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Recently there's been three shootings of people who made an innocent mistake and were shot by an angry man. That got me to thinking about Mr. Wilson of the Dennis the Menace comic strip. (Yeah, I'm old.) Dennis irritated Wilson, but back then cranky men just swore and complained. These days, given how awash our country is with guns, all too often angry men start shooting. We don't have a mental health problem. We have a gun problem. I wrote about this on substack. Now that I've tried writing several posts on substack, I probably won't be doing so again,…

Today is the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The United Nations General Assembly marked the occasion by overwhelmingly backing a resolution condemning Russia's invasion and calling for the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine and an end to the fighting. There were 141 nations on the side of freedom and democracy; 32 countries abstained; 7, including Russia, voted against the resolution.  I'm commemorating Ukraine's incredible brave fight against the Russian aggression, and war crimes, by once again demolishing myths about the war that keep being sent to me by someone who clearly has bought into lies being spread about…

Nicely done, Salem branch of the 350 climate action organization that advocates for reducing carbon pollution as much and as rapidly as possible. Below are the top ten climate action strategies that 350 Salem OR submitted to the City Council as a public comment in advance of last Monday's work session on the Salem Climate Action Plan. This is how their web site introduced the strategies. To meet the Salem City Council’s goal of a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2035 it is critical that the City focus on the most effective reduction strategies immediately, particularly related to…

Today Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of all power after the election. Instead, Trump said that he wanted to get rid of mail in ballots. If that happens, Trump added, there will be a continuation of his presidency. Well, yeah. If you get rid of mail in ballots, and most Democrats plan to vote that way because of the COVID-19 crisis, then Trump steals the election. Which is exactly what an authoritarian would try to do.  That's just one of many reasons why I say... I want to be clear that it's important for people in the…

Hopefully, tomorrow the Salem City Council will take a big environmental step forward by approving $50,000 in the FY 2020 budget (begins on July 1, 2019) to start work on a climate action plan. The $50,000 was discussed at length at the council's June 10 meeting. Councilor Tom Andersen made a motion to amend the proposed FY 2020 budget to include what amounts to a down payment on a full climate action plan, since $50,000 apparently wouldn't be enough to complete the plan. Draft minutes of the June 10 meeting show a curious division of votes on Andersen's motion. Four…

"Journalism is a public service, like being a fireman or policeman." I heartily agreed with what one of the three journalists shown below said at today's Salem City Club program, The Oregon Legislature Through the Eyes of Journalists." (From left to right: Aubrey Wieber of the Salem Reporter; Connor Radnovich of the Statesman Journal; Claire Withycombe of the East Oregonian and Salem Reporter -- who was filling in for Hillary Borrud of the Oregonian, whose editor called her away at the last moment for some other duty.) Before I  talk about the substance of what Wieber, Radnovich, and Withycombe said, I…

OK, don't take the title of this blog post literally. Actually I don't recommend that you email the City Council prior to their Monday, December 10 meeting and tell them that the plan for a relocated Costco in south Salem sucks.  (email address under that link is citycouncil@cityofsalem.net) Rather, express yourself with synonyms. Like, really bad idea; traffic nightmare; White Oak killing spree; doesn't fit with residential neighborhood. Check out two neighborhood appeals of the Costco plan for more specific ideas.Download SNGA Appeal Letter dated November 7 2018Download Anuta Appeal Letter Dated November 7 2018 I'm a Costco member. So…

There's something both marvelous and disturbing about the vigorous debate happening now (geez, I sound like CNN) between Jim Scheppke, an ardent supporter of all things library'ish, and Sarah Strahl, director of the Salem Public Library, regarding tens of thousands of books being removed from the core collection.  Marvelous, because I love it when someone who cares deeply about an issue here in Salem takes on the Powers That Be with fierce intensity. In this case, literally, because as you can read below, Scheppke takes issue with what Steve Powers, the City Manager, is saying about the library's severe cutting…

OK, the "headline" of this blog post isn't surprising news.  Still, political junkies like me love to pour over the statistics Gallup shared in a State of the States report, which is based on 2017 data. Below are screenshots for Oregon, the nation as a whole, Washington, and California.  Here's some key takeaways: Trump approval. Only 36% of Oregonians approve of  Trump, just a bit less than the 38% for the nation as a whole. Of the three West Coast states, California is the least approving of Trump at 29%, with Washington at 34%. Republican vs. Democrat leaning. Only 36%…

Whenever I think the Creekside Golf Course water rate giveaway attempt, a.k.a. IrriGate, can't get any sleazier and more ridiculous, it does! Thanks to some good reporting by Tracy Loew in the Statesman Journal, we've learned "Creekside water deal off again." For those who haven't been closely following this Crony Capitalism Clown Show, here's a recap of the episodes to date, as told through my blog posts: Scene 1: The Water-Wastewater Task Force (appropriate acronym, WTF) gives the Creekside Golf Course a requested $60,000 rate cut on its irrigation bill after the golf course owners say that otherwise they'll go…

Here's the important choice Salem voters will make in the May 17 election for Mayor and four City Council seats. Do we want a Mayor and City Councilors who encourage us to SPEAK UP?These candidates are Carole Smith, Mayor; Cara Kaser, Ward 1; Matt Ausec, Ward 5: Sally Cook, Ward 7. Or do we want a Mayor and City Councilors who prefer that we SHUT UP?These candidates are Chuck Bennett, Mayor; Jan Kailuweit, Ward 1; Brad Nanke, Ward 3; Warren Bednarz, Ward 7. I've heard each of the SPEAK UP and SHUT UP candidates speak at debates and forums. I've perused…

(1) Keeping Them Honest. There's a whole lot of sleaze going on in politics these days. Too many public figures think they can say or do outrageous stuff, and people won't notice. Or, care. Well, Salem Political Snark does! Like the saying goes, we're doing the Speak Truth to Power thing. (2) Standing Up For the Little Guy/Gal. In Salem, as elsewhere, the folks who already have money and power try to get more by buying elections, manipulating the media, and making backroom deals. This town has its own version of the 1%, which does its best to keep on top of…