Verify your voter registration, or register by 10/14!

One of the worst things that nearly all states do is require voter registration, usually weeks in advance of the election ... in other words, just as the campaigns hit their crescendo, the registration window is already closed.

Advance registration is not necessary -- Wisconsin, among other states, allows same-day registration, proving that every state could provide the same service if registration wasn't some political football.

The bottom line is this:

  You don't have to register to pay taxes.

  Why do you have to register to vote?

Meanwhile, Oregon, like most states, has an absurd registration barrier, with registration closing this year on October 14, 2008. 

You can verify your current registration  here:  

   https://secure.sos.state.or.us/eim/vr/showVoterSearch.do

There are a number of important issues on the ballot this year from the perspective of people who want to live their values for the environment and for society here in Salem.  So make sure you're registered, and if not, contact the elections office and get that way!

Marion County:  http://tinyurl.com/4sop35

Polk County:        http://tinyurl.com/3hukc7

Negatively Affecting Salem (and the rest of Oregon too): Sizemore

NoMoreSizemore.com

Another for the Calendar: Completely Cuckoo

Completely Cuckoo: The Making of a Blockbuster and the Challenges of Mental Illness

6:30 pm. Wednesday, October 8 �� Loucks Auditorium

This two-part evening begins with a viewing of Completely Cuckoo, a documentary about the making of the Hollywood blockbuster One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The fi lm will be introduced by Dr. Dean Books, the superintendent of the Oregon State Hospital from 1955 to 1981 who played the role of Dr. Spivey in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

The documentary Completely Cuckoo by fi lmmaker Charles Kiselyak includes interviews with author Ken Kesey, producers Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz, director Milos Forman, actors Danny DeVitto, Louise Fletcher (the ill-spirited nurse Ratched), among many others, including Dr. Dean Brooks.

Following the film, Dr. Brooks will be on hand for a question and answer session, joined by retired psychiatrist Dr. Prasanna Pati and the staff from Northwest Human Services HOAP Program who will address issues related to mental health. This event, part of National Mental Illness Awareness Week, is intended to be both entertaining and informative. It's free on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Mark your calendar: An important workshop

As times get harder, we're going to need to learn to be a lot smarter about what we do with kids who are heading down the wrong road. We can't afford more of the throw 'em away and forget 'em method of responding to juvenile offenders. Kids can do real harm, to themselves and others, but they are also (in most cases) salvageable if their behavior is dealt with intelligently and firmly. Giving kids a chance to make amends as part of their punishment is a very smart strategy.

You can visit the "Big House" here in Salem anytime to see how well the "crack the whip" model works with juvenile offenders. What we need is a model that sets firm limits but recognizes that juveniles are still making the choice about whether to give up on themselves or not -- and that society can influence the choice.

N2N is sponsoring a continuing education workshop for Victim Offender
mediators and mediators interested in Juvenile Victim Offender Mediation.
Please pass on the attached flyer to any you think may be interested.

Charles Franklin Ikard
Executive Director
Neighbor to Neighbor, Inc.
945 Columbia St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503.375.6269

NEIGHBOR-TO-NEIGHBOR, INC.
Is sponsoring
A WORKSHOP
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE 101/LANGUAGE, PRINCIPLES & VALUES
Presented by Eric Gilman, Restorative Justice Coordinator, Clark County Juvenile Court

Description: What is Restorative Justice? This workshop presents the key tenets of what it means to bring a restorative perspective to the work of juvenile justice. Restorative Justice is more than a program. We will look at the key principles and values, the language, and the basic implications of Restorative Justice and how its impact on juvenile justice is understood and practiced.

Who: Juvenile Victim Offender Mediators, Community Members, Law Enforcement, Service Agencies, etc.
When: December 5, 2008 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: North Neighborhood Resource Center, 945 Columbia St. NE, Salem, Oregon
(The location may be changed dependent upon registration)

Cost: $25.00 (Group discounts and scholarships available) Make checks payable to” Neighbor-to-Neighbor, Inc.”

Registration: Call or email Neighbor-to-Neighbor for information. Early registration appreciated.

Beverages will be provided.

Presenter Bio: Eric B. Gilman is the Restorative Justice Coordinator and Community Programs Supervisor for the Clark County Juvenile Court (Washington). In his role as RJ Coordinator Eric provides coordination for the juvenile court management team’s ongoing development and implementation of a holistic Balanced & Restorative Justice foundation for the work of the court. This endeavor has resulted in a number of highly successful programs and innovative practices. Additionally, as Community Programs Supervisor, Eric is responsible for the department’s Victim Impact Program, Restorative Community
Service Program, and its Diversion Program, which includes Community Accountability Boards.

Events at a Salem Treasure (Straub Environmental Learning Center)

TONIGHT! Thursday, October 2, 2008, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

"Green Building: The New Revolution is Here" Lecture by Jerry Yudelson

Free of charge; for more information call Andrea Foust at (503) 370-6654

Nationally recognized green-building expert Jerry Yudelson will speak about the rapidly emerging green building revolution in a free lecture at the Paulus Lecture Hall of the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center at Willamette University. Jerry Yudelson will present a compelling business case for green buildings, both residential and commercial, and share dozens of building projects that demonstrate environmental excellence, many within conventional budgets. A dynamic speaker with an urgent sense of purpose, Yudelson will explain why thousands of individuals and corporations across the U.S. are choosing green over conventional design for their homes and businesses, and how the market for green buildings is likely to emerge over the next several years.

Saturday, October 4th, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Salem Green + Solar Home Tour

Guest Speaker at 9:00 am: "The Do's and Don'ts of Green Remodeling" by

EarthAdvantage

Registration begins at 8:30 am at Pringle Creek Community, 2110 Strong Rd. SE. Cost: $15 per car, carpooling encouraged, Bicyclists free.

Salem's second annual Tour of Green + Solar Homes will include tours of eleven homes that demonstrate energy efficient and environmentally- responsible techniques. Individuals will visit the homes of their choice as a self-guided tour, including the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Gordon House at the Oregon Garden. Each site will be hosted by a knowledgeable individual (owner, architect and/or builder) to inform visitors of green features and their associated benefits, costs, and lessons learned. Attendees have the opportunity to learn about energy efficiency, passive and active solar systems, daylighting, on-site energy generation, rainwater harvesting, innovative construction systems and

building materials. The event begins with an hour-long presentation on green remodeling conducted by the Earth Advantage program.

Saturday, October 18th, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Restoration Work Day!

Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center, 1320 A Street NE, Salem

Join us for a great volunteer activity at our monthly Restoration Work Day. On the third Saturday of every month, volunteers work to help protect our oak savannah and riparian restoration sites adjacent to our building. Bring gloves and dress appropriately for the weather!

Tuesday, October 21st, 7:00 pm

Native Plant Society monthly meeting

Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center, 1320 A Street NE, Salem

Thursday, October 23rd, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Annual FSELC Lecture Series: Dr. Ellen Morris Bishop

"Past Voices, Future Choices: Lessons from the Rocks"

Loucks Auditorium, Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty Street SE, Salem

Join us for our first Lecture Series presentation of the 2008-09 season! Oregon's fascinating geological history offers deep insights into the environmental and resource challenges we face today. Dr. Ellen Morris Bishop will talk about how to read Oregon¡¯s geological record and apply

its lessons to help Oregon craft a brighter future. Dr. Bishop is Executive Director of the Oregon Paleo Lands Institute. Her books include In Search of Ancient Oregon: A Geological and Natural History, Hiking Oregon's Geology, and Best Hikes with Dogs: Oregon.

Monday, October 27th, 7:00 pm

== Plastics and Human Health ==

presentation by the Physicians for Social Responsibility, Oregon Chapter

Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center, 1320 A Street NE, Salem

View a presentation by the Physicians for Social Responsibility regarding recent research on how plastics potentially affect human health.

Cool! Community Cycling Center model in Salem!? LOVE it!

Very cool --- a very refreshing change from the usual topics that pass for transportation discussions in Salem: A city councilor is exploring the idea of bringing the Community Cycling Center model here to Salem! Awesome!

From: jwarncke@cityofsalem.net
Subject: Fwd: Please get the word out
Date: September 29, 2008 8:51:26 AM PDT
To: mwvbta@topica.com
Reply-To: mwvbta@topica.com

FYI - there will be a meeting on Wednesday October 15 to talk about the Community Cycling Center in Portland and see what can be learned about possibly starting a similar facility in Salem area. See email below from Kate Tarter, City Councilor. - Julie

Kate Tarter 9/24/2008 3:35 PM >>>

Hello,

Kimberly Allain, the Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul has a meeting room set up for Wednesday, October 15th from 6:30 pm to7:30 pm to talk about the Community Cycling Center in Portland. She would like to get familiar with how their program works, how it is funded, and other fun questions. I will do some research to prepare for the meeting. Please invite any interested parties.

Kate
503-779-4152

Meeting Location
St Vincent DE Paul
3745 Portland Rd Ne
Salem, OR

Tell Marion Co. Commissioners "No to Selling Park Land"

There is going to be a public hearing this coming week (10/1, 9:30 a.m.) about a proposal to sell off a piece of public park land that would set a dangerous precedent for Marion County.

Spong's Landing is one of Marion County's premier public parks, and is located on the Willamette River just north of Keizer. Some years ago, a property owner adjoining the park built a fence around his property which extended significantly onto park land. He subsequently sold the property to new owners. It is not clear what the new owners knew when they purchased the property, but if they had done their homework they should have discovered that the property they were buying was not as big as advertised.

In any case, now that the problem has been revealed, they are proposing to buy the land in question from the county.

The law is very clear about what should happen in a case such as this: The landowner must pay to move the fence. Selling park property is only allowed if doing so is clearly in the public interest.

It is hard to make a case that selling part of Spong's Landing Park is in the public interest, as Marion County already has a shortage of parkland relative to its population. To allow the landowner in this case to pay some modest sum to keep the land would set a dangerous precedent for other landowners who might covet a little piece of public park adjoining their property.

Please come and let the County Commissioners know our park lands are not for sale. The hearing will be at 9:30 am on Wednesday, October 1st in the Senator Hearing Room, 555 Court Street NE in Salem.

Of course, this also says that county personnel were negligent in failing to note the boundary when the original owner put a fence on county parkland. Still, assuming Oregon follows the general rule, then you can't obtain ownership of public land through adverse possession -- no matter how long the fence is there, if it is on public land, it is a trespass. And, in this case, damage to land because it prevents the public from accessing land that it owns.

The only issue for this hearing should be how long it will take for the current owners to remove their fence.

If you can't come to the hearing this coming Wednesday morning (9:30 a.m., in the county building next to the Transit Center on Court St., across from the County Courthouse), at least contact the commissioners and tell them NOT to sell any public lands to private owners, especially not to reward misbehavior and/or negligence by owners of private lots next to public parks. Here's the contact information for the commissioners if you can't make the meeting:

Sam Brentano
Bio | Committees
E-mail: sabrentano@co.marion.or.us
Phone: 503-588-5212

Janet Carlson
Bio | Committees
E-mail: jcarlson@co.marion.or.us
Phone: 503-588-5212

Patti Milne
Bio | Committees
E-mail: pmilne@co.marion.or.us
Phone: 503-588-5212

Let Salem be the Switzerland of the Willamette Valley

Ok, we'll never have the topography --- all the more reason that we should easily be able to follow in their footsteps. And oars. And bikes. . . .

Sustainability education in Salem

A continuing education series that might be worthwhile, offered here in Salem. While I'm skeptical of the "public private partnership" rhetoric (and the mental frame that most people who use such language bring with them), anything that gets people to recognize our dire situation and going on the changes needed is worthwhile, so these might be worth checking out:

• Fundamentals of Sustainability: Concepts, Decision Tools and Program Development
  Course Description
  Instructor(s): Joshua Proudfoot
  October 7, 2008
  Tuesday, 9:00 a.m.-noon Willamette Universtiy [sic] TBA
  Register for this course
  
  
• Sustainability Indicators and Assessment for Government Leadership
  Course Description
  Instructor(s): Joshua Skov
  November 4, 2008
  Tuesday, 9:00 a.m.-noon Willamette Universtiy [sic] TBA
  Register for this course
  
  
• Public/Private Partnerships for Sustainability
  Course Description
  Instructor(s): Joshua Proudfoot
  December 2, 2008
  Tuesday, 9:00 a.m.-noon Willamette Universtiy [sic] TBA
  Register for this course

Why Salem Must Act to Avoid Climate Chaos

Great video short (11 min) that does an excellent job showing how precarious our situation is with respect to climate chaos that we're unleashing through our greenhouse gas emissions.

Please watch, consider, and send it to everyone whose future is important to you.