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When I was a public defender, I was sometimes assigned to represent children in foster care. I think the child attorneys in Portland are good but in the other counties, the attorneys representing children just sign papers and show up for court. The Oregon State Bar has guidelines for representing children and that includes visiting the foster home and checking it out. I did get one child removed from their foster home after I discovered they kept missing school due to lice. The child was placed in a better home after that but it was really embarrassing to the caseworker who obviously was not checking on these details...like school attendance and cleanliness. I just figured they were dealing with abuse cases and not so interested in neglect. The child attorneys really have to be more assertive and be child advocates. That is my opinion. Thanks

posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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This is a strange way to deal with this story. There has been virtually no coverage by the press. The Oregonian in Portland, reprinted the first article written by the east oregonian. Since that time, I have seen nothing. You would think the people of Umatilla county live on Mars.

Furthermore, it appears that the East Oregonian does not know how to do an Oregon records request or a freedom of information act request. Here we are with an ELECTED official facing criminal charges and we basically know nothing. Besides all of that we don't have a DA who has been elected by the people of Pendleton now. Why hasn't the governor appointed someone local?

What a mess! Gushwa and his girlfriends made the court system out here look like a Kangaroo Court on Viagra.

Please ask the hard questions on your broadcast. Why hasn't the East Oregonian seriously investigated this case? How is it that our votes can be just cast aside by Salem? How is it that a moron like Gushwa got into office in the first place?

Thank you.

posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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I don't have all the answers. I was diagnosed with MS and chronic pain a few years ago. I went to see an Oregon MD who gave me a prescription for medical marijuana. It took my husband and I 3 years to figure out how to grow this. We knew no one who smoked marijuana. I am 53 and my husband is 70 years old. We live in a small town in eastern oregon.

Finally someone gave us a small plant and we started growing just enough. It took a whole season, of course to produce anything. We were determined to stay within the bounds of the law so we never bought on the black market.

Just as a side note...sometimes the amount seems like a lot to outsiders but if you are making tincture, like I am, you seem to need a lot.

Anyway, us old people, with no connections with the younger "pot heads' need dispensaries.

Thanks,

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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Hi my name is Renee and I am a public defender. I represented an offender a few years ago on his second sex crime. I looked at his old record and found that he never completed his court ordered treatment. He chose to do his jail time instead and then the powers that be just closed his file. Isn't there a way for the prosecutors to continue the requirement of treatment past the probation time...threaten the offender with contempt of court if they don't comply with treatment. Just fyi, I got him aquitted on his second time...guess he is off to number 3 now.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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