!!!!!KEEP VOTING!!!!!

!!!!!KEEP VOTING!!!!!

DROP BOXES AVAILABLE ALL WEEKEND!!!

The Edelman Factor

Eric de Place of Sightline has posted (as part of his ongoing series on NW Coal exports) a piece on PR expert and  Edelman VP Lauri Hennessey. His piece refers to a guest post on DESMOGBLOG by Mike Stark of Fossil Agenda.  Below is a screenshot from google analytics showing a network named 'edelman pr' monitoring my blog  for the better part last year. All but a few of the visits originate from the city of  Washington, D.C. It should be noted that 'attribution' is always difficult to prove on the internet. Even more so since google analytics does not provide internet protocol addresses. Click  the picture for greater resolution.

"Extremists..."

The Whatcom Republican Party has put out a mailer implying that "extremists" in the Democratic Party forced the  Georgia Pacific pulp plant to close in 2001. I find this hard to believe, but I will let others with more than 11 years here in Bellingham respond. I will say that I doubt that I, as well as many other ex-urbans, would have considered moving to Bellingham twelve years ago if it meant we would have had  to breathe in the brown cloud of acrid smoke that reputedly drifted over most of the core downtown and its residential neighborhoods from GP's pulp plant. Property prices in Bellingham, as far as I can tell, began a long climb upwards only after the pulp plant closed.

Once before I had tried to move us to the Pacific Northwest. I was working at Intel in Hillsboro, Oregon.  Oregon is very populist state. Outside of downtown Portland, life isn't always so well-cultured.  At that time (1998), some of the cities surrounding the Intel campus weren't exactly civic models designed to attract ex-urbans.  After  failing to impress my wife with Oregon, I actually chose Bellingham as our 'escape' because it rated highly on the American Lung Association ratings for clean air after the pulp plant closed in 2001.  To test whether  or not we should live here, I rented a motel for three days and walked the entire city and downtown core. The clean air, the beautiful view of the San Juans, the (comparatively) crime free urban core cinched the deal for me.

Fwd: SEP Newsletter: Wealth and poverty in America

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Socialist Equality Party <sep@socialistequality.com>
Date: Sat, Oct 26, 2013 at 8:39 AM
Subject: SEP Newsletter: Wealth and poverty in America
To: "rferrisx@gmail.com" <rferrisx@gmail.com>

Socialist Equality Party Newsletter Join the Socialist Equality Party! Take up the fight for socialism! Dear SEP Supporters, There are many signs of a growing spirit of resistance and opposition in the working class in the United States and internationally. Over the past couple weeks, we have seen a second strike by Bay Area transit workers and a sickout of bus workers in Detroit (see below). Social inequality in America has soared to record levels, with corporate CEOs pulling in incomes of hundreds of millions amidst mass poverty and unemployment. As the perspective below explains, "The very crisis of the capitalist system is creating the conditions for its overthrow. Millions of people view the current state of affairs with mounting anger. They are looking for an alternative. But the anger of working people must assume a political form. It must be organized and given conscious articulation and direction. For this, a party is required--a leadership based on a historically grounded revolutionary and socialist perspective." As the experience of the BART strike demonstrates, the interests of the working class can be defended and its struggles given a conscious form only through the building of a socialist leadership, in opposition to the trade unions, the Democratic Party and the entire political establishment. Now is the time to become involved! Join the Socialist Equality Party and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality! For more information, click here. Contents: Wealth and poverty in America Lessons of the Bay Area transit strike Driver sickout halts bus service in Detroit Reports document US slaughter of civilians in drone strikes

Fwd: We've never done this before

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Aaron Ostrom, Fuse Votes" <info@fusewashington.org>
Date: Oct 28, 2013 7:12 AM
Subject: We've never done this before
To: "Ryan Ferris" <rferrisx@gmail.com>
Cc:

Sen. Nathan Schlicher and Rep. Jan Angel are locked in a dead heat for state Senate. This race is so important that we're doing something we've never done before: we're moving our whole staff to the 26th District for the final days of the election. Will you chip in $5 now to support our big get out the vote push? Pitch In!

Dear Friend,

Sen. Nathan Schlicher and ALEC co–chair Jan Angel are locked in a dead heat for the 26th District Senate seat. If Angel wins, she'll strengthen Rodney Tom's Republican majority and make it extremely difficult to retake our Senate next year.

This race is so important – and so close – that we're doing something we've never done before: we're moving our whole staff to 26th District for the final days of the election. Fuse staff will be knocking on doors and helping volunteers to ensure that every last progressive voter casts their ballot by November 5.

We're moving staff from Spokane, Seattle, Snohomish County, and Pierce County because the outcome of this race will impact everyone Washington. A one–seat swing last year in a race decided by 74 votes empowered Rodney Tom and doomed any hope for progress on climate change, women's health, gun safety, closing tax loopholes, and other progressive priorities.

We're going all–out to win this race, but we can't do it without your help. We still need to raise $8,000 to pay for this final get out the vote push for volunteers and Fuse staff in the 26th District.

Fwd: Reminder: Turn in your Ballot!

From Carl Weimer!!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Carl Weimer for Whatcom County <electcarl@voteweimer.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 25, 2013 at 3:36 PM
Subject: Reminder: Turn in your Ballot!
To: rferrisx@gmail.com

Read about Carl!  Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Reminder: Turn in your Ballot! Friends & Supporters, It is time to vote and to elect a County Council you deserve. It is time to win this election! You should have received your ballot. If you haven't, please contact the Whatcom County Auditor's office at (360) 676 - 6742 How we will win this election is pretty simple: we need to get out the vote for Carl and other Whatcom Wins candidates and by donating to Whatcom Democrats.  Also, please help spread the word to other voters: ·   Doorbell or sign up for a phone bank. Contact Field Organizer Karlee Deatherage at 360-220-7828 or email her at karleejd@gmail.com.  ·   Spread the word to friends, coworkers, and family about how important it is to vote for Carl in this election. Whatcom County Council races often come down to a few hundred votes, so every vote really does count. Remember, this election matters. We need to keep the pressure on right through election day because last minute coal dollars are flooding into Whatcom County, "Coal interests give more than $100K to 'Save Whatcom' for local elections"  - Bellingham Herald, October 18, 2013 Please doorbell, phone bank and/or spread the word. Post it on your Facebook page. Do it now, and then tell a friend to pass it on as well.  Thank you for your ongoing support! Cheers, The Carl Weimer for Whatcom County team  visit the website| like on Facebook | forward to a friend | endorse carl Copyright © 2013 Carl Weimer for Whatcom County, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Carl Weimer for Whatcom County 1055 W. Laurel Rd. Ferndale, WA 98248 Add us to your address book

The GPT Mailer...and the Economic Future of Bellingham

In this week's Cascadia Weekly you can find the GPT "Report to the Community" Volume 4 as an insert. The entire flyer is essentially a sop to the "Pro-Jobs Majority" who want to "Build Jobs Here". I don't dispute that many of their answers may be factual. I don't dispute that a coal export terminal will build jobs and increase the flow of wealth to some.  However, cities can build many different types of wealth. Choosing to engage in multi-billion dollar Asian trade will have consequences.

I'm sure there are some of you reading this who have been raised in cities with busy, industrial ports. Although there are a lot of ports on West Coast, there are three cities on the U.S. West Coast known for their international export activity; specifically trade from containerized shipping. In terms of containers and tonnage processed they are generally ranked like this:

• Long Beach CA
• Oakland, CA
• Tacoma WA

Fwd: Down to the Wire

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Ken Mann" <campaign@votekenmann.com>
Date: Oct 24, 2013 4:00 PM
Subject: Down to the Wire
To: "Ryan" <rferrisx@gmail.com>
Cc:

Help people turn in their ballots! View this email in your browser Friends, I'm sure you have heard about all the big money rolling into this campaign, both for and against me. This race has been called the election that could change the planet. It's been a long campaign season, filled with doorbelling, phone calling, forums, fundraisers and everything else you would expect from an important election. We only have 12 days left. We don't get a second chance after that. If we want responsible leadership, not just from me but also Carl Weimer, Barry Buchanan and Rud Browne, we're going to have to chip in. So here's what I would like from all of you: Please come in for one hour to help with phone calls or doorbelling at 1155 N. State St. (The Herald Building) to help encourage people to turn in their ballot. People have their ballots in hand, we just need to make sure they get turned in. So please come volunteer with the coordinated campaign helping out good responsible candidates!   We're putting everything into this for a few more days, and we need your support and assistance as we make the final push. So please help out just one more time. Thanks, Ken Copyright © 2013 The People for Ken Mann, All rights reserved. You are a friend or past supporter of The People for Ken Mann Our mailing address is: The People for Ken Mann 1317 Commercial St., Suite 204 Bellingham, WA 98225 Add us to your address book

Whatcom County General Election 2013: Understanding Voter Registration "Churn" ?

From Left to Right: Histograms of WC2013 Registrants -  All Registrants by Birth Year,  Registrant additions by Birth Year, Registrant removals by Birth Year. Each image is at a different scale. Click to Enlarge.

Note: This post attempts to approximate voter "churn" rate in the registration rolls for the  ten month period (12/04/12 - 10/07/13). The approximations are statistical in computation; but theoretical in concept. I'm not sure given voter mobility and other variables how to make my approximations and conclusions less theoretical. I have some limited confidence in my approximations. As always, I do my best to be accurate; but you should not rely upon my numbers without checking them yourself. The R Code and further explanation for this post is here.  -RMF

Each year your election department in your county in coordination with the WA OSOS ("Office of Secretary of State") attempts to update your database. You can imagine why! Voters leave the county, move inside the county, die, return, register, re-register, update their address, etc. Unlike an update in your  mail address, the incentive for updating your voter registration is not quite so pressing. Indeed, some polling research indicates an unfortunate percentage of the electorate nationwide think that by changing their postal address their voter registration is automatically updated. 

County voter databases eventually become collections of registrants that no longer vote in your county. To remedy this, WA State has implemented ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center) in conjunction with the PEW Center for the States. Seven other states have also implemented ERIC and other VRM (Voting Registration Modernization) measures. ERIC uses multiple nationwide databases (DOL, birth/death certificates, 'motor-voter', other states and county voter registration rolls) to provide a window into 'Ambiguous', 'In-County', 'Cross-County', and/or 'Mailing Address'  changes.  However, via a public disclosure request ('PDR'),  I have reviewed the ERIC driven updates for Whatcom county and find the numbers a smaller part of the "churn" volumes I describe below. WA OSOS online voter registration, political party registration operations, and voter self-maintenance  together probably contributed as much if not more than ERIC to the "churn" rate in the last ten months.

Must be all those darn coal trains....

Wow. Busy Month. Google stats has been monitoring this blog since June 2007. Before this month, 2000 page views per month was a rarity. 6043 pageviews this month!  It must be all those concerned voters and new registrants that are driving my page views to a new high.  That and a disastrous 16 day government shutdown, increasing poverty in United States, a Republican house that tried to cut food stamps, and youth riots in Bellingham. What kind of mood do you think the electorate is in?  Here's a glance at what you have been looking at. I thank you and will try hard to keep the posts coming:

Fwd: Help support the fight for socialism!

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Socialist Equality Party <sep@socialistequality.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 24, 2013 at 7:09 AM
Subject: Help support the fight for socialism!
To: "rferrisx@gmail.com" <rferrisx@gmail.com>

World Socialist Web Site

wsws.org

Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)

---

Help support the fight for socialism!

Dear SEP supporters,

I am a appealing today to help support the World Socialist Web Site. The WSWS, the daily news publication of the SEP and the ICFI, is the voice of the international working class, it is the voice of opposition, and it is a source of truth and perspective amidst a mountain of media lies and government propaganda.

The capitalist crisis that erupted in 2008 is now in its fifth year, and the banks and corporations all over the world are intensifying their offensive against the working class. In the United States, the political representatives of the wealthy just finished with a two-week-long shutdown of the federal government.

The crisis atmosphere dutifully whipped up by the media has been utilized, as the WSWS predicted, to prepare the way for a renewed attack on Medicare and Social Security, the bedrock US social programs that keep millions of people out of poverty. After returning to work, it has not taken long for the collection of crooks in both big business parties, led by the Obama administration, to launch a new conspiracy against the working class. Throughout the country, workers are being told they must give up everything.

The political situation in the US is repeated in different forms in every country, from Greece and Germany to Russia and Brazil. The world economy has been propped up through massive infusions of cash into the financial systems by central banks, accompanied by an attack on jobs, wages and basic social programs. The conditions of life for the vast majority are being driven relentlessly backward.

Fwd: Share your ideas and input on reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "U.S. EPA" <usaepa@service.govdelivery.com>
Date: Oct 23, 2013 4:16 PM
Subject: Share your ideas and input on reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants
To: <rferrisx@gmail.com>
Cc:

Share your ideas and input on reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting ideas and input from the public and stakeholders about the best Clean Air Act approaches to reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants. Power plants are the nation's largest stationary source of carbon pollution, responsible for about one third of all greenhouse gas pollution in the United States.

Beware of geeks with spreadsheets and databases...

Updated 10/22 5:27 AM added chart; more results;spreadsheet links -RMF
Updated 10/22 11:34 AM minor correction -RMF
Use caution in interpreting these results. I do my best to be as accurate as possible. - RMF

Okay, beware of  geeks with spreadsheets and databases. This year a number of  states, included WA, continued implementing 'ERIC', a software platform designed by the Pew Institute to clean up state voter databases.  Queries from the 12/04/2012 and 10/07/2013 Whatcom County Voter Databases are displayed below in spreadsheet form and (far below) in raw SQL queries.   A comparison summary of the results shows:

• net Whatcom County increase of 386 registered voters
• Female registrants decreased their commanding lead over males by 36 votes from 5,171 in 2012 to 5,134 in 2013
• Bellingham lost 355 while Ferndale gained 244 
• The small cities of Nooksack, Sedro Woolley, Maple Falls, Deming, Custer, Everson all had net gains that summed to an additional 255 registrants.
• Zipcodes 98226 and 98229 lost a combined 519 registrants while 98248 and 98264 gained a combined 426
• The top 40 precincts (over 40K registered voters) gained a redistributed 266 registrants
• The greatest gain in registered voters came from precincts 245,252 and 108 who gained (respectively) 354,287,105 new registrants (sum total 746 new registrants for those three precincts)

My urban Bellingham precinct, 208, lost 58 registrations. On the other hand, precinct 245 gained 354 registered voters. . If you know your precinct number, you can scan the respective 'nprecinct' queries (far below) to see if your precinct lost or gained registrants inside the last ten months. A chart has been added  after the break showing change in precinct registration levels for the last ten months. Spreadsheets are here in ODS and XLS .

USFWS’s Wolf Delisting Fiasco (Last Chance for Comments)

Former Bellingham activist Bob Ferris (no relation) warns us that this is the last chance to comment on USFWS proposal to delist from federal protection Gray Wolves. I don't know about the rest of you who live in Western Washington, but someday I would like a chance to see these wild animals some place else besides the Northern Trail exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo. Wolves have long had a historic relationship with humans.  It's hard to believe that we shouldn't be protecting that relationship today.

USFWS’s Wolf Delisting Fiasco (Last Chance for Comments)

Fwd: Your 2013 Progressive Voters Guide - ballots in the mail!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Aaron Ostrom, Fuse Votes" <info@fusewashington.org>
Date: Oct 18, 2013 5:23 PM
Subject: Your 2013 Progressive Voters Guide - ballots in the mail!
To: <rferrisx@gmail.com>
Cc:

Dear Friend, The 2013 general election is here! We worked with Washington's leading progressive organizations1 to produce the 2013 Progressive Voters Guide – your ticket to highly–informed voting based on progressive values. Here in Whatcom County, our county council races will determine whether or not we export millions of tons of dirty coal through our communities. We're only one council seat away from having an anti–coal majority. The deadline for mailing in your ballot is November 5, but your best bet is to do it today! Also, be sure to vote in every race, because down–ballot races have a huge impact on our future. There are two guides below. First, the express guide – a sample ballot cheat sheet – followed by the full Progressive Voters Guide with more information on each race. Please forward this guide to your friends, family, and co–workers. They can find their own locally customized version at: www.ProgressiveVotersGuide.com Thanks for all that you do, especially voting, Aaron and the entire team at Fuse

Fwd: Global Coal invades Whatcom County

Below is an 'urgent' message forwarded from Ken Mann. There has been a considerable amount of out of state election funding in WA so far this year;but that is neither new nor unusual. The "out of state funding" issue is prescient this year in Whatcom County because the County Council candidates are the "quasi- judicial" body charged with ultimately permitting Cherry Point development for GPT.  A number of other local blogs (Riley Sweeney, John Stark and Ralph Schwarz at the Herald, Dan McShane, Save Whatcom) are writing about this issue.  Total political contributions so far in WA stand at $60M according to the PDC. This number is still below the last non-Presidential election year (2011=$65.7M).

I have blogged about ALEC member contributions in the 2012 election. I've also blogged in a number of posts about "Carbon Club" influences in the Northwest Corner. Plug the term "carbon" into the search box at the top of this blog to return a collection of rants that have probably have ruined any available opportunity for me to consult for coal and oil companies.  Two notable posts might be:

• Government by Energy Imperium:. Part II on the WA 42nd

• Visualizing Cherry Point...

The push to ship 54M short tons of coal from Cherry Point in the middle of a globally warmed climate from a population center (Bellingham, WA) that is as strongly environmentalist as any on the West Coast has created a cross fire zone of external financing. Shrapnel will be arriving on your airwaves, mailbox, internet.

Coal exports is not a simple issue. But it is has become a divisive and polarizing issue here and nationwide. This concern will most assuredly generate the most electoral heat until November 5th in Whatcom County.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ken Mann <campaign@votekenmann.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 18, 2013 at 3:20 PM
Subject: Global Coal invades Whatcom County
To: rferrisx@gmail.com

Upcoming and previously recorded Candidate Forums for 2013

These are video links from The City of Bellingham of  recent Candidate Forums recorded by BTV:

League of Women Voters Candidate Forum 2013 Forum on Whatcom County Council candidates.  Recorded on October 10th in Bellingham's Municipal Court.	Video
Human Services Candidate Forum 2013 Forum on Whatcom County Council and Bellingham City Council candidates.  Recorded on October 7th in Bellingham's Municipal Court.	Video
City Club: 2013 Port of Bellingham Candidate Forum (September 2013)  Bellingham City Club presents the four candidates running for two positions in the 2013 race for seats on the Port of Bellingham Commission.  Video recorded by BTV10 on September 25, 2013 at Northwood Hall.	Video

Other debates below are found and presented with information from http://www.vote411.org and Western Votes:

http://www.vote411.org/event/6270

Sat, Oct. 19 - 9:30 am

Location:

Bellingham City Council Chambers

Address:

210 Lottie Street

  --

United States

Description:

Candidates for position of director on the Bellingham School Board
Pro & Con Speakers concerning the Bellingham School Board Bond Measure and Statewide Initiative 522 - Concerning the labeling of genetically engineered foods

http://www.vote411.org/event/6271

Thu, Oct. 24 - 6:30 pm

Location:

Bellingham Municipal Court

Address:

2014 C Street

  --

United States

Additional Information:

Candidates will respond to questions from the moderator and the audience

Description:

Candidates for two positions on the Bellingham City Council
Candidates for two positions on the Bellingham Port Commission

https://www.facebook.com/events/1416477165240619/

Whatcom County Council Candidates Student Led Q&A 

The Representation and Engagement Program is hosting a Student Led Q&A for all Whatcom County Council Candidates. Come with questions and get educated on one of the most important races in the state! Doors open at 5:30 pm and refreshments will be provided. Monday, October 21st at 5:30 pm in Academic West 204

Western Washington University

516 High St., Bellingham, Washington 98225

Ex-urbans and Canadians...

Last night I was sitting at Boundary Bay having dinner at one of the large tables in the bar. None of the smaller tables were available. As I was noshing on my lamb burger and stout, a handsome young fortyish couple asked if they could share a table with me while they waited for a seat in the main dining.  "No problem", I said. As a stay at home Dad, I recruit conversations with other willing  adults with alacrity.  What followed was a brief but simple conversation the meaning of which every city planner and developer should memorize:

Last Chance to Register IN PERSON is October 28th

Ballots are being mailed as of October 18th!!

If you are new to WA State and want to vote in this year's important election, you will need to register in person; the on-line registration period has ended. Simplest way to do this is to walk into the Whatcom County Courthouse and head for the Auditor's Election Desk.

Online registration has ended for this election period. The online registration link for WA state is here: https://wei.sos.wa.gov/agency/osos/en/Pages/MyVoteOLVR.asp . Amid a state-wide audit of voter registration records, you should also log in to MyVote and update or check your current registration and address.

registration deadlines

New voters may register online or by mail no later than the Monday four weeks before Election Day, or in person until the Monday one week before Election Day.

election date	online & mail-in deadline	in-person deadline
August 6	July 8	July 29
November 5	October 7	October 28

Fwd: 48 hours UNTIL VOTING BEGINS!!!!

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Aaron Ostrom, Fuse Votes <info@fusewashington.org>
Date: Tue, Oct 15, 2013 at 7:00 AM
Subject: 48 hours
To: rferrisx@gmail.com

Voting begins in just two days and thousands of people still have no idea who to vote for. The Progressive Voters Guide is our most powerful tool to educate voters everything on the ballot. We need to raise $10,000 by Wednesday to get the guide to as many voters as we possibly can. Will you chip in $5.00 now? Chip in $5.00! Dear Friend, Voting begins in just two days and the wrong choice for state Senate could derail progress for years. The choice between Rep. Jan Angel and Sen. Nathan Schlicher in the 26th District couldn't be more clear. Schlicher is an emergency room doctor who understands the importance of quality health care, while Jan Angel is the ALEC state chair who wants to ban all abortions.1, 2 Here's the really scary part: thousands of people still have absolutely no idea who to vote for. From the state Senate to labeling genetically engineered food and Tim Eyman's latest self–serving initiative, voters across Washington face critical decisions up and down the ballot. Whatcom County voters will determine the fate of a proposal to export tens of millions of tons of coal through our neighborhoods. That's where the Progressive Voters Guide comes in. We've developed a sophisticated online advertising program to educate thousands of voters with the Progressive Voters Guide at a fraction of the cost of a traditional ad campaign. The guide is packed with information about Sen. Schlicher and more than 150 other races on the ballot across Washington. The Progressive Voters Guide will be ready when voting begins. The only question is how many people will see it? We need to raise $10,000 by Wednesday to educate thousands of undecided voters across the state. Will you chip in $5.00 now? Yes! I'll chip in $5.00 right now! More than 273,000 Washington voters used the Progressive Voters Guide last year – one out of every eleven voters who cast a ballot.3 It's an incredible tool that many voters use year after year. It's critically important that voters in the 26th District know the differences between Sen. Schlicher and Rep. Angel. She co–sponsored bills that would criminalize abortion, even in the case of rape and incest,4 has voted for tax loopholes for the wealthy over kids' education,5 and even co–sponsored a bill to restrict funding for mammograms.6 In Whatcom County voters will elect a County Council that decides whether or not to approve a terminal that would export tens of millions of tons of coal to power plants in China. In Spokane and Bellevue, voters can flip conservative city councils to progressive majorities and open the door to reform on a wide range of issues. The Progressive Voters Guide is our most powerful tool to educate voters about all of these choices. We need to raise $10,000 by Wednesday to get the guide to as many voters as we possibly can. Will you chip in $5.00 now? Yes! I'll chip in $5.00 right now! Thanks for all that you do, Aaron and the entire team at Fuse http://www.janangelfacts.com/choice/ The American Legislative Exchange Council is a shadowy right-wing group. It enables corporate lobbyists to draft legislation directly for conservative legislators at the expense of workers, consumers, and families. You can read more here: http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed http://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/ http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1656&year=2011 http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2075 http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1361&year=2011 Fuse is the state's largest progressive organization - people creating change online, on the ground, and on issues that matter. Together for Progress Join us at fusewashington.org

An 18 year old historical timeline....

"Nevertheless, this "riot" in the community we are proud to call home has stunned us all, for it is so out of character.  We are a university consistently recognized as the best of our type in the Pacific Northwest.  Importantly in the current context, we are also a university recognized nationally, year after year, as foremost in the state of Washington for the engagement of our students in service to the community. Consequently, we are all straining to understand why something like this happened. [emphasis added]"  from Pierpoint Emergency System release WWU University President Bruce Shepard and WWU Student Body President Carly Roberts. 

Disclaimer: I am 51, married with young children and a mortgage. I was 18 in 1980.

Youth rioting in Bellingham

The Western Front  Online Twitter account has published a series of  photos and videos destined to become an important (non) recruitment tool for the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County and WWU. I suppose I could try some sophomoric Marxist commentary linking desperate economic and employment conditions for youth and malign central governments shutting down services to the disaffected sons and daughters of the middle class (in a failing capitalist society), but perhaps I won't just yet. Let's see if the riots continue tonight...

(The original embedded video was marked private by its owner.)

Deadline for online registration and online address change is MONDAY!!

New voter registration link for WA state is here:
https://wei.sos.wa.gov/agency/osos/en/Pages/MyVoteOLVR.asp

Amid a state-wide audit of voter registration records, you should also log in to MyVote and update or check your current registration and address.

registration deadlines

New voters may register online or by mail no later than the Monday four weeks before Election Day, or in person until the Monday one week before Election Day.

election date	online & mail-in deadline	in-person deadline
August 6	July 8	July 29
November 5	October 7	October 28

Request from Bellingham Environmentalist Terry Wechsler

This a plea for doorbelling volunteers for this Saturday supporting Democrats from local environmentalist Terry Wechsler. Terry is famed for her local involvement opposing GPT development plans. (She approved my re-post of her email.) I have met Terry and she is an animated conversationalist and dedicated activist.  She is also offering to treat to coffee and pretzels at the Farmer's Market on Saturday.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <wechslerlaw@comcast.net>
Date: Wed, Oct 2, 2013 at 4:40 PM
Subject: Can You Help This Saturday?
To: wechslerlaw@comcast.net

At 10:00 this Saturday, I'm going to do something I really don't want to: doorbell for candidates for county council.

If you're already helping the Whatcom Wins campaign, please disregard this email. If you have some extra time, though, and can come out Saturday, please do. Democratic candidates win with hefty margins in federal elections with Whatcom County voters, but the local party estimates as many as 21,000 may not vote in this off-cycle election. It is so critical this year because the conservative majority we have on the county council now has virtually declared war on all land and water use planning. The only guiding principle seems to be the misguided principle of property rights for Kershner, Elenbaas, Luke, and Knutzen.

From Democrat Natalie McClendon

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Natalie McClendon <natalie@nataliemcclendon.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 2, 2013 at 9:30 PM
Subject: Can an obscure county election change the planet?
To: rferrisx@gmail.com

Can an obscure county election change the planet? Dear Friends, On May 23, 2013 the National Journal published an article titled, 'The Obscure County Election that Could Change the Planet. A little watched race in Washington state will determine how America uses its coal - and the future of the Global Climate.' In it, they wrote: "But, ultimately, it's not up to the coal industry, green groups, or SSA Marine, the Seattle company that hopes to build the terminal, to decide what happens. That's where the Whatcom County Council comes in. Over the next two years, the seven-member board will play an outsized role in Gateway's fate, voting on two crucial siting permits which, if approved, will pave the way for the terminal's construction." And here's where you come in: your donation of $5 today can help elect good people to the Whatcom County Council. These are strong candidates who will make thoughtful decisions, based on the record and on science, about North America's largest coal terminal.

From Council member Ken Mann

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Ken Mann <campaign@votekenmann.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 12:48 AM
Subject: Two Shocking Statistics for Whatcom County
To: rferrisx@gmail.com

Did you know that over 50% of Whatcom County voters have NO IDEA who is running for office? Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Friends, Over 50% of Whatcom County voters have never heard of either candidate.   This means our local races are particularly susceptible to last-minute donations from outside entities.  Click here to see what the Seattle PI just reported. We are emphasizing our grassroots efforts and going door-to-door, talking with our neighbors, sharing information via social media, and hosting parties.