The Skokomish tribal members are close relatives of the Squaxin. Saturday morning, they gave thanks and offered their prayers/protocols at the reception center erected just for the 2012 Canoe Paddle Journey. Non-native guests were treated to chauffeur (shuttle) service from Little Creek Casino, et al, and the tribal center where the festivities were held. The place was packed, tents were erected everywhere on the reservation indicating the extreme level of attendance and interest.

The Squaxin were repeatedly lauded for their generosity and hospitality. They provided unlimited ice cold bottled water to all their guests and free food to visiting tribes for the duration.

The Squaxin Island tribe hosted the 2012 Canoe Paddle journey from along the PNW coast and through the Salish sea. About 100 traditional canoes made the journey with stops along the way culminating in the protocols/ceremonies of each tribe performed for the Squaxin elders. The public was welcome, the event well attended, the host tribal nation was generous, and over one million dollars was spent to prepare for the guests to the Squaxins’ homeland.

The video footage, music, dancing, traditional dress, good vibes, and heart warming family values extolling the First People’s long and rich heritage left many with moist eyes. A heavy emphasis on challenging young tribal men coming of age to exert their strength in a tenacious bid for character, discipline, and maturity was evident as the elders were honored, the youth encouraged to remain loyal to the traditional values of the tribe.

This is a culture that deeply values its young people along with its elders. While the dominant white culture indulges successful enterprises boasting of their profit margins and rate of expansion, the tribes (e.g. The Squaxin) boast of how many jobs they’ve brought to an area, what services they’ve been able to provide their people, what they’ve accomplished to sustain and protect their natural resources, and the degree to which their youth are faring well. The contrast is startling and a bit disturbing.

The following clips caught the tail end of the Skokomish protocols and all of the Tlingit, i.e. a native Alaskan tribe. The journey was long and arduous, but it challenged their youth who participated and helped them transition into proud disciplined dedicated adults, the pride of their communities.

2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) 1/8 Tinglits

2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) 2/8 Tinglits

2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) 3/8 Tinglits

2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) 4/8 Tinglits

2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) 5/8 Tinglits

2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) 6/8 Tinglits

2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) 7/8 Tinglits

2012 Squaxin Canoe Paddle Journey (8-3-12) 8/8 Tinglits

The following schedule lists the bands playing Thursdays (7:00pm) in Shelton’s Post Office Park free concert series.

2012 @ 7:00pm (Thursdays) free concert series in Shelton’s Post Office Park

Lies, Damn Lies,…and Statistics!

After listening to the latest flock of incompetent nincompoops (with the exception of Roslynne Reed) gush about what a wonderful job this County (Mason) has done protecting our environment and natural resources (Vido Clips of the Candidates Forum held recently in Shelton can be found on this site bearing out the allegation), I’m reminded of the following quote:

“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.” -George Orwell-

They’re at it again. The latest official study (bearing out centuries of common sense) is going to make some professional busy bodies ecstatic.

The Social Engineers at CPS are gonna LOVE the following article by Laura Blue! The problem, legally, is whether irrevocable harm is imminent–a much easier call (as the article implies) for physical rather than emotional/psychological abuse. That’s not to say a lot of parents aren’t emotionally abusive…spouses too. But do we really want government in our lives to the extent this article invites it?

Education is one thing–intervention and government fiat is another. Finally, where is it written that every child has an inalienable right to perfect or even average parenting? Some kids get lousy parents. And some parents get lousy kids–it works both ways. Unless the threat of harm is imminent, the brute police power of the state must be kept at bay–outside the confines of home & family. Having watched manipulative teens LIE (in court, no less) during emancipation petition hearings, etc., the prospect of more paternalist government meddling isn’t pretty.

Even the Constitution doesn’t guarantee equal results–only equal opportunity. If there’s to be a decree children have a legal right to average (or better) parenting, then where’s the corollary to average or better education (including higher)? When the law begins to orchestrate hurt ‘feelings’ and ‘relationships’, we’re in a world of trouble–come to think of it, we already are. But if we’re in a hole we can’t get out of–quit digging!

My mom/dad/parents kicked me out of the house.

It may be the most common kind of child abuse — and the most challenging to deal with. But psychological abuse, or emotional abuse, rarely gets the kind of attention that sexual or physical abuse receives.

That’s the message of a trio of pediatricians, who write this week in the journal Pediatrics with a clarion call to other family doctors and child specialists: stay alert to the signs of psychological maltreatment. Its effects can be every bit as devastating as those of other abuse.

Psychological maltreatment can include terrorizing, belittling or neglecting a child, the pediatrician authors say.

Time.com: Child abuse pediatricians recommend basic parenting classes to reduce maltreatment and neglect

“We are talking about extremes and the likelihood of harm, or risk of harm, resulting from the kinds of behavior that make a child feel worthless, unloved or unwanted,” Harriet MacMillan, one of the three pediatrician authors, told reporters.

What makes this kind maltreatment so challenging for pediatricians and for social services staff, however, is that it’s not defined by any one specific event, but rather by the nature of the relationship between caregiver and child. That makes it unusually hard to identify.

Can spanking cause mental illness?

Keeping a child in a constant state of fear is abuse, for example. But even the most loving parent will occasionally lose their cool and yell. Likewise, depriving a child of ordinary social interaction is also abuse, but there’s nothing wrong with sending a school-aged boy to stew alone in his room for an hour after he hits a younger sibling.

All of this means that, for an outsider who observes even some dubious parenting practice, it can be hard to tell whether a relationship is actually abusive, or whether you’ve simply caught a family on a bad day.

Time.com: How child abuse primes the brain for future mental illness

Psychological abuse can also include what you might call “corrupting a child” — encouraging children to use illicit drugs, for example, or to engage in other illegal activities.

In their Pediatrics paper, MacMillan and co-authors say that 8% to 9% of women and 4% of men reported severe psychological abuse in childhood when the question was posed in general-population surveys of the U.S. and Britain.

A number of U.S. surveys have also found that more adults claim they faced psychological maltreatment as kids than claim they experienced any other form of abuse. This suggests that psychological maltreatment may be the most common form of abuse inflicted on kids.

Because of that, pediatricians must be as sensitive to signs of emotional maltreatment as they are to signals of sexual or physical abuse, the authors say. And while it may be possible in the event of psychological abuse to intervene to improve the child’s home life — especially where the root cause is a parent’s own mental-health issue — the authors stress:

Consideration of out-of-home care interventions should not be restricted to cases of physical or sexual abuse; children exposed to psychological maltreatment may also require a level of protection that necessitates removal from the parental home.

(ps: The original CPS oriented website censored the analytical response posted above.)

Kathy Haigh is the incumbent (position 1) and has done, in general, a remarkable job for her constituents over the years she has held that post. She’s bright, educated, listens to her community; she works hard at being responsible for policies and your tax dollars.

Jeff Davis (running for Fred Finn’s spot, position 2) also appears to be among the best and the brightest in the current field of candidates.

Katherine Price has written a perspicacious analysis of the candidates running for these 2 important positions after considerable research and attending last Thursday’s Candidates Forum in Shelton. It’s articulate and persuasive. You can read it by clicking HERE.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

by Timothy B. Lee – July 24 2012

DC police chief announces shockingly reasonable cell camera policy

She bans DC cops from confiscating cell cameras or harrassing their owners.

DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier

This blog has criticized and published a number of stories about police officers, et ux, interfering with citizens who are trying to record the actions of police in public places. In some cases, cops have arrested citizens for making recordings in public. In others, they’ve seized cell phones and deleted the recordings.

The courts and the Obama administration have both said that these activities violate the Constitution. At least one police department has gotten the message loud and clear.

In a new legal directive first noticed by DCist, Washington DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier explains the constitutional rights of DC citizens and gives her officers detailed instructions for respecting them. She addresses a number of scenarios that have led to controversy in recent years.

Don’t interfere with recordings

“A bystander has the same right to take photographs or make recordings as a member of the media,” Chief Lanier writes. The First Amendment protects the right to record the activities of police officers, not only in public places such as parks and sidewalks, but also in “an individual’s home or business, common areas of public and private facilities and buildings, and any other public or private facility at which the individual has a legal right to be present.”

Lanier says that if an officer sees an individual recording his or her actions, the officer may not use that as a basis to ask the citizen for ID, demand an explanation for the recording, deliberately obstruct the camera, or arrest the citizen. And, she stresses, under no circumstances should the citizen be asked to stop recording.

This applies even in cases where the citizen is recording “from a position that impedes or interferes with the safety of members or their ability to perform their duties.” In that situation, she says, the officer may ask the person to move out of the way, but the officer “shall not order the person to stop photographing or recording.”

She also notes, “a person has the right to express criticism of the police activity being observed.”

No seizing cameras or deleting recordings

Lanier’s directive addresses another scenario which is becoming increasingly common: a civilian takes a photograph or recording a police officer believes could constitute evidence of a crime. Under Lanier’s directive, an individual cop cannot take a recording device away from a citizen without his or her consent. “Consent to take possession of a recording device or medium must be given voluntarily,” she writes.

In the event that the cop believes the recording is needed for evidence but its owner isn’t willing to part with it, the officer is required to call his supervisor. The device or recording media can be seized only if the supervisor is present, only if “there is probable cause to believe that the property holds contraband or evidence of a crime,” and only if “the exigencies of the circumstances demand it or some other recognized exception to the warrant requirement is present.”

In non-emergency situations, Lanier directs her subordinates to obtain a search warrant before accessing any information on a seized device. She writes, “photographs or recordings that have been seized as evidence and are not directly related to the exigent purpose shall not be reviewed” by the police.

Finally, she emphasizes police officers “shall not, under any circumstances, erase or delete, or instruct or require any other person to erase or delete, any recorded images or sounds from any camera or other recording device. [Officers] shall maintain cameras and other recording devices that are in Department custody so they can be returned to the owner intact with all images or recordings undisturbed.”

If Chief Lanier’s subordinates follow her instructions, it will not only help to avoid the expensive lawsuitsthat other cities have faced, it will also make for a more accountable police force. It’s hoped that police chiefs around the country follow Chief Lanier’s excellent example.

The above order was part of a settlement with Jerome Vorus, who sued the city after he was told to stop taking pictures of a traffic stop in Georgetown two years ago. The lawsuit was filed with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union.

7-26-12 Music In The Park (Shelton) – Runaway Train (1/5)

Greg Linder’s band, Runaway Train, has helped make Bluegrass the Sine Qua Non of Mason County. Based in Union, Washington, Greg has created a seminal annual event in Shelton, the Bluegrass From The Forest festival. Attracting national attention and world class bands, Greg has made Shelton the anchor in leading off the Bluegrass performance season the 1st weekend after Mother’s Day each year.

7-26-12 Music In The Park (Shelton) – Runaway Train (2/5)

Missing here is the group’s regular (and award winning) banjo player, Luke Dewhirst, as well as their fiddle player. Each had previous commitments. Generously filling in was Clay Hess from Woodenville, WA. on banjo, and Stephen Burwell on fiddle from Maple Valley (King County). These talented young musicians were complimented by Kent Powell of Tacoma on bass, and Greg Linder himself on guitar from Union, WA. (Greg’s mother was in the audience at the 2-hour free concert in Shelton’s Post Office Park.)

7-26-12 Music In The Park (Shelton) – Runaway Train (3/5)

Kent Powell is a true veteran to the Northwest bluegrass scene and brings his experience to North Country. He has been a member in some of the most popular and established Northwest bands, such as Crossfire and Runaway Train, in which he has been a member since 2005. Kent holds down the drive and groove of the band with his rock solid bass playing and can sing any part needed. His powerful voice and harmony singing add an incredible dynamic to the band. Kent makes his home in Tacoma, Washington.

7-26-12 Music In The Park (Shelton) – Runaway Train (4/5)

From the small city of Maple Valley, Stephen Burwell brings you a rich tone and drive with his fiddling. He is known throughout the Northwest for his improvisation and execution of complexity in his music. Playing for around nine years, he has created his own sound and technique, learning from Texas, bluegrass, and progressive bluegrass style musicians. He is always striving to improve his technique and raise the standard for fiddling. Stephen was invited to perform on stage with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage and Kenny & Amanda Smith on more than one occasion. In 2011, Dale Adkins engineered a demo CD for Stephen that included his fellow band member, Nick Dumas, the illustrious Kenny Smith, and other musicians. Stephen’s main inspirations are Chris Thile, Stuart Duncan, Aubrey Haynie, Andy Leftwich, Jim VanCleve, Sam Bush, LRB, Alison Krauss & US, Coldplay, Mutemath, and so many more. Besides fiddling, he enjoys playing the mandolin and a little guitar. Stephen has now taken up recording engineering and production, and has co-engineered and produced his first album with his great friend, James Meyers.

7-26-12 Music In The Park (Shelton) – Runaway Train (5/5)

The Clay Hess seen here playing the banjo is NOT the older better known guitar playing Clay Hess from Cincinnati, OH, easily found on the internet. They look similar enough (except for age) to have a family resemblance but their relationship, if any, is unknown at this time. Suffice it to say the younger Clay’s talent speaks for itself–a virtuoso on the banjo and good looking smile welcome on any stage.

After an interesting if uneventful visit to a Satanic soiree’ in Olympia’s Community Center (rm. 103 – worshipsatan.org), a compulsion to gather a little bit more color and culture to offset the trip expense arose. Anti-Chris (the group’s founder) seemed somewhat deficient in any liturgy or theology that might have proved intriguing at such an event, but the discussion was sparsely attended given the $40 he had to front to reserve the room. In fact, he claimed he didn’t believe in supra-natural beings at all…pointing out the tautology that if they, in fact, existed, then by definition they wouldn’t be “supra-natural”. This is a syllogism that needs to be converted for generic use of the more clever trial attorneys.

More detail/attention will be given to such minutiae as time, inclination, and upload space/speed allows after reviewing the 2 hour audio from the soiree’. Questions like “Is Satan A Yankees fan?” were asked but inadequately analyzed. Others like “Is Satan omnipotent?” or, given that some Satanic Churches mimic their Christian cousins by asking for donations, “Is Satan starved for cash?” also remained little explored. Anti-Chris discovered Olympia is strangely devoid of local houses of Satanic worship. I reminded him that Thurston Superior Court Judge Gary cut his teeth as a county deputy prosecutor literally and obsessively engaged in a witch hunt not so many years ago when he boasted he’d be the first prosecutor to ever pursue and convict a cult of Satanic worshipers in the nation–or at least since the Salem witch trials. Judge Tabor might be interested in exploring the  possibility of septic tanks in Hell if the wailing, suffering, and gnashing of teeth there is truly eternal–given such time frames would represent a tremendous logistical challenge for disposal.

A short jaunt  to Olympia’s artesian well revealed the night life in the city’s tender loin district was jumping. Few parking spaces remained, the music that cascaded out the doors of the local gin joint was deafening, and hustlers of every shape, stripe, gender, or persuasion were bustling. One such, engaged in an impromptu street jam session, confronted the photographer as to why he was taking pictures. After a careful explanation of the legality of such was offered, he conceded the point but wanted further justification. Eventually, he seemed satisfied he was just too colorful to pass up after being invited to admire himself on this blog.

Chuck West’s Reprise

Busker Chuck West recently returned to Olympia where he supports himself with his guitar and affable singing style. He has his own website (chuckwestDOTorg). Chuck is open to jamming with new friends, advertising his home # as: (360)292-7777. He teaches beginning guitar lessons in addition to selling the instruments on E-Bay. He hopes to organize a local blues band for hire.

Give Chuck a jingle–you’re guaranteed to enjoy yourself and opportunity might lie on the back side of this new page.

The Boys in the City

The boys jammed on 4th Street. The guitar player questioned the purpose of the photography shortly thereafter. He seemed to accept the notion photography was a legal activity (just like busking or speech) in public spaces including the streets of Olympia. He still wanted to know why he was selected, but was flattered by the observation he was just too colorful (or noisy) to ignore. For all these reasons, attributes are impossible as he remained anonymous. The mood on the street was somewhat brittle–no doubt a reflection of the local PD’s ‘diplomacy’. But the neon lights were bright…

Keep Out

White Fang

City Boys

Jin Joint

Cupid’s Redoubt

Looking for America

Field Of Dreams

Beware of Loose Women

Nightengale

The witless malfeasance for climate & air quality related destruction of our environment extends beyond our aging reptilian local elected officials–it goes all the way to the top…including President Obama. Sucking up to the robber barons seeking to privatize the very air we breathe has become politically fashionable in much of the nation, though not in Mason County thanks to our fierce protective perspicacious grandmothers residing here.

Rachel Smolker, the editor of the Massachusetts based Biomass Monitor, describes the bone that State’s officials threw to local clean air activists while forcing residents to assume the usual position via regulatory ennui, allowing robber barons to screw them, in her newsletter at: Weak Biomass Regs

Privatizing the Air

Some may recall Ms. Smolker as one of the featured guests at a local gathering organizing opposition to Adage in Mason County. In her newsletter, Rachel goes on to warn:

Those of us who have been battling bioenergy are all too familiar with accusations of shilling for the coal and fossil fuel industries. Apparently, the assumption is that if you don’t want to burn trees, you must therefore support burning of coal/oil. We have to be constantly wary and defend our opposition to bioenergy as a “false solution”—alternatives are a good idea, but burning biomass is not a good alternative.

If there were ever a David and Goliath battle, opposing bioenergy is it. With the harms caused by oil extraction, fracking for natural gas and nuclear power ever more visible and dire, we in the anti-biomassacre movement find ourselves struggling to be heard. Meanwhile, the convergence of interests and power backing bioenergy is daunting: big agribusiness, forestry, biotechnology and transport, as well as the U.S. military are all behind bioenergy. Even the Obama administration is cheerleading.