Starfucker will also play guest DJ for the night, sharing music that has influenced them.

read more

Part 1 features interviews with TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen, Councilor Greg Chaimov (City of Milwaukie), Representative David Wu (D-OR), and TriMet Director for Capital Projects Neil McFarlane.

Sarah Palin made a surprise announcement Friday that she will resign as governor of Alaska in a few weeks, saying she will try to “affect positive change” from outside government.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate hastily called a news conference Friday morning at her home in suburban Wasilla, giving such short notice that only a few reporters actually made it to the announcement.

Since the news initially broke a couple hours ago it is spreading like wildfire, and with it, pithy reactions. One commenter on the New York Times’ site quipped:

Affecting change outside of government? Gee, you mean like being a Community Organizer?

— Dave

Good one.

Of course, pundits are going to speculate that Palin is resigning because she wants to run for President in 2012, but that doesn’t make any sense. The best jumping off point for the presidency is a governorship. Look at recent American political history - Barack Obama is the first president since JFK to have been elected out of Congress. Why would Palin give that up?

MSNBC is reporting that “inside sources” have told them that Palin and her family want to be out of politics for good, and that is a far more plausible explanation for this decision. Palin no longer enjoys the popular support she once had in her home state, and her chances of winning reelection in 2010 were already starting to look dicey. Perhaps she’s just tired of being laughed at and made fun of… although she asked for it with her nastiness at the Republican National Convention and on the campaign trail towards President Obama and Vice President Biden.

Here’s a partial transcript of Palin’s remarks at her press conferences. Palin spoke sharply, clearly drawing breath as she finished key sentences.

And so… as I thought about this announcement that I wouldn’t run for re-election, and what that means for Alaska, I thought about how, well, how much fun some Governors have as lame ducks. They maybe travel around their state, travel to other states, maybe take their overseas international trade missions. So many politicians do that. And, then I thought, that’s what wrong.

Many just accept that lame duck status. And they hit the road, they draw a paycheck… they kinda milk it… And I’m not gonna to put Alaskans through that. I promised efficiencies and effectiveness. That’s not how I’m wired, I’m not wired to operate under the same old politics as usual. I promised that four years ago, and I meant it. It… That’s not what is best for Alaska at this time.

I am determined to take the right path for Alaska, even though it is unconventional and it’s not so comfortable. With this announcement that I’m not seeking reelection, I’ve determined it’s best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell. And… I am willing to do this, so that this administration, with its positive agenda and its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future for Alaska… so that it can continue without interruption. And with great administrative and legislative success.

My choice is to take a stand and affect change, and not just hit our head against the wall, and watch valuable state time and money… millions of your dollars go down the drain in this new political environment. Rather, we know we can affect positive change outside government at this moment in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities, and… so we will.

For Alaskans. And for Americans.

Let me go back quickly to a comfortable analogy for me, and that’s sports. Basketball. And… And I use it because you are naive if you don’t see a full court press from the national level, picking away right now.

A good point guard, here’s what she does: She drives through a full court press, protecting the ball, keeping her head up, because she needs to keep her eye on the basket. And… she knows exactly when to pass the ball, so that the team can win. And that is what I’m doing. Keeping our eye on the ball.

That represents sound priorities, remember, they include energy independence, and smaller government, and national security and freedom… and I know when it’s time to pass the ball for victory.

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

The Democratic National Committee has already slammed Palin for announcing she’s going to take her ball and go home. Here’s spokesman Brad Woodhouse:

Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can’t handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down.

[...]

Either way, her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today.

Palin may very well go down in history as a half term governor and a quitter who, like most bullies, seemed to relish tossing fireballs at her political opposition but couldn’t take the heat when fireballs were promptly lobbed back.

We couldn’t imagine a more deserving fate for Sarah Palin than being consigned to the dustbin of American political history with all of the other divisive and hollow politicians who had their fifteen minutes of fame and then faded away for good.

Wrong question.

How about: “Should tax-subsidized MAX trains be used as billboards?”?

If you want to play Webtrends’ little game, which is to show the effectiveness of asking in-your-face questions, you can go to the Webtrends site and tell them what you think. The questionnaire asks for comments. I can think of a few. . . .

She’s a Brit, doing research from afar. On her website, Landman talks about emotionally laden words and biased presentation of information and history, so it would seem she’d write a book that did not repeat that problem. Yet, repeat the problem is precisely what she did in Apache: Girl Warrior. And, US review journals gave Apache: Girl Warrior favorable reviews.

Francisca Goldsmith of Booklist said: “With an eloquent voice and dignified pace, Landman creates a credible and artistic story with excellent characterization and engaging psychological and sociopolitical questions.”

The reviewer at Kirkus said “The lively narrative is peppered with actions scenes, all loosely based on historical events…”, and, “Constantly engrossing, this offering will engage young readers in a way no textbook can.”

The review in The Horn Book Guide said “Though its historical and cultural accuracy are suspect, the story itself is compelling.” Their recommendation: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Claire Rosser of KLIATT said “Reading this story, we learn a lot more about the Apache struggle for survival as their lands are threatened by Mexicans and then by white settlers.” She recommends it, too.

Harolyn Legg of Library Media Connection said “This story is based on a book about Geronimo that the author read. Landman gives the reader a sense of the love or the land that Native Americans have and how they had to fight to keep their lands fro being spoiled.”

The only reviewer that got it right is Jenny Ingram at VOYA. I am just now reading all these reviews, and was surprised to read her words, and, that she pointed readers to Oyate and to American Indians in Children’s Literature. Thanks, Jenny! In VOYA, the book was tagged as “Hard to understand how it got published.” Jenny wrote: “The narration by Siki is awkward and unnatural, written as if the British author drew upon American Indian movies to write her book. In her afterword, Landman writes that she made no attempt to create an accurate historical novel, yet a bibliography follows, which will mislead readers about the credibility of the book.”

Having read Apache: Girl Warrior, and now, reading the reviews of it, I think it is clear that the reviewers, with the exception of Jenny Ingram, are writing reviews based on their memories–to use Jenny’s words–of American Indian movies. She means, I think, all those westerns where bad Indians slaughter innocent pioneer families or tragic Indians lament their losses. It was and is all bogus, and it is disappointing that the reviews of Landman’s book are good. They should not be.

On American Indians in Children’s Literature, I’m going to start naming names. Maybe that will give them pause next time they’re going to review a book about American Indians. That might seem mean, but I’m far more invested in the children that will be “learning” from books reviewers recommend.

Having said all that, those “bad Indians” and those “good Indians” and most “Indians” most Americans watched in movies or read in books, they were not (and are not) Indians at all. They’re fictions created by people who have no idea what they are talking about. And all of us who consume their imagery are ill-served by their fictions.

HOW IS LITERATURE GOING TO GET BETTER if reviews and review journals continue to recommend books like I am Apache?

by Walks With ThunderHave you ever seen those shirts and posters that say “Fighting Terrorism Since 1492” with a picture of Sitting Bull in his war paint? This is a statement from people who hold negative feelings. It was not that long ago that Indians, along with African Americans, had to use the back door instead of the front, unable to walk as equals in America because our skin was not White, but Red. Our people, the old ones and some middle aged ones, still remember this. They hold hatred for the White people whom they feel took our way of life and our land.

It is time to let that hatred go. We are a conquered people and we should own that. The Japanese are also a conquered people, but they’re doing it with style. Did you know that Japan owns much of the United States? Ever hear of Sony, Honda, and Toyota—those Japanese companies that have invested in real estate here in the United States? Yes, we Native Americans are a conquered people, but let’s use that casino money and reinvest in our people and real estate here in our ancestral lands. Let’s buy our heritage back!

To my people I say: Stop drinking, drugging, and abusing. Let go of the negative feelings about those who conquered our people. That is a past generation’s burden, not ours. It is time to use our Liberty and hold our heads up because we are the Native People of this land.

Comment:  So this t-shirt is negative? Why, because it suggests the reality of Native history? How is it “hatred” to state a fact: that the attacks Indians suffered fit the dictionary definition of “terrorism”?

What’s with his “the White people whom they feel took our way of life and our land”? “They feel”?! Is Walks with Thunder saying this statement isn’t objectively true? That it’s just someone’s feeling, not a historical reality?

What is Walks with Thunder suggesting, exactly? That we never mention Native history? That we don’t educate people about it? That we literally focus only on the positive? Ridiculous.

Why stop there?

If that’s his position, why limit it to history? It’s “negative” to talk about the present poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, crime, and suicide on many reservations. Should we pretend these problems don’t exist? If we ignore them, will they go away?

One could just as easily say the t-shirt expresses pride. Indians faced terrorism but they fought back with strength and determination. Why do you think the shirt shows armed Apache warriors and not dead bodies at Wounded Knee?

If you ask me, Walks with Thunder’s opinion is stupid. One could find a positive and negative side to almost anything. The sky is blue? Better put on sunscreen or you’ll get skin cancer. A puppy loves you? Sorry, you’ll have to put it to sleep in a decade or two.

Walks with Thunder can pretend the shirt is negative, but that says more about him than it does about the shirt. He’s apparently blind to the concept of pride and where it comes from. Many people would say that fighting back, as Geronimo and his people did, is the epitome of self-empowerment.

And linking the t-shirt to “drinking, drugging, and abusing” is even stupider. I’m pretty sure the shirt hasn’t caused anyone to turn to substance abuse. The negative reality of Indian life is why people turn to substance abuse, not the shirt’s “negative” message.

For more on the subject of negativity, see Not Enough Good Native News?, Bitchin’ and Moanin’, and Why Does Rob Keep Criticizing?

A point about gaming

Walks with Thunder sounds a little naive about Indian gaming. Every gaming tribe is reinvesting its income in its people, since it’s the reason for gaming and it’s required by law. Many tribes are buying back land or trying to.

But these days it’s difficult to take that land into trust. If a tribe can’t do that, the land doesn’t become part of its reservation. It remains and investment property with no special tax benefits.

Maybe Walks with Thunder thinks gaming isn’t working because many tribes are still poor. If so, that’s a common misconception. Actually, a few tribes are already wealthy and many tribes have reached the middle class. The remainder are slowly but steadily lifting themselves out of poverty.

Incidentally, here’s some information on Walks With Thunder from the article and his website:Walks With Thunder is a non-traditional shaman who helps people heal themselves and learn to heal others. Contact him at 253.350.5755, www.walkswiththunder.ning.com, or http://shamanism.meetup.com/270/.

WalksWithThunder is Shaman Born. His grandfather was a Shaman for the Caddo tribe, as was his father before him. He has been able to see Grandfather Spirits since the age of two, and could bi-locate (literally in two places at once) at fourteen.Walks with Thunder sounds a lot like an Indian wannabe and a New Age “plastic shaman” to me. But for all I know, he could be an enrolled Caddo Indian and the Caddo tribe could have healers it calls “shamans.”

For more reactions to the t-shirt, see “Fighting Terrorists Since 1492″ T-Shirt Offends Conservative.

Navajo Nation leaders met with federal officials to discuss environmental priorities for the Nation, which administers several of the country’s largest and most sophisticated tribal environmental programs.

“For over 30 years we have partnered with the Navajo Nation to protect precious natural resources,” said Laura Yoshii, acting regional administrator for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region.

“The EPA applauds the Navajo Nation EPA not only for their achievements on the reservation, but for their leadership role in the development of tribal environmental programs nationally. The Navajo Nation continues to build and implement its programs, has enacted seven of its own environmental laws, and set a national precedent for tribal sovereignty and environmental protection.”

Navajo Nation EPA has the most capable tribal underground storage tank leak prevention program in the country with two federally credentialed inspectors and a field citation pilot program, the first of its kind in the country. Recently, the federally credentialed tank inspectors began inspecting the Nation’s 125 underground storage tank facilities on behalf of the EPA.

Navajo’s two inspectors will write EPA field citations for federal violations as part of a two-year pilot project.

The Navajo Nation Pesticide Program also has federally credentialed inspectors. Last year, this program conducted 120 federal pesticides inspections and 25 inspections using tribal authority.

The Navajo Nation EPA has been successfully implementing its Title V air-permitting program for five years, and collecting the permitting fees for 13 major sources. Navajo was the first tribe in the nation to achieve authority to implement this program.

Since December 2000, the Navajo Nation remains the first and only tribal government that has received authority from EPA to implement the federal drinking water program under Section 1413 of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The Nation’s Drinking Water Program ensures that the 162 public water systems serving approximately 150,000 people on the Navajo Nation meet federal drinking water requirements.

In February 2008, the Navajo Nation Council passed the Navajo Nation Comprehensive Environmental Response, and Liability Act, or Superfund, modeled after the U.S. EPA’s program. This is the first tribal Superfund law in the country, and is a huge success for the Navajo Nation, as it gives the tribe the authority to address hazardous contamination across the Nation.

Information: http://www.navajonationepa.org/

Rally This Sunday In Vancouver For Vicky Stewart - Murdered Child
Submitted by Monica Davis

Kwé,
I will be with you all in spirit. But may I as an elder give one piece of advice. Do not do things in outrage.

Do it all you will be doing in a spiritual mind. Ask that the Creator avenge her and all the natives since the beginning of time.

We must put our complete faith in the Creator as He is the one who created us all. The rain and sun fall on the good and the bad.

Only the Creator knows how to avenge anyone who appeals to him. So have all beat the drums in prayer to the Creator. Trust me the Creator will if we ask him to. They will pay one way or another and in ways worse than we could even imagine.

If all the natives across the world would all at the same time come out and beat the drums in prayer to the Creator to bring justice to all the natives in the world..He would.

We must not be like them .. we must do all with love and in peace .. and trust the Creator to avenge and bring justice.

Meegwetch and may the Creator be will you all on that day and may every beat of the drum be heard by the Creator as a prayer plea for His help.
Chef Marie Jacquelyne Clement
Nation Wanigouch, Ste. Agathe des Monts
Confedration of Aboriginal Peoples of Québec

We Remember Vicky Stewart, age 9,
Murdered by United Church employee Ann Knizky at the Edmonton residential school

Rally to Remember Her, and to hold the United Church Accountable!
Sunday, July 510:00 am
St. Andrew’s Wesley United Churchcorner of Nelson and Burrard St., downtown Vancouver(or gather first at 9 am at Carnegie Centre, Main & Hastings)
Bring drums, banners and outrage!
A relative of Vicky will be present to speak

Like countless other children, Vicky Stewart was killed at a United Church residential school and her murderer never brought to justice.The United Church’s officers are collectively responsible and liable for her death. But they refuse to answer the Stewart family or agree to their demands:
1. That the church admit its killing and surrender those responsible;
2. That the church explain why it covered up her death;
3. That the church erect a memorial site for Vicky and pay reparations to her family;
4. That the United Church’s head officers present themselves before an international inquiry into the murdered residential school children, and come clean about their genocide of native children.
Justice for Vicky Stewart and all the innocent victims!

Sponsored by The Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared, and downtown eastside eldersInformation: 1-888-265-1007 or this email.www.hiddenfromhisto ry.org

Please post.Link to media coverage of Vicky’s murder:http://www.theprovi/ nce.com/news/ Family+residenti al+school+ girl+died+ give+United+ Church+deadline/1647410/ story.html

Read and Hear the truth of Genocide in Canada, past and present, at this website: http://www.hiddenfromhistory.org/

Film Trailer to Kevin Arnett’s award-winning documentary film UNREPENTANT:http://www.youtube/. com/watch? v=j8HB5cbKHDU&feature=related

“Kevin is more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than many who have received it in the past.”- Dr. Noam Chomsky Institute Professor EmeritusMassachusetts Institute of Technology“

A courageous and inspiring man.” (referring to Kevin Annett)- Mairead Corrigan-MaguireNobel Peace Prize LaureateBelfast , Northern Ireland

“As a long time front line worker with the Elders’ Council at the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, I stand behind what Kevin Annett is trying to do for our people. The genocide that continues today and which stemmed from the residential schools needs to be exposed. Kevin Annett helps break the silence, and brings the voice of our people all over the world.”
Carol Muree Martin - Spirit Tree Woman, Nisgaa Nation

“I gave Kevin Annett his Indian name, Eagle Strong Voice, in 2004 when I adopted him into our Anishinabe Nation. He carries that name proudly because he is doing the job he was sent to do, to tell his people of their wrongs. He speaks strongly and with truth. He speaks for our stolen and murdered children. I ask everyone to listen to him and welcome him.”
Chief Louis Daniels - Whispers WindElder, Turtle Clan, Anishinabe NationWinnipeg, Manitoba

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.

NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

ATT: NEW - News Blog - American Indian Report - AIR BLOG
http://falmouth-air.blogspot.com
‘Interior Swearing-In Ceremony For Larry Echo-Hawk’

THE BUFFALO POST - Missoulian Montana’s Native News Blog about Native People And The World We Live In.
‘Grumble, Grumble’
http://buffaloppost.net/

Check Out NATIVE PRIDE- It’s a great site!
http://letstalknativepride.blogspot.com

FOR ANNIE’S NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

CATCH COLORADAN PETER JONES AT:
http://indigenousissuestoday.blogspot.com

SUPPORTING NATIVE AMERICAN/FIRST PEOPLE - ARTISTS, FILM MAKERS, ENTERTAINERS, ETC. http://www.krystynmedia.blogspot.com.

Indeed, if there was a defining moment in Friday?s debate, it was the declaration by Representative Paul Broun of Georgia that climate change is nothing but a ?hoax? that has been ?perpetrated out of the scientific community.? I?d call this a crazy conspiracy theory, but doing so would actually be unfair to crazy conspiracy theorists. After all, to believe that global warming is a hoax you have to believe in a vast cabal consisting of thousands of scientists?a cabal so powerful that it has managed to create false records on everything from global temperatures to Arctic sea ice.

Yet Mr. Broun?s declaration was met with applause.

http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/obama-justice-department-defends-doma.html

How do you feel about Obama dehumanizing and denying equality to a minority? I guess that’s the sorta change you and his sheep like moronic following voted for. If you need I’ll be in the kitchen cooking a batch of ‘told you so’.Since Stephen’s personal attack was irrelevant to the posting, I deleted it. But I thought I’d take this opportunity to put him in his place once again.

Wow, Stephen, you really don’t get the idea of staying on topic, do you? Thanks for demonstrating why I have to ban comments occasionally. It’s because people like you think you can hijack this blog with your own agenda.

Pandering politician

I’ve already criticized Obama several times when it comes to Natives. I guess you missed those times? You miss a lot, don’t you?

To answer your question, I think Obama is a typical pandering politician. I’ve said so many times in political discussions, starting when he was a candidate. Both personally and professionally, he’s a mild intellectual who likes to test the waters before taking a plunge.

I always figured Obama for a middle-of-the-roader who wouldn’t do anything too controversial. That’s why I’m laughing at you conservatives who think he’s a Soviet-style “socialist.” His “cautiousness” hasn’t surprised me a bit.

Therefore, you can say “I told you so” all you want. It won’t faze me unless you catch me in a contradiction, which you haven’t done. You “told me so” that I was right to think Obama a panderer two years ago…thanks!

Rob vs. Obama

In case you’re as clueless as you seem, the positions I take are the logical ones supported by facts and evidence. I voted for Obama because his positions are similar to mine, not the other way around. When he deviates from my positions, he’s the one who’s wrong, not me.

Here are three issues where Obama has backtracked on his promises. Where my positions continue to be the right ones:

That’s the difference between me and you, buddy. I’ll criticize “my” people and my colleagues–whites, liberals, Indians–if they deserve it. You apparently won’t. If you’ve ever said anything negative about your Anglo and Irish ancestors, I must’ve missed it. You only excuse and defend them.

The right choice

I’m still glad I voted for Obama. Pandering to the center is a lot better than pandering to the far right, as Bush and McCain did. As far as I’m concerned, there hasn’t been a single instance where McCain would’ve made a better decision than Obama. I’m confident the country made the right choice.

McCain told us how he would’ve handled the Iranian protests, for instance. “Bomb, bomb, bomb…bomb, bomb Iran!” Is that your solution too, Stephen?

On gay marriage, indefinite imprisonment, and financial regulation, do you think McCain would’ve taken a better (more liberal) position? I don’t. Obama continues to be a better choice than McCain on these issues despite his moral cowardice cautiousness.

Incidentally, calling the 53% of Americans who voted for Obama “sheep” shows what an out-of-touch elitist you are. No wonder you’re so defensive about your white privilege. Apparently Obama is a threat to your power, your manhood, or something.

Are you as afraid of blacks, Latinos, and other minorities as you are of Muslims? Do you agree with writer Russell Bates that Obama has a “black agenda”? Look out, Stephen, the brownskins are coming!

Below:  My impression of Stephen’s impression of Obama.

Red: A Haida MangaAn innovative graphic novel, here is the epic tale of a Haida hero, his rage and his quest for retribution.

Referencing a classic Haida oral narrative, this stunning full-colour graphic novel documents the powerful story of Red, a leader so blinded by revenge that he leads his community to the brink of war and destruction.

Set in the islands off the northwest coast of B.C., it tells the tale of orphan Red and his sister, Jaada. When raiders attack their village, Red, still a boy, escapes dramatically. But Jaada is whisked away. The loss of Jaada breeds a seething anger, and Red sets out to find his sister and exact revenge on her captors.

Red blends traditional Haida imagery into a Japanese manga–styled story. Tragic and timeless, it is reminiscent of such classic stories as Oedipus Rex, Macbeth and King Lear.

This innovation in contemporary storytelling consists of 108 pages of hand-painted illustrations. When arranged in a specific order, the panels of the narrative create a Haida formline image four metres long. The sequence for this complex design is displayed on the inside jacket.Comment:  Follow the link to see pictures of Yahgulanaas and Red.

After looking at the pictures, I’d say Red is certainly an innovative graphic novel.

For more on the subject, see Hummingbird Fights Fire, Haida Art on Shopping Bags, and Update on Haida Manga.

Beyond having some really amazing & critical workshops, we also had lots of fun ones!

ABOUT

Over PDX Pride weekend 2009, multiple members of our community experienced harassment, violence & queer-bashing, as well as inadequate police response. A group of us who were pretty directly involved in the incidents, came together to create space to talk about what happened, and move toward some positive & empowering solutions; thus the Town Hall concept was born. We see this Queer Town Hall as a space to share our experiences & resources, and to catalyze action that can help keep ourselves and our communities safer in the future. The meeting itself will begin with a short introduction, followed by breakout groups which will be spread around the room. This is an opportunity to hear about ideas that are currently in the works, to get involved, and share!

First, the President made front page news in The Oregonian this morning, by commenting at some length on the health care bill being carried by Senator Ron Wyden. Obama was as usual polite and mostly glancing in his criticisms, but he was indeed critical of the plan:

“There are a lot of good concepts to what Ron's proposing,” Obama said. But despite his professed agreement with “90 percent” of Wyden's thinking, he said parts of the plan are too “radical” for the country.

Wyden argues that linking health care costs to individuals will promote competition and drive down costs. But Obama said that is too sharp a departure from what workers have known — and become comfortable with — for generations.

That fundamental shift, along with the major changes in the tax code that Wyden proposes, are too “radical,” Obama said, when aligned with all the other changes that must take place to provide health insurance to 47 million Americans who don't have it.

The president said his discussions with Wyden are similar to those with people who advocate a single-payer system. In theory, those plans work, he said. “The problem is, we have evolved partly by accident into an employer-based system.”

A “radical restructuring” would meet “significant political resistance,” Obama said, and “families who are currently relatively satisfied with their insurance but are worried about rising costs … would get real nervous about a wholesale change.”

{more, below the fold}

There are a couple of interesting takeaways for me in that piece. The first and most important is that, while not necessarily a death blow, Obama's comments cannot be seen as anything other than a big wet blanket being thrown on Wyden's plan.

Keep in mind that the President has maintained a deferential stance with Congress so far, talking often about what he'd like to see, but rarely condemning what he doesn't favor. (One of the latter would be taxing health care benefits, which Wyden's plan calls for–and Obama has refused to declare it “off the table” as a discussion point. Note there's no mention in the piece explicitly criticizing that part of the plan.) So coming out and labeling as 'radical' the basic structure of Wyden-Bennett–the shift from employer to individually based care–draws a fairly bright line between the workable and the unworkable. According to Obama, that's just too much of a shift.

Also of interest is his pairing of Wyden's bill with calls for single-payer, as changes that are simply too fundamental to contemplate. That may be even more damaging than calling it radical; if there's one thing POTUS and Congress have been more than clear about, it's that single-payer is a complete non-starter right now. (More on that in a moment). Putting Wyden's plan in the same philosophical basket as single-payer is to suggest it's going nowhere fast, if he can help it. Ouch.

As the article notes, these are the most extensive comments Obama has made about the long-standing Wyden option, which ironically was mostly developed in a political atmosphere where his bill would have been the best we might have hoped for. Fast forward two elections, and suddenly it's the stalking horse of the do-nothing Republicans. One has to ask: is Obama's timing on this meaningful? Is it an attempt to clear the decks and attempt to induce Wyden into dropping his bill and moving towards support of a FRPO? It remains to be seen (but some of us can hope!)

Questions of timing also seem relevant with the release of a re-scoring by the Congressional Budget Office regarding the HELP Committee's proposals for a bill in the Senate. You may remember that the ailing Ted Kennedy was rooked into allowing an incomplete bill to be scored, which resulted in the FRPO-less draft bill being hit with a big pricetag and poor levels of additional coverage. The GOP pounced, and it came close to putting a FRPO Senate bill in grave jeopardy. One of Wyden's primary cautions on such a bill is the financial cost/sustainability, and accurate or not, the original CBO score gave him ammunition to continue backing his own bill. 

Fast forward to last evening, when the revised bill–with a FRPO included–had its re-score released, and suddenly the bill was $600bil and coverage rates were as high as 97% of legal residents (95% overall, including undocumented aliens). As poorly as the previous score had been received, the new version seems to have once again breathed life into the push for FRPO in the Senate, and ultimately any conference bill. (Kos diarist and strong FRPO advocate slinkerwink offers his take on the HELP bill here; the upshot is it's not as good as the House version, but still pretty good and much better than the other Senate options getting play). 

Did Obama get an early tip on that score before his interview, and use that knowledge to make his explicit hit on Wyden's bill? That would have been a savvy move, and this President is nothing if not uber-savvy. 

There's an Oregon angle on the HELP bill as well; Senator Merkley is the junior-est member of the Senate, but is nonetheless right in the thick of what may be historic, what-we-voted-for change on health care. On the heels of the bill's acceptance by all 13 Dem caucus members (including Kay Hagan, who may have been spooked by the spectre of breast cancer survivors calling her to account for her opposition), all 13 Senators released laudatory statements. Here's Jeff's:

If you like your doctor and you like your insurance, nothing will change for you. But if you want more options, this bill provides them, while increasing healthy competition that will reduce costs for everyone. For far too long, insurance companies have been able to set the rules, charge what they like and revoke coverage on the flimsiest of excuses. The Affordable Health Choices Act will level the playing field for consumers by providing them with more choices.

Our health care system is broken. Over the last nine years, costs for the average family have doubled even as insurance companies use less and less of premiums for patient care. We need to provide consumers with real choices to keep costs down and keep insurance companies honest.

Good stuff. I've included the full text of both Merkley's release, and that from Kennedy's office, which includes the statements of the other 12 Senators on the committee. It's in Word format, here. 

Finally, on the way to lunch I traversed Terry Schrunk Plaza, which sits in downtown Portland between City Hall and the Green-Wyatt federal building. About a dozen demonstrators were waving signs for single payer and directing their attention at Sen. Wyden. I asked who was sponsoring the rally and was told “Single Payer for America, in Tigard.”

I couldn't find any link to a group by that name, but I did discover that the United Commercial Food Workers union local in Tigard was an early adoptee of HR 676, the House FRPO bill. And considering multiple demonstrators were also wearing 676 buttons and did not appear to have just materialized out of nowhere, I'm going to guess that's who the backers were. 

I chatted with a couple demonstrators, and they admitted that they'll take a FRPO if single payer doesn't happen. But part of what they're doing is pushing for CBO to at least score a single payer concept, and I do support that effort completely. Why not? It would at least provide a rational baseline for what OTHER plans will end up costing us, because single player almost assuredly would cost less. So to their mostly quixotic display of little d democracy, I give the LO huzzah.  

The Secretary of State’s office tells NPI that they received 19,317 petitions, not all of which are full. Eyman claimed to have submitted 314,277 signatures. We’ll see if that’s how many he really turned in when the Secretary of State finishes processing the petitions. If the petitions on average were all only three fourths full, that would leave Eyman with only 289,755 signatures. Eyman’s number works out to between sixteen and seventeen signatures on average per petition.

Again, we’ll see if it’s validated.

But the safe assumption is that Eyman has bought his way onto the ballot yet again.

A diverse coalition is coming together to fight Initiative 1033. Besides Permanent Defense, many of the state’s largest progressive organizations have pledged resources and energy to beat back this terrible idea.

The coalition’s campaign manager, Aisling Kerins (a veteran of the successful effort against Initiative 933) summed up how the opposition campaign will be waged in a news release: “Educators, health care providers, fire fighters and others aren’t waiting to get involved. We have a story to tell about how crippling this initiative will be to our state and our economy, and we’re starting now.”

“From the Wilds of America”–Analyzing the Idea of “British Colonial America” in Steampunk

In particular, I liked this comment:Evan wrote:

We would have been better off as a British colony far longer than 1776.

Why?

1. Slavery would have been abolished around 1800 instead of 1865 after 600,000 Americans lost their lives in the Civil War. God knows how many black slaves died from malnutrition, no medical care, physical abuse and outright murder by the white slave owners.

2. This is a debatable point, but I think if we were still under British rule, the genocidal toll against Native Americans would have been less severe. I really think the Crown would placed greater protections against the theft of lands and forced relocation.

The question is: is life better for an indigenous person in Canada or the United States? I would bet on Canada but I think people in this forum would argue this point.

3. We would be Canada. More civilized. National Health Care for everyone. Less hell bent on defending a militarized empire. Ice hockey would be our national sport.For my brief thoughts on the subject, follow the link. For more on the subject, see Native Steampunk Web Comic and Was Native Defeat Inevitable?

Thursday, July 2-Sunday July 5
Waterfront, Portland, OR

Sit back and relax or get up and boogie! Cruise the beautiful Willamette River and hear the blues in an intimate setting on the three decks of the Portland Spirit. The festival offers five Delta Music Experience Blues Cruises: two late-night and three afternoon cruises, including the popular Hoodoo Moon cruise Thursday, July 2, which features Louisiana slide-guitar wizard Sonny Landreth and the soaring ‘Sacred Steel’ of the Lee Boys. To purchase tickets through Tickets Oregon for these popular cruises, visit: waterfrontbluesfest.com

read more

Thursday, July 2-Sunday July 5
Waterfront, Portland, OR

Sit back and relax or get up and boogie! Cruise the beautiful Willamette River and hear the blues in an intimate setting on the three decks of the Portland Spirit. The festival offers five Delta Music Experience Blues Cruises: two late-night and three afternoon cruises, including the popular Hoodoo Moon cruise Thursday, July 2, which features Louisiana slide-guitar wizard Sonny Landreth and the soaring ‘Sacred Steel’ of the Lee Boys. To purchase tickets through Tickets Oregon for these popular cruises, visit: waterfrontbluesfest.com

read more