A person driving a truck with right-wing stickers pulled a "splatter ball gun" on pro-Palestine protesters at a rally. Several armed rally goers pulled their own weapons, and forced the person to drop their weapon and also remove their mask.
"Two individuals within the march rushed to the front, drew their own handguns, and ordered the man to immediately drop his weapon and take off his mask to which he complied. After doing so, he took his mask off. As the two individuals kicked the now-unmasked man’s weapon away,"
“#Oregon Supreme Court: 10 Republican state senators who staged record-long walkout last year to stall bills on #abortion, #transgender health care & #GunRights cannot run for reelection.
..upholds sec of state’s decision to disqualify the senators from ballot under voter-approved measure aimed at stopping such boycotts. Measure ..amended state constitution to bar lawmakers from reelection if they have more than 10 unexcused absences”
A cyclist is hit and killed in full daylight by the driver of a black pickup, in Salem Oregon.
It is revealed that the driver who killed the cyclist was an on-duty DEA agent embedded in the Salem police department, so the case is handed over to Keizer PD to investigate.
Camera footage reveals the driver (DEA agent) was speeding on a residential street, ran a stop sign when he hit the cyclist, who had the right of way and was coming down a steep hill. Driver stopped but did not aide the dying cyclist.
Driver is indicted for negligence, arrested, released on bail.
Latest development: lawyer for the defendant (DEA agent) petitioned to have the case held in federal court, because he could use law enforcement immunity as a defense in federal but not Oregon state court.
Prosecutors say that the agent was NOT actively pursuing a suspect or about to intervene in a drug deal.
So they're saying that simply being a DEA officer is enough to be allowed to do this. Seriously it's DEA policy that agents are allowed to break traffic laws, and they argue that means they can't have consequences for hitting and killing a person.
Fuck the #DEA. #FuckCars#FuckThePolice#Oregon#SafeStreets#cycling
Edited because my link at the top was broken!
9 Times the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Miscalculated Badly at the Expense of #Taxpayers, #Wildlife
The agency has a history of diving into big #construction projects that exceed projected costs, fall short on projected benefits and, in some cases, create new problems that #engineers hadn’t bargained for.
Ever wonder why when you were a kid in Oregon, you learned about the Iroquois and Cherokee tribes of the Eastern USA but nothing about local Native Americans? Why you learned about the pioneers crossing the plains on the Oregon Trail, but nothing about what they did once they arrived?
...Or maybe you didn't even notice how much was left out until this very moment, reading my words?
Here is the missing piece.
"Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley" by David G. Lewis.
Fair warning, this book made me so upset that I cried. Not at the author, he's done an excellent job. At the astonishing cruelty, violence, and dishonesty shown to native people by (many) white settlers. At how little they asked for, and still didn't get. At how little is left of the ecosystems that sustained people and wildlife and were carefully maintained by native people. At how much astonishing wealth has accrued to those who stole from natives, even to the modern day.
Land acknowledgement statements are not enough! If you are a white person in Oregon, you need to read this.
Recently I posted that some libraries in southern Oregon were under attack. Racist, bigoted fascists were trying to infiltrate their Board so they could ban books.
Well, the voters have spoken. Our candidates—kind people with integrity—won the election. They won!
Small elections are huge. They mean so very much. Just wanted to share, because these victories have been few and far between.
If you're not here or don't hear about Oregon politics: It's wild. GOP lawmakers in Oregon's Senate have been on a walkout to prevent abortion protections and other Democratic priorities from passing. But Oregon voters passed a ballot measure last year making any legislator that does this ineligible to run again.
Oregon’s #Drug Decriminalization Aimed to Make #Cops a Gateway to Rehab, Not Jail. State Leaders Failed to Make It Work.
Just over three years since #Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 110, elected officials want to repeal key elements, blaming the law for open drug use and soaring overdoses.
But it’s their own hands-off approach that isn’t working, advocates say.
This weekend I visited #ThackerPass, where the largest lithium mine in the US is under construction on lands of cultural and historical significance to the Paiute, Shoshone and Washoe people, near the #Nevada / #Oregon border.
Impacted tribes have not given consent for the open pit mine, but the Biden administration and a federal judge have approved it to supply lithium for electric vehicle batteries.
As many of you know, I bailed from my trip early due to stomach issues. Still saw some beautiful scenery in the Three Sisters Wilderness on my very long day. I’m feeling much better so far this morning so it might have just been a 24-hour bug.🤞🏼Very happy to be home. Drinking lots of electrolytes and resting.
Now, after scandals involving their use of hotel rooms and out-of-state private facilities, state officials have landed on a new — but still trouble-ridden — approach: They are paying a #religiousnonprofit more than 100 times the amount they pay foster care parents to watch children in unregulated short-term rental homes.
Happy Thanksgiving from the summit of Round Top in the Tillamook State Forest! Looking forward to spending the day with family and eating some turkey. If you know me, you know I’m excited to try all of the desserts. Out in the forest making room for all the food. After the festivities, I’m heading to the base of Mount Hood to go camping. Sunny but close to freezing all weekend.
I've been working on a project with a woman inside Coffee Creek prison. She's collecting accounts from women inside, and her own observations, and is sending them to me to publish. I'll be posting them on a blog as I receive them. This is a way to directly allow those inside to speak for themselves. I don't agree with all of it - but as long as a statement isn't directly inflammatory or bigoted I will publish it. I posted an introduction and brief first statement from the person I'm in contact with. If you'd like to keep up with it you can find the blog linked below.
The #Oregon Timber Industry Won Huge #Tax Cuts in the 1990s. Now It May Get Another Break Thanks to a Top Lawmaker.
As the cost of fighting #wildfires increases, state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner has proposed a bill — developed in consultation with the #logging industry — that would shift millions in expenses away from the biggest landowners and onto taxpayers.
I had an amazing weekend, I’m so happy spring is finally here. It’s so freeing to carry everything you need on your back and be completely surrounded by nature. I feel so much safer alone in the middle of the forest than camping along forest roads. I’m considering this spring training while the Cascades are still covered in snow. This trail is ideal for that.
I'm very glad to see farmers win the right to repair their tractors. It's a win for consumers against bogus #IP objections from manufacturers. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64206913