My buddy Vince has just put up a new website. Go check it out.

Don't you just love that brand new website smell?

Since that event, the NSM has been ramping up recruitment efforts in Washington and Oregon. They have announced that they will do at least one event a month. This weekend looked to be a prime choice for such an event.

Where would it take place? Olympia? Portland? Seattle?

More...

I worked in the backyard on Friday afternoon (damn you sun with your getting me away from the computer ways) so I forgot to check the city website for this week's packet. But, its Sunday afternoon, and while still sunny, I'm taking a day of physical rest. These are my highlights from this week's city council packet, but feel free to download it yourself and see what you think is important.

 1. As the city has been developing their wireless ordinance (think cell phone towers and where they should be), it has come up that a different sort of wireless technology, wifi and wimax should be left out of the ordinance. A Chad Atkins, a very thoughtful person in my opinion, came to the city and asked that the very different technology, while still wireless, be left alone for now. City staff say it could be taken out in a future review of the ordinance later.

2. The council will give its final stamp of approval on the Percival Landing Concept Plan. I assume the actual plan itself was included in an old packet, so if you haven't had anything to say on this yet, hurry up.

3. Public comment last week was dominated by boat talk, here is most of it, pro and con:

Mr. Ray Holden, 120 NE State Ave, stated that he lives on a boat and explained circumstances that resulted in him living on a boat. He stated that City management is trying to enforce a permissive law to impound his boat. He asked Council to direct City administration to cease the enforcement.

 

Mr. Gerry Gagne, 501 Columbia St., spoke in opposition of efforts to impound his boat and others in public waters of Budd Inlet.

Mr. Jack VanZandt, 2014 Bigelow, encouraged Council to cease actions to impound boats moored in public waters in Budd Inlet unless boats are unsafe and in danger of sinking.

 Mr. Christopher Lane, 611 Columbia Street, spoke in support of a safe harbor and Olympia Police and Harbor Patrol efforts to impound boats illegally moored in Budd Inlet.

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, his spokeswoman said today.

Harry Whittington, 78, was "alert and doing fine" after Cheney sprayed Whittington with shotgun pellets Saturday at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.

Armstrong said Cheney turned to shoot a bird and accidentally hit Whittington. She said Whittington was taken to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital by ambulance.

Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said the vice president was with Whittington, a lawyer from Austin, Texas, and his wife at the hospital this afternoon.

Seattle Times

From CAA Blog - Art Events & Artist Opportunities: Arts Day... February 14th in Olympia:

Travel to Olympia this Valentine's Day! Share your passion for the Arts by joining artists, administrators, board members, patrons and volunteers at the State Capitol. Inform your elected officials what they can do to help the arts stay vibrant in Washington State. If you can't join us, watch for a WSAA Action Alert that will assist you in sending an appropriate message to your Legislators.

From The Olympian:

FORT LEWIS -- About two dozen activists, including eight from Olympia, called Saturday for the release of a soldier imprisoned here for refusing to deploy to Iraq a second time.

The activists held a banner that read "Free Kevin Benderman from Fort Lewis Brig" over the Interstate 5 overpass at DuPont near the military installation while drivers honked from below.

"He served in the military very faithfully and went to Iraq," said Wally Cuddeford, who was in the Navy for a year and a half. "The military, instead of honoring the service he has given to his country, is locking him up."

Here are some pics of the vigil that circulated over the omjp mailing list.