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Drying my mother’s tears

Socialism is out of the closet and part of America’s everyday life Do you remember where you were on November 9th,1989? That’s the day it was announced the Berlin Wall had fallen. The day is etched in my memory like where I was on February 28 during the Nisqually earthquake…

Joining minds for peace

Friday Stillness announces new hours Friday Stillness is sponsored by Brigid’s Well, a community devoted to contemplative practice, while being mindful of the needs of our Earth and those who are poor and marginalized. We meet every Friday from 10:00 am – 6:30 pm at 1604 Union Ave. SE. Olympia…

Tattoo artist’s evolution marked by respect for Polynesian traditions

Matt Crichton got his first tattoo as a Peace Corps volunteer in Western Samoa from 2007 to 2009. During his two years there he formed a connection to the land, people and culture so when he decided on another tattoo, he looked for one from Samoa. Matt found Tricia Allen while researching Polynesian tattoos and interviewed her by phone about her work.

Ecuador: An ethnic-class dictatorship provokes a popular resistance

For eleven days, Ecuador has lived the fiercest ethnic-class dictatorship in contemporary memory. Within the framework of a state of siege that was decreed the day after protests began, there emerged a national-ethnic-popular insurrection led by the indigenous movement against neoliberal measures. Violent repression by the Moreno government The Moreno government…

Olympia’s homeless face extra hardship with suspension of area services

A perfect storm of suspended services may create additional challenges for Olympia’s homeless population this winter. Timberland Regional Library management announced in October that the downtown Olympia branch will be closed from late November to early February. The branch is widely known as a safe place for homeless people to…

Nourishing our community during cold winter months

The Thurston County Food Bank (TCFB), Community Kitchen, and Senior Services for South Sound are among 8 local organizations rescuing good food from agencies and to provide food for people in our community who are in need. The need can be especially serious in winter after the growing season is…

HoHo Hobos

Support our houseless friends during the holidays by purchasing a wreath for $20! For each wreath sold, $5 goes to materials, $5 is given to the maker, and $5 goes to the seller. The last $5 is pooled for the community, who vote on how the money is used. While…

Vietnam Moratorium: A day to remember

Life Magazine described it as “the largest expression of public dissent ever seen in this country. Newsweek pronounced it a day, destined to go down in history along with Coxey’s Army, the Bonus Marchers and the 1963 March on Washington. Yet fifty years later, the occasion has faded from view.…

Special Events — November 2019

Womxn of Achievement... Voters Roundtable... Friday Stillness... Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons... Legislative Action Workshop... Wobblies in Centralia... US Intervention in the 21st Century... Stay... Mutual Aid Supply Drive... More....

In defense of mountain bikers

I have read the last couple of articles by Evonne Hedgepeth on possibly creating a park for mountain bike riding. I have found your paper, for the most part, even-handed with your coverage, but this last article with the obvert bias has caused me to ask why would Works in…

Backlash Blues

Mr. Backlash, Mr. Backlash Just who do you think I am You raise my taxes, freeze my wages And send my son to Vietnam You give me second class houses And second class schools Do you think that all the colored folks Are just second class fools   Mr. Backlash,…

About This Issue – October 2019

Prejudice and hostility as the official vocabulary of the nation With President Trump and other high-ranking officials of his administration, prejudice and hostility against some nations and members of specific ethnic groups have become a predictable and integral part of official White House discourse. This attitude reflects what has come…

Long-time Olympia residents forced to leave affordable housing units

In July 2019 my partner and I received notification that our home of eight years had been sold to a new owner. The new owner’s property management company told us that we had a “generous” 60 days to vacate. We were not the only tenants to be forced from our…

Homily for Sergio

Most people who saw Sergio on the streets of Olympia would only see the little man, the homeless, disheveled man, the sick man, and probably the migrant man—all labels that tend to marginalize a person and make it easier to dismiss them. Saint Michael parishioners and supporters who prepared meals…

ICE: relentless pursuer

Zahid Chaudhry, who has lived in Olympia for a number of years, exemplifies some of the ways that the US government can deny citizenship to individuals who otherwise meet all tests. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is appealing a March 2018 decision by a US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIs)…

More public resources or pay to play?

Some people who ride off-road bikes take to the trails in ways that respect the environment and other users. But larger factors are at play in modern mountain biking. A growing industry and its supporters glorify high-risk, environmentally impactful riding practices in order to sell bikes.