2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session 2013 special election arts arts and culture author ballot measures bomb books budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration international internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal portland mayor president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes television terrorism theater third parties timber payments transportation union university of oregon violence washington water wildfire women

Oregon's parks, watersheds, and wildlife resources are integral to our state's livability and quality of life. I hope voters won't think this election provides an either/or situation between parks & schools  - we need both! And there's no certainty that taking the lottery money away from parks would automatically give it to the schools. My husband and I will both vote FOR Measure 76.

And of course campaigns should be publicly funded!

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

I turned 21 at Vortex I, having hitchhiked out from Portland. There was a solid line of traffic from about where Clackamas Town Center is now all the way to McIver Park. It was our own Oregon Woodstock except that it was free and there was free food (macrobiotic brown rice and vegetables).  My brother and I were also members of the Peoples Army Jamboree, and our apartment was registered "crash pad" as were a lot of other houses in Portland. We were later evicted from that apartment. (Some of my friends said I had "sold out" because I went to Vortex rather than confront the American Legion in the streets, which I had been fully prepared to do until I realized that everybody else in the world was at McIver Park.)  My parents owned a farm right on Springwater Highway so everybody had to pass by to and from the park. They were amazed at seeing thousands of hippies in our small farming neighborhood. The festival was amazing! Yes there was skinny dipping, and yes there was pot smoking, but everything was so laid back, and  everybody shared everything; there was a medical tent; there were announcements from the stage to "not take the brown acid;" the music was phenomenal - it was the first time I had ever heard Charlie Musselwhite and I've never forgotten it. Out of a host of great ideas that Tom McCall had, Vortex I was one of the best.  

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
view in context