The biggest news story in the state is a sleeping tiger. Any twitch or murmur about same-sex marriage sends reporters and pundits running like rabbits. Last Thursday, b!x, a popular blogger in town, posted a brief story under a self-explanatory headline: “Oregon Supreme Court Set To Rule On Same-Sex Marriage? So We Hear, Anyway.” A […]
Phil Busse
Posted inNews
Hail to the Chief of Culture
How President Bush is Making the World a Better Place
Would Michael Moore’s career be as bountiful without President Bush? Doubt it! Would The Nation magazine have doubled its circulation in the past four years without the Bush administration? No way! Would the ACLU have gained 50,000 new members since 9/11–a near 20 percent jump–without John Ashcroft? Repeat after me: No! Face it: Without Lex […]
Posted inNews
Who’s Watching Who?
Ineffective Cop-Watcher Moves On to Greener ($$$) Pastures
Last week, police accountability activists were absolutely giddy over the news that Richard Rosenthal, the director for the Independent Police Review (IPR), may be packing his bags and moving on to Denver (where Rosenthal made the shortlist of candidates to head a similar police oversight committee). Since its inception three years ago, the IPR has […]
Posted inNews
Dude, It Could Totally Happen
City Inches Closer to Delivering Skatepark
For several years now, the city has pledged to build at least two new skateparks. It has been an exciting promise, dressed up with rhetoric about world-class facilities and plans to bring in crazyass events like the X-Games. Unfortunately, the idea has moved forward at a snail’s pace, crawling through bureaucratic hoops and spending far […]
Posted inNews
Show Me The Money!
Mayor Takes Suggestions on Where to Stick the Budget
When Tom Potter campaigned to become the city’s mayor, he promised to start listening to residents and to open up the decision-making process. True to his word, with the city facing a $19 million budget shortfall over the next two years, the new mayor has opened the floor to dialogue, soliciting ideas not only from […]
Posted inNews
Be Very Afraid!
Oregonian and Saltzman Use Fear to Keep You in Line
Perhaps politics has always been about bullying. But ever since 9/11, politicians and policy makers have increasingly used fear to corner and silence opponents. Locally, this threatening tactic has played out in regards to the Joint Terrorism Task Force–the collaboration between federal law enforcement agents and police officers. When city council was deliberating three years […]
Posted inNews
Bring The Noise!
Sensitive NIMBY Neighbors Bully City Council
What do rock bands, leaf blowers, and drag races all have in common? In Portland, all are governed by the Noise Ordinance. For better or worse, noise levels have become one of the primary indicators for the quality of life in Portland–and a shaping force in city politics. For the past few years, city hall […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Tommy Chong
Tommy Chong appearing in The Marijuana-Logues, Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, 790-ARTS, one night only, Sunday Feb 20, 7 pm, $25-37.50 Most famous for playing the giggly half of the comic duo, Cheech and Chong, Tommy Chong recently has been swept up in the politics of the Bush administration’s morality war. Two years ago, he […]
Posted inNews
Small Minds at the Big O
Oregonian Vilifies Potter’s Critical Mass Ride
Two Fridays ago, Mayor Potter touched a nerve when he hopped on his bike and joined Critical Mass–a small group of activist cyclists–for their evening commute. Critical Mass is one of Portland’s most recognized events, but one that had been pointedly ignored by the previous mayor. “What’s the big deal,” Potter exclaimed just before the […]
Posted inNews
Mostly Passing Grades
Mayor Potter’s Early Term Report Card
On Friday evening, Tom Potter hopped on his bicycle and joined the activists of Critical Mass. Though more than double the age of most of the protesters, Potter chatted easily with his fellow riders. All in all, it was a surprising sight, and one not seen in the past 12-year tenure of our aloof and […]
Posted inNews
A Very Telling Vote
It’s Time for Council to Stand Up Against Task Force
FBI Special Agent Robert Jordan wants you to know you should be very, very afraid. For the past few weeks, with a vote pending on whether to reauthorize the controversial Joint Terrorism Task Force, Jordan has gone on a media blitz, telling both the Portland Tribune and OPB that there may be Islamic fundamentalists living […]
Posted inNews
Is PDC Really Listening?
Development Commission Verges on Losing Public Faith
On Saturday afternoon, about 150 residents piled into a sterile conference room at the Convention Center. They were there to continue the ongoing discussion about a pending development along the eastern edge of the Burnside Bridge, which over the past few months has grown into one of the most cantankerous debates in city politics–a sprawling […]