Join others this Saturday before the Olympia Westside Arts Walk for a raucous procession of solidarity with grand jury resisters. All of Olympia’s finest witches, warlocks, wizards and magic folk are encouraged to converge at Sylvester Park, 3 P.M. Saturday Oct 27th to form an enchanting mobile dance brigade!
Bring your broomsticks this weekend and head to Sylvester Park! On the eve of Halloween, this march will feature outrageous costumes, lively dancing, a mock grand jury, and other guerrilla performances. Create a cacophony of voices in opposition to these attacks and celebrate solidarity with pounding feet, banging beats, mounting bikes & broomsticks.
“I cannot and will not say something that could greatly harm a person’s life and providing information that could lead to long term incarceration would be doing that. For me choosing to resist a grand jury is about freedom of speech and association – I cannot and will not be a party to a McCarthy era policy that is asking individuals to condemn each other based on political beliefs.” – Katherine “KteeO” Olejnik (Grand Jury Resister)
Grand juries are not commonly understood or discussed, let alone the threat this and other forms of coercion/intimidation pose to citizens and activists. The festivities will publicly endorse community solidarity in a lively, defiant spirit using available space.
Celebrate the commitment, the dedication of such Olympia activists as Katherine “KteeO” Olejnik, Matt Duran, and others jailed with no charges beyond exercising their right to silence while implacably refusing to allow 1st Amendment rights to be quashed beneath the boot of federal authorities. This event will spread awareness of political repression and its dire implications to social justice movements in Olympia, The Pacific NW, and beyond.
The 40 acre parcel @ 2933 W. Skokomish Valley Rd. had been devoted to Christmas trees for decades. Perhaps that explains why it was assessed at $169,000 but treated as though it was worth only $11,880 for tax purposes. Still, most Valley residents (other than government entities & cronies) have their 5 acres parcels (excluding structures) assessed at more than the market value ($169,000) this level field was ‘estimated’ to be worth. While notably in a flood plain, those 5 acres parcels (along with most land) in the Valley also flood.
It’s been said necessity is the mother of invention. Clearly Mason County’s Tax Assessor felt the need to generate revenue–though not entirely, at least when it came to this parcel owned (according to Shawn Johnson, who presented a burn permit the night the Dist. 9 volunteer fire dept. asked, before ordering a reporter covering the blaze off the road) by the Johnson family, Arvid H. & Patricia M. Johnson according to County records. Tim Sheldon and his family trust get similar favorable tax treatment (beyond what’s available under State commercial timber tax deprecation programs) for the many parcels he owns/controls. It’s all a matter of public record, though scarcely anybody bothers to look. A casual checking of the facts will reveal these favorites pay only pennies on the dollar compared to their neighbors’ tax liability.
Shawn (and Shelloy) Johnson, for example, have their adjacent 19 acre parcel (#42118-14-00000) @ 2935 W. Skokomish Valley Rd. assessed at only $5,150 (excluding structures) for tax purposes while neighbors with only a 5 acre parcel are paying 30 to 40 times that rate. Whether Wes Johnson’s or Tim Sheldon’s stint as County Commissioner has anything to do with any of this is left to the reader’s imagination. These privileged few aren’t just paying dimes on the dollar compared to other citizens, but pennies on the dollar. The County Assessor is allowing them rates substantially below even those provided in law under the 1930’s Commercial Timberland legislation or the more recent 1960’s Open Space provisions. For Sheldon to argue (during candidates forums) his opponent’s people aren’t paying their fair share to the County is, under the circumstances, the height of hypocrisy. Were he and Terry Jeffreys (once his intern and protege) to be elected, ‘bizniz’ as usual would continue. i.e. Those struggling in Mason County would continue to bear the lion’s share of the tax burden while their wealthier well connected neighbors leisurely stroll to the bank. Unfortunately, Tim’s remarkable cunning, education, and experience have been put to use more in his own service than residents who naively believe this corporate darling benefits them. His own nest has been well feathered while his constituents’ are threadbare.
Corporate Boob
Finally, there’s the matter of local and global air quality. ORCAA repeatedly urges residents to compost or chip yard waste rather than burn it. Yet it, along with Washington’s DNR routinely grants permits for the massive incineration of what could be returned to the soil instead injected into the air we must breathe. In this instance, those responsible (Shawn Johnson & clan) not only were given a burn permit, but were allowed by the County (while Bill Hunter was Commissioner) to erect the now notorious ‘sugar’ dike along the S. fork of the Skokomish River WITHOUT a permit, resulting in exacerbated multiple seasonal floods and a riverbed so elevated as to exceed that of surrounding property. We no longer have a river in the Valley, but an aqueduct! The ‘sugar’ dike (composed largely of sand, gravel, and top soil scraped from surrounding farmlands by the Johnsons) regularly fails, threatening lives, homes, and property.
Giant coal companies are pushing their plans to extract massive quantities of coal from Montana and Wyoming and ship it on exposed rail cars to West Coast ports, spewing dangerous coal dust all along the way. They want Washington’s and Oregon’s ports to export it to China and other countries that will burn it, seriously pollute the world’s air, and further damage our climate.
Grassroots people in Puget Sound and along the Pacific coast are organizing vigorous campaigns to stop this. The Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation’s 2012 Fall Retreat focuses on the crisis and how we can stop it. Please join SATURDAY NOVEMBER 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at a pleasant Retreat in Lacey for an informative, inspiring, and activating day!
Agenda:
Three brief, informative keynotes will be followed by some informative workshops.
An activist round table will feature examples of what people have already been doing.
Concluding with action-oriented workshops to help move toward constructive solutions, strategies to act on the issues will be discussed.
WWFOR’s annual Fall Retreat is always a warm, friendly and well-designed event focusing effectively on particular issues. This year it’s on Saturday November 10. Please bring a brown bag lunch. A $15 donation to cover costs is requested, but people may give more or less as their situation allows.
Climate Crisis: It’s closer & worse than you think
Rob Cook was an opinionated red-neck right-wing Republican, worked in the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, operated a business as an electrical contractor on the side, and car pooled daily from Port Townsend…a Reagan acolyte to the core. Along with his wife, he doted on his 2 girls, the older developmentally disabled (retarded). He’s dead now, so it’s too late to kick him around for any of that.
Rob liked to talk a great deal during the commute. Since he was the driver, nobody objected. Many things, including his arch conservative streak, came to light during these monologues. Rob’s difficulties, due to his older girl’s condition, were unique but powerful in the telling.
Rob often spoke of how the State workers would approach him and his wife regarding his oldest’s future. They wanted Rob to relinquish custody in favor of a group home. Rob and his wife were reluctant to do so. They loved their girls too much and, frankly, didn’t trust the State. The workers persisted. They asked what would become of Leslie when Rob and her mother became too old to care for her. Wouldn’t she be better off gaining some independence in a group home, they asked? The dilemma remained unanswered for many many months. Meanwhile, the commute monologues and tales of Rob’s successful battle with alcoholism continued unabated until yours truly later left the PSNS.
Raising a teenager is always challenging. Raising one mentally handicapped doubly so. Rob told of an incident mixed with emotion and irony.
One weekend, he allowed his two girls (the younger by 3 years accompanied her sister) to spend a Friday evening at a Skateland in Sequim. But a little after an hour later, a phone call from the manager asked Rob to come and pick up his 2 children. Rob knew something serious must have happened and rushed into the dark driving the large pickup he used for transporting supplies to his job sites.
Upon arrival, the Skateland manager explained a fight had broken out between some boys at the facility and his 2 girls. Embarrassed, Rob apologized to the manager and ushered his 2 children to the truck. On the long trip home that night, Rob asked his youngest (being the more articulate) what had happened. ‘Brittany’ (pseudo-name for her privacy) attempted to remain calm while she recounted how the boys had started to tease the 2 girls on the floor until it viciously escalated as they began calling her sister ‘Retardo’. Brittany burst into tears while admitting she lost it, tackled two of the boys and was astride one, pounding on him, before the manager was able to pull her off. An awkward silence enveloped the cab punctuated only by Brittany’s sobbing and Leslie’s humiliation.
“Well,” drawled Rob after considering the matter, “you really shouldn’t fight, Brittany. That’s wrong.” And then, after a further pause, he added, “But, I’m proud as Hell of ya!”
Some months later, Rob proudly shared a moment in the life of his oldest when she came home for a visit. Rob and his wife had succumbed to the blandishments of the State workers. They very reluctantly signed the paperwork allowing Leslie to live in a Port Angeles group home run by the State.
Rob bragged about how ‘independent’ his daughter was becoming, even copping a feisty new attitude often found in teens when interacting with their parents. Rob was proud.
Not much more information about Leslie came out given Rob wasn’t exactly a pal and employment at the PSNS, thus the commute soliloquies, had ended. Still, Rob’s colorful opinions and the bright demarcation of affection for his girls was unforgettable.
One day, perhaps a couple of years or more later, a small article appeared in a local paper. A young developmentally disabled woman living in a Port Angeles group home had been raped and strangled near Sequim. The paper did not print her name.
My heart sank. Rob’s stories and the picture he painted of his daughters instantly came to mind. Any hope it was someone else was dashed after a little investigation. A man named Charles Dean Bingham had been arrested for the murder and was later convicted of the crime.
40 Wn. App. 553, STATE v BINGHAM
CITE: 40 Wn. App. 553, 699 P.2d 262
STATE v. BINGHAM
CAUSE NUMBER: 7464-8-II
FILE DATE: May 8, 1985
CASE TITLE: The State of Washington, Respondent, v. Charles Dean Bingham, Appellant
One can only wonder at the pain and heartache Rob and his wife must have felt 2nd guessing their decision to allow a fragile daughter’s welfare be administered by the State. Leslie and Rob’s love for one another are missed, their two candles snuffed out. If there’s a Heaven, Rob and his daughter are in it–together. And if there’s a Hell, Charles Dean Bingham and the State will be there–together!
Why the State?
…
MAJORITY OPINION:
We are asked to decide whether the time to effect death by manual strangulation is alone sufficient to support a finding of premeditation in the absence of any other evidence supporting such a finding. We hold it is not. Accordingly, we reverse the conviction of Charles Dean Bingham for aggravated first degree murder. We also overrule STATE v. SMITH, 12 Wn. App 720
“A man who steals a goose from the commons is punished, while a man who steals the commons itself is rewarded.” -unknown-
Michael Parenti is a renown Italian professor from New Jersey who has authored such books as:
God and His Demons; The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People’s History of Ancient Rome; The Face of Imperialism; Dirty Truths; Blackshirts & REDS; Super Patriotism.
Parenti has a perverse sense of humor. He’s also an unreconstructed old school anti-capitalist and liberal socialist. His presentation did not provide any new analysis of the issues he addressed or suggest any new (or otherwise) solutions other than eulogizing the ‘socialist democracies’ of northern European nations.
Michael Parenti speaks @ TESC 10-19-12 on the 1% Pathology (1/3)
Michael Parenti speaks @ TESC 10-19-12 on the 1% Pathology (2/3)
Michael Parenti speaks @ TESC 10-19-12 on the 1% Pathology (3/3)
Parenti is well known as an American political writer, historian, and culture critic who writes on scholarly and popular subjects. He has taught at American and international universities and has been a guest lecturer before campus and community audiences. He has played an activist role in political struggles, and in various anti-war movements. He also admits having been imprisoned for his views and activism. Whether that’s a badge of honor or a stigma depends, largely, on one’s own biases.
After his lecture, the question of how it made sense to invest more money and power for ever larger government programs given the current mess catalyzed by corrosive corrupting corporate influences on its functions was asked. Mr. Parenti’s reply compared government to a neutral tool for good or evil depending on who was wielding it.
A post session question (which Parenti graciously answered) lead to challenging the notion our Bill of Rights was intended for the common people any more than was the Magna Carta. Mr. Parenti parried the horns of this dilemma by arguing he had studied the issue, read James Madison’s letters/notes, and concluded the Amendments had been inserted well after the body of our Constitution had been drafted to insure ratification by at least 3/4ths of the States, intended to mollify the concern the document would attenuate their sovereign powers. Still, the professor’s answer avoided the issue of white male landed citizens being granted the vote to the exclusion of all others when the drafters had completed their work. Mr. Parenti alleged those guarantees embodied in our Bill of Rights were of little/no genuine concern to the drafters. How this response blunted the point of the question whose premise was those Amendments were intended to protect the moneyed class from the unpredictable vagaries of a new, untested form of government (democracy) wasn’t clear.
What made this follow up question to the earlier one asked material was the tone of antipathy toward capitalism as an economic system and why the wealthiest among us should be divested of their holdings or ‘privilege’. i.e. Should Constitutional guarantees to all, even the wealthy, listed in our Bill of Rights be suspended to redress economic inequity? If so, what impact would this have on our notions of freedom, liberty, and private property?
On 10-18-12 our WA. State Supreme Ct. heard Christine Schaller’s case:
Ignoring residency mandates?
Shawn Newman and Talmadge were defenders of Thurston County Superior Court Commissioner Christine Schaller and her proposition that because the State Constitution is silent on residency requirements, it effectively moots a current State Statute mandating a Superior Court judge (or any State elected official, for that matter) be a resident of the jurisdiction for which they will seek office. It also requires they be a U.S. Citizen. If Mr. Talmadge and Mr. Newman were to prevail, presumably the requirement for citizenship might be struck down as well since our State Constitution only requires judges to have been admitted to the State bar. Our courts have already ruled foreign nationals can be admitted to practice law in Washington State.
When Mr. Newman was asked what would prevent residents from as far away as Oregon or even Canada from holding judicial office in Washington, were he to prevail, he opined, “The voters.” It’s a seductive argument, Plus there’s the Hatfield case which, on its face, appears to prohibit any appeal beyond a State Superior Court ruling on election/ballot disputes. The justices, however, quickly disposed of that red herring as they reminded Schaller’s attorneys that the Hatfield case only addressed the simpler issues such as alleged voter fraud, etc. It never stood for the proposition that the appellate/Supreme Court should ever be divested of their inherent power to review erroneous lower court interpretations of law, particularly where the lower court’s ruling would make an existing State statute virtually unconstitutional/unenforceable in all but name only. The justices appeared unimpressed with the argument advanced by Schaller’s defenders.
The reporters considered opinion is Schaller will lose by a narrow majority of the Court, not because they don’t respect her hard work and competence, but because a far larger question is buried in the politics of this case…a bigger question than Schaller’s candidacy, or indeed of judicial elections in Washington State. The core question hidden among all the rhetoric as a matter of Constitutional interpretation in this case is simply: Does the State Constitution’s silence on a point/requirement moot any/all future exercise of the State’s/People’s plenary power to pass subsequent laws addressing what was not mentioned in our State Constitution?
Clearly voters and their elected officials wish public officials to reside in the community where they hold office. Does Washington State’s Constitution prevent its citizens from imposing such a requirement (et ux) simply for want of a Constitutional provision saying so?
This case is even more about what plenary powers are reserved to the people and their elected officials than it is about Christine Schaller–or any other judge or judicial office seeker.
What’s troubling, in addition to the above question, is Schaller’s, by all accounts, hard work, competence, and experience. Some retort they’re offended by Schaller brazenly ignoring an existing State law requiring residency. These critics argue Schaller’s actions hold the Courts up to public contempt for failure to provide the appearance of fairness or even abiding by the very laws and rules they enforce. Whether voter opprobrium is a sufficient deterrent to such abuse remains an open question, at least until Nov. 2. At that point (given one Justice’s dicta) Schaller might moot the dispute by simply taking up residence in Thurston County before being sworn in. However, the larger conundrum (Does the Constitution’s silence on an issue bar future laws remedying the problem) would remain like a dormant landmine after the war. For important public policy considerations, the State Supreme Court should address this question in its published opinion.
The various candidates for County Commissioner and 35th Dist. Representative were all on hand Tuesday evening. The 2-hour Q&A session held at the Oakland Bay Jr. High School contained a few surprises and some not so much. e.g. Tim Sheldon announcing he and Roslynn Reed were 2 very different kind of Democrats.
The candidates all appeared at the top of their game with the possible exception of Ross Gallagher, who seemed more befuddled than his opponent, Terry Jeffreys. Tim Sheldon looked tired and older, but seemed mentally alert and enjoying all the familiarity with the facts his many years in elective office had provided him.
The weather had been volatile this autumn day until an afternoon break caught the golds and reds in a splendid explosion of color on the Oakland Bay Middle School campus.
Maple Leaf Rag
Along the Huff ‘n Puff
Dancing in the Dark
Purple Prose
Dan Griffey v. Kathy Haigh; Drew MacEwen v. Lynda Ring-Erickson 10-16-12 forum (1/5)
35th District (Mason County, WA) candidates vie for spots I & II as State Representative. Kathy Haigh admitted opposing the super majority mandate, perennially popular with voters whenever it appears as an initiative, for tax increases She characterized the idea as a minority holding the majority hostage. Haigh was unable to draw the parallel to the 3/4ths super-majority of states necessary to amend/ratify changes to the U.S. Constitution. When reminded of the voter sentiment consistently supporting a super-majority mandate for net tax increases, Haigh conceded she’d abide by the will of the people for the 2-year minimum period mandated by law before legislators gut the law as they’ve done repeatedly, according to Haigh, with prior passed initiatives–most, according to Representative Haigh.
Dan Griffey repeatedly based his appeal to voters on a theme of getting government ‘off people’s back”. The stark difference between this fiscal conservative and his opponent (Kathy Haigh) was dramatic. Haigh concedes people interested in keeping taxes low will not be happy with her voting record. She invited the audience to believe her views were inconsequential since she only has ONE vote in the Legislature. Griffey rightly demurred that a Representative’s task was to form coalitions of like minded elected officials in order to serve their constituents while in office. The two disagreed on whether regulations had become onerous to small business or were vital to protecting the public.
Dan Griffey v. Kathy Haigh; Drew MacEwen v. Lynda Ring-Erickson 10-16-12 forum (2/5)
Denny Hamilton v. Randy Neatherlin 10-16-12 forum (3/5)
Denny Hamilton & Randy Neatherlin are vying for a spot as Mason County Commissioner, Dist. 1 (Belfair). Mr. Neatherlin has a history as an elected official, Mr.. Hamilton does not. Each appeared healthy during their presentation though Mr. Neatherlin has had some serious health issues recently.
Randy is currently a Port of Allyn Commissioner. Denny has had international experience (including @ the U.N.) as a facilitator charged with bringing various factions together before retiring to Mason County. Neatherlin has been a long time resident and appears to know where all the skeletons are buried in Mason County’s political closet. Neatherlin isn’t exactly an ‘outsider’, but is running as an independent. Hamilton is favored by area Democrats. Both seem approachable and sincere. Neatherlin is likely the more fiscally conservative. Hamilton sounds more environmentally conscientious. Mr. Hamilton has sterling people skills in a group, but Neatherlin is no slouch.
Roslynne Reed v. Tim Sheldon 10-16-12 forum (4/5)
Tim Sheldon is the incumbent Mason County Commissioner running for reelection. Roslynne Reed challenged Tim for this position 4 years ago. Despite having raised more campaign contributions than her corporate backed opponent, she lost. This year, she trailed Tim by only a couple of %’s in the primary election.
Roslynne is the local Democratic favorite. Though Sheldon is nominally also a ‘Democrat’, he is heavily opposed by many local Democrats. Sheldon’s legislative history is a fiscally conservative one, but also riddled with egregious strategic and tactical errors. Sheldon, along with many area businessmen and locally elected officials, supported Adage, a rapacious non-local corporate biomassacre applicant intent on ‘cleaning’ Mason County’s environment through a smokestack in the face of overwhelming citizen opposition by local residents. Unlike Ross Gallagher (his co-Commissioner at the time), Tim has never apologized for stonewalling his constituents and denying them even an advisory participatory role in a vital decision making process.
Roslynne Reed is the only candidate who expressed reservations during the pre-primary candidates forum when asked if they thought the County was doing a good job preserving area resources and the environment.
Unfortunately, no questions or discussion was given to the issue of corruption in County government–specifically the unaccountable delivery of public funds to private corporations (e.g. the EDC, i.e. Economid Development Counscil, a private company) ridden with cronies and conflicts of interest, large sums for ‘services’ as a way to evade an open transparent bidding process. The incestuous nature of this all but illegal dodge involves cooperative local elected public officials who’ve transferred tax dollars to this private company then ended up on its board of directors WHILE IN OFFICE, or soon thereafter.
Given his many years of experience at the heart of this corruption, Sheldon had the better command of the details of issues the County was facing. Reed continued to remark on his frequent absences from County Commissioner meetings due to time conflicts with his position as State Senator. Sheldon came off as experienced, competent, and almost relaxed. He arrived after the forum had begun. Reed appeared sincere and eager to bring a change to County government.
Tim Sheldon has a long track record as a fiscal, if somewhat self serving, conservative. Roslynne is more likely to take on programs without a sober look at the consequences to tax payers. The lion’s share of Tim’s campaign donations come from corporate interests while Roslynne’s largely come from individual voters.
Ross Gallagher vs. Terri Jeffreys 10-16-12 (5/5)
Ross Gallagher & Terri Jeffreys are candidates vying for the District 3 slot for Mason County Commissioner. This clip captured their respective presentations in Shelton, WA. at the candidates forum on 8-16-12. Ross Gallagher has held prior elective office. Jeffreys has not. Ross was voted out of his previous position as County Commissioner for failing to protect the community from the predations of an environmentally hazardous/hostile industry. He was admitted to the hospital for heart problems during his previous failed campaign to be re-elected. Jeffreys sounded more mentally alert, but came across as arrogant and ill informed when interviewed.
Jeffreys was an intern and reported protege’ of Tim Sheldon. She supported Adage while Chair of the local Chamber of Commerce. She revealed a dangerous lack of familiarity with critical facts when she claimed the Dioxin in Oakland Bay was being cleaned up.
Gallagher argued, given his experience as an elected official, he was the better qualified since Jeffreys has never held elective office. But Jeffreys’ mental acuity and general health appeared better. Intimations of Gallagher’s part involving lost lawsuits against the county stemming from his term in office were contested by him.
Gallagher’s apparent befuddlement at times during the forum invited questions regarding how fully he has recovered from his previous medical emergency or if he can complete a full term if elected. Ross is the local Democratic favorite to win the position he seeks.
Why only 24 hours notice (the minimum required by law) is given to citizens about meetings commonly acknowledged to be of great public interest remains unanswered. What did the Pork Commissioners/staff know and when did they know it? Is this 24 hour notice a pattern? Why?
Wendy (@ the Pork) learned from John Dobson that he confirmed the meeting time with his principles last Thursday/Friday. Wendy states she learned of it (confirmation) only today.
The meeting started out slow, but built up steam before eventually sputtering to a halt. Everyone, it seems, was in favor of the Fairground$ (especially the Hansens) but n0body wanted to pay for one. This hot potato was tossed around until a consensus to punt was reached. The 6 commissioners agreed to re-appoint/select a citizen committee from a new list of volunteers to study the issue and make recommendations. After a spate of mutual back slapping, they agreed to swap spit more often in the future. All agreed as well to placing a levy or increase of taxes for funding a new fairground on the ballot, that if the voters rejected such a tax/levy, the issue became moot/dead. No discussion (other than taxpayers) was given to alternative (e.g. naming facilities after sponsors, concession leases/fees, combining facilities w/adjacent counties, etc.) methods of financing construction of a fairground to replace the current soon to terminate arrangement.
County Commissioner Linda Ring-Erickson
The show lurched to a start chaired by Linda Ring-Erickson, our County Commissioner and 35th District State Legislatrix in waiting. She narrated the nature of the two official bodies composing the meeting along with their respective purposes before turning the mic over to Commissioner Bloomfield.
County Commissioner Steve Bloomfield (aka: clam pirate)
Steve Bloomfield recounted his concern and legal research into State mandates with respect to State agencies/bodies exceeding their jurisdiction. e.g. The Pork of Shelton appointing a citizens advisory committee including some from within Mason County, but outside the Pork’s political boundary of franchised residents. Bloomfield criticized the Pork for doing so and alleged it had overstepped its bounds, and was now cramping the County Commissioners’ style. Pork Commissioner Dick Taylor was allowed to respond.
Pork Commissioners Tick Daylor & Tom Wallitner
Dick Taylor (the Pork’s Chair) defended his body’s position by arguing the Fairground’s future was a countywide problem of considerable interest to the larger Mason community. Not wanting to be seen as giving up any turf, the County Commissioners took the bait and sagely nodded in agreement. After that, the spit swapping began in earnest.
As it turned out, ‘everyone’ was in favor of continuing, after reincarnation, the Fairground. But like the mice in the well known fable, nobody wanted to Bell the Cat! i.e. Nobody wanted to PAY for it.
Czar Tim Sheldon, minor Deity in Mason County
After mutually blaming the recent economic downturn for the impasse, the exultation of Commissioners agreed to fly their respective flags over the joint selection of volunteers for a grander citizen advisory committee fully authorized to make recommendations to the Commissioners for more studies on the Fairground issue. Suspecting a Commissioner in the woodpile, Tom Wallitner emphasized his insistence those selected would be ‘interested’ in the Fairground. “I’m certain volunteers for such an appointment will be interested,” Tim assured him.
Tom Wallitner casts a jaundiced eye
Mr. Hansen sits behind Pork Manager John Dobson
The meeting lasted an hour. The public was allowed to listen only. At one point when Commissioner Linda Ring-Erickson began to inquire about the possibility of leaving the current location of the Fairground alone, Pork Manager (and pilot) John Dobson could be seen shaking his head. Sitting behind him (in V-formation) were the Hansens, hoping to spearhead the charge toward taxpayer largess.
Tom Davis
Tom Davis was there, holding up a chair–everyone was on their best behavior…knowing Santa will be arriving Nov. 2 (at least for them) this year.
Rachel Hansen–Lady in waiting
Pork Commissioner Jay Hupp
Somewhere in the middle of this, Jay’s proteges felt honor bound to eulogize Hupp and his efforts toward dissing the FAA (federal agency). Based on his own research into the legal ramifications of title transfer documents underlying the Fairground and Port property, Jay had a very different tale than the one Wallitner presented to explain why the Fairground was going to be cast adrift. Like the labors of Sisyphus, this tin can will continue to reappear along whatever path the Commissioner’s choose.
