Occupy Corvallis
OccupyOSU
OccupyAlbany

Portland-based medical provider Outside In faces a serious cut in their revolutionary syringe exchange program, thanks to a drop in federal funding. The ever-rocky annual funding of this 23-year-old program depends on both the federal, county and city support. This year, the program barely sneaked by with a last minute allocation of $65,000 in one-time cash from the mayor's office.

In 1988, the federal government cemented a ban on any federal funding for needle exchanges, seeing it as a contradiction of its zero-tolerance policy for drug use. However, in 2009, President Obama overturned this ban, welcoming support of these statewide programs despite disapproving grumbles. Now, Obama has revoked this decision in legislation that also cut federal funding of low-income abortions in Washington, D.C. "The product of a tough negotiation," according to White House spokesman Adam Abrams.

To understand the local repercussions of this loss, [the Portland Mercury] spoke with Outside In Executive Director Kathy Oliver.

Mercury: What portion of your annual funding relies on federal support?

Oliver: A very small portion, we get a total of $190 thousand from the city and county together and about a little more than $6 thousand from federal funds. The issue is not that it has a huge impact on our funding, but it's a huge step back in public policy.

Mercury: Do you think this cut is in relation to the stigma surrounding syringe programs, or solely a budgetary issue?

Oliver: It definitely feels like a political move. Unfortunately the federal governments no tolerance to drugs policy extends to drug users as well.

Mercury: How do you think our country can break this stigma?

Oliver: It's going to take a lot more education. We need people to understand that needle exchange programs are a bridge to treatment, not just a quick fix.

Mercury: Although the money isn't the main issue, what does this cut mean for the syringe exchange program financially?

Oliver: I think the major impact is not so much that we'll be turning people away, but that local funding is absolutely essential now, not just helpful. The fact that the city money was given to us this current year as one-time only makes me nervous. There needs to be a stable source.Mercury: Do you see the negative national take on syringe exchange in Multnomah County as well?

Oliver:No, it's more a national thing. The county has been a huge supporter, they totally get the public health aspect. And the city too, especially when it comes to public safety. We've been really fortunate. Portland's been great, we just need that support.

Mercury: What's next in securing local funding for the upcoming year?

Oliver: I've scheduled a meeting with the mayor to talk about our budget, hopefully that will set us in the right direction!

Congress is on the verge of handing the entertainment lobby sweeping, unprecedented control over how we use the Internet, which could have devastating consequences for our ability to communicate freely and without fear of reprisal.

Pending federal legislation would force nearly every domestic website to engage in a tremendous degree of self-censorship to ensure it won’t be subject to serious legal and financial liability. Any website featuring user-generated content—think YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, not to mention the user comment sections of blogs, news sites, and commercial/retail sites like Amazon—would be forced to scrutinize every last post to ensure that none contain links to vaguely-defined, so-called foreign “rogue” sites that may fall afoul of US copyright law.

The unjustifiable repercussions of self-censorship, for both content producers and content consumers, strikes at the root of ColorOfChange's purpose—to amplify those voices historically marginalized by the powers that be. Black Americans’ effective and powerful history of organizing—and our victories in gaining freedoms, rights and respect—has always been dependent on our ability to use the latest technology to share information and communicate with each other. Today, maintaining an open Internet is critical to protecting and building on the progress we’ve made—our ability to compete on a level playing field and have our voices heard on the Internet is unmatched in any other media platform.

The entertainment lobby's overbroad Internet policing scheme elevates corporate interests over freedom of expression, and is an immediate threat to Black folks’ full participation in civic, social, and cultural life. Please join us in urging Congress to block any bill that suppresses our voices online.Under the threat of prohibitively expensive legal action, suspension of incoming advertising and donation revenue, and removal from all search engine results, websites run by independent bloggers and journalists, artists, activists, and entrepreneurs without deep pockets will likely have to close up shop if they're caught hosting a stray—or even maliciously-placed—"rogue" link. The ubiquity of user-generated content on the Internet is such that corporate bloodhounds could effectively target almost anyone they want, because almost any website could be found to be technically in violation of this wildly over-broad legislation. For the same reason, the very existence of sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, which rely wholly on—and host millions of pages of—user-generated content, is under direct attack.

The notion of creating an all-powerful Internet content policing mechanism is menacing enough, but it is incredible that our elected officials would consider handing such authority over to corporations, which have no regard for our most basic and hard-fought rights. Ostensibly designed to stop online piracy by websites located outside the United States, the legislation under consideration actually goes about cutting off access to foreign pirate websites by putting the squeeze on innocent US-based intermediaries. Forcing everybody else do the entertainment lobby’s dirty work for them would rope US-based website administrators into law enforcement to an unprecedented degree and give corporate entities exceptional power to chill public debate and expression without regard for due process.

While the two related bills at issue—the PROTECT IP Act (or PIPA) in the Senate, and Stop Online Piracy Act (or SOPA) in the House—would have a devastating effect on our ability to communicate and express ourselves on the web, you aren’t alone if this is the first you’re hearing about them. Though this legislation has been in play since May 2011, as of this past weekend precisely one segment on the subject had been aired on any of the network or cable news outlets in prime time.This media blackout isn’t happening by accident—of the six enormous conglomerates that control 90 percent of all American media, every last one is lobbying in support of these bills.,

After a powerful outcry from the likes of Internet behemoths Google, Facebook, Wikipedia, Craigslist, Reddit, and Wordpress, the sponsors of both SOPA and PIPA agreed this week to remove their most contentious provisions, which would have blocked Americans from even being able to access challenged domain names—much in the same way that the Chinese government's “Great Firewall of China” notoriously blocks its citizens from accessing censored content.9 Yet other deeply-troubling provisions that would just as effectively suppress Internet-based expression remain, and it’s increasingly clear that no amount of tinkering will fix the inherently flawed premise behind these bills: that the Internet should be repurposed from a public good into a surveillance vehicle for corporate benefit.

SOPA is currently stalled in the House, but may be revived as early as February, and PIPA is scheduled to go to a Senate vote on January 24. Please join us in defending the free and open Internet—urge your elected representatives to oppose PIPA, SOPA, or any bill that harms online expression. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

Thanks and Peace,

-- Rashad, James, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
January 4th, 2012

Marc Cenedella, CEO of TheLadders.com and a potential Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in New York, has posted -- on his company's blog -- some of the most obscenely sexist things I've ever read. It's so bad that I'm not going to repeat any of it here, because this email would probably end up right in your spam filter if I did. This line from the New York Times is about as close as I can get: "[The blog] had a number of entries containing random observations about sex, women and drugs." And trust me -- it's all bad.

Cenedella is almost certain to run against EMILY's List champion Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. He told one news website he was a "9.2" out of 10 when asked how serious he was about running. After the things he has written, Cenedella shouldn't be preparing a Senate run. He should be working on his apology to the women who work for him, the women of New York, and the women of America. If Cenedella runs, he will immediately make the New York Senate race competitive. With his pledge to rely on his personal wealth, he can eschew fundraising and go straight to attacking Kirsten Gillibrand. I'm from New York, and my family still lives there. I am being completely serious when I say that I would never want my mom or my aunt to see what he has posted -- let alone to have him be their Senator.

And since his normal, everyday behavior includes publicly enjoying some of the most vile, sexist things about women on his company's website, we can only imagine what he will say against an accomplished, successful female political opponent.

Before Cenedella even thinks about running for Senate, he needs to apologize for behavior that is way, way over the line of basic human decency.I was genuinely angry when I first read what Cenedella has posted. I'm sure once you read it, you'll agree that his behavior has been vile. Thank you for joining me and hold him accountable for his actions.

All the best,
Amy K. Dacey
Executive Director

Dear Savage,
My 13-year-old son came out to us this morning. He plans to tell his brothers in the next few days. We love and accept our son, and this news isn't surprising (but when will the stereotypical neatness kick in?), but we do have some concerns. He has, apparently, already made the news public at school. Any pointers you can give? We want to make sure he knows that we love him and don't care about his sexuality, while at the same time preparing him to deal with those people who do. Also, any advice you can give for when he starts dating would be appreciated.

-Dad Seeks Support

"On behalf of advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth everywhere, let me be the first to say 'thank you,'" says Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN (glsen.org), the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, which works to create safe school environments for LGBT—and straight—youth. "Simply by giving your son your love and support, you have already significantly increased his chances of living a happy and fulfilling life. The importance of an accepting home cannot be overstated." (The damage that can be done by a hostile family also cannot be overstated: LGBT youth whose families are hostile are eight times likelier to commit suicide than their straight peers. Hostile parents can't make their gay kids straight, but they can make them dead.)

"The bad news is that school can be a miserable place for LGBT youth," says Byard. "GLSEN's 2009 National School Climate Survey found that nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT teens experienced harassment in school in the past year. The good news is that engaged parents can make a huge difference."

So, DSS, while it's admirable that you want your son to understand that you "don't care about his sexuality," you also have to make your son understand that you care about him and that you're aware of the challenges he faces.

"Talk to your son and learn more about his school and his experiences there since coming out," advises Byard. "What kind of response has he received? What supports are in place for him at school? Does the school have a Gay-Straight Alliance? Do students have access to LGBT-affirming resources in the library? Does the school have policies that address bullying? Are there adults in the school community whom he trusts and feels are supportive?"

Call your son's school, DSS, and set up a meeting. Making sure his teachers and school administrators know that you're on your son's side can go a long way toward creating a safe environment for your son at school.

"Send a GLSEN Safe Space Kit (safespacekit.com) to your son's school to give educators the tools they need to provide support and create a safe space in their classroom," advises Byard. "Visible signs of support, such as a GLSEN Safe Space sticker on a door, can fundamentally alter the school experience of an LGBT youth by helping them identify those adults in the community who are supportive."

As for dating and sex...

"Treat your son with the same awkwardness you would your other kids," says Byard. "I'm speaking as a mom myself now. Make sure he has access to all the health and safety information he needs. (Sitting down to watch reruns of Will & Grace together won't cut it.) I have two daughters and want to be absolutely sure they have access to all the information they need to make smart and healthy—and potentially life-saving!—decisions. Make yourself available to talk whenever he needs and welcome his boyfriends inside the house the same way you would if they were girlfriends."
'- Dan Savage

DEAR MEXICAN: I feel that the more Mexicans who come to this country, the better. I am a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In our Book of Mormon, on page 54, it says on the left side of the page in verse 6, "There shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord." I want as many Mexicans in this country as possible, and then I want to tell them about Joseph Smith and get them baptized and enjoy the blessings of the temple. Come on down—you are welcome by me.

Love My Brown Brothers

DEAR GABACHO: Gracias for your welcoming heart, even if your ulterior motive is stealing Mexicans away from the Virgin of Guadalupe for a religion in which Jell-O is the only allowable narcotic. While we're talking about Moroni worshipers, can you do me a favor and ask Mitt Romney why he's such an ingrate toward Mexicans? After all, Romney probably would've been some Jack Mormon jerk-off if it weren't for porous fronteras and living in violation of a country's laws. His great-grandfather Miles Park Romney fled los Estados Unidos for Mexico during the 1880s to escape American authorities and continue his polygamous ways, while Mitt's papi, George, was born in Chihuahua and therefore is more Mexican than your typical Chicano Studies major. Not only that, but Pancho Villa's troops were kind enough to not massacre Mormon colonies during the Mexican Revolution, thus allowing the infant George and his family to return home and ensure Mitt's Brilliantined hair would grace America. One final point, Brown Brothers: Por favor, tell Mitt and all other Mexican-hating LDSers that the Book of Mormon requires amnesty for illegals. The above quote you cited came from the Second Book of Nephi and is a wonderful passage, but what about the one before it? In 2 Nephi 1:5, it tells the Saints that Lehi prophesied about America, "Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord." Hear that, Mitt? Let my gente go—into the United States for the free health care, por supuesto.
'- Gustavo Arellano

See archives from preceding weeks here.
This Week's Terrible Crimes:

Right: Michael Ryan Lanpheare

Ex-convict Michael Lanpheare was busted with his buddy Aloyisus Meshell confessed to stealing a trailer from OSU owned by Campus Crusade for Christ and trying to sell the contents locally. 3 trailers in town have recently been stolen. One could argue that that the contents of the CFC trailer were accumulated dishonestly, but not the trailers belonging to electricians and graders. These 2 clowns are clearly slow learners, having been cell mates together in prison.

Left: Aloyisus Meshell

Left: Accused rapist Brandyn Nathan Jones of Hillsboro

Above: Mr. Jones has been charged with sex crimes, including rape of a 21 year old local woman. He's in good company this week, with Fox News' Greg Kelly being accused similarly of a rape which left a woman pregnant. Of course, crime is second nature to Fox News employees and executives.

Right: Another Linn County export, Jonathon Earl Goss

Mr. Goss has left his mugshot in Albany for stalking and violating a court order. Who knows what he had in mind when he was busted here last night for entering someone else's car and theft?

Left: Myung Jei Kim

You can expect the local burglary rate to drop following the arrest of accused "fence" Myun Jei Kim. Cops say they "warned Kim twice -- in January 2010 and May 2011 -- about regulations against doing business with felons. The sheriff's office also provided a list of known felons to help Kim identify them when they attempted to sell him scrap metal. Despite those efforts, Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller reports that detectives found Kim purchased scrap from at least 10 known felons, all of whom were on that list." Mr. Kim runs MJ Recycling in Albany (isn't that where you'd open a fencing operation for thieves?) although he himself lives in Beaverton (wonder why?!!). Mr. Kim would be facing those burglary charges if justice wasn't tilted toward the rich.

Right: Nova Dev Sweet

Ms Sweet seems to have a suicidal impulse. Once a local high school basketball coach, she's been busted for meth and theft. She was busted in May of last year when, cops say, she and a boyfriend tried to rob a pot grower in Portland and stabbed the guy when he refused them free pot. She was charged in that case with attempted aggravated murder, robbery and burglary. She has a degree in criminal justice from Louisville and once also worked in a Springfield facility for at-risk kids. She can kiss all that goodbye. In fact, she can kiss most things goodbye.

Right: Jason Leslie Shively

Mr. Shively has been busted for assault and disorderly conduct in a domestic violence case. In related news, our long- promised handbook on local creeps busted for battering women will soon be out.

Left: Michael Joseph Schwender, busted for not showing up on meth distribution and evidence tampering charges

Mr. Schwender was busted in Roseburg in August on strangulation, assault, failing to register as a sex offender, and other charges.

Right: Ronald Justin Koetz

Mr. Koetz, who lives west of Philomath, has been busted for felonious assault in a domestic violence case. Mr. Koetz was busted in December for meth and DUII.

Left: Nicholas Delbert Smith

Cops say Mr. Smith of Philomath - yeah, of course - called 911 and said "his girlfriend was calling him against his wishes. When police spoke with the girlfriend, she showed police that Smith had called her 11 times and left her four inappropriate messages." Mr. Smith is not new to law enforcement. In March of 2004, his parents told the cops, he "attacked his mother and stepfather during an argument. He reportedly threw a steak at the TV, breaking the plate it was on, then broke a mirror in the living room and bedroom, a coffee cup and cookie jar lid, the kitchen window and the back window of his stepfather's minivan." In April, 2004, he was sentenced to 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to robbery. In August, the prison said he "walked away at 11:05 this morning from a work crew that was weeding ditches at 45th and Sunnyview in Salem." In all these isolated little Republican sh-tholes like Philomath and Linn County, the kids grow up watching their parents and neighbors all troop down to the polls to vote for criminals, and then the parents spend a lifetime wringing their hands and posturing about where they "could have gone wrong". In most cases, the parents of these people should be indicted as co- conspirators.

Above: Lyndie Gulino and Stephen McLean.
This has been a bad week for relationships a week for bad relationships. Stephen W. McLean and Lyndie Darlena Gulino, both 49, of Corvallis, were cited for harassment after getting into a physical fight at their residence. This is not the first time the two have had issues. In April, Mr. McLean "reported that his long-time girlfriend, Lyndie Darlena Gulino, 49, of Corvallis, came over to his residence, which was in violation of her release agreement of a previous domestic assault. Gulino then became upset with McLean after he questioned her on who she was talking to on her cell phone. A fight ensued in which Gulino threw a glass of wine at McLean, and scratched his chest with a knife and fingernails. McLean then put a hand around her neck, shoved her across the room." Ms. Gulino was arrested 3 times previously for violating a restraining order. 6 months prior to her first recorded arrest her, Lyndie Darlene Guliono was busted in Georgia for assault.

Poor lost soul Dyan Biggs is busted again

Ms Biggs has been busted 11 times since last March, mostly on drug violations or drug court violations. The War on Drugs goes on. And on. And on...

Right: Joshua Michael Bussell

Mr. Bussell is being held on 2 counts of sex abuse. The nature of the charges isn't specified on the roster but bail is set at $200,000.00 and in Oregon, Sex Abuse 1 :
"A person commits the crime of sexual abuse in the first degree when that person:
(a) Subjects another person to sexual contact and:
(A) The victim is less than 14 years of age;
(B) The victim is subjected to forcible compulsion by the actor; or
(C) The victim is incapable of consent by reason of being mentally defective, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless; or
(b) Intentionally causes a person under 18 years of age to touch or contact the mouth, anus or sex organs of an animal for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of a person.

RIGHT: Omolara Molara Opeifa

Ms Opeifa, of Junction City, was one of 2 busted for Prostitution. The cops aren't posting the mug shot of Pratish Rao, who was busted at the same time. Say the cops, the 2 were driving to an ATM machine so Mr. Rao could withdraw $250 for sex after they met on an "adult escort site". Ms Opeifa was earlier busted in Springfield for prostitution and in Eugene for Theft of services. No explanation is forthcoming on how the police can devote so much time to busting sex work and yet refuse to investigate car break-ins, which are at an all time high.

But the good news is that nobody got clipped this week. In fact, nationally, for the first time in 50 years, murder is not one of the top 15 causes of death. In fact, you're more likely to choke to death in your own vomit than to be murdered in America. Beware, Thursday- Nighters!

Left: Jonathon David Challe, a perennial problem child, busted this time for theft and burglary

Left: Tiffany Ann Carr

Ms Carr was busted for 2 counts of ID theft. She also was booked into the Roseburg jail 4 months ago.

Local cops are saying that the burglary rate in Corvallis has shot through the roof. In previous instances of such escalation, the arrest of 3-4 Linn County residents has tended to bring things back to normal. We've often said in this column that the key to bringing crime rates down would be to institute toll bridges across the river on the 2 highways leading from Linn County, charging, say, $50 which would be applicable to bail money when the inevitable occurs. Between Linn County, Philomath and the Risland clan (see below), 90% of the city's crime would dry up.

Right: Katrin Amy Hunter

Local tweaker, Katrin Hunter, is in jail again on a harassment (domestic violence) charge. Ms Hunter has been busted 3 times in Corvallis for the same charge, another time for violating a restraining order and 3 times on drug violations. If you knew Ms Hunter, you'd understand why she is having such difficulty giving up a man's company. She is unlikely to find another man willing to take the dive with her. But be fair - the guy who did, needs to be psychologically examined.

Left: Travis Wayne Ingram

Tweaker Travis Wane Ingram's picture is in mugshots all over the web. In Yamhill County alone, he has been booked 7 times in the past year, on charges from Marion and Benton County, ranging from meth to burglary, the most recent charge in Corvallis.

Right: Donacio Corona Hernandez

Mr. Hernandez is probably the most aggressive and dangerous of the panhandlers downtown, coming very close to demanding your money. He was busted in May after he was "spotted entering a vehicle that had just been broken into. Hernandez claimed he was trying to return to the vehicle a drivers license and a credit card that were hidden in an ash tray". Cops busted him for illegally entering the vehicle and found meth and a crack pipe on him. He was busted again for assault an illegal weapon. This time around he was busted for FTA.

It may well have been a southern California man like Mr. Hernandez who inspired the serial killer in that Republican stronghold of Orange County, California, who is now driving around killing homeless people.

Susan Perkins was busted after  her neighbors complained she "threw their belongings through the back window of their car." One of the "belongings" was a bowling ball.

Left: Brandon Michal Haysom

Mr. Haysom was busted for theft of services, and giving false info to a cop. Mr. Haysom is not new to law enforcement. The impression given on the web, from Montana to Corvallis, is that he really can't hold his liquor and should give up drinking altogether.

You have to be careful about faking your name with the cops. "Distraught over the loss of her grandfather and her parents' divorce," 14-year-old Jakadrien Turner ran away from home, WFAA Dallas reports. Arrested for shoplifting to get something to eat in Houston, she used a fake name that she didn't know actually belonged to a 22-year-old undocumented immigrant wanted for arrest. ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officials stepped in, took the girl's fingerprints, but somehow didn't confirm her identity and deported her to Colombia, where the Colombian government gave her a work card and released her. Jakadrien, who is African-American, does not know Spanish. She had no known ties to Colombia. After months of searching, Jakadrien's grandmother tracked the missing teen down on Facebook, discovering her in Bogota with an apparent job as a maid. Jakadrien's grandmother, Lorene Turner, had been looking for her granddaughter ever since she left the family fold, seemingly having vanished into thin air. Staying up many late nights for months searching on Facebook, Turner credits messages on the social network for aiding her discovery of her granddaughter's location. She also received help from Dallas police. The grandmother alerted American authorities, who relayed the message to U.S. Embassy officials, who in turn asked local police to retrieve the girl, who is now 15 and pregnant. But that was a month ago, and the Colombian government now has her in a locked detention facility and won't release her, despite her family's request.

Right: Alaura Baldwin, another gift from Linn County Linn County

Ms Baldwin was busted for giving false info to the cops, and on a warrant out of municipal court in Lebanon. She was busted into the Albany jail in April, too. On Ms Baldwin's Facebook "wall", the only posts are from her, and they consist of a canned daily astrology summary and a "love quote of the day", also canned. Poor woman. She says in her profile: "But there is only one thing in life that will ever make me fully complete and truely happy, Tho im still searching for it. " Being from Linn County, that's probably an 8 ball of meth. And being from Linn County, she's unlikely to find any extra there that's not already in use.

Right: Michael Dustin Ahearn

Above: Mr. Ahearn was charged with "kidnapping, fourth-degree assault, menacing, strangulation, reckless endangering coercicon and first-degree criminal mischief" after strangling a woman unconscious and holding a gun in her mouth as the SWAT team surrounded the house for 6 hours, cops say. Cops say the victim tried to leave and Mr. Ahearn smashed the car up and pulled her out of the vehicle. There really needs to be a new law making men who brutalize women register like sex offenders, with those convicted not allowed contact with women.

Right: Dusty Risland, busted 10 times since November. Now again in October.

About the Dusty Risland Rehab Clinic
Dusty Risland, for whom the Dusty Risland Rehab Clinic (see above) is named, is back in jail. Mr. Risland as busted for criminal trespassing, criminal possession of a forged instrument (counterfeit $20), felon in possession of a weapon and meth. The Dusty Risland Clinic mentioned in this column is strictly online, consisting of repetitive viewing of the video below, until the technique is mastered. The assumption of the Clinic is that there is a small subset labelled criminals who actually just do not know how to change their adult diapers when they full and are showing up, bewildered, seeking police assistance. That is the only possible explanation a rational person could come to. NOBODY could POSSIBLY be so stupid and inept, as criminals, as people like Mr. Risland pretend to be.


Note: there are several sleazy websites across the country posting mugshots, utilizing photos owned by the public, in the public domain, all run by Portlander Kyle Ritter, which will remove your mugshot for $39 or such from their sites. This is not one of them. Do not send in cash trying to have a mugshot removed. It would just be a waste of your time and your money. Instead, put your time into turning your life around. And your money into your kids.

So Barack Obama is in favor of greater access to college education (like most every other modern president before him), you say? There’s a sinister, political reason for that, according to dim dweeb Rick Santorum. Learning turns people liberal. “It’s no wonder President Obama wants every kid to go to college,” he told an audience in Florida. “The indoctrination that occurs in American universities is one of the keys to the left holding and maintaining power in America.” Woah! But wait, wasn’t he just saying that it’s the vast cabal of single moms who conspiratorially refuse to go out and get a man that make up the base of leftist power in the country?

Well okay, let’s just say for a minute that it’s both of them: single moms and students, and also probably black people, all of them, going around clamoring for food stamps as they are wont to do in Rick Santorum’s fevered racist imagination. So get married, make babies, be white and fear education, and that about sums up Rick Santorum’s policy platform.

Today, President Obama rejected efforts by anti-women's health groups and their allies in Congress to cut off access to birth control for millions of women simply because they work at religiously affiliated hospitals or attend religiously affiliated universities. The Obama administration announced that these women and their families will have access to the new benefit that requires health insurance plans to cover birth control with no co-pays.

This decision was never a sure thing. For months, anti-women's health groups and their congressional allies lobbied hard to undermine this important benefit. But after over 100,000 Planned Parenthood supporters spoke out, President Obama stood strong with you to protect women's health. Today, President Obama rejected efforts by anti-women's health groups and their allies in Congress to cut off access to birth control for millions of women simply because they work at religiously affiliated hospitals or attend religiously affiliated universities. The Obama administration announced that these women and their families will have access to the new benefit that requires health insurance plans to cover birth control with no co-pays.

This decision was never a sure thing. For months, anti-women's health groups and their congressional allies lobbied hard to undermine this important benefit. But after over 100,000 Planned Parenthood supporters spoke out, President Obama stood strong with you to protect women's health. We always knew that the fight for women's health under health care reform would be a long battle. As each piece of the reform law takes effect, including this latest right, our opponents get more and more desperate. This decision from President Obama makes clear that you and I can make a real difference when we stand up.
I'm so glad to be able to share this good news with you today. Thank you, once again, for everything you do for Planned Parenthood and the women, men, and teens who rely on us to protect their access to health care.


Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Friday, January 27 -- February 2

Holding over for another week. Some titles will have limited shows.

THE WAY:Life is Too Big to Walk it Alone. Martine Sheen, Emilio Estevez.
MELANCHOLIA: It Will Change Everything.
CARNAGE: A New Comedy of No Manners. Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly.
HOW THE FIRE FELL: A film by Edward P. Davee about Corvallis cult the Brides of Christ.
INTO THE ABYSS: Werner Herzog's latest.
NEW!
A DANGEROUS METHOD: Based on the true story of Jung, Freud and the patient who came between them. Viggo Mortesen
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN: That's what she does, she breaks hearts. She'll break yours. Michelle Williams
A DANGEROUS METHOD --R


Sexuality hasn't been the same since Sigmund Freud proposed it's the primary reason for anyone doing anything. Generations since have taken his suggestion to withhold repressing urges just about as far as they can. A movie about Freud's philosophies is right up the alley of director David Cronenberg, whose films often view sexuality as a clue to what hides beneath personalities.

A Dangerous Method, adapted by Christopher Hampton from his stage play The Talking Cure, doesn't make Freud the central character. That position goes to the professor's colleague Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), who is initially devoted to Freud's theories in his own practice but starts having doubts that sex is the reason for everything in human behavior. At the same time, Jung's libido is steering his life.

Jung has a patient named Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), who arrived as severely hysterical, a condition the doctor uses Freud's "talking cure" procedure of psychoanalysis to identify as masochism learned in childhood. Jung hires Spielrein as a research assistant while continuing her therapy, a decision raising suspicion in his wife of convenience, Emma (Sarah Gadon). Nothing illicit happens at first, with Jung repressing his feelings for professional reasons.
Every urge needs a triggering effect, and Jung's is the arrival of another patient, Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel), a psychologist committed by his father after a deviant lifestyle. Otto perfectly reads the relationship between doctor and patient, prodding Jung to carry out his desire, and soon Jung begins fulfilling Spielrein's with spankings.

Meanwhile, Jung tries hiding his indiscretions from Freud (Viggo Mortensen), who doesn't appear often yet his rationalization of everything through sex hangs over each frame of Cronenberg's film. Mortensen plays him with the puffed-up authority of an expert in a science so new that nothing he says can be refuted. Jung's doubt and professional breach with Spielrein are revealed, and the resulting chasm between innovators reverberates among scholars today.
The pleasure of Cronenberg's movie is hearing these characters speak so eloquently on the subject of sex, and watching actors raise their game a bit for it. Cronenberg again dabbles in kinky behavior, but here it doesn't seem as forced as the automobile erotica of Crash, or the gynecological horrors of Dead Ringers. A Dangerous Method is a movie believing the most formidable sex organ really is the brain.


Watch Trailer.
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN --R


In the early summer of 1956, 23 year-old Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), just down from Oxford and determined to make his way in the film business, worked as a lowly assistant on the set of 'The Prince and the Showgirl'. The film that famously united Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) and Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), who was also on honeymoon with her new husband, the playwright Aurthur Miller (Dougray Scott). Nearly 40 years on, his diary account The Prince, the Showgirl and Me was published, but one week was missing and this was published some years later as My Week with Marilyn - this is the story of that week. When Arthur Miller leaves England, the coast is clear for Colin to introduce Marilyn to some of the pleasures of British life; an idyllic week in which he escorted a Monroe desperate to get away from her retinue of Hollywood hangers-on and the pressures of work.

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HOW THE FIRE FELL -- NR

You probably know that Joe Haege is no stranger to dramatic performance if you've ever seen any of his various bands (31 Knots, Tu Fawning) or seen him perform solo. Or perhaps you caught his turn in Field Guide to November Days, where his fine acting was overshadowed by the fact that the movie was insufferably twee. But we did learn that Haege does a beautiful job of both kissing boys and crying while riding a bicycle, so I was eager to see him in his next leading role, in How the Fire Fell as Edmund Creffield, a Christian cult leader who during the turn of the 20th century founded the Bride of Christ Church in Corvallis. And thank the Bride of Christ, Haege's found a film that both demonstrates the absurd breadth of his talent (that soundtrack? co-written by Haege with John Askew) and is interesting in subject matter, execution, and is awesome enough for it to be surprising that it's director Edward P. Davee's first feature. Apparently one of Portland's most talented filmmakers has been hiding out in the AV department of Reed College.

The degree of Haege's responsibility in this role is hard to underestimate. Were there any flicker of hesitation in his delivery as a hysteria-inducing holy roller the whole thing would have come crashing down. In fact for most of the film he's the only actor who does much speaking at all.

The creepiness of the film is sustained by its ambient delivery, and nearly every uncanny shot makes the hairs on your neck twitch. Davee's choice of subject was well made, but of equal importance is his decision to be expository but not particularly biographical. The bones of the story are that Creffield built a following through fervent sermonizing, often in people's homes. He was convincing enough that he was able to claim a whole slew of wives (polygamy being the benchmark of success in patriarchal religious cults), naming one 17-year-old girl to be his "bride of Christ." He also emphasized nudity as a way to tap into that Garden of Eden feeling, cursed San Francisco on the night before an earthquake and widespread fires brought the city to its knees, was once tarred and feathered, and was eventually shot and killed by the brother of his Bride of Christ. (The brother was acquitted.)

It's a lot more interesting than crying on a bicycle. See this one.

Watch Trailer.


CARNAGE -R


CARNAGE is a razor sharp, biting comedy centered on parental differences. After two boys duke it out on a playground, the parents of the "victim" invite the parents of the "bully" over to work out their issues. A polite discussion of childrearing soon escalates into verbal warfare, with all four parents revealing their true colors. None of them will escape the carnage. Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly.

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THE WAY --PG-13


"The Way" is an inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges of navigating a complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), who died while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Embarking on the historical pilgrimage to honor his s memory, Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen), a Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) and an Irishman (James Nesbitt). Eventually, Tom discovers the difference between "the life we live and the life we choose." THE WAY, written and directed by Emilio Estevez, was filmed along the actual Camino de Santiago.
Watch Trailer.


OTHER STUFF: A Couple Thoughts on HOW THE FIRE FELL

There is affection for our little neck of the woods in almost every frame of HOW THE FIRE FELL, by local filmmaker Edward P. Davee. The sounds of the film seem to be taken from every walk ever taken on Chip Ross, Bald Hill, or even your favorite backyard. The textures of the foliage and raindrops create a bouquet of local flavor when combined with images of the faces of HOW THE FIRE FELL. This is a film about perceptions and feelings.

The story is shown to us-not so much told. Dialogue is almost exclusively the pontifications of the main character Edmund Creffield. He is played flawlessly by Joe Haege, who performed music for years with the energy needed to pull off the charismatic Creffield. It is very easy to do charismatic preaching badly. In this movie it is done well enough that we might be seeing the beginning of an acting career that will have no small part of its beginning in Corvallis, Oregon. The other actors prove that they too have the footing to move up artistically, as well.

There is a Pennsylvanian austerity to early 1900s Oregon, as Davee sees it. This same austerity is expressed in the filmmaking by Davee, who doesn't seem too interested in how they do it in Hollywood. HOW THE FIRE FELL was shot on real film with an acute understanding that time in the Willamette Valley is measured in shades of grey. When a colourful preacher comes to town, he can hypnotize and beguile--those so smitten are separated from the peace and peace of mind we have come to expect from our Benton Country existence. Thankfully, Davee's skill means he doesn't bludgeon us when the peace is shattered.

HOW THE FIRE FELL is the type of film that should make Corvallis proud, and I'm proud to have it at the Darkside Cinema.



- Lainie and Paul Turner


Darkside Cinema
215 SW 4th
Corvallis, OR 97333
darksidecinema.com

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Right now, a Canadian mining firm is attempting to open a 4,500-acre copper mine in the Coronado National Forest, in the heart of suitable ocelot and jaguar habitat – on U.S. Forest Service Land!

Will you tell the Forest Service to stand up to foreign mining interests, and protect imperiled wildlife like jaguars and ocelots?

We celebrated huge news late last year, when a jaguar was sighted in Arizona – the first jaguar sighting in the U.S. in 3 years. This jaguar was seen in a mountain range directly adjacent to the Santa Rita Mountains where the Rosemont Copper Project is proposed. And now, as jaguars are making their way back to Arizona, new mining exploration could destroy the very habitat that they are seeking.

The proposed “Rosemont Mine” would heavily impact the Santa Rita mountains – a biologically rich “sky island” mountain range on the Coronado National Forest. This land is vital habitat for many animals, potential habitat for countless others, as well as recreational space used by families across the region.

Send a message to the Forest Service now and urge them to protect our wildlife.

What makes the matter even worse is that the company that is looking to open the mine, Augusta Resources, has never operated a mine or produced any mineral product. Opening the Rosemont Mine would be their first exploration into this sensitive business, and could have big consequences for the natural communities, farming communities and outdoor recreation-based economies in the surrounding region.

Apart from the 4,500-acre mine, thousands more acres of land will be overtaken by roads needed to access the mine. These roads, and the heavy truck traffic on them, would even further disrupt important wildlife corridors and likely increase wildlife road kills.

The Rosemont Mine will devastate the Coronado National Forest. Send your message now, before it’s too late, and make your voice heard.

Much of the land that would be indirectly impacted is sensitive riparian lands, like Davidson Canyon and Cienega Creek. These designated “outstanding waterways” are vital to wildlife as well as people living across the region.

We have too much to risk by allowing the Rosemont Mine to move forward with their destructive mining plans in Arizona. Tell the Forest Service to reject this mine and protect this important wildlife habitat.

Comments are due by Tuesday, January 31st, so be sure to send your message now and make your voice heard.

Matt Clark
Southwest Representative
Defenders of Wildlife

2012 will be here in a matter of days. The new year will bring a legislative session where we will grapple with a challenging budget, revenue reform, and implementation of some of the sweeping education and health care legislation passed last year. The short session is scheduled to end just before filing day, when we will learn for certain who is running for office in local, state and federal races.

I am running for re-election in 2012, and starting to build my campaign in earnest. I cannot receive campaign contributions when the Legislature is in session which is why it is so important for me to get a head start on building my campaign coffers in February. If you can, please make an online financial contribution today through Act Blue , and then join me for my campaign kickoff in Corvallis on January 27. Keep reading this email for more details about the event, my campaign and where to mail a campaign contribution if you prefer not use an online service.

You are always welcome to contact me with questions or concerns-- whether they be about the campaign or legislative matters. I'm always glad to hear from you!It is an honor to represent the people of Philomath and Corvallis in the Oregon House, which is why I’ve decided to seek re-election next November. I'll need your help to win the election and return to Salem.

During my time in the House, I’ve been proud to lead efforts to pass legislation improving safety for children, seniors and people with disabilities. We’ve strengthened Oregon’s response to abuse, made it harder for kids to access dangerous smokeless tobacco products, elevated the crime of strangulation to a felony and improved learning opportunities for all Oregon students. I’ve been proud to support legislation protecting equal rights for all, ensuring collective bargaining rights, and opposing any encroachment on a woman’s right to choose. If I return to Salem, I will continue to be an unwavering advocate for working families, our most vulnerable neighbors, sensible revenue reform, affordable healthcare and a strong public education system.

As a member of the House, I must run for re-election every 2 years. Due to redistricting, this year I need to introduce myself to over 2000 new voters so that I can earn their votes in November. Doing so will involve door knocking, coffee meetings, house parties, and raising the funds necessary to develop and distribute campaign materials.

Because I cannot raise or accept campaign contributions during the February session, it is important to begin those efforts now. This is why I am asking you to do three things today:
If you are able, please make a financial contribution to my campaign. Whether it is $25 or $250, it will help me reach my goal. Contributions can be made online through ActBlue, or can be mailed to Sara Gelser for State Representative at 1804 SW Brooklane Drive, Corvallis, OR 97333.
Sign up to follow me on Facebook or Twitter (repsaragelser), and urge your friends to do the same.
Email me at repsaragelser@yahoo.com to request a lawn sign, give permission to use your name in a public endorsement, or let me know if you’d like to volunteer for canvassing, phone banking, hosting a coffee or house party, envelope stuffing or any of the many tasks that are part of a legislative campaign.

I am lucky to represent one of the most engaged and active communities in the state. My constituents know their efforts can make a difference in the political process. Your support can make a difference in the outcome of the 2012 election, and help shape what we can accomplish in Oregon in 2013 and the years to come.

Thank you for considering my request, and best wishes for the new year!

Sincerely,
Sara

At Trader Joe’s, tomatoes cost you a couple of dollars a pound. But how much of that goes to the farm workers who pick the tomatoes?

If you buy your tomatoes at Trader Joe’s, the answer could be as little as 1.5 cents for every pound. For the men and women who harvest them, that means working ten hours and picking 2.25 TONS of tomatoes every day in order to earn just $12,000 a year.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a group of farmworkers in Florida, are working to change this. They’ve already convinced McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Whole Foods, Subway, and more to join their Fair Food Agreement and pay for worker protections and a fair wage. But Trader Joe’s is refusing -- even though it has built its brand around appealing to responsible consumers.If Trader Joe’s signs the agreement, the difference for a tomato would be a penny or less in the checkout line -- but it could mean the difference between poverty and a fair wage for workers. Seriously, Trader Joe’s, this isn’t even close to a hard call. Just do it.What is the Fair Food Agreement?
According to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers who are negotiating Fair Food Agreements with various corporations, “the agreements require those companies to demand more humane labor standards from their Florida tomato suppliers (including a zero tolerance policy for slavery), to pay a price premium for more fairly produced tomatoes, and to shift purchases to growers who meet those higher standards. Several Florida tomato growers have shown their early support for this effort by agreeing to pass along the pay premium to their tomato harvesters, and to abide by a code of conduct under which workers have a voice and slavery is not tolerated.”

Is slavery a reality for some tomato workers?
Farm labor bosses have repeatedly been brought to court for their treatment of workers, including most recently in 2008 for beating their workers who refused to work or tried to leave, holding their workers in debt, and chaining and locking workers inside U-Haul trucks as punishment. The U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the 2008 case called the situation “slavery, plain and simple.” If Trader Joe’s signed the Fair Food Agreement, they would be guaranteeing that none of their tomatoes come from growers who treat their workers as modern-day slaves, as well as agreeing to pay a fair price for the tomatoes they sell.

Who else signed the Agreement?
Fair Food Agreements have been reached between CIW and McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, and Yum Brands, as well as foodservice providers Compass Group, Aramark, Sodexo, and Bon Appetit Management Company, and grocery store chain Whole Foods.Why hasn’t Trader Joe’s signed?
On October 21, 2011, Trader Joe’s released a statement saying that they would not sign the Agreement, even though they agreed with it in principle and had implemented the basic requirements already. They said, essentially, “trust us, we’re doing it right”, but this is unverifiable. Without signing the agreement, Trader Joe’s has no way of knowing if the growers they’re purchasing from meet CIW’s standards; TJ’s would have to rely on the grower’s word alone, and what grower is going to volunteer the fact that they don’t treat their workers fairly or pay their workers a reasonable wage?

Why does this matter for Immokalee farm workers?
The Immokalee farm workers, a coalition of people who work on farms in the Immokalee region of Florida (where most of the tomatoes are grown in the US) are organizing because they are some of the lowest paid workers in the country, often making less than $12,000 a year. They work ten-hour days picking tomatoes in order to pick enough (2.25 tons) to make minimum wage. They have no rights to collective bargaining or overtime pay. Each penny a pound increase that they have won brings more people out of poverty, and each buyer requiring workplace protections ensures more people are treated fairly in their jobs and fewer farm workers are brought to this country as slave labor.
Kaytee, Taren, and Claiborne