EDITOR’S NOTE: For those of you that misssed Watt’s guest column about Oregon’s outlawing of potlucks… here’s the link https://www.tillamookcountypioneer.net/guest-column-oregon-should-be-a-sanctuary-for-potlucks/ Here’s his latest – a letter to Governor Kotek, and if you’d…
Category: Guest Column
ASK A COMMISSIONER: How Do I Support Local Businesses and Stimulate the Economy?
By Mary Faith Bell, Tillamook County Commissioner Recently a constituent asked me on Facebook to provide examples of things I have done in my current term to stimulate the economy and support…
MANY THINGS CONSIDERED: The Bootlicking Will Continue Until Democracy Doesn’t
“How dismal it is to see present day Americans yearning for the very orthodoxy that their country was founded to escape.”― Christopher Hitchens By Marc C. Johnson The gauge the full extent…
BOOK REVIEW: For the Love of Men by Liz Plank
By Jim Heffernan A casual mention in a Bill McKibben article led me to this book. He was explaining the current insanity in the Middle East as a by-product of “petro masculinity”….
BUTCH’S BLOG: On The Road (with apologies to Jack Kerouac)
By Butch Freedman It’s good to get away; it’s even better to get back home. Bev and I returned yesterday from a trip to southern Mexico—Oaxaca, Puebla, and Mexico City were on…
I’ve been thinking … “An American Tune”
By Jim Heffernan I find it very strange that a song that came out in 1973 became an anthem for me somewhere around 2015. The song is “An American Tune” and it…
MANY THINGS CONSIDERED: The Rot Runs Deep, Very Deep
“We can have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of the few, but we can’t have both.” – Louis Brandeis By Marc C. Johnson…
THE SCOUT REPORT: Toxic Masculinity
By Jim Heffernan Finding truth is difficult. Contrasting messages swirl about continuously. Inspired by the book, “The Scout Mindset” by Julia Galef, I’ve volunteered to be a scout for the community. I…
A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE: I Was Wrong About Abortion
Sometimes Changing Your Mind Is the Principled Thing By State Representative Cyrus Javadi From the moment I first considered running for office in 2022 until now, I have been asked, now and…
MANY THINGS CONSIDERED: Remembering Gaylord Nelson
“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.” – Gaylord Nelson By Marc C. Johnson It’s Earth…