Fewer Broken Pieces

I would like to point out that the Blazers are currently 2nd in the Western Conference of the NBA (by a hair).  They will be tied in that spot by the end of the night, however.  Still, it is sweet to have sole possession of second place, no matter how fleeting it may be.

Today the annual Diocesan Convention wrapped up.  I was an alternate from St. Bartholomew’s.  Due to a misunderstanding of the schedule, I had to miss Friday’s business.  Still, I got to enjoy an excellent eucharist service accompanied by jazz music at St. Paul’s Salem before the first session.  This morning the convention continued the “Appreciative Inquiry” process, part of our self-evaluation before selecting a new bishop at next year’s convention.

There are some up and coming issues which are sure to cause contention in Oregon, including a discussion on permitting the benefit of all sacraments to all congregants - in other words, gay marriage.  Along with those there were some resolutions of policy which I thought odd to be on the docket for ecclesial convention, including a petition for the repatriation of some native American artifacts and a letter of support for a proposed Department of Peace and Nonviolence (the bill stalled in committee and a similar fate awaits it if re-introduced in the next congress).  One of the rationales for the latter proposal was:

• There is currently no organized approach by the US government to create nonviolent solutions to domestic and international conflicts.

As for domestic conflicts, I am not sure what is being insinuated, but I have no idea why such a program would need to be implemented at the federal level.  As for international conflicts, is not that exact role served by the US State Department?  Oh, the curiosities of convention!

I had the pleasure of being introduced to several groups, including a prison ministry I am quite interested in, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.  EMO is hosting Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Portland in May 2009.  Other than that, I met some great people, and I hope to be able to be a delegate again in the future.

Gordon Smith is running ads against Constitution party candidate Dave Brownlow.  I suppose they have some internals which show he is peeling off some of Smith’s typical voting base.  Still, it is pretty amazing to see a political ad attacking a third-party candidate.

Late update: Brownlow ended up getting ~6% of the vote and Smith lost his seat.  The ads were too little, too late.

I guess I better practice what I preach.  So, in order to make my political voice better heard, and to foster discussion, I am eschewing the private ballot and posting my votes online:

United States Senate - Dave Brownlow (Constitution)

This was a vote against Gordon Smith’s vote to authorize the Iraq war.  He has actually faced reelection since that vote in 2002, but the war started in 2003, so this is his first chance to be called to account.  Also, for some reason I am turned off by Merkley, and this seemed to be an excellent situation to express my general dissatisfaction with the two-party system.  Therefore I voted for the “third party” on the ballot.  There are also some aspects of Brownlow’s platform I appreciate.

United States House (1st District) - Joel Haugen (Republican/independent)

I appreciated Haugen’s blurb in the voter’s pamphlet.  He was originally selected as the Republican candidate, but he opted to be listed as an independent on the ballot.  I have nothing particular against Wu except his ultimate vote for the bailout.

Secretary of State - Rick Dancer (Republican)

I was struck by Dancer’s blurb, and I wanted to vote for someone outside of the establishment of Salem politics.

State Treasurer - Allen Alley (Republican)

Same as above - an outsider with an impressive pitch.

Attorney General - John Kroger (Democrat/Republican)

Let’s face it: he’s a superstar.

Measure 54 - Yes.  Why not?

Measure 55 - Yes.  Why not?

Measure 56 - Yes.  Requiring majority vote plus majority turnout strikes me as anti-democratic.  If we are going to do direct democracy, let’s really do it.

Measure 57 - Yes.  I was conflicted about this.  What ultimately swayed me was my experience as a volunteer in Oregon Corrections and the endorsements this measure received from law enforcement and corrections organizations, not to mention the aforementioned superstar (and future AG) John Kroger.

Measure 58 - No. This is best left to school districts to decide.  Educators I have spoken with do not think this is the best approach.  And, as with all Bill Sizemore measures, I would like to discourage his efforts.

Measure 59 - No.  While I am sympathetic to those who complain about “double taxation,” I am more than a little disturbed at the effect this measure would have on state revenues.

Measure 60 - No.  This matter is best left to school districts to decide for themselves.  Also, why should seniority be totally excluded from deciding pay?  Additionally, I am curious about how classroom performance can be accurately and fairly measured.  This measure does not define good classroom performance.

Measure 61 - No.  I am not a fan of mandatory minimum sentences.  Let judges be judges.  Also, the populist “law and order vote” makes me uneasy, especially when corrections professionals seem to favor 57.

Measure 62 - No.  Being a young buck, I am not (yet?) a law and order voter.  Leave the lottery fund alone.  Also, why not eliminate the voluntary tax of the lottery and actually fully fund our government through taxation?

Measure 63 - No.  This one came down to the arguments.  I trust that removing the need for permits on smaller construction will cause problems.

Measure 64 - No.  Believe me, I am sympathetic to union members whose dues are being spent against their will to fund political campaigns.  However, that needs to be a matter of union charters and negotiations, not of state law.  I am also concerned about unintended legal consequences of this law.

Measure 65 - Yes.  I am an unaffiliated voter.  Why should I have to pay for primary elections in which I cannot vote?  Partisan primaries should not be facilitated by state elections.  Let the parties choose their candidates on their own dime.

President of The United States of America - None.  I will elaborate on my decision to abstain from the presidential vote in a forthcoming post.

Here were the votes of Oregon’s full congressional delegation in the second (and final) round of voting on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.  House first:

1. David Wu - Yes
2. Greg Walden - No
3. Earl Blumenauer - Yes
4. Peter Defazio - Yes
5. Darlene Hooley - Yes

Now the Senate:

• Ron Wyden - No
• Gordon Smith - Yes

Wu, Walden, Blumenauer, and Defazio all changed their vote from the first round.  Here is a case where party lines were reversed between House and Senate, which I take to be unusual.  At any rate, apparently the “concessions” which were added to the revised version of the bill sweetened the deal for the Democrats in the House but poisoned it for Walden.

Here is how Oregon’s House delegation voted on the so-called “bailout”:

1. David Wu - No
2. Greg Walden - Yes
3. Earl Blumenauer - No
4. Peter Defazio - No
5. Darlene Hooley - Yes

Representative Hooley probably broke with the rest of the Democrats because she is retiring (she will not have to face the voters on this issue).

The lowly Aloha Post Office is the subject of some legislation sponsored by David Wu this session:

To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3800 SW. 185th Avenue in Beaverton, Oregon, as the “Major Arthur Chin Post Office Building”.

It passed and was signed by the President May 7, 2008.

P.S. GovTrack is fun and can lead to much wasted time.

Gordon Smith last ran for reelection in 2002.  That was a mere 3 weeks after he voted yes to authorize the Iraq war.  He has since, quite famously, turned against the war.  It has been six years, so the expectation is that the public has forgotten about his position on the issue.  I wonder, however, how many Oregonians have a long memory.  I have not forgotten.

This evening I had the pleasure of taking in a concert put on by the New West Guitar trio at The Old Church in Portland.  New West plays mostly jazz, with hints of other styles.  One of the musicians John Storie was a class and band-mate at Westview, so it was nice to see him after over five years.  His group plays really well, and they are currently touring, so be sure to see if you can catch them live.

I am aware of two fellow alumni of Westview High School who have died in the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan:

• Marques Nettles
• Tan Ngo

For all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the departed, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.