LNG:Martha Neuringer's Report On LNG Rally In Salem

Martha Neuringer of Washington County sent out this RALLY REPORT - it captures a lot of the energy and momentum we experienced. It was soooo heartening to see so many NO LNGers, including several state legislators in the crowd, the 10 of us from Clatsop County, and about 8 people that I know of from Washington State.Enjoy! (and then come to the state agencies meeting at the Holiday Inn Express on Weds. starting at 4!).....Laurie Caplan

RALLY REPORT: The Capitol steps were filled with at least 300 of us, including buses and vans from Astoria, Coos Bay and Klamath Falls (they had to leave at 7 AM). Five tractors were lined up across the street, plus a trailer with three huge round hay bales wrapped in white plastic with NoLNG signs.

The big highlight was a speech by Sec. of State Bill Bradbury, who made a very powerful statement against LNG, its perpetuation of our dependence on foreign fossil fuel and impact on global warming.

A choice quote: "I do not think Oregon should be the pusher, enabling California's dependence on fossil fuels." Jeff Merkley, US Senate candidate, gave a real stemwinder speech, asking the crowd if the terminals and pipelines would provide any of a long series of benefits for Oregon and getting a loud chorus of NO! after each one.

Steve Novick, also running for US Senate, gave a thoughtful speech about the impacts and dangers of LNG.

A statement was read by an aide for Jon Kroger, candidate for Attorney General. Several other officials spoke, together with several of our fellow activists from Astoria, Coos Bay, California, U. of Oregon, etc.

In a nice touch, a peregrine falcon flew overhead (it has a nest on the Capitol building).

The rally got good press coverage. Nick Christensen did a nice front page headliner story with a big photo of Jeff Merkley speaking and Hillsboro state rep. Chuck Riley listening with his NoLNG button on, in a sea of NoLNG signs.
The Oregonian played up the split between Bradbury and Kulongoski, and quoted Paul Sansone about how we are feeling "railroaded".

There was a long story about the rally on KPTV news Wed. evening, complete with a clip of Bradbury's "pushers" line, video of exploding gas canisters and photos of LNG supertankers.

It ended with the reporter reading a final "here's the other side" canned sentence from Peter Hansen parroting Kulongoski's "bridge" line which gave the impression that "the company made us do this".

I heard that there also was good coverage on Ch. 8 and on KPOJ radio.

A reporter from the AP spoke to several folks at the rally and said he will do a longer background story.

Entertainment was provided by the Raging Grannies, a group of spunky women from Corvallis with feather boas and hats adorned with flowers and NoLNG buttons, who sang a whole bunch of great anti-LNG songs. (They are actually part of an international network of Grannies.)

An equally important part of the event was lobbying before and after the rally. Many of us met with legislators, some of whom were not informed on the issue but got a quick course--and now know that this is a do-or-die issue for many Oregonians.

The Capitol Building hallways were filled all day with antiLNG protesters, easily spotted by our buttons and red armbands, going to and from meetings with Senators and Representatives from many districts.

Betsy Johnson and Debbie Boone held a meeting with about 20 of us in the Capitol cafeteria, and agreed to talk with the Governor's key aides the next day.

Keith even got the cashier in the Capitol cafeteria to wear a NoLNG button.

Our issue is now definitely on the map and in the news! Thanks and congratulations to everyone who came and/or worked on the rally.

Kings Of Our Own Worlds

Fella walks into a bar, orders a stiff one from Charlie the bartender.

Charlie says, "Hey Mack you look a little stressed, what's up?"

Mack says, "Had another tiff with the wife last night. It was a rough one but it ended up with her crawling to me on her hands and knees after it was all over though."

"Really?" says Charlie. "Well, what did she say after that?"

"COME OUT FROM UNDER THE BED YOU LITTLE CHICKEN SHIT SO I CAN GET A BETTER SHOT AT YOU!"

From The Daily "A": Portland Attorney Weighs In On Lee's Actions

Lawyer says Lee abused his position as Clatsop County Board Chairman

"County staff bent over backwards to be fair attorney says; in return, one may have been called a ‘witch’ or a ‘bitch’"

By JOE GAMM - The Daily Astorian

Clatsop County Commissioner Richard Lee's wife, Lynda, demanded staff be terminated for upholding county and state law.

That's a no-no.

So said Jill Goldsmith, a Portland attorney, in her report of an investigation into Commissioner Richard Lee's dealings with the county's own planning department released Friday.

Details of Goldsmith's report were released after the county commissioners held a meeting in executive session Friday morning.

Details of what happened in the executive session are not allowed to be reported. Lee was not present at the meeting because he was asked not to attend.

For The Full Story Click On Link Below:

http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=48996&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398

"It's A Vendetta." Richard Lee Says!!

May I ask, by who?

I invite Commissioner Lee to respond to this, on this site with a thorough explanation as to his belief.

We still have an open invitation for Commissioner Lee to post his position on this site should he or his agents choose to do so.

From The Daily "A" Lee's Breech With County Goes Deep

Lee's shenanigans pile up

By JOE GAMM -The Daily Astorian

Clatsop County Commissioner Richard Lee finds himself in murky water today.

He's the focus of a petition for a recall election, and last week he filed a tort claim against the county - in essence, threatening to sue.

And, as the recall comes closer to fruition, other details have emerged about the way his business practices and government rules have clashed.

No fewer than five men have accepted the role of director of the county's home inspectors over the past few years ... and soon left.

Many are frustrated that Lee has not followed the rules, especially by not getting conditional use permits, known among planners as "CUPs."

As 2007 came to a close, a county employee filed a complaint against him.

In the complaint, Jennifer Bunch said that if the developer were anyone other than Lee, the county would not have allowed situations involved with his developments to "become such a mess, and would have put a stop to it long ago.

We would have demanded final design plans for each development (as required by both conditional use permits) and then, if any changes were made, we would have required that new conditional use permits be submitted.

"Lee and his wife, Lynda, operate a nursery, RV park and golf course in the Lewis and Clark area.

The complaint said that a problem exists when employees have concerns that their jobs are in jeopardy if they require a developer to adhere to the conditions of permits.

It asked for support requiring the couple to provide official and final design plans for their RV park and golf course.

The county has asked for those plans since Lee began developing the golf course - in 2001.

In 2003, Veronica Smith, who was Clatsop County's senior planner (and now works for NorthernStar Natural Gas Co.), refunded $2,300 of $3,150 Lee had paid for rezoning and a goal exception.

She instead allowed him to proceed with his development under a conditional use permit.

The goal exception would normally be required because the property is within three miles of an urban growth zone.But even then, she asked that he provide "a good site plan map to scale."Although time has passed, little seems to have changed.

On Oct. 17, 2007, Clatsop County sent Lee a letter stating that he must follow the state laws and county building codes, policies and procedures which are in place.

Click Here For Full Story:
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=48878

Democrats Differ Over LNG In Oregon

From The Oregonian


By JULIA SILVERMAN The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A clear divide is emerging among Oregon Democrats in the fight over whether to build three liquefied natural gas terminals in Oregon, along with hundreds of miles of buried pipelines to ship the gas to West Coast markets.
At a rally Wednesday in Salem, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, who is hoping to be his party's U.S. Senate candidate in November, came out against the proposed terminals, which would turn imported hyper-cooled fuel into natural gas. He is the second high-profile Democrat in the last week to publicly oppose the plan, joining Secretary of State Bill Bradbury.

Read Full Story
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-23/1202347173129930.xml&storylist=orlocal

CCFOG: The Signatures Are In, Now The Elections Gauntlet

Better dot every "i" and cross every "t" and make damned sure they got more than enough legal names.

UPDATE!!

C l a t s o p C i t i z e n s F o r O p e n G o v e r n m e n t
P. O. B o x 1 8 6 , Wa r re n t o n , O re g o n 9 7 1 4 6
February 4, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CCFOG FILES COMPLETED PETITION TO RECALL RICHARD LEE

Astoria, Oregon. Eleven days was all the time required for Clatsop Citizens for Open
Government to collect sufficient signatures to trigger a recall of Richard Lee, commissioner
for Clatsop County District 3. An energized band of volunteers began collecting signatures on
January 25, and discovered a very determined and supportive electorate willing to sign the
petitions.
The Clatsop County Elections Office has ten days in which to verify the signatures. After the
petition has been certified, Richard Lee will have five days in which to either resign or
respond with a Statement of Justification, explaining his record in office. The Clatsop
County Elections office is attempting to utilize March 18, a previously scheduled date for
special elections, as the date for the recall. If this occurs, ballots would arrive the week of
February 25.
“If a vacancy arises, our expectation is that the remaining county commissioners will
conduct an open process for identifying a replacement, including a call for applications and
a hearing with public commentary” states Scott Reuter, CCFOG volunteer coordinator. "This
is only the first, most immediate, step in the Group's strategy to help bring fairness back to
county government."
For more information about CCFOG and the recall effort, go to the website
at ccFog.org. The mailing address is PO Box 186, Warrenton, 97146.