As I'm sure y'all have noticed, our Olyblog theme is AWOL, and I haven't had any success in getting it back (not for lack of trying). We'll be undergoing an upgrade to Drupal 4.6 pretty soon, so I'm hoping that will resolve the issue.

Thanks for your patience.

Since when are Americans okay with their government and military being an occupying force?

by Phyllis Bennis
Institute for Policy Studies

January 11, 2006

• The peace movement in the U.S. and globally has helped create the growing public consensus and rising demands to end the war and bring home the troops. The Bush administration is responding with escalating claims of Potemkin-style troop withdrawals.
• The withdrawal of even tens of thousands of U.S. and "coalition" troops will not constitute an end to occupation while tens of thousands more remain in Iraq.
• Ending occupation means complete withdrawal of ALL U.S. troops, ALL "coalition" troops, and ALL mercenaries (known as "private military contractors") from Iraq.
• Ending occupation means closing all U.S. military bases in Iraq, including removing warplanes, offensive weapons systems, etc.
• Ending occupation means ending the privatization and other outside economic controls imposed on Iraq by the United States, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
• Ending occupation should include negotiating a political solution for, among other things, meeting Washington's post-occupation obligations to Iraq.
• Ending occupation by withdrawing all U.S., foreign and mercenary troops will allow the people and legitimate resistance of Iraq to deal with what remains of their own occupation-fueled "terrorism problem."

...

There is an on-going vigil at the capitol campus to urge the Governor, Christine Gregoire, to do everything in her power to bring the WA state Nat'l Guard home from Iraq immediately.

Please stop by, say hello and sign the petition!

(p.s. - I am not sure exactly when it started, or when it will end! Stop on by for more information!)

There is an on-going vigil at the steps of the capitol building to urge the Governor, Christine Gregoire, to do everything in her power to bring the WA state Nat'l Guard home from Iraq immediately.

Please stop by, say hello and sign the petition!

The Olympian hits the nail square on the head with this editorial supporting the webcasting of city council meetings:

That’s why council meetings via the Internet are such a good idea — it invites greater public participation in democracy. Maybe interactive programming, where the public could ask questions of council members, is the next step.

This also means that we at Olyblog will be able to refer directly to video or audio from the meetings. Hurray!

From the Olympian:

About 100 people came to a meeting Thursday night at Nisqually Middle School on proposed changes to the county’s rural zoning. Many of them were terrified that the new rules will wipe out their retirement funds, which are invested in land they hoped to one day develop.

Thursday’s meeting was the second of four public workshops meant to allow county residents to brainstorm ways the county could best rezone parts of the rural land. A state board ruled in July that the rules violate state law by encouraging sprawl.

Some areas now zoned to allow one home per 5 acres will have to be rezoned to allow one home per 10 or 20 acres, according to the board that issued the July ruling. Rural areas zoned more densely, including some land around shores and lakes zoned to allow one home per 1 or 2 acres, will have to be rezoned to a lower density or grouped into a special high-density rural classification, the board said.

County officials are appealing the ruling, but planners are going forward with their efforts to comply with the findings in case the appeal fails. Otherwise, the county will face legal action by the state and could lose state funding.

The article also links to a map of the urban growth areas in Thurston County.

From the Olympian:

Karl Blau will celebrate the release of his latest album with a record release party at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at K Records, 802 Jefferson St. S.E., Olympia. The event is free and open to all ages. Joining Blau will be local musicians including DJ Selector Dub Narcotic.

After releasing the critically acclaimed “Clothes Your I’s

From the Olympian:

Last year, home sales priced at between $140,000 and $200,000 dropped an average of 42 percent compared with the year before, while home sales priced at $400,000 or higher rose 125 percent, according to Olympic Multiple Listing Service data.

The data shows that the pickings are particularly slim for homes priced lower than $140,000.

Of 910 homes listed as “active

stevenl just posted the following in the comments. I thought everyone should see it:

I just came back from this presentation. The documentary was very eye-opening for me. It challenged my preconceptions and humanity and will change the way I see downtown Olympia. Mr. Fest gave a short but effective speech, and a panel discussion among Olympia movers on this topic followed. I was especially impressed by the OPD officer who was there. No matter what your political stripe, Downtowners will stop you in your tracks and make you rethink your assumptions. Filmmakers Jessica and Nichole really did an outstanding job. I suspect this will be an example of how film journalism can change public policy. OlyBloggers would appreciate this one. Go see it if you get a chance.