12.21.5 - St Helens City Council Meeting

Last night, the St. Helens City Council met, (in the interest of candor and better communication with the public) to openly discuss revamping the City Charter. In essence, to begin the process of changing the way the City of St. Helens will be ran...er, I mean, governed.
From our Update correspondent photo above, you can clearly deduce that hardly anyone objected.
Or communicated.
Actually, there were SOME people there; most of whom spoke in favor of changing the charter. It's funny how these few in attendance (supporting this charter change) knew of the meeting in the first place.
I wonder what could have happened--again, in the interest of candor and better "communication"--if the Council would have scheduled the "conversation" to occur AFTER this busy time of year. Or, if they somehow could have let "the rest of us" St Helens citizens know that this meeting was taking place at ALL. Ya know, in the interest of candor and communication.
This stinks y'all. Keep your eye on things here,
-Tom

11.30.5 - Mossy Rock to St Helens

On Monday, the city of St. Helens confessed that there had been a “substantial” discharge of "foam", (which is generated during the treatment of wastewater from the Boise Paper Mill) from the city’s wastewater treatment facility on Sunday.
The city said it is working with Boise to reduce these releases.
“Periodically, plant and weather conditions combine and cause this to happen,” said City Manager Brian Little. “Evaluation of the foam indicates that it poses no health concerns.”

Uh-huh.

Oregonian reporter Michael Milstein reported that back in October, Oregon's environmental agency moved to let factories and plants pour dirtier water into Oregon rivers, in a change partly paid for by one of the industries that would benefit from the looser rules.
The move was deemed necessary because rules protecting water clarity are so strict that industries have a hard time meeting them and the state enforces them only sporadically, state officials said.
Revisions proposed by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality would let the average Oregon river become more than 30 percent murkier at times. The average smaller stream could become more than twice as murky.
Wastewater draining from a St. Helens paper mill and city sewage plant into the Columbia River, for example, could be nearly four times cloudier than under present rules, according to state calculations.
DEQ leaders said Oregon rivers are so clear to begin with and the changes so minor that the effect would be scarcely noticeable in streams and would not bother salmon that require clear water. They emphasized that the new rules would still be tougher than those in most other states.

Uh-huh.

Environmental groups said the budget-strapped DEQ is bowing to the very industries it is supposed to oversee.
"Their argument is, 'We don't enforce the standard, so we're going to make one that's weak so it's easier to enforce,' " said Brent Foster of Columbia Riverkeeper. "It just shows the complete lack of backbone in DEQ."
This is the first time the state environmental agency has tried to alter water standards under a provision approved by the Legislature that allows industries to pay for work that the DEQ cannot afford on its own.
The change does not weaken the rules but creates scientifically sound limits that can be applied more consistently, said DEQ Director Stephanie Hallock.
"I look at it as an attempt to make a workable standard," she said.

Uh-huh.

The latest research suggests that current rules are more rigid than necessary to protect salmon, drinking water and other uses dependent on clean water, DEQ officials said. Fish adjust to natural changes in rivers, and the new rules keep cloudiness to levels fish can handle, they said.

Uh-huh.

The rules involve only the cloudiness of water -- called turbidity --while other rules control chemicals. Cloudiness limits whether fish can see to feed and whether sunlight reaches underwater plant life. Murkier water also often means cities bear higher costs for filtering drinking water.
In part because of shrinking state funding, the DEQ depends on outside money for about two-thirds of its budget. Much of the funding comes from fees companies pay for air and water pollution permits, for instance.
But officials acknowledged that an industry group paying the state agency that regulates it to adjust pollution limits could raise public questions. Hallock said she stands behind the DEQ's technical work and thinks the revision is fair and sound.
She said outside money is an important tool to perform environmental work chronically underfunded in Oregon. "But if the perception raised is that it's not acceptable to the public, we're going to have to look at that," she said.
DEQ policies say outside money should not be used "where it would result in an apparent or actual conflict of interest."

The contract between the DEQ and the Pulp and Paper Association that spelled out the funding deal said agency staff "shall be free to exercise independent judgment, as approved by DEQ management."
But it also said the DEQ would review two reports supplied by the Pulp and Paper Association "as a starting point for this work," though they would be subject to independent evaluation. One was a 2002 report by the Pulp and Paper Association arguing that Oregon standards are based on obsolete methods and unnecessarily strict.
The other came from the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, a research institute funded by the paper and timber industries. It suggested Oregon's tight limits would make little difference to salmon.

Uh-huh.

The 13-month agreement required DEQ to report monthly to the Pulp and Paper Association on its work and expenses and submit invoices to the industry group for payment.
Environmental groups protested at the time. They said they were not surprised at the result.
"Northwest Pulp and Paper was not going to roll the dice with their money if there was a possibility the rule was going to get tougher," Foster said.

I'm thirsty. Better head up river to Scappoose.
Take care and keep an eye out on things here.
-Tom

11.23.5 - Home

Every year, Lorraine begins Thanksgiving dinner by going around the table, (no matter how many people we’ve invited over) asking each person to share what they have been thankful for over the past year. This tradition usually moves along quickly, as most of us are ready to dive-in and eat.

Our neighbor Jack, who comes over to eat with us every year, is the kind of guy who is keen on pronouncing himself—to anyone who will listen—as “pro-American” and patriotic. Last year, after Lorraine shared her gratitude for God’s gift of creation, Jack gave his own short, impassioned speech of thanks: for the American flag, bald-eagles, Dubya and our noble cause of fighting for freedom over in Iraq. I silently cringed, but held my tongue in respect and tolerance. That is...until dinner was underway.

All-the-while under Lorraine’s not-so-subtle stink-eye glare, I gave my own assessment of Jack’s thanksgiving gratitude, for better or worse. You can probably imagine how it went. Jack certainly seemed as if he had heard the speech before.

“That’s not very patriotic Tom,” Jack offered me with a smile. "It's almost anti-American."

“Ya know Jack,” I told him. “Nationalism of one kind or another was the cause of most of the genocide of the 20^th Century.”

Jack (and Lorraine) stared back at me in anger.

“And flags are only bits of colored cloth that governments use to shrink-wrap people’s brains,” I went on, “and then, as ceremonial shrouds to bury their dead.”

Jack was not happy. He wiped his mouth, politely excused himself, wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and got up to leave. Lorraine rushed after him towards the front door, seeing him out while profusely apologizing to him. She returned apologizing to everyone still at the table.

“Honestly Tom!” she said to me harshly while sitting back down and she continued glaring at me throughout the rest of our Thanksgiving meal.

And I WAS wrong. I went over the next day and apologized to Jack. He accepted my apology, though he wasn’t sure he would be attending next (this) year’s dinner. Lorraine, as usual, was right because today, I look back at this event shamefully…basically, the Thanksgiving table is neither the place, nor the time for such a discussion. For such labels.

My blog however, IS the place for such things. And I want to be clear with y’all why I was wrong.

Those of us who express our revulsion for the war in Iraq, the incompetence of the Bush Administration and so forth, always seem to run smack into the Jacks of the world who in turn, are compelled to label us as “anti-American” and unpatriotic.

Of course, this is ridiculous: The term anti-American is usually used by the American establishment to discredit and inaccurately define its critics. Thus, an anti-American is a person who is against America and, by inference, is pro some other nation. Once someone is branded anti-American, the chances are that he or she will be judged before they are heard, and any arguments are lost in a sea of bruised national pride. This is why it is an extremely effective strategy in combating the free speech of discontent.

Does this anti-American label mean I’m anti-Jazz? Anti-Thanksgiving dinner? Anti-Ralph Waldo Emerson? Anti-Freedom of speech or anti-Martin Luther King? Does it mean I’m against Redwood trees? Does it mean I hate all Americans? Of course not.

To call someone anti-American is not just racist labeling, it’s a failure of the imagination; an inability to see the world in terms other than those the establishment has set out for you. If you’re not pro-Bush, you support terrorism. If you’re not good, you’re evil. If you’re not a blue state, you’re a red state.

And this is why I was wrong last year. I labeled Jack.

This is the problem we, as Americans, face this Thanksgiving here in America. We, who differ, need to stop labeling each other as “this or that”.

Is it possible that all of us are this AND that?

Today, I’m headed over to Jack’s to be sure he’ll be joining us this year, as he has every year prior. And I will promise him that I won’t label him anymore. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

-Tom

11.1.5 - Home

Persons to emulate:
Rosa Parks 1913-2005

10.25.5 - Astoria to Longview

Two worthwhile events happening in Columbia County this Saturday:
First, the St. Helens Daybreaker Kiwanis annual Children's Fair at St. Helens High School from 10:00AM - 3:00 PM, is the largest single event of its kind in the Northwest. There will be 6000 or more people from all over Columbia County there. Please be sure to read the detailed announcements on Sthelensupdate. If you think that this is something just for kids then you are mistaken...it's fascinating for us "groan-ups" as well. There are no commercial ventures there, no money being made or generated, just displays and events of interest to kids.

Also, a quick shout out for Rainier Together’s 2nd Annual Red Ribbon Run & Walk happening this Saturday, October 29th, beginning at 10am at the Rainier High School Football Field. Events include a 1k & 5k run, and a 3k walk with runners and walkers of all ages and abilities welcome. If you’re interested, you can register on Saturday for $8 with all money raised to help fund alcohol and other drug prevention efforts in the Rainier area. (For more information, please contact Penny Blahm of Rainier Together Coalition at 503-556-9269 or Len Robison at Rainier High School at 503-556-4215)
Rainier Together is a local coalition formed to prevent substance abuse in youth and adults, and to promote activities that give youth and families the opportunity to make healthy lifestyle choices. The coalition has funded an After School Program for Middle School students in Rainier, a Prevention Specialist in the Elementary School to provide Prevention Education, a Parent Education Class, OSSOM student attendance to Conferences, MIP Diversion and Smoking Cessation Classes, and has sponsored and provided Substance Abuse Prevention Education and Training in the town of Rainier.

Sadly my friends, I haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time here in St Helens over the past few months, but when I have been here, I seem to always be talking with people about the levy dedicated to law enforcement for the Nov. 8th election. With a focus on fighting methamphetamine and related-crimes, the levy will raise an estimated $6.3 million over five years, (dedicated exclusively to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department for 10 patrol deputes and two patrol sergeants - tripling the current patrol force and allowing for 24 hour-coverage of the rural areas of the county.) The levy will cost property owners 39.49 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation (about $39 per year on a house valued at $100,000), and will also provide for one civil deputy position, and two support positions within the Columbia County Jail, as well as patrol cars and bullet-proof vests for the new patrol deputies. The local option law enforcement levy is the only county-wide measure on the ballot. City of Scappoose voters have a city ordinance to vote on as well, but nothing else is on the ballot in Columbia County.
If you ask me, the Sheriff's Levy is a no-brainer.
Be sure to fill out those ballots you'll get in the mail this week.
-Tom

10.19.5 - Longview to St. Helens

Five NW things I really missed being away for two months:
Lorraine's backyard garden
Wayne's Hot-Dog truck
posting to StHelensUpdate
The loading dock foreman's rants (believe it or not)
Driving over the bridge into Rainier

Five things I'm really starting to miss (in general):
The Tonight Show w/ Johnny Carson
Two (and only two) kinds of Coca-Cola
use of sentence case by college-educated adults
Bill Clinton
People driving without cell-phones

Five favorite New Orleans icons:
Ignatius Reilly
Louis Armstrong
Mayor Ray Nagin
Cafe du Monde
Stanley Kowalski

Five things I'd ask every Supreme Court nominee:
If you knew to an absolute moral certainty that you could capture and consume a live infant without being caught, how many do you suppose you could eat in a weekend?
Have you ever been spanked erotically by someone who was not your current legal spouse? Just yes or no, please.
Nominee, do you regard these slacks as accentuating my basket in an un-senatorial fashion?
Describe in single words, only the good things that come into your mind about…your mother.
Kindly rise, and sing the 1979 hit, The Piña Colada Song, also known as Escape.

Five things that I didn't miss in St Helens:
hospital
amphitheater
City Hall
library
parks

10.13.5 - (Motel 6) Boseman, MT

I'll be back in St Helens next week for the first time in three months. Can't wait!
Until then, please consider this from my good friend Keith Olbermann of MSNBC and (formerly) ESPN.
Take care of things, and see ya next week!
-Tom

The Nexus of Politics and Terror (Keith Olbermann)

Last Thursday on Countdown, I referred to the latest terror threat - the reported bomb plot against the New York City subway system - in terms of its timing. President Bush’s speech about the war on terror had come earlier the same day, as had the breaking news of the possible indictment of Karl Rove in the CIA leak investigation.

I suggested that in the last three years there had been about 13 similar coincidences - a political downturn for the administration, followed by a “terror event” - a change in alert status, an arrest, a warning.

We figured we’d better put that list of coincidences on the public record. We did so this evening on the television program, with ten of these examples. The other three are listed at the end of the main list, out of chronological order. The contraction was made purely for the sake of television timing considerations, and permitted us to get the live reaction of the former Undersecretary of Homeland Security, Asa Hutchinson.

We bring you these coincidences, reminding you, and ourselves here, that perhaps the simplest piece of wisdom in the world is called “the logical fallacy.” Just because Event “A” occurs, and then Event “B” occurs, that does not automatically mean that Event “A” caused Event “B.”

But y one set of comments from an informed observer seems particularly relevant as we examine these coincidences.

On May 10^th of this year, after his resignation, former Secretary of Homeland Security Ridge looked back on the terror alert level changes, issued on his watch.

Mr. Ridge said: “More often than not we were the least inclined to raise it. Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don’t necessarily put the country on (alert)… there were times when some people were really aggressive about raising it, and we said ‘for that?’”

Please, judge for yourself.

Number One:

May 18^th, 2002. The first details of the President’s Daily Briefing of August 6^th, 2001, are revealed, including its title - “Bin Laden Determined To Strike In U.S.” The same day another memo is discovered - revealing the FBI knew of men with links to Al Qaeda training at an Arizona flight school. The memo was never acted upon. Questions about 9/11 Intelligence failures are swirling.

May 20^th, 2002. Two days later, FBI Director Mueller declares another terrorist attack “inevitable.” The next day, the Department of Homeland Security issues warnings of attacks against railroads nationwide, and against New York City landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.

Number Two:

June 6^th, 2002. Colleen Rowley, the FBI agent who tried to alert her superiors to the specialized flight training taken by Zacarias Moussaoui, whose information suggests the government missed a chance to break up the 9/11 plot, testifies before Congress. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Graham says Rowley’s testimony has inspired similar pre-9/11 whistle-blowers.

June 10^th, 2002. Four days later, speaking from Russia, Attorney General John Ashcroft reveals that an American named Jose Padilla is under arrest, accused of plotting a radiation bomb attack in this country. Padilla had, by this time, already been detained for more than a month.

Number Three:

February 5^th, 2003. Secretary of State Powell tells the United Nations Security Council of Iraq’s concealment of weapons, including 18 mobile biological weapons laboratories, justifying a U.N. or U.S. first strike. Many in the UN are doubtful. Months later, much of the information proves untrue.

February 7^th, 2003. Two days later, as anti-war demonstrations continue to take place around the globe, Homeland Security Secretary Ridge cites “credible threats” by Al Qaeda, and raises the terror alert level to orange. Three days after that, Fire Administrator David Paulison - who would become the acting head of FEMA after the Hurricane Katrina disaster - advises Americans to stock up on plastic sheeting and duct tape to protect themselves against radiological or biological attack.

Number Four:

July 23^rd, 2003: The White House admits the CIA -- months before the President's State of the Union Address -- expressed "strong doubts" about the claim that Iraq had attempted to buy uranium from Niger. On the 24th, the Congressional report on the 9/11 attacks is issued; it criticizes government at all levels; it reveals an FBI informant had been living with two of the future hijackers; and it concludes that Iraq had no link to Al-Qaeda. 28 pages of the report are redacted. On the 26^th, American troops are accused of beating Iraqi prisoners.

July 29^th, 2003. Three days later, amid all of those negative headlines, Homeland Security issues warnings of further terrorist attempts to use airplanes for suicide attacks.

Number Five:

December 17^th, 2003. 9/11 Commission Co-Chair Thomas Kean says the attacks were preventable. The next day, a Federal Appeals Court says the government cannot detain suspected radiation-bomber Jose Padilla indefinitely without charges, and the chief U.S. Weapons inspector in Iraq, Dr. David Kay, who has previously announced he has found no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, announces he will resign his post.

December 21^st, 2003. Three days later, just before Christmas, Homeland Security again raises the threat level to Orange, claiming “credible intelligence” of further plots to crash airliners into U.S. cities. Subsequently, six international flights into this country are cancelled after some passenger names purportedly produce matches on government no-fly lists. The French later identify those matched names: one belongs to an insurance salesman from Wales, another to an elderly Chinese woman, a third to a five-year old boy.

Number Six:

March 30th, 2004. The new chief weapons inspector in Iraq, Charles Duelfer tells Congress we have still not found any WMD there. On the 31^st, after weeks of refusing to appear before the 9/11 Commission, Condoleezza Rice finally relents and agrees to testify. On April 1st: Four Blackwater-USA contractors working in Iraq are murdered, their mutilated bodies dragged through the streets and left on public display in Fallujah. The role of civilian contractors in Iraq is widely questioned.

April 2^nd, 2004. The next day, Homeland Security issues a bulletin warning that terrorists may try to blow up buses and trains, using fertilizer and fuel bombs - like the one detonated in Oklahoma City - stuffed into satchels or duffel bags.

Number Seven:

Ma16^th, 2004. Secretary of State Powell appears on “Meet The Press.” Moderator Tim Russert closes by asking him about the “enormous personal credibility” Powell had placed before the U.N. in laying out a case against Saddam Hussein. An aide to Powell interrupts the question, saying the interview is over. Powell finishes his answer, admitting that much of the information he had been given about Weapons of Mass Destruction was “inaccurate and wrong, and, in some cases, deliberately misleading.”

May 21^st, 2004, new photos showing mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison are released. On the 24th - Associated Press video from Iraq confirms U.S. forces mistakenly bombed a wedding party - killing more than 40.

Wednesday the 26^th. Two days later, Attorney General Ashcroft and FBI Director Mueller warn that intelligence from multiple sources, in Ashcroft’s words, “indicates Al-Qaeda’s specific intention to hit the United States hard,” and that “90 percent of the arrangements for an attack on the United States were complete.” The color-coded warning system is not raised, and Homeland Security Secretary Ridge does not attend the announcement.

Number Eight:

July 6^th, 2004. Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry selects Senator John Edwards as his vice presidential running mate, producing a small bump in the election opinion polls, and a huge swing in media attention towards the Democratic campaign.

July 8^th, 2004. Two days later, Homeland Secretary Ridge warns of information about Al-Qaeda attacks during the summer or autumn. Four days after that, the head of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, DeForest B. Soaries, Junior, confirms he has written to Ridge about the prospect of postponing the upcoming Presidential election in the event it is interrupted by terrorist acts.

Number Nine:

July 29^th, 2004. At their party convention in Boston, the Democrats formally nominate John Kerry as their candidate for President. As in the wake of any convention, the Democrats dominate the media attention over the ensuing weekend.

Monday, August 1^st, 2004. The Department of Homeland Security raises the alert status for financial centers in New York, New Jersey, and Washington to orange. The evidence supporting the warning - reconnaissance data, left in a home in Iraq - later proves to be roughly four years old and largely out-of-date.

Number Ten:

Last Thursday. At 10 AM Eastern Time, the President addresses the National Endowment for Democracy, once again emphasizing the importance of the war on terror and insisting his government has broken up at least 10 terrorist plots since 9/11.

At 3 PM Eastern Time, five hours after the President’s speech has begun, the Associated Press reports that Karl Rove will testify again to the CIA Leak Grand Jury, and that Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald has told Rove he cannot guarantee that he will not be indicted.

At 5:17 PM Eastern Time, seven hours after the President’s speech has begun, New York officials disclose a bomb threat to the city’s subway system - based on information supplied by the Federal Government. A Homeland Security spokesman says the intelligence upon which the disclosure is based is “of doubtful credibility.” And it later proves that New York City had known of the threat for at least three days, and had increased police presence in the subways long before making the announcement at that particular time. Local New York television station, WNBC, reports it had the story of the threat days in advance, but was asked by "high ranking federal officials" in New York and Washington to hold off its story.

Less than four days after revealing the threat, Mayor Michael Bloomberg says "Since the period of the threat now seems to be passing, I think over the immediate future, we'll slowly be winding down the enhanced security."

While news organizations ranging from the New York Post to NBC News quote sources who say there was reason to believe that informant who triggered the warning simply ‘made it up’, a Senior U.S. Counter-terrorism official tells the New York Times: "There was no there, there."

The list of three additional examples follows.

Number Eleven:

October 22^nd, 2004. After weeks of Administration insistence that there are terrorist plans to disrupt the elections, FBI, Law Enforcement, and other U.S. Intelligence agencies report they have found no direct evidence of any plot. More over, they say, a key CIA source who had claimed knowledge of the plot, has been discredited.

October 29, 2004. Seven days later - four days before the Presidential election - the first supposedly new, datable tape of Osama Bin Laden since December 2001 is aired on the Al-Jazeera Network. A Bush-Cheney campaign official anonymously tells the New York Daily News that from his campaign’s point of view, the tape is quote “a little gift.”

Number Twelve:

May 5^th, 2005. 88 members of the United States House of Representatives send a letter to President Bush demanding an investigation of the so-called “Downing Street Memo” - a British document which describes purported American desire dating to 2002 to "fix" the evidence to fit the charges against Iraq. In Iraq over the following weekend, car bombings escalate. On the 11^th, more than 75 Iraqis are killed in one.

May 11^th, 2005. Later that day, an instructor and student pilot violate restricted airspace in Washington D.C. It is an event that happens hundreds of times a year, but this time the plane gets to within three miles of the White House. The Capitol is evacuated; Vice President Cheney, the First Lady, and Nancy Reagan are all rushed to secure locations. The President, biking through woods, is not immediately notified.

Number Thirteen:

June 26^th, 2005. A Gallup poll suggests that 61 percent of the American public believes the President does not have a plan in Iraq. On the 28^th, Mr. Bush speaks to the nation from Fort Bragg: "We fight today because terrorists want to attack our country and kill our citizens, and Iraq is where they are making their stand. So we'll fight them there, we'll fight them across the world, and we will stay in the fight until the fight is won."

June 29^th 2005. The next day, another private pilot veers into restricted airspace, the Capitol is again evacuated, and this time, so is the President.

--

To summarize, coincidences are coincidences.

We could probably construct a similar time line of terror events and warnings, and their relationship to - the opening of new Walmarts around the country.

Are these coincidences signs that the government’s approach has worked because none of the announced threats ever materialized? Are they signs that the government has not yet mastered how and when to inform the public?

Is there, in addition to the "fog of war" a simple, benign, "fog of intelligence”?

But, if merely a reasonable case can be made that any of these juxtapositions of events are more than just coincidences, it underscores the need for questions to be asked in this country - questions about what is prudence, and what is fear-mongering; questions about which is the threat of death by terror, and which is the terror of threat.

9/30/5 - Home

G'bye Mr. Delay!

And to celebrate, here are "10 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes by Tom DeLay"

1) "So many minority youths had volunteered…that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like myself." –Tom DeLay, explaining at the 1988 GOP convention why he and vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle did not fight in the Vietnam War (Source)

2) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" –Tom Delay, to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 9, 2005 (Source)

3) "I AM the federal government." –Tom DeLay, to the owner of Ruth's Chris Steak House, after being told to put out his cigar because of federal government regulations banning smoking in the building, May 14, 2003 (Source)

4) "We're no longer a superpower. We're a super-duper power." –Tom DeLay, explaining why America must topple Saddam Hussein in 2002 interview with Fox News (Source)

5) "Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes." –Tom DeLay, March 12, 2003 (Source)

6) "Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth control pills." –Tom DeLay, on causes of the Columbine High School massacre, 1999 (Source)

7) "A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure. To provide stability. Not that a woman can't provide stability, I'm not saying that... It does take a father, though." -Tom DeLay, in a radio interview, Feb. 10, 2004 (Source)

8) "I don't believe there is a separation of church and state. I think the Constitution is very clear. The only separation is that there will not be a government church." –Tom DeLay (Source)

9) "Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour [the minimum wage in 1996] are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist." –Tom DeLay, during a debate in Congress on increasing the minimum wage, April 23, 1996 (Source)

10) "I am not a federal employee. I am a constitutional officer. My job is the Constitution of the United States, I am not a government employee. I am in the Constitution." –Tom DeLay, in a CNN interview, Dec. 19, 1995 (Source)

9/7/5 - Baton Rouge, LA

My friends in Oregon and Washington, I might not be back for a few more weeks. In the meantime, I ask you to please consider this:
The Federal Government has misappropriated our money.
We the people pay billions in taxes with the implicit understanding that our money is used to better our lives here in the United States by creating and maintaining needed infrastructure. Our Federal Government has authority for major projects such as interstate highways, dams, and levees, and with that authority comes the responsibility to see that those systems are prepared for when they are needed.
What we actually HAVE is a government that took that money for infrastructure and spent it on a war over seas that was justified and started with lies and deception.
The preparations for such a domestic emergency like the recent hurricane were gutted and redirected to Iraq, including not only the National Guard, but items such as sandbags, portable hospitals, etc.
What we are seeing now is not a government prepared to deal with a crisis, but a government scrambling to deal with the aftermath of a crisis as it wipes the egg off of its face at the same time.
We pay for the government to be proactive, but our government is being reactive, and they are treating New Orleans like a military operation because that is the only government system that is funded and operational.
New Orleans isn't being rescued, it's being conquered and occupied.

8/2/5 Home

Log A Load For Kids® is a nationwide giving campaign through which loggers and other forest industry people contribute the value of a load of logs, or any amount, to local Children's Miracle Network affiliated hospitals and organize related fundraising events. One hundred percent of all contributions go to local CMN hospitals - overhead expenses are contributed separately by sponsoring associations, the Children's Miracle Network, www.cmn.org and corporate and private underwriting. There are currently Log A Load campaigns in 30 states.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who runs Log A Load For Kids®?
A: State logging or forestry associations coordinate Log A Load For Kids® fundraising at the state level. Each association helps loggers and foresters organize fundraising events, coordinate the logistics of contributing, and publicize the program statewide. Representatives of some of these associations meet once a year as the Log A Load For Kids® National Advisory Group to set goals and undertake national level planning.
The timber industry in Washington State has been involved with Log A Load For Kids® since 1996. The Washington State Log A Load For Kids® program is jointly coordinated through the Washington Contract Loggers Association, Inc., and the Washington Log Truckers Conference. For additional information, contact:
Wash. Contract Loggers Association, Inc.Attn. George Kirkmire P.O. Box 2168 Olympia, WA 98507-2168(800) 422-0074 Ext. 102 george@loggers.com

Q: How do Children's Hospitals benefit?
A: Children's Hospitals affiliated with the Children's Miracle Network are pledged to provide services regardless of a patient's ability to pay. Contributions through Log A Load For Kids® help meet the financial deficit, which these pledges entail. In addition, some state campaigns dedicate funding to special projects, such as the purchase of a piece of medical equipment or underwriting the expenses of a specialized clinic.

Q:Which Children's Hospitals benefit?
A: At present, Log A Load For Kids® campaigns in the 30 participating states provide financial support to 70 participating CMN hospitals. For a list of participating hospitals in your state, visit www.cmn.org. Proceeds from the Log A Load For Kids® program in Washington State benefit Seattle's Children's Hospital and a consortium of hospitals located on the eastside of the state, including Casey Family Partners, Deaconess Medical Center, Holy Family Hospital, Mt. Carmel Hospital/Colville, Northwest MedStar Air Ambulance, Sacred Heart Medical Center, St. Joseph's Hospital/Chewelah, St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute, Valley Hospital & Medical Center.
For information on Children's Hospital, contact the Children's Hospital Foundation in Seattle at (206) 987-2153 or www.seattlechildrens.org.
For information on the participating eastside hospitals, contact Children's Miracle Network in Spokane at (509) 473-6370 or www.cmnspokane.org.

Q: How can I get involved?
A: Contact the sponsoring organization in your state to learn how you can make a donation or simply take advantage of the donation form available on this page. You can also contact us for information about participating in a fundraiser.

Q:What kind of fundraisers does Log A Load hold?
A: Log A Load was originally formed to provide any logger with an opportunity to contribute the value of a load of logs to a local CMN hospital. Sometimes, loggers arrange for this amount to be deducted right at the mill gate at delivery. However, many other creative fundraising ideas soon evolved, including sponsored golf tournaments, cookouts, log and equipment auctions, and raffles. As the program grows, loggers continue to come up with new ways to help Children's Hospitals meet their needs.

Q:Are only loggers involved?
A:Employees of sawmills, pulp and paper mills, and other forestry enterprises that depend on loggers often find many ways to help, by helping sponsor fundraisers, making direct donations, and assisting in promotion and planning.
Staff: George Kirkmire 1-800-422-0074 ext. 102

7/28/5 - Longview to Salem

The loadin' dock foreman was really steamed. It didn't help that it was 90-plus outside, and I suppose all of our tempers were up.
"I've about had it with you and your crap T******n," he suddenly told me with a classic sneer. "Ya need to get your load and hit the f-in' road."
And just as I was wonderin' what bug suddenly flew up his ass, my buddy Pat, just in from Idaho, reminded me that the boys from upstairs were doin' their yearly reviews.
"It mustn't have gone too well I suppose," Pat said with a hint of delight in his voice. It seemed to tickle me as well.
On my way back back from Salem , I really noticed the late summer evening with all of those dark navy-blue to pink color gradations in the sky. I decided to stop for a quick glass of beer at the Goble Tavern before headin' to my Ranier motel for the night.
And there he was. After walkin' in, the first person I see bellied-up to the bar, all by himself, was the loadin' dock foreman.
My instinct was to turn around and grab a six-pack at the Quik-Mart to drink in my motel room, but all I wanted was one glass of beer. I groaned and mustered up a little bit of gumption.
"Tough day, eh?" I said in my somewhat unsettled surprise introduction as I sat down next him.
He started chucklin' to himself while starin' into his glass of Bud. "I suppose you could say that T******n, I didn't know that you were a god-damm fortune-teller, but I s'ppose I should expect that kinda thing from you."
"You know what," I began a bit impatiently , "let's just knock the usual shit off for about twenty-minutes here and try not to insult each other."
"It's a deal T******n," he said. It seemed like neither of us said nothin' for almost an eternity until he broke our silence.
"I s'ppose all of us spend everyday grindin our asses off and never bother to notice that everyone else is too," he said with remarkable philosophical insight.
"I suppose so," I grunted back.
"I'm sorry Tom, I don't mean to be a bastard alla-thetime, I'm just too worked up everyday to pretend to give a shit when I'm tired."
And there IT was. All of my resentment and hatred for this guy just seemed to float away after he said that. I think it was the first time he called me by my first name.
We spent a good twenty minutes talkin' together about some funny crap goin' on at the yard, the office boys upstairs, our girl-friend/wives, and we even mourned the talk of the Goble surviving yet another upcoming management change.
After all this, as I swallowed my last gulp of beer while standin' up and pullin' my keys out of my trousers, the loadin' dock turned and said sheepishly, "It'll be back to our usual grind tomorrow, so no hard feelin's when I snap at you, ok T******n?" he said kindly.
"Fair enough," I smiled back, patting him on his back. I threw a ten on the bar and told the bartender to be sure his next couple of beers were on me.
-Tom

7/17/5 - Home

It is time for us to look in the mirror. With each day that passes, that person looking back at you is responsible for ALL lives being lost in Iraq. Not only the lives of our brave solders on the ground and in the air, but thousands of innocent Iraqis caught up in the war that was started with lies from President Bush, Cheney and the rest.
We as a nation have to start facing the fact that our silence makes us complicit in this illegal war started by the Bush administration.
Every day more and more proof is coming to light, that Bush used fear and untruth(s) to make us believe that war was the right thing to do. Bush never planned on a peaceful resolution to Iraq. Facts were "being fixed" around his policy, (look up the Downing street memos) and as these "facts" become known while we allow this administration to function status quo, we become more complicit in the death toll that is mounting.
Look in the mirror and ask yourself if you want to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people. If your answer is no, then it is time to voice your opinion to whomever will listen. It is time to call your congressmen and women and say enough is enough. To do nothing puts the blood of our troops and the stench of war on your hands. We need a serious investigation and inquiry into why we are in this war. Stand up and be counted. The world is watching us and the blame is being handed down to us. What we do from this point on defines who we are as a nation and what we want to be remembered as. It's not unpatriotic to demand the truth.

7/8/5 - Astoria to Portland

Meth, meth, METH...
I've seen it around truck stops for years and seen the consequences on drivers...Not good.
I saw at least five meth-types tweakin' around town as I was passin' through the other day...Not good.
Can local law enforcement deal with meth effectively? The answer around the coffee shop was a resoundin' "NO!!"...Not good.
It seems one approach by certain St Helens business investors is to develop and mentor the very kinds of services that traditionally cater to ID theft and other meth-related crimes...Not good.
The above pictures taken from the Jail Inmate Census link are people who have been arrested for manufacturing meth. Manufacting! Do you know how bad this is?? Do you know of the toxic effects of a house down your street that is manufacturing meth? Do you know what condemned meth cookhouses do to the value of your neighborhoods? Not good.
What will the good people of St Helens do to tackle this problem?
"I'll ya what, we sure better getter done with this Sheriff's Levy comin' in November," somebody said between sips of coffee.
He's right. It may be crucial to this community. Take care of things here.
Tom

7/3/5 - Longview to Portland

Here's an interestin' fellow I ran across the other day.
Paul Fortayon, a California High School teacher, left Astoria to bicycle 3,622 miles to Portsmouth, N.H., where he plans to arrive somewhere around Aug. 8.
A mountain and road cycling enthusiast for several years, Paul is using his cross country bike trips to raise "as much money as I can" for the American Cancer Society in memory of his beloved grandmother, Carla "Nonna" Ferro, who died of colon cancer in February.
"Through the years, Nonna told me about the many adventures in her life, and she always told me to take risks and seek new experiences; she overcame many challenges herself when she came to America from northern Italy and made a life for herself and our family."
About 40 other cyclists began the coast-to-coast ride with Fortayon. An additional 39 cyclists are expected to join them along the way as they travel through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Paul and the group traveled about 69 miles the first day to St. Helens and was going to proceed to Welches, and onto Prineville, Ore. He expected to be averaging some 100 miles per day.
"The first leg of this trip has been awesome," he emailed. "Highlights so far have been riding along the Columbia River, riding in the Mt. Hood Forest and climbing more than 5,000 feet, and riding alongside a pack of wild horses for about 10 miles."
Just another guy passin' through town the other day! Didja notice?
Keep your eye on things in town, ya hear? Don't know whatcha might miss.
Tom

6/29/5 - Colorado Post Card

Long Winding Roads Through Beautiful Scenery


The Rocky Mountains are magnificent!


Wow, the traffic signs sure offer some interesting choices here.

See y'all when I get back. Be sure an' keep an eye on things in town...ya hear?
-Tom

6/23/5 - Longview to Grand Junction, CO

I'm off east for the next couple of weeks to Colorado, Montana and more.
Larry C. asked me (via the comments) to link the "Father's Day" story that I wrote last Christmas for my Dad, so I'll do that this week and check back in with y'all from the road next week.
Link: 12/21/4 Outlet Mall to Home
Keep your eye on things in this nice little town, ya hear?
-Tom

6/14/5 - Kamiah, Idaho to Longview

A lot of people were hopin' that Michael Jackson would lose when the verdict was announced on Tuesday...but in the end, all parties, including those who followed the trial through the media, were the real losers.

Michael Jackson - even though he did "win", Jackson is now publically tainted as a pedophile, (despite the verdict) and will be doomed forever to the thousands of jokes, chained to his public cartoon-like character of which seems only to be out-of-touch and sedated. And maybe most frightening, to face his own insignificance as an artist and unsubstantial human being, locked away in a decaying amusement park hidaway a la Charles Foster Kane.
The prosecuting accusers - are really big time losers; now permanently and culturally labled as money grubbing whores who were willing to face public humiliation and witness-relocation just for a chance at money. At the juror press conference, one of the jurors, who is a mother herself, was asked:
"Did you feel that the mother in the case was at fault rather than Mr. Jackson?"
"I'd like to comment on that but I believe at this time I probably shouldn't." Nuff said.
The fans parked out for months in front of the courthouse - I mean, do I have to even comment about these people? What would possess someone to commit both lengthy periods of time and emotional energy to do something like this? Pathetic losers, all of them.
The Media - who fed on this story for all it was worth, because it's not about any real news; it's about viewer ratings equalling big advertising money. This is the only thing our current form of "news-media" cares about. History will prove the Michael Jackson case as a microscopic event. Nevertheless, the media made this trial and resultant verdict the major headline for as long as they could, all-the-while diverting America's attention from actual news of recent devulged facts that the President and current administration lied us all into a war that has killed thousands of American kids for no reason. This, will be remembered historically, I promise.
Those who understand the details - For knowing all minutia about Michael and those involved, (and any other celebrities) when we don't even know our own neighbors. When we don't even know what our own City Council is doing. When most Americans know how Jacko loves to shop and has Elephant Man bones, but can't tell you the name of their own Senator, or what the person living three houses away does for a living.

In the end, this whole trial produced no winners at all. It may have proved nothing more than the fact that the US is populated by an isolated jury of voyeristic losers.
-Tom

6/8/5 - Home

Chron-photo of Betsy Johnson, Tony Hyde and Rita Bernhardt
cutting the ribbon to "officially" open the Amphitheater.

A few thoughts on this one my friends.
First, I don't want to seem like an ol' truck-drivin' sour-puss or anything--I am happy about the Amphitheater's unvieling, the concerts scheduled and all it has to offer St Helens. And there was a great turn out from the community last Thursday evening...
Nevertheless, I can not for the life of me figure out why there aren't any St Helens City Officials pictured above, (why they weren't even involved at all) and more to the point, why two County Commissioners had the lead roles in this opening ceremony.
Is the Amphitheater now a County Park? Did the County contribute any money to the Amphitheater's creation and erection? Yeah, I can understand Sen. Johnson being there, since the Johnson Foundation contributed $5000 or more to the Amphitheater's development Fund. But where are the others?
Where was the high-school jazz-ensemble that was one of the main inspirations for the original idea? Where was Tom Brumbaugh? And where was Larry Buzbee? Or a few of the people who donated their hard-earned money for salmon bollards? Jesus, where are the salmon bollards period?
Dave Freitag wrote an excellent letter to sthelensupdate back in February mentioning that, "the coming together of a community on a volunteer basis to build a structure like this is a rare event for any town."
Dave is absolutely right and this SHOULD HAVE BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED last Thursday! ...Right?!!?
This whole thing just stinks. Keep your eye on things in this nice town y'all have here.
-Tom

6/1/5 - St Helens to Longview

With a little time to kill before headin’ back to squabble with the front-office boys in Longview over my monthly receipts, I made a fateful decision to run into the St Helens Safeway to pick up a few items I needed for my truck: a new road-toothbrush, a replacement scratch-notepad for my used-up and decaying one, some double-A batteries, another pouch of jerky (what-the-hell), a coupla packs of Dentyne and whatnot.
Anyway…walkin’ in, I was greeted by a disturbing omen blaring over the Safeway “sound-system” in the form of a sickly Muzak rendition of "I Saw the Light" by Todd Rundgren. (The song’s chorus, arranged with an army of fake-oboes backing the Burt Bacharach-like trumpet melody, was particularly hair-raising.)
Yep, I would be seein’ the light alright.
After shaking this off by whistlin’ my own rendition of “Ring of Fire” and doing some typical truck driver shopping, I made my way back towards the storefront and there standing before me in the checkout-line was “that woman”.
You know who I mean: the one who lives in "world without mirrors". Her prominently overexposed body bears an uncanny resemblance to a gigantic dollop of soft-serve vanilla ice-cream at the Dairy Delish: white, pasty Michelin Man-skin tryin' to bust out of her undersized tank top, spilling over her cone-colored tan shorts and onto the floor .
Even more shocking to me is that she was browsing the most recent Us Magazine cover article discussing Jessica Simpson's New Bikini Body Secrets.
What was actually goin’ on in that skull of hers is anyone’s guess. I do know that my skull started screamin’, “Look away, look away Tom! But after scanning the useless-shit rack in the checkout-line for what seemed like an eternity, I knew there was no escape - my brain and eyes could no longer be averted from this inescapable visual torture. It’s like drivin’ by a car accident on the highway—you don’t want to look—but some evil force compels you to.
So it shouldn’t be hard, dear readers, to imagine the aforementioned woman’s ass: It looked like a single industrial-sized piece of Jello trying to escape the confines of its ridiculous packaging.
I tried to examine how clean the Safeway floor was…still, it was no use.
Next to her, stood one of her spawn - a nine year-old, turnip-shaped boy clad in a sleeveless “Orange County Choppers” t-shirt. He was incessantly begging Mom to add a jumbo 4-pack of Reese’s Peanut-Butter Cups to their foraging expedition.
And as if all of this weren’t enough punishment, my ears joined the party for more detailed assessments, following the cashier’s zombie-like scanning and resultant computer beeps of the vast inventory of items slowly moving down the checkout conveyor-belt: boxes of Hostess mini-donuts and Ding-Dongs, (beep-beep, beep-beep) huge "Big-Grab" sized Cheetoes, (beep-beep) family-sized tub of Cool-Whip, (beep-beep), an endless array of $1.29 Banquet TV dinners, (beep-beep, beep-beep, beep-beep...) 12-pack of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, (beep-beep).
I ended up recoiling in horror and faking as if I had suddenly remembered an important forgotten item...quickly makin' a beeline back to the meat-section.
After spying the hunter-gatherers pushin’ their two laiden carts out of Safeway, I calmly checked-out, hopped in my truck and fled towards Rainier and the bridge to Longview.
I have never looked forward to seeing the loadin’-dock foreman so much.
-Tom

5/30/5 McCormick Park, St Helens

Around 10:45 this Monday, at McCormick Park by the VFW Memorial, St Helens veterans, blue/gold-star mothers, and citizens will all gather together to pay our respects and to recognize Memorial Day.
I feel no compunction in saying that it's indeed ironic it is also the one day of the year when President Bush and his administration must acknowledge our otherwise officially-invisible war dead in Iraq.
For the rest of us, recognizing our shared humanity brings home to us the size of the tragedy in every single life lost in war(s), and ideally teaches us that in a real "culture of life" the decision to go to war is never taken lightly.
We memorialize the names and faces of our dead to remind ourselves that each one of them was an individual just like us, who valued his or her life no less than we do, and whose death is a tragedy for those left behind no less than ours would be for our loved ones.
-Tom

5/22/5 - Home to Church to Bar to Home

What on earth are you doing God?
Is this some sort of joke you're playing?
Is it 'cause we didn't pray?
Well I can't see the point of the words without the action...
Are you just hot air breathing over us?
And overall, is it fun watching us all?

Where's your son? We want him again.
And the next time you send your boy down here,
Give him a wife and a sexy daughter - someone we can understand.
Someone who's got some ideas we can really relate to...

We've all read your rules - tried them.
Learned them in school, then tried them
They're impossible rules - you've made us look fools
Well done God...but now please, Don't hunt me down for heaven's sake!
You know that I'm only joking.
Right?

Pardon me - I'm very drunk, but I know what I'm trying to say
And It's nearly night time and we're still alone waiting...
For something unknown...
Still waiting...
So throw down a stone or something...
Give us a sign for Christ's sake.
(with apologies to Robert Wyatt)

5/18/5 - Clatskanie to St Helens

I wasn’t even in town and yet over the past few days, I heard two news items from Columbia County all the way up in my neck-o-the-woods of Washington: a black-bear was loose in Scappoose on Tuesday morning and that the County Sheriff’s Dept. was considering charging inmates $10 per day for daily jail-cell “rental”. Lorraine was outraged by that story until I informed her of the fact that the Columbia County Sheriff’s Dept. has the same number of officers on duty today as it did in 1958. After hearin’ this bit of information, she wondered how somethin’ like that was even possible. Being that we were watching FOX news, I’m not sure what ended up happening to the wanderin’ bear.
So as I was wolfin’ down hot-dogs at the Wayne’s truck yesterday, this was the first question on my mind: just who deals with roaming bears if they invade town? I found out the answer from Randy, the best hot-dog man this side of Chicago.
Apparently, a wounded coyote had crawled under a shed on his property out in Yankton and after clearin’ away his five swarming dogs, he quickly called Animal Control for help. They said “nothin’ doing” for any wild animals and advised him to call the State Police. The State Police told him that an officer would call him back as soon as they could (this was a few days ago and Randy still hadn’t heard back). Randy then phoned his family vet who could only advise a call to the Sheriff’s Dept. - as if that would do anything. They both even had a good laugh over the phone about it.
“Yeah Randy, me an’ Lorraine were just talkin’ the other night about the Sheriff’s Dept. and their lack of manpower,” I told him.
“It’s disgusting,” Randy editorialized before continuing on.
So, out Randy went with a shotgun in hand to finish off this poor coyote with its coyote-mate watchin’ from the far side of Randy’s pasture.
“Ever try an’ do that Tom?”
“What…Shoot a coyote?” I asked.
“Nah, I mean shoot a wounded anything; shoot some living-breathing creature looking straight into your eyes with its mate watching? I might as well have been tryin’ to kill myself. I just couldn’t seem to work-up the nerve to do it.”
Fortunately, things turned out that Randy didn’t have to pull the trigger, because as he was about to, a Columbia County Sheriff’s Car pulled up out of nowhere. Apparently, they had heard of Randy’s trouble over the State Police scanner.
“I’ll be damned,” I told him as he scurried about in the hotdog truck.
“Yeah, the last thing I would have ever predicted,” Randy sighed as he served up a steaming brat and sauerkraut to another hungry customer.
Possibly, the most amazing thing was that the Sheriff’s officers had a some sort of wildlife expert with them in the car as they were out on some other business.
“And these guys, headed straight out to my place to take care of my problem,” Randy said, still somewhat shocked. “I know Phil Derby and most of the guys who work their butts off in the Sheriff's Department and this was one of those times when they went above and beyond their call of duty…their busy call of duty.”
“Wow, that’s somethin’...and just what happened to the coyote?” I wondered.
“The wildlife officer put the coyote out of its misery and followed up by taking detailed notes for the report he wrote up. Turned out that somebody shot it for no apparent reason at all, other than being just another yelping coyote,” he said. “That’s just stupid. I really wonder about some people out here sometimes.”
That’s when another fella around the truck interjected with the fact of a Sheriff Levee due to be voted on this year.
“If we don’t pass it this time around, we really are idiots out here,” he said rather heatedly.
Maybe he was just hungry or maybe he has a point.
Take care of things around here.
-Tom

5/10/5 - North Bend to St Helens

I ran across “Weyerhaeuser Henry” yesterday in North Bend, Oregon.
I always enjoy catchin’ up with W.H. even though lately, he’s been nothin’ more than a self-righteous, bitter liberal. But, what-the-hell, I really can’t get on him too much for that, seeing how things have been going these days.
So, I suppose it shouldn’t have surprised me that he hadn’t changed much, when after my introduction of, “Well, Godammit W.H., how ya holdin’ up?”, Henry let me have it.
“How d’ya think Tom? Bush and his crony-criminals have taken this country back 75 years, I hafta hear DeLay and Frist’s crap justabout every day, Robertson, Falwell and all of them religious-shysters are completely out-of-control and for-Christ-sake Tom, just what the hell’s going on in that town you’re always bloggin’ about?”
“Whaddya mean?” I asked, happy that he’d been keepin’ up with my blog.
“Well, I’ll tell ya just what I mean Tom: I’ll be up in Rainier, Columbia City and Scappoose next week with SOLV,” he angrily explained, “and I suppose St Helens is now in the league of a Paris or a New York or somethin’? Are they too good for us?”
Wow. I really didn’t know what to say to Henry who has been an active volunteer in SOLV for years. SOLV, for those who don’t know, is a non-profit organization that brings together government agencies, businesses and individual volunteers in programs and projects to enhance the livability of Oregon.
“We’ll be cleanin' up at Datis Park and Pixie Park in Columbia City on May 20th and the next day we’re in Rainer and Scappoose…and NOTHIN’ IN ST HELENS! So I guess we’ll just head down the Columbia River coast line and skip St Helens…I mean, are the citizens of Ranier and Columbia City and Scappoose more enlightened than people in St Helens?”
"Well, some people in St Helens make it as hard as possible to pick up trash and clean things up," I offered back, not botherin' to explain any further.
"It's a cryin' shame Tom, that's all I hafta say."
“Jeez W.H., I’ll hafta let ‘em all know,” was all I could muster back.
So...ahem...
SOLV’s annual Down by the Riverside event has thousands of volunteers build trails, plant trees, shrubs and seeds, create gardens, remove invasive species, and cleaning up litter, and a number of other projects that will enhance parks and greenspaces. If you’d like to help out, you can visit www.solv.org or call 1-800-333-SOLV (7658) for specific site information including project details and date and time listings.
Keep things clean and take care of business in this town y’all…ya hear?
-Tom

5/4/5 - Astoria to St Helens

Y’all know by now that I love talkin’ with just about anybody I meet on the road, and I really love conversations with those folks who leave me wondering what the hell I’d just heard. That being said, I’ll try to recapture just what the hell I heard from the sharp old timer I ran across at the St Helens Marina on Wednesday.
I was down there lookin’ for this Fish and Chips place that in fact, was no longer in business. While at the dock snoopin’ around, I ran into this old guy who was a dead ringer for any prototypical old sea character on that 60's TV-show SeaHunt: with his funny navy-blue sea-captain’s cap complete with a small gold anchor, his bushy white beard and leathery skin. He was quick to informally introduce himself to me with the fact that Fletcher’s Fish and Chips has been out of business for a year or so.
“Too bad too, they served up some good grub,” he said sadly while fiddlin’ around with some kind of nautical apparatus that I couldn’t recognize.
“What the hell is that?” I wondered.
“It’s an old sextant: A navigational instrument,” he patiently explained. “Ya see this graduated 60-degree arc? That’s used for measuring the altitudes of the stars and sky to determine latitude and longitude. Helps ya figure out where you're goin'.”
“Huh, and I just use the maps I buy at any Shell Station,” I joked.
Within two minutes we were like a pair of long lost army buddies, chattin’ away for a good hour. He was one sharp cookie, lemme tell ya, and not boastful at all.
After swappin' stories about gettin around at sea and gettin' by on land, I asked him: “So, what’s the biggest problem here in town?”
He scratched his beard lookin’ skyward and thought about my question awhile.
“It’s gotta be the Port of St Helens mess,” he concluded. “Ya got these local blowhards jockeyin’ for their new open seats, and they don’t give a damn about nothin’ but their own self-importance.”
I was all ears. “Hmmmm, I sure don’t know much about ‘em, or exactly what they do; so what’s the deal?”
“Well son,” he began, in a fatherly sort of way. “We’d be here all day, so I’ll just keep it simple and tell ya that they’re supposed to manage our ports and port-properties in the best ways that serve us citizens who use ‘em...NOW,” he suddenly emphasized, “I’m not sure that happens all of the time, especially when you get the type of people I just was tellin’ you about tryin’ to get in the position to run things.”
A sarcastic grin began to creep upon his old salty face as he continued.
“Now lessee...What is that fellas name…the chair of the Commission?” The old-timer was thinkin’ hard while scratchin’ his beard and looking skyward again. “Oh yeah, Avent! Mike Avent - Top-knotch, smart fella, but you see; he owns a lot of the land that he has to make his Port decisions around, ya follow me?”
“Yeah, I think I do.”
“Well, one of his pals is tryin’ to grab one of the open seats, I think his name is Pulliam…and along with the DeShazer gal, I’m a little worried we got a quorum of folks not necessarily interested in making decisions that are best for the rest of us…ya follow me?”
"It's not like there's a spare sextant layin' around to help navigate through this stuff either," I said dryly.
The old guy liked that joke of mine and let out a hearty belly-laugh.
Like my pal at the dock, keep an eye on things in this nice little town y’all got, ya hear?
-Tom