For every action there is a reaction, and it wasn't long before some legislators started their attempts to close down TESC before it really got off the ground. By the late 1970s, these attempts became serious. And they seemed so real, especially since we were getting waves of refugees from other alternative schools that had closed, like Prescott in Arizona and Franconia in New Hampshire. But the earliest efforts to close TESC were comical, and mainly the result of a single legislator's actions. His name was James Kuehnle (pronounced "Keenlee"), a Republican from Spokane who manufactured swimming pools.

Rep. Kuehnle made a motion in Apr. 1973 to eliminate TESC from the budget (an 11 million savings at that time). He called Evergreen "a school for poets, nonconformists and revolutionaries." Rep. Barney Goltz, a Bellingham Democrat, responded on the floor with, "I don't know what Mr. Kuehnle has against poets," and then added:

There once was a solon named Kuehnle
Who very much opposed Evergreenly.
In spite of his song,
Mr. Kuehnle is wrong.
I think his idea's obscenely.

"Congratulations," responded Kuehnle, "You sound like a four-year graduate of that institution." (I wonder what Rep. Kuehnle would've made of the poem I described in pt. 23 of this series?)

Kuehnle's motion was defeated by a vote of 82 to 3.

The Spokane Rep. made a second attempt to shut down TESC later that year. This time he described the school as "an academic fairyland" and a place where students "build architecturally pleasing teepees." He was defeated in a voice vote. And Rep. Goltz got in another poem:

Mr. Kuehnle is back on the floor,
knocking down Evergreen's door.
He will not owe it
To any one poet,
But I think it's to be laid on the floor.

More serious attempts to shut down or drastically change the school would come later. In the meantime, these attacks were a tremendous aid in helping TESC students develop an espirit de corps and try even harder to make the experiment work.

[via email]

You are invited to the Olympia Free School's Gala Event to celebrate the grand opening of our new space at 610 Columbia St. Please join us for a night of food and music. There will be a tea and smoothie bar, delicious treats and lots of information about Free School programs and classes. Thanks for your support. See you there!

Celebrating our Grand Opening of the new space! Friday, November 11 610 Columbia St. (across from Oly Supply) 6-10pm free, donations gladly accepted For more info: 352-4165 or info@olympiafreeschool.org

Olympia Community Free School "Learning Across Boundaries" www.olympiafreeschool.org

{Per email}

You are invited to the Olympia Free School's Gala Event to celebrate the grand opening of our new space at 610 Columbia St. Please join us for a night of food and music. There will be a tea and smoothie bar, delicious treats and lots of information about Free School programs and classes. Thanks for your support. See you there!

Celebrating our Grand Opening of the new space! Friday, November 11 610 Columbia St. (across from Oly Supply) 6-10pm free, donations gladly accepted For more info: 352-4165 or info@olympiafreeschool.org

Olympia Community Free School "Learning Across Boundaries" www.olympiafreeschool.org

Evergreen basketball opens tonight with the annual games with Saint Martin's University:

Women vs. Saints at 5:30 p.m.

Men vs. Saints at 7:30 p.m.

Help the Geoducks keep their streak of success at "The Pavilion" at Pacific Ave. & Ruddell Road in Lacey alive!

Saint Martin's admission prices are $5 for adults, $3 for college students, seniors or military, $2 for K-12 students.

Both Evergreen teams return to the CRC Gym for their home openers on Saturday: Men vs. Trinity Lutheran College at 2:30 p.m. Women vs. Concordia University of Irvine, California at 5:30 p.m.

Here is a link to the election results page.

Results won't be start coming in until around 8:30 tonight.

Doesn't feel as fun as it used to when I would go to the Christian Reform Church on Log Cabin Rd, but still, it's election day. If you haven't voted, you can drop your ballot off at any number of drop off sites (pdf file). If you threw away, lost you ballot or never got one in the mail, head up to the courthouse and they can square you away.

UPDATE: Oh yeah, I meant to say this on the original post, but the last couple of weeks, I've been very proud of the folks here at Olyblog. The discussions we've had here have been well-informed (on all sides) civil, and for me, invigorating.

Discussion is an important part of democracy. Being in this kind of contact with other citizens is a big part of being informed enough to vote.

Another reason why Olympia is a wonderful place for all of us to live. From The Olympian:

Along with metropolitan areas like San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Minneapolis, Olympia was picked by author Gregory A. Kompes, who notified the City Council of his book, '50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live'

The inclusion was no surprise to some in a town that offers benefits to same-sex partners of its workers, prohibits discrimination in housing or hiring based on sexual orientation and boasts a lively gay arts scene.

'People who are gay can work here without fear of being fired, and that's a huge thing. You can feel welcome in restaurants, welcome in health clubs, welcome in schools you take your kids to,' said Anna Schlecht, an activist in the area's gay community.

'Even when I moved here 30 years ago, it was easy to see that the colleges and a lot of the community was very gay friendly, and that made it an easy place to live.'

Olympia's homegrown lesbian punk rock, the Homo a Gogo film and music festival, and other artist-driven events have helped propel the city into acceptance of homosexuals, said Dalya Perez, executive director of Stonewall, a program for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youths.

From Times of hate, Times of joy::

"I, *ahem* heard that Ward Churchill just gave a talk in Olympia at Evergreen.

I also, *ahem*, heard that the talk kicked ass and that Churchill was as funny and well informed as he is in his books, or in recorded talks which he's given for that matter.

But, of course, I wouldn't know anything about it first hand since I'm a good little boy and don't go to things like Ward Churchill talks."

From Indian Country Today:

RAPID CITY, S.D. - Four people who maintain their tribal culture and tradition, unselfishly passing the knowledge of traditional crafts, arts, stories, songs and dance to young people, were applicants to receive this year's prestigious First Peoples Fund Community Spirit Awards.

[snip]

Nellie Two Bulls, Oglala Lakota elder, was chosen for her work as a storyteller and singer who passes the stories and songs down to children and others.

''My art is my ability to sing and tell stories about my people, the Oglala Lakota. I have spent the majority of my life telling stories and singing the traditional Lakota songs. This is my contribution to preserving our culture,'' Two Bulls said.

She is called ''Grandma Nellie'' in her home on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Her nominators said that her mind and spirit are sacred repositories for the songs and stories of the Lakota people.

Weaver Lois Chichinoff Thadei, Aleut, of Olympia, Wash., is another honoree.

''Weaving is the core of my creative expression. Guided by ancient hands and echoes of voices recently passed, I manipulate materials.

''My art is practiced with friends, across artistic disciplines and sometimes miles. Once I acquire knowledge, I immediately pass it on to others, for I cannot remember alone. I believe the bit of knowledge I have, when paired with a bit of knowledge from another, will be bigger than the both,'' Chichinoff Thadei said.

She teaches weaving classes by example, passes along technical skills and finds a venue to show off their accomplishments, her nominator, Pete Peterson Sr., said. ''She is one who teaches by example and one always feels richer having spent even a little time with her,'' he said.

I think Lois expresses perfectly how I feel about "open source" formats.