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Posts published in “Issue: March 2019

Displacement in the name of safety

After a long pause in enforcement against camping, the City of Olympia is resuming the practice of sweeping encampments on public property, particularly those which are most visible and near downtown. The city originally halted its practice of sweeps in September, after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that…

They’re all life sentences

What it means to send drug addicts to prison in Washington Of the 18,000 people in Washington state prisons, maybe as many as 30-35 percent are there because of drug addiction. They could have been arrested for possession of a “controlled substance,” convicted of buying, selling or even sharing drugs;…

Outdated tenant laws

Promoting homelessness one eviction at a time: Even if you’ve never been evicted, we can all agree that three days is not enough time to access housing assistance resources or find a new place to live. None of us want to see another family or individual in the traumatic situation of housing instability....

Ranked choice voting: where every vote can count

By the time you read this, you will know which film won Best Picture of the year from the Academy of Motion Pictures. Personally, I have my fingers crossed for Black Panther. But while I don’t yet know the winner (I’m typing this with 14 inches of February snow on…

You must request a ballot to vote! Here’s how*

Conservation Districts have their own special election. All registered voters in Thurston County that live within Conservation District Boundaries are eligible. Parts of Yelm, Rainier and Tenino do not qualify. Those eligible may vote in person at TCD’s poll-site election on March 26. The poll-site will be open between 8…

How teen journalists profiled 1,200 kids lost to guns

Kira Davis never met King Thomas III, but she felt a connection to him that she couldn’t explain. “I just felt like he was there with me,” she said. “We were the same age. He was a true kid with passion, just like me.” King was shot and killed during…

Justicia y transparencia: Julian Assange, un mal ejemplo de periodismo?

Julián Assange es un personaje de su tiempo: concibe y practica su profesión el periodismo basandose en principios como la libertad de expresión e información, la transparencia del ejercicio del gobierno, y ademas utiliza los recursos tecnológicos que caracterizan a la revolución de las telecomunicaciones, revolución que ha transformado las…

Justice through transparency: Julian Assange, a bad example of journalism?

Julian Assange is a character of his time. He conceives and practices journalism based on principles such as freedom of expression and information, the need for transparency in the exercise of government, and the use of technological resources that characterize the telecommunications revolution, a revolution that has transformed the ways…

I read Marx at age 69

I was a Marxist and didn’t know it. A few weeks ago, my good neighbor told me he’s a Marxist. When asked what that meant, he said among contemporary political figures, Bernie Sanders’ viewpoint, though basically socialist, aligns well with Marxist philosophy.  Supporting Bernie’s platform but ambivalent about his run…

How waitressing made me a better organizer

A couple years ago I found myself in the kitchen of a white working-class organizer with decades of food service and movement building experience. Airen’s eye rolls, laughter, cursing, and ability to cook, strategize movement work and build relationship all at once offered me a place to reflect on the…

Staff Sgt Cardenas Alban

This morning my roommate told me that people, when they are screaming, bleeding to death in Iraq, usually scream about their families.  Their wives, children, parents.  He says he saw it on the internet.  A website with movies taken by soldiers over there.  Shows what war really is, he said,…

Toward a more just world

As truth seekers, we trudge through youth and try to learn the ways of this world. We see a messed up world and wonder how thinking humans continue to tolerate the ridiculous state of affairs. Our common sense tells us that we can have a much better world —a world…

What’s wrong with the “Missing Middle”

The March 2019 interview on “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” series explains a scheme proposed by real estate developers and investors that will seriously hurt the Olympia area unless we stop it now. Two guests—Judy Bardin and Jim Keogh—explain the so-called “Missing Middle” scheme (scam?) to vastly increase zoning and bigger buildings…

Industrial Workers of the World

South Sound General Education Union On November 7, 2018, the Industrial Workers of the World South Sound General Education Union delivered a demand letter to the administration of the Evergreen State College calling for: The immediate end to the hiring process of another campus police officer; The immediate hiring of…

Special Events — March 2019

Conservation District Election.... UFO Summit 2019... Water for People... Olympia Lobby Training... TCD Women's Brunch... FOR’s Annual Fundraising... Robotics for Kids!... STAY WOKE rally... Rural Water Challenges... Spring Forage and Feast... Gala for SideWalk... WEC's Annual Gala... Run Like a Fool... More...

About this Issue — March 2019

For March, we invited articles on justice in all its dimensions. Inside these pages, you’ll find articles that question the basis of actions and proposed actions at the local, state and international levels...

And then this happened

#Unchecked executive power is deadly: Federal officials have disclosed that they secretly shipped radioactive plutonium to Nevada in spite of the state’s vehement opposition....