On January 8, rallies expressing solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people resisting use of their territory for access to a new gas pipeline took place in 30 cities across Canada and internationally. A group led by Canadian musicians on January 21 issued an open letter backing hereditary chiefs fighting against a natural gas pipeline project in British Columbia....
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Amphibians for Decolonization The Unist’ot’en are the Big Frog clan of the Wet’suwet’en nation. They defiantly croak at the colonizer’s yoke without reservation. They are hungry for decolonization. We honor their spirited resistance to colonial authority and offer our wholehearted solidarity. That the Canadian government would like to fatten indigenous…
At a recent showing of live animals by the Reptile Zoo, local animal rights activists “came together from different pockets of the community to protest zoos and the lies they spread to children” according to Sady Sparks who coordinated the protest. Sparks co-runs The Evergreen Vegan Club at TESC and…
There are currently five natural gas pipelines proposed or underway across the northern Canada wilderness, headed for LNG projects on the coast. (Plants are also proposed in Tacoma, WA and Coos Bay, OR.) The one crossing Wet’suwet’in territory is part of TransCanada Corp which wants to move the gas to…
Mutual Aid Mondays… Promoting Peace in Palestine… Semicircle reading group… Winona LaDuke… Six Workshops on Nonviolent Organizing… Medicare for all barnstorm…. Lobby Day 2019… Following the Whale’s Tail… Rosa Clemente… more...
Want to get your name in the paper? There’s an easy way: contribute to Works in Progress! There are lots of ways, big or small, we need them all. (Even poetry is welcome, you see.) Since Works in Progress (WIP) is a free, all-volunteer community newspaper with a mission to…
The next phase of our long-haul struggle for a radically different world will be extremely ugly and extremely consequential. The danger we face The special danger stemming from the 2016 capture of the Republican Party by white nationalism and Trump’s drive toward a racialized authoritarian state has given rise to…
Stimulated by the successful French protests, but recognizing that our demands are very different, friends of WIP and volunteer staffers put on these fluorescent vests because—like the people of France—and every other country—we are in a disaster zone...
The February theme is rural life and the urban/rural divide. WIP is distributed in 4 counties of which three, Mason, Lewis and Grays Harbor are mostly rural. What is it like to live in “the county?” Community-supported agriculture might be thriving but the tax base is small...
The question of my political work following the November 2018 elections is a difficult one for me to answer, as US electoral politics rarely have any direct impact on what I do, and certainly not mid-term US elections. An exception, in my case, was the November 2016 elections, which led…
County commissioner elections don’t always generate the interest that a hotly contested race for mayor or state representative might. Yet county government actions are consequential: many decisions about criminal justice, housing, public health, and environmental protection fall to county government to resolve. Land-use planning as a key county duty Buried…
I’ve never been tear gassed before. The smell is similar to fireworks and the effect is explosive—and effective. I immediately wanted to get as far away as I could from the noxious source of burning eyes and throat. I was in Paris when France’s “yellow vest” (gilet jaune) movement shut…
Reading the news lately about mankind’s continued assault on the earth’s climate can easily leave one feeling disheartened. The Trump administration’s attack on science, its reflexive support of fossil fuel industries, and its total denial of the climatic consequences of business-as-usual, is nothing less than immoral abdication of our responsibility…
Today we recognize that disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity. “Disaster” is the result of and a catalyst for expansion of oppressive systems. Disasters have influenced movements, fragmenting them from trauma and organizing to respond in new ways. We have a responsibility to understand our role before, during, and…
In December, Brenda Big Eagle contracted Mitigation Specialist for the Thurston County Public Defense and Athena Brown, Diversion/Reentry specialist for the Thurston County Jail, organized a group of dedicated volunteers to help collect and sort new books for the county jail. The collected books replaced severely damaged books currently being utilized at…
The January 2019 interview on “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” series (see below for info about watching it through your computer or TCTV channel 22) will help us understand and solve some environmental problems in the Olympia area...
Founded by Media Island International, KOWA is a licensed non-profit radio station whose mission is to give voice to individuals, organizations and movements working for gender, racial and social justice, economic democracy, ecological sustainability, and environmental justice. Our goal is to help build the foundation which could enable actual peace.…
Seattle and Portland have long been known as great places to live if you are a vegan. For those who abstain from consuming or using animal products, these two cities offer a vibrant array of restaurants and stores. Olympia is nestled between these two “vegan Meccas” and has many restaurants…
Animal agriculture is the second largest contributor to human-made greenhouse gas emissions after fossil fuels. A recent study shows that in an average American diet, beef consumption creates 1,984 pounds of CO2e annually. Replacing beef with plants would reduce that figure 96 percent, bringing it down to just 73 pounds…
The Democratic candidate for US Senate in Mississippi lost a run-off vote, prompting one outsider to conclude voters are “still a bunch of hateful white people no matter how we try. We need to cut our losses and focus on the states that will make real change.” Here is a more resolute view
“We have lessons to teach each other and stories to tell each other about how to survive and resist and thrive even when times are scary and dangerous. There is a way forward and the way forward is solidarity and friendship and figuring out the ways in which our interests…
[Note: This is Part 3 of a 4-part series describing steps the Olympia Carpenters took to revitalize their union at a time when good union jobs were under threat. Part 1 appeared in November, and Part 2 in December.]
One of the most contentious and fundamental issues facing Thurston County involves water. The laws and regulations around water are complicated and involve many stakeholders. There are tribal treaty rights, federal laws, Department of Ecology regulations, rural communities, municipalities, agriculture, aquaculture and PUDs, all vying for water subject to the…
One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson Bloomsbury Books (2018) “The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” – Joltin’ Joe Stalin Voter suppression, that is, preventing citizens from registering, preventing registered voters from voting, and preventing the accurate counting of cast…
Many of us are ill-informed about certain critical economic and social issues. The following facts should have been reported by the mainstream media, but unfortunately most of that media is controlled by the very people who have reason to hide the facts. Tax haven cheating is much costlier than the…
Throughout Washington state, county officials strongly influence the criminal justice system by passing ordinances, establishing policies, selecting program administrators and staff, setting public safety priorities and making funding decisions that directly affect many who come in contact with the law. Everyone in the United States has a constitutional right to…
Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams may not have won their elections, but in trying to get them elected hundreds of thousands of people were energized and set in motion. Movement organizers now need to give them something to do. At the same time, progressives and radicals need to agree on…