2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session 2013 special election arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration international internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

I sit on three different civic boards,  and I am the Chair of my local neighborhood association.  I also spent 3 hrs today planting trees in a city park so....  Lets talk about who's involved.  I want My city police accountable to MY mayor.  Not the FBI!  If the FBI wants local people, they can hire local FBI agents for their field office.  They don't need our police to help create fake bomb threats that scare the public. 

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
view in context

The tree lighting "bomb plot"  was created, planned and executed by the FBI.  The fact that they had to find a dumb angry kid to validate this effort is secondary.  I'm sure that Portland ruffled alot of federal feathers  when we pulled out of the JTFF.  I'm also sure that this was not forgotten when the "bomb plot" was being planned and executed.   The "bomb plot" was designed to scare the public of Portland and i'm sad to see that it worked so effectively. 

We don't need secret police in Portland I don't see how it furthers our city.

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
view in context

Very interesting comment.

Are you saying that the fact that the Turnidges physical desires IE: flatscreen TV and smart phone.  Makes their crime more justified?  I guess it is easier for most of us to understand that kind of motive.  But I personally know several Christian people who say that they would gladly die for their faith.  I guess the difference is that American Christians have not had to make that kind of choice for quite a while.  

Right or wrong the extreme Islamic groups feel that their way of life and belief system is under threat from the west.   Add to that the sad bloody history of the crusades (which are well remembered in the middle east) and suddenly their motives don't seem so outlandish.  Keeping in mind that it is a tiny fraction of Muslims that share this extreme view. 

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
view in context

the difference between the woodburn bomb plot and a pioneer square bomb plot is that the woodburn bomb plot was a real threat with a real bomb. the pioneer square plot was a made for tv fabrication created by the fbi for public consumption. Moments after the pioneer square plot unfolded computer graphics and detailed summarys were released to the news organizations. the only conclusion I can reach is that the pioneer square plot was designed to put fear into the hearts of portlanders.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
view in context

I would alter your comment to suggest that Extreme religious views are the problem,  Or more generally extreme views of any kind.  When a persons opinion can be justification to kill another it will never end well.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
view in context

I was at the tree lighting with my baby and I am very disappointed that the FBI felt the need to park a fake bomb next to a public event. they could have arrested this guy without scaring our community. I will be at next years tree lighting. I will not live in fear.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
view in context

I am an Atheist and I scored 14 out of 15 on the quiz.  

I don't think I agree with Jacobs interpretation of Atheists vs Agnostics.  I call my self an Atheist not because my eyes are closed to the beliefs of others.  Rather I cannot look at the evidence before me and say that there is a reasonable chance that the universe is governed by a supreme being.  I take a great deal of interest in faith and religion as a way of understanding humanity and the motives that drive humans.  (perhaps I'm a Humanist) To understand religion is to understand those around you.  

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

I should stake a claim on a landfill!  Great Idea!

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
view in context

I have seen first hand the mess these dredge miners make in our mountain streams.  The idea that one persons hobby can trash the stream bed for others to enjoy and for animals to live in is crazy.  Our nation needs metals but to acquire them by digging up natural stream beds is completely unnecessary.  The removal of lead fishing gear is the first compelling justification for this activity that I have ever heard.  Stop Stream mining!

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
view in context

I was in the cub scouts for less then a year in the 1980's 

I was kicked out when it became clear that I did not believe in god and would not be easily converted.  It think that the scouts put far too much emphasis on their moral and religious mandate.   They let their stereotypes guide their policy's IE: if we keep out the godless homosexuals out how could we have the same troubles as the world at large.   

I think the scouts do some good.  But at the same time they train boys to be close minded and myopic.  

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
view in context

I think that the police department suffers from a lack of customer service.  While it sounds strange at first if you think about it, the people who the police are dealing with every day are their customers.  From my (good) interactions with the police I am often struck at how despondent and disinterested the police officer seems to be in whatever I am talking about.  If the police interacted with people the way business professionals are expected to every day it is possible that there would not be such a divide in people who feel that the police are there to help them and those who feel that the police are out to get them.   While this seems like a small aspect of the issue I think it could act as the seed that then expands into the great divide between some of the public and the police that we see today.

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
view in context

I am an atheist and I would like my child to be exposed to as many of the worlds faiths and cultures as possible.  The only problem I have is when people of faith insist that their belief is absolute truth.  As long as they start with "I believe"  They should be able to say or wear whatever they like.

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
view in context

Social Security will never be cut. 

As the last administration discovered it is still a third rail of politics and will likely continue.  The government will cut from other programs and invent new creative taxes before they even think of cutting social security and thats the way it should be.  I work with retired people and while social security is difficult to live on, many people manage.  I can't Imagine what these folks would do without social security.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->

I have never understood this notion that a few individuals should be able to profit off of the public lands.  Especially when their use is destroying the lands in questions. 

the idea that there are too many elk therefore you should allow even more cattle makes no sense.  If there are too many elk you should reintroduce predators into the environment.  I know several individuals who live in remote areas and all but one cant drink their well water due to cattle. 

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context

As a country, we should be ashamed. Not a single dollar should go to oil subsidies until every child within our borders is covered. Shortly after meeting my wife she had a bicycle accident. We knew it was bad but at the time she did not have health coverage through her job and we feared going to a doctor or the hospital since it would likely cost thousands of dollars and could create a pre-existing condition status that would prevent us from getting coverage in the future. Now years later we think it was a concussion, The recovery was long and some of the fear could have been avoided by a doctors visit if only we had the option at the time.
We need a national single payer system and I will be voting for Obama in the hope of getting one some day.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context

I would suggest that any time that wildlife needs to be killed that it should be done by professional wildlife managers NOT HUNTERS. By allowing hunters to do the dirty work of killing wild animals we only encourage bloodsports and the disrespect of nature.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
view in context

I have often been frustrated by the disconnect that "red" parts of the state have with the funding that they receive. Farmers, Ranchers and timber communities get more "welfare" from the federal and and state government then any other group in this country. Yet these are the same people who shoot down every tax increase and every bond levee that comes down the pipe. I would like to cut Oregon down the cascades and see what happens. The west would flourish while the east would tax cut themselves into the dark ages.

posted 5 years, 1 month ago
view in context