When: Tomorrow, Monday October 6, 2008 from 11 to 1 (or 2)
Where: State Capitol Legislative Building Steps (North side of building)

The No LNG workshop at Traditions earlier tonight was informative. I learned that there are a number of good reasons to be opposed to a proposed LNG terminal on the banks of the Columbia River in Southern Washington State. The composition of the opposition is grass roots; it's a coalition of local stake-holders who would be affected by the Bradford Landing liquid natural gas terminal, as well as advocates for environmental justice.

Tomorrow's rally will call on Governor Gregoire to assist the peoples' opposition to this unnecessary and environmentally harmful project. The office of the Governor has made noises about even going so far as suing to stop the Houston based NorthernStar Energy Group's efforts to develop LNG terminals and pipelines - given the lack of appropriate state level input, environmental review, and oversight. The proposal has thus far been pushed and ferried through under authority of the 5 person Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), although one member of the Bush Administration appointed commission, Jon Wellinghoff, who is also the only one to have met with concerned stake-holders, has written a powerful and substantive dissent of the FERC position (to permit) the NorthernStar LNG endeavors. Find out more about that at tomorrow's rally! (More detailed information is available on the FERC website, as well.)

Jay Manning from the Dep. of Ecology will be among the speakers. There will be important information about what exactly is going down with proposals for pipelines and shipping terminals, the natural gas market, and the dangers and environmental pitfalls of the LNG trade.

No to global warming! No to LNG! Yes to renewable/sustainable energy! Yes to a better tomorrow!

More information: No LNG [http://nolng.net/]

[correction: It's the "NorthernStar Natural Gas" Energy Group that has proposed the Bradwood Landing LNG Terminal and associated pipelines, not the "Northstar Energy Group", as previously stated above, article amended to reflect correction.

Also for more information please see: River Vision: Renewable Energy Sources, Columbia River Vision.]

The 1900 statewide election was a Republican sweep in Washington. With one exception. Governor Frink was not to be.

John Melancthan Frink was born January 21, 1845 in Montrose, Penn. Descended from Huguenots, Frink's father was a Baptist preacher. The family moved to Madison County, N.Y. when John was young. In 1858 the Frinks moved to Hiawatha, Kansas. After his father died in 1861, John found himself being the substitute patriarch as the oldest of eight children.

His subsequent struggle could be right out of Horatio Alger. He worked hard as a farm laborer to help support the family. He had a brief military stint in 1863, serving in the 22nd Regiment of Home Guards-- not to fight Confederates but to fight Indians. He managed to scrape up enough money and find time to attend college in Topeka for a year, gaining credentials for becoming a teacher. In 1874, leaving the family in the care of the next brother, John set out to see the West. His first stop in San Francisco did not last long. On his way to check out Alaska he stopped in Seattle. And stayed.

At first he performed odd jobs such as working in a coal bunker and carpentry. Eventually he started work in the public schools, "and for four years served as principal in the leading schools of North Seattle and Port Gamble."