Paravicini for Secretary of State

I recently learned Oregon still has the death penalty, right after reading an outstanding update in The Atlantic on the case of Emmet Till, a tortured 14 year old boy who helped spark the Civil Rights movement.  Yet, his murder is already being forgotten (not taught) even though some of those responsible are still alive.

The very next day, I heard an expose on the execution of Troy Davis, in GA.  He was killed in spite of the fact that 7/9 witnesses recanted their testimony, with prosecutors also asking for a stay.  The week prior a social media post shared the history of the attack on Black soldiers in Europe, after WWII, by white soldiers who did not want Blacks to enjoy the freedoms afforded to all in Europe.

26 states have already abolished the death penalty.  For unusual treatment it takes more than half the states to abolish the Death Penalty.

For those who do not agree, let's have a discussion about it, to better understand each other.  No need to throw stones.

Beyond the death penalty, we need a system that positively helps people overcome illness.  Another blog will focus on healthcare and what Medical Freedom truly means:  access.

In the meantime, I need a couple of volunteers to act as liaison to the groups we need to support to abolish the death penalty in Oregon.

HIS NAME WAS EMMETT TILL; By Wright Thompson, Photographs by Hannah Price for The Atlantic

“We Are Troy Davis”: 10 Years After Georgia Execution That Galvanized Anti-Death Penalty Movement, DemocracyNow.org STORYSEPTEMBER 21, 2021

In December 2020; the Pacific Green Party and Independent Party held a series of Roundtables.  One of the most interesting ones was was about the  

ELLIOTT STATE RESEARCH FOREST PROPOSAL ROUNDTABLE

WATCH THE VIDEO

• Facilitator - George Hutchinson
• Bob Salinger - Portland Audubon
• Doug Pollock - Friends of OSU Old Growth
• Frances Eatherington -
• Ken Carloni - Umpqua Watersheds
• Others.

The Pacific Party of Oregon endorsed Ranked Choice Voting legislation; three House Bills sponsored by Representative Dan Rayfield would institutionalize Ranked Choice Voting at the state, county and municipal levels. A Senate Bill sponsored by Senator Golden formally allows counties to use Ranked Choice Voting.

Ranked Choice Voting is a proven electoral reform that enhances voter choice, eliminates the third party spoiler effect, and saves on the cost of staging run-off elections. In addition, with secure off-grid electronic counting, and Oregon’s paper ballot, elections can be authenticated for accuracy very efficiently.

The Pacific Greens are making a full court press to get the word out about the House and Senate Bills.

PGP News
January 22, 2021

The Pacific Green Party calls for the immediate resignation of Clackamas County Commissioner Mark Shull for his disparaging remarks on social media demeaning Muslims, Trans people, and showing a reckless use of misinformation.

In a news story run by the Pamplin Group, Shull is revealed to be a basic bigot which raises questions about his capacity to serve the public interest. https://pamplinmedia.com/cr/494245-396756-clackamas-commissioner-mark-shull-under-fire-for-racist-anti-immigrant-statements

The PGP stands in solidarity with the call from the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Oregon calling for Shull’s resignation. The Council calls out the dangerous use of rhetoric employed by Shull. Their statement says: "At a time of heightened violence against Black and brown community members and our Muslim community, this rhetoric is reckless and dangerous, as shown by the extremist actions in our nation's Capitol last week."

When I saw who showed up at the November 4th Defend Democracy Rally; I could not help myself from being deeply disappointed, but not surprised

At a time when we need to SHOW-UP and LOUDLY CLOSE RANKS around Democracy, what I saw was a group of younger and older folk, disproportionately of color.  At a time when we are AGAIN counting on BLACK AND BROWN folk to save the day with their heroic efforts to vote (facing pepper spray, harrassment, 10 hour lines (10 hours!!!!)) and where are white gent?  Comfortably watching from home. 

I do not profess myself to be free from prejudice, as two friends recently pointed out to me (hurts, but thank you).  I do try though, which involves giving up some comfort.   The early scene at the rally initially broke my heart - but soon enough I connected with the  fantastic folk who never fail to SHOW UP; my soul was replenished and recharged by the shared passion.  

It is deeply disturbing though that we turn to and place the burden squarely upon the shoulders of the absentee and mail-in ballots, in GA, PA, NC - where clearly we were counting on Black and Brown folk to carry the day.  The lesson:  SHOW-UP - Make the time in your monthly schedule to show up once or twice a month.

(Thanks to Anna Fay for contributing to the writing of this piece)

OSU proposal to "Repurpose" the Elliott Forest is effectively a plan to cut and gut what is the largest remaining continuous Coastal Old Growth.  This is NOT what the Land Board was intending when they stopped the sale of the Forest following massive opposition in the State.  ​I call on candidate-elect for Secretary of State, Shemia Fagan to reject the proposed OSU Elliott Research Forest plan, immediately halt its movement forward and begin to work with environmental groups and the public to craft a plan that centers on biodiversity, habitat, conservation and the climate--and not industrial forestry..

This blog is about the Rights of Nature, our Relationship with the Commons. Let's stop using the language of war. Replace those words by gardening verbs. They will better reflect how we care for the world surrounding us.

How are we going to protect ourselves as we transition toward "herd immunity" (if that is possible with this infection, considering antibody levels appear to decrease rapidly)?  The solution is certainly not by callously exposing people to a potentially dangerous disease; but by protecting ourselves as exposure moves across the population.  Remember that while most people exhibit few symptoms of COVID, many have severe/lethal or long-term effects.

Unfortunately the only solution you hear about is a vaccine and the millions being invested in them.  Yet, this is not the only or the best way to adress this pandemic (and this post is not a position in favor or against vaccinating; there is a place for vaccines in medicine). 

The problem is that you rarely hear about tools and remedies that are effective, and inexpensive, to help in the case of COVID.  Why? BECAUSE THEY MAKE NO MONEY.

One of the reasons I am running for Secretary or State is to highlight key issues that are not being picked-up by mainstream, corporate media.  Yet with the impending chaos of Climate Change, these issues are critically important for our survival and that of most existing species on earth. 

In the following video Will Falk, author and lawyer, explains why the judicial system and the many agencies that are supposed to "protect" us, actually protect corporations against the anger of We The People. 

Many opponents of the wearing of a mask, social isolation and lock downs point to the Swedish Model where there was no mandated lockdown.  They proudly show that the Covid cases were low and therefore "Herd Immunity" works; the rationale is to expose everyone as fast as possible regardless of the consequences.  But is that what happened?  And can we compare the US with Sweden?