a music video of the draft's "how right you are" by jeff bugbee and frank freeman
When the civilian-killing cowboy/terrorist gets his issue of Time Magazine, Cheney & Rumsfeld touch it up to make sure he doesn't get off track.
BE A HOST FAMILY TO AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
Host a student from Asia or Europe for a few weeks this summer.
Students ages 14 - 24 will visit Portland for 1 to 7 weeks this summer.
Choose the age, gender, nationality and dates that best fit your familiy.
Most of the Asian students will use Tri-Met to commute to weekday English classes and activities at either PSU or PCC Rock Creek. Their evenings and weekends are free to share with their host families. Most of the European students do not have scheduled classes and activities, so they are free to do what your family is doing, whether you are staying at home, or taking a short trips out of town. Teen companionship is important for the European students, but not
necessary for the Asian students.
For more information, contact International Summerstays at
503-274-1776, euro@summerstays.org or visit www.summerstays.org
International Summerstays is a non-profit student exchange organization
based in Portland since 1981.
submitted by Lindsay Bell
The American Curriculum: Censorship of Young Artistic Voices
"Hard lessons from poetry class: Speech is free unless it's critical"
By BILL HILL, The Daytona Beach News Journal
Last update: 15 May 2004
Bill Nevins, a New Mexico high school teacher and personal friend, was
fired last year and classes in poetry and the poetry club at Rio Rancho High
School were permanently terminated. It had nothing to do with
obscenity, but it had everything to do with extremist politics.
The "Slam Team" was a group of teenage poets who asked Nevins to serve
as faculty adviser to their club. The teens, mostly shy youngsters, were
taught to read their poetry aloud and before audiences. Rio Rancho High School
gave the Slam Team access to the school's closed-circuit television once a
week and the poets thrived.
In March 2003, a teenage girl named Courtney presented one of her poems
before an audience at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Albuquerque, then
read the poem live on the school's closed-circuit television channel.
A school military liaison and the high school principal accused the
girl of being "un-American" because she criticized the war in Iraq and the Bush
administration's failure to give substance to its "No child left behind" education policy.
The girl's mother, also a teacher, was ordered by the principal to destroy the child's poetry. The mother refused and may lose her job.
Bill Nevins was suspended for not censoring the poetry of his students.
Remember, there is no obscenity to be found in any of the poetry. He was later fired by the principal.
After firing Nevins and terminating the teaching and reading of poetry
in the school, the principal and the military liaison read a poem of their
own as they raised the flag outside the school. When the principal had the
flag at full staff, he applauded the action he'd taken in concert with the
military liaison.
Then to all students and faculty who did not share his political
opinions, the principal shouted:! "Shut y our faces." What a wonderful lesson he
gave those 3,000 students at the largest public high school in New Mexico.
In his mind, only certain opinions are to be allowed.
But more was to come. Posters done by art students were ordered torn
down, even though none was termed obscene. Some were satirical, implicating a national policy that had led us into war. Art teachers who refused to
rip down the posters on display in their classrooms were not given
contracts to return to the school in this current school year.
The message is plain. Critical thinking, questioning of public policies
and freedom of speech are not to be allowed to anyone who does not share
the thinking of the school principal.
The teachers union has been joined in a legal action against the school
by the National Writers Union, headquartered in New York City. NWU's
at-large representative Samantha Clark lives and works in Albuquerque. The
American Civil Liberties Union has become the legal arm of the lawsuit pending
in federal court.
Meanwhile, Nevins applied for a teaching post in another school and was
offered the job but he can't go to work until Rio Rancho's principal sends
the new school Nevins' credentials. The principal has refused to do so,
and that adds yet another issue to the lawsuit, which is awaiting a trial
date. While students are denied poetry readings, poetry clubs and classes in
poetry, Nevins works elsewhere and writes his own poetry.
Writers and editors who have spent years translating essays, films,
poems, scientific articles and books by Iranian, North Korean and Sudanese
authors have been warned not to do so by the U.S. Treasury Department under
penalty of fine and imprisonment. Publishers and film producers are not allowed
to edit works authored by writers in those nations. The Bush administration contends doing so has the effect of trading with the enemy, despite a 1988 law that exempts published materials from sanction under trade rules.
Robert Bovenschulte, president of the American Chemical Society, is
challenging the rule interpretation by violating it to edit into English several scientific papers from Iran.
Are book burnings next?
Q: What is your reaction to the final percentages for the mayoral race?
Of course everyone always hopes for higher percentages, but I was thrilled that nearly 10,000 voted for me. We really had to overcome some hurdles to attract those voters, so I think that it is an important beginning.
Q: Does money=votes? If so, what [in your opinion] can be done to change that?
Clearly the outcome of this race showed that money doesn't equal votes. The two highest spenders in the race didn't even take 2 out of 5 votes. Between Potter, Posey and myself, we didn't spend more than $100,000, yet managed to pull in more than half of the votes combined.
Considering that one of Potter's most publicized parts of his platform was his $25 cap, I think that people voted for Potter because they saw him as representing limits on money in campaigns.
I think that my campaign, Potter's and Posey's relied on pounding the pavement. That is the direction we, as voters, need to continue to demand. That we want to meet our candidates, not see them on TV ads; that
we want specific information, not soundbites.
Q: Both the Mercury and the Willamette Week endorsed John Kerry in this election, and salvationinc thinks this was a sellout move. Do you think that an endorsement for Kucinich would have made a difference in his numbers?
Well, this is a question outside my range as a candidate. My campaign and my job at the Mercury are two separate considerations. That said, the Mercury has publicized Kucinich. Months before any other paper picked him up, we ran an unfiltered Q&A with him. I think that is more important than an endorsement because it allows people to make their own choices.
As far as the endorsement, I will explain it the best that I can. I am only one vote of our endorsement panel. My ballot may have reflected different votes than what the Mercury endorsed. Again, that said, I believe that the rationale for endorsing Kerry over Kucinich is that the panel believes that Kucinich is a principled advocate, but that what the presidency needs is someone who balances interest. We're a very divided nation right now. The country needs someone (like a Clinton moderate) to bring back together the different factions. Kucinich, while the panel may agree with his principles, does not think that having a president who so adamantly advocates for one side of the equation is the best candidate.
Did it hurt Kucinich? I doubt it. His backers are not that easily swayed.
Q: As far as numbers go, Busse for mayor was an even bigger underdog than Kucinich. What do you think about the idea of progressive underdogs WORKING TOGETHER to make a difference and promote change?
I think that any and all coalitions to push forward progressive agendas are important - whether as a candidate or elected official. When Kucinich spoke at PCC the day before the election, some students there lobbied his campaign to have me introduce him. They refused. We were told that, "Kucinich speaks alone." We tried several other times to reach out to Kucinich organizers and were rebuffed. But we had a lot of luck at Kucinich events handing out our information and found his backers to be incredibly receptive to looking at new candidates and new ideas.
Q: Was running for mayor a positive experience? Would you do it again, and if so, what would you change?
Every one should run for public office at least once in their lives. It was a great experience. I started because I was frustrated with local government; I finished optimistic about the opportunities for changes.
The best thing that I did during my campaign was to sit down and put together a comprehensive platform. (I can't believe that this is not S.O.P.) It gave me a chance to take stock about where the city is, where it has been and, most important, where it could go. If I were to run again, I would do this much earlier.
We also reached out to a lot of groups that are normally overlooked by politicans - musicians, strippers, dog-owners, motorcycle riders, etc. - and tried to define how city hall could play a bigger, better role in their lives. I think that we overlooked important groups, however - namely, the Vietnamese, Russian, Somolian communities in town. As the "outsider" candidate, I should have been spending more time and energy trying to work with "outsider" groups. Not for the votes necessarily, but to help those groups understand that they can and should be part of the process.
Q: Obviously the result of the election was not heartening to us. Seemingly people either voted for the status quo, or went with the Willamette Week's endorsements. How can we fight voter apathy and corporate misinformation? How can we fire people up and make them think it is even worth it to vote?
The most important and constructive way to get people to vote is to translate how city politics matters to them. Affordable housing, for example, may cause the indie rockers' eyes to glaze over. But tell him that supporting affordable housing is the way that he is allowed to stay in Portland and not take a job at Office Depot to pay his bills. His eyes will light up. Talk with a stripper who has no interest in politics and tell her that the leading candidates both support zoning regulations and curtailing free speech allowances - namely, what allows her to do her job - and she'll perk up. Tell skateboarders that the only thing standing
between them and more skateparks in town are the currently elected officials, and they will be interested. It is about translating city politics into daily life.
Yes, it is an uphill battle. But it is one that can be won in Portland. A year or so ago, I had the choice to stick my head in the sand and pretend like the city was not a mess; or, I had the chance to try to do something. Inspiring 10,000 people that change can happen is worth it. And, it is only Act One!
Q: Now that it is down to two, who do you endorse for Mayor? Why?
I'm not ready to say just yet. I have specific issues that I want each candidate to carry forward. IF I give an endorsement it will not simply be so that my name can be attached to literature. I want quid pro quo. I want public promises for certain issues.
_________________________________________________________________
~On a lighter note, we think that you were right on with reaching out to small groups of people the way you did. Everyone I told about our Pie Party thought it was a fabulous idea, we know some folks who voted for you because of it. We thank you for your efforts, ideas and drive. Keep it up please, we need more people like you in politics!
your friend,
Salvation inc.
Salvation inc.'s first encounter with Phil
Pie party discussion
May 18th election results
Here are a couple of fun flash pic's brought to you by our friends at Al JazeeraT
The grotesque photos flashed around the world from Abu Ghraib prison in U.S.-occupied Iraq have totally demolished the official Bush line that the U.S. went in to "liberate" Iraq and institute "democray." This "liberation" is now identified with a young American woman soldier holding a groveling, naked Iraqi prisioner tethered to a leash like an animal.
The photos only partially expose a small part of the terror and atrocities which in fact are meted out daily within the U.S. and to the global victims of U.S. imperialism. Through time, an awful network of torture and death has spanned the world, from the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to the death rows of Texas; from the systematic mass murder and torture of Vietnamese liberation fighters in the CIA's "Operation Phonenix" program in Vietnam to the death squads of Latin America; from Britain's Long Kesh prison basements of French colonial Algiers and Chile's Santiago Stadium to Israel's Ashkelon. These are the conscious policies of imperialist and neocolonialist ruling regimes who routinely use terror and degradation as tools to maintain their power.
The Democratic party is trying to exploit widespread revulsion at the newly exposed sexual abuse and torture by American troops and mercenaries in Iraq to fuel their campaign to take over the White House. In reality, the crimes and destruction for which U.S. imperialists are known worldwide were chiefly carried out under Democratic Party administrations: the A-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the reduction of North Korea to rubble in the war carried out under United Nations aegis in the early 1950's; the napalming and systematic devastation of Vietnam; and the terror bombing of Serbia under Clinton in 1999.
Under the brutal U.S. military occupation today, every blow against the U.S. and its dwindling "coalition of the willing" is, objectively, in the interest of workers worldwide. At the same time, we steadfastly oppose the communalist violence carried out by clerical reactionaries and the remnants of the Ba'athist regime. The crucial force that must be mobilized politically to strike a blow against the U.S. occupation of Iraq is the multiracial proletariat at home. U.S. out of Iraq!
-reprinted from workers vanguard, May 14, 2004, No. 826
Money spent per vote:
Phil Busse = $0.80 per vote
Jim Fracesconi = $19.68 per vote
James Posey = $1.10 per vote
Tom Potter = $1.09 per vote
VOTES / PERCENT
PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 129). . . . . 129 / 100.00
REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL . . . . . 363,486
REGISTERED VOTERS - REPUBLICAN . . . 82,957 / 22.82
REGISTERED VOTERS - DEMOCRAT . . . . 180,104 / 49.55
REGISTERED VOTERS - NONPARTISAN . . . 100,425 / 27.63
BALLOTS CAST - TOTAL. . . . . . . 127,293
BALLOTS CAST - REPUBLICAN . . . . . 31,474 / 24.73
BALLOTS CAST - DEMOCRAT. . . . . . 75,849 / 59.59
BALLOTS CAST - NONPARTISAN. . . . . 19,970 / 15.69
VOTER TURNOUT - TOTAL . . . . . . 35.02
VOTER TURNOUT - REPUBLICAN. . . . 37.94
VOTER TURNOUT - DEMOCRAT . . . . . 42.11
VOTER TURNOUT - NONPARTISAN . . . . 19.89
UNITED STATES PRESIDENT
VOTE FOR 1
(WITH 129 OF 129 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
GEORGE W. BUSH. . . . . . . . . 24,221 / 90.96
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 2,407 / 9.04
UNITED STATES PRESIDENT
VOTE FOR 1
(WITH 129 OF 129 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
LYNDON H. LAROUCHE, JR . . . . . . 1,076 / 1.48
JOHN F. KERRY . . . . . . . . . 58,721 / 80.73
DENNIS J. KUCINICH . . . . . . . 11,658 / 16.03
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 1,281 1.76
CITY OF PORTLAND MAYOR
VOTE FOR 1
(WITH 93 OF 93 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
ROZZ REZABEK-WRIGHT . . . . . . . 178 / .18
JEFFREY C. REMPFER . . . . . . . 1,285 / 1.26
ROSALINDA S. MITCHELL . . . . . . 433 / .43
BRAD TAYLOR. . . . . . . . . . 767 / .75
JEFF R. TAYLOR. . . . . . . . . 2,501 / 2.46
CRAIG GIER . . . . . . . . . . 93 / .09
JIM FRANCESCONI . . . . . . . . 37,165 / 36.56
PETER NILSSON . . . . . . . . . 179 / .18
SCOT (EXTREMO THE CLOWN) CAM . . . . 952 / .94
SCOTT KETCHUM . . . . . . . . . 202 / .20
MICHAEL BENKOSKI . . . . . . . . 129 / .13
PHIL BUSSE . . . . . . . . . . 6,280 / 6.18
LORI BALKEMA . . . . . . . . . 462 / .45
DONALD J. PFAU. . . . . . . . . 81 / .08
TOM POTTER . . . . . . . . . . 42,081 / 41.40
JAMES L. POSEY. . . . . . . . . 4,766 / 4.69
JIM (SPAGG) SPAGNOLA. . . . . . . 555 / .55
LEW HUMBLE . . . . . . . . . . 96 / .09
ROBERT TED HINDS . . . . . . . . 636 / .63
BRUCE W. HOLLEN . . . . . . . . 56 / .06
BART HANSON. . . . . . . . . . 689 / .68
DAVID (THE ACK) ACKERMAN . . 191 / .19
R. JERRY ADAMS. . . . . . . . . 1,471 / 1.45
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 408 / .40
MEASURE 26-53 CITY OF PORTLAND
VOTE FOR 1
(WITH 93 OF 93 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
YES . . . . . . . . . . . . 59,431 / 62.68
NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,392 / 37.32
Listening to the radio this afternoon, reports of John Kerry in Portland are coming in. He was in NE Portland reading a book to school kids. Later he walked alongside the Willamette at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, "turning heads" as he casually strolled along. He discussed coming back in the summertime with a local friend to wind sail on the Columbia. All of this is prior to his big afternoon rally downtown with Howard Dean.
Thanks but no thanks, Mr. Kerry. It's very nice of you to show up and experience the city, especially 1 day before the primary election, but we don't need you here. Portland, Oregon, more specifically, has had its candidate for quite some time now. A man who has been in this state with the people, engaging in conversations over the span of 2 months. A man who has the convictions and ideas and heart which can lead this country, and by default, the world, to a better, more peaceful place.
Dennis Kucinich is the only choice for the Democratic Party right now for our nation. Since the media has worked Kerry into the role of the "perfect war candidate", Kucinich, who himself has spoken out against corporate rule, mega-media empires, and the current situation of the Democratic party, has been virtually ignored. So Dennis came to this state, and came back again, and again, and again... and he's still here, appearing one last time before the election. Kucinich has met with people face to face, not just coming to one rally accompanied by a "greener" candidate to attract the "liberal" crowds just to spew his anti-Bush, "I'm a better Bush" campaign jargon. Kucinich has sat and spoken with the people, opened the minds of those who feel there are no quality candidates out there, who feel it's useless to vote since both candidates are the same. Dennis Kucinich has activated a spirit of those who want a truly better America for all, not just for those who can buy his time and values.
For John Kerry to come into town one day before the primary election is a slap in the face to this state, and more importantly, this city. A state which is considered a swing state come November. Sorry, Mr. Kerry, but you've said nothing which will awaken anyone who has already lost interest in your special interests. Perhaps we cannot change the ballot in November (Ralph Nader in '04!) but right now you are not the Democratic candidate that Oregon has chosen.
Vote Kucinich tomorrow, May 18th
JesusBurger Corp. This idea is based on the same principle as Born Again Car Wash, Inc., except that it’s a national chain of faith-based fast-food restaurants staffed by low-income people who work in exchange for hamburgers and fries.
Especially in areas of the country with large populations of fundamentalist Christians, JesusBurger should be able to grab huge chunks of market share away from secular fast-food joints such as Burger King and McDonald’s.
Not only would patrons be performing an act of Christian charity by helping the less fortunate, but they also could be enticed with faith-based menu items such as the Loaves-and-Fishes Sandwich, the Lord-Almighty-Whatta-Burger (three times as big as a Whopper) and the John the Baptist Full Meal Deal (burger, soft drink, sundae, and a side of crispy french-fried locusts).
And to demonstrate that we’re not prejudiced, we’d also offer the Moses McMuffin (cream cheese and lox on a toasted bagel-like bun).
independent daily news:
aljazeera
democracynow!
environmental news network
misleader.org
guerrillanews.com
buzzflash.com
pacifica.org
disinfo.com
commomdreams.org
progressive.org
worldpress.org
workingforchange.com
move along at moveon.org
uncommon thought
world socialist web site
daily kos
independent voices/blogs:
empires fall
war profiteers
project for the old american century
world revolution
dissent magazine
takebackthemedia.org
betterworldlinks.org
adbusters
thenation.com
the center for public integrity
fairness & accuracy in reporting
crimethinc
tv news lies
americasolidarity.com
zmag.org
white house west
direct action news
bite back
if americans knew
international communist league
slingshot magazine
ny press
wildfire
inequality.org
the memory hole
kirsten anderberg
venezuela analysis
portland sites:
the duct
consolidated music
ONCAP
portland.indymedia.org
portland cop watch
portland anti-capitalist action
arissa.org
subvertical.org
portland cacophony society
oregon follow the money
pdx green party
the know
celebrated good folks:
chomsky.info
Howard Zinn
Michael Parenti
michaelmoore.com
naomi kline's no logo
greg palast
al franken
celebrated bad folks:
oreilly-sucks.com
bush watch
bush green watch
president moron
savage stupidity
relevent issues:
corpwatch
white house for sale
kill your television
foundation for deep ecology
reclaim the media
flash sites:
dumb and dubya
the meatrix
ouch my eye
this land
useful websites:
multnomah county library
freecycle.org
oregon voter register
bus project
hints for successful lobbying
community resource guide
sabotage
who owns what
wikipedia
activist/artist groups and events:
free press
urban guerilla liberation front
klamath-siskiyou protection
earth first!
earth liberation front
animal liberation front
code pink alert
anarchist of flagstaff
mediacarta.org
league of revolutionaries for a new america
rev. billy & the church of stop shopping
don't just vote
Paleohippie
if you must buy...
ethical wares
ecofriendly auto shops (pdx)
environmentally friendly companies
Here's a funny list of duplicated governmental propaganda:
uncle tom's tale #1
RJ's tale #2
Swallow it whole #3
Accept & Obey #4
With us or against us #5
Duplicate & spread #6
Believe as absolute truth #7
My original intention was to link all 30 or so websites that published this complete pile of shit with absolutely no factual backing but the list goes on & on with no end in sight. The Nazis have the upperhand as far as money and resources, but we have the truth. Resist their propaganda my friends, fight the good fight!
I've found a site debunking this information instead of mass producing it like all the sheep.Check it out.
Click for pics & info
Read our interview with Phil.
Phil Busse met with Salvation Inc. and brought some delicious pie to fill our stomachs while he filled our hearts and minds with hope for this city. We strongly endorse Phil for mayor of Portland as he has a fresh, exciting, and optimistic outlook for how our city should be run. We feel he is clearly the right person for the job. Please check out his 100 point plan & see why he's our best hope for a stronger community and a more energized and progressive city.
Meeting with Phil provided us with the proof that politics isn't a removed process you only read about, it is something you actively must take part in. We encourage all of you to reach out and contact Phil and the other candidates and question them, make them earn your vote with their ideas. This is our city, and these are our elected officials.
5/4/04 The Castle, S.E. Portland, 8:50 p.m.
Interview with Phil Busse:
PB: I've learned that if I want to make it through this election I can't eat and drink at everything I stop at.
SI: (laughter, mumble, ha ha) Okay, this is your last one then...
PB: Well, yeah, I made it this far.
SI: Do you want some wine? Or water?
PB: Yeah. Water and wine would be great.
Phil goes on to show us his official propaganda and then explain how his
campaign has written over 100 pages on his plans for running Portland as
mayor, as well as projects for social change. Phil begins by talking about
the recent controversy with Mercury volunteers working on his campaign.
PB: It pisses me off because I really have been trying, I started this
campaign kind of whimsically but I've been really trying to push ideas
forward, and I feel like Willamette Week is really hell-bent on cutting
people down, and it's just like that's not what the city needs.
SI: Some would say that about your paper too.
PB: To some extent, I mean, I think we've definitely changed our tone. I mean maybe in some ways we're are, I think the difference is we are very willing to make fun of ourselves, at any time and, we stopped for the most part running really bad music reviews. Like, we don't like a band, we kinda just don't write about them. And I like that editorial choice we made because "Why cut someone down? Why don't we say, here's the great things in Portland, and encourage people in that way.
PB: Um, Pie?
SI: Yeah! Yeah! Sure Phil!
Phil goes on to explain how these pies are number 95 and 96. These are
fourth generation recipe "peaches and cream pie." He makes the filling ...etc...
SI: How would you compare Francesconi and Potter?
PB: That's an interesting two to pick (obviously thinking up an answer).
SI: Well we could have picked Spagg and Extremo, but...
PB: It's interesting to pick because they don't like each other, and actually I get along with all of the candidates... Tom and Jim, I've never seen exchange words... I think that they are just coming from different angles as far as what topics they care about. Clearly Tom [Potter] is bringing community policing, which is much needed to the debate. Jim has some interest in that, but his interest is more in business. So it's 'Are we dealing with the city as an economic entity?' or 'Are we dealing with it as a people entity?' I think that is the big comparison. As far as leadership skills I think they are very different. Jim [Francesconi] gets his ideas from a small group of people, and Tom is much more of a listener... I would have dropped out of the race if I had faith in one of
the main candidates. I am not trying to cut anyone down, those are the
differences that I see in those two. Their leadership skills, and what they care about.
SI: If you weren't in the race right now, and knowing what you know , who
would you vote for?
PB: Brad Taylor.
Phil goes on to explain that Brad Taylor is a clever guy, with good ideas.
The problem with his campaign according to Busse is that he hasn't figured
out how to best market his ideas, of which Busse says, "it's sad, very sad."
Phil asks us what we are, because "we're a thing, right?" Salvationinc
goes on to explain that we are a webzine, as well as an activist group.
PB: So why hasn't one of you run for office?
SI: I think we are trying to reform the entire system in general, we're not
very extreme... but the reason we've gotten so involved with the mayoral race is because we need a change now more than ever. Obviously the last four years have been a great disappointment and we figured the only way to get involved logically is to get involved where we are. We want change on a grand scheme. SI goes on to explain it's vast knowledge of "the system."
Phil goes on to discuss with Salvationinc the amount of money the "traditional" Francesconi campaign has raised. As opposed to his and James L. Posey's $10,000 each, and Potter's $60-70,000 Francesconi has raised $900,000. More money that all 21 candidates combined. Busse explains his own campaign strategy of finding people's point of contact with politics and appealing to that.
PB: If James Posey wins he will burn city hall down. I say that with admiration. I think his politician skills are not always firing at the right target. We were sitting up at the city club at our OPB debate and he announces for the first time publicly that we need to get rid of the Portland Development Commission. That's the worst possible place you could have said that... It's great ... do you really want to throw a hand grenade into the middle of this room and see what happens? I'm not sure [if it's] out of calculated risk or pure entertainment [but] he's shooting from the hip.
SI: As far as your campaign, is this the last time you are going to run for public office?
Phil explains that that there are three ideas he is going to continue working on regardless of the election. One is to create a used sports program for kids at Washington High. Another is creating a business incubator there with a theater, using some of the office space for writers to come in [and write].
SI: I used to work in that building, it's practically empty.
PB: They are talking about turning it into an all sports complex for the
neighborhood, which is fine but what about using the band practice rooms
for recording studios for up-and-coming bands. How cool would that be if
you were playing basket ball and you see some new band coming out of
Portland? That's a community center.
Phil goes on to say that Dave Allen from Gang of Four is excited by the
recording studio space. Art Alexakis from Everclear is excited about that idea of a business incubator.
PB: I would also like to work with North Mississippi Business District and make that an ethnically diverse business district. Those are the projects I am going to do. I think I'm going to do those and sample, and see if I can get this stuff done, and not have to be in office. An article I have not written but a have a thick folder on is, "Is City Hall Even Relevant?" I've been keeping a record of all this stuff that happens in the city outside of City Hall. A lot of it happens because of non-profits, and groups such as yourself. What has City Hall really done for us?
SI: What is the job description of a Portland Mayor?
PB: Portland has a really unique form of government. It's a leftover from the 1920's reform. Mayors in a lot of cities were downgraded, essentially, so you have a weak mayor. Here the mayor is essentially a city council member on steroids. You have two superpowers: one is you control the budget and the second is you have control over the two main bureaus. One is Parks and Recreation the other is the Police Bureau... Why would I be good at it? What I do best is I come up with ideas and I turn them into reality. One of the reasons I set up a platform like this (referring to his 100 point plan) is that these are specific ideas I can do. I know how to bring an idea through the bureaucracy. I did it when I was an attorney in the State of California, which is quite a heavy bureaucracy. Some of these ideas we've actually been able to do. The Holman building is a public boat house I've been working on the past two years. My other job is head coach of the University of Portland crew team. Three years ago we began working with the Portland Development Commission to have a privately
funded public boat house. It's going to open next fall and it is under the Hawthorne bridge.
Phil goes on to talk about plans to bring new revenue into Portland and
what type of economy Portland should work towards in the next ten years.
PB: It sounds trite at first but the film production industry. As crappy as "The Hunted" was it brought in 30 million dollars into the city. We are talking big money, Astoria still gets 30 people a month that come because of "Goonies."
SI: Are you promising us Goonies 2?
PB: (Ha ha ha) World cup soccer was a great idea last year, and that's new
revenue that comes in. I think that there should be an international cycling tour of the Willamette Valley. We have all the resources right here, and we have the cycling community. New York does it, Milwaukee and Wisconsin does it, we should be prime for one of the greatest cycling tours in the country. That's money, and it may not be a bulk of jobs but it's sexy, it's fun.
SI: That's the same reason people want baseball here, so that there is some excitement about the community.
PB: Right. We can accomplish that in other ways.
SI: We certainly don't want fucking baseball. Basketball is enough.
Phil speaks about partnerships between institutions. Jefferson High having
PCC students coming in and teaching, getting student teaching credit.
PB: Ethos, which is [a program] for music education, comes in and stop gaps in some of the music education. It makes Ethos more viable for grants, and it helps
release the burden on the schools. Those are the kind of partnerships I
think the city needs to do. This is kind of free stuff, and this is kind of "Pie in
the sky," but I think it's real, very real. We are one of the number one
cities in volunteerism. Why is the city not serving as the match maker,
the sort of Chuck Woolery of all this stuff. Let's bring the parties together.
SI: How have the Police responded to you?
PB: They loved the quiz I put together last month for Portland's most
rotten cop. Officer Jeff Meyer who took second, second to worst was at the
May Day demonstration this last weekend... I came up to him and I said
"Officer Meyer how are you doing?" (he knows who I am) and I said "How are
things going? Are you still harassing the Zoo Bombers? He sort of chuckled
a little bit. I've been very straight forward, with him and Commander Rosey
Sizer, who is the spokesperson for the police. She actually came up to me
and said "You know I saw you on channel eight today and I am very impressed." I said, "Does that mean I can count on your vote?" She said, "Of course not." I've been very straight forward with them, and I said I want cultural changes.
I think the benefit is that it would lessen friction between the community and the police, which is what I think they clearly want as well.
Phil expressed great concern about the Kendra James and James Jahar Perez shootings, and the way they were handled. His plan for dealing with these things is to support chief Foxworth and push for more training for officers, and community policing. He thinks every officer should be required to serve four hours of community service every month. The goal would be to integrate officers into the community, helping the community to understand the officer and the officer to understand the community.
SI: Who do you prefer, Sam Adams or Nick Fish in the race for City Council?
PB: Sam Adams. Sam Adams had to crawl out of a deep fucking hole to get my
endorsement. Four years ago I wrote an article about Vera Katz not paying
attention, or only paying attention to certain parts of the city. She's only paid attention to the Pearl district and PGE park. She's ignoring North Portland, N.E., and all these things. Sam Adams wrote me a letter asking, "What are you guys smoking over there at the Mercury blah blah blah blah?" That's the last thing we heard from the Mayor's office for two and a half years. 50-plus phone calls not returned. I was at the State of the City Address. The Tribune was reporting on one side, Oregonian was on the other side. The Press Security comes over and hands a cookie to the Tribune, walks around me, gives one to the Oregonian and I was like, "I want a cookie." Her response, "The Mercury doesn't get cookies from City Hall.
SI: Wow.
PB: My problem with that, is that it's arrogant. 'You criticize us, you don't exist.' So there's that attitude and some of the policies of Vera Katz, it's like, 'okay Sam Adams you've got a lot of fucking explaining to do,' and he has. He is a real genuine guy, and he's really nice, really down to earth. He has the eyes to see the problems that are affecting the community. In our endorsement interview I was really impressed by him.
Phil explains how Sam Adams' addresses the problem of people going into low-income areas, as occurs in North Portland. Such people buy up the property cheap, then turn around and selling it for more money. Phil quoted Sam Adams as saying "If we don't do something about this, it is going to ruin Portland in five years." Which leads to SI's next question.
SI: What can we do about gentrification?
PB: The Affordable Housing incentive would turn renters into owners. It would get rents over that first initial hurdle of providing the down payment for the house... As far as economic development there needs to be ownership incentive. North Mississippi... A bar, a brewery, 3 restaurants, a DVD shop they've all moved in. I know the owners of these stores, they are all friends of mine we all live in the neighborhood. The Fresh Pot guys live around the corner form there, and I mean that's awesome but they're all white.
SI: It's great yeah, and they hire all white people to work there.
PB: Yeah, and the problem is, if the City is willing to back ten-and-a-half
million dollar loans to Portland Center Stage then it should be willing to back loans to minorities. I don't think that's unreasonable. I mean, you're going to take a risk and you're going to show that you can actually create a neighborhood that's a business district that is ethnically diverse. There are empty store fronts left... I don't think it's absurd to say 'we will give you the loan but you have to take on a mentor to help you with whatever it is, marketing ...It's a strings attached loan but it would help develop a reality that will help you to stay there.
We discuss the South Waterfront development and the housing crunch for the
rich. Phil speaks of the organization and the different priorities in the City Council, and how ideas like affordable housing are there, but they do
not get pushed. He speaks of the lack of communication between City Council members. Some of the City Council members don't work together. Phil helped lobby for the reinvestment of the Affordable Housing Fund, which would give 30 million dollars to build low-income housing and affordable housing in all the neighborhoods. Phil's campaign received supportive responses back from three City Council members: Pamela Ericson, Randy Leonard and Dan Salzman.
PB: That's a majority right there. So I called them all and I said, "Do you
know you all support this?" and they hadn't even spoken to one another about it. I think the sentiment is there, the ideas are there, but the coalition is not there.
SI: What are you going to do about jobs?
PB: We need to rethink our economy, I know it's unpopular, but we need to think where are we going to be in ten years. We need to shift gears, we need to move towards another economic base.
SI: It's basically like lumber, you can only chop so much down and you're,
"What do we do now?"
PB: Yeah. Eugene did a great job 15 years ago. They realized the lumber
industry was going to collapse. They realized it's not sustainable so what
they did was they took Lane Community College and they provided computer
programing classes and retraining classes. Classes on how to become a
construction worker, or how to become a contractor. How do you take some
of the skills you have and expand on them?
SI: We all want better jobs.
PB: The priorities are all wrong here, the idea of moving big companies here is wrong.
SI: Yeah! Definitely! Here, here!
PB: You woo someone to come over to you to be your friend, how much do you
trust them to stay and not just go some where else? Big companies make the
economy too vulnerable. 85% of all the jobs in this city are with companies that provide employment for 20 employees and under. We need to support small business and we need to support them in a couple different ways. Streamlining the perfect process, stop nickel and diming the small businesses. Simple things, like a sandwich sign cost $35 a month in fees. It's stupid, instead of City Hall looking at small business as a vulture would look at it prey, they could say they aren't going to take 35 bucks from you, that money doesn't vanish it just doesn't go to City Hall, it goes to the city. We need case managers handle the processes of setting up small business, we need more support from the neighborhood associations. We need to break down the $100,000 into $5,200 block grants, give it to 50 companies with 20 or under employees to purchase a marketing plan, but
they have to buy it locally from a local advertiser. It will help them get off their feet, you've given $100,000 in grants to small business and you've given $100,000 into the local advertising market. You've also made 50 companies say, "Wow! City Hall Cares."
Phil talks about getting rid of the tax write-offs for big business. He
talks about City Hall's "bullshit, insulting" idea of building a Home
Depot on the east side off Burnside and MLK.
PB: How much faster can we bottom out our economy? Where are their headquarters? Arkansas or something like that?
SI: Probably right next to Wal-Mart's headquarters.
PB: Probably. I can't believe Vera Katz was publicly considering that idea.
SI: Yeah.
PB: For five years I've had a boycott against Starbucks. If I'm mayor and
I'm boycotting Starbucks that's huge.
SI: Hell yeah, ripple out.
PB: I only go to Fresh Pot, or Stumptown, or..
SI: Red and Black?
PB: Red and Black. I will only go to local coffee shops since I've boycotted Starbucks. Starbucks wouldn't be moving into the seven corners, or they might be, but people would be justified in their objections.
SI: It would at least be raising awareness, and that alone is what is
important.
Phil begins discussing the water prices and the project to deal with the
flooding of our sewers into the Willamette River.
PB: Why hasn't the mayor come out and said, "Hey you know what? You're
going to be paying $50 more a year on water, but someday you're going to
be able to swim in that river." I'll pay $50 bucks, I'd pay a hundred
dollars to be able to swim in that river. The mayor has not stepped up and
said the reason we are paying more money is a good thing.
SI: Not giving a big picture.
PB: Right, like the Multnomah tax. I'm damn near a socialist, but I was
kind of bummed out because I was wondering 'What is it going to be paying
for?' It would make it much easier to write that check if I knew what
this money was going to.
SI: There's some red tape out there that squanders it away. Hopefully some
bit of that money made it to people who need it. The education system is
definitely a foundation of criminal activity, there will be more criminal
activity in the future. People will have less interest and less of an idea
about what they can do to involve themselves with governing society.
SI: Who are you voting for in November?
PB: I imagine I am voting for Kerry, but I'm not that thrilled about it.
My hope was that Wesley Clark was going to make it through. Kerry's just
not, not.
Phil goes on to say he is big Bill Clinton fan, and that he worked on the '92
campaign. He likes Clinton's environmental record and the balancing of the budget.
SI: Are you a registered Democrat?
PB: I am a registered Democrat, but I am running as an independent.
SI: Who are you voting for in the primaries?
PB: I believe Kucinich.
SI: Good answer
Phil speaks about interviewing Nader and Dennis Kucinich. He thinks
Kucinich is too principled to be president, saying that we already have a
principled president, just one who is principled in a way we disagree
with.
SI: So why Wesley Clark?
PB: He's a really bright man, he could have clobbered Bush. His approach to global issues is what is needed now more than ever. We are fucked right
now globally in terms of what other countries think of us.
SI: Yes.
We ask Phil what the current mayor, Vera Katz, thinks of him.
PB...Vera Katz once walked up to me and called me a son of a bitch.
SI: We agree.
Salvation Inc. endorses Phil Busse for mayor of Portland.
When a collective of individuals come together to reach a consensus at all costs, according to Irving Janis, groupthink occurs. The striving for group unanimity overlooks and undermines the ability or motivation to realistically seek out alternative means of action. Examples of groupthink in recent history include such incidences as the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1962, and the Vietnam War in 1964. A more recent occurrence of groupthink started (officially) in 2000 when the Bush Administration began initialling efforts to invade Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power.
The first indication that groupthink is happening is the illusion of invulnerability. This is when a public, or private (amongst core members) presentation is made in which a plan appears to be foolproof. It appears nothing cannot go wrong in the methods needed to be taken, and that it is clear that victory is certain. Such a technique was spread throughout the public by the administration by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who promised the invading American troops would be “welcome[d]... with chocolates and flowers.” (Wolfowitz 2003) When the Pentagon came out with the war plan titled “Shock and Awe”, little was left to the imagination as to how easily this war would be won. Harlan Ullman, a “defense intellectualist” coined that phrase along with “rapid dominance” to refer to ways of winning a war. These methods of winning the war were adopted by Colin Powell (a former student of Ullman’s) & the Pentagon as a means to easily overtake Iraq. As they presented to the public through the complicit televised and newspapers, the war was going to be an easy, fast, and strong victory for America, and for “freedom”.
Another characteristic of groupthink is an unquestioned belief in the group’s morality. One doesn’t have to look very far nor deep to find that in the administration. When Bush spoke in his 2002 State of the Union address and labeled Iraq, North Korea, and Iran, “an axis of evil” (Bush, 2002), he wasn’t just referring to the opposite of good. Bush’s own Christian faith leads him to believe they are evil in a deeper, theological sense. The strong fundamentalism of this administration can easily be can be seen in the bills proposed and the laws signed by the president. Presented as an “evil-doer”, Saddam Hussein was working not for God & for goodness, but a darker side of pure evil. On a less philosophical level, but perhaps even more intense, any outspoken opposition to the war was simply labeled as “soft on terror.” When George Bush claimed “you are either with us, or you are with the terrorists” (Bush 2002), this went far beyond the idea of nationalism, and he accused and had the power to declare any dissenters as possible enemy combatants.
As the steps of groupthink proceed, the members become more and more closed-minded. The rationalization of actions is the next characteristic in groupthink. Whether it was based on faulty, forged, or unconfirmable information, the Bush administration continued over the course of months to speak out against Saddam Hussein and Iraq’s intense seeking, development, or hiding of various weapons of mass destruction. As each story which came out was eventually discredited (Niger’s yellow cake of uranium, hidden weapons in a rose garden) the administration scoffed at the idea that they were in the wrong. The story presented was that Hussein wasn’t being honest, wasn’t allowing inspections to proceed, (at this point at least three inspectors have come out against the notion that WMDs exist in Iraq. One of them, Scott Ritter, spoke out as early as the Clinton years.) that he was hiding something that would be found once troops came in. Still to this date, George Bush claims he’s waiting to see what is found regarding WMDs in the country.
A stereotyped view of your opponent is another way groupthink works within an organization. Saddam Hussein was presented to the public as an evil dictator of oppressed people who, once he was removed from power, would welcome the troops and the freedom of democracy. Using the loaded language of “terrorist”, the administration proclaimed Hussein was associated with terrorist organizations and possibly with allowing training camps to exist in Iraq. Even though this was never discovered, the talk quickly switched over to say that “he could have provided resources to terrorist if we didn’t invade.”
Conformity pressure occurs as a way to keep all members within the group in order. A clear example of the need to conform comes from the recent release of books by Paul O’Neill, Richard Clarke, and Bob Woodward. All cite examples of administrations strict policy on keeping a tightly run business. From in-house tactics which include preparing early in the day with certain talking points and phrases to keep the media (as lacking as they are) flat and homogenized. When attempting to sell the war, certain phrases were said by all major players in the administration & were reinforced through the media’s complicitness by lacking investigative journalistic qualities and playing the role of the White House mouthpiece. Internationally, the pressure to confirm came clearly when the opposition to the war came from several powerful nations. When France spoke out against not allowing more inspector time in Iraq, America went on a smear campaign against them and their “culture” (french fries retitled freedom fries on Air Force One,) The American people were told by Donald Rumsfeld that France and Germany were both a “problem” and then referred to them as “old Europe”, as opposed to the new Europe which supported US actions(Rumsfeld 2003). This pressure continued and developed into punishment when, post invasion, contracts to rebuild Iraq were offered only to those who helped in destroying the country.
Self-censorship, the quieting of dissent or disagreement as a means of creating an illusion of unanimity are two more parts of both groupthink and the Bush administration’s attempt to keep their eyes on the missiles and their minds on the oil. Reading Ken Auletta’s “Fortress Bush”, an excellent New Yorker article about the administration’s firm censorship from the press, it becomes clear that by keeping a strong distance from the press, the Bush administration keeps leaks, gossip, and even truth from escaping. Doing this makes them not only the most secretive administration of all time, but also creates the impression of unanimity. When officials leave, does truth reveal itself, as seem in both Clarke and O’Neill’s books.
The last characteristic of groupthink is the development of mindguards, protective members who keep contradictory information out of sight. The televised media, especially Fox News, can be called mindguards as they don’t broadcast any dissenting views or destructive information counterproductive to the war. Richard Clarke’s now famous memo from August 6th, 2001, which was labeled a “historical document” which proclaimed a terror attack was due to happen involving hijacking and terrorism, was kept out of the public eye until recently, and is still dismissed as nothing which could have prevented the attacks. This similar type of mindset carried over into the dealings with Iraq, both prior, and during the war. Information which proved that the Bush administration’s accusations were incorrect became ignored. Even post September eleventh, when both Donald Rumsfeld & Condoleezza Rice attempted to dig up connections between the attack and Iraq, it was evident that the administration had goals of war by any means necessary. When the media sits still during all of this and doesn’t challenge any of the tactics or false proclamations coming out of Washington, they too set a buffer up so that the rest of us are no longer given any ideas as to what is going on.
Under a frenzy of nationalism, we were sold a war (2 wars in fact) and allowed them to occur, even as the “proof” & “evidence” dissolved over time. The powers of this example of groupthink which started back in the Project for a New American Century in the 90’s, came to power in 2000 and were relentless in accomplishing their mission. Now, as we look and hear reports from the battlefield, (with a more critical ear than ever), we must question where we are being taken, where others are being led, and more importantly, why it had to happen this way. The Bush administration was set on invading Iraq, removing their leader, and providing “democracy” to the people. By not thinking that when Hussien was removed, there would be troubles with troop’s aggressiveness, corporate invasion of land and resources, and a strong resistance to an illegal occupation, the administration displayed the most recent and most deadly example of groupthink.
Sources:
Dodge, Toby 11/13/03. “Inventing Iraq: A Failed Experiment in Nation Building” http://www.lawac.org/speech/dodge%202004.htm
Chernus, Ira. 1/27/03. “Shock & Awe: Is Baghdad the Next Hiroshima?” http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0127-08.htm
Bush, George. 2002. “State of the union speech”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html
Auletta, Ken. 2003. “Fortress Bush”
http://www.newyorker.com/printable/?fact/040119fa_fact2
Goodman, Amy. 2004. The Exceptions to the Rulers-Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, & the Media That Love Them. Hyperion Books: New York
These pictures are a result of our occupation of Iraq. They speak for themselves. Click here.
Here are your candidates, you now have the beginging information needed to discover who best suits your vision of this city. There are no excuses now.
David (The Ack) Ackerman
Contact information:
5 SE 28th Ave #5, Portland, OR
503-380-7761
theack9@hotmail.com
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R. Jerry Adams, Ph.D.
Contact information:
4812 SE 28th Ave. No. 505, Portland 97202
503-307-6673
jadams@awesomlibrary.org
Website
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Lori Balkema
Contact information:
517 NE 78th Ave
Portland, OR 97213
503-256-2361
Website
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Michael Benkoski
Contract information:
2204 SE Tamarack Ave, Portland, OR 97214
mbenko5@yahoo.com
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Phil Busse
Contact information:
4734 N Mississippi, Portland, OR 97217
phone - (503) 249-0283
fax - (503) 294-0844
phil.busse@meformayor.com
Website
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Scot (Extremo The Clown) Campbell
Contact information:
4315 NE 42nd St, Portland, OR 97218
503-493-9156
extremo@extremotheclown.com
Website
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Jim Francesconi
Contact information:
950 Lloyd Center, Suite 71
Portland, OR 97232
503-233-4987
Jim@JimFrancesconiforMayor.com
Website
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Craig Gier
Contact information:
6821 SE Raymond Ct, Portland OR 97206
503-422-8532
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Bart Hanson
Contact information:
10715 SE Bush, Portland, OR 97266
Fax: (503) 652-8063
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Robert Ted Hinds
Contact information:
PO Box 17050, Portland, OR 97217-0050
503-285-3094
Hinds4Mayor@hotmail.com
Website
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Bruce W. Hollen
Contact information:
6409 SE 71st Ave
503-771-4751
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Lew Humble
Contact information:
8533 SE 17th Ave
Portland, Or 97202
503-231-2837
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Scott Ketchum
Contact information:
4832 NE Alberta Ct
Portland, OR 97218
503-282-7942
electScottKetchum@yahoo.com
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Rosalinda S. Mitchell
Contact information:
4204 SE 65th Avenue
Portland, Or 97206-3643
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Peter Nilsson
Contact information:
3336 NE Cadet
Portland, OR 97220
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Donald J. Pfau
Contact information:
PO Box 40721
Porltnad, OR 97240
503-255-3154
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James L. Posey
Contact information:
PO Box 4646
Portland, OR 97208
Phone: (503) 249-3808
Fax: (503) 249-3818
Website
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Tom Potter
Contact information:
PO Box 82473
Portland, OR 97282
503-233-7365
info@tomformayor.org
Website
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Jeffrey C. Rempfer
Contact information:
PO Box 20005, Portland, OR 97294
phone: 503-261-1600
fax: 503-252-2892
jeffrempfer@comcast.net
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Rozz Rezabek-Wright
Contact information:
4157 SE Ivon, Portland, OR 97202
503-997-3275
Rozz4Mayor@hotmail.com
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Jim (Spagg) Spagnola
Contact Information:
14124 SE Stark St
Portland, OR 97233
503-471-1645
js@teleport.cc
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Brad Taylor
Contact Information:
PO Box 11112
Portland, OR 97211
503-285-4916
brad@bradtaylorformayor.org
Website
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Jeff R. Taylor
Contact information:
8424 SW 22nd Ave
Portland, OR 97219
503-283-7611
jeff@123mayor.com
Website
Gone are the days of a mountainside or a field of grass. Our new beauty must embrace the works of man's labor and invention. For too long, artists have distanced themselves from the idea of a telephone wire's grace, or of a guardrail's strength and elegance. The new american landscape can no longer be ingored. If we accept all of it into our lives, we must do so in every way possible. In the future, Walmarts will be seen as modern cathedrals, with architecture so empowering and massive. Litter will be the poor man's delicate donation to the composition of the roadside masterpiece. The trees, unless burned, charred, or carved, will mean nothing to the new art. Lakes left unpolluted, filled with living beings, will be shunned from the canvas. We've got a long road ahead of us, and I think there is enough garbage and destruction to go around.
