What happens now?

Freedom. It seems like such a simple word. It isn't. Freedom indicates some form of self government. Self government won't work without self discipline. Paul Harvey says so too. So there, neener neener.

Seriously. I am very proud of our nation, and it's travels since it's origination in 1607. The humble beginnings of the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg. The first and second Continental Congresses. The writing and ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America. People primarily came here in the beginning to seek out religious freedom. Well, at least in the Northeast. Down south, the motive was for agriculture and feed. Further still, for the abundant ability to harvest cotton. Georgia was founded as a penal colony for heaven's sake.

And yet, here we are, almost 400 years after the permanent colonization of America. We are larger, greater, more powerful than ever imaginable. But our might is tempered by our humanity and mercy. Allow me to illustrate briefly.

After WWII, it would not have taken as much as you might have thought to have us continue through Russia and meet with our forces in Japan. But, we didn't. It isn't our way.

Yet, with the diversity mentioned above, we managed to create a governing document so complete it has only needed change 27 times. Not bad, eh? But this is OUR document, not another country's. They will need to write what is right for them.... not for us. I have faith though. It's amazing just how tenacious freedom is once someone has tasted it.

Iraq will do what is right for Iraq. To say that 60% turnout is not a mandate of some strength really needs to stop consuming illegal substances. We are here, now, to see that they get the chance to do the best thing they can. And to make sure that no one else tries to interfere.

until our next........

Kerry: don't 'overhype'

(NOTE: Sorry, I didn't notice that the comments were turned off on my posts for some reason. They are on now.)

Scanning the drudge headlines, I came across the Kerry response to the Iraqi elections: "...no one in the United States should try to overhype this election."

Can anyone say "WET BLANKET?!"

No pride and joy felt for the incredible bravery and determination shown by Iraqi citizenry. I guess not everyone can burst into tears of joy when something as grand and glorious as this has taken place, but at least their words should, if they feel any emotion at all, reflect some kind of passion for the success of democratic ideals.

Nothing personal Mr. Kerry, but I thought you, being a senator and all, might have a good reason for showing just a little more pride in the country you pretend to serve.

No...it's much more important that we don't overhype it...

Equality...of cultures?

One of the greatest errors that is consistently taught in American universities is the precept that all cultures are equal and therefore should have equal standing in the world and even our society. Harmless little thought? Hardly!

Let's look at the implications of such thinking.

First, what people need to understand is that this liberal precept is one of the primary reasons that there is so much hatred for America emanating from campuses. Some of the manifestations that we often see on campus is the perpetual idolization of diversity and the need to be completely accepting as valid--to the point of literal relativism--of all viewpoints and philosophies. Let me also clarify that I don't mean that someone doesn't have the right to their viewpoint or cultural background--that's not what I mean. I mean the push for diversity is unfortunately rooted in the common belief that all cultures and views are equally right or good. This way of thinking conflicts with my core values because 1, I believe, regardless of one's rights, there is still absolute right and wrong--in other words, we have the right to be wrong--2, I do believe that America is a superpower because the values it holds are superior to other parts and countries of the world.

*liberal readers gasp in abject horror at this point*

Recommended reading on this topic is the book by Dinesh D'Souza, What's So Great About America. Before you judge the book by the title let me say yes, it is written in support of western values, but it is hardly a book of right-wing dogma. Mr. D'Souza is an Indian immigrant who has a very balanced perspective. He doesn't pull any punches in his analysis; both liberals and conservatives will find reason to squirm under his sharp, objective insight. This is a really-easy-to-read book of philosophy!

Mr. D'Souza points out that the belief that all cultures are equal is the necessary thought process that produces the dogmatic faith: that America became so powerful and influential through coercion and oppression alone. You see, if each culture is equally meritorious, there can be no getting ahead of the others without coercion--and so thinks the liberal professor. The notion that we might have earned this wealth through a superior way of life and faith is dismissed as absurd and even bigoted.

In conclusion, another spin-off of our status in the world is (duh) we are much envied by both common people of other nations and also--in a more deceitful way--the governments of our rivals. Case in point: I don't think (this is speculation as well as experience) that the average foreigner desires to emulate a Frenchman for style. On the contrary, it is the American style and way of life that is desired and sought after. One of D'Souza's points is that a liberal professor would see this desire, give a puzzled grunt and tell him he is mistaken to desire it, because, after all, his own culture of dime-a-day wages, contaminated water, and corrupt government is just as intrinsically good as America. I can just imagine the confusion on this hypothetical foreigner's face.

Read D'Souza's book for what it's worth and appreciate what we have for a change.

Cross-posted at Western Washington Unraveled

The death of reclusion

Hi all

I guess I'm the newest blogger on the block. I'm happy to be aboard and honored to be in your presence... Oh, is that a little too fluffy? Well, don't take it to heart: my stylistic choices tend to toggle between old-style fluff and sarcasm--on good days. If you see otherwise, there is a good reason.

Me: I'm a junior student of journalism at Western Washington University in Bellingham Washington, although my residence is in Lynden about 20 minutes north and as close to the Canadian border as I consider comfortable. At the moment, this is the third blogging venture that I have seen fit to undertake. My own blog is at Meneltarma, and I also manage and operate a conservative student blog at Western titled Western Washington Unraveled.

Cheers, and I'll see you around the blogosphere; don't get mad if the majority of my posting is crossposted from Western Unraveled--man does not live by blog alone.

Oh Boy, More New Bills

Sheesh, can't get over some of the stuff that these folks introduce. I compare it to a person about to go out and greet the day, it pays to look in the mirror prior to leaving the house. Likewise, I'd wonder if the legislators bother to look and read the bill prior to introducing it. Here we go:

This first bill is SO dumb that it deserves a catagory of it's own, not just dumb but -

MORONIC:
SB 416 - Prohibit Oregon State University or the University of Oregon from participating in the college football Bowl Championship Series on or after July 1, 2008. Oh yeah, we need our legislators to waste time on this one; yeah, this is what government should be spending my tax money on. This one is sooooo stupid that I feel the need to make it known which imbecile introduced this winner, it's one Sen. Ryan Deckert - a democrat (naturally) from Beaverton. I sure hope the next fellow to oppose him keeps this one visible to his constituents.

STUPID:
SB 335 - Allow school boards to prohibit firearms on school property, even with a concealed handgun license. Okay, so which idiot needs to review the tapes regarding Columbine? Who needs to go to our own state insane asylum and visit with our own Kip Kinkle. Does anyone doubt that if one or more teachers in either incident had been 'packing' that the incidents would have come to a halt much quicker with a lot less loss of life? Heck, you want to do something, let's debate a bill requiring teachers to carry concealed weapons - and let the students know it; think discipline won't improve? Bad idea, bad law, kill it before more whack students kill fellow students. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

SB 382 - Introduce a 5% sales tax. Suppose to cut every state tax payer's total state tax bill. Come on folks, we've been down this road how many times? Um, does the number 9 mean anything? It should because that is how many times we've defeated this really stupid idea. We know better, there is no tax cut, there is merely a tax substitution, they allow us to keep more money in our right pocket but turn around and take more of it out of our left hand pocket. To make this stupid idea even worse, the bill's author (Sen. Ben Westlund) wants to put it into the state constitution to ensure that (if it passes) that no future legislators could easily remove it. Hey Ben, it's a dumb idea and for you to bring it up shows how out of touch with this state that you truly are. Thumbs down.

GOOD:
SB 409 - Include murder of a reserve officer in the definition of "aggravated murder". Too bad we have include this via law, should have been there all along. However, let's fix it, so this is a good idea.

HB 2015 - Extend the statute of limitations for sex crimes by six years. For the most part I'm for this, I know and have seen accusation of 'sex crimes' abused; but I'd rather error on the side of safety. Let's hope this one passes.

HB 2020 - Expand criminal homicide to include causing the death of an unborn child, excluding abortions and acts committed by the pregnant woman, also creates crime of assault of unborn child. Personally, I'd like to see abortion abolished, but that is another argument for another point in time. In the meantime, let's pass this one - if someone kills an unborn child, that is a wanted child, let's call it what it is - murder. I can only hope this one passes.

More Later

I made it!

Ahh - with great anticipation have I been waiting for this moment. Yet another voice is added to offset the rampant socialist movement in the Pacific Northwest. Well, ok - maybe I am just another blogger with delusions of grandeur, but work with me here.

I forget where I saw it, but somewhere I read "...of such inconsequential beginnings, epochs are made." Now, no matter what, you gotta admit. That sounds good!

I spent years under the impression that I was a centrist. However, as the years go on up here, I find that, even though I have not moved, the mainstream culture around me has moved so far to the left, that by comparison, I look a bit Rush Limbaugh-ist. Maybe a bit Neil Bortz-ish.

Oh well, you'll see. I tend to wax philosophical on everything from natural soaps to bellybutton lint. Ain't it great!?!

At U of O, BS Doesn't Stand for "Bachelor of Science"

Right On! to Kevin McCullough via Zelda, guest Blogging at Ace of Spades HQ.

As you may see from all the Inauguration day activities, The University of Oregon is one of the more liberal schools in the country. But this takes the cake. According to a news report from KEZI, a University employee was forced recently to remove a "Support the Troops" magnet from his truck.

According to the report and also confirmed by Zelda, at question is whether or not the magnet constitutes a political statement (the truck is state property). The U of O decided it does, or might, and hence has ordered it removed.

So, expressing support for the men and women who defend our freedom is a mere political statement, huh? That's nice. Regardless of your views on the current war, the fact is, we all owe a HELL of a lot to those who wear that uniform. In fact, the freedoms expressed by MANY on the U of O campus recently when they protested the inauguration? THOSE freedoms were purchased in blood by wearers of those selfsame uniforms. A simple yellow ribbon that expresses gratitude, honor, and a desire for the safety of those troops, that's patriotism, not politics.

What next, banning American Flags?

UPDATE:
Now the BS is a PHD (Piled Higher and Deeper)

Cross Posted at Memento Moron
Apparently, the whole issue has blown up in the U of O's face, and it's not going away. According to a KEZI report, the school has been inundated with letters, emails, and phone calls. Their rationale is that "truth is, they're only against the ribbons (or anything for that matter) being displayed on state-owned vehicles (which is state policy)."

But as Kevin McCullough points out, that wasn't the original tune that was being sung by the President's office. In the original KEZI report, the rationale was, "Under state law... public employees can not use state resources to spread political messages." The U of O rationalized that the stickers were political. You can read my post at HWTR for my response to that.

Apparently, along with the public firestorm, a personal protest occurred. An anonymous U of O employee tied yellow ribbons up around Frohnmayer's offices. KEZI reported that the U of O would let them stand, but McCullough was contacted by the employee, who confirms that the ribbons have been removed.

This really saddens me. Since when was an appreciation for the sacrifices of those who defend our freedom a mere political statement? Furthermore, even if it WERE a political statement, McCullough mentions the UO employee pointing out the numerous bits of pro-Kerry paraphernalia allowed to be displayed on University property. Is it assumed that any yellow ribbon must be a sign of a certain unpopular political position? And if so, are they being selective in their enforcement of this policy? Or was the conservative UO student recently shown on thew school paper wrong when she holds a sign saying "Free Speech Isn't Just For Liberals"?

I've been a UO Ducks fan for a very long time, but I'm not sure I can be any more. I'm not sure I can proudly display my U of O beanie, or the shirt I bought when my late father and I watched them win the Holiday Bowl, if they cannot proudly display their support for our troops. If they decide a yellow ribbon and a yellow O can't coexist, I know which I must choose.

A Gay District In Spokane Washington?

I don't live in or really near Spokane, so I am limited to the AP story. If any other members have more information updates/clarification would be welcome.

It appears that the 'gay' population, despite crys that they just want to be accepted, don't really 'just want to be accepted' but want to be noted. They want to be noticed, celebrated and made special. Proof of being made 'special' is the constant clamor to make them a 'protected group' under discrimination and hate laws. A concept that I've had (and continue to have) a hard time getting my mind around. I do believe that a 'gay' person is just a person, they should have the same rights and privledges as any citzen of the United States. I've asked before, does a beating because you are asian or a white woman hurt less than a beating because the person is 'gay'? Is denying you housing choices because you are jewish different than being denied housing choices because you are 'gay'? Under our Declaration of Independence it is stated that "... all men are created equal ..."; but the addition of 'special classes of people' doesn't make us equal anymore.

On to what this posting is about - the 'gay' community in Spokane proposing a district within the city. According to the article they "... are planning to create a neighborhood of gay-oriented homes, businesses and nightlife..." - again, it appears that they would like to be looked at as special, they wish to stand out; all the while yelling that society doesn't accept them and that they are 'just like us, only different' (which I always viewed as an oxymoron).

Spokane is a nice small town (pop. 200,000) you normally don't hear of such ideas being brought to a town of this size. It is also the home of Gonzaga University, a Catholic University which espouses Catholic ideas and has an influence on the community. Why should a town this size, or any town for that matter, separate out a section of the town for 'gays'? Sometimes things like that happen on their own, a member of a select group moves into a neighborhood, then a second, a third, a fourth, etc. soon that area of town is known as the 'gay area' or 'black area' or 'artist area' - it happens, despite all the cries for 'diversity' it happens. We feel more comfortable hanging out with people who think like we do, like minded people tend to congregate together. Example is that I'm a religious person, given the choice between living in a neighborhood with activist atheists or living in a Catholic neighborhood, I'll choose the Catholic neighborhood; an atheist would choose the atheist neighborhood - it's our freedom to choose. I have the freedom to choose the atheist neighborhood, but I probably won't like my neighbors much because at our core we view life and issues from opposite sides of the fence.

To go back to the main issue (I keep getting side tracked) - should the city consider a specifically designated area to be "the gay area"? Is it right? Is it fair? Should it even be a consdieration?

I'll be honest - I'm looking for a job (really) and just yesterday I turned in an application to the city of Spokane. I don't know if I'll get a call, but if I do and they offer me a job, this situation will weigh in on my decision to take the job and move there or not. Personally, I'd rather not be in a town/city where being 'gay' is held out to be special and celebrated, just as I'd rather not be in a town where they hang 'gays'.

To me, it's a case of the 'gays' trying to have their cake and eat it too. They want to be accepted, but they want to be celebrated. They want to have the right to live wherever they want (a right I strongly support) but they want the right to set apart a special section of the city and designate it as the 'gay' portion of the city. Sorry, it's one or the other, not both, make up your mind and then we as a society can move on from there.

More Later.

Conservative Sites Defaced By Hackers

Sound Politics reported a few days ago that the seattle indymedia center had hacked and defaced several conservative websites. Not only do they admit it, they brag about it, and give instructions at their site on how you too can become a hacktivist.

This is a despicable thing to do, and it has been happening more and more often to conservative sites. The people who engage in this childish behavior shame themselves and the party they claim to represent. Do they believe that by resorting to terrorist tactics they can frighten conservatives into submission? It's not going to happen.

Cross posted at Patty-Jo

The Third Rally

This rally was held in the evening - so make sure they screwed up traffic as much as possible. Police estimated that about 2000 people attended this march. For this radical city, a turnout of 2000 isn't very good. The rally was a mismash of the usual suspects - folks against the war, folks against the president, folks who know that the republicans are satan come to life, etc. This is a slightly blurry picture of the evening rally held in Portland.

While we all certainly have the right to protest, I just wonder what these folks think they are accomplishing? Is marching around actually going to change anything? Do they think that Bush and us, normal folks, don't know that they are unhappy? Is it going to make us want to throw away our values, cut and dye our hair, quit our jobs and join them?

Y'all got four more years of it, get over it and get use to it.

The 2nd of the Three Rallies in Portland

Since others have written about rallies in their cities, thought I'd show this from Portland; that great bastion of socialistic thinking. They held three rallies here yesterday, I was unable to find any from the morning rally, but I heard it was light. This was the noontime rally - if you want to call it that. The evening rally was a bit bigger, in fairness I will make a post regarding it. In the meantime, I think the picture speaks volumes.

It's MY Damn Dime

And I'll spend it if I want!

Since by now you've probably read Ricky V's report on yesterday's "festivities" here in Eugene, I'll just share a little of my day yesterday.

I had a dentist appointment at 2. I left work at 12:45 and went home for lunch, got to enjoy some of the inaugural festivities on TV. Then I went to the dentist. On the way home, my route took me right past the courthouse and all the protestors. I don't think they liked me waving a Bush Cheney '04 sign out the window as I drove past. They were holding the standard signs and yelling the standard slogans. "Peace not war!" shouted one teenage girl. Wouldn't it be nice if it were that simple?

One of the signs said "Boycott gas and walmart". I thought, "Capital idea!" The MementoMobile was already knocking on E's door, so I stopped to fill 'er up. The Gas station I selected was the one that let us use their property for a "Support the troops" rally 2 years ago. Then I stopped and filled a couple of prescriptions, bought a pizza, payed the final installment on our new sofa set, and went home.

Co-payments profiting the evil pharmaceutical industry: $25
Gasoline purchase profiting the evil oil companies: $20
Thumbing my nose at the moonbats: Priceless

Gregoire Says No To Performance Audits

I'm disappointed, but not surprised that our new Governor is not supporting state performance audits. Her reasoning seems to be that the audits cost too much, and after all, if they really worked businesses would use them. Excuse me Ms. Gregoire, businesses do use performance audits. If they simply raised prices instead of cutting unnecessary costs, they would go broke.

Unfortunately our Democratic leaders here in Washington continue to choose higher taxes over government accountability. Our current state deficit is approximately 1.6 billion dollars and growing. Mary Campbell, a spokesperson for Ms. Gregoire compares performance audits to exploratory surgery, and insists that they should only be used as a last resort. You can read her entire statement here.

Our Democrat controlled state has been on life support for quite a while now. It's time to either fix the problems, or pull the plug.

From the Home Office in Tenmile, Oregon

This post was originally posted over at my Blog, Memento Moron, back in August. But I feel prompted to repost it due to a comment by one of our Bloggers, who said,

I hate to say it. I love WHERE I was born, raised and currently live... BUT it might be time to start conceiving about (gasp) re-locating. God help us. I didn't want it to ever come to this - so beautiful of an environment, but a government OUT. OF. CONTROL.

It really is depressing. I hope the residents of this state soon take a stand and say, "Enough is enough." I fear the worst.

I understand his feelings, and that's why I came up with this list:

Top Ten Reasons I, a Conservative, Still Live in Oregon:

10. What, leave? I just got back!
9. At least it's not California.
8. Three words: Target Rich Environment
7. Beer strong enough to make even Howard Dean calm down.
6. Patchouli makes excellent mosquito repellant.
5. For sheer comic brilliance, nothing beats watching Kucinich supporters and Nader supporters debate.
4. Plenty of "Free Mumia Benefit Sitar Concert" fliers for the fireplace to keep you warm on those rainy Northwest nights.
3. There's entertainment value in asking the dredlocked Barrista for an "ANWR Crude Oil Latte in a Paper cup made from old growth firs" and watching the look on their face.
2. Spotted Owl tastes like chicken, but with less cholesterol.
1. THIS IS MY BIRTHPLACE AND HOME, BY GOD, AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I'LL LET THE FREAKS HAVE IT WITHOUT A FIGHT!!!!!

More Legislative Bills

First, I'd like to welcome the newest member of the Alliance; welcome aboard MissPatriot.

Thought I'd post some more of the new bills that have been introduced to the legislature, if anyone is interested (is anyone?) .

SB314 - Obligates the state to pay the child support for Oregon National Guardsmen stationed in Iraq or Afganistan. Where do I fall on this one? Well, a guardsman has all his needs taken care of while in service, especially when in a foreign country. He is fed, has shelter, there really isn't much to spend money on. Child support is based on your pay, so if his normal pay is reduced versus his normal 9 - 5 job, so too, his child support payments are reduced. Not necessarily a great deal for the kids, but it's no different than what would happen if daddy had to take any type of lower paying job. Add to that the fact that the state continues to whine it's not going to have enough money and overall this bill ends up in the STUPID CATAGORY.

SB500 - Would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing and public accomidations based on sexual orientation. First problem, discrimination of any type is prohibited in this state (based on state constitution) so this is already covered. To me it's setting the gays and transexuals up as a 'special' group - blaaaaa - sorry, hold your horses. While we shouldn't discriminate, we also don't need to set up a special group. We are all citizens under the law, we all need to be treated equally under the law. Add to this that there is no real proof that such discrimination exists - overall, a VERY stupid idea, ends up in the STUPID CATAGORY.

HB2361 - Requires that driving privleges must be revoked after three DUI convictions. Um, excuse me? You mean some pinhead judges are still allowing these drunks to hold onto a license? Unfortunately, the answer is yes, so once again we need to pinch the powers of the judges - stick this one in the GOOD CATAGORY.

SB249 - Exempt from the murder penalty mentally retarded people convicted of aggravated murder. Overall, a good idea, but I'd like to see an addition that commits these folks to a mental facility or prison (if they are ever declared sane) - so with that particular addition I would put this one in the GOOD CATAGORY.

SB313 - Makes it a crime to sell pseudoephedrine and similar substances in solid pill form that can be used to make methamphetamine without requiring photo ID from the buyer. This is a continuation of an administration order which made retailers require photo ID and fill out a form to buy said pills. It's a very lame attempt to curb the meth problem - it was pointed out that the folks making meth don't go to the corner drug store to buy their ingredients; they are getting it via internet, stealing mass quantities off the backs of shipping docks, etc. As usual, this type of logic fell on deaf ears - we already have safeguards in place to where if you buy more than 3 packets of OTC drugs that include the 'offending' substance that they don't sell it to you; but no, we needed to make a grand gesture. It's a stupid, ineffective admistrative rule, no reason to turn it into a stupid ineffective law - stick it in the STUPID CATAGORY.

SB300 - Allow public high school students in grades 11 or 12 and age 16 or older to take college courses for no charge. Why? Once you are out of the K-12 system, it costs money to go to school. Is there something special about these kids that should except them from fees? Again, if they don't pay their share of fees, we taxpayers will have to pick that cost up - STUPID CATAGORY.

SB298 - Prohibit health insurers from imposing different treatment limits or financial requirements for chemical dependency or mental conditions than for other medical conditions. Too much government sticking it's nose in private business. Read your policy BEFORE you sign up. You don't like the limitations on whatever aspect of the policy, then go buy another policy - another one in the STUPID CATAGORY.

SB306 - Increase minimum criminal penalties for providing or selling alcohol to someone younger than 21. I'd like to know what he is proposing to increase it to; overall though, this one would have my support - one in the GOOD CATAGORY.

SB294 - Permit production and possession of industrial hemp. Okay, I know there is a difference between 'production hemp' and 'recreational hemp' but it's tough to prove in court. We are already too lax in this state on marijuana, dumb idea, dumb possible law - STUPID CATAGORY.

SB290 - Require a permanent pesticide-use reporting system and increase fees for pesticide registration permits. Ohhhh, pleeeease - get a life, get a clue, that's all we don't need, MORE regulations. No, no, no, no, no. - DOUBLE STUPID CATAGORY.

SB261 - Reduce penalties for driving under the influence if the person operated a nonmotorized vehicle. Huh? Why? Don't we have laws against public intoxication (hint, the answer is yes). No, the fool can pitch himself off a bike into a plate glass window and do other things that I'd rather he didn't do with 'reduced penalties'. You wanna drink, then either do it at home or get a sober driver/method to get home. Bad idea - BAD CATAGORY.

SB228 - Set minimum physical education class requirements for kindergarten through eighth-grade public school students. Again, Nanny government at work - this should be set at the school board level, NOT at a state law level - STUPID CATAGORY.

One last thought - the legislature, at this point in time, seems to be resisting higher income taxes. However, I'll bet more regulations requiring licenses suddenly appear. I'll bet user fees and license fees increase. In the end, I won't be surprised if they finally come to the conclusion that despite all their efforts, they still end up asking for an income tax increase - they almost always do, and we almost always slap it down.

As the legislature rolls along -

More Later

(Re)United at last!

Well, I tried to convince the peeps over at the Daily Recycler to go in on a PNW Alliance deal a couple months ago, but they seemed more interested in sticking with their Washington(State)-Colorado-Washington(D.C.) Alliance, instead. But hey, who needs 'em? 'Specially since it looks like Napoleon and Sally seem to have taken a MUCH longer break than the Editor (that's me, by the way). Anyhow, it's nice to be part of it, at last. Allied at last! Allied at last! Thank God almight, we're allied at last! Oh yeah, props go out to Brain B. for settin' this joint up and giving it a name better than a standard "Pacific Northwest Blogger Alliance". Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow.

It's also nice to be reunited with the wonderful work of Patty-Jo, of whom once wrote a guest post for your's truly during my Thanksgiving get away, only a couple weeks after she joined the 'sphere. She's a gem and you should frequent her blog to read her mostly non-political goodness.

Cheers!

The Oregon Legislature Is Now In Session

The Oregon Legislature is again in session. They already have a docket of bills that they are considering. In this post I plan on looking at the bills and passing (my) judgment on said bills. I plan on making it easy as I will list them under the headings – Good, Bad and Stupid; complete with my editorial about these bills.

Good:

HB2335 and HB2336 – these bills would require the department of human services to complete investigations of certain child sexual abuse allegations within 45 or 30 days. My understanding is the length of time is the only tangible difference between these two bills. I support the shorter time limit. Hard to believe this isn’t already standard procedure, a pity we have to pass a law to make it so.

HB2331 – End annual adjustment of minimum wage for inflation. I strongly support this one. Minimum wage laws and increases hurts minimum wage earners more than it helps them. I could go on and on about this but I already posted a rant about this on my blog, should you wish to read it go here and look in my archives.

HB332 – Reduce capital-gains tax. Oregon is viewed as business unfriendly; our capital-gains tax is only one of many, many factors that adds to that perception. Lowering this tax will make us look a little less unfriendly, it might help to attract a few more businesses, it would be a good thing.

HB2313 – Allow longer sentences to be given to defendants who belong to criminal street gangs. The bill speaks for itself, you want to belong to a street gang, we need to put you behind bars for a very, very long time once you commit a crime.

HB2296 – Requires sex offenders to report where they work, carry on a vocation or attend college. Can you say “Duh” – we need to keep as close a tab on these whackos as possible. If they don’t cause any problems, great; but if there are some problems we need to be able to find these folk.

HB2318 – Expand crime of telephonic harassment to text messaging and voice mail. Should be a slam dunk, quick and easy expansion; actually should have been part of the original law.

Bad:

HB2344 – Require public schools to offer tae kwon do as a physical educations elective. Hey, I think it’s great idea if a kid wants to take tae kwon do, I think it’s a great idea if a school has the money and student body interest to offer it as a phys ed class; but to require that it be offered – bad idea.

HB2240 – Provide that part of the state agencies’ unused money may be given to employees at the end of a budget period. WHAT???? Give me a break, ever heard of a bigger incentive to inflate your department’s budget and then cut corners to assure there is as big a pot of money leftover at the end of a budget period.

HB2300 – Requires sex offenders without a permanent address to report every 10 days to the supervising agency. This is a bad law because I don’t want 10 days to elapse between known addresses where these creeps live. I want to know where they are at ALL times, they need to change this bill to keep closer tabs on them. If they don’t have a permanent address, we need to house them in halfway houses (usually state run) until they get a permanent address. Change the bill, don’t pass this one.

Stupid:

HB2329 – Require a state department of education pilot project to measure the body mass of students in selected schools and send a health report card to their parents. Too much ‘nanny government’ – the kids are already required to take a certain amount of phys ed, the parent and the kid only have to look in the mirror to figure out if the kid is fat or not. We don’t need to spend money to tell them something that is already obvious. Stupid bill, bad idea.

HB2302 – Prohibit installation of spyware on a computer by anyone but the owner or without owner’s consent. It would depend on which type of ‘spyware’ they are referring to – if it’s spyware that installs itself on your computer when you are surfing the web, it’s an international problem and state law has no effect on it. Install good spyware detector/remover and get over it. If they are referring to installing spyware such as a ‘key logger’, locally that is usually not a problem. Again a good anti-spyware program will take care of the problem. We don’t need to waste time on this kind of legislation.

This, of course, isn’t an all inclusive list, but it does show you a few of the places that the legislators are starting. Overall, I’m not impressed, rather typical if you ask me. My expectation is that the bills that I labeled as good will not get passed; the bills I labeled as stupid will fly through and the bad bills will could go either way.

Gotta Love this state.

More Later

And The Winner Is?

The confusion over the election of a new Governor has been a real wake-up call for Washingtonians. Most of us still aren't sure what happened. There has been abundant speculation, innuendo and hearsay, but of course none of us really knows anything for sure. We probably never will.

I voted for Dino Rossi(R), and of course I would love to see him take office, but only if he is elected by a clear majority of voters in Washington State. He wasn't, and neither was Christine Gregoire. When the difference in votes is within the margin of error, there is no way to know who won. Although I signed the Revote Petition, there is no guarantee that a revote will solve this.

There is a chance that even if Washingtonians are allowed to revote, the difference in votes will still be within the margin of error. Then what? When do we stop counting? The bottom line is that election reform is way overdue. The opportunities for error and fraud are huge. Not just here, but nationwide.

I read about how the voting was conducted in Afghanistan, and how it will be done in Iraq. Everyone that votes has to show ID, and after they vote their thumbs are dipped in indelible ink. I wouldn't want to walk around with a black thumb for days, but I showing ID is easy. In the United States, it's almost impossible to survive without some kind of ID. If you want to drive, rent an apartment, go to school, or apply for food stamps, you have to prove you are who you say you are.

I also read that over 60% of Washington voters use absentee ballots, and that this increases the opportunity for fraud. I and almost everyone I know votes absentee, not because we're housebound, but because it's so convenient. The truth is, most people that really want to vote will find a way to do so. And I honestly believe that if the powers that be really wanted election reform, it would been done already.

Kulongoski State of State Speech (Oregon)

Ted Kulongoski is the governor of the state of Oregon. He was elected to that position two years ago in a rather close, for Oregon, race. Despite all of Governor Kulongoski's posturing, this state has been through a rather hard two years. While the recession hit the entire nation, Oregon was in the top three for number of unemployed, and it hasn't changed (we're presently tied with Alaska as having the highest unemployment in the nation) - yet that hasn't changed Kulongoski's speel.

I listened to his speech today (1/10/05) and was rather appalled by how the man can't seem to get out of his own way. He shot veiled (and not so veiled) threats at the federal government in disputes (disputes if you buy Kulongoski's slant on the issues) regarding the forests, salmon and wilderness areas. He took a nuanced potshot at the property rights issue that the voters just passed in this state; making it clear that he disagreed with it and wanted to 'fix' it. News flash Ted, the land use laws in this state have helped to cripple our economy. The voters have finally figured it out, when will our elected leaders also hear that message?

While the rhetoric that I mentioned above got to me, there were two other comments that he made that really made me wonder if he had taken his meds this morning. I will quote them from his speech (link here). "There is also the matter of global warming. The Administration should never have walked away from the Kyoto Treaty. Global warming is real and it is here today. The facts aren’t the issue. The policy is the issue. I think the Administration’s policy on global warming is dead wrong."

Let's examine a couple of points here, first, is it really within the 'powers' of a state governor to comment on a national/world issue? Yes, he has every right as a private citizen, but to bring it up during a speech that is suppose to be about the state of the state? Second, look at the language that he uses, "The facts aren't the issue. The policy is the issue." Excuse me Ted, but the FACTS are INDEED the issue. Global warming has been disputed time and time again, here, here and here ( and more sites available upon request). The point is that global warming is anything except an established fact so the only reason that Ted can be bringing it up is to establish some kind of policy. What does Ted intend to do, in this state that has $1 billion more expected in revenue for the next two years but still claims that it is $1 billion short of what it needs? Why he is going to do what any good democratic governor would do, he "... appointed an Advisory Group on Global Warming, which reported to me what Oregon can do to reduce greenhouse gases. We will work together to review and implement these recommendations." Where he is getting this extra money for his group or for putting in place the recommendations I'll leave to your imagination. Although earlier in his speech he did proclaim that he would not seek any new taxes; hmmm, I recall he made that same claim when he got elected, then he promptly campaigned for new taxes and the citizens turned him down.

The other issue I wish to bring up almost went unnoticed by many folks. He was speaking about the state educational system, he said "Nothing will put Oregon’s economy into overdrive faster than a stable, well-funded and accessible pre-K through 20 education system." Um, excuse me, pre-K through what??? Grade 20? Um, that's 'well-funding' up through PhD - but what does that mean? Well, folks sometimes forget what happens year-to-year, so allow me to remind you of something the governor espoused in June of 2003 (link), he wanted to change the constitution of the state to create a trust fund which would pay for the tuition of anyone who wanted to go to college in Oregon. Nice idea but there are a few problems - if it's in the constitution, it's written in stone, no matter how bad the economy gets that fund will have be funded to whatever level it's set for for that year regardless of what happens to the rest of the state budget. At last estimate, the funding would have to be around $100+ million per year, and should it pass, there was no restriction that it would only go to Oregon residents; which would mean you could expect to see anyone who couldn't pay for college otherwise to suddenly show up in this state.

Allow me to close my first (long) posting by saying that Governor Ted started his speech talking about how we needed bi-partisan help in the legislature to make it a productive session. However, throughout his entire talk, it was only the democrats in the legislature that applauded all of Ted's various talking points. Bottom line, looks like another long, hard legislative session ahead of us - God Help Us All.

More Later

The Real Northwest

My affinity for the television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has been well documented. Last night, I had extra cause to enjoy the show: The episode was filmed here in the Northwest, when the cast helped a family on Washington's Kitsap Peninsula, across the Sound from Seattle. It was especially heartwarming to see my fellow Nor'Westers helping their neighbors. And it mitigated a frustration of mine.

For better or for worse, the view that most people outside the Northwest have of us is almost entirely shaped by the image present by the larger cities, especially Seattle, Portland, and, to a lesser extent, Eugene. That image is one of NFL teams that choke, Starbucks (two on every corner), Grunge bands, WTC Riots, Anarchist cells, SUV-torching Earth First!'ers, and rain, rain, rain.

Well, ok, the rain part is fair. But the rest of it... well, it's a limited view, at best, and misrepresents the reality anywhere outside the big cities. The Northwest that was shown on last night's EM:HE was the Northwest I grew up in -- Rural, beautiful (albeit soggy), full of good-hearted people who would give you the shirt off their backs. Sure, we have good and bad, just like anywhere else, but the average rural Oregonian or Washingtonian is honest, hard-working, and is almost indistinguishable from the kind of people you'd find in any rural region (except for the webs between the toes and the layer of moss). And they are, almost unanimously, aware of the exquisite beauty of their surroundings. They are as proud, hardy, and hospitable as any Texan, Kansan, or Southerner you'll meet, and in most cases, probably descended from whichever state you're in as you read this.

So the next time you read a headline from Portland or Seattle, take a moment and remember just how small a spot on our map each of those places is. And try not to paint the rest of our states with their brush.

Cross-Posted at Memento Moron.

Want to Join?

If you are a Blogger, are politically conservative or a small-l libertarian, live in the Pacific Northwest, and want to join, Drop me a line at:

BrianBinOR [at] gmail[dot]com

Everybody's Doing It

So I decided I would too.

Start a Blog Alliance, that is. When I started Blogging, I was unaware of any other conservative Blogs here in the Pacific Northwest. But I plugged on, a firm believer both in my own political views and in the beauty of my home region.

Soon I became aware of others. Some I knew personally, others not. And eventually I decided it was time to organize, to band us all together to Blog on the things that matter to us: Political Conservatism and life in the Great Northwest. So I put out the Call.

The purpose of this Blog is to highlight the best entries that conservatives from the Pacific Northwest. Each entry will be by a member of the Alliance, and will be cross-posted on their own blog. To the right you will see a list of Alliance members and links to their blogs.

Enjoy!