On February 4, Paul Pickett met with Dennis Kucinich for an interview. The following are excerpts from that longer conversation.
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It might seem from news stories that the biggest “threat” to free speech today comes from intolerant students—both those who shout down speakers promoting white supremacy, and those who disrupt presenters arguing for Palestinians. In fact, there are few such incidents, though those are extensively reported...
In January people in Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Yelm suddenly found boarding the city bus a pleasure! No fumbling for exact change, counting out pennies, searching for a pass, stuffing wrinkled dollar bills into a resisting slot: riding the bus is free! And there’s more. As of February 3, ruralTransit…
…Lohen Che’ s landlord kicked him and everyone else out of affordable duplexes on 10th Ave SE—and then applied for a tax exemption from the City Council for “market rate” apartments across the street. This month, the City Council granted an 8-year exemption from property tax on those apartments. Before…
Because of our topsy turvy economy and the rise of e-commerce Olympia now has a number of empty Big Box stores. One glaring example is the empty Toys R Us store with a huge parking lot sitting all alone on Cooper Point road. We could be using buildings like these…
Dear WIP, Recently I spoke to Olympia’s assistant city manager, who told me that the Parks Department had a meeting with mountain bikers to plan a bike park at Kaiser Woods. He said that they didn’t need to follow the Open Meetings Law. That’s not true!. It’s perfectly clear. All…
On February 17, Bernie Sanders captivated a rowdy crowd at a packed Tacoma Dome. The night began with the Puyallup Tribal Council setting the tone for a historic rally in honor of Bernie Sanders and his supporters....
Tenants in three duplexes located on 10th Avenue SE received a sixty-day notice to vacate in early July, 2019. A one-bedroom in the duplexes rented for around $800 per month. Some of the tenants went to the City Council to connect the elimination of their affordable housing with the increase…
This winter, some Washington state farmworkers shared personal stories with representatives from the United Farmworkers union. Some have UFW contract protections, while non-union workers are literally left out in the cold. Farm work is among the most dangerous industries in the nation. Performing the demanding physical tasks necessary in farm…
In February, former member of Congress and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich flew in from Cleveland to kick off Power to the Public, a campaign to bring public power to Thurston County. Kucinich has deep roots in the public power movement, going back to his successful efforts to save Cleveland’s municipal…
“We do not inherit the earth from our parents, but rather borrow it from our children.” – Squaxin Tribe Protecting water resources as the sea level rises Global sea levels have risen about nine inches in Olympia since 1880, and the rate is accelerating. It is estimated that another 2 –…
Spring brings a new beginning with freshness in the air and increasing light each day. It’s a time of optimism and energy. This January, our community lost a man who embodied that optimism and energy. Thomas Wilson Nogler passed away while helping a friend clear brush. Tom was known to…
The era of dam building is over. In 2018 alone, 86 dams were removed from rivers and streams in the United States. 550 miles of streams and rivers were returned to a free-flowing state, generating an ecological revitalization comparable to that seen on the Elwha River after dam removal.
The Antarctic has registered a temperature of more than 20C (68F) for the first time on record, prompting fears of climate instability in the world’s greatest repository of ice. (February 12, 2020, The Guardian) It’s like being on a bus. Up in front is the driver; the passengers are in…
It is worse, much worse, than you think. The slowness of climate change is a fairy tale, perhaps as pernicious as the one that says it isn’t happening at all, and comes to us bundled with several others in an anthology of comforting delusions: that global warming is an Arctic…
A heavy haze hovers over the Cosmopolis area more days than not. Foul odors travel along the Chehalis River shoreline south towards Westport. About 12 miles south of the mill you can step out of your front door into acrid smelling air. The smell increases as you get closer to Aberdeen, but once across the Chehalis River bridge into the city, it usually dissipates.
On April 19th 2020, Olympia Assembly will be hosting a Spring Assembly, focused on ecology and food systems. The assembly will occur at 5:00 at Mixx96 (119 Washington St. NE). Our general assemblies occur once per season (winter, spring, summer and fall) and are a place for community members to…
In his application to build 181 houses on an environmentally sensitive site at Green Cove, Jerry Mahan has benefited continually from city assistance. Staff at the Department of Planning and Community Development recently decided to give Mahan another 90 days to respond to further questions that arose during their substantive review of his project.
It’s no accident that on the same day the Senate voted not to hear witnesses in its sham impeachment trial, theTrump administration announced it was adding six countries, including Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, to its restrictive travel ban. Beneath the rhetoric, both actions are about race and racism. As…
African American Vernacular English (AAVE) speech or Black English (often used as an umbrella term for the many varieties of speech used by African American communities) is a prime example of how a regular way of speaking can have a major impact on people’s lives.
Recently, someone told me they went to college to study the meaning of being an Indian. It does pose a funny question: what is the meaning of being an Indian? I’ve always felt I needed to create spaces where there have been none for someone like me. Many Indigenous people…
I am the creator of A Green New Global Deal Facebook page. I ask you to remember that the fight over climate change is not just for us. It is our children and future generations who will be dealing with the full effects of the reshaping environment. It is time…
Concert by Tom Rawson • Parallax Perspectives • Inside‘Outsiders’
Shut up and write! • Power to the People public meeting • Rental housing community conversation • Transracial adoption • Islamic Center open house • IWW orientation • Talking about Injustice • Dine out 4 Girls • Workplace Organizing Collective • Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, • Blintzapalooza! • SPS Salmon Enhancement Group • Earth Day Climate Rally • Benefit Concerts