On this day, July 17, 2020, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler demanded that President Donald Trump remove militarized federal agents he deployed to the city after some detained people on streets far from federal property they were sent to protect. Democratic members of Oregon's congressional delegation said they will demand a federal investigation into the deployment of federal officers in Portland, where local leaders say their presence outside federal buildings has inflamed tensions during nightly protests and led to violent confrontations and questionable arrests in recent weeks.
ALL ABOARD THE LINN COUNTY TRUMP TRAIN!
Tail gate BBQ / Guest Speakers / Meet and Greet
This is a non-partisan event. All Trump Supporters are welcome
THE RIDE STARTS approximately 1:30PM ROUTE: to be determined
Presented with local sponsorship by Linn County Conservative Alliance
Trump, patriot, Americana, caps,flags, t-shirts and other merchandise available on-site. Profits support conservative and traditional values candidates.
https://indd.adobe.com/view/902ce3bb-72b5-4f03-9c74-b71fcdbb6aad
Location:
Linn County Fair / Expo parking lot.
3700 Knox Butte Road E.
Albany, OR 97322
TRUMP TRAIN RALLY
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 12:00 pm
ALL ABOARD THE LINN COUNTY TRUMP TRAIN!
Tail gate BBQ / Guest Speakers / Meet and Greet
This is a non-partisan event. All Trump Supporters are welcome
THE RIDE STARTS approximately 1:30PM ROUTE: to be determined
Presented with local sponsorship by Linn County Conservative Alliance
Trump, patriot, Americana, caps,flags, t-shirts and other merchandise available on-site. Profits support conservative and traditional values candidates.
https://indd.adobe.com/view/902ce3bb-72b5-4f03-9c74-b71fcdbb6aad
Location:
Linn County Fair / Expo parking lot.
3700 Knox Butte Road E.
Albany, OR 97322
Speaker Tina Kotek adjourned the House of Representatives earlier this week due to a positive COVID case being reported from within the Capitol. She said in her statement to the sparse attendance of members on the floor that, “We are working with the Governor’s office and the Oregon Health Authority to make sure that testing is available to the individuals who were close contacts of the positive case. It is also our understanding that individuals that have been vaccinated do not need to quarantineâ€.
What is unclear is “who†advised the Speaker that vaccinated people did not need to quarantine.
According to the CDC website, people who are fully vaccinated and who have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, should get tested 3-5 days after exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms. If they then test positive, they should isolate for 10 days.
A 14-day quarantine is the safest option to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others.
If the local public health administrator or designee recommends a shortened quarantine period that balances the risk of disease spread with the impacts on individuals from a longer quarantine, individuals may end quarantine:
10 days after their last exposure to a person with COVID-19 if they remain asymptomatic
or
After 7 days, with a negative test result by an antigen or nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) collected within 48 hours before ending quarantine in individuals who remain asymptomatic.
“Quarantine should start as soon as you know you’ve been in close contact with someone who is sick with COVID-19 or who has tested positive for the virus. Stay home for 10 days after your last contact with someone who has COVID-19. Even if you test negative for COVID-19 or feel healthy, you should stay home (quarantine) because symptoms can show up from 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. You might test negative during this time because there may not be enough of the virus in your system yet.â€
The only other possibility is that the Speaker was advised by and is following the guidelines of the county in which she and her constituents live. The Multnomah Health Department website says that,
“If you have been fully vaccinated seek testing if you have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19. If you are fully vaccinated, you do not have to quarantine if you’ve been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 or who has tested positive for COVID-19, unless you develop symptomsâ€.
After the close of the session, members received an email from staff in the Speaker’s office stating that,
“On Thursday (9/23/21), members and staff who are close contacts will be able to receive both rapid and PCR tests in Salem. We expect this will allow individuals to receive test results by no later than Friday afternoon. The House will then convene on Saturday morning.
This timeline will ensure that members who require tests will have the opportunity to get results back. It will also allow enough time for the House to confirm quorum and complete its work by voting on the bills that the Senate passed for House considerationâ€.
The memo points to the real reason for rushing testing and going against all Federal, State and local health department recommendations. Testing quickly, 3 days after exposure, will “allow enough time for the House to confirm quorum and complete its work by voting on the bills that the Senate passed for House considerationâ€.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
The vote on the redistricting maps must take place by midnight on Monday the 27th or the maps go to the Secretary of State, for the Oregon Legislative maps, and a committee of Retired Oregon Supreme Court Judges for the Congressional maps. The House Democrats want their maps -- not anyone else’s. They need quorum, they need to vote, and they need to do it quickly.
If the Speaker follows the CDC guidelines, she must test everyone, vaccinated and unvaccinated that were close contacts within 3-5 days of exposure (Thurs – Sat). Waiting till the 5-day mark only leaves her Sunday and Monday to move the redistricting bills.
If the Speaker follows the OHA guidelines, all known close contacts would quarantine for 14 days or could possibly be reduced by local officials to 10 days after exposure if the person is not sick or 7 days with a negative test. This is not an option because time would run out to pass the maps.
If the Speaker follows the Marion County Health Department guidelines which recommend a 10-day quarantine after contact, even if the test is negative, that is also not an option because time would run out to pass the maps.
So, the Oregon Legislature will once again follow what Portland does by apparently following the Multnomah County Health Department rules.
Senate procedures regarding COVID-19 protection have come under fire.
Senator Dallas Heard (R-Winston) was called out of order by Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) for not wearing a mask.
Senator Brian Boquist (I-Dallas) submitted a vote explanation on SB 881 which, in addition to calling out the proposal as failing "all the legal and judicial prerequisites," he describes Senator Courtney's action against Senator Heard, as well as other actions and behaviors on the floor.
Just like in June 2019, the Democrat supermajority attempted to create a political media deception to deflect the legal deficiencies of the bill. I watched Senate majority staff request the Secretary’s’ floor staff to harass Senator Heard for not wearing a mask on the side aisle. Then President Courtney (Democrat) found Senator Heard out of order for not wearing a mask in the gallery, theoretically due to medical risks. However, for the record, the Senate President Courtney placed contaminated wooden signs on all desks today but members could not distribute floor letters regarding SB 881 debate. This happened dozens of times during the regular Session. Other leadership materials were placed on the members desks as well despite contamination prohibitions in the same presidential rules. President Courtney had over 20 members signing nearly a hundred picture posters at three different floor desks. Member after member, sheet after sheet, same felt markers ... zero sanitation. The perfect super spreader again in violation of the presidential rules. I personally saw almost every member shaking hands and giving hugs for which I did not refuse any Democrat handshake or hug. Dozens of head to head meetings and arm wraps. Floor and aisle chairs were back to inches apart. There was zero social distancing as OLIS video can easily prove. Many Democrats off the camera removed masks at breaks as well as Republicans. Pictures will even show the Presiding Officer without a mask. The President encouraged member staff not to attend supposedly due to medical concerns. President Courtney, Senator Wagner, and select individuals were complete hypocrites in an effort to deflect the debate on SB 881 for pure partisan political purposes not any medical reason what-so-ever.
The Senate passed SB 881 by a vote of 18-11. It passed another measure on redistricting, SB 882 by the same margin.
U.S. Congressional candidate Alek Skarlatos has taken note of Oregon Speaker of the House Tina Kotek's removal two Republicans from the House Redistricting Committee, saying that it was done to ensure the process favors the Democratic Party.
“Oregon Democrats promised to work with Republicans on redistricting, but now they are breaking their word and rigging the electoral system to ensure that these districts will create as many Democrat elected officials as possible, while silencing those who disagree. Redistricting is supposed to balance each district by population, instead Democrats are using it as a tool to game the system, gain more power and advance their liberal agenda. The Democrats went as far as to propose a map that would place four congressional districts in the city of Portland, a district that crosses the Cascade Mountains to include a portion of the city of Portland and the city of Bend, and splits seven counties in 9 different ways. This is textbook gerrymandering being pushed just to aid one political party.â€
Skarlatos is expected to run next year against 12-term incumbent Peter DeFazio in what is currently the 2nd Congressional District.
This is dangerously close to the Monday, September 27 deadline
Representative Paul Evans attempted to gavel the Oregon House of Representatives into session this morning at 9:00am but the other 59 members were excused, so a quorum could not be met and the chamber was adjourned until 9:00am, Saturday, September 25th.
This is dangerously close to the Monday, September 27 deadline by which a redistricting plan must be passed or it moves to the Secretary of State's office under Shemia Fagan.
House Speaker Tina Kotek has released a statement that an individual who was present at the Capitol tested positive for COVID-19.
The statement says, "The individual who tested positive was last in the building Monday, September 20, 2021. Close contacts of this person have already been notified individually. The Speaker’s office is working with the Governor’s Office and the Oregon Health Authority to make sure testing is available to the individuals who were close contacts.
The House recognizes that this special session is being conducted during a global pandemic. Building procedures have been modified in adherence to OSHA rules and OHA guidance. It is the Speaker’s goal, as always, to preserve health and safety while continuing to fulfill the Legislature’s constitutional duty of redistricting.
The priority for the session continues to be keeping people safe and doing the people’s work.
Governor Kate Brown has announced that she will appoint Michele Rini to the Washington County Circuit Court to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jim Fun. Rini’s appointment is effective October 1, 2021.
“Michele Rini has deep roots in Washington County, and has long served her community as a juvenile hearings referee on this court,†Governor Brown said. “Her experience, compassion, and work ethic will enable her to hit the ground running.â€
Rini grew up in Washington County and attended Beaverton High School. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Portland State University and a law degree from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College. From there, Rini entered private practice, focusing on juvenile, criminal, and family law cases. She is a registered Democrat.
In 2005, Rini began serving as a part-time Pro Tem judge in Washington County, and in 2006, she was hired by the Washington County Court as a full time Juvenile Hearings Referee, where she has served ever since. In that role, she has presided over a juvenile docket, including juvenile dependency and delinquency hearings, termination of parental rights cases, and emancipation. She has also presided over other matters, including support enforcement cases, small claims motions, and landlord tenant first appearances.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Rini has served for ten years as a participant in Washington County’s model court team, served on the Oregon Judicial Department’s implementation workgroup for SB 1008, a juvenile justice reform bill which provided for criminal sentence reduction. Rini is a past president of the Washington County Bar Association and a former member of the juvenile law section committee of the Oregon State Bar.
Speaker Kotek plus a COVID exposure means Secretary Fagan could draw the lines
Editor's note: A previous article indicated that it was probable that redistricting would not be completed by the Legislature. This is not conclusive and this article has been edited to reflect that. We apologize for the error
Sources inside the Oregon Capitol have confirmed that the House Republican caucus are considering not supplying the necessary members for a quorum to complete the special session and enact a redistricting plan. The Legislature must complete the plan by Monday or it falls to Secretary of State Shemia Fagan (D-Portland) to create maps for the Congressional, State Senate and State House districts.
The upset is over a broken deal that was made in the 2021 regular session between the Republican caucus and House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland). The agreement was that the Republicans would get an even number of seats and chairs as their Democratic colleagues on the House Special Committee On Congressional Redistricting in exchange for not forcing the constitutional requirement that each bill be read in its entirety before passage and that Republicans would not walk out on the session.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Surprisingly, Speaker Kotek restacked the House Redistricting Committee so that it has one Republican and two Democrats, depriving Republicans of their veto leverage on the committee.
Additionally, House Republican insiders have revealed that there has been a COVID-19 exposure to many of the House Republican Members, who, by Legislature COVID-19 personnel rules, are required to quarantine -- regardless of vaccine status or natural immunity from having survived the disease. The quarantine requirement would make it impossible for members to attend the session prior to the Monday deadline.
Speaker Kotek's actions are seen as very risky by most political observers, as she has announced that she will run for Governor in 2022 and has a larger -- and more politically diverse -- constituency than her North Portland District who may take a dim view of this breach of integrity.
5th consecutive session with restricted public access
Oregon Senate Democrats rammed through partisan gerrymandered redistricting plans that will rig elections for the next decade. The Congressional Plan, by far the most egregious, creates 5 solidly Democratic districts. This would give Democrats control of 86% of Oregon’s congressional delegation, despite Oregonians never giving Democrats 86% of the vote in contested elections.
“I believe the plan that was passed violated the law by not following the criteria,†said Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend), vice-chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee. “They must do logical and legal gymnastics to justify pairing the rural and urban communities that they lumped together. No matter how Democrats try to spin it, the only reason to spread downtown Portland into three districts is to silence the voices of rural communities.â€
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Senate Republicans spoke about the problems with the Democrats’ proposed redistricting plan on the Senate floor, referencing hours of public testimony in opposition to gerrymandering.
“As written, this plan will rig the next 10 years of election to favor Democrats,†Senator Republican Leader Fred Girod (R-Lyons) said. “Fifty percent of Oregon’s congressional representatives will serve the City of Portland, but only 15% of Oregon’s population live in Portland. The urban-rural divide will continue to grow wider under this plan. Today the Democratic politicians decided it was more important that they pick their voters than voters pick their representatives. This partisan process proves that the legislature cannot be trusted to draw these lines in the future. The majority party will always look out for themselves. Oregonians deserve better than that.â€
The redistricting plans will now be considered by the House.
Congressional map will be gerrymandered for Democrat advantage
House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) has broken the deal made with the minority party earlier this year which allowed the Republicans to have equal representation on the Redistricting Committee.
On Monday, September 20, as it became clear that the House Democrats would not get the redistricting plan approved that would give them an advantage over the Republicans, the Speaker decided at that point to form a new committee that would be willing to do just that.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) released the following statement in response to House Democrats’ creation of a new partisan committee to force through a gerrymandered congressional map:
“The Speaker has created a new partisan committee to force through the Democrats’ illegal congressional redistricting map. She lied and broke her promise not just to us but to Oregonians. She just sold the soul of our state for Democrats’ political gain. She’s determined to gerrymander Oregon’s congressional maps. Republicans have been at the table extending a hand so we can work together on fair maps. We wanted to be responsive to public testimony. This map doesn’t do that.â€
Representative Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany) released the following statement regarding her attendance at the newly created partisan committee to pass the Democrats’ gerrymandered congressional redistricting map:
“The redistricting process in Oregon is in tatters because of actions from House Democrats today. Agreements were broken, a partisan committee has been created. Not a single line in this congressional map proposal was changed to be responsive to public testimony.
They have abandoned bipartisanship and collaboration in order to increase Democrats’ political gain. This brand-new committee was created to pass these maps that have been scrutinized and defined as partisan gerrymandering. This was the predetermined outcome for political interests. Not fair representation for Oregonians.
I won’t contribute to an illegal partisan map by participating in this committee.â€
The White House must expedite the visa approval process and lift refugee caps
As thousands of Afghan refugees pour into the United States -- with possibly many more on the way -- Oregon is bracing itself to do its part in the resettlement effort.
Refugees are individuals or groups of people in grave danger because their home government is either unwilling or unable to protect them, or may be actively persecuting them. They are from all over the world, from large urban areas to rural refugee camps. The U.S. Refugee Program​ and the 1951 Refugee Convention spells out that a refugee is someone who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country."
Kate Brown has issued a statement saying the state is ready to help resettle “any and all Afghans who would make our state their home,†adding that Oregon has welcomed more than 75,000 refugees since 1975. Brown said the White House must also expedite the visa approval process and lift refugee caps.
"As we watch the current situation unfold in Afghanistan, Oregon stands ready to help the federal government resettle Afghan refugee families.
Refugee Resettlement Agencies are contracted by the Department of State to do the initial resettlement. The Resettlement Agencies perform such essential tasks as picking up the refugees at the airport, finding them a place to live and helping to furnish their home with basic necessities. This initial RRA period lasts up to 90 days.
The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement provides up to eight months of cash and medical assistance to newly arriving refugees. These federal funds are administered through the states. Refugees may be able to receive any other assistance that is offered to U.S. citizens, such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and food assistance in the form of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Governor Brown's statement continued,
"Over the last two decades, thousands of Afghans have worked alongside U.S. military service members, as interpreters and translators and in other roles, risking their lives as they contributed to our efforts in their country. The lives of Afghan women and girls are at risk simply because they had the audacity to learn in school and pursue careers. Equal rights advocates are being targeted for seeking a more just future with equal rights for all. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Afghanistan are in danger because of who they are and who they love. Oregon is ready to welcome any and all Afghans who would make our state their home.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
"Oregon is ready to welcome our refugee sisters and brothers from Afghanistan, and the rest of the world. I am hopeful the Biden-Harris administration, along with Congress, will lift refugee admission caps and take other emergency humanitarian actions to save lives. It’s critical that the United States take steps to evacuate as many people in danger from Afghanistan as quickly as possible, including expediting the visa approval process, particularly for those Afghans and their families who have risked their lives in service of this country.
"Oregon will continue to be a welcoming and inclusive place for all who call our state home – including and especially our immigrant and refugee communities."
Students and their parents are increasingly unsatisfied customers
The recall efforts to remove Kate Brown from office nearly succeeded. What they didn’t expose was the power behind the throne. Kate Brown wants to work inside the Wash. D.C. beltway so bad she will do anything. The more tyrannical and brazen, the more likely that she’ll get noticed. The lockdowns, mandates and sanctioned attacks on the country’s founding principles go on unabated to further her political career. Teachers got cuts in line for vaccines. That’s the visible part. The less visible part is the organization that finances and drives enforcement of this destruction. The power behind the throne is the teachers union.
When did teachers colleges began progressive indoctrinating? When did continuing education for Oregon teachers and administrators alike stress progressive indoctrination? John Dewey is credited with creating Progressive Education in the early 20th century. That’s 100 years ago. In that time many Universities born of Christian teachings have come under the control of government grants. The ideals of their founders, people like John Harvard, are in total contradiction to the grievance Marxism that dominates curriculums today. Faculty comply, or are forced out as we have seen over many decades and in just the last two weeks in the case of PSU professor Peter Boghossian.
At the local level we now have a fight to the death involving the majority of the Newberg School Board and their detractors. A 4-3 vote of the Board called for the removal of political signs and banners from the classrooms. Imagine that, a school that teaches the basics and allows, even encourages students to think for themselves. The vote gained an overnight appearance by socialist icon New York Congressional Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in Newberg to call for protests. Employers of the four board members have been asked to fire them. One employer already gave in to the pressure and terminated the employment of a conservative board member. Another has had art work removed from display at two locations. Convinced it is their duty to indoctrinate, administrators and teachers cooperate with activity threatening the livelihood of School Board members who won’t aid their quest for power. The ACLU, a union appendage, has been called in to sue the board.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Conflicts between school staff and parents over the education of students is a daily occurrence. Parents are increasingly concerned that public schools will never again be a place of learning. The Governor and her union masters apparently share that belief. Testing and grade standards have been removed as necessary measures for earning a diploma. In most commercial interactions the customer comes first or they take their business elsewhere. With public education the customer comes first only in providing revenue. The customer comes last otherwise. Students and their parents are increasingly unsatisfied customers.
School Board suggests white kids not impacted by racism
At a recent Salem-Keizer School Board meeting, a resolution was brought forth by Vice-Chair Ashley Carson Cottingham that some Board members are claiming is a Commitment to Equity and Anti-Racism, however skeptics are pointing out that the resolution seems to be filled with discrimination against white students solely based on the color of their skin.
Leftist members of the school board seem willing to dismiss any such concerns, justifying the discrimination by claiming that white children are not subjected to racism at all, and that only BIPOC, non-white students are victims of racism.
As Chairman Osvaldo Avila explains, "What we're trying to do here is make sure there is no power and privilege over, just because of the color of your skin, this is because historically, white supremacists have enslaved people, used power and privilege, using racism and divisive and hateful signs, language, flags now, and that's not what we want in this school district," said Board Chairman Osvaldo Avila.
Director Marty Heyen explains to the rest of the board how she believes that the term "white supremacist" is used incorrectly, and the that word is "like a tennis ball in a tennis match, it's thrown around so loosely to insult people, that it's thrown around to shut people down, and used when you want to end a conversation." She explains that the overuse and misuse of the term will only make problems worse.
"I've been voting for the equity policy every year", said Heyen. "I believe the first year was 2015-2016, my first year on the board. And, it doesn't seem like this policy has made a difference. It seems like there is more anger, and more divisiveness, than less.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
The board seems to dismiss her concerns, with Zone 5 Director Karina Guzmán Ortiz quickly moving on and stating that "I would like to include the Asian community into paragraph 5, the Asian community and our Asian brothers and sisters are also impacted by racism and white supremacy and a lot of other racism..." She then gaslights Director Heyen and suggests that anyone offended at being called a white supremacist is probably a white supremacist, in her estimation.
The Resolution will be voted on in the October 12th Salem-Keizer School Board meeting.
You can watch the entire Salem-Keizer School Board meeting from September 14th here.
Homeless will not be prevented from returning once the site is cleaned
Following a risk assessment by Washington County staff, a determination has been made that unsafe and unhealthy conditions at a homeless encampment located in the 800 block of SW Baseline in Hillsboro required immediate action to clean the site. The assessment evaluated factors related to the presence of uncontained garbage, environmental concerns, criminal activity and the size of the encampment.
County staff have notified residents of the encampment that they have five days to remove all personal items and leave the location to allow cleanup work to begin on September 21. Outreach workers from partner agencies have also been notified and will follow up with camp residents to provide support and referrals to available resources during this difficult time.
Previously, on August 31, campers staying at the encampment were notified that unless conditions improved by September 14, the site would be posted for removal of all personal property, prior to cleaning by Washington County. Campers were also advised that if they were successful in reducing the risk situation, they would be allowed to stay -- per County policy and in compliance with U.S.
Supreme Court ruling Martin v. Boise -- until future shelter options become available. During the ensuing two-week grace period, County staff provided support and supplies for camper-led clean-up efforts which resulted in the removal of several yards of bagged garbage as well as provision of porta-potties and regular garbage service.
Although people experiencing homelessness will not be prevented from returning once the site is cleaned, activities at this and other similar encampments are now being coordinated by the County’s newly created Encampment Management Program. Under the EMP’s organizational framework, cities and special districts have been invited to join in this unique opportunity to meet the urgent needs of the homeless, as well as the livability and safety concerns of nearby residents and business owners.
Additionally, House Republican insiders have revealed that there has been a COVID-19 exposure to many of the House Republican Members, who, by Legislature COVID-19 personnel rules, are required to quarantine -- regardless of vaccine status or natural immunity from having survived the disease. The quarantine requirement would make it impossible for members to attend the session prior to the Monday deadline.
Supreme Court ruling Martin v. Boise -- until future shelter options become available. During the ensuing two-week grace period, County staff provided support and supplies for camper-led clean-up efforts which resulted in the removal of several yards of bagged garbage as well as provision of porta-potties and regular garbage service.
