Support the Citizens of John Day, Oregon

I didn't write this, I just felt it was important enough to forward.

This week Grant County residents learned that the Aryan Nations is looking to relocate to their community. Idaho Aryan Nations leader Paul Mullet is trying to purchase local real estate for a training center in John Day, Oregon. Immediately, community members rose up and responded. Over 60 people attended a rally on the streets of John Day. Letters went into the paper. No Hate signs are appearing all over town. The local paper has committed to keeping residents updated via their website and have put together community meetings. Next step plans are being made.

Today John Day Mayor Bob Quinton spoke out on OPB against the hate group coming to town: http://news.opb.org/article/6797-aryan-nations-leader-still-interested-moving-john-day/

Human dignity leaders from across the state have been contacting ROP and Grant County leaders to find out what they can do to help. Let's grow the momentum and number of voices speaking out against this hate group. Former white supremacists have said that hate groups "test" a community by taking action and then seeing if anyone in the community responds. If they don't, they set up shop. Let us know back at cara@rop.org what action you take.

* Send a postcard to Mayor Bob Quinton thanking him for speaking out. Let's flood mailboxes with support.
Mayor Bob Quinton
City of John Day
450 East Main St
John Day, OR 97845

* Sent a letter to the editor to the Eagle- they will publish letters from other communities: Blue Mountain Eagle: circulation@bluemountaineagle.com.

* And as a ROP human dignity leader in Grant County suggests: send a solidarity letter to your own local paper. As she shares, "this could happen anywhere" so let's make sure communities all over the state go on record that hate is not welcome in our hometowns and our state.

Tomorrow (Friday Feb. 26th) there will be community meetings in Canyon City with two experts to help community members consider additional possible responses: Norman Gissel, a Coeur d'Alene attorney who was instrumental in the lawsuit that bankrupted the Aryan Nations under Richard Butler in 2000 and Tony Stewart, professor, author and secretary of the Kootenai County Task Force on Civil Rights, which was founded in 1981 to combat racist hate activity in Northern Idaho. The gatherings are from 9am-11am and 6-8pm. You can listen into the community forums by streaming live at www.bluemountaineagle.com.

Stay tuned to ROPnet for updates, or visit www.bluemountaineagle.com. See below for more articles and updates.
The Oregonian Opinion: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/02/white_supremacists_and_grant_c.html

Video of residents picketing hate group in John Day: http://www.bluemountaineagle.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=23125&SectionID=49&SubSectionID=177

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=321321702995

Hatewatch News from Southern Poverty Law Center: http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2010/02/25/White-Supremacist-Group/?ondntsrc=MBQ100270HTW&newsletter=HW022510

John Day (and neighboring Canyon City, the county seat) and Grant County are in remote East Central Oregon. Pull out your atlas.

A Zloty for Your Thoughts.

Hi everyone. I went to Poland last night.

It wasn’t really a vacation, as I went to watch Max compete with the Polish National In-line Skating Team. Max is amazing. Strap a pair of in-line skates on the furry little guy and he’ll do flips and spins and twists and all sorts of mind-boggling moves. He has become something of a national hero in Poland. They gave him a tickertape parade after the games.

I know, this begs some obvious questions. How does a cat of Mexican heritage (his maiden name is Ramirez) get a spot on the Polish National In-line Skating Team? Why is it downtown Warsaw looks amazingly like Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport? Exactly when did Prince Edward Island become an independent country and why didn’t anyone tell me? Does the Polish national anthem have words, or is really just something you purr along too?

We’ll probably never know the answers, but I am so proud of my little Max, I could just burst!

Two Communications: Opposing Opinions.

I ran into an old friend on the streets of Hood River the other day. It really hadn’t been that long since I’d seen Tom, but he commented, repeatedly during our conversation, about how old I was looking. My hair is greyer, my face more wrinkled, my step less spry, my mind deteriorating, my handshake less firm, my ears hairier, my bald spot larger, ad nauseum. The chat was a real upper for me. Needless to say, I trotted right down to our local elder-supply-store and stocked up on necessary items for the golden years.

When I got home, I had a message on a ‘social networking’ site of which I am a member. It was from Michelle, a 21 year old hottie from China, who thought (and I am blushing as I recall her note) that I seemed like a real handsome stud. I was the man of her dreams. She hoped I would contact her soon, because she knew that we would be great together. She had been looking for a man like me all her life. Michelle thought I was über sexy!

It should come as no surprise to you that after reading Michelle’s message, I was strutting around the house like a banty rooster. Damn, I have still got it. I’m so hot, I sizzle. Even a blue-eyed, buxom blond from China named Michelle could see that. There is no hiding my raw sensuality. I AM THE ICON OF LUST!

I’m sure there are down sides to being a sex-symbol. Marilyn Monroe would probably give me some pointers, if I pulled out my Ouija Board. But for now, I’m reveling in my hot-self. Go to hell, Tom.

Last Night's Thundering Herd

Are this morning's tuckered little varmints!

The Girl Scout Cookies Are Here!!!

Richard and I were near crisis mode: less than two pounds of candy in the house!

But the day has been saved!!!

Question du Jour.

I just had a little tizzy-fit with my bank. I won’t go into details, but let’s just say they made an error on a line of credit account that I have had since 1990. I called to get it rectified, spending 20 minutes on the phone. They did correct the error (and wrote off the subsequent fees). I canceled the line of credit.

As I was canceling the line of credit, I was told that it would hurt my credit rating. I have read this before. Canceling credit cards, lines of credit, etc… hurts your credit rating. (Please note: I haven’t used the line of credit since 1996. Also note that it costs me $50.00 per year, and I have another line of credit on my house.)

This begs the question. Why would some institution think that a dimwit who pays $50.00 per year for something he or she doesn’t use is more credit worthy than someone who doesn’t pay $50.00 per year for something he or she doesn’t use? It just seems like the opposite would be more logical.

Obviously, there is a reason I am not a banker.

Happy Fat Tuesday

Even Richard laughed out loud when he read this comic.
Click on the picture - you have to see it well to truly appreciate!

And From the Last Sibling Trip!

I finally put the bumper sticker on the bumper!

The Ultimate Sibling Trip.

Our planned sibling trip is due to begin in six weeks. When I say “planned”, I over-simplify reality. There are so many plans, that we could each do a different vacation and there would still be leftovers to donate to a thrift store. I give you a brief (and by ‘brief’, I mean ‘as brief as possible’) explanation of the current options on the table.



Plan A: The New Orleans Experience. This one is quite simple. We all fly to New Orleans and spend a few days in southern decadence. Sounds somewhat mundane, but if we get bored we could always start a barroom brawl in Dad’s honor.



Plan B: The Mississippi River Road Trip. We all meet in the Twin Cities and drive to New Orleans, combining a little southern decadence with a mad road trip. It’s quite a bit of driving (1,337 miles), so I doubt we would have time for the rumble at the tavern, but we would experience (in fleeting moments) much Americana.



Plan C1: The Deep South Drive-By. This one could be pretty cool. The sibs all jet- in to Atlanta, rent a car and drive to New Orleans. We could do so many different things: it’s an open canvas. And we’d be pretty much guaranteed to hit five states I’ve never set foot in before; Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and either Florida or Arkansas. This one is 473 miles.



Plan C2: The ‘Woo-Woo’ Seven States Mac Has Never Been In Before Extravaganza. See plan C1, but as we meet up in Charlotte, North Carolina, it would leave me with only three more states before I’ve hit ‘em all! (Hint for the geographically impaired: you add not only North Carolina, but also South Carolina!) And it is only 713 miles!



Plan C3: The Gulf Coast Holiday Plan: Spring Break on the Redneck Riviera. Fly to Orlando and drive to New Orleans. It’s really just plans C1 and C2 with a distinctive Gulf Coast twist (translation: only four new states) and hopefully thousands of college students who are as much of party animals as us siblings! Rack in 653 miles with this one.



Plan D1: In the Footsteps of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates – Geographical. Seven cities to explore: their museums and historical sites and the awesome parks dedicated in honor of these great historical events in these amazing localities. So much to see and do in Charleston and Freeport and Galesburg and Ottawa and Quincy and Jonesboro and Alton that I’m not really sure how we could squeeze it all in. But in this plan, we do it in a geographically logical order, allowing us more time to explore each trivial, little site. There is the distinct possibility that one of the sibs will start a fight in a bar, hoping to be thrown in jail, avoiding the balance of the trip. I really don’t know how many miles this one would be.



Plan D2: In the Footsteps of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates – Chronological. Okay, we still see the seven sites of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, but this time we do it in the order that the debates took place. Can’t you just picture us, criss-crossing across the great state of Illinois, singing Lincoln carols, in search of the next Lincoln monument or statue or plaque or log cabin or courthouse he practiced at or memorial or house or … Well, you get the picture. We can even work in a quick stop at the Southern Illinois Hospital for the Insane in Anna, Illinois for a mental hygiene check-up. I have no idea how many miles this one would burn up: it’s about the historical experience, reliving the past. This one can’t be measured in miles. (Like MasterCard always says, “It Ain’t About the Fucking Mileage, It’s About Defining What Is Important to You.)


Decisions must be made, and they must be made soon!

Sainte Bernadette

On February 11, 1858, Marie-Bernarde Soubirous received the first apparition of the Virgin Mary at the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, France.

This summer, I'll get my first vision of Lourdes.

I'm guessing that, as an unapologetic heathen, I shouldn't be expecting many miracles.

Top News Story of the Day!

Levi Johnston Bares All for Playgirl!


This would be friggin’ funny as hell if it weren’t so cheerless. Just a short time ago, he was almost just a heartbeat away from the entourage of the presidency. And now, he is reduced to posing nude for a magazine that doesn’t (in a real-time reality) exist anymore. (Apparently, they are bringing back the printed material in a quarterly format, and Levi will grace the re-premier cover.)

I have kept to a higher standard in my life. I have never been “in the buff” in one of those crude magazines. And I can prove it. I have the rejection letter from each and every single one of those sleazy publications, leaving no question as to my absolute innocence.

Mrs. Murphy

Standing sentinel in the kitchen: the world is as it should be.

Ripped from the headlines

(cbsnews.com to be exact.)

"LOS BANOS, Calif., Feb. 1. 2010

Dog Shoots Hunter

(CBS) A hunter is recovering from non-life threatening injuries after being shot by his dog on Saturday.

The Merced County Sheriff's Department said the 53-year-old man was hunting with a partner off Highway 152 near Los Banos when he set down his shotgun to retrieve his decoy ducks.

The shotgun was loaded but the safety was on, according to authorities.

The victim was about 15 yards away, retrieving his decoys, when his female black Labrador retriever stepped on the gun.

…"

Umm, Ralph, put the gun down.

Actually, I’m not worried about the dogs, but if Max every got his paws on a Gatling gun, you’d be reading about the massacre in the news.