br />
Standing on the Hawthorne Bridge, in Portland, Oregon during what is now a weekly event to protest yet another war that America has started, (the bombing of Libya) Barbara, Roberto and I were talking about the lack of response from our City Council when it came to the Joint Terrorist Task Force. The JTTF is a hot item here in Portland and most of the organizations who work with street people are against us joining with the FBI to do anything.
Most of the progressive organizations like the ACLU, Cop Watch, Oregon Progressive Party, Individuals for Justice, Sisters and many more have testified more than once against any agreement to join forces with the Feds. The reasons are simple, we don't trust the FBI and we are trying to begin the process of re-trusting our own police. But the council under the direction of Mayor Adams keeps coming back with another offer, the latest has been rejected by most of the organizations listed above.
In the middle of this disagreement we now learn that the city council is also considering giving in to the EPA on an issue that will cost anywhere from 500 million to one billion dollars to fight against a bug which does not exist in the Northwest. There is a way out of this nonsense but the council has rejected any action that will call for a waiver from the EPA. The water department has already been given the ok from the city to spend 5 million dollars and is going ahead with plans to build a new treatment plant and cover the reservoirs at Mt. Tabor and Washington Park. Most people with a working brain are against this "boondoggle." Commissioner Randy Leonard seems to be the power behind this outrage, he should be replaced. There are three members of our council who are up for re-election in November of 2012, Mayor Adams, Commissioners Amanda Fritz and Randy Leonard; they should all be challenged by a serious candidate. My hope is that the Oregon Progressive Party will run candidates for all three seats and rattle some people. There must be consequences for this council's refusal to listen to the people of Portland, a challenge from the left would be a good start. This new party must get out and fight for what it believes in and show the other parties that it can be done. We should call on the Green Party, the Independent Party and the Working Family Party to join us in putting up three candidates this coming election. It is about time for organizations who fight for the rights of others to join a local coalition and "Run The Rascals Out Of Office." Will we just continue to run our mouths in front of City Hall or start to take actions that will make our City Commissioners very nervous; a nervous politician is a good politician. Even if you like a Commissioner, (and I do) as a group they are non-responsive and that must end. This is a very controversial concept and will be criticized, but if we start the conversation that would be good. What you think?
These are two issues that should be deal breakers, a vote for either one and you are out of office. The future could be ours but we have to change the way we do things. See ya in the streets.
Joe Walsh-Lone Vet
Individuals for Justice
Veterans Against Torture
Proud member of Oregon Progressive Party, http://progparty.org/
War is failure, occupation a disgrace!
"Funding these wars is killing our troops"
http://www.mfso.org/
* Why laughter?? Because without it I would have gone insane years ago.
Sen. ** harry reid must be replaced as Majority Leader, call me when you agree or just go away!
An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.
Mohandas Gandhi
Thoreau may have also brooded over the reaction of Emerson, who criticized the imprisonment as pointless. According to some accounts, Emerson visited Thoreau in jail and asked, "Henry, what are you doing in there?" Thoreau replied, "Waldo, the question is what are you doing out there?"
