Scott posted some of his beautiful pictures from last weekend:
IMG_3720.jpg, originally uploaded by sweber4507.
IMG_4784.jpg, originally uploaded by sweber4507.
IMG_4790.jpg, originally uploaded by sweber4507.
IMG_4104, originally uploaded by sweber4507.
IMG_3390.jpg, originally uploaded by sweber4507.
 IMG_4287 Originally uploaded by sweber4507 |
 SeaLionsInNewport Originally uploaded by sweber4507 |
 CoastBridge Originally uploaded by sweber4507 |
 IMG_3730.jpg Originally uploaded by sweber4507 |
Scott, ma, and I continued our Memorial Day weekend tradition of spending the weekend at the coast. We stayed at the Trollers Lodge in Depoe Bay.
The forecast for the weekend was grey and possible showers, so we did not have hopes of a great weather. However, the weather was beautiful when we arrived. After lunch on the Newport Bayfront, we returned to Heceta Head State Park to catch the sunset. The sky was so grey when we arrived, we had doubts the sunset would be visible. However, there was an amazing break in the horizon just fifteen minutes from sunset.
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On Sunday, we had breakfast at the Sea Hag in Depoe Bay and then explored the tide pools at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area and Strawberry Hill Wayside. On the way back, we had a great dinner at Local Ocean Seafood on the Newport Bayfront. Scott and I then hiked the Newport jetty. The jetty started-off an easy walk on a gravel trail, but the gravel gradually turned into large rocks and then boulders. Although I wanted to finish the jetty, it seemed a little too dangerous and tiring.
Today, we watched the Depoe Bay Fleet of Flowers before heading back to Portland -- and the Spirit Mountain Casino buffet.
I'll post Scott's pictures as soon as they're up.
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Wow. I was going to post some poll numbers on the Clinton vs. Obama Oregon primary race, but I think the estimated 75 THOUSAND people who decided to spend hours standing in line on a hot, sunny day speaks for itself. I have never heard of such a large crowd in Portland before.
No, Scott and I didn't go to the rally. We thought about it, but we're not fond of the heat or the sun. Also, Scott has seen Obama a few times leaving the hotel across from his work. However, we did see the waiting lines for the park stretch all the way to the art museum -- about ten blocks from the Waterfront Park.
I certainly don't consider myself to be a political junky or political blog pundit. Most of my political decisions are dependant on organizations that share my values (Basic Rights Oregon, etc.), local print media endorsements (Willamette Week, etc.), and bloggers I occasionally read (Jack Bogdanski, BlueOregon, etc.). Posting even a small part of decision-making process has been very time consuming, but also helpful in my own way of thinking this through.
NOTE: Red text refers to a something I feel is negative such as a statement, endorsement, or organization.
OR CIRCUIT COURT, 4TH DIST., POSITION 38 LWV Portland: "Term: 6 years; Salary: $111,132" | ||||
| [X] Marilyn E. Litzenberger RE-ELECTED 98% (97K) OR Elections 05/21 16:58 | ||||
| Unopposed. Unless I hear of a reason not to, I always vote for the unopposed candidates. Simply getting one's name on the ballot should count for something. | ||||
OR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, MULTNOMAH COUNTY LWV Portland: "Term: 4 years; Salary: $144,000" |
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| [X] Michael Schrunk RE-ELECTED 98% (117K) OR Elections 05/21 16:58 |
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| Unopposed incumbent. For such a powerful office, it would be nice if voters had an option once in a while. | ||||
MULT CO. COMMISSIONER, DIST. NO. 1 LWV Portland: "Term: 4 years; Salary: $82,000" | ||||
| [_] Wes Soderback 7% (3K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Candidate's rambling website lists PACs and lobbyists that have "contacted" him, but not necessarily have endorsed him (i.e. Oregon Right to Life, NARAL OR Green Light, Basic Rights Oregon Equality PAC, The Oregon Family Council PAC). | |||
| [X] Deborah Kafoury ELECTED 87% (43K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
WWeek, Merc, BRO Green Light, Just Out, The O; OR AFSCME Local 88 (MultCo's largest union) endorsement, MultCo Comm. Jeff Cogen, NARAL OR Green Light, Portland City Comm. Randy Leonard, Portland City Comm. Erik Sten, Metro Pres. David Bragdon, US Rep. Darlene Hooley, OR Labor Comm. Dan Gardner, Rev. Chuck Currie, Amanda Fritz, Portland Firefighters Assn, fmr US Rep. Les AuCoin, fmr OR Rep. JoAnn Bowman, fmr OR Gov. John Kitzhaber, fmr OR Gov. Barbara Roberts | |||
| [_] Mark Newey 2% (2K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
(I have not been able to find his campaign website and he apparently has not responded to Just Out's query.) | |||
| Write-In: 0.4% (0.2K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections MultCo GOP: "no endorsement" (via BoJack) Kafoury seemed to be the only one real option. I couldn't find anything about Newey. I recognize Soderback's picture as having been in prior election voter guides, but I didn't see a reason to vote for him. | ||||
PORTLAND MAYOR LWV Portland: "Term: 4 years; Salary: $113,818" | ||||
| [_] Lew Humble 0.2% (0.3K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Oregon "Family" Council: Supports Restricting Abortion Except Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother: YES* (with qualification), Opposes Regulating Anti-Abortion "Pregnancy Resource Centers": YES* (with qualification), Supports One Man, One Woman Marriage: YES, Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES | |||
| [_] Kyle Burris 0.2% (0.3K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Apparently, a young homeless man who is running because "Portland is fucked." | |||
| [_] David (The Ack) Ackerman 0.8% (1K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Oregon "Family" Council: Supports Library Internet Porn Filter: YES* (with qualification), Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES* (with qualification) | |||
| [X] Sam Adams ELECTED NO RUNOFF 58% (104K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections 05/08-05/09 Portland Tribune-FOX 12: 40% | WWeek, Merc, BRO Endorsement, Just Out, The O, Trib, OR AFSCME 189, Rev. Chuck Currie, fmr Mayor Vera Katz (and honory campaign co-chair), MultCo Comm. Jeff Cogen, MultCo Comm. Lisa Naito, MultCo Comm. Maria Rojo de Steffey, US Rep. Peter Defazio, OR Labor Comm. Dan Gardner, OR Rep. Tina Kotek, fmr OR Gov. Barbara Roberts, Multnomah County Democrats, NARAL OR Green Light, Sierra Club OR, Marc Acito, Terrence Bean, Harold and Arlene Schnitzer | |||
| [_] Patricia Stuart 2% (4K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Campaign website is her MySpace page which does not have any blog entries.;Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes Regulating Anti-Abortion "Pregnancy Resource Centers": YES, Opposes Gorge Casino: YES, Opposes State Licensing of Private School Teachers: YES, Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES | |||
| [_] Bob Leonard Forthan 0.1% (0.1K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes State Licensing of Private School Teachers: YES* (with qualification) | |||
| [_] Steven Entwisle 0.1% (0.2K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
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| [_] Sho Dozono 33% (59K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections 05/08-05/09 Portland Tribune-FOX 12: 25% | BRO Green Light, Mayor Tom Potter, NARAL OR Green Light, fmr OR Gov. Victor Atiyeh, US Sen. Daniel Inouye (HI), MultCo GOP: "A man of proven leadership in increasing society's wealth. ..." (via BoJack) | |||
| [_] Christopher Rich 0.5% (0.8K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
MySpace campaign website., Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes Regulating Anti-Abortion "Pregnancy Resource Centers": YES, Opposes Gorge Casino: YES* (with qualification), Supports Library Internet Porn Filters: YES* (with qualification), Supports One Man, One Woman Marriage: YES, Opposes State Licensing of Private School Teachers: YES, Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES | |||
| [_] Craig Gier 0.1% (0.2K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
MySpace campaign website., Oregon "Family" Council: Supports Library Internet Porn Filters: YES, Opposes State Licensing of Private School Teachers: YES, Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES | |||
| [_] Beryle Sylvia McNair 0.3% (0.5K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
MySpace campaign blog has not been updated since February.; Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes Gorge Casino: YES, Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES | |||
| [_] Jeff Taylor 1% (2K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Campaign website is also his business website?, Oregon "Family" Council: Supports Restricting Abortion Except Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother: YES, Opposes Regulating Anti-Abortion "Pregnancy Resource Centers": YES, Opposes Gorge Casino: YES, Supports Library Internet Porn Filters: YES, Supports One Man, One Woman Marriage: YES, Opposes State Licensing of Private School Teachers: YES, Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES | |||
| [_] James Bernard Lee 0.8% (1K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Has a mac.com blog. | |||
| [_] (write-in) Sal Kadri Write-In: 0.3% (0.5K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections | BoJack | |||
| 05/08-05/09 Portland Tribune-FOX 12: Other: 8%, Don't Know: 27% Yes, as a gay guy, I have to admit that electing the city's first openly gay mayor appeals to me. However, I also having some reservations about Adams. Like his former boss, Mayor Katz, Adams seems to push the costly, attention-getting projects such as the streetcar, aerial tram, The only other mayoral candidate that seems remotely viable is Sho Dozono. I was hoping Sho's outsider campaign would be similar to Mayor Potter's successful challenge to 2004's assumed-next-mayor. However, Dozono's Voter-Owned Election scandal, Joint Terrorism Task Force position, and now his unpaid City rent scandal just don't work for me. | ||||
PORTLAND COMMISSIONER, POSITION NO. 1 LWV Portland: "Term: 4 years; Salary: $95,867" | ||||
| [_] John Branam 12% (17K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
BRO Green Light, NARAL OR Green Light; Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes Gorge Casino: YES, Supports Library Internet Porn Filters: YES* (with qualification), Opposes State Licensing of Private School Teachers: YES. | |||
| [_] Jeff Bissonnette 12% (17K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Merc, BRO Green Light, NARAL OR Green Light, Rev. Chuck Currie: "...my second choice..." | |||
| [_] Chris Smith 9% (13K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
BRO Green Light, NARAL OR Green Light | |||
| [_] Mike Fahey 10% (14K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
BRO Green Light, NARAL OR Green Light; Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes Regulating anti-abortion "Pregnancy Resource Centers": YES, Opposes State Licensing of Private School Teachers: YES | |||
| [X] Amanda Fritz RUN-OFF 42% (62K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
WWeek, BRO Green Light, Just Out, The O, NARAL OR Green Light, MultCo GOP (via BoJack) | |||
| [_] Charles Lewis RUN-OFF 12% (18K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
Rev. Chuck Currie, BoJack, BRO Green Light | |||
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Write-In: 0.4% (0.6K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections I'm mainly voting for Amanda Fritz because I'm familiar with her blog. I like how detailed she is the great job she has done acting as a watchdog. Hopefully, as an insider, she will not lose her ability to challenge status quo. | ||||
PORTLAND COMMISSIONER, POSITION NO. 2 LWV Portland: "Term: 4 years; Salary: $95,867" | ||||
| [_] Fred Stewart 6% (10K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections 2% 05/08-05/09 Portland Tribune-FOX 12 |
NARAL OR Green Light, Dave Lister | |||
| [X] Nick Fish 61% (90K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections ELECTED NO RUNOFF 28% 05/08-05/09 Portland Tribune-FOX 12 |
WWeek, BRO Green Light, Just Out, The O, BoJack, OR AFSCME 189, NARAL OR Green Light, Portland Comm. Randy Leonard, fmr Mayor Vera Katz | |||
| [_] Edward (Ed) Garren 4% (6K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections 1% 05/08-05/09 Portland Tribune-FOX 12 |
BRO Green Light, NARAL OR Green Light | |||
| [_] Jim Middaugh 21% (32K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections 10% 05/08-05/09 Portland Tribune-FOX 12 |
Merc, BRO Green Light, NARAL OR Green Light, Portland Comm. Erik Sten, Rev. Chuck Currie, US Rep. Peter DeFazio; | |||
| [_] Harold C. Williams Two 5% (7K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections 4% 05/08-05/09 Portland Tribune-FOX 12 |
Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes Gorge Casino: YES* (with qualification), Opposes Licensing of Private School Teachers: YES | |||
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0.4% (0.6K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections Don't Know 56% 05/08-05/09 Portland Tribune-FOX 12 MultCo GOP: "no endorsement" (via BoJack) You know, I can't really specifically identify why I'm voting for Nick Fish. All I remember was that I wanted to vote for him in a prior city election, but he was narrowly edged-out by another candidate. | ||||
PORTLAND COMMISSIONER, POSITION NO. 4 LWV Portland: "Term: 4 years; Salary: $95,867" | ||||
| [_] Edward Kill 4% (6K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
NARAL OR Green Light; Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes Gorge Casino: YES* (with qualification), Opposes Licensing of Private School Teachers: YES* (with qualification), | |||
| [_] Emily S. Ryan 11% (16K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
BRO Green Light | |||
| [X] Randy Leonard RE-ELECTED NO RUNOFF REQUIRED 71% (98K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
WWeek, Merc, Just Out, The O, BRO Green Light, NARAL OR Green Light | |||
| [_] Martha Perez 10% (14K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
BRO Green Light, NARAL OR Green Light; Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes Regulating anti-abortion "Pregnancy Resource Centers": YES* (with qualification), Supports Library Internet Porn Filters: YES* (with qualification), Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES* (with qualification) | |||
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0.8% (1K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections MultCo GOP: "withhold vote" (via BoJack) I see no reason to vote against the incumbent -- although I regret he didn't run for mayor. | ||||
METRO COUNCILOR, 5TH DIST. LWV Portland: "Term: 4 years; Salary: $37,044" | ||||
| [X] Rex Burkholder RE-ELECTED 98% (40K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
NARAL OR Green Light | |||
| [_] (write-in) Jack Bogdanski Write-In: 1% (0.4K) 05/21 15:53 MultCo Elections |
BoJack | |||
| MultCo GOP: "withhold votes" (via BoJack) Unopposed incumbent. | ||||
OR MEASURE 51 AMENDS CONSTITUTION ENABLES CRIME VICTIMS TO ENFORCE EXISTING CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IN PROSECUTIONS, DELINQUENCY PROCEEDINGS; AUTHORIZED IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION. | ||||
| [X] Yes PASSED 75% (724K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections |
WWeek, Merc, Trib, BoJack, creepy Nevada GOP donor Loren Parks (see 2002 WWeek article) gave $20K to committee (ORESTAR) | |||
| [_] No 24% (241K) 05/21 15:21 OR Elections |
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| ACLU OR: "Neutral" I don't really understand what these constitutional amendments do. They don't seem controversial and I have not found anyone that argues against them. Even the Portland Mercury endorses these amendments and the ACLU is not opposing them. | ||||
OR MEASURE 52 AMENDS CONSTITUTION ENABLES CRIME VICTIMS TO ENFORCE EXISTING CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IN PROSECUTIONS, DELINQUENCY PROCEEDINGS; AUTHORIZES IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION. | ||||
| [X] Yes PASSED 74% (708K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections | WWeek, Merc, Trib, BoJack | |||
| [_] No 25% (237K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections |
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| ACLU OR: "Neutral" | ||||
OR MEASURE 53 AMENDS CONSTITUTION MODIFIES PROVISIONS GOVERNING CIVIL FORFEITURES RELATED TO CRIMES; PERMITS USE OF PROCEEDS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. | ||||
| [X] Yes PASSED 50% (471K) 05/21 15:21 OR Elections | WWeek, Merc, Trib, BoJack | |||
| [_] No 49% (467K) 05/21 15:21 OR Elections | ||||
| ACLU OR: "Neutral" | ||||
DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRIMARY NOMINATIONS | ||||
US PRESIDENT (DEM) | ||||
| [_] Hillary Clinton PLEDGED DELEGATES: 21 of 52 DPO (via BlueOregon) 19 of 52 CNN estimate 22 of 52 DemConWatch estimate 40% (251K) 05/22 08:48 OR Elections 42% 05/16-05/18 SurveyUSA 38% 05/17-05/18 PPP 34% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune | OR Sen. & OR SOS candidate Vicki Walker, OR Sen. Ginny Burdick, MultCo Comm. Lonnie Roberts (!?! I assumed he was Republican.), MultCo Comm. Maria Rojo de Steffey Oregon "Family" Council: Supports Library Internet Porn Filters: YES, Supports One Man, One Woman Marriage: Yes OR SUPERDELEGATES:
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| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: [X] Barack Obama PLEDGED DELEGATES: 31 of 52 DPO (via BlueOregon) 29 of 52 CNN estimate 30 of 52 DemConWatch estimate 58% (360K) 05/22 08:48 OR Elections 55% 05/16-05/18 SurveyUSA 56% 05/17-05/18 PPP 51% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
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| Write-In Votes: 0.8% (5K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 05/16-05/18 SurveyUSA: Other: 2%, Undecided: 1% 05/17-05/18 PPP: Undecided 7% UNCOMMITTED OR SUPERDELEGATES (Democratic Convention Watch):
I've previously blogged a little about my Obama decision. Basically, I love both candidates and continue to hope they will share the same ticket. However, I favor Obama because of his positive and inspiring campaign speeches. Hillary's negative attack ads and pandering just don't work for me. | ||||
US SENATOR (DEM) LWV OR: "Represents Oregonians in U.S. Senate, Term: 6 Years, Salary: $169,300. Proposes and votes on new and revised federal laws. Votes on federal budget and taxes. Approves treaties with other nations. Confirms presidential appointments to certain offices. Helps Oregonians with problems with federal government." | ||||
| [_] Pavel Goberman 2% (11K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 1% 05/17-05/18 PPP 2% 05/01 SurveyUSA(3) 1% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
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| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: [_] Jeff Merkley NOMINATED 44% (236K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 33% 05/17-05/18 PPP 28% (Tie w/ Novick) 05/01 SurveyUSA(3) 21% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
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| [_] Roger S. Obrist 2% (12K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 1% 05/17-05/18 PPP 4% 05/01 SurveyUSA(3) 1% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
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| [_] David Loera 1% (5K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 1% 05/17-05/18 PPP 2% 05/01 SurveyUSA(3) 0% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
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| [_] Candy Neville 6% (36K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 6% 05/17-05/18 PPP 8% 05/01/2008 SurveyUSA Poll (via BlueOregon) 3% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
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| [X] Steve Novick 41% (221K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 38% 05/17-05/18 PPP 30% (Tie w/ Merkley) 05/01 SurveyUSA(3) 26% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
WWeek, Merc, The O, Trib, Rev. Chuck Currie, BoJack, fmr. Gov. John Kitzhaber, frm. US Rep. Les AuCoin, Portland Comm. Erik Sten, Portland Comm. Randy Leonard, OR Sen. Ginny Burdick, MultCo Comm. Jeff Cogen, MultCo Comm. Maria Rojo de Steffey, Metro Pres. David Bragdon, Metro Councilor Robert Liberty | |||
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0.4% (2K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 19% Undecided 05/17-05/18 PPP (3) via BlueOregon 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune: Don't Know 43% I admire that Novick started his campaign so early and had the foresight that Smith would be vulnerable this year. Like Hillary Clinton's campaign, I don't get Merkley's attack campaign. Why attack someone in your own party? I also disagreed with Merkley's criticism of Novick's blog and online comments. Polite, quiet, and timid Democrat senators are what allowed the Bush Jr. Administration to get away with so much. We need Democratic leaders that are willing to speak out and risk offending. | ||||
US REPRESENTATIVE (DEM) LWV OR: "Represents Oregonians in Congress; Term: 2 Years; Salary: $169,300; Proposes and votes on new and revised federal laws; Develops and votes on federal budget and taxes; Helps Oregonians with problems with federal government" | ||||
| [_] Will Hobbs 16% (18K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections |
WWeek, The O, "We must . . .institute a guest worker program . . ."(1), Oregon "Family" Council: Opposes Gorge Casino: YES* (with qualification), Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES* | |||
| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: [X] David Wu RE-NOMINATED 78% (86K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections |
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| [_] Mark Welyczko 5% (5K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections |
Oregon "Family" Council: Supports Library Internet Porn Filters: YES, Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES | |||
| Write-In: 0.2% (0.2K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections (1) Quote from OregonLive.com (WARNING: OregonLive's neato Voter Guide froze Internet Explorer 6 and 7 on two different computers.) | ||||
| Both The Oregonian and Willamette Week seem to endorse Hobbs as a protest vote against incumbent David Wu. They have some valid points. While I loved his Star Trek speech last year, he and the Democrat-controlled congress have not accomplished much or stopped the Bush, Jr. Administration. However, Hobbs' apparent endorsement of a guest worker program (i.e. non-citizen, non-invested, non-union, corporate-friendly, slave labor) doesn't work for me. I will vote for Wu and hope that he and his party can accomplish more with President Obama. | ||||
OR SECRETARY OF STATE (DEM) LWV OR: "Term: 4 years; Salary: $72,000; Head of elections, audits, and record keeping; Supervises all state and local elections; Audits accounts of all state boards, commissions, and agencies; Keeps state records and registers corporations and trademarks; Along with Governor and Treasurer, oversees management of state lands" | ||||
| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: [_] Kate Brown NOMINATED 51% (266K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 42% 05/17-05/18 PPP 23% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
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| [_] Rick Metsger 27% (140K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 19% 05/17-05/18 PPP 23% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
Trib, Oregon "Family" Council: Supports Personal Tax Kicker: YES** (position derived) | |||
| [X] Vicki L. Walker 17% (92K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 17% 05/17-05/18 PPP 12% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
WWeek, BoJack, OR Sen. Margaret Carter, Portland City Comm. Randy Leonard, Portland City Comm. Erik Sten In it's endorsement, Willamette Week acknowledges that Walker tipped-off the paper about the Goldschmidt sex scandal which the paper won an Pulitzer for. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would say her role in toppling a powerful and popular political figure may have played a role in her lack of some endorsements. Oddly, the Portland Mercury acknowledges Walker as "a fighter" and her "impressive" booklet about her idea for the office, but they hold these attributes against her. | |||
| [_] Paul Damian Wells 2% (13K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 1% 05/17-05/18 PPP 1% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
Apparently his website advocates something about election reform with a nifty animation, but I was too bored to figure out the point. | |||
| Write-In: 0.2% (1K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 20% 05/17-05/18 PPP Don't Know 41% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune As the second highest office in the state, the Secretary of State is a surprisingly low profile office. The Portland Tribune's endorsement of Metsger mentions that Walker has a reputation as having a "zeal" and a "fiery temperament" but also admits that "She is willing to take down anyone suspected of wrongdoing." Oddly, the qualities some papers have held against Walker seem to me the very qualities the Secretary of State should have. | ||||
OR STATE TREASURER (DEM) LWV OR: "Chief financial officer; Term: 4 years; Salary: $72,000; Manages investment of state monies; Manages the sale of state bonds; Along with Governor and Secretary of State, oversees management of state lands" | ||||
| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: [X] Ben Westlund NOMINATED 99% (391K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections |
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| Write-In: 0.8% (3K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections Unopposed. | ||||
OR ATTORNEY GENERAL (DEM) LWV OR: Lawyer for the state; Term: 4 years; Salary: $77,200; Head of the Oregon Department of Justice; Provides legal services to state boards, commissions, and agencies; Leads consumer protection, crime victim compensation, and organized crime investigation programs. | ||||
| [X] John R. Kroger NOMINATED 55% (272K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 42% 05/17-05/18 PPP 22% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
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| [_] Greg Macpherson 43% (214K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections 31% 05/17-05/18 PPP 26% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune |
WWeek, Just Out, The O, NARAL OR Endorsement, OR Attorney General Hardy Myers, OR Gov. & fmr OR Atty Gen. Ted Kulongoski, fmr. OR Gov. Barbara Roberts, US Rep. Darlene Hooley | |||
| Write-In: 0.2% (1K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections
28% Undecided 05/17-05/18 PPP 52% 05/08-05/10 FOX 12-Portland Tribune Like the Secretary of State's race, this was a difficult decision to make. However, I decided to vote for the candidate the 'outsider' candidate. The Oregon AG has been a little too quiet and that Kroger is proposing shaking-up the status quo. | ||||
OR SENATOR, 18TH DIST. (DEM) LWV Portland: "Term: 4 years; Salary: $19,884 | ||||
| [X] Ginny Burdick RE-NOMINATED 98% (16K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections |
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| Write-In: 1% (0.1K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections Surprisingly unopposed. I thought she would be politically weakened by her 2006 Portland City Council loss and bad press. Apparently, no local Dems were willing to take her on. OR AFSCME: "None" | ||||
OR REPRESENTATIVE, 36TH DIST. (DEM) LWV Portland: "Term: 2 years; Salary: $19,884" | ||||
| [X] Mary Nolan RE-NOMINATED 99% (10K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections |
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| Write-In: 0.7% (0.08K) 05/21 16:58 OR Elections Unopposed incumbent. | ||||
OR NONPARTISAN JUDICIARY | ||||
| Twenty-one positions, all unopposed incumbents. | ||||
UPDATE 19 (05/28/2008) Added Meredith Wood Smith's and Wayne Kinney's Obama endorsements.
UPDATE 18 (05/27/2008) Updated Presidential delegate and pledged delegate counts.
UPDATE 17 (05/22/2008) More Results
UPDATE 16 (05/21/2008 Results): Posted results
UPDATE 15 (05/19/2008 Election Eve): Added some poll numbers and Obama rally pics.
UPDATE 14 (05/14/2008): Added a few more notes this morning. This afternoon, I contacted Jim Middaugh regarding a position the Oregon "Family" Council said he had. Middaugh says he did not respond to OFC's questionnaire. I'm waiting for a response from the OFC.
UPDATE 13 (05/13/2008) REVISED: Added Oregon "Family" Council's voter guide results. Their right-wing voter guide doesn't endorse candidates, but lists candidates' stand on a bizarrely chosen range of issues. I added categories that the voter guide rated the candidate "Yes" or "Yes* (with qualification)".
- "LIFE: Supports Restricting Abortion Except Rape, Incest or Life of the Mother" Because a woman should only have control of her body if a male rapists, male sex-predator family member, or doctor allows it?
- "GAMBLING: Opposes Off-reservation Gorge Casino" Somehow a Gorge Casino allowing Native American businesses off 'the res' will harm families.
-"DECENCY: Supports Library Internet Pornography Filters": Because it's the government's job to censor internet content?
-"MARRIAGE: Supports One Man, One Woman Marriage" Notice this vaguely worded category does not necessarily mean a candidates supports a anti-gay constitutional amendment or opposes civil unions or domestic partnerships.
- "RELIGION: Supports Religious Exemptions for Purposes of Faith & Conscience" I decided to leave out this category. It's vaguely defined and I'm not sure what the point of this category is. Isn't everyone pro-church/state seperation?
- "EDUCATION: Opposes State Licensing of Private School Teachers" WHAT!? They WANT private school teachers to be unlicensed?
- "TAXES: Supports Reducing Taxes" or "KICKER: Supports Personal Tax Kicker" Because deficit spending and ransacking the Social Security is moral?
UPDATE 12 (05/09/2008): Added US Rep. Defazio's Obama endorsement.
UPDATE 11: Added Multnomah County Republican Party endorsements. LOL!
UPDATE 10: DONE! Decided on last two votes: Sec. of State and AG.
UPDATE 9: Added pretty tables.
UPDATE 8: Decided in favor of unopposed and incumbent candidates.
UPDATE 7: Decided on US Rep.
UPDATE 6: Added more union and Rev. Currie endorsements and decided ballot measures.
UPDATE 5: Added The Oregonian and Jack Bogdanski endorsements
UPDATE 4: Added NARAL endorsements, candidate website links, and endorsements I find interesting.
UPDATE 3: Revised Portland Mayor.
UPDATE 2: Added Just Out's endorsements.
UPDATE 1: Revised MultCo Commissioner, Dist. No. 1.
Scott and I took mom to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden on Sunday. Here are some of Scott's pics:
IMG_3241, originally uploaded by sweber4507.
IMG_3014, originally uploaded by sweber4507.
IMG_3209, originally uploaded by sweber4507.
 IMG_3145 Originally uploaded by sweber4507 |
 IMG_3114 Originally uploaded by sweber4507 |
 IMG_3238 Originally uploaded by sweber4507 |
Scott discovered this somewhat phallic "BJ" teddy bear light switch in the house Jason and Paula bought. The prior owners not only decorated all of this bedroom's walls in a teddy bear theme, they even carved into the 90+ year-old door frame to make room for this beautiful light switch.
paranoid park, originally uploaded by wweek.media.
Paranoid Park trailer
by ifcfilms
Sheena invited me to see Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park with one of her Jackies on Saturday. We saw a Saturday afternoon matinee at the old Laurelhurst Theater. We were not the only people with plans to escape the day's heat. The theater was surprisingly packed.
It was fun to see Portland featured in a movie -- although any urban area could have served as the setting. Van Sant did capture the feeling of Downtown Portland. I think many Portlander's are proud of the Burnside Skatepark's lore and yet I suspect most people (including myself) are too uncomfortable (and maybe even scared) to visit -- just like the main character in the movie.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but it's definitely a art house movie with mostly long scenes scenes with close-ups on faces. It did capture the city's gray mood and some of the melancholy of high school life.
Last month, I complained that Starbucks should not have censored the cartoon breasts in its retro-branding of their original logo. Well, apparently Starbucks was right to be concerned. At least one fringe Christianist group thinks even the censored version is inappropriate and has called for a boycot (sic):
. . . Starbucks has recently introduced a new version of their logo which features a topless mermaid with her legs spread, which has caused outrage from a nation wide Christian media watchdog organization. The Resistance . . . is boycotting Starbucks across the country saying their new logo is inappropriate.
“The Starbucks logo has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute,” explains Mark Dice, founder of the group. “Need I say more? It’s extremely poor taste, and the company might as well call themselves, Slutbucks.” . . .
Apparently, the fringe group, The Resistance, is led by Mark Dice (formerly known as John Conner) who has authored and is selling a 9-11/New World Order/AntiChrist conspiracy book. Although even with all of the media attention, Dice's group doesn’t seem to be making much money off the publicity stunt. His chipin.com fundraising widget shows that $7 has been raised — far from the $1,000 goal (but enough for a Starbucks venti vanilla soy latte).
Of course, like nearly all fringe right-wing website, their website also had an obligatory Ron Paul 2008 banner ad.
(Hat tip: City Business Church)
I admit it. I love looking at what "they" think. You know, the anti-gay, politically/socially conservative Christianists extremists. And yet they're a little hard to find on the internet. The infamous Oregon Citizens Alliance disappeared since its peak in the 1990s when it managed to get Sen. John McCain to speak at its fundraiser. The Oregon Christian Coalition no longer maintains its domain, coalition.org, (see: archive.org) since its leader fled the country after child sex abuse allegations.
Even active right-wing groups don't seem to maintain their websites that often. Oregon Right To Life doesn't mention anything about the 2008 election and the Multnomah County Republicans only recently figured out how to post their endorsements (after blogger BoJack posted their endorsements apparently out of pity). I was even more suprised that the Oregon Family Council which successfully passed the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment in 2004 did not have a voter's guide up when the ballots were mailed out last week. Instead, they require voters to request a copy to be mailed (?!?). Maybe they plan on selling the mailing list?.
Maybe Karl Rove is right. Maybe political and social conservatives are only motivated to vote when there is an anti-gay issue to vote for. Apparently, opposing gay people is the only issue that unites conservatives. Certainly, helping the sick, the poor, the vulnerable, and fighting for peace don't seem to motivate supposedly "Christian values" voters.
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* 05/15/2008 REVISED grammar, typos, and added a sentence.
Film Title: Baby Mama, originally uploaded by wweek.media.
Scott and I saw Baby Mama yesterday after we were rained-out of taking mom to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.
We love Tina Fey's 30 Rock and Baby Mama had many of Fey's self-depreciating humor. However, the movie's pace was slower and the laughs fewer than 30 Rock. Worse, many of the best laughs were leaked in the previews and clips. That's not to say the movie is not enjoyable. It's almost as cute and sentimental as The 40 Year Old Virgin or Juno
It's a little unfair to compare a 99-minute movie against a 20-minute sitcom in laughs-per-minute, but they have many similar themes -- especially since 30 Rock's season finale Thursday dealt with pregnancy of Fey's character. Both Tina Fey's movie and TV show are about a successful executive in a demanding career dealing with an egocentric boss and eccentric people while seemingly mismanaging her personal life.
Tina Fey seems to be this decade's Murphy Brown -- just a little less political. What's interesting is that almost 16 years since Dan Quale's infamous "Murphy Brown speech", there has not been any social conservative outcry about the "poverty of values" of unwed mothers choosing to have babies. In fact, now that paternity tests and mixed families have become so commonly seen in the media, a woman consciously choosing to have a child is almost quaint.
(Hat Tip: Mercury)
Like people, some cats enjoy a little exercise:
. . . and others are smarter than that . . .
Scott took another beautiful Portland skyline picture last night. The colors are amazing:
IMG_2345.jpg, originally uploaded by sweber4507.
On his Netflix account, Scott discovered that Netflix thinks Mel Gibson's gory The Passion of the Christ is a great introduction to VeggieTales: Duke and the Great Pie War:
More surprising, Scott enjoyed crazy-Gibson's creepy movie.
