Maria Cantwell came to Shelton last night to meet the town’s money more than its residents. At $100/plate, the privileged in our struggling economy were given easy access, the press and ordinary residents were not.
Pay (here) to Play
A small crowd of residents hoping for her Grace’s notice held signs protesting the Biomassacre of our forests and decimation of our children’s health. Senator Cantwell appeared to take no notice or to be indifferent, having taken a resolute position supporting aviation biofuels including the forest destruction needed to enable this profligate boondoggle.
Does Maria know how much a dozen eggs and a gallon of milk cost?
Citizens wished to express their concern after learning Senator Cantwell (along with other senators including our own Senator Patty Murray) had signed a letter directing the federal EPA to suspend/stop enforcing elements of its clean air regulations protecting the nation’s health and environment. The Senator’s reasoning in the letter appeared to urge trading protecting the health of the nation and our environment for ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’…i.e. selling our children, if you will.
8-8-11 Shelton biomassacre protest seeking Senator Cantwell’s support
8-8-11 Shelton Biomassacre Protest seeking… by pinbalwyz
8-8-11 Representative Kathy Haigh interview
8-8-11 No Paparazzi interview @ Senator Cantwell’s $100/plate dinner
8-8-11 No Paparrazi interview @ Senator… by pinbalwyz
As constant as the sun, Commissioner Miles was the only elected official there standing shoulder to shoulder with the community to protect it from the likes of Simpson and other dirty filthy anachronisms intent on receiving corporate welfare as their permit applications move with slight impediment through regulatory agencies such as ORCAA and Washington State’s Dept. of Ecology, given the support for these robber barons at the the local to the highest levels of government extending all the way to the White House itself.
Commissioner Miles Participates in the Struggle to Preserve the Community, Environment
We'll rally round the flag boys, we'll rally once again--shouting out the battle cry for clean air
Shelton’s Journal newspaper admits it knew nothing of Cantwell’s arrival at the $100/plate fundraising dinner until the same day, incorrectly assuming they learned of it at the same time as this reporter. Had they read local community blogs such as John Cox’s, they’d have known better as early as the previous Friday…enough time to have asked the Cantwell staff for permission to cover the event. Once again, the evolution of news gathering in the 21st century has proven today, WE ARE THE MEDIA.
8-8-11 Shelton Journal Late to Cantwell party
Senator Cantwell selects H'ors Deurves at the exclusive Xinh's soiree.
Shelton residents shout out against Senator Maria Cantwell’s support of biomassacre during their protest across the street from her Xinh’s $100/plate soiree after learning she’d slipped inside unnoticed without acknowledging the community’s concern.
8-8-11 Shelton’s Citizens rally against biomassacre near Cantwell soiree
Representative Kathy Haigh may be forgiven for expressing some confusion about exactly what the issue was citizens were protesting since Adage had pulled up stakes. Nothing visible indicated residents were opposed to the bio-fuel flavor of biomassacre and corporate welfare being promoted by Senator Cantwell and DNR’s Peter Goldmark as passionately as they’d hated Adage.
The Cantwell staff displayed considerable indifference as well in that after being contacted the previous Friday for permission to cover the soiree from the INSIDE, Jessica Boad (Senator Cantwell’s aide residing in Olympia) never responded to the e-mail request for an exception to their policy of excluding the press which she, herself, had urged be sent. The Monday evening of the event itself yielded a male staff member promising to relay the same, but verbal request, and return with a response. He never did.
8-8-11 Jessica Boad (Senator Cantwell’s aide) after soiree interview
John Cox and his wife, Christine Armand, collected signatures on a petition directly appealing to Senator Cantwell to reconsider her position supporting bio-fuel bisomassacre while hamstringing the federal EPA from enforcing regulations protecting the nation’s environment and air quality. As the hour grew late, they nervously approached and entered the ‘closed’ restaurant to hand deliver the signatures to the Senator, but were met immediately by staff blocking their path. Senator Cantwell intervened, accepting the document and briefly uttered political banalities while never once waving to or acknowledging the little people of Shelton who’d come to acknowledge/petition her!
John Cox & Christine approach the castle gate
John & Christine disappear into the maw of privileged access
Through The Looking Glass
John Cox and wife, Christine Armand, succeed in hand delivering local signatures petitioning Senator Cantwell’s support in opposing all forms of biomassacre including the bio-fuel for jet aircraft flavor promoted by the Senator and DNR’s Peter Goldmark. John denied any conversation of substance passed between them as Maria accepted the document.
8-8-11 John Cox & Christine recount reception from Senator Cantwell
Typical Downtown Shelton Welcome mat
Keep Off The Grass, Eat Dioxin, Breathe Shit!
A Shelton Senior, having just enjoyed a seafood dinner w/Senator Maria Cantwell, expresses surprise upon learning the shellfish from nearby Oakland Bay are tainted by some of the worst levels of Dioxin contamination in the Puget Sound.
8-8-11 Shelton Senior surprised Oakland Bay Shellfish Tainted by Dioxin
A Shelton family expresses dismay at learning of $100/plate event and Dioxin Tainted local Shellfish, thanks reporter for the information.
8-8-11 Shelton family dismayed at $100/plate, Dioxin Tainted local Shellfish
A couple leaving Senator Maria Cantwell’s $100/plate soiree avoid camera while admitting Dioxin contamination in Oakland Bay discussion in her Grace’s court.
8-8-11 Swells avoid camera, acknowledge Dioxin in Oakland Bay discussed
Portal to Privilege
In Camelot, it only rains at night
They Took All the Trees and Put 'em in a Tree Museum.... -Joni Mitchell-
Crossing Over to the Dark Side
From One of the Little People outside the Soiree
We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Little People
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a Stately Pleasure-Dome Decree
Senator Cantwell Savors the Dioxin Tainted Seafood
It Must Have Been Something I Ate
Pass The Dioxin, Please
What's the half-life for Dioxin?
For Whom The Bell Tolls
After witnessing such fine dining and an after dessert speech, it was time to visit where the little folk eat. It was only a block away on S. 2nd St.
Hunger Makes the Best Sauce
Perhaps It's Free because it's Empty?
Unfortunately, as luck would have it, the place was closed…there weren’t even any stragglers around. Perhaps it was that ‘no loitering’ sign?
Bistro of My Heart--the Price is Right, but the Service is Terrible
Perhaps they serve dinner fashionably late, ala European style? Note to Self: Encourage the proprietors to post hours and a menu. The place could become a tourist mecca…for the homeless. Shelton needs all the boosters it can get.
But wait!…there was another subtle clue for the peaceful repose:
Clean Air Freaks
That was IT! These folks were hard core environmentalists, unlike the Swells. And they were going to get Clean Air even if it meant hiking 25+ feet to the next enclave/city-state. Further investigation was called for.
OR…or, had they all rushed to sell their gold & silver to buy stocks, taking advantage of the recent crash and buying opportunities for investors?
After The Gold Rush
Yeah…that was it. It had to be! Unlike the Swells, these homeless geezers were damn clever. After all, you had to be smart to live on the streets…and live to tell about it. A quick turn to the right confirmed this suspicion–the Streets of Shelton, or at least the alleys, were PAVED with Gold!–Old Gold, Marlboro, Lucky Strike, Virginia Slims, and Chesterfield Lights. While the Swells had been gorging themselves on Dioxin, the little people had been preparing for the coming hyper-inflation by investing heavily.
Brought to You by your City's Administration and Dawn Pannell
It looked like the Red Army had been on maneuvers and bivouacked there for a month! Many of the Swells and the Senator herself must have overlooked this goldmine in the heart of our fair city while squeezing in/out of the back entrance to Xinhs. Arguably, perhaps a discerning eye more accustomed to street life was needed because it looked like a town that had crawled out from under a rock and never had a bath. After all, this alley that is Xinhs’ backdoor passes right by Treasures only a block away. Maria, eat your heart out for not being a Shelton native growing up with the best City government money can buy.
