My afternoon with Bill McKibben

September 12, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

With some of the Portland area’s best mix of faith and environment activists on hand, St. Philip Neri Church on SE Division (home to this weekend’s Muddy Boot Festival) welcomed author Bill McKibben this afternoon for a workshop on faith and climate action.

Author Bill McKibben will kick off the Muddy Boot Festival this evening

Author Bill McKibben will kick off the Muddy Boot Festival this evening

McKibben, who wrote the first book on global warming back in the 1980s, joined presenters from various faith traditions today to help motivate and sustain our action in Portland as we look ahead to the October 24 events spurred on by his own global 350.org movement.

Presenters included Sister Pat Nagle of St. Philip Neri, Rabbi James Greene of Temple Beth Sholom, the Rev. Ross Miller, Courtney Demko of the Muslim Educational Trust and Phil Carver, organizer of the Oregon 350 Climate Crisis Walk.

The attending group of folks held a very sincere and motivational energy that consistently raised themes of kinship, spiritual connection to our natural surroundings and the importance of social justice. I was amazed to  hear my small group’s responses to the questions of what motivates and sustains us in our climate activism.

As we look forward to tomorrow’s introduction of Portland’s climate plan, the Muddy Boot Festival and the October 24 Day of Action, it was an exciting jumping-off point for me to refocus and reconsider my efforts on environmental conservation. I left feeling motivated, inspired and connected to likeminded activists in both the faith community and the environmental movement.

Portland is an exciting place to be at all times, but especially when you can really connect with the folks fighting tooth and nail for the same goals you are. I’d encourage readers to check out the Muddy Boot Festival this weekend and definitely mark October 24 on their calendars to be sure to attend the rally being organized by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s Interfaith Power and Light and other groups at Waterfront Park.

We, as human beings, are facing a brush with mortality that is already causing increased poverty, excess drought and famine, widespread displacement, mass emigration and destruction of our natural resources. The next few years will determine the fate of the next thousand. This is the defining issue of this millenium and we cannot sit idle.

As Jim Metcalfe wrote in a recent letter to the editor of The Oregonian, the book of Proverbs claims that one who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys. Just some bread for the journey.

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Kitzhaber singlehandedly takes down Google

September 1, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Users of one of the world’s foremost free email hosts–Google’s Gmail–hit a serious roadblock today as their Gmail accounts and other Google applications suddenly stopped responding.

The communication breakdown sent users panicking, inciting Facebook and Twitter comments of outrage and confusion. The tag #googlefail has popped up all over Twitter and created a common cause for down-and-out Googlers.

The Google-slayer

The Google-slayer

What many affected parties did not know, however, was the cause of the trouble. This morning, the Willamette Week led several newspapers in reporting that former Oregon governor Dr. John Kitzhaber would file paperwork today to once again seek office in the 2010 gubernatorial race.

The news sent Oregon politicos reeling, and Gchat lit up with discussion about the former governor. Emails were sent flying wildly into the unknown to give and receive information about the forthcoming campaign.

The massive stress of this rampant political speculation, of course, caused the colossal Google Breakdown of 2009.

“I wanted to use my campaign filing as a metaphor for our failed health insurance industry,” said Dr. Kitzhaber, who in 2006 founded a health care reform organization called the Archimedes Movement. “One day, we’ll hit a small snag and the whole system will implode unless we act now to reign in costs and provide adequate insurance for all Oregonians.”

Kitzhaber, known for his visionary thinking, will introduce legislation to create an “Oregon Email Authority” to provide a competitive and much less volatile option than using Google’s email client. The infrastructure will imitate that of the newly-created Oregon Health Authority, which is intended to become a public health insurance option that will compete with private insurers.

Critics of the move immediately lambasted Kitzhaber for tampering with the free market.

“I like my Gmail the way it is, and I don’t want the guv’mint to take it away from me,” said Corbett Creswell of Cottage Grove. “These politicians want to take over my email, my health care and my pension. Next they’re going to tell us we can’t build our houses all the way out to the ocean.”

The former governor joins a field of members of the Oregon State Legislature and some non-elected officials in the race for Mahonia Hall.

Google joins the ranks of embattled firms Lycos, Hotmail, MSN and others in becoming obsolete technology against an unstoppable force of the future.

###

This article is a satire intended to make you laugh, spark discussion of John Kitzhaber’s campaign plans and take a jab at all the people whose lives froze in time today with the Gmail crash.

The fictional Mr. Creswell is mistaken in his fears, as Oregon’s beaches have been designated public in some form or other since 1912 when Democratic governor Oswald West enacted that policy, despite what the Oregon Republican Party’s television ads might tell you.

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Washington County Democrats FIESTA!

August 9, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This afternoon was the Washington County Democrats’ summer fundraiser, the Fiesta in the Park! If I’m not mistaken, it’s likely their second-largest such event, considering the autumn Neuberger Banquet, named in honor of former United States Senator, and true hero of Oregon, Maureen Neuberger.

The crowd was star-studded with elected officials and candidates alike, indicating that we are indeed headed for another round of tough races, even in the primaries. Some of the electeds included state Representatives Tobias Read, Chuck Riley (now a candidate for the State Senate, and his wife, Katie, will be running for his seat in the House), Brian Clem (the half-million-dollar man for governor), Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, Washington County Commissioner Dick Schouten, Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle, state Senator Suzanne Bonamici, Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder and some others that I’ll remember later and hopefully won’t hold it against me that I left them out.

It was a great event overall, with a cakewalk, taco/fajita bar, wine sale and nice, temperate weather. Congressman David Wu stopped by and took some questions about health care reform, offering pleasant-if-nuanced answers that skirted the details of the eventual bill that we’ll have passed through Congress “by December.” There were some folks raising the issue of single payer, and he responded with some specifics about why that won’t work. Beyond that, he seemed to stick to the few provisions we know will be passed, avoiding the details that may or may not be left behind during negotiations. Former primary challenger Will Hobbs listened respectfully and patiently, the truly great guy that he is.

The most eyebrow-raising bit of info I found out is that both Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder and outgoing 1000 Friends of Oregon Executive Director Bob Stacey (both were in attendance) are planning candidacies for the Metro president’s race.

I hadn’t previously heard much about that race and am very intrigued by the candidacies of both men. I became familiar with Burkholder’s work when I interned in City Hall and have held a great deal of respect for him ever since. Stacey arrived on my limited radar during the Yes on 49 campaign, where 1000 Friends was doing incredible organizing. From then on, I have been very impressed with his continued success at the organization and I think that experience would cross over very well to the ongoing figuring-out-what-the-hell-we-do at Metro.

To be sure, this will be an exciting race with widespread resonance in both Oregon and Washington, as well as around the country. We implemented Metro as a kind of pilot project, and now the model is being studied across the nation as other communities look at regional planning for transportation and land use. This has even garnered some Senate support for such ideas, with Senator Jeff Merkley and his colleagues introducing the Livable Communities Act, which would provide federal funding for such ventures that link issues of housing, land use, transportation, etc. together into broad regional planning. The next Metro president will have a large task ahead.

The picnic was fun and friendly, and hopefully the county party raised some money. I had a great time and am thankful to all the wonderful folks who came out. I had a number of delightful conversations with some delightful people.

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Tariff-and-Build approach to climate change legislation

July 25, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

In all the talk about “crap-and-trade,” “cap-and-tax” and all the various economic and environmental flaws in Congress’ climate change bill, one piece of the puzzle seems to get lost: We import more than we make by far, so domestic-oriented policy to regulate/sell emissions only goes so far in reducing our nation’s–and the world’s–carbon footprint.

Living in Oregon, where unemployment has reached a sickening twelve per cent and the rate of homelessness is the highest in the country, we should be using climate policy to spur investment in “green jobs.” Oregon has already begun this process, incentivizing wind farms, solar projects and streetcar manufacture to create living-wage jobs for people right here.

But while Americans keep mindlessly consuming food, clothes and everything else made in China, India or Thailand and shipped across the mighty Pacific, we continue to destroy the planet (and our air and water) while continuing to miss out on invaluable economic opportunities to create jobs and “stimulate” our economy.

Of course, green jobs will not provide a panacea for our economic woes; we need to redirect our health care dollars, shift our state’s revenue burden away from personal income taxes and restructure funding for unsustainable ventures like Tri-Met and LTD that simply soak up public money yet have no accountability to provide service to everyone.

A tariff on the carbon of international goods would not solve these problems, but it would provide an incentive for the rest of the world to act on climate change (this is down the line, of course, after international development efforts are ramped up to help the world’s most vulnerable populations adapt to the consequences of climate change) while raising public revenue for green development both in the United States and in developing nations around the world.

This tariff money would be used to incentivize, through direct credits, private and public investment in truly clean, renewable energy production, rail and other alternative transportation, technological innovation and solid union jobs retrofitting homes and businesses for energy efficiency.

As Chinese leadership drag their feet on climate solutions because they know that we can’t do anything if they don’t, we can put a strong face on building a global green economy. So let’s keep talking about ways we can make climate legislation stronger. Call your senators and ask them to seek more holistic solutions to climate change that close the coal loophole, provide strict verification processes for international offset projects and auction allowances rather than just giving them away.

Why settle?

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A good sign for Democrats in ‘10: Community

July 18, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , ,

Last night was Democrats Night at the Portland Beavers game at PGE Park. The section was the only even slightly full area of the stands, and was a constantly bustling hub of conversation, motion and good cheer.

From elected officials like state Representative Jefferson Smith and Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian to gubernatorial candidates Bill Bradbury and Brian Clem to former primary challengers Steve Novick and Will Hobbs, it was a diverse group of activists, policy wonks and those who simply thought it was a reasonably-priced way to enjoy an evening and help the Democratic Party.

The Beavers couldn’t pull out a win against the Salt Lake City Bees, but there was a feeling among those of us seated in the Democratic section that things are going our way. Conversations I had ranged from the newly-created Civil Rights Commission to 2010 primaries to why Novick hates the Yankees. We were one big happy family, and I hope we can stay that way through next year’s elections.

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Cannon Beach, rest areas and long bicycle trips

July 12, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

We were out at the beach this weekend for a wedding in Ecola State Park, overlooking the ocean. It was a nice, simple ceremony with some interesting sartorial choices. Being an outdoor wedding at the coast, the invitations said “casual.” Well, to me this meant some khakis, a dress shirt and a blue blazer. Others showed up in sundresses or cotton slacks. Then there were the folks–several of them–who appeared in jeans, skate shoes, Harley Davidson T-shirts and even a few baseball caps. It was quite an odd mix, although the bride and groom seemed just thrilled to have friends and family there.

On our way back to Portland along Highway 26, we stopped off at one of Oregon’s 46 rest areas to relieve the morning’s coffee and stretch our legs. The state’s public rest areas were designed in a very clever way to offer a place of refuge for road-weary drivers, not just a restroom and a drinking fountain.

Our beautifully utilitarian rest areas look more like municipal parks than roadside rest stops, providing picnic tables, native foliage and even small hiking trails at some.

This time, however, I noted the absence of something many parts of Oregon would be remiss without: bike racks. As we continue to strive for a bike-friendly state for the varied health, environment and congestion-related benefits, our culture continues to broaden to include much longer bicycle rides, bike camping trips and farther distances traveled on two wheels.

One of Oregons informational kiosks

Why, then, should we not update our already lovely rest areas to serve not just drivers, but weary cyclists, to reflect the diversity in transportation options we foster in our cities? Cyclists, too, need to break for a pit stop, to fix a flat or to just stop and eat lunch. Being able to lock up your bike when you use the restroom would be a nice gesture for those out on 100-mile rides.

I’m going to email my state legislator with the idea. Unless we keep pursuing making our rest areas pr

ivate. Then, as McDonald’s and BP take over public land to pave, build and destroy, cyclists and anyone else not

paying to play will simply be out of luck. Not to mention towns like Otis, Aurora and others that depend on economic benefits of travelers in need of a hot meal, a tank of gas or a place to stay. These local economies all over rural Oregon would lose the support of out-of-towners to keep their local businesses afloat.

Just like our beaches and the banks of the Willamette, Oregon’s rest areas should remain open to the public to avoid a very slippery slope of development, concrete and exclusion. Keep that in mind the next time you pull off to take a break, stretch your legs or grab a bite to eat. Take a moment to enjoy the gorgeous green foliage and your respite from the road.

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What I heard by the Tualatin River

July 9, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

So being back in good ol’ Washington County, I’m rediscovering the places I used to go when I was growing up. Tonight I went down to Tualatin City Park, where my neighborhood used to have an annual Fourth of July BBQ, to hear Oregon Attorney General John Kroger speak about clean water.

Well, it wasn’t just the attorney general, but a veritable posse of environmental powerhouses including one of the A-G’s deputies, a representative from DEQ, the Tualatin Riverkeepers staff and Senate Majority Leader Richard Devlin (the park is in his district). Also attending were the mayors of Tualatin and Tigard, as well as a couple Tualatin city councilors, including Donna Maddux (apologies if misspelled), who is apparently serving as the A-G’s interim Environmental Crimes Unit until a full-time environmental attorney is hired later this summer.

The topics of the evening ranged from Hanford to PGE’s Boardman coal plant to river pollution, and most questions were satisfactorily answered in a straightforward manner that has come to be paramount to the A-G’s success at such gatherings. The overall IQ at the front of the group of probably 30-odd attendees was surely above average and the solutions coming out of their collective efforts border on genius. I am happy to have these folks working to continue (and get back to) Oregon’s tradition of environmental stewardship. We were leaders once and we will be leaders again in cleaning up our state. After all, Tom McCall drew up the bottle bill a long time ago.

If you get a chance to meet with your attorney general at one of these events, I would certainly encourage you to do so. The discussion might seem like watching paint dry if you aren’t interested in the topic at hand, but it will be an incredible opportunity to have a statewide elected official really listen to you and then work to turn your concerns into real action. It’s a rarity these days.

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PORTLAND!

June 22, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My triumphant return. The homecoming. An escape. The next chapter.

So many descriptors cross my elated mind as I finalize my post-college move back to my hometown. Well, close to my hometown, as I’ll be doing the parent’s house thing until I nail down a job.

As I reflect on my four years in Eugene, there are a number of things I will dearly miss.

Here’s a list:

Biking through Alton Baker Park

Saturday Market (especially when plugging a candidate or cause)

Alexander’s Great Falafel

Lane County health care reform advocates

Democratic Party of Lane County

The Sweet Life’s vegan treats

Memorials to Wayne Morse

Friday afternoons at the Laurelwood driving range (with beer!)

The Associated Students of the University of Oregon 2008-09 Executive

Debate watches/meetings at Davis’ Restaurant (family-run business!)

Sundance Grocery (and certainly Sundance Wine Cellar!)

The big Market of Choice

Free bus rides with student ID

The unparalleled leadership of Congressman Peter DeFazio, State Senators Floyd Prozanski and Bill Morrisette, Lane County Commissioners Pete Sorenson and Rob Handy, Mayor Kitty Piercy, and State Representatives Chris Edwards and the impeccably attentive and dedicated Nancy Nathanson (I will never be able to thank her enough for her commitment to her community….she radiates the spirit to reinvigorate Oregon).

ASUO Street Faire

Post-concert house party show by Common Market at Alex Clark’s house

Holy Cow Cafe (and their ethos)

Frog (but not his joke books)

KWVA

UO leadership of Dave Frohnmayer, Dave Hubin, Dr. Robin Holmes, Elizabeth Bickford, Consuela Perez-Jefferis, Julie Palanuk, Nicole Nelson, Lynn Giordano, and Mike and Cheryl Eyster.

The amazing tutelage of Ken Debevoise, Kyu Ho Youm, John Mitchell, Kelli Matthews (I never even took a class from her, but she taught me a ton!), Al Stavitsky, Duncan McDonald and any other professor/instructor that absolutely does not allow students to pass if they don’t do the work/come to class. Good on you for making my degree worth something.

And some things I certainly will not miss:

Horrible roommates shaking me down for money I don’t have because they’re too lazy to find a sublet

California students driving across town to park a 20-minute walk from class when the bus would drop them at the doorstep in 15 minutes for free

Eugene restaurants that still have no vegan options

Phil Barnhart and his hatred of participatory democracy

Jim Torrey (’nuff said)

Militant atheists on campus that rabidly repeat Dawkins talking points without any thought

Students that sit around and talk about saving the planet while chain-smoking cigarettes

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Kaiser offers Multnomah Co. Public Schools free insurance

June 8, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Over on the Archimedes Movement blog, I learned that Kaiser Permanente will be offering free health coverage to K-6 students at Multnomah County public schools. The insurance will be provided through a partnership with the Multnomah Education Service District and will also qualify students in charter and alternative schools.

This is an enormous step forward for the insurance industry. As public coverage options loom on the horizons, Kaiser is pushing to show a commitment to health, not just profit. Families will pay no premiums, but will contribute small co-pays for treatment. Once enrolled, students will remain covered until age 19. A good move in tough economic times.

However, it’s just a start. Kaiser still has a long way to go in shifting their model from treating illness and injury to treating human beings and helping make our communities healthier. It’s great that K-6 students in Multnomah County can now see a doctor when they are sick or hurt, but what about making them healthy?

Health starts before you become a patient. Kaiser has an opportunity to expand on this and lower the costs associated with the program by pushing healthier food in school cafeterias, working to get kids playing outdoors and developing programs to educate kids about personal health.

The circumstances are perfect for Kaiser to create initiatives that will offer students fun, engaging ways to learn about health and how to achieve lifelong healthy habits. Our schools are in dire need of comprehensive health education and have large voids to be filled when it comes to nutrition, physical education and other upstream elements of health.

How might Kaiser and other insurance companies help provide true health education to our children?

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My evening at the Sasquatch Brew Fest!

June 7, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yesterday was the annual Sasquatch Brew Fest in downtown Eugene and the brews were definitely hopping. The festival comes around every year to pay tribute to a fallen brewer, Glen Hay Falconer. A large portion of the proceeds go to the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation, a nonprofit organization that gives scholarships to students studying brewing.

When we arrived, there was a Flogging Molly-esque Irish punk band on stage playing an excellent drinking soundtrack. After strapping on the wristbands and receiving our souvenir tasting glasses, it was off to browse the selection. From Hopworks Urban Brewery to Southern Oregon Brewing, this was a showcase of some of the finest brews from the Pacific Northwest.

I ended up skipping the Hopworks brews because I’ll be spending a good deal of time exploring their creations this summer in Portland. The focus for me here was on the down-valley and Southern Oregon products.

The beers I tried, in order:

Calapooia Brewing – Kringle Krak

Amnesia – Double Dry Hop IPA

Lagunitas Brewing – 2009 Correction IPA

Southern Oregon Brewing – Blueberry Wheat Ale

Ram Brewing – Bus Stop Brown Ale

Oakshire – Perfect Storm Imperial IPA

For my final pour, I had the Sasquatch Brew Fest 2009 Legacy Belgian IPA. And though we never knew him, we raised a toast to Glen, because through all the good times and beers at the Sasquatch Brew Fest, no one forgets the reason the event takes place. Vendors wore T-shirts with the Sasquatch logo on the front and “FRIENDS OF GLEN” emblazoned in large letters on the back. Information abounded about Glen’s life and the spirit of the crowd was a truly respectful one.

Then, as we were hitting the water station before departing and drunken attendees danced and whirled to the music of the Conjugal Visitors, a visibly intoxicated Ninkasi representative danced our way and handed us each a free drink ticket. Like schoolchildren, we giddily looked around for our bonus pour. My companion opted for another slosh of the Lagunitas Correction–not a bad decision, by any means–and I took off to try the much-discussed Steelhead Hoposaurus Rex IPA.

The beers that really stood out at this festival, as expected in the Willamette Valley, were the IPAs. My first pour, Calapooia’s Kringle Krak, was a dark, smooth brew that had a great flavor and really satisfied. But as we moved on, we found that hops were king at the Sasquatch Brew Fest. The Amnesia was delicious, but I followed it with the Lagunitas Correction IPA, which is a sincere work of art. Rich, robust and bursting with hops flavor, Correction was my favorite of the day. It was fruity without being sweet, bitter without losing its bearings. I’ll be looking for bottles shortly.

Oakshire’s Perfect Storm was good, although imperial IPA’s aren’t really my thing and it was late in the evening by the time I tried it. Steelhead’s Hoposaurus was incredible, and a much better last sip than water. The Amnesia Double Dry Hop IPA was excellent and a completely new take on hoppy beers (in my experience). With about a three-second range of flavors that swirl in rapid succession, the Amnesia brew seems to spite its brewer’s name, as it’s one I’ll definitely remember.

That brings us to the Legacy Belgian IPA. Brewed up special each year for the festival, this year’s legacy beer was an imperial-style IPA created by a partnership of a professional brewer and last year’s homebrew contest winner. The flavor was exquisite. A strong sense of the power of hops is surrounded by subtle undertones of a variety of flavors. I couldn’t seem to quite pinpoint much of what was in it, but it blew me away. It was an intellectual beer and a true homage to Glen’s legacy.

After our evening of celebration and beer snobbery, we slugged some more water and headed home on our bikes, living the Oregon dream.

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