Although I am in Japan and out of the loop with my League of Pissed Off Voter friends, I did get an email about a campaign that they are doing to get Clean Elections in New Mexico.

 If we are going to make this country a democracy this is one of the types of laws we need implemented. This, Instant Run-Off Voting and Direct Elections (none of that electoral college junk), for a start. I know all you people are kind and would spread the word about this. We could do this in Oly and Washington. The Green Party was doing an IRV campaign a while back.

Please sign up and send it to your friends. Here is the link:
New Mexico Clean Elections Petition

The League of Pissed Off Voters also go by the name The League of Young Voters in case you are confused.

If you don't know what Clean Elections are read this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Elections


Miss you all - Brett

This time last year my step-son came into work with his mom before heading off to school. He told me that they had just passed 2 homeless men huddled in the doorway where expo used to be (now the amazing Hot Toddy, in case you've been living in a cave for the last few months) wrapped in the very blankets his class at Lincoln Elementary had collected.

 

Since it was freezing (literally) and the sun was coming up soon, I made a choice to take both men the hugest mochas B&B offers, and load them up with day old pastries. It must be mentioned that even the homeless still look like little boys as they blink their way into alertness, gratefully gulping down chocolaty caffeine and mumbling thank yous.

 

A few months ago one of those men stopped me in the street and told me that he wasn't homeless anymore. I've got to say that at the time I didn't recognize him, not until he came into the shop for coffee today. He has been sober for 6 months and not homeless for 8. He came in mainly to tell me that he'll never forget the "hot chocolates" I brought them last winter. And of course, to say thank you, to which I replied "Man you look GOOD". Now I'm thinking, "happy dummy, he looked happy" and wish I would have said that instead.

 

I shared this story with the kiddo, wet headed from swim class, and he thought a minute and said "this kind of story makes me realize that it really is the little things that make a difference the world!”

 

I'm not too grown up to admit that I got all kinds of lumpy in the throat hole.

Unfortunately I cannot post regional television coverage here without violating copyright laws, so instead I'm just including links.

Komo-TV 4
King 5

Steve Hall feels Olympia is being unappreciated after all she's done for the homeless. Anna Schlecht gave The Olympian a list of projects in the works including:

 

n $350,000 for Drexel House on Devoe Street - 35 studio units for formerly homeless and 15 shelter beds. It will open within a month.

n $102,000 to help SafePlace build a new 28-bed facility for women and children fleeing sexual and domestic violence. It opened last month.

n $518,000 for construction of 51 units at Evergreen Vista II on Fern Street - 10 units for formerly homeless, 20 units for households at 30 percent median income, 10 units for severely mentally ill and 10 units for large families. It will be finished in about a year.

She also said that millions have been set aside to address the issue. However the funds haven't been allocated.

Could Phil, Rob, or another representative of the PPU give their take on these projects and why they do or do not work. The paper mentioned 4 other projects without describing them: are you aware of what they entail and whether they would or wouldn't work?

What are your ideas for how the money should be allocated? Should it address immediate needs, a plan to do away with homelessness by 2015, education, staff pay?

One of your few mentions in today's article was that the "help" being offered is a drop in the bucket. How much is needed? How many homeless are there in Thurston County? Understanding that statistics are skewed and unscientific what would you say is the likely percentage of those able to work vs. those disabled?

I hope Camp Quixote isn't bulldozed over the way Steve Hall wants to do it. There's safety in numbers. I want those who are unable to be productive citizens, for physical or mental reasons, to be given the assistance to live a decent life with a roof and food and health care. I want those who aren't impeded by a disability to be assisted and trained into being self-reliant and to be given a helping hand while they get back on their feet. That's the only condition in which I would want to see Camp Quixote dissolved, a situation in which it wasn't necessary in the first place.

So again I'm merely asking for clarification: How does what's now available not help? (You've mentioned before the harsh attitude displayed by social workers. Could you provide examples - not date, time and names but the situation and what was said?) What's truly needed to make this a non-issue by 2015, and how can it be done? What's the guestimated percentages of those able and those unable, and what are the separate necessities needed to bring them to their feet?

I've been defending the existence of Camp Quixote online and in-person until I'm blue in the face and I really need to be sure I have my facts straight.

YAYA Media of TCTV invites you to participate in a day of community art and expression related to Meth in our community.

Please read on for details or contact us at yayamedia@tctv.net or www.myspace.com/yayamedia



Project Details:

YAYA Media is producing a video to achieve the following goals in Thurston County: 1.) To prevent and reduce methamphetamine use among youth and young adults 2.) To educate users about harm reduction and treatment options 3.) To illustrate to the wider community the need for community involvement and intervention.

This project entails production of a video that will speak powerfully and effectively to some of our most high-risk community members; youth and young adults in or from high-risk situations including homelessness, addicted or abusive families, foster care, and poverty.  To achieve these goals we are striving to involve young people affected by these risk factors in every aspect of the production. Young people are the directors, interviewers, producers, and editors. The peer-led production will result in a product that is culturally appropriate to our target audience, and we hope that participating in the project will help young people learn lifesaving prevention and harm reduction techniques, become valuable referral sources among their peers, learn technical and artistic skills in video production, and achieve valuable

Dear Mayor, Council, and City Staff:

I do not often write to the City on issues of concern to me.  I know that you all are very busy people, and besides that I’ve got enough opinions to fill a library.  I must, however, take a moment to share my concern and disappointment regarding your reactions to the new tent city, “Camp Quixote”. 

Several months ago the homeless people of Olympia began gathering together for community discussions.  They talked about their concerns and fears regarding the decreasing availability of public space for their use and the increasing hostility they were experiencing from the daily Olympian, the police, the City, and the general public.  They were particularly concerned about the proposed sidewalk ordinance and the impact it would have on their community.

In the course of their discussions, the homeless community resolved to undertake a campaign of nonviolent direct action in the tradition of the various civil rights movements of the last 50 years.  This was a very serious decision and was not entered into lightly.  Please allow me to explain.

Classism is as real, as pervasive, and as hurtful as racism and homophobia.  For ages, the homeless have endured such pejoratives as “bum”, “transient”, and “vagrant”.  They have been beset from all directions with the opinions that they are lazy, criminal, violent, dangerous, irresponsible, and incapable. 

The homeless have been outlawed in almost every city in the nation, by means of “quality of life” laws banning sleeping, sitting, loitering, urinating, panhandling, and carrying blankets.  The supporters of the homeless have been attacked with laws criminalizing the public feeding of the homeless.  The homeless have been exploited by payday loan companies and day labor outfits that charge for transportation, safety equipment, and check cashing so that the pay often falls below minimum wage. 

[via OMJP]

Olympia City Council to consider resolution calling for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Olympia City Council Chambers
900 Plum St. SE
7:00PM
Text of resolution

The meeting includes a public comment period during which members of the public may be allotted up to three minutes each to speak. The sign-up sheet to comment will be available in the foyer about 6:30PM.