WROC Night Out
Monday, November 6th
First United Methodist Church
1224 Legion Way SE

Potluck at 5:30, Discussion 6-8 pm
Onsite childcare and travel reimbursement available.

Share what you know about the candidates and initiatives. Learn what others know.

Bring your voter pamphlets and/or ballots.

If you are not registered to vote, come and get registered so you can vote next election.

I have it on good authority that the building that used to house Griswold's Office Supply, and once long ago, the Avalon Theater, may have a new buyer. Alas, we won't see the return of the Avalon, but it would be nice to see that space being used productively.

[via email]

WA Green Party Candidate asserts right to be heard in debate

See pdf. file at the site and view the arrest of Aaron Dixon.

Is Political Speech really being protected by the current "standards for debate" as set by corporate bosses of the media industry?

I called KING 5 station and they said all of their standards are reviewed by the legal team at "corporate" in Texas. Belo is the name and they are not local but they have affected who got to be on our local TV broadcast coverage of a senatorial debate.

http://www.belo.com/
http://www.belo.com/files/Code_Business_Conduct.pdf
http://www.belo.com/sitemap.x2
http://www.belo.com/about/facts.x2
http://www.belo.com/newsroom/contact.x2
http://www.belo.com/companies/region.x2
http://www.belo.com/about/additionalManagement.x2

CONTACT: Carey Hendrickson,
vice president-Investor Relations & Corporate Communications of
Belo Corp., +1-214-977-6626

[excerpt from a recent letter to employees] http://www.belo.com/pressReleases/files/2006_Employee_Update.pdf ".....Our television operations have experienced significant political advertising revenue as we approach the height of election season. Paid advertising by candidates across the nation is projected to be strong. For the sixth consecutive election cycle, Belo's news-producing stations are airing "It's Your Time," an initiative that gives free air time to qualifying gubernatorial and congressional candidates and commits to broadcast at least one hour each week of political coverage for six weeks before the general election. Overall, Belo's Television Group has performed very well both operationally and financially so far this year, with revenues advancing seven percent -- one of the best performances in the television industry..."

[note the word "qualifying" refers to the "standards of debate" as set forth by whom and legally supported by what findings?]

• Leave Norm and Olycop's guns alone
• Election reform - everywhere there is a paper ballot for recount purposes
• Redirect all funding for new nuclear devices to public education.  We stop building and designing new nukes because we signed the non-proliferation treaty and it's time that we stand by our treaty obligations
• The US goes to the UN with an apology for creating a disaster in Afghanistan and Iraq and turn these "budding democracies" over to the UN for protection and demilitarization.  The US to pay for the costs because as Colin Powell said about Iraq, you break it, you own it.
  
• No new funding to the Pentagon until Donald Rumsfeld is gone - and the only future government position for him should be Ambassador to Iraq or maybe The Hague in Old Europe.  Best replacement for Rummy?  Colin Powell.
  
• The development of a plan to make the US energy independent and reduce our global warming emissions below the Kyoto protocols within ten years
• Luxury tax on any that gets less than 30 mpg to at least partially fund the energy independence
  

Several months ago I submitted a post on Olyblog about the need to take care of our veterans.  I am increasingly convinced that this need will fall directly onto our shoulders; that it will become the personal responsibility of each member of our community.

This just in from the Olympian:

David Goldstein, McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON - A network of community-based walk-in veterans' treatment centers is under increasing pressure as more and more former troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have come looking for help.
A report to be issued today from the House Veterans Affairs Committee's Democratic staff says that nearly a third of all Vet Centers have seen the demand rise for outreach and other services.
The report surveyed 60 of the 207 Vet Centers operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It found that the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder doubled - from nearly 4,500 to more than 9,000 - from October 2005 through June 2006.
The number of veterans with other types of possible mental health and readjustment problems also doubled, and in some cases tripled, the report said.
Half of the Vet Centers sampled reported that their expanding caseloads have affected their ability to treat their current clientele.
"The administration's failure to increase staffing and other resources for Vet Centers has put their capacity to meet the needs of veterans and their families at risk," the report said.
Among the other findings in the report:
• 40 percent of the centers have sent veterans with readjustment issues who should be receiving individualized therapy into group therapy.
• 30 percent said they need more staff.
• 25 percent could cut services and create waiting lists.

So which one would you rather live in: Weirdsville, or, Funkytown?