-keep-a-roof-over-your-head-in-a-time-of-economic-chaos/) - Nearly 30,000 people in Thurston county applied for unemployment after businesses closed in response to the stay-home-stay-safe order. Thousands more were simply out of work and out of luck. At first, rents were paid, here as in much of the rest of the country. Actions at the federal and state levels helped. Out-of-work people could
- [¿qué estamos esperando?](https://archive.olywip.org/que-estamos-esperando/) - Esperar. Esperar means to hope. It also means to wait. How odd -- Poetry
- [Overhaul the tax code to support free childcare](https://archive.olywip.org/overhaul-the-tax-code-to-support-free-childcare/) - Not having stable child care is a losing situation for families, communities and the nation. A lack of social investment in child care and early education limits future achievement for kids and opportunities for mothers. The coronavirus epidemic has dramatically changed the face of child care in Washington State, but also offers clues for repairing a steadily worsening system.
- [Caravan honors essential labor of farmworkers](https://archive.olywip.org/caravan-honors-essential-labor-of-farmworkers/) - This May Day, El Comité, along with WAISN (WA Immigrant Solidarity Network), Community to Community (C2C) and Familias Unidas organized a caravan to Olympia to honor the essential labor of farmworkers who work to produce the food we all eat. The arrival of this pandemic has revealed the already abysmal conditions under which farmworkers are
- [Now more than ever, Thurston County needs a publicly-owned utility](https://archive.olywip.org/now-more-than-ever-thurston-county-needs-a-publicly-owned-utility/) - After incredible growth in the movement during February, the Thurston Public Power Initiative campaign came to a screeching halt. For some reason, the Washington State government can’t figure out a strategy for gathering signatures online. People bank online, buy all kinds of things online, pay their taxes online—but to make democracy work?
- [Invite the beavers to come back home](https://archive.olywip.org/invite-the-beavers-to-come-back-home/) - Maybe there should be a dam —or several dams —on the Chehalis River. It’s just that these dams should not be built by the Army Corps of Engineers.
- [Revisar el código fiscal](https://archive.olywip.org/8060/) - Revisar el código fiscal y garantizar el cuidado infantil gratis para la clase trabajadora, mujeres pobres y inmigrantes Sin el cuidado estable de niños, se crea una situación en la donde las familias, las comunidades y la nación van a salir perdiendo. Una falta de inversión social en el cuidado infantil y en la educación
- [Then this happened…](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-may-2020/) - Olympia planners told developer Jerry Mahan he has to comply with city requirements, even though he has a powerful attorney and a lot of influential backers. Our February and March issues detailed how Mahan attorney Heather Burgess demanded that the city “timely complete” its review...
- [About this Issue -- May 2020 -- Another world is possible](https://archive.olywip.org/valuing-memory-and-imagination-2/) - Life on Earth and this nation cannot continue in this way. The prospect of four more years of Trump hovers over us like a bad omen, threatening all life. This calamitous prediction not only presages the future to come, but is also directly connected to the policies of the past and the present.
- [Miliband’s practical model of socialism](https://archive.olywip.org/milibands-practical-model-of-socialism/) - My April column explained what socialism is and what it isn’t. However, to effect actual change, we need something concrete to advocate for and organize around. Without a shared map of the territory, the idea of adopting socialist principles remains pie in the sky. The long censorship of the idea of socialism (to say nothing
- [The politics of void: survival is resistance](https://archive.olywip.org/the-politics-of-void-survival-is-resistance/) - The pandemic and social distancing have turned cities into a void. At the few places where there is still human contact, at home and at modified workplaces for example, there is a void of norms. No one knows how to act. In front of us, in the absence of our old lives, a new normal
- [Protecting an aquatic star: Eelgrass in Grays Harbor](https://archive.olywip.org/protecting-an-aquatic-star-eelgrass-in-grays-harbor/) - The Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival was all set to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, complete with tours, special guests, and, of course, over 500,000 sandpipers, dowitchers, plovers, and dunlins. The festival was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the Sandpiper Trail is opens. We can use this time to reflect about why protecting
- [We need a rent strike to bring transformative change](https://archive.olywip.org/we-need-a-rent-strike-to-bring-transformative-change/) - I ran for Olympia City Council in 2017 and was elected that November to a 7-member team charged with leading Washington’s fastest-growing city amidst rising sea levels, rising housing costs, rising homelessness, rising inequality—and rising local and national movements for people and planet over profit. I came on board with a background in peer counseling
- [PERSPECTIVE: The role of real estate interests in the 22nd Legislative District race](https://archive.olywip.org/perspective-the-role-of-real-estate-interests-in-the-22nd-legislative-district-race/) - There is an important political battle unfolding in Washington’s 22nd Legislative District race. On one side are the nascent revolutionary forces of bold progressivism. On the other side is the corporate establishment, protecting a status quo that puts maximizing investor and corporate profits over basic human rights like housing, medical care and a living wage.
- [Local students undeterred by coronavirus](https://archive.olywip.org/local-students-undeterred-by-coronavirus/) - We are juniors at Olympia High School. After hearing about people suffering both directly and indirectly from the coronavirus last December, we felt driven to help. Students Against Coronavirus is a project under a student organization we created called “AI Benefit Projects.” Getting official approval to expand the project We started with a fundraiser at
- [Juntas Somos Todas [Together, We Are All]](https://archive.olywip.org/juntas-somos-todas-together-we-are-all/) - I put a rose against the wall of the graveyard, besides hundreds of others on the altar. Candles illuminated countless names and crosses that spanned the entirety of the wall. Every flower represented a womxn who had either been murdered or was missing, all victims of gender-based violence.
- [Citizen journalism in Olympia - A continuing goal](https://archive.olywip.org/citizen-journalism-in-olympia-a-continuing-goal/) - They say “What goes around comes around.” Forty years ago The Daily Olympian (as it was then named) did not serve our community well. The editor-in-chief turned a blind eye to local social and political issues. The newspaper was generally silent on problems and initiatives concerning race relations, gender, growth management, waste reduction, the environment.
- [Confessions of a “mom and pop” landlord](https://archive.olywip.org/confessions-of-a-mom-and-pop-landlord/) - I’ve owned two rental properties, one of them for over 30 years. I’ve been surprised in recent days by claims that portray landlords as concerned benefactors rather than someone looking to make money outside the waged economy. Online you can find postings by landlords freaked out by the fact that someone in our state legislature
- [COVID-related strikes hit Washington apple sheds](https://archive.olywip.org/covid-related-strikes-hit-washington-apple-sheds/) - The COVID-related strike in Washington state’s Yakima Valley quadrupled in size as workers walked out at three more apple packinghouses. More than a hundred stopped work on May 7 at Allan Brothers Fruit, a large apple growing, packing and shipping company in Naches, in Central Washington.
- [A teacher to Latinx immigrants wonders who “we” is](https://archive.olywip.org/a-teacher-to-latinx-immigrants-wonders-who-we-is/) - Since the onset of COVID-19, the slogan “We are all in this together” has been heard everywhere. But who is the “we” that is meant? Who is included and who is ignored? Whose life, health and safety are prioritized? Who is allowed to sicken and die? What are the implications of relying on an “essential”
- [The bigger picture behind the virus](https://archive.olywip.org/the-bigger-picture-behind-the-virus/) - The "real world" as it is presented to us, rarely reflects anything we might be able to label objective reality. "Truth," as it is presented to us.
- [The bugs are in the system](https://archive.olywip.org/the-bugs-are-in-the-system/) - When the will to spend money on prevention wanes (or is non existent), there will be more disasters and pandemics.
- [In Norway, an egalitarian social democracy is thriving](https://archive.olywip.org/in-norway-an-egalitarian-social-democracy-is-thriving/) - Norwegian's have it good, at least they're happy with their egalitarian social democracy. Are there any lessons the USA could learn?
- [Fox News sued for calling coronavirus a hoax](https://archive.olywip.org/fox-news-sued-for-calling-coronavirus-a-hoax/) - WASHLITE files suit April 2, under Consumer Protection Act for deceptive coverage of Covid-19 virus, causing people to follow unsafe advice.
- [The Republicans' systematic attempt to put an end to majority rule](https://archive.olywip.org/the-republicans-systematic-attempt-to-put-an-end-to-majority-rule/) - At this country’s founding, members of the ruling class in most states granted the vote only to property-owning white men—- themselves. A right to vote was expanded during the nineteenth century, first to include all white men, then black men (although that right was obliterated by the end of the century and had to be
- [How our profit-driven medical system fails to deliver healthcare](https://archive.olywip.org/how-our-profit-driven-medical-system-fails-to-deliver-healthcare/) - Our current profit-driven medical system only works by extracting wealth from communities. It fails to deliver real health.
- [It’s about the money](https://archive.olywip.org/its-about-the-money/) - Around 2007 federal officials decided to ensure that the US medical stockpile would have the ventilators needed in a predictable epidemic. They wrote specifications for an easy-to-use device that would cost $3000 each. I
- [Deep River by Karl Marlantes](https://archive.olywip.org/deep-river-by-karl-marlantes/) - Deep River is a story rich with historical detail spanning the decades of the early 20th century in America and told through the eyes of three siblings, immigrants from Finland, who settle in a logging community in southern Washington....
- [Urban Shaman rap](https://archive.olywip.org/urban-shaman-rap/) - Bodhisattva vow: living to help others. We are all Sisters and Brothers. -- Poetry
- [Small Kindnesses](https://archive.olywip.org/small-kindnesses/) - I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs to let you by -- Poetry
- [Join the club that’s building a better world](https://archive.olywip.org/join-the-club-thats-building-a-better-world/) - In a culture driven by petro dollars, the Better World Club is an intentionally well-kept secret. Like AAA, BWC provides roadside assistance to motorists every day of the year, contracting with local small businesses to service vehicles in distress. Dollar for dollar and mile for mile, BWC offers the same or better coverage for towing,
- [Fact vs. myth about the “Missing Middle”](https://archive.olywip.org/fact-vs-myth-about-the-missing-middle/) - In April Parallax Perspectives on TCTV, Glen Anderson helps the public understand the serious shortage of housing that is truly affordable for people who are not rich. Local governments in Olympia and elsewhere want to solve the problem, but they have misdiagnosed it, so they have proposed the wrong solutions, such as the so-called “Missing
- [Dear Vice President Joe Biden,](https://archive.olywip.org/7757-2/) - We write to you as leaders from a diverse array of organizations building political power for young people in the United States. We are all deeply committed to ending a presidency that has set the clock back on all of the issues that impact our lives. While you are now the presumptive Democratic nominee, it
- [Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons will meet online in May](https://archive.olywip.org/coalition-to-abolish-nuclear-weapons-will-meet-online-in-may/) - The Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons will meet online during the Coronavirus quarantine. Productive meetings hosted by Glen Anderson are held the 3rd Thursday of each month at 5:00 pm. Participants for the Thursday, May 21 meeting will need a link to join. Contact Glen Anderson at 360.491.9093 or email Glen (360) 491-9093 glenanderson@integra.net
- [Rethinking everything - Lesson #10:  Another world](https://archive.olywip.org/lesson-10-another-world/) - In Cuba, health care is considered a human right for all citizens and is therefore a national priority. Cuba’s health policy emphasizes prevention, primary care, services in the community, and the active participation of citizens.
- [I’m not asking why](https://archive.olywip.org/im-not-asking-why/) - I’m not asking why but I’m asking what now and what next? -- Poetry
- [The Epicenter of COVID–19 in South America](https://archive.olywip.org/the-epicenter-of-covid-19-in-south-america/) - Guayaquil and Quito are the two most important cities in Ecuador economically and politically. Guayaquil, the epicenter of COVID–19 in South America, is a river port located at the mouth of the Guayas River on the Pacific Ocean.
- [El Epicentro del COVID–19 en America del Sur](https://archive.olywip.org/el-epicentro-del-covid-19-en-america-del-sur/) - Guayaquil es un puerto fluvial, ubicado en la desembocadura del río Guayas en el Océano Pacífico; junto con Quito son las dos ciudades más importantes del Ecuador, económica y políticamente.
- [“Housing Options Plan” would gentrify older, modest neighborhoods](https://archive.olywip.org/housing-options-plan-would-gentrify-older-modest-neighborhoods/) - Olympia’s Planning and Development Department has decided that its new Housing Options Plan will have no significant impact on our environment and our neighborhoods. The plan prescribes new duplexes, triplexes, and apartments, along with larger and taller ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units, a.k.a. “back-yard cottages”), along with relief from parking, on-site owner and other current ADU
- [In Wisconsin the aim was to limit who voted](https://archive.olywip.org/in-wisconsin-the-aim-was-to-limit-who-voted/) - Dateline April 9: Tuesday was a nightmare in Milwaukee. Due to the lack of poll workers—most being elderly—and with the high number of COVID–19 cases spiking the city, polling places were canceled in droves. Neil Albrecht, Director of the City of Milwaukee Election Commission, could set up only 5 polling sites that met the CDC guidelines.
- [Proposal would create  a new prison in Grand Mound](https://archive.olywip.org/proposal-would-create-a-new-prison-in-grand-mound/) - The Department of Corrections (DOC) is planning to open a new women’s prison at the site of the closed Maple Lane youth detention center in Grand Mound. This prison expansion is opposed by many area residents, and No New Women’s Prison, a group of criminal justice advocates with experiences in Washington prisons that formed in Fall 2019, is trying to stop it.
- [Looking back to celebrate 30 years of Works in Progress](https://archive.olywip.org/looking-back-to-celebrate-30-years-of-works-in-progress/) - Works in Progress is celebrating thirty years as a community-based, volunteer-run, progressive community newspaper. WIP started as a community newspaper sponsored by the Thurston County Rainbow Coalition.
- [Farmworker Unions sue over COVID–19 “garbled and non mandatory” protections](https://archive.olywip.org/farmworker-unions-sue-over-covid-19-garbled-and-non-mandatory-protections/) - As many in Washington look for signs that the COVID–19 outbreak is slowing, some working in the food supply chain feel as vulnerable as ever—and are taking action. On Thursday, several labor organizations, including Familias Unidas por la Justicia and the United Farm Workers, filed a lawsuit in Skagit County, urging Washington officials to
- [Workers are essential, CEOs are not](https://archive.olywip.org/workers-are-essential-ceos-are-not/) - Low-wage workers are on the front line in the battle against coronavirus. While many workers have started telecommuting — and many others have unfortunately been laid off — low-wage workers are busy cleaning our streets, making sure we have enough to eat, and, of course, nursing us back to health if we get COVID-19. Despite
- [You write to WIP](https://archive.olywip.org/you-write-to-wip-2/) - Hello President, I just want to tell you that I don’t think very much of you as president. You are destroying this country.
- [The Months of Labor—July | “More dangerous than a thousand rioters”](https://archive.olywip.org/the-months-of-labor-july-more-dangerous-than-a-thousand-rioters/) - Reader, I am Lucy Gonzalez Parsons. I was born to an enslaved woman in Virginia, in 1851, although I fashioned another origin story when freed. I claimed I was the daughter of Mexican and Native American parents. It has been said of me that personal history, or ethnic identity meant nothing when I presented myself
- [Then This Happened -- April 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-11/) - Then this happened… WIP covered freight derailments in February, and this month, Washington legislators sent Governor Inslee a bill that requires freight and passenger trains to run with a minimum of two crew members. —climate activists were acquitted of criminal trespass by a Portland jury based on a defense that it is sometimes necessary to
- [About this Issue -- April 2020 -- Hitting the pause button is giving us time to think](https://archive.olywip.org/hitting-the-pause-button-is-giving-us-time-to-think/) - America’s response to coronavirus pandemic has revealed a simple truth: So many policies that our elected officials have long told us were impossible and impractical were eminently possible and practical all along....
- [When a 13% return isn’t enough](https://archive.olywip.org/when-a-13-return-isnt-enough/) - The City Council offers exemptions from property taxes for developers who build “market rate” housing downtown. According to their Downtown Strategy (DTS), market conditions present a few years ago would produce a return of [only] 13%, while “entrepreneurial developers” wanted at least 15%. The 8-year exemption from tax on residential elements brought returns into the
- [Understanding where the 2021 Trump Administration budget wants us to go](https://archive.olywip.org/understanding-where-the-2021-trump-administration-budget-wants-us-to-go/) - The 2021 budget proposed by President Trump reveals the intent of this administration to reshape America as an authoritarian country run by big business backed by a sweeping military sector. Some deep cuts proposed by the President would affect mandated programs like Social Security, Medicare, food stamps and unemployment. However, these are not subject to
- [Then this happened -- March 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-10/) - ...Lohen Che’ s landlord kicked him and everyone else out of affordable duplexes on 10th Ave SE—and then applied for a tax exemption from the City Council for “market rate” apartments across the street. This month, the City Council granted an 8-year exemption from property tax on those apartments. Before being forced to move, Lohen
- [Then this happened -- October 2019](https://archive.olywip.org/then-this-happened-6/) - It helps to know people. In April, WIP featured a story on the Green Cove Park Project, a housing development proposed in West Olympia on the site of an illegal hazardous waste dump. Neighbors and environmental advocates urged the city to test the site for buried waste, including wood treatment wastes and herbicides likely to
- [Política de Personas Con Respecto al COVID–19](https://archive.olywip.org/politica-de-personas-con-respecto-al-covid-19/) - El brote de coronavirus ha llegado y golpea el condado de Thurston. Miles de residentes del condado corren el riesgo de contraer la enfermedad y sufrir las consecuencias económicas de su rápida propagación. Muchos residentes locales no tienen la opción de trabajar desde casa. Los empleados de servicios, minoristas, de restaurantes, los trabajadores circunstanciales, los
- [Thurston County COVID–19 People’s Policy Resolution](https://archive.olywip.org/thurston-county-covid-19-peoples-policy-resolution/) - The coronavirus outbreak has now hit Thurston County. Thousands of county residents are at risk of contracting the disease and suffering the economic fallout of its rapid spread. Many local residents do not have the option of working from home. Service, retail and restaurant employees, gig economy workers, those employed in the entertainment industry, small
- [Considering Trumpism as a social disease](https://archive.olywip.org/considering-trumpism-as-a-social-disease/) - Over the past several weeks, I have witnessed the death of an idea – the United States as a democratic republic...
- [What is Socialism?](https://archive.olywip.org/what-is-socialism/) - In this month’s column, you will be able to explore with me some aspects of “socialism,” often in the news because of Bernie Sanders—but rarely given an accurate explanation...
- [Only 90 miles away](https://archive.olywip.org/only-90-miles-away/) - Can we learn anything from a socialist country? When Bernie Sanders mentioned that Cuba’s population has a high rate of literacy, US politicians and their media echoes acted like he had endorsed the Devil Incarnate...
- [Black women in the fight for women’s suffrage](https://archive.olywip.org/black-women-in-the-fight-for-womens-suffrage/) - The first US gathering for women’s rights was convened in Seneca Falls, NY, by leaders of the anti-slavery movement. The “Declaration of Rights and Sentiments” signed by participants benefited from the gathering’s exposure to the Iroquois nation, where women enjoyed social equality...
- [When one person’s home is another person’s investment property](https://archive.olywip.org/when-one-persons-home-is-another-persons-investment-property/) - Imagine getting a notice to vacate your home -- in a short 20 days. You must pack up, look for new lodgings whose rent you can manage. Then meet the financial demands of a new landlord if you do find a place...
- [Goals of a young climate change organizer](https://archive.olywip.org/goals-of-a-young-climate-change-organizer/) - Elyanna Calle is a senior at Timberline HS and is a member of the organizing team for the Olympia sub-chapter of Washington Youth Climate Strike. Matt Crichton interviewed Elyanna by phone in late February...
- [Olympia Indivisible talks to Arizona voters](https://archive.olywip.org/olympia-indivisible-talks-to-arizona-voters/) - It all started on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with over 170 people attending a meeting of Olympia Indivisible (OI). I entered the basement of St. John’s Episcopal Church inspired by posters on the wall with quotes by King such as “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
- [Strengthen and build immunity to give your body a fighting chance](https://archive.olywip.org/strengthen-and-build-immunity-to-give-your-body-a-fighting-chance/) - Sheltering in place, washing hands often, not touching the face and using a mask when encountering outsiders are all good ways to “flatten the curve” and stop the spread of N-Covid-19. But don’t stop there—consider the advice of nutritionists, naturopaths and medical doctors who recommend additional ways to boost your immunity. Your local natural health
- [What about those who can’t stay home?](https://archive.olywip.org/what-about-those-who-cant-stay-home/) - Washington’s Governor Inslee issued an order on March 23 prohibiting people from leaving home except for essential activities at least through April 6. The order exempted “individuals experiencing homelessness.” So if you’re homeless, you’re not illegal, just on your own. The order said nothing about people locked up -- either officially imprisoned or “detained,” which
- [Activists arrested in Trident submarine blockade at Kitsap-Bangor Naval Base](https://archive.olywip.org/activists-arrested-in-trident-submarine-blockade-at-kitsap-bangor-naval-base/) - On March 2, thirteen nuclear abolitionists blocked traffic leading into Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington as part of a public protest of Trident nuclear-missile-launching submarines based there. The direct action came at the conclusion of the annual gathering of the Pacific Life Community, a network of spiritually motivated activists from the Pacific Coast and other western
- [Special Events -- March 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/special-events-march-2020/) - Shut up and write! • Power to the People public meeting • Rental housing community conversation • Transracial adoption • Islamic Center open house • IWW orientation • Talking about Injustice • Dine out 4 Girls • Workplace Organizing Collective • Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, • Blintzapalooza! • SPS Salmon Enhancement Group • Earth Day Climate Rally • Benefit Concerts
- [Community Spotlight  -- March 2020](https://archive.olywip.org/community-spotlight-march-2020/) - Concert by Tom Rawson • Parallax Perspectives • Inside‘Outsiders’
- [A wake-up call: Threat “Z” at Hanford](https://archive.olywip.org/a-wake-up-call-threat-z-at-hanford/) - Shortly before Doug Shoop retired from managing Hanford cleanup operations for the US Department of Energy in 2019, he met with members of the Hanford Advisory Board and answered a simple question: of all the issues that need more attention than they are getting now, what keeps him up at night? And the answer At
- [Lockdown](https://archive.olywip.org/lockdown/) - Yes there is fear. Yes there is isolation. Yes there is panic buying. Yes there is sickness. Yes there is even death. But, They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise You can hear the birds again. They say that after just a few weeks of quiet The sky is no longer
- [Encierro](https://archive.olywip.org/encierro/) - Hay miedo. Hay aislamiento. Hay compras de pánico. Hay enfermedad. También hay muerte. Pero, Dicen que en Wuhan después de años de ruido Puedes escuchar el canto de los pájaros. Dicen que después de algunas semanas de sosiego El cielo está despejado Azul y claro. Dicen que en las calles de Asís La gente canta
- [Maintaining our downtowns during lockdown](https://archive.olywip.org/maintaining-our-downtowns-during-lockdown/) - These suggestions relate to Olympia, but they work for other towns as well. Many businesses offer takeout. That’s a great option for support. Many are online, so check their websites to see if there is a way to buy a gift card or shop. This includes theaters. A win-win option is to sign up for
- [Pathogens, patents and pandemics](https://archive.olywip.org/pathogens-patents-and-pandemics/) - We are all familiar with the dominant narrative that the virulent strain of influenza known now as N-Covid-19 originated at a crowded seafood market in Wuhan China when an errant bat infected poultry, passed the virus to humans and quickly mutated into at least two deadly strains. Because the market is mere miles from Wuhan’s
- [An argument against exporting live animals](https://archive.olywip.org/an-argument-against-exporting-live-animals/) - The Port of Olympia has participated in live animal transportation since 2015.
- [Rethinking everything](https://archive.olywip.org/rethinking-everything-2/) - And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And,
- [Register Olympia’s rentals; create a path to resolve conflict](https://archive.olywip.org/register-olympias-rentals-create-a-path-to-resolve-conflict/) - The March 5th forum on rental regulation was a spirited evening. Four members of City Council and Olympia’s senior staff people listened to community advice and concerns about rental housing.
- [Evergreen’s dining system reconsidered](https://archive.olywip.org/evergreens-dining-system-reconsidered/) - With the academic year quickly approaching it seems appropriate to reevaluate the ways in which Evergreen has succeeded, or not succeeded, in employing practices that positively affect both those in the immediate college community as well as those in the greater Olympia region. Specifically, policies and practices regarding the campus food system. The subject of
- [American teacher learns a lesson](https://archive.olywip.org/american-teacher-learns-a-lesson/) - The trafficking of foreign ESL teachers in China It was not until Christmas that I fully realized I was one of many foreign teachers being scammed in Beijing, China. A dream of going to China with the pure intentions of teaching English while exploring another culture has turned into an expensive nightmare. Prior to coming
- [Ignoring federal jurisdiction and city preservation policies](https://archive.olywip.org/green-cove-park/) - In his application to build 181 houses on an environmentally sensitive site at Green Cove, Jerry Mahan has benefited continually from city assistance. Staff at the Department of Planning and Community Development recently decided to give Mahan another 90 days to respond to further questions that arose during their substantive review of his project.
- [Assembling for environmental justice](https://archive.olywip.org/assembling-for-environmental-justice/) - On April 19th 2020, Olympia Assembly will be hosting a Spring Assembly, focused on ecology and food systems. The assembly will occur at 5:00 at Mixx96 (119 Washington St. NE). Our general assemblies occur once per season (winter, spring, summer and fall) and are a place for community members to come together to discuss social,
- [This winter, some farm workers are out in the cold](https://archive.olywip.org/this-winter-some-farm-workers-are-out-in-the-cold/) - This winter, some Washington state farmworkers shared personal stories with representatives from the United Farmworkers union. Some have UFW contract protections, while non-union workers are literally left out in the cold. Farm work is among the most dangerous industries in the nation. Performing the demanding physical tasks necessary in farm work becomes more dangerous when
- [Bernie Sanders captivates a rowdy crowd at a packed Tacoma Dome](https://archive.olywip.org/letter-from-the-campaign-trail/) - Sanders took aim at obstacles standing between him and the presidency. People must be prepared for a struggle to achieve changes a Bernie win can bring.
- [A modest proposal](https://archive.olywip.org/a-modest-proposal/) - Because of our topsy turvy economy and the rise of e-commerce Olympia now has a number of empty Big Box stores. One glaring example is the empty Toys R Us store with a huge parking lot sitting all alone on Cooper Point road. We could be using buildings like these to get people into warm,
- [Ditch the car! Get on the bus and go](https://archive.olywip.org/ditch-the-car-get-on-the-bus-and-go/) - In January people in Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Yelm suddenly found boarding the city bus a pleasure! No fumbling for exact change, counting out pennies, searching for a pass, stuffing wrinkled dollar bills into a resisting slot: riding the bus is free! And there’s more. As of February 3, ruralTransit (rT—the IT partner serving Bucoda,
- [Why add a dam when dams are being removed?](https://archive.olywip.org/managing-flows-on-the-chehalis-river/) - A new dam does not need to built near the headwaters of the Chehalis River. There are better options. Attend the meetings.

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