Fear & Loathing in North Clackamas
Deborah Barnes
Should we hold an election to respond to this? Measure 3-401 would require you to
As a long time Milwaukie resident and former City Councilor, I’m offended by what’s happening in my own back yard. On the morning after a Republican National Convention where not a single mention of the tea party was made from the podium, pundits are already trying to write its obituary, yet it’s alive and well in Clackamas County.
The Tea Party has way too vocal of a presence here in the Portland area so we can’t rest on our laurels and let them have their way. They’ve teamed up with the self-described sex hypnotist Loren Parks from Nevada to fund a county wide ballot measure that would prohibit any funding from being spent on rail in Clackamas County. They’re so fired up, they even made the county plunk down $125,000 to have a single issue election – the ballots come out as early as today and are due back on September 18th.
The Clackamas tea party rants and raves that they are the majority. They are not; they are nothing more than an angry, vocal minority. Yet the Oregonian, in the midst of a year where they’ve taken a hard right turn, praises them as rebels. They are not rebels. They are schoolyard bullies. They stand up and yell when it’s their turn to talk. They stay seated and yell when it’s their opponents turn.
The current measure at hand, Measure 3-401 would prohibit an unknown number of future actions. The County couldn’t dispatch emergency responders to legitimate emergencies, such as the train that ran into and dragged a car on fire in Canby in 2008. They couldn’t even spend $800 to trim the trees over an existing trolley line without a $125,000 county-wide vote.
All of these unintended consequences are because a small faction of unrepresentative and uncivil residents are worried about the change light rail might bring to an area deeply in need of the economic revival that rail can provide. I don’t fear improvement. Neither should you. So my fellow travelers, if you live in Clackamas County please reject this poorly written measure. Join me in standing up and telling the bullies no. The ballots are due back on Sept. 18th
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9:47 a.m.
Aug 31, '12
Yes, the tea party is alive and well. I watched last night's Rep. National Convention. The camera panned the Oregon delegation. There sat Kevin Mannix and the annual "Gathering of the Eagles" host/"illegal immigrant" lawsuit defendant sitting there loving every lying word out of Romney.
On another note: I don't live in Clackamas County, but I donated $ to the Charlotte Lehan campaign last week. Very important race.
9:55 a.m.
Aug 31, '12
Thank you for your donation and support!
9:52 a.m.
Aug 31, '12
Thank you Ms. Barnes. You describe the situation well.
10:38 a.m.
Aug 31, '12
In addition, the "Yes" campaign signs are the most misleading political slogans I've seen in Oregon in my lifetime, and that's saying a lot. (I rank them on the cynical-misleading scale even above the crud the OCA and their ilk used to put out.)
1:33 p.m.
Aug 31, '12
"They are not rebels. They are schoolyard bullies. They stand up and yell when it’s their turn to talk. They stay seated and yell when it’s their opponents turn."
Some very nice turns of phrases Deborah. Just a warning. I will probably reuse some of that without attribution...
5:14 p.m.
Aug 31, '12
I look forward to someday being able to hop on the MAX with my bike and come and tour Clackamas County. I love getting on the MAX and taking off for the weekend into wine country. I bring my Visa card and friends when I can. It's a particularly wonderful way to enjoy our world - by bike. And, it's got to be great to the local economy - B&B's, Wineries, like being in France, except in English.
8:57 p.m.
Aug 31, '12
Meanwhile, Peter Nordbye dropped by the Welches Schools open house last night...
1:42 p.m.
Sep 1, '12
Yeah, Peter's a monster campaigner. He and Blythe are all over the house district and he has the opponent sweating some. A win here would have national implications in terms of the money-in-politics conversation.
11:10 p.m.
Sep 1, '12
Deborah, you obviously feel strongly about this. Would you like to come on my radio show tomorrow and talk about it?
Here are a couple questions I'll ask: Is Jack Bogdanski a tea partier? Is 63% to 70% a small minority? Is Sheriff Roberts a bully?
5:28 p.m.
Sep 2, '12
Tea Party = Taliban!
5:00 a.m.
Sep 3, '12
"They are not rebels. They are schoolyard bullies. They stand up and yell when it’s their turn to talk. They stay seated and yell when it’s their opponents turn."
I have never heard a better description of these folks. Thanks Deborah.
3:30 p.m.
Sep 6, '12
The section of McLoughlin Blvd near the future Park Ave station in Oak Grove is the most blighted area of the community. It needs the kind of investment and vitality that light rail can bring. Along with the Trolley Trail bike and ped path and the natural beauty of Oak Grove, I forsee the area around the Orange Line terminal becoming one of the metro area's hottest neighborhoods.