Posted inNational politics

Filibuster is a racist Republican relic. It needs to go.

Today I finished reading "Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy," by Adam Jentleson -- who was the former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid. The kill switch is the Senate filibuster. It allows a minority of senators, 41, to block legislation, since 60 votes are needed to end a filibuster in the 100-member Senate. No longer is it necessary for someone filibustering to stand on the Senate floor and keep talking until their voice (or bladder) gives out. Now, Jentleson says, all a Senator has to do is indicate that…
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Posted inCarole Smith City of Salem Downtown

Almost 3/4 of downtown Salem trash receptacles to be removed

Sheri Wahrgren, the Downtown Revitalization manager for the City of Salem, wants to get rid of most trash receptacles in the downtown area -- 44 of the 61 currently in use. See: Download Downtown Trash Receptacle Staff Report Before we dive deeper into this messy move, let's agree on this: the current trash receptacles are ugly, hard to use, and deserve to be featured in The Museum of Dysfunctional Trash Receptacles -- which I dearly hope exists. Carole Smith, a downtown resident and property owner, brought my attention to what Smith considers a trash travesty. Never one to mince words,…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics

Republicans should support Rep. Kinzinger’s Country First movement

Are you a Republican or a conservative-leaning independent? If so, are you fed up with how the GOP has become so closely tied to Trump, it has lost its way to such an extent it now embraces crazy conspiracy theories such as that Biden's victory didn't happen via a free and fair election? A "yes" answer, or even a "maybe," should cause you to check out Representative Adam Kinzinger's newly unveiled web site, Country First.  Kinzinger is an Illinois Congressman who was one of ten Republicans to vote for Trump's impeachment in the House of Representatives. I've seen him several…
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Posted in2020 election Salem Police Department

Freedom Celebration won’t include Salem Police Department

KSLM's right-wing radio talk show host Jeff Kropf has been plugging a Freedom Celebration to be held this Sunday, January 31. I've heard that Trevor Womack, the Salem Police Department chief, won't be attending even though he was invited.  UPDATE: I've heard that 400 people have registered for this event. Oregon's COVID rules for an Extreme Risk area (where this event will be held) say that a maximum of 50 people can attend an outdoor entertainment event. So it looks like the Freedom Celebration will be in violation of that rule. And it could be a super spreader event, given…
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Posted inOregon politics

Rep. Mike Nearman and Oregon GOP are dangerous crazies

Feel sorry for me. My wife and I have the unfortunate distinction of living in the Oregon House District held by Republican Mike Nearman -- the guy who held a door open at the state Capitol on December 21, allowing 50 militant protesters to stream into the building, setting off a battle with police that led to a dozen officers being pepper-sprayed by the intruders. Oregon, of course, was a rehearsal of sorts for the January 6 insurrection at the nation's Capitol in Washington D.C.. It's fortunate that Nearman isn't a member of Congress, or he would have been helping…
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Posted inJoe Biden National politics

Do away with the filibuster, or democracy will crumble

I'm happy that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were inaugurated three days ago. I'm pleased that Biden is signing a bunch of executive orders that undo the crap Trump inflicted on our nation. But a big loud flashing warning signal is going off in my brain: "Alert! Alert! Code Red! If the Democrats don't do away with the Senate filibuster, not only will Biden's presidency be severely hobbled, the foundation of our democracy will crumble into ruins." In no way is this an original idea.  Progressive political analysts who are much more knowledgeable than I am about goings-on in Congress…
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Posted inCoronavirus Kate Brown

Vaccinating Oregon teachers before seniors widely criticized

Governor Kate Brown's ill-considered order to give teachers the Covid vaccine before seniors is getting well-deserved media criticism. I'm no fan of this policy, having written my own critical blog post back on January 16, "Outrage: Oregon seniors  to get Covid vaccine after teachers." Here's news stories that came to my attention, along with an excerpt from each. Portland Oregonian"Watchdog: Why Oregon senior citizens have one of longest waits in country for COVID-19 vaccinations," by Aimee Green Seniors in Oregon will wait longer than almost anywhere else in the country to be eligible fo coronavirus vaccinations, a review by The…
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Posted in2020 election Donald Trump Joe Biden

After a Trump headache, Biden’s inauguration was my aspirin

I feel so much better today. My (metaphorical) four-year Trump headache has gone away, thanks to the healing power of watching Joe Biden being inaugurated.  It's such a relief to see truth and decency return to the White House. Also, normalcy.  Biden is going to be a great president, I'm confident of that. But even if he turns out to be only an average president, that's hugely better than the sorry excuse of a president Donald Trump was. Most Americans are going to find it easy to admire Biden's warmth, empathy, and concern for both our country and the world…
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Posted inCoronavirus

Outrage: Oregon seniors to get Covid vaccine after teachers

If Oregon seniors weren't so justifiably afraid of coming down with COVID-19, they should be marching in the streets after Governor Brown announced yesterday that those 65+ would have to wait in line behind teachers to get vaccinated. This is a hugely irresponsible decision that is going to cause many old people to die.  According to the Oregon Health Authority, those 60 and over comprise 17% of Covid cases in the state and a whopping 91% of the Covid deaths. Yet Brown said at a press conference that I watched via You Tube that children are suffering from distance learning…
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Posted inCoronavirus Salem Health

I get a Salem Health Covid shot, a bit unfairly

NEXT DAY UPDATE: BAD NEWS. My wife just spoke with an over 65 friend who, along with her husband, were hoping to get a Covid shot at the Fairgrounds today, Friday. She was told that they were turned away, likely because of what Governor Brown announced this morning about the state not getting additional vaccine doses from the federal government as promised. Looks like another screw-up from the Trump administration, among many others. It's been an interesting 24 hours, Covid-wise.  Last night I wrote a blog post, Salem Health is allowing people to get "extra doses" of Covid vaccine, where…
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Posted inCoronavirus Tom Andersen

Salem Health is allowing people to get “extra doses” of Covid vaccine

Salem Health is allowing people to get the Covid vaccine who aren't part of the 1a group that supposedly comprises the only Oregonians eligible to be immunized currently. This seems unfair to me, though I'm not criticizing those who took advantage of the extra doses that Salem Health has been doling out to those in the know who have shown up at the Fairgrounds vaccination site. Yes, it is well known that often it is possible to get more shots out of a vial of vaccine than the usual number. That vaccine shouldn't go to waste. However, I don't understand…
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Posted inSalem-Keizer school district

Jesse Lippold, a school board member, ignores Covid rules

We're used to elected officials doing outrageous stuff, but shouldn't a Salem-Keizer school board member -- Jesse Lippold -- understand that breaking Covid rules Oregonians need to follow so schools can safely reopen isn't a smart thing to do? Sure seems so. Thus let's give Lippold a "F" for failing to act like a responsible school board member. Hopefully voters will keep this in mind, since Lippold is one of four school board members up for re-election in May 2021. The image above is from Lippold's Facebook account. It's been shared widely on social media by people who object to…
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Posted inHumor

Angry Owl’s 2021 predictions for Salem, Oregon

It's always a pleasure to be able to share local predictions for the coming year from Salem's most famous life form, Angry Owl. Here are Angry Owl's Twitter tweets -- better termed "hoots," of course.  They're funny and wise. Since Donald Trump has been permanently banned from Twitter, I'm recommending that his 80 million or so followers migrate over to Angry Owl's account.  After all, there's way more truth in a single Angry Owl tweet than in the countless tweets Trump inflicted on the nation. Enjoy...
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Posted in2020 election Donald Trump National politics

Insurrection at Capitol today caused by the Cult of Trump

This is what happens when people fall under the spell of an authoritarian cult leader. A woman died today in the Capitol building after a mob incited by Trump stormed the building in an insurrection aimed at stopping Biden from being declared president-elect by Congress. Who is responsible for her death? Who is responsible for the first invasion of the Capitol since the War of 1812? Easy answers. -- Donald Trump, of course. He urged his cult members to march to the Capitol today. Trump deserves to be impeached for this act of sedition. -- Everybody who voted for Trump…
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Posted in2020 election Donald Trump Joe Biden

Coup attempt by GOP on January 6 is beyond disgusting

If you're a Republican who isn't planning to end your allegiance to the GOP, either you are unaware of the highly unpatriotic coup attempt being planned by your political party in Congress on January 6, or you're OK with this shameful effort to overthrow the lawful result of the 2020 presidential election in favor of a wanna-be authoritarian, Donald Trump. I'm hoping that the former is the case. Maybe you've been busy with Christmas and New Year celebrations and haven't paid much attention to the news. In that case, I'm sharing some Twitter tweets and a Washington Post opinion piece…
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Posted inCoronavirus

If a Salem business isn’t requiring masks, report them to OSHA

Remember the saying popularized after the 9/11 attacks: "If you see something, say something."  That's the patriotic thing to do if you're aware of a danger to your community. These days it isn't so much terrorism that we have to be worried about. It is people and businesses not complying with public health measures, such as mask-wearing, needed to save lives and prevent illness from COVID-19. So don't be shy about complaining to the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health division if a business is being lax about requiring that masks be worn by employees and customers, or is failing to…
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Posted inHomeless National politics

Homelessness and other big problems always should shock us

Today the Statesman Journal had a front page story about homeless campers being flooded out of Cascades Gateway Park following the recent heavy rains.  This story didn't shock me, because I recall the same thing happening at Wallace Marine Park not too long ago, seemingly last year or the year before. Yet I should have been shocked by the very idea of people in the United States having to sleep outdoors because they lack a home. There's an old saying, familiarity breeds contempt. It also appears to lead to complacency.  This is dangerous when it comes to problems facing our…
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Posted inDonald Trump Oregon politics

Armed right-wing protesters look foolish at Capitol today

There was a successful one-day special session of the Oregon Legislature today, where several Covid relief bills were passed. There also was a farcical protest by Patriot Prayer members and other right-wingers who were outraged about... something or other. Being asked to wear a mask? Not being allowed into the Capitol building, even though no members of the public were able to go inside during the special session? Angry that their Beloved Leader, Donald Trump, lost to Joe Biden? Who knows. These days it doesn't make sense to ask what right-wing wackos are protesting about, because even when they give…
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Posted inCity of Salem Steve Powers

Salem City Manager to Proud Boys: “No permit, no problem.”

ln case you're wondering why the Proud Boys hate group is planning to come to Salem five times, one reason is that City officials have been welcoming them with open arms.  Below is an email interchange citizen activist Jim Scheppke had with Salem's City Manager, Steve Powers, who oversees all City of Salem employees, including those in the Police Department. You'll see that Powers makes some clearly false statements about previous Proud Boys marches on city streets without a permit. Steve Powers, Salem City Manager First, here's Scheppke's message to Powers. I highlighted Scheppke's "fact check" remarks in red. Mr.…
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Posted inDonald Trump Salem Police Department

The Proud Boys hate group is coming to Salem — five times

This time of year we like to hear "Santa Claus is coming to town." Such is happening on December 25, but it looks like Salem also is going to be visited by the Proud Boys, who are much more naughty than nice. And not just once, but up to five times.  The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the Proud Boys a hate group. Here's a report on the upcoming visits to Salem of the Proud Boys, courtesy of an alert shared today by a local activist who goes by Concerned Citizen. I've boldfaced parts of the message to highlight the…
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