I may have found just an ounce of respect for Laura Ware after seeing this.

Let me see if I can find any resepct for TJ... 

*still looking*

Nope!

Considering I'm not an Olympia citizen, therefore have very little to do with their politics, I've never had the pleasure to have listened to T.J. Johnson, nor met him.

Whether I agreed with his politics or not, I just listened to a well researched, well spoken, open politician that was not willing to take crap from the gallery (I thought his comment was right on).  Johnson was voted in by a majority of his peers and I doubt that he's changed on bit since that day.  He commits the cardinal sin of being too damned honest for most people.

I'm very familiar with that problem.

I believe that nonviolent, nonthreatening, direct action - constructive protest in the form of civil disobedience - is one of the best avenues that those without significant financial, media or legal resources have to stop an unjust, illegal, improper and unwelcome aggressive foreign occupation.

And these protests are sincerely an effort to protect our military personnel from the harm they are incurring as a result of the abuse and misuse of our military by prominent members of the Bush Administration.

If you were there live......did someone doctor the video and change places between Johnson and the person from the gallery?  I watched the video and clearly Johnson had been speaking for quite some time prior to the rude interuption from Torske.

Maybe the reality of the situation is that Torske should be publically apologizing to Johnson for rudely interupting his turn to speak.

In think you brought up intellectual honesty.

This wasn't the first time that TJ resorted to playground antics - I suspect it won't be the last.

For all of TJ's positives his opinion and ideas are overshadowed by his attitude toward those who happen to disagree with him.  He represented a narrow view and I'm glad to see him finally gone. Bye TJ.

I was there in person and literally walked out to the lobby when he began to speak.  Mr. Torske should have been removed long before TJ began to speak.  But, there's no defense that will change my mind about a man who can tell a citizen to move if they don't like his politics.  There's no defense for responding in public like he did.

I have found that these meetings are a waste of time.

I don't think TJ is well spoken,but then again I have been less than impressed with any of the muni-wonks I run into here in Oly-

Oly Cops should not be providing military escorts, the US DoD can "protect" this stuff better than local cops, who in my opinion are making themselves real enemies in our community...

I lost all of the meager respect I have for the "pigs" (police officers in olympia) in Olympia thru two things:

Night riding in Oly and getting hassled for just walking around taking pictures (state bike cops riding on the lawns and sidewalks in the dwntwn core p*ss me off also).

How the OPD has presented themselves during these "protests"

...as far as I know, it is just another way to bill Over-Time, and not mandatory that OPD do any of this-- pls correct me if I'm wrong-

I think many of these arguments visa vis the protests on these threads would amp down a little bit if there didn't seem to be such a superiority attitude displayed by said protesters.

Showing up at a protest, sitting in a road proves only that you're doing those things, not that you care more, not that what you're doing is effective, not that you're better/more informed, not that you're right, not that you are the only people who had rights.

There were people there (truckers, police, military) who were trying to do their jobs. There were people there who were simply trying to live their normal lives, driving by/thru, and go about their business. And there were people there trying to express their support for the troops. All of those people, ALL people, deserve to be treated with some semblance of respect.

Comments here have routinely badmouthed and stereotyped the police, the pro-troop folks AND the regular folks who were just passing by. The police are allegedly ALL violent thugs, the pro-troop folks allegedly ALL support endless war, the regular folks allegedly ALL are mindless consumers too ignorant or lazy to give a damn about important things and who somehow deserve to be inconvenienced.

That is simplistic (you're either with us or against us) bullshit and I'm really tired of seeing so much of it here spewed by so many seemingly well-read and intelligent people.