Posted inCurrent affairs Marijuana Salem

Strangest reason to legalize recreational marijuana in Oregon

With Oregonians starting to vote by mail on Measure 91, which would legalize recreational marijuana in this state, naturally I had to make this the theme of my most recent Strange Up Salem column in our alternative paper, Salem Weekly. (Feel free to give Strange Up Salem a Facebook "like." Strange is good. This town is under a blah-curse, and every Like lifts it a bit.) I called the piece, A Strange Reason to Legalize Marijuana.  I like it a lot. After the new issue of Salem Weekly hit the streets a few days ago, I re-read the column while…
1
Posted inCurrent affairs

Why unaffiliated voters aren’t treated dismally in closed primaries

Today I got an email that further convinced me voting "No" on Measure 90, Oregon's open primary initiative, was a good decision.  Jack Holloway is a long-time citizen activist here in Salem. I enjoy sharing ideas with him. He was critical of my initial inclination to be in favor of Measure 90, explaining why in an email message. I responded with:  Jack, thanks for the cogent thoughts. As I said in another blog post, I’ve decided to vote No on Measure 90. It has some good aspects and some bad aspects. The bad seem to outweigh the good. It still…
2
Posted inCurrent affairs

On Oregon’s “Open Primary” Measure 90, I’m now a No

It's been tough for me to decide how to vote on Measure 90, Oregon's "Open Primary" or "Top Two" initiative. I've gone back and forth between Yes and No. I'm now a No, having given Measure 90 more thought for a few days after writing Torn about the Open Primary measure in Oregon, I lean toward "Yes." It would open primary elections to all voters, including those unaffiliated with a political party, sending the top two candidates on to the general election. I like the idea of lessening the influence of the Democratic and Republican parties in Oregon. Why should…
1
Posted inCurrent affairs

Torn about the Open Primary measure in Oregon, I lean toward “Yes”

[Update: I've recanted, flip-flopped again, changed my mind. I'm now a No on Measure 90. Read why here.] I'm a flip-flopper when it comes to Measure 90, the initiative Oregonians are about to vote on that would create an open primary system. Meaning, everybody would be able to vote in the primary. It would be open to all registered voters, including the 650,000 unaffiliated citizens who now are shut out of primaries. This included me for several years prior to 2008, when I decided to no longer be a registered Democrat. Because I wanted to vote for Barack Obama in…
9
Posted inCurrent affairs Marijuana Salem

Rick Steves tells Salem why marijuana should be legal

Not being much of a traveller, I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I'd never heard of Rick Steves before learning he was touring Oregon to talk about "Travel As a Political Act: Ending Marijuana Prohibition in Oregon."  Steves wrote a book with that title, Travel As a Political Act. His interest in making marijuana legal comes partly from his co-sponsorship of Washington state's successful 2012 ballot legalization measure. Last night my wife and were part of a packed house, 300 people or so, in downtown Salem's Grand Theatre. This photo was taken before the event started. Eventually the balcony…
No Comments
Posted inCurrent affairs Marijuana

Why everyone in Oregon should vote to legalize marijuana

Today the realization came to me -- why every voting Oregonian should check "Yes" on Measure 91, the initiative to legalize recreational marijuana. It was so clear, so evident, so marvelously apparent. Just six words, directed at the different slices of the political spectrum. Imagine, liberals...Governor Dennis Richardson. Senator Monica Wehby. Imagine, conservatives...Governor John Kitzhaber. Senator Jeff Merkley. Depressing, right? If either comes to pass, about half of voters are going to be seriously upset for the next four to six years. You're going to need something to cheer you up. Hey, no problem!  Because Oregonians had the smarts to pass…
3
Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Lake Oswego’s Wizer Block uproar has land use echoes in Salem

My wife and I recently discovered how cool downtown Lake Oswego is. We hadn't been there for a long time, so made a northward pilgrimage from Salem last Friday.  The Lake View Village development on the lakeshore impressed us. Here's a Google Images photo of sidewalk dining. This is what an urban core should look like. Walkable, bikable, people-centered, enticing retail shops on street level. Millennium Park is adjacent, with the lake just beyond. Here's a photo I took of the open area next to Lake View Village. Note that word: "village." This is the look and feel we enjoyed…
No Comments
Posted inCurrent affairs

Oregon marijuana legalization opponents fear the truth

Josh Marquis is the Clatsop County District Attorney. Law-abiding guy that (one would think) he is, Marquis shouldn't have a problem with someone making public record requests to see whether he broke the law against using taxpayer dollars for a political purpose.  But Marquis is freaking out over marijuana activist Russ Belville's efforts to learn whether officials in Clatsop County, Marion County, and other places in Oregon illegally used federal funds to plan an inaccurately named "Oregon Marijuana Education Tour" -- which actually is an effort against Measure 91, Oregon's marijuana legalization effort. Head over to The Weed Blog to…
2
Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Patti Milne was a terrible county commissioner. Vote for Courtney.

Democrat Peter Courtney has been an excellent state senator in the Oregon legislature. His opponent is Republican Patti Milne, someone my wife and I, along with others in our rural south Salem neighborhood, know quite well as an elected official.  Here's my well-founded advice to voters of all political persuasions in Courtney's district: Vote for him! Milne was a disaster as a county commissioner. There's no way she deserves to be a state senator. This dismal opinion of Milne was shared by virtually everybody in my neighborhood, conservatives and liberals alike, during our five-year fight against a subdivision proposed to be…
3
Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Rick Steves talking in Oregon about travel and legal marijuana

Rick Steves, travel guru, is coming to Oregon! Better yet, SALEM!"Travel as a Political Act - Ending Marijuana Prohibition in Oregon"He’ll be in Portland, Beaverton, Salem, Corvallis, Eugene, Medford, Ashland, Bend, The Dalles, and Gresham.   Tickets are free, except in Portland: http://voteyeson91.com/ricksteves/The Salem event is Wednesday, October 8, 7-8 pm at the Grand Theatre in downtown Salem. (Event info says Grand Ballroom upstairs, but I've been told it will be in the ground floor Grand Theatre.)You should get a free ticket by RSVP'ing. Steves is well-known for his travel expertise, and also was the co-sponsor of Washington state's successful marijuana…
No Comments
Posted inCurrent affairs Marijuana

Legalizing marijuana controls use by youth. Vote for Measure 91.

One of the best arguments for Oregon's Measure 91, which would legalize recreational marijuana for adults, is that it will help control pot use among youths.  Today the Bend Bulletin published a great opinion piece by Inge Fryklund, "Time to put adults in charge of marijuana." She is a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). Download Letter: Time to put the adults in charge of marijuana Here's some of what Fryklund said. Today in Oregon, kids are buying readily available marijuana from unknown, unregulated sources. The supply chain may go all the way back to some Mexican cartel, and…
No Comments
Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Pro-marijuana legalization clear winner in Salem City Club debate

Oh, yeah, I was ready for a slugfest of a debate when Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis got ready to settle into their respective corners -- well, seats -- at today's Salem City Club debate about Measure 91, which would legalize recreational marijuana if passed this November. After all, Blumenauer has called for a federal investigation "to determine if federal taxpayer dollars are being used illegally to influence a statewide election." Marquis is mentioned in the Blumenauer complaint letter. (Russ Belville has made public record requests to learn if Marquis and other public officials…
2
Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

“Oregon Marijuana Education Tour” coming to Salem area under cloud of scandal

When I first learned about the so-called Oregon Marijuana Education Tour, it sounded like what I now know it really is: a thinly-disguised political campaign against Measure 91 -- which will legalize recreational marijuana in this state if voters approve the citizen initiative in November.  Today Oregon Represenative Earl Blumenauer called for a federal investigation "to determine if federal taxpayer dollars are being used illegally to influence a statewide election." His letter to federal authorities is here. Links to backup documents are here. This is a big deal. Portland's Russ Belville, a.k.a. Radical Russ, has done some great reporting on…
1
Posted inCurrent affairs Marijuana

Oregon anti-drug summit cancelled. Oregon Marijuana Education Tour should be also.

Good news for advocates of ethical political campaigns. Willamette Week is reporting that a planned Oregon Marijuana, Alcohol, and Other Drug Summit in Madras on October 1-2 has been cancelled. (See the blog post I wrote yesterday about the summit and associated tour.) The sponsor of a government-funded anti-drug summit has cancelled the event after WW first reported it had been set timed to coincide with the fight over Measure 91, the marijuana legalization measure. BestCare Treatment Services said late Thursday it was withdrawing from the summit, which was scheduled to include anti-drug activist Kevin Sabet. WW's story raised questions about the timing of a tour that would include…
No Comments
Posted inCurrent affairs

Taxpayer-funded “Reefer Madness” tour coming to Oregon

So for self-interested reasons, who would you expect would be against Measure 91, an Oregon initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana? Why, (1) law enforcement officials, because as long as marijuana is illegal, they have more lawbreakers in this state to justify their budgets; and (2) drug treatment staff, because so long as marijuana is (wrongfully) viewed as a dangerous drug, they have a larger pool of supposed drug abusers to justify their programs. Currently polling is showing that Measure 91 likely will pass in the upcoming November election. Backers of the initiative recently announced a $2.3 million advertising campaign.…
No Comments
Posted inCurrent affairs

Oregonians, please legalize marijuana to honor… ME!

Hey, so maybe the title of this blog post sounds self-centered to you. What do you expect, dude? The author, moi, is a 65 year-old baby boomer. I'm proudly part of the Me Generation.  So naturally I see everything as revolving around the Flower Child center of the universe that we baby boomers brought into being back in the 60's.  Me especially, since I was in college at San Jose State University from 1966 to 1971. You know, the Bay Area not-Stanford and not-UC Berkeley. The ugly duckling to the south. Which for me and my friends was just a…
1
Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Feels like Oregon will legalize marijuana this year

Way to go, dude! An Oregonian (even more, a Salemian!) was first in line when a store selling legal marijuana opened its door yesterday in Vancouver, Washington. The state on Monday issued its first batch of retail licenses, giving two to establishments in Vancouver. One, New Vansterdam, plans to open Friday. The other, Main Street Marijuana, opened Wednesday in downtown Vancouver. And standing first in line for a few grams of Washington pot? An Oregonian. "I know I'm going to be paying way more than I probably should," said Mark Edwards, 42, a tie-dye clad Salem man who arrived at…
3
Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Statesman Journal shouldn’t make election endorsements

Let's get this straight before I launch into my main point: community newspapers like the Salem Statesman Journal shouldn't make election endorsements.  I'm not a big fan of the Statesman Journal editorial page. To put it mildly. You can read my blunter criticisms of the newspaper's opinionating in these posts.Salem's newspaper gets an "F" in journalistic ethicsInside look at Statesman Journal election endorsementsStatesman Journal endorsement of Romney: pathetic editorial Today's editorial, "Why Tuesday's Election Matters," focused my long-time (since 1977) subscriber attention on why the Statesman Journal is making election endorsements at all.  As noted in one of the links…
5
Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Sheronne Blasi doesn’t like the truth about why she moved to Ward 2

Even without looking at a calendar it's easy to tell that we're getting close to Oregon primary election day: Tuesday, May 20. That's when ballots will be counted and the results of Salem City Council races announced. Among many other races, of course. Candidates are getting testy.  For example, Ward 2 candidate Sheronne Blasi has taken to deleting comments on her Facebook page that tell the truth about why she moved into that neighborhood. Just a quick note to the individuals who wrote and contributed to the recent horrible blog post about me - I will remove your related comments…
No Comments
Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Daniel Benjamin threw a girl into a dumpster before he hit her

Thanks to Salem Weekly, we now know more about Daniel Benjamin's assault arrest. Before considering voting for Ward 6 candidate Benjamin, be sure to check out the updated SW online story, "City Council Candidate Misrepresents HIs Troubled Past, Gets Statesman Journal Endorsement Anyway." The print version will hit the streets tomorrow. You won't find this information in Salem's so-called "paper of record," the Statesman Journal. So pick up a copy of Salem Weekly and learn what the Statesman Journal editorial board, which endorsed Benjamin, doesn't want you to know. Excerpts to whet your appetite for the full story: Earlier this…
No Comments