The Executive Club, The Victoria Taft Show, and KPAM AM 860, THE TALK STATION, bring to you The Taxpayer Academy Awards

BE HERE! Taxpayer Academy Awards!
Wedneday, Jan 4th, 6:00-8:00 at the Airport Shilo Inn and broadcast live on the Victoria Taft Show from 6-9pm!
Several candidates for Governor will be in attendance at this event for the straw poll that will be held.Why don't you plan to come too? Here's where you can get info:
OregonWatchdog.comTaxpayer Association of Oregon(503) 603-9009 PO Box 23573 Tigard OR 9728



Don McIntire of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon, Dave
Hunnicut of Oregonians in Action, and KPAM's Victoria Taft
at last year's event.

The Cascade Policy Institute, Victoria Taft Show and KPAM AM 860, THE TALK STATION bring John Stossel to Portland

SAVE THE DATE! February 5th, 2006 John Stossel of ABC Newswill speak in Portland. His topic: "Freedom and Its Enemies."For more information, please view the event flyer.

IT'S ABOUT TIME...NYT's latest on spy case.

Give Michelle Malkin props for revealing the real story of the NYT spy leak case. Read her latest here.

Justice Dept. Probing Domestic Spying Leak
By TONI LOCY, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the leak of classified information about President Bush's secret domestic spying program.

...White House spokesman Trent Duffy said Justice undertook the action on its own, and the president was informed of it on Friday.
"The leaking of classified information is a serious issue. The fact is that al-Qaida's playbook is not printed on Page One and when America's is, it has serious ramifications," Duffy told reporters in Crawford, Texas, where Bush was spending the holidays

Gotta love it. When we (that means the United States) succeed in Iraq and continue to quell terrorist attacks on the United States, will they be "President Bush's" success?
The New York Times' defense in the Valerie Plame issue opened this can of worms.
I wonder, will this investigation also cover the 'outing' of the 'secret' prisons containing Al Qaeda types? Watch out Washington Post. Send your love notes to the Times.
If it's discovered that this story gave Al Qaeda and other terror cells information they didn't have already and helps them pull off another attack, can we call it the New York Times' Terror Attack?

BE HERE FOR THE TAXPAYER ACADEMY AWARDS!

COME ON DOWN! Call the Taxpayers Association of Oregon at 503-603-9009 and be a part of this wonderful spectacle. Have dinner, watch the Academy Awards, and the Victoria Taft Show!
Taxpayer Academy Awards Nominations Ballots sent to 10,000 Oregonians, and will be revealed during the Awards Ceremony Jan 4th as part of the January Oregon Executive Club monthly meeting. It will be held at 6:00-8:00 at the Airport Shilo Inn and broadcast live on the Victoria Taft Show KPAM 860 AM! This award program represents one of the largest political awards given in the state.

Lump of Coal Awards on the Show Tonight for Most Outrageous (or humorous) Comments of 2005

Scrooges: Blumenauer and Mc Dermott

It wasn't a bill that called for the outlaw of drilling in Puget Sound, pretty light rail trains, bike trails or tapping of phone conversations of congressional leaders, but bow-tie (Earl) Blumenauer and Baghdad (Jim) Mc Dermott voted against it anyway. What did these two northwest congressional back benchers vote against? Supporting Christmas symbols.
NewsMax has the list of 22 congressional reps who voted against a resolution proffered by Representative JoAnn Davis, a republican from Virginia. The resolution called for:

Whereas Christmas is a national holiday celebrated on December 25; and
Whereas the Framers intended that the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States would prohibit the establishment of religion, not prohibit any mention of religion or reference to God in civic dialog: Now, therefore be it resolved, that the House of Representatives –
(1) Recognizes the importance of the symbols and traditions of Christmas; (2) Strongly disapproves of attempts to ban references to Christmas; and (3) Expresses support for the use of these symbols and traditions, for those who celebrate Christmas.

Monkey Wrencher Commits Suicide in Cell: Martyr or Coward for the Cause?

The same day that prosecutors announced one of their number would turn states' evidence on them, one of the Eco-terror 6 commits suicide in his cell in Arizona.

Is it UNREASONABLE to "Search" (tap) a Phone Line of a Person Associated With Al Qaeda?

And should they have any presumption of privacy, knowing, as they
do, that we're in a war against terrorists/Al Qaeda?

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and
effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Read this analysis from the PowerLine Blog.

Good News for Otis: Washington State's DUI law looks to be headed for the tank

This article in the Seattle Times points out that Washington's DUI law is at odds with the federal constitution on that pesky little detail about "innocent until proven guilty."
The last time I checked, the Sonics' Rashard Lewis wasn't a suspected terrorist and wasn't engaged in terrorist activities so may have his recent DUI expunged from his record.
Here's the money quote from the story:

Washington, they pointed out, is what's known as a "per se" state. That means if your breath-alcohol content measures 0.08 or greater, you're guilty of DUI. So if the judge is required to admit breath-test results into evidence, it's up to the defendant to prove his innocence. That is at odds with federal law, which says you're innocent until proved guilty.

Blogger shout out to orbusmax!

Look at All the Pretty Trains! That Giant Sucking Sound Heard in Seattle...

The monorail: listed as one of Seattle's top ten engineering disasters of our time.

The inefficient, l9th century light rail technology has taken hold in many cities, among them San Diego, Portland, and Seattle. The story is pretty much the same everywhere: the transportation gods throw their lot in with the usual consultants who preach this inefficient technology, sell the politicians on it who begin making big plans, closing tunnels, buying up easements--all without a public vote (interstate and Clackamas light rail plans, anyone?). Their thinking is geez, if the public knew it would cost $100 million a mile (West Side Light Rail), they wouldn't say yes and we simply can't have that!
Predictably, these costs siphon off all available funds for improving roads, increasing bus routes, and giving people more of a choice on where they wish to travel.
Of course in Oregon, light rail is less about getting people to work than in getting them to their newly planned, high density, European like communities. Some of those communities are very nice, especially for beginning home buyers without kids or the upwardly mobile folks in the Pearl who relish tax abatements and don't need any space to stretch out with their chillins. But, for the most part, light rail doesn't go where you want to go, obviously isn't flexible, and is a major throw back in vision.
In Seattle, where "leaders" there finally read the tea leaves--and the balance sheets--and appropriately shut down the monorail plan to Ballard when it began taking on "big dig" like proportions from the budget, they still haven't gotten hip to the rip off that is lightrail. Read this article in the Wall Street Journal today about it.

Does the President have the ability to conduct wiretaps of Al Qaeda Friends/Suspects in the US?

It's a mixed bag. The Attorney General believes the President has the final say in issues of national security. This blogger believes the President has the constitutional authority to do it, but the FISA act (ironically) may have erased his ability to be the final determinant.
The Wall Street Journal editorial, not surprisingly, comes out on the side of the President. I'm with the President here, too. And here's Michelle Malkin's take on the entire issue noting the 60 Minutes' piece in 2000 about Echelon with the observation that (surprise!) nobody called for President Clinton's impeachment over this issue. Oh, I know he was ALREADY impeached, but I guess the lesson here is if you're IGNORING the terrorists or toying with them instead of ENGAGING them, according to the MSM, that's a more tolerable approach when you go about wiretapping citizens.
Has this ever been done before? Uh, yeah. Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43. Read Byron York's piece in the National Review today about this very thing.
But here's his main point about the honorary member of the united brotherhood of brick layers:

"The Department of Justice believes, and the case law supports, that the president has inherent authority to conduct warrantless physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes," Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on July 14, 1994, "and that the President may, as has been done, delegate this authority to the Attorney General."

"It is important to understand," Gorelick continued, "that the rules and methodology for criminal searches are inconsistent with the collection of foreign intelligence and would unduly frustrate the president in carrying out his foreign intelligence responsibilities."

Executive Order 12333, signed by Ronald Reagan in 1981, provides for such warrantless searches directed against "a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power."

Please keep your comments short. If you need to go longer please use links.

Oh, the horror!

Eminem Music Allegedly Used As U.S. Torture Device
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A human rights group is alleging the United States operated a secret prison near Afghanistan's capital as recently as last year.
The group claims that music by Eminem and Dr. Dre were used as instruments of torture.
New York-based Human Rights Watch has issued a report saying the United States operated a secret prison in Afghanistan and tortured detainees. The report quoted an Ethiopian-born detainee as saying he was kept in a pitch-black prison and forced to listen to Eminem and Dr. Dre’s rap music for 20 days before the music was replaced by "horrible ghost laughter and Halloween sounds."
The report said detainees at the facility -- known as "Dark Prison" -- were deprived of sleep, chained to walls and forced to listen to loud music in total darkness for days.

Frank Gaffney, Author of War Footing, on the Show Tonight

Read Frank Gaffney's Op Ed for the Washington Times Tomorrow...
A WAR TO THE DEATH The news from Iraq today features a video of a terrorist murdering a man believed to be a kidnapped American civilian.The victim was trying to help rebuild that country.His cold-blooded execution is a reminder of what our Islamofascist enemies have in mind for all of us, non-Islamist Muslims and non-Muslims alike read the rest here.
Frank Gaffney is the President of the Center for Security Policy

Thank a Soldier Week

They're uncomfortable and getting shot at while you're enjoying your family. Can you take a few minutes to thank a soldier? Go to thank a soldier week's website and send an encouraging message to our troops.

Christmas (and 4th of July too!) FORBIDDEN at a California University

An administrator at California State University, Sacramento has banned decorations pertaining to Christmas and the 4th of July, among other holidays, from her office because they represent "religious discrimination" and "ethnic insensitivity."

"Time has come to recognize that religious discrimination, as well as ethnic insensitivity to certain holidays, is forbidden," Patricia Sonntag, director of the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities, stated in the directive she e-mailed to members of her staff on Dec. 9.

Cover is blown: Santa Racist!

The ACLU Inoffensive Holiday Traveling Song Fest...

Thanks Richard J!

It Takes One to Know One? Part Two

Blogger shout out to Orbusmax
for the ORIGINAL ad for the I hate Christians Democrats. Guess they left some of the details on the cutting room floor. It's hard to believe that it could be worse...
Why do the media reports on this case continually refer to this product available online as a parody when we know if this were targeted against another group: Jews, Muslims, gays... that it would be characterized as "hate speech."
Maybe it is a parody. I know for certain, however, that this is a double standard. No one would ever think of expecting gays, Muslims, Jews to simply "tolerate" this obvious slam.

Guess it Takes One to Know One?

Well, if you didn't believe the Democratic Party was anti-Christian, I guess their choice of offerings to their blue state acolytes confirms it. A blogger shout out to orbusmax.com
for the link.

COLLEGE STUDENTS FIGHT BACK ON UNFAIR TREATMENT OVER IN STATE TUITION!

FINALLY!
MORE DEETS TOMORROW

Open Thread Tuesday

Sorry peeps, I'm sick today. Have at it.

The attack on Christmas.

Center for Immigration Studies releases huge stats on how more than half of the immigrants to this country are ILLEGAL, and how there's been a huge wave of immigration to this country in the past five years as yet unseen in this country. Can we afford it? I know I want my tax dollars helping those least able to help themselves--if they're US Citizens. If I want to help folks outtatown, I'll do it with my donations and my church.

Where's the Apology to Oregon's Right for BEING Right---Again?

Where's the apology to the leaders on the right and parents for wasting billions of dollars and more than a decade and a half experimenting on our kids with CIM/CAM?
Today Susan Castillo, the Superintendent of Oregon Schools, called it what it is, a failure. Oh, of course, she couldn't be that impolitic, but she did call for its demise.
The state's expert on CIM/CAM, Rob Kremer, has a total explainer on this educational farce.

Do you think Susan Castillo, the educational establishment in Oregon, and the democratic party, owe the likes of: Don Mc Intire…Cascade Policy Institute, Bill Sizemore…BrainstormNW Magazine…Rob Kremer…and the dozens of conservatives a hearty “We’re sorry. You were right and we were wrong.”

I do. I’m sick of the institutions in this state demonizing these people. Those institutions include the Oregonian…Statesman Journal…and lazy reporters…and the apparatchiks in the education racket who have a vested interest in seeing their creation be perceived as succeeding---even though it sucks. They’ve only recently been paying these people any respect…

The people who deserve an apology are…the folks who have told you…

A) PERS were draining funds from the state budget and killing school budgets…and therefore slowly killing it,
B) That the police and fire pension fund in Portland was a huge unfunded mandate and budget buster
C) CIM CAM was a joke
D) The Business income tax was going to drive business away in Portland and Multnomah county
E) Light rail is a 100 million dollar a mile boondoggle used by fewer than 1% of the commuters!!!!! Buses are flexible and more efficient.
F) The tram is a carnival ride for doctors who may not even come and yet has destroyed homeowners views and quiet in their neighborhood.

G) Bio-tech doesn’t even have Oregon on the map so why are we spending hundreds of millions of dollars in state, federal, and local funds to build OHSU’S extension…just so they get some extra parking and waterfront property???

H) Urban renewal districts and CIM CAM are the majority of the reasons why we don’t have enough money for schools.

I) There’s money for the wapato jail…they just don’t want to spend it on jails—we’ll see if Diane Linn will walk the talk when she’s not up for reelection anymore.

J) They seek out illegal aliens to give services to that even some citizens can’t get. It’s wrong, potentially hazardous to our national security, and we can’t afford it.

K) There’s voter fraud in Oregon---and you need look no further than the mail in ballot and why it is illegal aliens, double voters, people with phony addresses are able to vote.

Monkey Wrenchers Get Theirs Part 1

Huge Eco-Terror Arrests today. These low lifes deserve a nice long look inside a cell at the federal pen for terrorizing people who have played by the rules and just want to do their jobs. But these guys aren't the only ones. Check out the laundry list of misdeeds by these guys who like to think of themselves as latter day monkey wrenchers.

Terror in the Skies: Annie Jacobsen

Here's where you can find Annie Jacobsen's series of Terror in the Skies reports.

OPEN THREAD WEDNESDAY

At the behest of participants in this blog I've been asked to open a thread.

Here's what I'd like your comments on: Do you favor ending the kicker for businesses in Oregon?

Rummy: We are All Americans; Resolve Not Retreat; Courage Not Concession

Some of the better points scored by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in his speech Monday before the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. See his full speech here.

"What is needed is resolve, not retreat; courage, not concession. Rather than thinking in terms of an exit strategy, we should be focused on a strategy for success.

Quitting is not a strategy. Quitting is an invitation to more attacks and more terrorist violence here at home.

Many reporters in Afghanistan and Iraq have done excellent reporting, and some have lost their lives.

[But] (s)peed, it appears, is often the first goal--not accuracy, not context.

I understand that there may be great pressure on them to tell a dramatic story. And while it is easy to use a bombing or a terrorist attack to support a belief that Iraq is a failure, that is not the accurate picture. And further, it is not good journalism.

Consider this: You couldn't tell the full story of Iwo Jima simply by listing the nearly 26,000 American casualties over about 40 days; or explain the importance of Grant's push to Virginia just by noting the savagery of the battles. So too, in Iraq, it is appropriate to note not only how many Americans have been killed--and may God bless them and their families--but what they died for--or more accurately, what they lived for.

Further it is worth noting that there are 158,000 Americans in uniform who are sending e-mails back to friends and families, telling them the truth as they see it. And much of it is different than what those in the United States are seeing and reading about every day.

But to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, we are all Republicans. We are all Democrats. We are all Americans. We are all in this together. And what we do today will not only impact us, but our children and our grandchildren, and the kind of world they will live in.

OPERATIONJUSTSAYMERRYCHRISTMAS.COM

I don't care if they are commercializing the take-back-Christmas movement, they're sincere and they're nice people. Find their web page here.

OPEN THREAD TUESDAY

Smokeless restaurants in Portland.

here's one of the better emails I got on the Washington state smoking ban:

Victoria:

In effect smoking has been banned in the core of all WA citties and townships.
The 25 foot limit from doors and openings does that. You can't walk down any
city sidewalk and be more than 25 feet from any door. If you stood
in the middle of the street you would probably not be over 25 feet from
a door straight across from you. The thing that is distasteful about this is
the sneaky, calculated way the initiative was worded.........to fool the voter. If it had said "no smoking in cities or towns in the entire state" it might not have had the same result. It worked, didn't it? You know what? Cars are next. Then homes. Fascism is loose and on a roll. I'm sure Oregon will copycat this like it did with the Cal bottle deposit bill and is now sniffing at copying the Cal auto emissions limits. Keep in mind folks. Next may be something you don't want to lose. These "limiters" don't know when to stop.

Thanks,
Leon.

Stanfords and Newport Bay Go Smokeless

Perhaps reading the tea leaves? It should be up to the individual business owner to decide if they can make a go of it by choosing to provide a smoke free atmosphere. Good for The Pacific Coast Restaurant Company that owns Stanfords--they chose to go smoke free and didn't need government to make the decision for them.

Dam: 0, Fish: 1

The 70 year old Hemlock Dam, northwest of Carson, Washington has been put on the endangered species list...by 2007 it may be gone, according to a the Mt. Adams District Ranger, Nancy Ryke, who signed a Record of Decision today.
Here's an excerpt from the news release that just came over the transom:

Ryke chose Alternative C of the final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
for the Hemlock Dam Fish Passage and Aquatic Habitat Restoration Project. *That means she could have kept it open and improved the fish ladder but chose to tear down the dam instead.

"Removing the dam and its sediment is the best way to fulfill our
obligation to enhance fish passage for threatened steelhead," Ryke said.
"We have put a lot of effort into this study, and I believe it’s the right
course of action to achieve our objectives for steelhead recovery."

OPEN THREAD MONDAY

Should tribes be allowed to build casinos in southwest Washington?

Should university campuses be allowed to boot military recruiters off campus? What about their speech codes? What about diversity? Just askin'...

"We're Less Safe" says Jamie Gorelick, Honorary Member of the United Brotherhood of Bricklayers

9/11 COMMISSION REDUX
Jamie Gorelick says it could happen again. Isn't her 'wall' --dividing spooks and prosecutors--partially responsible for 9/11 too?

While her concern about spending money for high risk areas has already been addressed by the Dept of Homeland Security, here's what the woman, who wrote the law for Janet Reno that stymied discussion between intelligence gatherers and prosecutors, also laughably said,

"For example, first responders still can't talk to each other across radio spectrums," Gorelick said.

Large serving of Irony, anyone?

Here's what Wikipedia says about Gorelick's 'wall:'

During her tenure at the Justice Department, which controls the FBI, she opposed FBI initiatives to work more closely with other US agencies to investigate and prevent terrorism, according to Pickard.

...government reports cited in the wake of the Able Danger scandal appear to contradict such claims, asserting that the 'wall' has been in existence since the 80's and is in fact not one singular wall but a series of restrictions passed over the course of sixty years. Others acknowledge that Gorelick did invent the wall.

A Gorelick 1995 memorandum states that the procedures her memorandum put in place "go beyond what is legally required...[to] prevent any risk of creating an unwarranted appearance that FISA is being used to avoid procedural safeguards which would apply in a criminal investigation." (Emphasis added.) As this rather straightforward English sentence illuminates, the wall exceeded the requirements of FISA and then-existing federal case law.

That was Jamie Gorelick's wall.

RECALLJUDGEJAMES.COM Update

That was quite a lovely piece in the newspaperofrecordHA! over the weekend on Judge James, the author of the incoherent decision overturning Measure 37 (the essentials of which have been overwhelmingly passed by voters twice now).

We find out about growing up in a large Catholic family, about how her parents missed her 16th birthday, about her successful bout with cancer, and then on page four (of the online edition) we find what should have been in the lead or at least a stand alone story:

Experienced jurists say circuit judges don't expect everybody to agree with their decisions. "She may well have erred, but that in no way reflects whether she is fit to be a judge," says Edwin J. Peterson, retired chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. "There is a completely adequate remedy on the next level. A substantial number of people on the Supreme Court are 'wrong' a substantial part of the time. Are they going to recall those judges?"

Did you catch that those words were spoken by a former CHIEF JUSTICE of the state supreme court? How can he be so cavalier about a poorly constructed decision overturning a measure that was overwhelmingly passed by voters and which was clearly incorrectly decided.

Trackback here. And here.

Carousel of Crime and *Update

*
UPDATE: thenewspaperofrecordHA! says there were 500 opposition protesters? If that's so then we had more than 100 (hint: we didn't).


Do you know what was surreal about Saturday's pro LEGAL-immigration rally by about 60 law abiding citizens? The fact that on the other side of that Woodburn street were a couple hundred of these guys (thanks to Daniel's blog for the pix) demonstrating in favor of breaking the law. The 'other guys' included members of the Industrial Workers of the World Union (the Wobblies). Yes, I know, I thought they were extinct too, but apparently they show up with banners for times such as these. Who knew the illegal alien supporters would turn to the communist party for support? Here's a portion of the Wobblies mission statement:

Instead of the conservative motto, "A fair day's wage for a fair day's work," we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, "Abolition of the wage system."
It is the historic mission of the working class to do away with capitalism. The army of production must be organized, not only for everyday struggle with capitalists, but also to carry on production when capitalism shall have been overthrown. By organizing industrially we are forming the structure of the new society within the shell of the old.

The counter protesters were called out by Ramon Ramirez, the head of the illegal alien workers union. Among the luminaries were unionists (?!), communists, and assorted disaffected adults, and confused teenagers who laughed a lot. This apparently was the best they could do. And frankly, when you're out supporting breaking the law and stealing from taxpayers what quality of individuals do you expect to attract to your protest party?

When Ramon found out Thursday we were showing up, he quickly switched the location of the so called carousel (or, if you prefer, the illegal alien freebie fest) from French Prairie Middle School to his PCUN headquarters at 300 Young Street in Woodburn. This switch to a private organization was so citizens couldn't make a pitch to get in to a taxpayer owned venue.

I'm glad Daniel stayed till the bitter end. We couldn't, but spent two hours out there chanting welcoming phrases such as these: Legal immigrants welcome!

To the guy with the sign which read "Immigrants are good for Oregon!" We yelled "Immigrants ARE good for Oregon--LEGAL IMMIGRANTS!" To the teen who carried signs reading "Star Athlete" and "Honor Student"--very accomplished kid, apparently-- we yelled "Welcome LEGAL Star Athletes/Honor students!

My eleven year old figured it out real quick by coming up with her own slogan which most of our crowd thought was pretty good: Legal immigrants 'hi,' illegal immigrants 'bye!'

Yeah, that about sums it up.

The Kidnapped Peace Activists Taken in Same Mosque as Italian Journalist

The questions are being asked: Why would they go there? Is this some phony kidnapping? Blogger shout out to The Jawa Report.
Here's US captive Tom Fox's last blog entry.

The Hijacking of Christmas

Jonah Goldberg on where it has all gone wrong.

OPEN THREAD FRIDAY

What wisdom is there in allowing sharp tools, scissors, and hand held sharp stuff back on airplanes?

And here's your own airline screening play set for your favorite child? this Christmas. See above!

Be there Saturday 10am in Woodburn to peacefully protest GIVING AWAY state services for people who are in this country ILLEGALLY:

HERE'S OREGONIANS FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM'S DETAIL SHEET FOR YOU:
Word has come from apparently reliable sources that the Mexican Consulate event in Woodburn will be held at offices of PCUN, 300 Young St. instead of at French Prairie Middle School.
WE STILL WILL FIRST ASSEMBLE AT FRENCH PRAIRIE MIDDLE SCHOOL, IN ORDER TO ORGANIZE OUR GROUP. Please go there first. If it turns out to be true that the event location has changed; we will go together as a group to the new location, which is less than a mile away.
Watch: Oregon Government VIOLATE Immigration laws
Don't Miss: How to find a JOB? Register to VOTE? Info on Unemployment BENEFITS? How to get a Drivers? LICENSE?
For Whom? ILLEGAL ALIENS
How? Mexican Consulate will be selling Photo ID ?Regardless of Immigration Status? The Matricula Consular Card in
WOODBURN-Dec. 3rd-Sat.-10 a.m.
@ French Prairie Middle School
1025 N. Boones Ferry rd.
Here's the link to OFIR's letter to the governor.

Here's the latest outrage by the feds on pandering to open border types.

Who wants to pick the winners and losers? Sam-I-Am-Adams.

After the years' long shake down...Alan Graf(t) heads to: A Commune

The man who sued the City of Portland for hundreds of thousands of dollars because protesters at a Bush rally didn't follow directions and got pepper sprayed
(see the left over tagging in NW Portland which reads: "They Pepper sprayed babies!") is apparently done shaking down 'the man.'

The Portland Tribune has profiled Graf who now says he's leaving to go to a Tennessee commune.

Graf says it's been real, but now it's time to be real. This, he now acknowledges, is in contrast to the way he conducted himself in Portland.

“I started realizing that if you want to effect societal change … you can’t just do it in the courts.” You also have to do it in the streets. Do it for the television cameras. “The court of public opinion — that’s what makes politicians change,” Graf says. “When constituents are calling them.” They won’t be calling anymore — at least not in Portland. At least not because of Graf-inspired street theater.

Graf is leaving town. The man who calls himself “the hippie lawyer” is returning to his roots. He’s going back to the Farm in Tennessee, a 34-year-old Earth-friendly, alternative community where he lived for a dozen years beginning in the 1970s, and through which he traveled to Guatemala in the early 1980s to build schools and put in water systems. It’s about as far from the media spotlight — and street theater — as anyone could get. The in-your-face political activist and lawyer appears to be undertaking a new phase. “I want to put my energy into building, as a contrast to fighting,” Graf says. “Fighting the system is tiring.”

...In December, the city agreed to settle the lawsuit Graf and a team of lawyers had filed on behalf of 12 plaintiffs who claimed police used excessive force against them during a protest of President Bush’s visit to Portland in August 2002 and during two antiwar marches seven months later. While the lawsuit never went to trial, the plaintiffs’ case was bolstered by videotapes showing police pepper-spraying people who appeared to be protesting legally and peacefully. Eventually, the city agreed to pay the plaintiffs $300,000 in damages. And a federal judge in May ordered the city to pay Graf and his legal team another $545,000 in attorney fees.

In Graf’s view, the case amplified how the court of public opinion is as important, maybe more important, than any court of law. “One of the reasons the city settled … they got their butt kicked in the court of public opinion,” Graf says. City lawyers recommended that the City Council approve the $300,000 settlement last December — which it did — to avoid the possibility of a larger jury verdict against the city