Portland, OR

Supreme Court Justices…

With the disappointing decision today to overturn two court orders that had tried to restrict the use of sonar around whales and other marine mammals by the Navy while conducting “war games” in the Pacific, I was again reminded how lucky we are to have a liberal/moderate going into the White House.

Naval sonar has been found to cause whales to beach themselves.

The average age of the United States Supreme Court is 68.5 years. The median age is 70.5 years. And we were bitching about John McCain being too old. Justice John Paul Stevens is 88, for goodness sake. He is the oldest, fo’ sho’, but 5 out of 9 Justices are older than 70. Chances are that President Obama will need to appoint a new Justice or two.

Other than Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, all other Justices were appointed by Republican Presidents. Not that Republicans always appoint in “conservative” Justices, as George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford found out once they appointed David Souter and Stevens, respectively — Souter and Stevens fall into the “liberal” wing of the Supreme Court, along with Ginsburg and Breyer.

In fact, the way the voting went in the Navy-Sonar case shows you the liberal versus conservative wings of the Supreme Court.

From Reuters via Planet Ark:

Liberal Justices John Paul Stevens and Stephen Breyer dissented in part and agreed in part with the ruling, while Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter disagreed with the entire decision.

Now, I could go on about who voted what, and why, but instead I prefer to think pro-actively. I know (and don’t understand) that many people in this country feel that liberals are going to take things away from them. It’s the real trick behind the Republican/Conservative sleight-of-hand. If you look down the list of most Republican/Conservative issues, they tend to think in terms of taking certain rights away (think abortion, capital punishment, privacy) or at least curtailing them to the extent that those of us who are not conservatives must play their game with their rules.

Even if you disagree with liberalism or progressive politics, you can at least rest assured that no matter what, you will not be shoved into a corner. I mean, liberals think everything is ok, as long as you are not hurting anyone.

Which is why it is important to have balance on the United States Supreme Court. Obama is not the liberal that all those Joe’s out there are afraid of, but instead quite moderate (at least I think he will end up a moderate President when all is said and done). He is also perhaps uniquely qualified to appoint new Justices. He taught Constitutional law at the University of Chicago, one of the absolute best law schools in the country, if not the world.

That teaching gig is one of the reasons I was in favor of Obama winning the Presidency (among many, many reasons). After eight years of Bush bashing the Constitution and blacking out the parts he and his puppet masters didn’t find agreeable, this nation needs to revisit our foundation and founding principles.

If you would like to read more about today’s Supreme Court decision to overturn restrictions on Naval sonar exercises in the Pacific, you can follow this link to a pretty good article outlining the issue and the outcome. It came down to the decision that the Navy and national security are way more important than 37 species of marine mammals and the effects they will suffer despite the fact that the restrictions were not all that onerous and simply wanted the Navy to shut down the sonar when whales were within view.

Supreme Court, United States, courts, Justices, Stevens, Ginsburg, Breyer, Souter, age, appointments, Obama, Bush, George H W Bush, Ford, mammals, whales, marine, Pacific, California, Constitution, constitutional law, University of Chicago, John McCain, Navy, war games, training, sonar

I wrote last week about how much I was crying for the last few minutes of Barack Obama’s 30-minute ad/special/info-mercial/whatever. Well, let’s just say I went through a lot of tissue Tuesday night.

I meant to go out. When I got done with my class, I planned on heading out to the Gladstone pub to be around others for such a momentous occasion, but after sitting down and turning on CNN, then MSNBC, then Fox News (I like things fair and balanced afterall), then NBC — you see where this is going, don’t you? I got sucked into switching between the channels, being the political and news junkie that I am, and never left the house.

A friend called my from RonTom’s and said that they had a huge screen for the television coverage. She was heading over to Doug Fir, and though I was tempted, I was already crying after Ohio went Democratic, so decided to keep my tears and my overwhelming emotions private. Not to say that I would have been embarrassed to shed tears of joy and relief, but I get really snotty when I cry, so for the good of those around me, I stayed home.

I did, however, crack a bottle of bubbly and toasted my boyfriend when Obama took the stage in Grant Park.

And watching the celebration in Chicago was equally emotional for me, as I left Chicago and Senator Obama for Oregon. I totally missed Sweet Home Chicago that night. And I was a little jealous of all those who were there to witness history in person.

During my class on Tuesday, my students asked who I voted for. I said Obama, and careful to not inject politics too much into a class of grade-schoolers, I said that Obama had been my senator in Illinois and he had done a really good job. I didn’t feel the need to explain the larger picture, and as a few little girls had mentioned that they had voted (aw, it’s so cute when little kids vote in their classes) for John McCain, I wouldn’t want to make those little girls feel badly for supporting whomever they supported.

And that brings me to today’s point — finally, I know — the Obama presidency will not be about making anyone feel badly for thinking one way or another. A hypothetical McCain presidency was definitely showing indications of division. This nation has been divided enough. This world has been divided enough.

Bring us together, President Obama.

Barack Obama, election, Oregon, Chicago, Portland, Illinois, McCain, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NBC, RonToms, Doug Fir, Gladstone, Ohio

I just finished watching the Barack Obama 30-minute campaign “special” — not really sure what to call it, but I know how it made me feel.

Of course, I had heard most of it before, but tonight, I spent the last five minutes of the what would you call it, a “simul-mentary”(?) crying. Actually, crying. Sure, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics made me cry, too, but very few things make me cry like I did tonight.

It was tears of fear. It was during that last little excerpt (about 6:30 into the clip) from the speech Obama made at the Democratic National Convention, about being imperfect, but he will let us know where he stands and he will be honest with us…well, it was at that moment that the crushing frustration suffered over the last eight years of my life all came back to me and welled up inside like hastily-eaten soup.

I am so …startled.

No, but seriously, I am scared. That another republican can win the White House. It would really kill me. It would kill that beautiful optimistic side of me that keeps giving my pessimistic side such a hard time.

For those of you that have always lived in Portland or another fairly liberal city, you don’t know what it is like to live under the oppression of a dominant political party like the Republican Party. I’m sure there is a bad side to living in a super-liberal town, too…I just cannot think of one. But I grew up in the Republican Stronghold of Western Michigan. My older-than-most-kids parents were moderates from Detroit (which meant overall they were rather conservative by my Marxist standards), and upon moving west to Grand Rapids, even they were shocked (and awed) by the ultra-conservative nature of the area. It was uber-religious and the religion of all was the Christian Reformed Church, a very churchy group.

Now, please, don’t misunderstand, I have no gripe against religious people. I know great people of every creed, but what I do have a gripe about is how certain “conservatives” are so keen on imposing religious rules on those who are not of that particular faith. Nor do I have problems with Republicans, either. What I do have a problem with is a tendency to rule by fear. Very Orwellian with a strong Machiavellian undercurrent.

My tears tonight were shed for a frustrated childhood in a conservative city, where anyone who thinks a little differently is a threat. Other schools of thought and points of view are not respected, and we are seeing that in this Presidential election.

My tears tonight showed me just how hopeful I really am.

Please vote… for America.

Obama, 30 minute, special, campaign, ad, commercial, simul-mentary, Barack, presidential, election, vote, America, conservative, liberal, Detroit

I am going to go out on a limb and say that, by Governor Sarah Palin’s definition, Portland is considered to be part of that non-”real America.”

Firstly, WTF? How does this woman get to go around and say things like that? On federal funds, no less. And don’t get me started on Michelle Bachmann.

Seriously? How did this woman rise such a high level of politics in this country? I would drum her out of office so fast for being so stupid. Ignore the bigot in her, she is just dumb. See, gentlemen, this is what you get when you vote with your willy.

Anyhoo, I really don’t ever, ever see Palin campaigning in Portland. Even if Oregon were a bit more of a swing state (it is a swing state, but if you trust the daily polling, you might chalk it up to the Democrats), would the McCain campaign visit Oregon? If so, which cities? Would he come to Portland?

I have referred before to Portland’s Republican-given nickname of Little Beirut. I first heard of the nickname’s origins in Chuck Palahniuk’s Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (a travel book of sorts). I cannot remember the exact story but it had something to do with George H.W. Bush’s reception in the city back in the early 1990’s. Protesters showed up after eating mashed potatoes dyed red, white, and blue with food coloring (I believe the blue-colored potatoes came up green unbeknowst to the planners — always pays to test things out first) and manually regurgitated those potatoes all over the sidewalks around wherever Bush the Elder was. That is paraphrased, of course, so I may have missed something. But if you haven’t read the source book, you might want to. It’s quite enjoyable, and you definitely learn some things about the city you don’t find in other guide books. And all of that framed with Palahniuk’s wit and sense of the odd.

This is what gets me about Palin and her ilk. They seem to espouse these ideals of less regulation and less government interference in people’s lives, and yet they support the government stepping in on the very personal in those same people’s lives — taking away certain rights, like the freedom of reproduction and marriage and religion and education. I just read over the Oregon elections booklet that details the candidates for the upcoming election, and my new favorite presidential candidate is Chuck Baldwin. If you have not read it, I urge you to, it’s hilarious. Same with Michael Marsh, a Constitution party candidate for State Treasurer. Who said elections are dull? These guys are crazy.

From Marsh’s blurb:

Leaders of the Democrat and Republican parties with their Ivy League educations are either incredibly stupid or are deliberately destroying us. It is time to return to Constitutional Government and become once again a land of opportunity for Americans. We have entered, voluntarily, into a slave relationship, with our government masters.

Come on, Marsh, I’d say that if you are a legitimate candidate for a State office, that is a good example of American having opportunity for all.

By the way, he goes on to talk about the microchip that is going to be installed in everyone and used by the banks and the Democrats and Republicans to suspend identifications and ATM withdrawals.

Disclaimer: I have a long history of voting for third parties (voted for Nader twice — always in a state that the Democrats had in the bag, so I am not responsible for George W.), so my little poking of fun at the Constitution Party is not an example of third-party-bashing.

Sarah Palin, Portland, Oregon, Little Beirut, Michelle Bachmann, Chuck Palahniuk, George H.W. Bush, George Bush, McCain, Constitution Party, Democrat, Republican, Nader

So, if you must know, I am down with all kinds of non-profits and NGO’s, so I tend to get maybe thirty to fifty emails a day from such groups. I ran across this one today, and thought I’d share…

A very good organization, the Center for Health, Environment & Justice wants to stage a small protest against the Disney Corporation’s refusal to “go green” and switch over to non-toxic cleaning products for the all Disney theme parks, hotels and restaurants. It seems the Chairman of the Disney Board will be in Portland to accept some award and the CHEJ wants to distribute some flyers and perhaps have some people outside the award ceremony at the Oregon Convention Center. To that, I say huzzah, as I think it is sometimes necessary to urge larger companies to remember their responsibility to the public to use safe products as well as sell safe products.

To be fair to Disney, I think it may be safe to say that most American household have a toxic cleaning product around, maybe under the sink, but that is not excuse as there is truly little to no need to have toxic cleaning products when there are so many better alternatives. But if you must know, bleach is considered a toxic cleaning product — it is listed as a pesticide by the EPA for heaven’s sake.

However, especially as Disney not only caters to children, but also that Disney has a worldwide reputation, it is a bit remiss for Disney not to take the lead (well, if this were tens years ago) and show the world that you can own just about everything but still worry about the kiddies and the ol’ employees. You can still push your evil consumerist agenda, but with some environmental friendliness.

Ah, no matter. I think it is a good idea to protest. Will it do any good? Only if something really bad happens so that it can make the news. But hey, if we don’t say anything at all, then we are also to blame. Good luck, CHEJ. I cannot make it, but then I highly doubt that standing outside in late October Portland handing out flyers to disinterested passers-by will be a “fun and exciting event” as the email promises.

To find out how you can help…click here.

Center for Health Environment Justice, CHEJ, Disney, toxic, cleaning products, theme parks, parks, resorts, Portland, protest

Hey Portland, our representative in Congress made the pages of Outside Magazine, talking about biking and how the government can encourage more people to bike both recreationally and as commuters.

Photo provided to Outside by Blumenauer’s DC office

Seems that bow-tie wearing, biking to work in DC Blumenauer is a biker’s silent assassin in Washington. Ok, not really, but he did tell Outside that the recent Energy Act (which opens up the coasts to off-shore drilling) has some sneaky clauses providing bicycle-riding commuters fringe benefits for riding to work on two-wheels-sans-motor. Neat. I ride my bike to work, so what does that mean?

I just read the text of the bill, the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Pact, and it’s true that there is a small “rider” (he he) that would allow employers give a $20 a month reimbursement for bicycle-related expenses. Here is the main chunk of the text as it relates to this fringe benefit.

QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT- The term `qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement’ means, with respect to any calendar year, any employer reimbursement during the 15-month period beginning with the first day of such calendar year for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.

As this benefit won’t start until 15 months after the beginning of the first calendar year after this benefit can begin, which is January 1st, 2009, so really, bikers won’t see any real benefit from this until, I believe, April 2010. I could be way off on this, and if Congressman Blumenauer stumbles across this little post, maybe he can clear things up for me. Is this a benefit that my employer can offer me, or does my employer have to offer me this benefit? Who actually pays the monies going to commuters? Is it the employer that then gets reimbursed by the government? Why not give the tax benefit directly to the employee, rather than making the business owner the middle man?

Seriously, I need these questions answered, so if anyone out there wants to clear this up, that would be just super. And I can pass on the information, of course.

Still, kudos to Earl for taking his message to the streets, er, rather the pages of a considerably more and more trendy magazine that I used to enjoy, but now only tolerate. I think it’s the “fashion spreads” that seem to adorn every issue. If I want to look at lame models faking it, I would read Vogue or some other lame rag. I read Outside because I want kewl pics, interesting adventure stories, practical advice, equipment reviews and guides, and not stories about some former pro-snowboarder that now sells real estate and hangs out with his trustfund college friends.

/End/ rant.

Earl Blumenauer, Congress, Washington DC, representative, Portland, Oregon, Third District, Energy Bill, Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act, Outside Magazine

I honestly don’t know what McCain was thinking, saying that he had important work to do in Washington, with the financial “crisis” — considering he has admitted as much as not knowing anything about said economy, but whatev. He has decided to grace us with his attendance at the first Presidential Debate tonight in Oxford, Mississippi.

Anyhoo, I did get an email from the Obama campaign with an invite to join others in watching the debate, a “debate watching party” as it were. One, it is best if I watch things like a presidential debate by myself as I am very obnoxious when it comes to politics. Luckily, I have a boyfriend that either enjoys my rants or tunes them out effectively. Two, I have to work. And that brings me to the point of today’s post.

Besides, writing and teaching, I also work in a restaurant. It is good for me as it gets me out of the house and off my computer, but also I get to spend time with adults. Well, relatively speaking. Restaurant people can be in a sort of “arrested development” in terms of what a lot of people call “real jobs”, but most restaurant industry people are fairly committed to their craft. No matter here though, as I have a bit of a gripe with the Federal Elections Commission for scheduling a debate on a Friday night.

Let’s look at this from an economic point of view. Friday nights are a big night for restaurants across the country. So to schedule a debate on a Friday night is rather foolish, as you may run the risk of cutting into a small business’ go-to night. Not only that but with the debate scheduled for 9pm EST, which is 8pm Central (the time zone for Mississippi), it underscores the “shaft” that we West Coasters get time and time again when it comes to television programming.

At 9pm, plenty of people have plenty of time to get a meal at their favourite restaurant and then go home or to someone else’s home to watch what may turn out to be a very interesting debate. 8pm, sure, you still have time for an early bite. But once you hit the Mountain and Pacific time zones, you are cutting into what is considered prime time for the restaurant biz.

That is reflected in the reservation book of “my” restaurant. Sure, you could say that once the debate is over, people will go out for a meal and a drink. But once you watch the debate, and then the tireless commentary that will no doubt follow, how many people are going to head out to a sit-down restaurant, after all the snacks and booze that will be served at those “debate watching parties?” I’m sure that there will be some, but I am more sure that tonight will be a slow night for restaurants in Portland. I could say the same for restaurants all along the West Coast, but I am not entirely sure how other cities view the importance of politics. Portland is a politically active city, so I am simply surmising about Portland right now. True, it is a rather historic and entertaining election season, but I just don’t know how many people actually plan their lives around presidential debates.

Personally, I will watch the repeats of the debate on CNN. For anyone else who refuses to let NBC decide their Friday night, CNN is airing repeats at both 9pm and 12am.

McCain, presidential debate, Oxford, Mississippi, Obama, restaurant industry, restaurants, business, financial, economy, small business, Federal Elections Commission, West Coast, Pacific Time Zone, Mountain Time Zone, Portland, NBC, CNN

I think it is safe to say that living in Portland, Oregon, or just Oregon in general, usually includes more than just a little political activism, and so today I bring to you news of impending changes to the Endangered Species Act.

If you remember as far back as your HS civics/government course, or even a US history class or two, you may have heard the term, Lame Duck. If I am going a little too elementary for you right now, I apologize, I am simply trying to add some context to what is happening in our federal government right now and for the next few months (as of this writing, that’s 133 days, 19 hours…courtesy the Official Bush Countdown clock). Lame ducks can be either of the benign and benevolent variety, a la Bill Clinton, or of the ignorant and downright irresponsible variety as we are seeing in George Dubya Bush.

By the way, has anyone seen this yet? I love it. There are others, but I think this one is really well-done, for the most part.

Back to the subject, as the issue of endangered species and their protection has come in in regards to our newest, extremist Vice presidential candidate (if you didn’t hear, she doesn’t think the polar bear should be listed as endangered since it would be inconvenient for oil and gas companies in the Arctic), I come to you today with a little advocacy. It would not be a Portland blog without some advocacy.

There is one week left to comment on proposed changes to regulations pertaining to interagency checks and balances within the Endangered Species Act. Here is a paragraph from a letter drafted by the Center for Biological Diversity for their members to send to the Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne.

The regulations you recently proposed would eliminate interagency consultation on thousands of federal projects that pose a risk to endangered and threatened species each year. The changes will almost certainly result in detrimental impacts on endangered and imperiled species and a higher propensity to overlook opportunities to avoid such impacts.

The problem with this change in particular is that the Department of the Interior or Bureau of Land Management can lease out mineral rights to the highest/lowest but someone’s friend’s coal-mining company so that public lands can make someone rich with kickbacks to whichever congressman got the company the job. Well, as the rules stand now, the BLM would have to consult with other agencies, like the Fish and Wildlife Service in order to approve mining or digging operations. That interagency “checks and balances” is a great way to ensure that a mine doesn’t open up upstream from a rare species of salmon’s spawning grounds. But if these new rules do go into effect, that requirement for multiple agencies to weigh in on what could be environmentally-devastating projects is thrown out the window. Other rule changes would limit and re-define what “effects” may be deemed harmful as well as reducing the scientific input period from 90 to 60 days. If scientists cannot or do not give an opinion in that 60-day period, the project is automatically greenlit.

This may not seem to be a big deal, but then you are living in a fantasy land if you think that oil, gas, gold, coal, silver, and anything-else-that-can-make-someone-a-profit companies would stop raping the earth because they may be harming or killing a rare and endangered bird or fish, mammal or reptile.

If you want to add your email to what should be a flood of emails to Kempthorne’s office, visit the Center for Biological Diversity here. By the way, Kempthorne cut the usual 60-day comment period to only 30-days, and he said emails wouldn’t be accepted. Why does he hate the Earth so much? Screw that guy. Email him over and over. Copy the letter from CBD and re-send it again and again.

Portland, Oregon, politics, advocacy, activism, Endangered Species Act, Department of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, Bureau of Land management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Center for Biological Diversity, lame duck, Bill Clinton, George Bush

I don’t think I am going out on a limb by saying that Portland is a rather liberal town. When Barack Obama was here last time, he drew a massive crowd of nearly 75,000, so yeah, I think it is safe to say that Obama will be the choice for many Portland voters come this November. To put that in perspective, the recent crowd at the Democratic National Convention for Obama’s acceptance speech was around 80,000.

That said, I would like to discuss the current climate in Presidential politics this day after the final day of the Republican National Convention. I am not going to bring up Governnor Sarah Palin, who frankly scares the sh*t out of me. At least, I won’t bring her up today. Instead, I would like to point out some of the odd things brought up by Senator McCain during his acceptance speech.

I know this really isn’t “about Portland,” per se, but I think that anyone who would be reading this little blog may be a person who is interested in politics and specifically, veering off the road to ruin that our great nation has been on for the last 8 years. Besides, we all know that there is no way in heck that McCain will be campaigning in Portland. Portland isn’t called “Little Beirut” by Republicans from as far back as Reagan for no reason.

Did it bother anyone else out there that McCain’s solution to education was simply to allow parents to choose a better school for their kids? So that effectively does nothing to remedy the current educational crisis that the United States is facing, and don’t kid yourself, it is a crisis. I am not being melodramatic in that choice of word. Instead of addressing the problem of bad schools, just don’t go to them any more. Wow, why didn’t we think of that before?

Here is exactly what he said:

When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parent — when it fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children. And I intend to give it to them.

Some may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private one. Many will choose a charter school. But they will have the choice, and their children will have that opportunity.

Yep, nothing about making our educational system better as a whole…just go to a charter school. Or a private school. Guess what? Parents already have that choice. Next issue.

Also, what in the world was he talking about when he was saying that workers could be supported by the government covering the pay difference during re-training?

We will prepare them for the jobs of day — of today. We will use our community colleges to help train people for new opportunities in their communities.

For workers in industries — for workers in industries that have been hard-hit, we’ll help make up part of the difference in wages between their old job and a temporary, lower paid one, while they receive re-training that will help them find secure new employment at a decent wage.

What temporary, lower-paid jobs? And no offence, Mr. McCain, but I want a leader who sets their sites a little higher than a community college education for our citizens. Not that a CC education is bad, but why not make it easier for everyone to receive a full four-year degree?

Sorry to be a little off-topic from Portland proper, but we are a politically active city, and a well-informed one at that. To live in Portland is to be political. And we wouldn’t have it any other way…

Transcript of McCain’s speech courtesy of CNN.

Portland, Barack Obama, Democratic National Convention, Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin, John McCain, Reagan, McCain acceptance speech, Little Beirut, education, college, community college, United States, employment, jobs, school, public school, private school, charter school

Waiting for the bus today, I noticed my first Sam Adams for Mayor sign in someone’s yard. I have noticed the Sho Dozono signs for weeks. Does this mean that my neighborhood is mostly Sho fans, and this one lone ranger has dared to put up a pro-Adams yard sign? Or does it mean that Sam Adams and his campaigners have only now made these signs available for those who want to show their support in paper and metal?

However, it matters not to me, as if I had to vote tomorrow, solely based on the yards signs for each candidate, my vote would go for Sho. Get it? Fo’ Sho.

Actually, the first time I saw the Sho Dozono sign, I said that he missed a great idea of just having that on the signs. FO’ SHO! But then again maybe not all the constituents would get that, but still, that would have been awesome.

The Sam Adams signs look like they are selling yard work or a new discount store. Seriously, Sam, whoever did your graphic design made a mistake. Red and yellow are clownish, whereas the calming blue of the Sho signs put people at ease. Sorry, but color has so much to do with it, and the font on your sign looks more like a McDonald’s franchise in a Sam’s Club warehouse store.

Here is a picture of what the graphic looks like. I cropped it from his website, so the actual sign doesn’t look quite like this. Instead, it is a white sign with this graphic aligned more left and up. Sorry, I didn’t get a picture of the sign itself. I am too lazy right now to walk down the street. It’s been a long day.

Ah, I kid, Sam. I vote on issues, not graphic designs choices. Besides, you get props in my book because you went on PDX 49 to show us your favorite Simpsons episode. Unfortunately, I cannot recall which episode he picked. I remember not being overly impressed with it being his so-called favorite, but it was a better choice than many of the so-called local celebrities.

By the way, my favorite episode is a toss-up between “Deep Space Homer” and “Homer at Bat” and “Bart Gets an Elephant.” I would rather choose a favorite per season. Whatever! I do what I want!

Sam Adams, Portland, Mayor, Sho Dozono, Simpsons, graphic design, PDX 49, Homer, Bart

This Sunday, you can.

A town hall meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 20, 2008, at the Friends Meeting House at 4312 SE Stark from 6-8 pm.

Sure, I know, you have gone to a couple of the war protests downtown, and maybe even the vigil last month to commemorate the lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. A citizen in a democracy should attend meetings and protests to add their voice and support to the causes in which they believe. It will be a sad day when there are no more protests or dissent.

Although, maybe you are one of those who would rather just stay home, and that is your prerogative, too. Long live apathy, right? Ah, it would be nice to not care, but highly unlikely — and dangerous. Some people don’t appreciate their rights until they are gone.

That said, the town hall meeting is an opportunity to voice your own dissent for the War in Iraq and Afghanistan…or you could go and support the additional need for funding the military. Just because all those around you say one thing, it doesn’t mean that you should subvert your own feelings. Maybe you don’t support the war, but you see the need for additional funds to help protect our troops and make their jobs easier (or Halliburton is a major percentage of your stock portfolio). Either way, join others for the town hall Sunday night.

Upon moving to Portland, I attended a town hall with ol’ what’s-his-name, Earl Blumenauer, and let me say this: Even if you have no desire to offer your opinion in a town hall meeting, the event can provide some entertainment, and free entertainment at that (I have filed this under cheap dates for those hardcore politicos among you). Some very interesting characters attend these kind of meetings, and the people watching is priceless.

Portland, town hall, Iraq, War, Afghanistan, democracy, protest, troops, Halliburton

Just because Hillary is concentrating her efforts in Pennsylvania right now, anticipating the “win or drop out” primary in the last of the big, industrial states that carry a lot of delegates, that doesn’t mean that Oregon won’t get our fill of the Democratic candidate.

I woke up to the email from the Clinton campaign announcing that Chelsea Clinton will be at Portland State tomorrow, Saturday, April 12 from 6:15 to 7:45 pm. The “event” is called “Our Economy, Our Future” and I have no idea what this event entails, and the email tells me nothing more that where, who, when, and how to rsvp for the event. You can go to the Clinton website if you’d like to check this out and officially rsvp.

Again, and I am starting to feel repetitious, this post is not an endorsement for Ms. Clinton. I am simply passing along any and all info that I receive from both the Clinton and Obama campaigns. If you have not read any of my earlier posts regarding the democratic race, I was worried that Oregon would not be much of a factor when it came to the democratic run-off (and it may still not be), so I am hoping that presidential politics will come to Portland.

And yes, I would be remiss if I did not mention that on Wednesday, I received an email from the Obama campaign asking me to become a “community organizer” for Obama, which entails getting people to register to vote. Obama started out as a community organizer, the email reminds me, so does that mean that I too can run for President some day? No, thank you. I have waaaay too many skeletons in my closet. Besides, I don’t like answering the phone at 3 pm, much less 3 am.

Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Portland, State University, campaign, democrats, Oregon, Portland, Pennsylvania

It has been twelve, count’ em, twelve days since I got my first email asking me to volunteer for a democratic candidate for President, and that first call came from Barack Obama. Why has it taken Hillary Clinton almost two weeks before she started stumping for volunteers here in Portland? And allow me to mention that the email informs me that tonight is the “grand opening” of her Portland-based statewide office. Way to give people some advance warning there, Hil.**

**Please do not construe my good-natured ribbing of Ms. Clinton as an endorsement for Barack Obama. I am woefully undecided between the two candidates, as I see very little differentiation between them. I am resigned to the fact that I will be voting for one of them come November, whether I like them or not. I am resigned to the fact that I will not be voting for someone, but rather against someone.

Oh, that is sad, isn’t it? I am voting against someone. I really do want to vote for someone. I have since I was a young idealistic kid watching Reagan’s long-winded speeches and seemingly constant television addresses. But alas, not in my lifetime as of yet. I wish I could believe the hype of Obama, or think that Hillary Clinton is the answer to my lifelong quest to vote for a woman for president.

Ah, another day for me and all the little girls who want to believe that we can be equal with men. But before I start getting too serious, check out what I found. This picture is AWESOME. I found it on Snarkybehaviour.com. Don’t know where they found it, but it’s freakin’ sweet.

Anyhoo, Hillary Clinton is opening her office at NW 5th and Burnside, in case you feel like stopping by tonight for the opening ceremonies (for a campaign office — anything to attract volunteers, I guess). Congresswoman Darlene Hooley (OR-District 5, which includes Multnomah, but just a little) will be in attendance. Hmm, I wonder where Earl Blumenauer will be?

Hillary was in Eugene and Hillsboro over the weekend, and I expect we will be seeing more of her, but not too much yet, as she is campaigning heavily in Pennsylvania and its 158 delegates, whereas Oregon only has 52. Although Clinton opening an Oregon office is rather hopeful on her part that she will do well in Pennsylvania. If she doesn’t, she will most likely have to concede the nomination, but I am sure there will be the caveat that delegates can always change their minds at the democratic convention. Ah, politics, even elected delegates can flip-flop.

You can rsvp for tonight by visiting the Hillary for President website here. Not that I am urging you to, but I do like a good fight, so I would like to see Hillary stay in the race a bit longer. At least until the Oregon Primary.

democratic, candidates, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, volunteer, campaign, Oregon, Portland, Pennsylvania, Darlene Hooley, Earl Blumenauer

Bill Clinton has come to Oregon, stumping for Hillary. My question is, Where’s Hillary? I’d rather see her at this point, but then again, Bill has always been entertaining to say the least.

According to MSNBC via the AP:

Campaign spokesman Isaac Baker said Hillary Clinton “will be campaigning aggressively all over Oregon, including campaigning aggressively in Southern Oregon.” No dates have been announced.

Nice tie, Bill.

According to Bill’s published schedule, he was in Medford yesterday, and spent this morning having way too much fun at Mary’s, I mean OSHU for a “Solutions for the Economy” event (at a hospital?). He then followed that good time up with a short stint listening to the old folks in SE Portland. Right about now, he is probably en route from Salem to Bend, which is a very pretty drive, where he will be speaking at Bend Senior High, where he will be holding a “Solutions for America” event. Oh, I see the pattern now.

Still, I am awaiting an email requesting me to make good on my checked box indicating that I am willing to volunteer.

If I were to volunteer for Hillary Clinton (and as of today, I have no real inclination other than out of curiosity or maybe that whole underdog thing), it would be the second time volunteering for a Clinton. I also worked on Bill’s campaign way back in high school, before I could actually vote. I was so young and idealistic back then…memories. Anyway, it was a lame experience with a bunch of older douchebags telling me what to do, like phoning people during dinner and making posters for a rally I was then denied entrance to, but hey, I could be part of the group of losers who couldn’t get inside the rally that stood outside and “welcomed” the candidate. And then Bill showed up, and made his way down the line of welcomers, including a snooty little me, who asked him as she shook his hand why she could not attend the rally despite the fact she had spent three hours the night before calling people in support of said candidate. Oh, and Slick Willy, he had a response. “If it were up to me, you’d all be inside.” Nice. Nice.

Bill, Hillary, Clinton, campaigning, Portland, Medford, Salem, Bend, Oregon

Here is a little secret about me. Once a presidential candidate announces their throwing of the proverbial hat in the ring, I go to their official campaign website and sign up, for the updates and newsletters, the endless emails pandering for contributions, and yes, even volunteer work.

And I do it for both parties. Not that I am particularly on board full on supporting any one candidate per se, it is more out of nosiness. I love politics. And the machinery behind it, and the rhetoric and how campaigns communicate with supporters. I know I am a nerd. But more so lately it seems this election is, I hate to say it, exciting…and interminable. Seriously, have the elections always stretched on and on for two whole years. C’mon. But still, I think the more controversial the media makes this race out to be, hopefully the more people become involved in this so-called democracy. Although when you go the lowest blow in politics, you can also bring out the apathy (more so).

Anyhoo, there is a point to this. I have finally just received my first official email from a candidate asking me to follow through on that ol’ volunteer work. And it was Obama. I figured I would have heard from Hillary first, but no. Does this mean that Obama is fearing a loss in this state? Or just forward-thinking? Hitting up volunteers before Hil to subvert her own late efforts? He was just here last week, rallying up support both media-wise and fundraising-wise no doubt.

I wonder how long ’til I get the same email from the Clinton campaign. Any bets?

I was actually a little bummed about moving to Oregon once I learned that Oregon holds its primary so late in May, but it looks like Oregon may have a say in the race for the race for the president.

Here’s a little bit of Obama from the Oregonian. It’s long, so I don’t blame you for not wanting to watch it. I switched to a different window while I watched it, honestly.

1. I hate the song. I really wish he wouldn’t use it.

2. I don’t know how I feel about Richardson endorsing Obama. Feels like he’s vying for a VP invite.

Portland, Oregon, Barack Obama, Obama, Hillary, Richardson, volunteer, politics, campaign, Oregonian