In handling some communications between the 31st LD Democrats and members of our community, I have recently been confronted with an in interesting problem: fallout from the recent “split” in the Democratic party. You know which split I’m referring to: the DNC email scandal, and the national party’s apparent attempts…
Several weeks after the 2016 elections while I was still fuming and literally wearing “war-paint,” I decided to take action beyond ranting on my personal FB page. A friend had texted me a link to a sloppy-looking Googledocs manifesto called the Indivisible Guide, co-authored by a group of former DC…
For those of us living in the 31st District, Town Halls offer an important way to connect with our state legislators. Republican, Democrat, Independent or unaffiliated, it is critical in this day and age that we reach out to our representatives at all levels and ensure that our voices are…
I’m Supporting the Moratorium on Coal Leases When I ran for State Representative in 2012, I walked downtown Auburn neighborhoods with a petition calling on Washington State leaders to deny permitting of coal export terminals. The folks who signed the petition agreed that increased coal train traffic through our city…
Pushing ‘right-to-work,’ other attacks ALEC-inspired bills to undermine public employee unions and promote their decertification are being heard Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee chaired by Sen. Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane): SB 5226, sponsored by Sen. Randi Becker (R-Eatonville), would create new administrative reporting burdens for…
The Solar Extension bill HB 2346 is alive and is now in the Senate. It supports the Solar industry in Washington state by helping to make an installation more affordable up front. The Bill will have a committee (Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee) hearing on Wednesday, February 24.…
My bedroom window overlooks the Auburn valley where the BNSF rail yard is sited. I often hear them switching the trains at night. If you’ve ever heard a mile-long train change direction, you’d remember the sound: a long, low boom. I’m worried that one day soon, I might hear an…
Every one of us in the Western world has contributed to climate change. – Bill McKibben Recently, I organized a couple of events with the goal of showing people how their choices and actions can make a real difference in the effort to end our dependence on fossil fuels like…
By Bonnie Azab Powell, NewsCenter 27 October 2003 [George P. Lakoff is an American cognitive linguist, best known for his thesis that our choices are significantly influenced by the central metaphors we use to explain complex phenomena. For more from Lakoff, look at his most recent book (2012) The Little…
