You're telling me the politicians in Olympia (and D.C., for that matter) don't notice this? Yeah, right.

Seattle PI:

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Law enforcement officers harvested a dubious record last year: enough marijuana plants to rank the illegal weed as Washington state's No. 8 agricultural commodity, edging sweet cherries in value.

The 135,323 marijuana plants seized in 2005 were estimated to be worth $270 million - a record amount that places the crop among the state's top 10 agricultural commodities, based on the most recent statistics available.

Abolishing Corporate Personhood
with Karen Coulter
Thursday, Feb 23
6pm - Lecture Hall 3

There will be popcorn!!! This event is FREE; donations are welcome.

"When people live in a culture defined by corporate values, common sense evaporates. We stop trusting our own eyes, ears, and feelings. Our minds become colonized." - POCLAD

This interactive speaking event and workshop explores the concept of "corporate personhood": how corporations have invaded every facet of today's society, in which they control basic human needs and are granted the same civil rights as individual people, enjoying governmental and NGO protection despite committing atrocities.

Bruce Benderson reads from his new book The Romanian: Story Of An Obsession

From: Jeremy P. Tarcher Pages: "History follows a trail of sputtering desire, often calling upon the delusions of lovers to generate the sparks. If it weren't for us, the world would suffer from a dismal lack of stories," writes Bruce Benderson in this brutally candid memoir, which won the 2004 Prix de Flore--one of France's most distinguished literary prizes. "What astonishes and intrigues is Benderson's way of recounting, in the sweetest possible voice, things that are considered shocking," wrote Le Monde. What's so shocking? It's not just Benderson's job translating Céline Dion's saccharine autobiography, which he admits is driving him mad, but his unrequited love for a young Romanian in cheap club-kid platforms with dollar signs in his squinting eyes, whom he meets while on a journalism assignment in Eastern Europe.

today's paper reports that the Olympia city council took action to reclaim our water rights at the brewery.

As I understand it, the current owner is in danger of defaulting on his loan. If he does, then the water rights will go to his lender in California or to the highest bidder.

With an impending worldwide water crises, selling off water rights to a company seems kind of assinine. Perhaps it makes sense for a community to lease those rights with a time limit, but not relinquish ownership.

I still don't think it should be legal for a company to determine how a community is able to manage it's local resources such as water. (e.g. when Miller closed the brewery in 2003, they were able to stipulate that beer could never be brewed on that site again - I can't find an online resource to quote for that though .. anyone?)

In any case, I'm so thrilled that our city council is trying save our water rights I think we should throw them a thank you party for not allowing it to languish.

Fighting Back. If ignored, Hate Groups thrive.

Floyd Cochran says that "silence and apathy was his biggest ally when he was recruiting members into 'the doctrines of hate.'"

"Organized white supremacy groups are counting on you to do nothing," said Floyd Cochran, who at one time was the fifth-ranking member of the Church of Jesus Christ Christian/Aryan Nations -- a white supremacist group that combines Nazi ideas with a racist brand of biblical fundamentalism known as Christian Identity.

From The Olympian:

The Belgian sheepdog owned by Olympia resident Rachelle Bailey Austin won Best of Breed on Tuesday at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the nation's premiere canine event.

I think it goes: "Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

From The Olympian:

OLYMPIA -- For the second time in six months, an inmate at the Olympia City Jail has damaged expensive electronic equipment by urinating on it from his cell.

The latest wetting happened Sunday night, after police booked a transient who had been fighting with another man outside a grocery store. Matthew F. Hobbs was in a holding cell when he allegedly urinated on two video monitors stored under a counter at the jail's booking station. The monitors were valued at $1,600, Olympia police reported.

Turns out the guy is one of our backyard nazis:

Hobbs claimed to be a white supremacist and made racist remarks to a corrections officer who is black, according to court documents.

He also threatened to kill an Olympia police officer who took him to the county jail and pledged to sexually assault the officer’s wife when he got out, court documents say.

He allegedly told a city corrections officer that “the only good cop” is a “dead” one, court documents say.

From The Olympian:

The electrical system for the store and neighboring shops was damaged in the fire, which started about 3:30 a.m. Feb. 8. So much needs to be replaced that Meyer was hesitant to guess when things would be back to normal.

But the building suffered relatively little damage. "The smoke damage was not severe," Meyer said. "Our clothes didnit seem to smell. They were not exposed long enough."

After the fire, he brought in a small generator to run air purifiers and keep some of the cafe's food fresh.

Almost everything was salvaged, he said. Some food is now in Meyer's home freezer, and he donated other items to Bread & Roses.

Even the ice cream wasn't lost. Ice-cream maker Olympic Mountain took it back and is keeping it cold until the electricity returns.

No estimate on when the electricity will be repaired and things getting back to normal. The story in the Olympian lists information about alternate venues for some events that are typically held at Traditions.

The Olympian:

Olympia decided to take immediate legal action to secure water rights at the former brewery in Tumwater, much to the chagrin of neighboring cities, because officials feared the brewery owner or another private party would beat them to the courthouse.

They did not tell officials in Tumwater, who said Tuesday they were “shocked