November 3, 2009, 7:41 pm 36 comments in the last 7 days.
Tax Policy: History & Ethics of Taxation .

Taxes are a source of perennial angst for most citizens. Most people believe that they are being taxed unfairly, and most of them are probably right. Historically, taxation has frequently been a source of injustice. In European history, the landless population, who were treated as slaves, paid taxes in the form of produce from the land to lords, monarchs, and the church. This system was kept in place through brutal repression, enforced illiteracy and cultural destruction. Conscription of the male population for various wars, which was another form of taxation, was a convenient way of culling the population and eliminating any potential resistance before it could start.

November 2, 2009, 3:21 pm 22 comments in the last 7 days.
Jack Herer: A Man Well-Loved is Saved Again.

For over 30 years, Jack Herer has been the inexhaustible guru of the hemp movement. Many people have expressed their deep concern for Jack's well-being since his heart attack in mid-September, at an Oregon hemp festival. Sunday night, Jack Herer was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Eugene from the rehabilitation center where he has been receiving care. His breathing became more distressed throughout the afternoon, and finally he was rushed to the Emergency Room.

November 3, 2009, 1:01 pm 17 comments in the last 7 days.
First-Ever Cannabis Cafe to Open in Portland for Medical Marijuana Patients.

The hippest joint in town, Rumpspankers, is Oregon NORML's Cannabis Café set to kick off next Friday at exactly 4:20 p.m. The special cafe for members only is an innovative gathering place for the medical cannabis community, brought to fruition by Oregon NORML, the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws. Madeline Martinez, Executive Director of Oregon NORML, says this cafe will fill a void that so many patients feel in their lives.

November 1, 2009, 7:10 pm 14 comments in the last 7 days.
Wingnut of the Week: Liz Cheney, How Dare You?.

When dead American soldiers were brought back in secret, in shame, it was at the orders of Vice President Cheney. Cheney planned the Iraq invasion even before the election and well before 9/11. The Cheney's testimony before the 9/11 Commission is filled with things like, "We never thought anyone would attack America, we knew nothing, nothing, nothing....never expected anything at all."

October 29, 2009, 7:50 am 11 comments in the last 7 days.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Progress Encouraging.

CEA Chair Christina Romer says data released today by the Commerce Department show that real GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of the year. "This is in stark contrast to the decline of 6.4 percent annual rate just two quarters ago. Indeed, the two-quarter swing in the rate of growth of 9.9 percentage points was the largest since 1980."

November 3, 2009, 8:50 pm 10 comments in the last 7 days.
Maine Votes 'Yes' on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries.

In a landmark vote, Maine voters today approved Question 5, making the state the third in the country to license nonprofit organizations to provide medical marijuana to qualified patients and the first ever to do so by a vote of the people. With 49 percent of the vote tallied, the measure was cruising to an easy win with 60.2 percent voting “yes” and 39.8 percent voting “no.”

November 1, 2009, 6:33 pm 9 comments in the last 7 days.
Op Ed: Reason-Assaulted Abandons Rationality Threatens Consensus .

Democracy demands consensus supported by the majority. Without consensus, support surely and certainly slips away, sooner or later. Consensus is the overwhelming consequence of the “conversation at the heart of democracy,” as John Dewey, famous American educator/philosopher, has declared. ANY such “essential conversation” must depend on rational, reasonable, factual sources.

November 5, 2009, 2:29 pm 6 comments in the last 7 days.
12 U.S. Soldiers Reportedly Shot Dead in Ft. Hood, Texas.

News sources are reporting that at least twelve American soldiers are dead and as many as 31 are wounded following a shooting spree at the Fort Hood Army Base in Texas. Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said during a televised press conference, that the shooter is among the dead. It is further reported that two other soldiers are reportedly being held as suspects.

November 1, 2009, 11:53 pm 6 comments in the last 7 days.
Oregonians 'Give Back' in Record Numbers (AUDIO).

The unemployment rate in Oregon may be high, but so is the rate of volunteerism. In the last year, about one million Oregonians contributed more than 120 million hours of their time for charitable and community service projects. In this economy, you might assume people would pass up working for free, to look for paying jobs, but Bandana Shreftha, director of community engagement for AARP Oregon, says that hasn't been the case.

November 2, 2009, 2:11 pm 6 comments in the last 7 days.
Protecting Our Children in a World Gone Mad.

When I spent a year teaching 6-8 grade students in Detroit, Michigan, I had hoped that with my high ideals, I could influence the children to become thinkers, perhaps even sway them towards a Godly life. But I found a tragic situation. American children of today are seriously brain damaged from computer games, TV, movies and pop music.