Willamette Week Article on Use of Campaign Funds for Bar Tabs, etc. -

Perfectly Legal: How one lawmaker uses campaign money to subsidize his mortgage, pay his bar tabs and explore Canada.

Willamette Week
May 11, 2011
by Nigel Jaquiss

The Portland City Council needs to hear from YOU. Please use the text of the letter we sent to the Commissioners today, and the key points listed after the letter, as a guide to composing your own letter telling the City Council to vote NO on the JTTF. Contact info for each commissioner and the city attorney is below our letter. Send your letter by email now!

Dear Mayor Adams and City Council Commissioners,

We write you with serious concerns about the possibility that Portland City Council may vote to expand the presence of the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in our community.  Fundamental questions have not been answered, and legitimate concerns have not been adequately addressed.

How will assigning Portland Police officers to the JTTF benefit the Portland community?

Portland already suffers from lack of funds for social services.  We see schools (and police stations) closing and fewer facilities providing social services for larger areas with less resources at their disposal.  Rather than assign these officers to the JTTF and open up our city agencies and offices to the FBI, we should be investing our tax dollars and community resources into expanding and strengthening social services for the benefit of our community.

We have composed messages to the city commissioners, asking them to VOTE NO on Portland rejoining the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). You can use these as models for your own messages to the commissioners. Each message includes the email address for that commissioner.

Message to Commissioner Saltzman

Message to Commissioner Fish

Message to Commissioner Fritz

Message to Mayor Adams

We have not included Commissioner Randy Leonard, as he has already stated his opposition to rejoining the JTTF.to Portland City Council members

Joint Terrorism Task Force debate captures Portland's idiosyncratic attitude
March 10, 2011
by Brad Schmidt, The Oregonian

Protesters stormed into Portland City Hall on Thursday to deliver petitions to policymakers' offices opposing involvement in the federal Joint Terrorism Task Force. When the group couldn't get beyond a lobby security point, protesters began shouting "City Council, Come on Down!" Only Commissioner Randy Leonard appeared, helping a representative deliver the petitions and talking the group into moving back outside, where the demonstration began.

For confirmation of "Keep Portland Weird"-ness, look no further than the decade-old debate about the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Nowhere else have city leaders limited their relationship with the FBI over civil liberties.

Nowhere else have activists protested involvement of a handful of police officers.

Nowhere else have discussions come up again and again, with packed City Hall galleries, flipflopping politicians and onlookers who jeer cooperative agreements with the feds.

And now the debate is back.

Protesters Rally Against Portland's Participation in the JTTF

by Rebecca Jacobson

Willamette Week

March 10, 2011

 

Attorney Greg Kafoury speaks at today's anti-JTTF rally  = = =>

Despite the cancellation of today’s City Council hearing on whether Portland should rejoin the federal Joint Terrorism Task Force, about 70 protesters still turned out at City Hall this afternoon to oppose the city’s participation in the JTTF.

Chanting “No secrets, no spies, we want our civil rights” and carrying signs reading “Stop FBI Harassment,” protesters said participation in the JTTF could jeopardize Americans’ civil liberties. They voiced particular fears about FBI infiltration of advocacy and minority groups, including peace and environmental activists and Muslim communities.

Protesters also expressed frustration at City Council repeatedly delaying a vote on whether Portland should rejoin the JTTF.

“They moved it in order to spread out the opposition,” said Philip Kaufman of the Oregon Progressive Party, one of the rally's sponsors. “They’re trying to disorganize us."

Protesters also circulated petitions vowing to campaign against any city commissioners who vote to rejoin the JTTF. The demonstrators entered City Hall at 1:30 pm—about an hour in to the rally—with the aim of hand-delivering these petitions. There, they were met by city Commissioner Randy Leonard, who told them the public hearing had been delayed after increased signs of cooperation from the FBI on finding a solution that would not require Portland rejoining the JTTF.

Leonard, who has opposed Portland’s participation in the JTTF, then gave the protesters some advice—perhaps in an attempt to dispel the crowd.

“We’ve received hundreds of very thoughtful emails,” he said. “We encourage thoughtful emails.”

by Dan Meek

As I predicted in early January 2011 (see the videos below in this blog), the U.S. Senate refused to reform the filibuster. The crucial decision was that of the Democratic Leadership not to challenge the absurd and unconstitutional "Senate rule" that requires a 2/3 vote of all members in order to change any Senate rule, even at the beginning of a new session.

Knowing that any reform would require 67 votes, Senators then voted on 3 reforms, knowing that all would fail anyway. The reform with the best showing was the Merkley-Udall proposal to require all filibusters to be "talking"--that is, Senators would actually have to hold the floor during the filibuster instead of merely sending a message saying "I filibuster." The current system allows literally thousands of filibusters to be happening at any time, and the Senate refused to change it.

Even the Merkley-Udall bill received only 46 votes, with 4 Democrats voting against it (Baucus, Pryor, Reid, Levin) and 3 not voting (Feinstein, Inouye, Kerry). Even the 46 voting "yes" to this limited reform knew that the vote did not matter, because the Democratic Leadership refused to allow them a majority vote to abrogate the 2/3 vote rule (which would have resulted if the President of the Senate (VP Joe Biden) had ruled in favor of a point of order that the 2/3 vote rule was invalid). The reformer Democrats failed even to offer that point of order.

So the Democrats failed to reform the filibuster. This is consistent with my belief that the filibuster serves them well. It allows them to claim to be progressive on issues and then consistently fail to achieve progressive policies, while blaming "the process." For example, nearly every one of the Democrats in the Senate last December claimed to be against extending the Bush tax cut on incomes over $250,000 per year (and certainly on incomes over $1 million per year). Yet, despite their 59-41 majority in the Senate (including Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman), plus the Presidency and a similar majority in the House of Representatives), they "failed."

At least that is the conventional wisdom: "They tried to stop the tax cuts for the wealthy and super-wealthy, but they failed." The conventional wisdom is wrong. In fact, they did not want to stop the tax cuts and so they extended them. They want progressive voters to believe, however, that they wanted to stop the tax cuts, so they blamed the filibuster (under which they claim to need 60 votes to do anything).

Without the filibuster, the majority Democrats in the Senate would be far more accountable to the voters. With the filibuster, they can continue to advance Republican causes (and thus continue to get big campaign contributions from corporate executives) while blaming "the process" for their predictable "failures" that are not actually failures at all.

Filibuster reform goes bust, by Manu Raju on Politito

Our nation is rife with negative political rhetoric. Whether intentional or not, much of it is misdirected, and misunderstood. Consider the popular attack word fascist. Many believe being called a fascist, labels them as unpatriotic and despicable; and this explains its popularity as a rhetorical tool.

Referencing Webster’s, Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries, and Britannica, Grolier and Encarta encyclopedias, I looked up the contemporary meaning of fascism. By paraphrasing my findings, I can summarize its meaning and use. Fascism is “a radical, authoritarian nationalist political ideology, which seeks a nation organized according to corporatist perspectives and values, including the nation’s political and economic systems.”

Moreover, because neocon ideology dominates the Republican Party, it’s only fair to include the emerging term “neo-fascist” as well. Paraphrasing again, “neo-fascists consider certain religious movements and their intrusion into US politics by groups such as evangelical Christians, to be a representative form of theocratic neo-fascism.”
Clearly, the combined definitions are in complete opposition with Progressive ideology. So before you Republicans and Tea Partyists reveal your ignorance, look in a mirror and please stop calling Democrats and Progressives fascists!

March 10 RALLY OUTSIDE CITY HALL DAY OF JTTF VOTE!

Say No to Portland Joining the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).
Say Yes to Civil Rights!

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!!!
If your group wants to co-sponsor this event please contact civilrights@progparty.org

DATE:  Thursday March 10
RALLY:  12:30 pm    
SPEAKERS:  1:00 pm
CITY COUNCIL VOTE:  2:00 pm (public testimony will be taken)
LOCATION:  Outside City Hall Council Chambers 1221 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204

On March 10 the Portland City Council will be voting on whether the City of Portland should re-enter the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).

We strongly oppose Portland joining the JTTF, because we value our civil rights.  We don't want roving wiretaps, secret access and domestic spying on non-violent activists & community groups.

Further, Portland police officers cannot comply with Oregon law (ORS 181.575) and at the same time operate as deputized FBI JTTF agents. The most recent FBI 2008 Guidelines--as well as documented abuses uncovered by the ACLU across the country--show that FBI monitoring of individuals and organizations engaged in lawful First Amendment activity has only increased since 2005, when the City of Portland left the JTTF.

The City of Portland has a shameful history of spying on civic organizations, activists, and concerned citizens.  As written by Ben Jacklet in the Portland Tribune (Sept 12, 2002; updated Oct 30, 2009), the Portland Police engaged in political spying for 3 decades (that we know about): 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

The Secret Watchers:  How the police bureau spied for decades on the people of Portland

[The Portland] police kept watch over a broad range of harmless political and civic organizations. Intelligence officers built files on the People’s Food Store co-op, the Northwest Oregon Voter Registration Project and the Women’s Rights Coalition -- even the Bicycle Repair Collective, a city program offering a $24 course on how to fix flat tires and adjust brakes.

The files obtained by the Tribune focus on organizations, not individual Portlanders. But in the files appear the names of at least 3,000 people from 576 organizations. The names are presented in formal intelligence reports, appear on lists of participants in meetings and groups, are highlighted on posters that advertise events and are underlined in newspaper clippings.

Along with militants and activists are hundreds of regular citizens who were included simply for practicing everyday democracy -- writing letters, signing petitions, joining organizations and attending lectures or school board meetings.

Let's not revert to the Portland Police as political spies.  We said NO in 2005 and we say NO now!

CO-SPONSORS:  Oregon Progressive Party, Oregon Jericho, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace, NW Student Coalition, Portland Central American Solidarity Committee, the Portland Coalition Opposing Political Repression, Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights, International Socialist Organization and you...

For more information visit:
Oregon ACLU:  aclu-or.org/content/fbis-joint-terrorism-task-force-0
Committee to Stop FBI Repression: StopFBI.net
Oregon Progressive Party:  ProgParty.org/repression

contact:  civilrights@progparty.org or pdxcopr@gmail.com

CONTACT CITY COUNCIL and TELL THEM WHY WE DON'T WANT the JTTF in PORTLAND

They are elected officials.  If they vote for the JTTF, then we won't vote for them!
 
Sam Adams
Mayor, Commissioner of Finance and Administration
(503) 823-4120
Samadams@portlandoregon.gov
 
Amanda Fritz
Commissioner of Public Utilities, Position Number 1
(503) 823-3008
amanda@portlandoregon.gov  
 
Nick Fish
Commissioner of Public Works, Position Number 2
(503) 823-3589
Nick@portlandoregon.gov
 
Dan Saltzman
Commissioner of Public Affairs, Position Number 3
(503) 823-4151  
dan@portlandoregon.gov   
 
Randy Leonard
Commissioner of Public Safety, Position Number 4
(503) 823-4682
randy@portlandoregon.gov
 
LaVonne Griffin-Valade
City Auditor
(503) 823-4078
lavonne.griffin-valade@portlandoregon.gov

Suppose you had a country that invades other countries because they think they may be in some danger. This strong country just happens to be the biggest arms dealer in the world, the runner up not even close. This country has over 800 military bases, (maybe as many as 1000) around the world and 0 foreign bases on its territory. This is a rich country that got its start by slaughtering the inhabitants and taking control of the vast lands. This country tortures its prisoners, jails more citizens per capita than any other nation.  This country will lock up those who cry for peace but honor those who lie, cheat and try to destroy all its freedoms. This country makes millionaires out of scoundrels and liars and the press is bought and paid for. The leaders say that we must go to war but stay back in their air conditioned halls of government and watch as millions of poor people are murdered or injured beyond belief. This country is not Germany of the 1930s or the U.S.S.R. of the 60s; not even Italy of the 20s; this is the United States of America of 2011. My country! I did not serve in the US Navy for this!

This is Part 2 of a 2-part interview. Part 1 is below.

Freedom Or Fear

An open letter from an Iraq War Veteran to the People of Portland, Oregon

My friends,

 In the near future, the Portland City Council will make a decision as to whether or not the city should again join the Joint-Terrorism Task Force. This decision could adversely affect the civil liberties of the People of Portland, and may lead to the unlawful surveillance of law-abiding Portlanders in violation of Oregon law and the Bill of Rights. In 2005, Portland withdrew from the JTTF at the behest of its citizens, who had no authority over the shadowy institution that federalizes Portland Police officers and removes their obligation to State law and replaces it with the Department of Justice’s Guidelines on General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise and Terrorism Enterprise Investigations, which were released 3 year prior to the Portland withdrawal.

Because of the extreme polarization of the political parties and our society, it appears we will never solve the long list of problems plaguing our country. Moreover, getting mad and yelling at the idiots on the other side only adds to the volume of all this crazy rhetoric and propaganda; and that solves nothing.

The solution is to change how our Representatives get elected and conduct business by enacting Campaign Finance Reform and eliminating the absurd amount of money corporate lobbyists spend for control of the political parties, and by extension, OUR government. Until there is a fair and level political arena for our Legislature to work in, I suspect all hope is lost. Moreover, since the Supreme Court strengthened the concept of corporate personhood, then corporations ought to be limited to the same rights and abilities to persuade our representatives as every person in this country has, no more and no less.

Thousands of Oregon homeowners will have their mortgages paid for up to one year or $20,000.  Oregon has received over $200 million from the federal government to help struggling homeowners, who must apply by January 14, 2011.

Visit www.oregonhomeownerhelp.org or call 2-1-1 (or 1-800-SAFENET) to find out if you qualify. The process includes an application and an appointment.  There are no costs or fees.

The Multnomah County application center is at the Doubletree Hotel (just off the Lloyd Center MAX stop). Feel free to stop by to learn more. Open Monday – Friday 9am – 9pm and Saturdays 9am – 5pm. Closed Christmas Eve/Day, New Year’s Eve/Day. Not in Multnomah County? Call 1-800-SAFENET to find out where to apply.