March 29th, 2008 High temp: 44^o

March 29th, 2004 High temp: 78^o

The difference, 34^o, is the current temprature.

The lucky bidder for a Pie-in-the-face at the Oly UU dinner auction was Curtis Tanner.
His wife, Wendy, will be the recipient on Tuesday, April 1st. We're going to blame it on her boss.

Here are some remarks I intend to provide before participating in another fund-raising auction.

Lessee how it grabs you...

"This offering has been often misunderstood by a paranoid and litigious minority. It is not meant as an assault or insult -though I'll grant you that you might choose a recipient with whom you are currently disagreeing, but I guarantee that the pie will not help you win any arguments.

While my daughter and I were out walking this morning I came across this poster. If anybody is interested, it doesn't start until 10:30pm.

Many of you may have heard that two men were found dead at their camp on the west side of Olympia yesterday. I just had a conversation with Commander Tor Bjornstad of the OPD about this. He informed me that it was indeed a murder, and that three suspects had been arrested, two of whom have admitted to taking some part in the murders. Signs of blunt trauma were found on the bodies; the police and the coroner are trying to determine whether the men were killed and then burned in a possible cover-up attempt, or if they were burned alive. Commander Bjornstad said that they're pretty certain who the victims are, but are waiting for final confirmation from the coroner before releasing any names. At that point, they will attempt to notify next of kin.

This is an opportunity for us to have a serious conversation about camping and safety and community. I firmly believe that had these men been staying in a "legitimate" camp, with many others around them, this event would have never happened. We can look to Camp Quixote as a model for this. Time and again, across the country, it has been proven that giving people a space to exist and work together to help one another makes them safer and increases the chances of them getting into services and back on their feet, without huge amounts of taxpayer dollars. Having people scattered in the woods is dangerous, it makes them disposable, like these two men, whose memories will likely be blown away in the winds of the news cycle.

This is not the first time this kind of thing has happened in our community, nor the second or third. It has, does, and will continue to happen until we as a community decide to put a stop to it.

I propose that we find three or four plots of public land that we classify as campgrounds for those who need them. If we regulate it, much like we do Camp Quixote, we can keep a handle on health and safety concerns. There was recently an article that talked about camps being abandoned and trash being left behind. In an official campground, that would no longer be an issue because the community would take ownership and would police itself. This model has worked at Camp Quixote, and it can work again, with just a little help from the community, not in the form of tax dollars, but just a little time and empowerment.

By 1912 the Washington State Socialist Labor Party had become a permanent afterthought, even among Socialists. Some could argue that the Party had actually become a cult, centered around the personality of SLP guru Daniel De Leon, who died in 1914. Wanting to remain ideologically pure, the idea of making compromises and engaging in practical politics was repugnant to SLP leaders.

Yet, the Party persevered. You could still find them on the Washington State ballot as a gubernatorial option in my lifetime as voter. I always wondered why the heck I would have two or three Socialist splinter choices in the voting booth. I suppose in new movements what mainstream voters would think of as small details take on huge significance in 3rd parties-- Left, Right, or otherwise.

From Boing Boing Gadgets:

Tor Clausen makes these fantastic Musical Rumba Series tables in his Olympia, Washington studio, each one topped with interchangeable percussion instruments that lock into a flat grid. Prices start at $800 for a 2-by-2 configuration, but I say go for the gusto and get the 4-by-4 model for $2,900. If I were the sort of person who had friends over to play music and sing songs I'd order one in a heartbeat.

Here's an idea: