Their Blood is on Bush’s Hands

Missing Barney

What a difficult time to be the (new to this region) president of Western Washington University. In his autumn address to faculty and staff, Bruce Shepard laments, “While we came through the ye

Scintillating Sat/Sun Solicitation

We don’t make special offers like this very often, but if you act right now, you’ll not only continue getting free access to fresh views, news and opinion on Northwest Citizen, but you’ll also help se

Here’s To Washington State’s Women! A Visit with Dr.Linda Allen

Dr. Linda Allen takes the long way home to Bellingham once again as she tours the nooks and crannies of Washington State in 2010 with a multi-media presentation called “Here’s to the Women!” I

Please Tell Me a Dirty Dan Harris Story

The people behind Bellingham’s colorful history matter - just like it matters that Pierre Charles L’Enfant designed Washington DC and that Thomas Jefferson created the University of Virginia. Visit th

Let’s Meet At Burns’ Cabins - For my regional hero, June Burn

Our friend had found two acres at the foot of Sehome Hill, one a little fir-clad knoll, the other a level acre of meadow and garden.

Reunions, Reprobates and Sarah Palin

Note:
This article was originally posted on September 7, 2008, shortly after John McCain announced he had chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. The negative responses emanating

Rolling Rolling In Their Graves - What happened to WWU?

Interim Editor’s Note: Hi. John Servais, the esteemed publisher, will be back from vacation soon and I had very little to do while appointed interim editor of Northwest Citizen in his absence

Boating accident reporting is missing from Herald

A few days ago, our community lost two young people to a tragic accident. A boating accident in Bellingham Bay. Yet we know almost nothing about them and the facts surrounding this accident.

Consuming earth’s assets

“At present, we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product.” So says renowned entrepreneur and visionary Paul Hawken at his May 3rd commenc

How Horizon Bank chose greed over the safety of its community

I really pity Horizon Bank’s CEO Rich Jacobson. His predecessor, Laury Evans, sure left him a bad hand to play. Not only is Mr. Jacobson faced with the same loan portfolio problems plaguing mo

Mayor Pike’s finest Auer?

When Mayor Pike ran for office, he convinced me and thousands of others that he was truly concerned about the issues that impact those who call Bellingham home. In particular, I believed he would do

H. A. “Barney” Goltz

Editor note. Barney died Thursday, Dec 25. He strongly deserves tribute for his public service. Bob Aegerter provides a brief look at his life. Bob was the architect for WWU and worked with Barney

Ski to Sea Weekend - a parking guide

Alan Rhodes seems to want to be like Emmett Watson, the late writer about Lesser Seattle. However, Alan seems to lack Emmett’s basic charitable view of his fellow humans. Emmett had a sense of humor

Rome Grange celebrates 100 years

In April, 1908, the farmers just northeast of Bellingham - along and north of the current Mt. Baker Highway - organized their own Grange. The highway was not there then, but that is the area. The Gr

The Predatory Universe of Non-Profits in Happy Valley

Something about Bellingham’s poverty brings out the worst, even in the best of us.

The Kulshan Land Trust ushered it’s presence into Happy Valley with the development

The Clintons: I suddenly have a problem

Below is a link to an opinion piece in today’s Los Angeles Times. It is written by a liberal - obviously a Democrat - and one who has supported the Clintons all these years. I also have supported th

Physicians Coerced by Military

Juan Cole continues to provide a knowledgeable look at Bhutto’s killing and the Pakistan situation. His column today explains how the government is being discredited regarding their claims of how she

New local political website

Noon
A new local political website is starting up - bellinghambloggers.com. No content there yet, but the aspirations are excellent. Chris Renoud wants to run the site with integrity and cre

Professional standards and all that

Sam Taylor has an article in today’s Herald on the Bellingham City Council special session yesterday when they approved John Carter as the new city Finance Director. Sam includes some quotes from Cart

Racism is alive and healthy

A racist headline in today’s Herald - but they don’t have a clue. The news is the Northwood Casino finally got their liquor permit - which they should have had long ago. But the Herald hypes the issue

Judge finds WWU acted illegally

Western Washington University administrators - starting with President Karen Morse - have been abusing their power for years. Below is an example. This article first appeared in slightly different for

International Justice Clinic

Do we Americans believe in human rights? Do we believe that “all” are equal and have rights as our Declaration of Independence says we believe - or only citizens of the United States? Wednesday this w

Websites covering local issues

It is so nice to have several websites covering local issues. The past few days I’ve just not even thought of posting and have enjoyed checking other sites. As new local voices have gone online

Pike’s swearing in

Dan Pike gave a great short speech to a packed city council chamber after he was sworn in as our mayor. It is posted on the City of Bellingham website as a pdf file.

Dan said he has five tasks

Thanksgiving wishes from Lois Garlick

This from Lois Garlick

Dear Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

And thank you. Your support in my campaign for County Executive was tremendous. I had no comprehension

Scooped on a Fairhaven story

Swearing-In Ceremony next Tuesday at 4:30 pm in our Bellingham City Council Chambers for Dan Pike as mayor and Stan Snapp as council member.

Noon
Sam Taylor has scooped me on a Fairhaven sto

Ballots with incorrect bar codes

Who is Royce Buckingham - and why does he think he needs to prevent democratic processes from taking place? This guy - a lawyer in the Prosecuting Attorney’s office - is one of three members of the Ca

Olympia urges Auditor to rethink counting process

Marian Beddill has posted a good technical description of what happened with our ballots. She uses this serious incident to explain why computerized voting has serious problems.

9 pm - A long d

Servais hasn’t endorsed Stan Snapp

V - Stan Snapp - Don’t ask me why Servais hasn’t endorsed Stan Snapp. Here’s a guy that has worked his way up and tirelessly served his community, who has broad popular support and plent

Today he announced.

Seth Fleetwood has endorsed Dan Pike for Mayor of Bellingham. We have all been wondering if and who Seth would endorse. He also ran for mayor and had a strong showing in the August primary. Today he a

Candidates and candidon’ts

Podcasts of last night’s forum will be posted online by KGMI about noon tomorrow. I will post links here when they go up. Meanwhile, you might check Sam Taylor’s posted as it happened blog of the foru

My candidate preferences or endorsements

For what they are worth, or not worth, today I am posting my preferences or endorsements for candidates. I describe myself as a progressive and those who know me consider me very liberal and a tree hu

Lois Garlick

Lois Garlick has a 4-minute video on YouTube that is worth every voter watching. Please spread the word. I am strongly backing Lois for Whatcom County Executive. Many say she is too old. Well, Pete Kr

Park announcement overturns my vote for Dan McShane

John Watts has posted a good response on his HamsterTalk to Mitch Friedman’s guest opinion piece in yesterday’s Whatcom Independent. Since Mitch had a kind word for John in the piece, it is nice to se

Full firehouse for the candidate forum

Full firehouse for the candidate forum this evening in Fairhaven. Some candidates are starting to ask trap-and-poison questions while some others are showing a fine respect for each other. Terry Borne

Candidate forum on Btv10

The candidate forum this evening was a good one. It will be much better on Btv10 as it is rebroadcast many times this month. For the live audience, the two TV cameras were really in the way. Check the

Thankful we have Elfo

Let us be glad our Whatcom County Sheriff, Bill Elfo, is a fellow who has common sense and is not afraid to think. When I was publisher of the Whatcom Independent I got to know him a bit. We have a go

My posts here were accurate

The October surprise is a week early. Today’s Herald has the carefully managed news of the land swap that John Watts alerted us to on Sep 11 - and which was then denied by the McShanes, Mitch Friedman

Pratum lays it out

Tom Pratum has a letter in the current issue of the Cascadia Weekly on page 4 that pretty much demolishes the ‘facts’ in Dan McShane’s letter of last week. No letter of correction from McShane. Pratum

No denials in land swap accusation

Rather than answer several emails individually, this post will clarify a couple things. First, why is yesterday’s post by John Watts that I praised any different from his late July post that I critici

An unhealthy self-centered attitude?

The letter by Dan McShane in the current issue of the Weekly has a few errors in it regarding how Dan voted and such. He wrote the letter to defend his actions on the county council regarding Sudden V

His idea of a solution is a study group

A sunny Sunday and an interesting time listening to a local politician show how to get on both sides of every issue and not ever be accountable for his own actions.

Terry Bornemann spent an hou

On vote totals and viability

A morning comment or two on the election and then time to enjoy the long weekend. No pretension to any real insights. Just a bit on what most of us are noticing and reliable insiders - political junki

I think I got the statement right

The attacks on my credibility continue via emails. So, tis time to spend some space on the accusations and the evidence I used in my posts. On Aug 23, I posted; “Well, negative campaigning was started

I try to print the truth.

New city of Bellingham website? (link disabled Mon morn) Sure looks like it. Check it out. I wouldn’t want to lie.

– Late Sun night. Does the city read this site? Bet your bibby they do. The n

Free speech threatened by local government people

He offered to fax the two-page job description of the PR guy to me. I told him I had no fax but if he could leave a copy with his receptionist then I could stop by later in the day and get it. He said

Elect Lois; what’s up with Joe?

Lois is a single person, with much experience and ability, who has chosen to run against the powerful and entrenched and secretive county executive, Pete Kremen. She decided on her own to file and cha

Vote for Lois as a protest against Pete

Lois Garlick has her campaign kick-off reception this Wednesday afternoon at the Roeder Home. All are invited. All, including other candidates, supporters, political insiders - whether you intend to c

We readily endorse Dan

Politically savvy folks from the left, center and right are endorsing Dan Pike for mayor. Imagine the Bellingham Herald, Tim Johnson of the Cascadia Weekly and myself of NwCitizen all agreeing on Pike

After the forum

The Whatcom Independent forum last night was a success - a very enjoyable and meaningful event for all - candidates, live audience and radio listeners. For the first and probably only time, all seven

He got his one fact wrong

An apology from John Watts for the political smear he posted on his new blog. However, in his apology, he spends a sentence trying to make his smear stick - and fails as he gets his one fact wrong. He

Watt, me smear? (Apologies to Alfred E. Newman)

Don Keenan has responded. He sent an excerpt from an email he sent early in July to those supporting his candidacy, including John Watts.

Incumbents in general minimized problems

Some thoughts after the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum last night at the Municipal Court building at Girard and C Street. 7 to 8 pm, all 11 city council candidates. 8 to 9 pm, the 5 to 7 mayo

Does a dynamic campaigning process have a chance?

Forums. On Wednesday evening, the forum will - gasp - have all city candidates speak and answer questions. But not the County primary candidates. What a loss. This will make for a very long and over-s

Libby’s amnesty

Tried phoning the White House to weigh in with my comment that Bush shows no respect for the rule of law by commuting Libby’s sentence. After a minute of ringing and no answer, I hung up. Sent an emai

A continuation of the Nixon White House

In a nutshell; “Keep me out of jail or I talk.” So they paid the price. The fall guy is Libby. The criminals - for releasing the name of a CIA undercover agent - are Bush and Cheney. All Libby did was

Earmarks, pork or spending requests

We notice Rick Larsen is one of the members of Congress who refuse to release their earmark requests for the Federal Budget. Earmarks, pork or legislatively directed spending requests - he will not ev

One of the more important discussions of the whole year

Our Whatcom County Council this evening discussed taking long-range planning back from the Executive and putting it under the control of the Council. Barb Brenner and Carl Weimer brought the question

PATRIOT Act is no Santa Claus

Smoking guns are fun to find. The Bush mob has been caught holding one. The White House claims Karl Rove and Bush did not direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to fire U.S. Attorneys and replace the

The war is wreaking havoc on all

Armed Service veterans are twice as likely to commit suicide as civilians. Just another intangible cost of the insane war in Iraq. (It applies to all male vets from all our recent wars.) Counting just

Bellingham has 4 primaries, 2/3rds of county, none

Last-hour filings for political office on Friday afternoon are always fun to observe. Today, four candidates came in to file between 4:06 and 4:26 pm - with the cutoff time of 4:30. No commercial new

Stop the Stop-Loss practice

Evan will complete his week-long vigil at the old Federal Building in downtown Bellingham tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm - during the normal weekly peace vigil. During his week there, he has brought many

We salute Evan.

Check the website about his vigil. He is demonstrating while wearing his Army uniform - and he has every constitutional right to do so. But I predict the military will try and intimidate him. More and

Larsen: What is he good for?

Rick Larsen voted for further war spending today - with no timelines. No surprise. He has been a war supporter all along. Let’s start now to find a true Democratic candidate or Independent or anti-war

Knutson backs out

Gene Knutson is pulling out of his bid for mayor of Bellingham. In an email notice, Gene said “It is with much sadness and a very heavy heart that I have to leave the Mayors race because of ongoing ba

Reclusive Representative - Persecution by Proxie

Our invisible Congressman, Rick Larsen, has finally had his way with that pesky protester, Ellen Murphy. In order to ensure his privacy from prying constituents, Larsen had the local constabulary haul

KGMI interview

I’ll be on KGMI Radio Monday morning, 8 to 9 am, discussing local issues with and at the invitation of Jeffrey Lustick, the temporary host. Any suggestions on topics? john@nwcitizen.us Yes, we will b

Silenced hearing

Note on below article:
Below is a report on some shenanigans by Whatcom County employees and our Whatcom County Court system. On Wednesday, I went to the courthouse to attend a 2 pm hearing for a r

McCain’s ‘walk through the safe market’

This from Juan Cole - on Tuesday. Lest we forget the trauma we are foisting on the world.

<

blockquote>21 Shiites from McCain’s Market Killed
3 US Troops Killed Massive Truck Bomb at Kirkuk<b

Office-hours confusion

At the Ellen Murphy hearing yesterday virtually nothing happened and it lasted about a minute. Ellen’s attorney, Joe Pemberton, told judge Lev that in light of the changes in the charges by the city t

Time Warp

I’m informed that the court did allow the change of times on the arrest warrants at the Motion Hearing last Monday. This information was not in the court file I was given to look at. So it seems judg

Uneducated and misinformed

Rick Larsen’s attitude towards those citizens who are against the war in Iraq is exposed. In the case against Ellen Murphy by US Rep. Rick Larsen and the city of Bellingham, here is a statement from t

Ellen Murphy trial update; by Sharon Crozier

The person on the Bench in Bellingham’s Municipal Court said today (Monday, Mar 26) that citizens have no right to be heard by our public officials, that participation in democracy is voting and no mo

US a police state?

The Bush administration’s calculated transformation of the US into a police state. The Washington Post prints a letter from one of the thousands in our midst who have lost some of their rights but can

Blue Canyon bullies?

So - what is going on at the Blue Canyon, down at the south end of Lake Whatcom? Who is Stephen Scott and who is Rita Foley and why have the responsible County departments allowed a creek to be clear

Ellen Murphy trial update

The Ellen Murphy trial took an unexpected turn today, (Thursday, March 15).

Ellen Murphy trial update- Mar 15

The House of Representatives legal council today filed a multi-page Motion to Quash the subpoena requiring Rep. Rick Larsen to appear in Bellingham Court on March 20.

Ellen Murphy update; by Sharon Crozier

Congressman Rick Larsen has (so far) successfully avoided the process server who is waiting to hand him a subpoena to appear in the trial of war protester Ellen Murphy of Bellingham.

Larsen: a cold political operator

Ellen Murphy is now allowed to enter the Federal Building in Bellingham. With the court dismissal of the Oct. 20 trespass charge, the lifetime ban on entering the building was also dropped. (This took

Protesters Murphy and Ahmath

Ellen Murphy’s court date has been changed. Her jury trial will be on Tuesday, March 20 ( not Feb 27 as posted below last week). It was changed - after being set by the Muni Court at the earlie

Kafka and the Wizard of Oz

City of Bellingham prosecutor was forced to dismiss the October 20, 2006 trespassing charge against Ellen Murphy in Municipal Court today. Ellen will still stand trial on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 9 am bef

Three corrections

Today we have three corrections that apply to the Feb 6 post below. The corrections are important but do not change the thrust of the article - and indeed put even more of an accusation against Congre

Doth she protesteth too much?

Ellen Murphy has the courage to practice classic civil protest - to publicly bring her questions about the Iraq war to Rick Larsen, our US Congress Representative. And for daring to do that, it appear

Democrats erring; remembering Paul Roley

OK, my Democratic Party friends. Deal with this - like Barney Frank would not. He shouted down a Senator who dared to reveal this on the Senate floor. The hypocrisy stinks. If this is the lily-pure 10

The dead are blessed

3,000 service persons killed in Iraq? Oh we are beyond that - up to 3,002 this morning - and could climb past 4,000 this year if we ‘stay the course’. More telling for me is we are approaching 50,000

Long Run

Milton Friedman died at 94 years of age last week. Friedman was the maverick economist who implemented monetarist policies beginning with the administrations of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. As

Welcome to America!

Protesting and dissent is no longer supervised by the police. It is actively escalated to violence, punished and prosecuted. This snippet is about a fellow rotting in jail as the result of his journal

Hot Button

The war in Iraq is widely regarded to have been the “hot button” issue of the last election. I don’t buy it. Americans seem to like a good fight. After all, we get into a lot of them. The problem with

Plenty more to flush

Bellingham’s new, old mayor, Tim Douglas, got off to a great running start at his new job by dealing quickly and firmly with an important issue that threatened to embarrass the City forever - the form

Electile Dysfunction

Nope. I didn’t make it up. It’s from the subtitle of a book by Steve Bhaerman, under the pen name Swami Beyondananda. I have to admire the guy. At least he can laugh about it. But Americans should do

My name is Tip Johnson.

Gentle readers,

My name is Tip Johnson. The usual editor of this publication has asked me to fill in for a bit while he is busy with other matters. Some of you have already written, following h

One of the finest journalistic minds in America

George Will is a respected conservative columnist - and I invite you to read his current column in Newsweek. It is two pages - not long - and please read to the last two-word sentence. You know George

Free Rick

Free Rick Larsen is a new website by anti-war activists in Bellingham. These are serious citizens whom Rick has dissed and ignored. One has even been banned from his office for the rest of her life. T

Attemped murder ignored?

Did Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad shoot and wound Margot in Bellingham back in 2002? NwCitizen raised this question in October 2002 and Bellingham Police Chief Randy Carroll laughed at the su

Continuing - suggestions on voting - Nov 7, 2006

State Supreme Court Justice - vote for Susan Owens. Keep her on the court. She has done a good job, respecting our rights and writing opinions supported by the other judges. Her opponent, Steph

Suggestions on voting - November 7, 2006 election

These are listed in general order of the importance I think they deserve. As a senior citizen now, and with a lifetime of deep involvement in politics (not deep, but I even shook hands with JFK) I hav

This is too rich to pass up

Karl Rove is being exposed as pressuring Rep. Foley - the Republican who pursued teenage Congressional pages - to run for Congress one more time. Indeed, Karl apparently told Foley that if he did not

Swimming upstream

As Republicans try to prove the Democrats sprung the Foley scandal as an ‘October Surprise’, it is fun to actually learn how it all started. Check out the website for CREW - Citizens for Responsibilit

Applying band-aids to scandal

Right wingnuts - Drudge, Gingrich and others - are saying the Democrats want Republican House leader Hastert to resign so as to enhance Democratic House candidates in the November election. You know,

If the facts don’t fit, then lie (National)

Oh, I’m sorry, that is unfair. If the facts don’t fit then make a mistake. (This post is labeled National so no conservative has to read this far and become upset - as I don’t want to hurt their relia

There will always be guys who go wrong

Now the right wing media theme is Rep. Foley is a homosexual - as if that explains pedophilia. So, would they say a rapist is just a heterosexual person? The Wall Street Journal and other right wingnu