Category Archives: journal

Bright sun and high 30s today. Walking through the outdoor patio entrance to my bank today, I was transported by the winter fragrance of Chinese Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Molis.) I looked around for the gangly yellow misanthrope, but it was hiding. There are bacteria living miles below the earths crust making their living in lithic darkness harvesting energy from the radioactive decay of minerals. The diffuse light and cold of the Portland winter at the earths surface is comparative tropical luxury for the Witch Hazel, leaving it energy enough to perfume the air with its sexual vigor. Why do men go to ground in winter, thinking that nature is so feeble as to only grant us it’s favor seasonally?

It was very cold and windy by the Columbia this morning, with flecks of snow. The bird cannons at the airport were booming the whole time, as large flocks gathered in the grass near the runways, seeking heat from the passing jet engines.

Look at all the beauty that is still around you and be happy.

–Anne Frank

4000 Native Americans gathered last night at the convention center in Portland for a traditional powwow celebration. The theme for the event was “party as if it were 1491.”

If God gives you something you can do, why in God’s name wouldn’t you do it?

—Stephen King

From the morning’s inbox:

On Tuesday Dec 20th, Lucas Fielder – PBX operator at the Vancouver Hilton – stood up and spoke for better wages for himself and his coworkers at his Union’s Candlelight Vigil. He was fired the next day.

UNITE HERE quickly organized an emergency delegation to demand justice for Luke. Yesterday, Thur Dec 22nd, over 35 people gathered at the hotel, only hours after Luke was fired. They stormed into the lobby of the hotel and met with the General Manager. They then marched over to City Hall and delegated the city manager, Eric Holmes, letting him know the injustices at his "city owned" hotel.

At this point, Luke has not been reinstated to his job. There will be future actions and I will keep Vancouver4Peace updated, as you have all been an incredible support for the Vancouver Hilton workers!

“The only way down from the gallows is to swing.”
– Tom Waits

In the curb in front of my house there are rusted iron rings that were used to tie horses, back when horse drawn wagons delivered milk and eggs and canned salmon in my neighborhood. The rings tend to crack the concrete over time. Last night someone pulled a hunk of the cracked concrete out of the curb and threw it through the window of our car, looking for anything valuable. The guy at the repair shop says this is happening all over now and that car prowlers are getting bolder. People are even leaving their cars unlocked to avoid the broken windows.

A bumper sticker: My Dog Gives Blood. Can Yours?

(um, no, we like fresh at our house)

Big capital is stone cold. It takes “risks” when it can get house odds, that is, when there is no real risk at all. It always leaves the back door open and the getaway car running. All great fortunes throughout history have been built through theft. Today is no different, except that theft has been legalized.

The 1% is planning for 100 years of class war. They know climate change will create a world wide band of desert 40 degrees north and south of the equator. They know global population will plummet by 80% and no nation state will protect them from social unrest when the conversation turns from the lack of jobs to the lack of food and safe drinking water.

The irony is that mankind’s salvation does not ultimately lie in creating these desperate and lonely islands, but in the gracious cooperation we are seeing in the Occupy movement. In fact, it is the only reason we are here today.