thanks for keeping an eye on us, john.

sometimes we think that here in the pacific nw we're better than those racist states elsewhere, but we have our (un)fair share of such imbeciles. it's amazing a city manager could be this stupid, however. you'd think by now the fear of a civil rights lawsuit would make the guy get an opinion from the city attorney or something. too bad his lack of brains will cost the taxpayers.

we have a long, long ways to go. it's going to take many generations, i'm afraid, to really eradicate this crap.

Thanks for the specific link John. Up until this morning, I was still on the fence as the info from the Oregonian articles allowed for the possibility that Officer Mealing was playing his own "race card".

The Columbian article really puts any doubts to rest--at least for me.......

Just one more black eye for The Paper of Record.

T.A.'s not a Portlander, though, for one thing.

But I'd make one minor quibble, too: I know there are racist parts of Oregon AND Washington, and I did when I wrote this post. A friend of mine got the treatment at a bar in Enterprise for being Chinese/Italian. We went up to adopt a cat around Winlock/Vader, Washington - we missed it by one house, and as a result my Mom was staring into the face of a full-on Aryan Brotherhood guy.

Also, name one racist Democrat in elected office since Strom and the Dixies changed parties. (Zell Miller, in full Koolaid-induced coma, even, doesn't qualify.) I think we're pretty safe from that influence gaining a whole lot of traction in the Party; I mean, tell me Reverend Sharpton's blast at the convention didn't fire you up, no matter who you are.

This is posted because it's getting attention on national blogs, and Ridgefield is close enough to the Metro for many folks to know and like some Ridgefielders, myself included. I'm proud that so many of them are rightfully asking "WTF?" because in this day and age, in that good town, it certainly is a "WTF?" moment.

And the minute we let this slide without reaction, we begin the slow slide into tolerance of it. We can't just say, 'Aw, sheet-wearing crackpots will be sheet-wearing crackpots' anymore.

She does get credit, Kim. Even more so for breaking the story. But you didn't need me to tell you that.

And so does every Ridgefielder without access to a publication who stood up and told their friends and family, "Something is wrong," also get credit.