From the open publishing newswire: Blue Mtns. Biodiversity Project (BMBP) needs your help. The BMBP has been saving native Oregon forests through ground truthing, comments, and legislation for over 18 years. BMBP is opposing the Experiment Forest (EXF) project outside of Bend, OR. The EXF project area is part the Pringle Falls Experimental Forest which is located with the Deschute National Forest; about 25 miles southwest of Bend, OR. The EXF project is a beautiful mature Ponderosa pine forest has not had significant natural or human disturbance since 1865. This forest is unique because of the heavy logged that has taken place outside of Bend for the last century. This is one of the few and rare forests that has been allowed to grow back to its natural and native state.
Right now the Deschutes National Forest is accepting comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). All comments should be in by Monday, November 2nd, 2009.

Please support the "No Action" alternative. We are hoping for as many comments to protect this forest as possible. Please feel free to use the sample comment letter or write one of your own.

All comments should be addressed to:
Shane Jeffries
District Ranger
Bend/ Ft. Rock Ranger District
1230 NE 3rd St.
Suite A-262
Bend, Oregon 97701

 http://bmbp.org

From the open publishing newswire: Coos Bay is the frontline in the struggle to protect the west coast from another intrusive corporate energy product, where Jordan Cove, PG&E and other consortium members plan a pipeline with linear clearcuts across Oregon to the CA border near Malin, OR. However, the net results of the investment into this very expensive project is as unstable as the liquified natural gas being imported to OR for the sole purpose of export to CA energy markets.

In the event of a seismic disruption along the coast (see; Cascadia subduction zone, near shore tsunami), the timing of the tanker's arrival could influence whether the destruction is limited to a tidal wave (bad enough by itself) or the combined catastrophe of a tidal wave AND an explosion from the tanker's cooling system's failure and/or rupture and the rapid warming and explosion of the stored LNG.

The Cascadian subduction zone is likely to move at some point in the future, not a matter of "IF" but "WHEN". WHEN this subduction event happens, it will be a destructive force that makes Katrina's time in New Orleans look like tiddlywinks (not an exaggeration.)The "scientists" from FERC who granted approval for the Coos Bay terminal must have missed this little tidbit of knowledge

Additional LNG info;
 http://www.oregonwaters.org/LNG.htm
 http://www.lngpollutes.org
 http://www.nocaliforniapipeline.com
 http://www.citizensagainstlng.com/

From the open publishing newswire: It's hard to know where to begin responding to an article as unethical and error-ridden as James Pitkin's recent Willamette Week story, "Anti-Fascist Front." As an organization committed to opposing racism and organized bigotry, Rose City Antifa's biggest concern is Pitkin's use of his position in the press to silence and trivialize the struggle of people of color, sexual minorities, Jewish communities, and others who are frequent targets of oppressive ideologies. Pitkin defends white supremacists and militant Jew-haters in his story. This article is a result of Willamette Week's willful ignorance of the far Right, and its inability to recognize fascists and anti-Semites unless they come dressed in swastika armbands or Klan robes.

Pitkin contributes to a culture of silence around issues of oppression and racial intimidation in our city, indicating that anti-racists are the bigger problem. To support this idea, he mischaracterizes our organization from the article's start to its finish, going so far as to claim that we refused to grant an interview. What he neglects to mention is that while in dialogue with Willamette Week editor Mark Zusman, we consented to do an interview on the condition that the Willamette Week correct factual errors on their website relating to Rose City Antifa, which they failed to do before our scheduled interview, therefore forcing us to cancel.

We have never had confidence in Pitkin's journalistic skills or professional ethics. It was clear by his earlier authorship of an opinion piece against Rose City Antifa ("Rogue of the Week" article of July 15) that Pitkin had compromised his ability to report news accurately and without bias. Our organization has talked with ethical journalists in the past, and is willing to do so in the future.

Related: Appendix: Willamette Week / Rose City Antifa correspondence | "Anti-Fascist Front" article in WW biased and selective

antiracistaction.org

From the open publishing newswire: This morning, I was late for work. Later, even, than usual. As I drove down the highway, I was distracted and feeling rushed. So I'm not sure how long I had been following it, but it was just as I was about to pass it that I finally saw the huge, dirty, gray truck. I recognized it as soon as I focused on it - the tiny slats in the sides, the shit spattered beneath those slats. The shape and feel and finality of it. Even if I had not seen the "Cattle Drive" logo near the top of the box, I would have recognized the looming sense of loss about it. It was a slaughter truck.

Through the meager air slots I saw, dimly at first, a tangled puzzle of lives and oppression: legs and hooves, the dangling tufts of tails. The bits and pieces of animals, already turned from subjects of their own lives into pieces of machinery, cogs in the grinding wheel, the unwaged slaves on whom our way of life is built. Commodities. Crammed from end to end, this cattle car was haunted inside with shadows. No, not mere shadows, but living beings. Beings with thoughts, dreams, desires, lives of their very own. Not mere means to our ends, but being used so just the same.

I wanted there to be some way to save them.

From the open publishing newswire: An interview with Andrew Flood about the impressions of the North American anarchist movement he formed during his 2007/2008 44 city tour of the US and Canada. The interviews ends with questions about the comparison of the movement in Ireland with that in Britian and the promotion of anarchism via the internet. This was submitted and published in Black Flag.

From the open publishing newswire: On July 28, troops in Honduras ousted President Manuel Zelaya and flew him out of the country. Praised by the traditional left for his economic policies and social reforms, Zelaya's alliance with Hugo Chavez and growing relationship with the ALBA countries were sharply rebuked by the more conservative sectors which also disapproved of his periodic attacks on the United States. From Costa Rica, Zelaya declared: "This was a plot by a very voracious elite, which wants to keep this country in an extreme level of poverty!". However, it seems improbable that the Honduran elite would have toppled the democratically-elected president without Washington's prior consent and support, despite assurances to the contrary.

Voltairenet.org Non Aligned Press Network

From the open publishing newswire: A judge has ruled the Sit/Lie unconstitutional but Police Chief Rosie Sizer released a memo stating that all the judge ruled was that Portland should just use disorderly conduct instead of Sit/Lie. That is not what the judge ruled and her vague memo creates NO meaningful distinction between the Sit/Lie and disorderly conduct. This is not how the city should react to the loss of the constitutional legitimacy of the Sit/Lie. Two many good people have worked to hard on this issue for the Police Chief to take such a step without analysis and public input....

From the open publishing newswire: Recent events have highlighted the fact that anti-Semitic organizers in Portland, Oregon are relying on "Leftist" spaces and groups to tolerate their efforts and ideology. On Wednesday, June 10, Valdas Anelauskas, a self-described "white separatist" who is involved with Holocaust-denial circles, gave a presentation to a group of sympathizers in Portland, Oregon. The event was sponsored by the Portland 9/11 Truth Alliance, and was initially scheduled to take place at the Laughing Horse Book & Video Collective... The Laughing Horse collective canceled the anti-Semitic event within 48 hours of being notified about its true nature. Valdas Anelauskas is a "racialist" (read: racist) activist currently based in Eugene, Oregon. Anelauskas is now active in the Pacifica Forum, a Eugene, Oregon organization which hosts Holocaust-denial speakers such as David Irving plus Mark Weber of the Institute for Historical Review.

While Portland 9/11 Truth Alliance activist Tim Titrud was one organizer for Anelauskas' talk in Portland, Titrud appears to have been assisted by a cast of several others, especially Tim Calvert... Calvert's conspiracy theories about Jewish power, and his denial of the Nazi genocide against the Jewish people, have been an open secret in Portland for years.

Rose City Antifa strongly opposes attempts to make excuses for anti-Semitism, or to pretend that it is any less poisonous than any other form of racism. Other organizations involving Tim Calvert, such as the Cascadia Education Project, are also advised to take notice. No compromise and no half-measures!

- Rose City Antifa / Portland ARA

From the open publishing newswire: It is indeed hard to escape it. Though the mainstream "straight" media pays it no heed, the gay media is abuzz. This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. What makes Stonewall significant? Was it the first queer voice of the modern era? Certainly not, during the Weidar republic there had been a brief shining moment when significant strides had been made in the city of Berlin (this of course ended very badly, the rise of Adolf Hitler changed the cities "civil union" registry an easy way to identify, locate and round-up large numbers of what was the first modern queer rights movement. Though some fled and even a few waited out the war in hiding in Germany itself (for example the DaDa artist Hannah Hoch). It wasn't even the first time that the subject of gay rights had been advocated. The sisters of Bolita, and the matachine society had been "respectably" (and with all due respect to the immense bravery of those early advocates) quite ignorably picoting in DC, and doing the "letter writing" thing. No, what made Stonewall special, what makes it the Day we remember was that it was the day when queers not only advocated for their rights but refused the model of hetero-superiority. Rather than try to persuade the "big America" that they were deserving of human rights, the Queers of Stonewall stood up to the Cops in the streets of New York and REFUSED to be anything less than human.

From the open publishing newswire: First, officials went after sea lions. Now, legislators are trying to target cormorants for the same reason. They say that, since we humans want to kill so many animals, we need to kill off all natural predators so that we don't need to deal with our own unnatural behavior.

Senate Joint Memorial 7 is a bill that is sponsored by Fred Girod, the same guy trying to make it even easier to kill sea lions in Oregon. It's a bill that would make it legal to kill cormorants. Are you familiar with cormorants? They're beautiful black water birds with yellow beaks, who sit on posts on the river and hold their wings out like little statues, warming themselves in the sun.

Related: Earth day for Sea Lions, Cormorants, Terns, and other creatures: Today, as I was walking near a school in rural Colton, Oregon, I observed several volunteers, out planting trees, and improving the habitat near a stream that meanders through the school ground. Colton probably has more trees (albeit second, third, fourth, and even fifth growth) per capita than pernaps 90% of the country.

From the open publishing newswire: Hello, I have been summoned for jury duty, I have been informed by the summons that I need to respond to the Multnomah county court by filling out a form letter they have sent to me. I have also included the letter below.
I have three issues I feel, I need to inform the court of that could influence my decision in any trial I may be chosen for:

From the open publishing newswire: For centuries the means of production have been owned by only a few individuals. This has led to spectacular robberies like are apparent at the present time, but also to a quiet, ignored theft of the real value of labor.
To give a logical answer as to why laboring people are not paid nearly the real value of their labor, I need to go back in history and give a basic scientific explanation of the situation.

From the open publishing newswire: Community television can help fill the void left by a collapsing media system. But the most prevalent form -- local public access stations (or PEG channels) -- is under attack by the likes of AT&T and Comcast, which are trying to bury community stations on their networks and make them difficult to find.

You Can Help: Protect Community Television.

The deadline to comment at the FCC expires in less than 36 hours [April 1st]. Please make sure that the commission hears from the public about the importance of local media.

Click here to file your comment.

freepress.net