Enough is Enough: What Are You Going to Do?

The police are being told to stand down so that people the mainstream media call mostly peaceful protesters can riot and loot.

The mostly peaceful people cheer on the minority, actively encouraging, condoning, and providing cover for their actions. The mob has taken away your right to have a say. They boldly claim they are speaking for you, the people, as they set fire to the court house or pull down a statue.

They do not speak for me.

But what do we do? Normally I would say elect new people, go out and vote, get involved in your local party. While those things are still important, this is not a normal time.

The police we have entrusted to keep the peace have been handcuffed and are now being beaten savagely as we look on. We now have a choice, do we stand by and watch as these guardians of peace who have stood between us and the most depraved manifestations of our nature are systematically taken apart or do we pick up the responsibility abandoned by those elected officials entrusted with authority and restore peace and order?

It seems like an easy choice, but it is not as easy as you’d think. You will not be cheered for picking up responsibility, in fact by lifting this cross you will be attacked. You will suffer.

You will be called violent when someone punches you in the face. You will be called an extremist as you call for unity. You will be branded racist for loving your country. You will also be tempted.

Tempted to claim the power being used against you and wield it for good. But good fruit cannot grow from a poison tree. Both the suffering and the temptation seek one thing, to strip away your responsibility, because it is in this responsibility that you find meaning.

It is in this responsibility that you make yourself worthy of the suffering of life.

The streets have never been so crowded yet so empty. People shouting empty phrases into the air, conjuring demons out of brothers and making saints out of lies.

Calling people out does not reach their heart, it only causes them to utter false apologies in a misguided attempt to please a monster that feeds on outrage and misery. The apology, instead of satisfying the monster, only sends it into a frenzy as it justifies the outrage (inherent in any apology is an admission of guilt) and means the fruit of misery is ripe.

Our elected officials drop everything to meet the demands of the rioters but you peacefully gather at the capital in the thousands only to be shooed away with a pat on the head. I am just as guilty of this as anyone else. I post things online, I write my blog, I talk with friends and coworkers and we are all full of ideas of what ‘they’ should do. Then we go back to work, go home, and carry on with our lives.

We say things like, oh it’s Portland, if they would ever come to my town they would never get away with that. Then they come to your town, destroy your statues and loot your businesses. 

You then say, yeah but if they tried that at my house they would never get away with it. Then they show up at your house and burn the American flag on your front porch. You weakly say, well if they break into my house they would never get away with it. 

But it’s too late, they have already gotten away with it. Your house is on fire, the police are not coming, the fire department is not coming, and your neighbors are not coming. You are alone in your burning house and you wonder, why didn’t someone do something? 

All the while you never realized that you were someone, that you could have done something, but each time you were called you hesitated. As your community, your state, and your country burned, you turned on Call of Duty and ignored Duty’s Call. Each hesitation, each ignored call, etched onto your very being until hesitation became habit and inaction became your virtue. 

So what can you do? I’ll admit honestly I have no clear answer for that question because I do not know you. I am not going to lie to you like a politician and say I have all the answers for you and if you support me all your worries will go away. That is a question you are going to have to answer for yourself.

First recognize four things. 

One, work within your circle of influence. This means understanding what you are actually capable of doing. You probably can’t get elected governor, but you can vote. You can always extend your circle of influence and work up to getting elected governor, but chances are for the majority of us, that is outside of our current abilities.

Two, understand there is not going to be one magic solution. Simply changing the school system or the tax code will not fix everything. Lots of things need to be done, do not focus too heavily on any one thing or believe that if only X would happen then everything would be better.

Three we are currently in a culture war not a political disagreement or violent revolution. You cannot win the battle if your army is on the wrong field.

Four, you as an individual are needed right now. Not you as a member of a group (gun owner, male or female, or Trump supporter) but you as the unique individual with your own talents, interests and abilities.

Lastly if you know of any of these events, statue destruction, flooding of a school board meeting to read scripted ‘comments’ trying to cancel someone, or occupations, please bring it to the attention of the rest of the community. Then get up and go use your voice. Don’t get into shouting matches, physical fights or call people names but stand up tall with courage and honor.

PS. I am starting to organize people in my local community here in Oregon to do something I think is pretty cool. Looking to organize mostly young people to become the leaders we need but also looking to build a community. If you are interested, everyone is welcome, reach out to me on Facebook or in the comments of this blog, thanks!

The Portland Narrative of The Right Wing Rally

There was a Right Wing rally in Portland on August 17^th 2019. The rally was to raise awareness for domestic terrorism, particularly to highlight the actions of the group known as Antifa. This rally was in response to the brutal attack, at the hands of Antifa, on an independent journalist Andy Ngo that left him with a brain hemorrhage.

Narrative One

Leading up to this rally there was a lot of hot rhetoric on both sides. This of course caught national attention and the media was attempting to bill this event as the next Charlottesville. Naturally this alarmed the public, no one wants Neo-Nazi’s and White Nationalists gathering in their city.

This narrative was pushed by the mayor, Ted Wheeler, and the mainstream media. The only problem was that the Right Wing groups were not Neo-Nazi’s or White Nationalists. In fact Enrique Tarrio, one of the organizers and head of the Proud Boys is not white at all. Seems a bit odd that a White Nationalist group is led by a non-white person.

The media and the Progressive mayor, not interested in allowing the truth to get in the way of a useful narrative, ignored that fact. The mayor instead doubled down. He made the rounds on major media outlets saying that violence will not be tolerated in Portland.

His statements were a bit vague and any attempt by media personalities to get him to clarify who he was talking about were dodged. He seemed to imply that he did not want groups from outside of Portland to bring violence into the city. It seemed like mayor Wheeler was going to allow the police to do their jobs to keep the peace.

The mayor, along with a group of Portland organizations, held a rally a few days before saying they don’t want outsiders to bring violence into their city. That they don’t want people to come here and say hateful things and spread their hateful message.

In an unrelated and totally coincidental matter, several members of Patriot Prayer had arrest warrants issued for them and were taken into custody. This included the head of Patriot Prayer Joey Gibson, who turned himself in voluntarily to the police.

The Death of Narrative One

The rally was set to start at 11am on Saturday August 17^th 2019. Several groups showed up early to organize people and to share their location on social media. I arrived 15 minutes early and made my way to park where the rally was set to take place. After making my way around the police line and ending up among the black bloc I eventually made my way to the Right Wing group.

The Right Wing groups met up in the park, surrounded by police and screaming protesters. The protesters shouted at the Right Wing groups, called them Nazi’s, fascists, racists, and yelled at them to go home. While the organizers were from out of town a lot of people at the rally lived in or near Portland.

The Proud Boys got between the protesters and other members of the rally, trying to keep everyone focused on the speakers rather than engaging in shouting matches. Most the people at the rally understood that Antifa were a distraction and focused on the speakers. While in the park the Right Wing groups knelt down and said a prayer.

They prayed for Antifa and the city of Portland. To bring light into the city and to bring an end to the hate. This was followed by a signing of the national anthem and chants of USA. After this the organizers announced they would march to another location. They walked across the bridge and ended up at their location. It was here that a man walked into the group and started shouting F*** YOU while pointing at the face of every person he saw.

The Proud Boys acted quickly to keep the crowd away from him and the police quickly removed the man from the situation. No punches were thrown, no one was beat up and the police did their job. Soon after this, around 1:30pm the group was told by the organizers to disperse and head home. People left and made their way home.

The rally was over and it was peaceful. Antifa remained and turned their anger on individuals they singled out as Nazi’s, the police, and even attacked the bus the Proud Boys were attempting to leave on. Seems a bit odd that Antifa members spent hours yelling at the Right Wing groups to leave and the moment they try to leave they attack them.

After the Right Wing groups left a civil disturbance was declared due to illegal blocking of roads and several assaults committed by Antifa. The next day the media tried to carry the narrative forward writing things like ‘violence rocks Portland at Far Right rally’ or ‘13 arrested at Far-Right protest in Portland.’

They seem to have forgot that almost everyone has a cell phone with a camera and can watch the events happen in real time, unedited. These media companies had their comment sections light up as people pointed out that they are attempting to mislead people. Mayor Wheeler came out afterward and said that Joe Biggs, one of the organizers, was no longer welcome in Portland.

Wheeler said that Bigg’s message of hate had no place in the city of Portland. This narrative died as soon as the bus carrying the Right Wing rally goers left the city.

Narrative Two (Plan B)

We the people are not stupid. We understand that Antifa is a huge problem in Portland, but Mayor Wheeler refuses to directly address them and the media refuse to shine the light on this group. The first narrative was false and that falsehood was exposed for the world to see, and public sentiment started to turn against Wheeler and Antifa.

That is when the second narrative was born. In order to shift public sentiment against the peaceful Right Wing groups the media started running stories about how much businesses who closed their shops the day of the rally suffered.

The estimated cost to these businesses was $3 million and expected to grow. The media of course is trying to stand this narrative on the corpse of the previous one. They say if these Right Wing groups would not provoke people than things like this would never happen.

To clarify, the narrative goes like this. If Right Wing groups would stop committing the crime of being Right Wing in Portland than black clad people would not have to violently assault people, destroy property, and attack the police costing millions of dollars of tax payer money and hurting business.

It would seem that the Mayor does not believe the people actually committing the acts of violence and property destruction are responsible for their actions. Instead it is the groups who those people hate. It also seems that Mayor Wheeler believes the Right Wing groups are responsible for the hate and anger of other people because the Right Wing groups are the objects of that hate.

The Mayor of Portland seems to think that Right Wing groups should not be allowed to go into certain places if they are hated in those places. And if they do go into those places they are not allowed to enter, the simple act of being there is justification for the outrage, anger, hate and physical attacks they suffer. Not only that but that they are to blame for the attacks they suffer and any damage done due to those attacks.

The goal of this second narrative seems to be the same as the first, sway public opinion against the Right Wing groups.

A Comparison

Joey Gibson, leader of Patriot Prayer told reporters that he and his group have done around 60 rallies all over the state of Washington. All have been peaceful, no property damage was done, and no one was hurt. A few counter protesters even showed up but they all remained civil and everyone got to exercise their right to free speech peacefully.

 

Antifa protested in Portland after the election of President Donald Trump and cost the city $1 million in damages. There was no Patriot Prayer in the city, the Proud Boys did not exist as a group, and no one was counter protesting them. They were so upset about the election of Donald Trump they attempted to burn down and destroy the very communities they now claim they are protecting.

The question becomes, if Patriot Prayer can have around 60 peaceful rallies (so peaceful they get zero media coverage) all over the west coast, why is it that there is only fighting and violence in Portland? You must also ask, if Antifa protests turn toward violence and destruction even in the absences of Right Wing groups, why does the mayor not address directly the issue of Antifa violence?

The problem at these rallies are not the Right Wing groups (don’t get me wrong the Right Wing groups have problems of their own to be sure, just like any other group), they understand they are under a microscope at these events. They understand that any hint of aggression, any fighting, or any statement will be analyzed, picked apart, twisted and turned if it can be used to support the narrative that the cause of all the problems are Right Wing groups.

The problem is not even Antifa, but rather the culture of Portland itself. A ‘Progressive’ culture that increasingly focuses on a person’s group identity as an indicator of good or bad. A culture that believe the world is a conflict between good and evil people. A culture that believes if words make you upset that is violence, to be met with physical violence justified as self-defense. A culture that applies laws differently depending on your ideological belief and the fact that you wear a mask.

The Attack on Andy Ngo and Portland's Rule of Mob

Last weekend we saw the first major event of the protest season in Portland Oregon. Antifa showed up in force and marched down the streets hand in hand with violence and hated.

Double speak chants issued from the black clad crowd. “No Hate, No Fear, Proud Boys are not welcome here.” Were these chants to protest hatred and fear or were they an attempt to purge this feeling from their own hearts?

Andy Ngo

Andy Ngo is a Portland based independent journalist who has worked extensively covering the protests in Portland Oregon. He documents what happens and shares the video on social media as well as writes articles for publications such as Quillette and the Wall Street Journal.

Saturday he was covering several of the events in downtown Portland, excited about his new GoPro camera. Sadly that excitement was short lived when a large group of Antifa protesters, dressed in all black and in masks to obscure their identities, descended on him.

It started with someone pointing him out specifically and telling the crowd he was a ‘bad person.’ This singling out was all that was needed to provide the incentive for the mob to unleash their fury.

First it was someone throwing a drink, probably a milkshake, on Andy. This action was met with cheers and applause. Bolstered by this reaction other members of the crowd quickly stepped up to escalate the violence.

Andy, with his hands up covering himself, was struck several times. Fists, gloves with hardened knuckles, and silly string repeatedly struck Andy. The chaos emboldened Antifa members took the opportunity to rob Andy, stealing his new GoPro and the camera he had been using to document the protest.

Attempting to escape this hate, Andy stumbled across the park, unaware of the extent of his injuries. He felt dizzy and sat down, unknowing that the cause of this feeling was due to a bleed in the brain caused by the attack.

The police, having been ordered to stand down in the face of Antifa by Mayor Ted Wheeler, arrived at Andy’s location and offered medical aid. Andy eventually made it to a hospital later that night to discover the seriousness of his injuries.

Other Attacks

Another man alone, filming Antifa marching the wrong way down the middle of a one way street was pepper sprayed by Antifa and chased off.

An elderly man was confronted by Antifa only to be left with blood running down his face as the violent mob beat him, kicked him while he was down and threw objects at him. When another man tried to intervene to break up the fight he was struck over the head from behind with what appeared to be a crowbar.

This man later went to the hospital and received over 20 stitches in his head. These attacks were just the ones that got reported.

Rule of Mob

The Portland Police is taking a lot of heat for these violent protests. People wonder why they can be seen watching nearby as black clad Antifa violently assault people and destroy property. This is not due to the laziness of the individual officers, or the lack of a desire to perform their duty.

Instead this is due to orders they have been given. These orders come directly from the police commissioner, Mayor Ted Wheeler. Mayor Wheeler justifies these orders by saying he is bound by the first amendment to allow people to protest.

While people have the right to free speech and freedom of assembly, this right must be exercised peacefully. Mayor Wheeler, with the help of some members of the media, tries to pin all the violence on Conservative and Right Wing groups.

If you dig a little and observe other events these groups hold outside of the city of Portland (across the river in Vancouver for example) they are peaceful, people are allowed to speak and counter protesters are allowed to protest. As soon as Antifa shows up things get violent.

The media love to weasel headline these stories. A weasel headline is when you state something that is not false (which is different than something that is true) and frame it in the opposite direction. For example ‘Violence breaks out at Patriot Prayer rally.’ Makes it seem like violence follows the group Patriot Prayer and their rallies.

When you watch the video of the rally you can clearly see it is Antifa attacking the group they do not like. Mayor Wheeler, instead of condemning this sort of behavior actually applauds it. He thanked Antifa for their harassment of ICE personnel saying that he is glad that they are bringing national attention to this problem.

Mayor Wheeler also says that if the police enforce the law it will just cause more protests and Antifa riots. Instead of upholding the rule of law and protecting the liberty of the citizens, we now see a violent aggressive group being allowed to assault who they want, disrupt and direct traffic, and damage property.

When the police do make an arrest these people are often let out on bail or given a fine and turned lose. The city of Portland used to be a beautiful city, full of weird and interesting people peacefully pursuing their American dream. Now it has turned into a graffiti covered homeless camp soaked in urine and littered with used needles.

Where angry black clad mobs rule the street, imposing their ‘woke’ justice through violence and intimidation, backed by city council members and the mayor. Where the police force, whenever they are allowed to enforce the law, are thrown under the bus for political gain. Where business owners keep boards the size of their windows in their stock rooms ready for the destruction of the next round of violence.

The line between civilization and anarchy has worn thin in Portland. Responsibility and authority have been abdicated and the group filling that vacuum believe they are justified in violently enforcing their beliefs on the citizens. With the 2020 elections on the horizon I can only see this downward spiral getting worse. For the citizens of Portland I hope that I am wrong.

No Longer Silent: #timberunity #Oregon11

A lot has been happening in the state of Oregon. From the Governor sending the police after Senators to the #timberunity movement. I thought I would break it down in an attempt to cut through some of the media smoke and mirrors.

Just like every movement, this started before anyone showed up to protest at the capital.

Dangers of Super Majorities

This started when the Democratic Party won super majorities in both the Oregon House and Senate. On top of that they won the Governorship allowing for single party control of the entire state.

Some of the Democratic legislators felt that because they had been granted a super majority by the voters that meant that they could push through any legislation they wanted. To some it also meant that they did not even need to consider Republican representatives or their concerns from their constituents.

The Republicans were listened to in name only. Meaning they were given time to talk but nothing they said was considered or taken seriously. They had zero impact on legislation and were largely ignored by the Democratic legislators.

This dismissive behavior was farther compounded when every piece of legislation had an emergency clause attached to it. This put legislation into effect immediately after it was signed into law and would make it more difficult for the petition and referendum process to go forward.

They did not want these bills to go to be placed on the ballot and go to the voters. They even intended to restrict the ability for people to petition by introducing restrictions on how signatures could be gathered. It would seem the Democratic Party did not want the people or the Democratic process to take place.

The First Walk Out

The Republican Senators, tired of being relegated to seat fillers walked out in protest to stop two bills. One on gun control (HB 978) and the second on mandatory vaccines for kids attending public schools (HB 3063). The Oregon Senate is made up of 30 Senators, 18 Democrat and 11 Republican (one seat was empty due the passing of a Republican Senator Jackie Winters, rest in peace Senator and thank you for your service).

In order to get any business done the Senate must have 2/3 quorum, meaning they need at least 20 Senators present before they can pass legislation. After a few days and much negotiation the Democrats struck a deal to get the Republicans to return to the capital. Both bills were tabled (returned to committee) and a bill that would increase taxes to ‘pay for schools’ was passed.

The stipulations of the agreement were as follows:

The Republicans returned, the two bills were put aside for 2019 and they started to talk on HB2020. The bill number never changed and the Republicans felt like they were being ignored again. Not to mention that the bill had the emergency clause added in.

While the Republicans were deciding on what they should do, Oregonians from rural communities showed up at the capital on Wednesday June 19^th to protest the bill. They drove their logging truck and heavy equipment in and stood one the capitol steps.

This was #timberunity, a grassroots campaign made up of loggers, truckers, ranchers, farmers and people from rural communities in Oregon. They would be the ones paying the biggest price if HB2020 passed and they showed up to express their concern. Chief among those concerns was that their livelihoods would be taken away from them.

The Democrats did not seem to care, saying the sacrifice was worth it if it helped stop climate change.

#Oregon11

The Republican Senators, listening to their constituents, frustrated that their concerns are being ignored by the majority, and believing that the deal to get them returned was violated (HB2020 was not reset) used the only tool available to them, they walked out.

Enraged at this act of defiance Democrats called upon the Governor to compel the Senators to return. Governor Kate Brown gave the orders to Oregon State Police to find the Senators and bring them back to the capital.

Senator Brian Boquist said to Oregon State Police superintendent “Send bachelors and come heavily armed. I’m not going to be a political prisoner in the state of Oregon. It’s just that simple.” Republican Senators flee the state to prevent them from being rounded up by the police to be used as seat fillers in order to pass legislation that they believed would damage the people in the communities they represent.

The Republican Senators become known as the #Oregon11. To retaliate the Democrats plan on fining the missing Senators $500/day of legislative session they miss. They then plan on keeping the session open all weekend in an attempt to increase this penalty.

Democrats and the media call on Republicans to return, saying they have a duty to be at the capital to work for the people who voted them into office. Republicans and their supporters refuse knowing that by returning to the capital they will simply be seat fillers and unable to represent their constituents.

#timberunity and Oregon GOP plans a protest for Saturday (Occupy the Capital) to show support for #Oregon11 and to oppose HB2020. Senate Democrats, citing fears that ‘militia groups’ are going to show up at the capital cancel Saturday’s session.

No proof or source has been provided for these threats and no arrests have been made at the time of this writing. Militia groups offered protection to the fleeing Senators but no proof has been made public showing that they made threats to invade the capitol building. Oregon GOP and #timberunity show up at the capital to protest.

Democratic State Rep Paul Evens makes a statement on twitter comparing the protesters and the #Oregon11 to terrorists. The legislative session is set to end June 30^th and the Republican Senators have shown no signs of returning before then.

Freedom Rally

Thursday June 27^th #timberunity, rural communities, Republicans and many others hold one of the largest rallies at the State capital ever. Trucks parade around the building honking their horns, people giving speeches on the steps of the capitol building, and protesters with signs stand together outside in order to oppose HB2020 and show support for the #Oregon11.

Senate President Peter Courtney announced that he no longer has the votes needed to pass HB2020 when a few members of his party decided they will not vote for the bill. The Progressive members of the Democratic Party believed that with a super majority that they could do whatever they wanted.

They believed they could pass legislation with impunity and that they knew what was best for Oregonians, even better than Oregonians themselves. So far they have not succeeded with HB2020, but they have succeeded in one area, uniting rural and working Oregonians and energizing them to speak up and say no more.

#timberunity #Oregon11

Mr. Wheeler Has No Clothes

In a Republic the public elects and imbues representatives with certain authority and responsibility. This is the people willingly giving up a piece of their rights and liberty in order to make their lives a better place.

When an elected official abandons their responsibility to the people, that imbued authority is also abdicated.

An elected official also abdicates their authority when their responsibility has become corrupted. If they only feel responsible for those whom they share an ideology their sense of responsibility has been corrupted.

It is with this corruption or abandonment of responsibility that the authority can no longer be claimed by the elected official. The constitution is clear in this situation, if the authority has been abdicated it is to return to the people.

Losing Faith

Mr. Wheeler has refused to support his police officers, instead he favors the ideologically possessed activists who are only interested in exerting power over others.

Why should they break up a fight among two people if ideological activists will spin it to make it seem like a legitimate exercise of authority is an abuse of power and the media will gladly fan the flames created by those lies simply because it feeds their ideological desire?

Then the Mayor, the person who is supposed to represent them and support them, sacrifices them for his own personal and political gain all while wearing the mask of compassion.

This is how you get violent thugs in the street blocking traffic and attacking cars while the police watch and do nothing. This is how you get masked groups of vandals destroying property and attacking groups who have a legally approved and permitted protests with mortars all under the guise of 'protest.'

Businesses have lost faith in the mayor as well. A mayor who supports the homeless person urinating on the sidewalk of a business to the point where no amount of water will rinse away the stench.

 

A mayor who not only supports the homeless people who aggressively harass employees but promotes the very activists who would love nothing more than to see these businesses destroyed either out of misguided sense of outrage or an actual hatred of anyone possessing a shred of competence.

Abdication

It seems that Mr. Wheeler believes that if he exercises his authority he is doing something wrong. He seems to be on a campaign to seek approval from the radical activists in Portland and with that approval find someone with whom he can exercise his authority.

He is the one the people of Portland invested with the authority and responsibility of managing and maintaining the city. The people of Portland did not elect the activists who seem to have such a stranglehold on the mayor.

This would seem to imply that the mayor has not simply abandoned his authority and responsibility but has prostituted it out to the ideological activists on whom he seeks approval.

The people of Portland invested the authority in the mayor and if he is going to give up some of that power he needs to return it to all the people not just the radical activists who yell at him the most. With his latest interview the mayor of Portland seems upset that he does not have the power to oppress those who he disagrees with ideologically.

He says he wants to stop people fighting in the street but he believes that the only way to do that is to oppress Patriot Prayer or groups like them. The truth is those groups have the right to protest just as much as anyone else and that the real problem in the city are those whom the mayor agrees with on an ideological level.

I am talking about Antifa and the violent masked activists. They disrespect the police, the people of Portland (at the same time they claim to stand up for and defend the ‘community’), and anyone who holds an opinion different than theirs.

Mr. Wheeler seems beholden to these ideological groups even to the point where the good people of Portland are left to suffer. While these things might not have impacted you yet, it is only a matter of time before Antifa comes for your business or bash your head in for flying the wrong flag (even if you agree with them).

While they might not do these things at the express direction of the mayor they do so knowing full well that Mr. Wheeler will turn a blind eye to their activities. I would ask the people of Portland, put aside your political ‘group’ and take an honest look at the mayor of Portland. Does he stand for clear principles or does he simply try to please those who are loudest?

The Oregon GOP: Criticism and the Path Forward

The Oregon Republican Party has some serious thinking to do after the 2018 election rout. Our party has been relegated to practical uselessness in Salem and we are forced to ask ourselves does the Republican Party have a future in Oregon?

I think it does but only if the party is willing to make some changes and address the issues put forward by its members. With the end of the election we have seen the return of Sam Carpenter who has brought fresh criticism about the party.

The Carpenter Criticism

Sam Carpenter, like him or not, is addressing something that the Republican Party is not. The current prevailing wisdom is that Republicans need to be more moderate in order to win in Oregon.

 

If we learned anything from Knute’s campaign it is that is absolutely not true. You might be able to gain some support, but at what cost?

Let’s take this strategy to its logical conclusion. Even if you are 100% exactly the same as the Democratic candidate on every issue and the only thing that separate’s you from them is a letter next to your name, you will not win. In the end some people will believe you are a bad person simply because you are a Republican.

Carpenter is unapologetically Republican and that is why people like him. All too often individual Republicans feel like they have to hide the fact that they support the Republican Party. I even had someone once tell me my neighbor was brave because he had a Trump bumper sticker on his car.

Is it now an act of bravery to put a political bumper sticker on your car? Sadly yes. That is not a criticism of the current state of politics but rather of the current state of cowardice among Republicans. Let me be clear, this is not an insult. I have been guilty of this personally. Rather it is a call to action on an individual level.

Carpenter’s solution is to burn everything down and rebuild it. Only he wants to rebuild it in his image. This might seem to work in the short term but in the long run it will fail. Sam will one day leave the party and we will be left with an empty shell that will collapse in on itself.

I do agree we need to start the fire but we cannot allow it to burn down everything. Instead we need to burn off the dead wood. It is going to be a painful process, change always is, but a necessary one if the Oregon Republican Party is to remain viable in the future.

Stop Trying to Appeal to the Left

On the surface it would seem like appealing to those on the left would increase the Republican Parties chances of getting elected in a left leaning state. Except we have tried this already and it has only resulted in the Republican Party becoming the minority party in the state to the point of becoming a non-entity.

 

I am not saying we cannot try to win over those on the left, rather stop trying to BE the left. It seems disingenuous, like we are afraid to be ourselves. This disingenuousness comes across to the voters, even if it is not clear that is what it is.

This type of appeal feels like the person who is trying too hard to get others to like him but only comes across as annoying. They lack confidence in who they are and they try to be someone else. The falsehood ultimately comes through and forms into the negative feedback loop.

They believe they are disliked because too much of who they truly are is showing, so they try harder to be someone they are not and only making the problem worse. This is the negative feedback loop in which the party has been stuck.

How can we expect anyone else to believe in our values and the truth of our message if we are constantly trying to distance ourselves from them? Never apologize for being Republican or holding Republican values. If you feel like you need to apologize for holding a Republican value then you need to ask yourself if you really believe in that value.

Our leadership is not appointed or chosen from on high but is a reflection of our choices as individuals who are members of a larger group. Our leaders reflect us and if we do not like our leaders we need to start by taking an honest look at ourselves.

Deadwood

Sam Carpenter is not the problem, rather he is simply a symptom of the greater problem. We can try to ignore him or say we do not like how he does things but we still need to address what he represents.

Carpenter represents those in the party who feel like they are not listened to and who are told the only way to win in Oregon is to become more moderate. If they are ignored people like Sam Carpenter will continue to gain support.

These people need to be taken seriously because their concerns are serious. The way things have been done for the last 30 years is not working and it is a time for a change. We are the minority party, we need to start acting like it.

One of the benefits of being in the minority is that we can take risks as we have little to lose. We can try new things, bring in new people and become a contending party once again. Yes our party might be in chaos now, but it is in chaos that we find opportunity. Do we allow this chaos to get worse until we fade away into obscurity or do we trim the deadwood regardless of the pain and become stronger for the experience?

The choice is one we all need to make as individuals. It is a choice that requires acting out in the world, for a choice that is not acted upon might as well not have been made at all.

The Truth Behind the Republicans Stunning Defeat in Oregon

I had high hopes for the midterm election this year. We had a centrist candidate for Governor who was gaining important endorsements and funding. We had several amazing, hardworking and charismatic candidates for local races.

Yet when Election Day came and went, and all the votes were tallied, we ended up with Democrat supermajorities in both the state house and senate as well as in the governor’s office.

WE Lost

We lost the election. When I say WE lost the election I mean exactly that.

I see people blaming Conservative Republicans for staying home and not voting because they did not like Knute, blaming the Democrats for cheating and vote tampering, blaming party leadership for a lack of support, blaming Portland for having too many people, and generally blaming anyone they can find.

I remember seeing this sort of behavior recently in politics just on the national level. Hilary Clinton wrote a book and did a whole tour blaming everyone but herself for her loss against Trump.

Now we stand here on the eve of our election loss and we have a choice before us, do we continue to blame each other and everyone else, or do we take an honest look at ourselves as individuals and at our party.

As individuals we need to ask ourselves, as Washington County GOP Vice Chair Melissa Laird did every day leading up to the election, what have I done today to help my candidates win? If your only answer is I shared a post on Facebook, I must inform you that is not enough.

Facebook is a powerful tool but it is not a magical tool. It can help us reach thousands of people in an instance but if that reach does not materialize into action it is more or less useless.

It is hard to break the routine of daily life, kids need help with homework, projects need to be done around the house, and pay checks need to be earned. Our time is valuable but I do not think it is unreasonable to ask for one hour each week. That is the amount of time you would spend watching one or two episodes of your current Netflix binge. (If you want to help, get in touch with your local county chair).

I am not asking you to trade the hour for nothing. You will get the chance to meet the people who will represent you, who will actually listen to your concerns and ideas. You will get connected to an amazing community of wonderful, hardworking, and brilliant people that share similar values to your own.

As a party we need to listen to feedback from our candidates, build our infrastructure and support systems, and find a way to connect everyone. We need to learn from our past mistakes, our successes and we need to grow our party, in membership, leadership, and candidates. We need to identify, promote and recruit people of talent and take a long term view of things.

This is what you need to do if you want to help get Oregon on the right track. Blaming the Democrats, each other, the party leadership or the system not only does not help but hurts us all in the long run.

The Seductive Ideology of Victimhood

Victimhood has social value for both the victim and the person who wants to help the victim. They both gain attention and social status from the victimhood. The bad thing is that the victim, who is seeking attention, will become dependent on the victimhood to produce that attention they seek.

If they have been victimized by an individual the victimhood only lasts until that individual has been dealt with or is removed from the picture. It becomes harder and harder to produce victimhood and gain attention by relying on individuals.

Victimizers, true victimizers, are rare and you quickly run out of them, but if you are able to become victimized by a group of people than you can maintain that victimhood status almost indefinitely. If you are victimized by men than you can remain a victim as long as there are men.

The problem with this idea is that it is built on a lie, you are not a victim of men, you might be a victim of a man, or a group of men, but not the collective gender known as men. But like the drug addict the victim does not mind the lie as long as it gets them their fix of victimhood and the attention that comes with it.

This sort of behavior is very attractive. It gives you an excuse to refuse to take an honest and often painful look at yourself as well as someone to blame for any short comings you might have.

The Choice Before Us

This is a choice we need to make. We, as individuals, need to decided, are we going to play the blame game, giving in to the seductive ideology of victimhood, or are we going to take a look at ourselves and find where we can change and do better.

Ultimately blaming someone else, justly or unjustly, will only cause division and create resentment that will lead us farther down the path of loss we have been on for over 30 years.

We can blame and fight each other and hope that our faction comes out on top only to be the king of the losers, or we can build a coalition with each other on the understanding that we all might not agree but that we are all dedicated to the betterment of our state and the betterment of each other as individuals.

Some people have said that we need to clean our house before we can hope to become successful again. I think we need to take that a step deeper, we each need to clean our own rooms before we can start to clean our house.

What path will you choose? Will you blame everyone else for the problems you see before you, or will you take responsibility to do everything in your power to solve those problems yourself? The choice is ours, choose wisely.

Elizabeth Hovde and Oregonian vs Mayor Wheeler, Portland Resistance and Antifa

Elizabeth Hovde did the unthinkable, she dared to tell her truth in a Progressive city. On October 28^th 2018 the Oregonian published her opinion piece titled The Misunderstood Joey Gibson and the backlash was swift and aggressive.

Misunderstood

Elizabeth Hovde’s opinion piece was based off her time spent with a local activist group known as Patriot Prayer and their leader Joey Gibson. The rally opposing Washington gun-control Initiative 1639 took place at Washington State University Vancouver campus.

Ahead of the rally the university chancellor cancelled classes and advised students to remain off campus fearing violence. The Patriot Prayer rally was anything but violent. Joey Gibson even set up a question and answer period so that he could discuss his opinion with those who disagreed.

Hovde wrote what she experienced and submitted it to the Oregonian editorial board for publication. It was published and immediately attracted the attention of some powerful people who condemned her, called for her to be fired and for people to target the Oregonians sponsors in an attempt to shut down the long standing publication.

Journalists and Public Officials for Censorship

It is a strange sight to see writers and journalists offering support for censorship. They of course would deny that is their ultimate goal. This denial would not be a lie, because they would believe that they are not supporting censorship. Yet these same people would celebrate if Hovde's article were taken down and she were fired.

I am reminded of Matthew 7:20 “Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.” While they may not be calling for censorship directly nor do they believe they are asking for that, their actions are going to result in that outcome. As Thomas Sowell once said, “Consequences matter more than intentions.”

Mayor Ted Wheeler, who has attempted to use his position as Portland’s Mayor (and police commissioner) to falsely spread public fear in an attempt to stifle the individual’s first amendments right to freedom of expression, had this to say about Elizabeth Hovde article.

His statement shows that he clearly does not understand what Patriot Prayer and Joey Gibson stand for. Joey Gibson has repeatedly called out white supremacists and neo-Nazi’s and told them they are not welcome at his rallies. The speakers at Patriot Prayer rallies are from different backgrounds and ethnicities. At an event on June 30^th 2018 Patriot Prayer had Asian, Black, Hispanic, male, female, Trans and LGBTQ attendees. Speakers included people of various ethnicities and even a Trans person.

Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury had this to say.

She is stating that the Oregonian ‘complicit’ in stoking ‘violence and hatred’ and that it is ‘unforgivable.’ If you were a supporter of Deborah Kafoury and trust what she has to say, what are you supposed to take away from this statement? She wants you to be mad at the Oregonian and to believe that they are spreading hate and violence.

What sort of response should you have to an individual or organization spreading hate and violence? Naturally you would experience fear and in order to protect yourself from that fear you must oppose the Oregonian.

People like Ted Wheeler and Deborah Kafoury will tell you that in order for them to protect you from this boogieman they must be given more power and authority. Authority over where, when, and how people can protest in Portland. Power over what can and cannot be published in the press.

Anna Griffin news director for OPB and Samantha Swindler video producer, editor, and writer for the Oregonian had this to say about their fellow writer and journalist:

Half Truths and the Weasel Rhetoric of Alex Zielinski

Alex Zielinski of the Portland Mercury penned a response to Elizabeth Hovde and the Oregonian. She starts by mentioning the tragedy of 11 people killed in a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Why? Because she is trying to tie two unrelated events together to make one look worse through association.

She even calls Hovde article The Misunderstood Joey Gibson a ‘love letter to the leader of the Portland area’s own far-right extremist group.’ She even falsely calls Patriot Prayer a ‘militaristic group of far-right provocateurs.’ Patriot Prayer is in no way militaristic, which means advocating or pursuing an aggressive military policy.

She also goes on to mislead the reader about violence at Patriot Prayer rallies. She frames these acts of violence as if they are spontaneous and happen in a vacuum, when in reality there would be no violence if Antifa did not show up and attack people, throw mortars, urine and bricks at crowds peacefully taking part in a permitted march.

Alex also misleads her readers about claims made by Mayor Ted Wheeler that Patriot Prayer members were ‘lugging rifles and ammunition’ to a peaceful protest, which she puts in scare quotes. These claims were refuted by Portland Police. The men with guns all had legal concealed carry permits and 100% cooperated with the police. When asked to leave the guns in a locked container in one truck and the ammunition in a locked container in another truck the men complied with the request. According to Portland Police “No laws were broken, and there was not imminent danger to the public.”

Yet Alex and Mayor Ted Wheeler would have you believe they were on the roof top with sniper rifles. Alex also makes the claim that LGBTQ friends and Muslim neighbors ‘feel they must stay indoors or leave town altogether’ when Patriot Prayer plans a protest. She offers no evidence or proof of these statements but claims them as fact in the hope that you, the reader, sympathize with these terrified characters that she created out of whole cloth.

As Christopher Hitchens once said “What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.” She also outright lies about Jeremy Christian, framing the man accused of fatally stabbing two men and wounding a third on a MAX train as someone who is a mainstay of Patriot Prayer rallies.

The fact is he was kicked out of the one Patriot Prayer event he tried to attend. Here is video evidence of him being kicked out of the one Patriot Prayer event he attended by Tiny and other Patriot Prayer members.

She again tries to mislead her readers by saying “Every single protest in Portland that ended in violence over the past year and a half was organized by Patriot Prayer.” She makes is sound like Patriot Prayer is going out and committing these acts of violence, but in reality the only reason there is violence at these events is because Antifa shows up and attacks, harasses, threaten and antagonize people who attend.

Antifa even left someone who came to protest Patriot Prayer bloody laying in the street with a wound on the back of his head that would require 4 staples to close. They did this because he was carrying an American flag, a symbol of freedom and liberty. She then goes on to accuse Hovde of “cropping out hateful rhetoric and violence.” Patriot Prayer has offered a $2000 reward for video proof of Joey Gibson’s hateful rhetoric and no one has been able to claim this prize.

Alex ends by condemning the Oregonian editorial board and insinuating that her fellow citizens, who are part of Patriot Prayer, who could be her neighbors, the guy pumping her gas or the mechanic working on her car, are not worth listening to.

Portland Resistance Demands Action or Else

Portland Resistance offered a condemnation of the Oregonian claiming that “giving platform to this message is unconscionable, unethical, and dangerous behavior.” They continue by making a list of demands. The demands include:

1)      Issue a front-page apology to our community for their callousness and carelessness in publishing the “The misunderstood Joey Gibson” opinion piece.

2)      Fire Elizabeth Hovde.

3)      Discontinue the practice of lending fascists a platform to recruit and legitimize their hate.

First they do not represent a community, they were not elected or selected and simply claiming you stand for someone does not mean you actually represent them. You are not entitled to an apology for simply reading an opinion you did not like, grow up.

They then want to destroy the career of Elizabeth Hovde over an opinion piece they did not like. Lastly they accuse the Oregonian of “lending fascists a platform to recruit and legitimize their hate.” A baseless accusation of a paper that has published pieces criticizing Trump, Patriot Prayer, and Joey Gibson in the past.

If you are on the Oregonian editorial board I offer this one piece of advice, do NOT apologize. It will only be taken as an admission of guilt on your part and will make things worse. Stand by your journalistic ethics.

They also threaten that if these demands are not met they “will result in a strategic boycott of Oregonian advertisers, beginning with local companies with progressive leanings and proceeding from there.” Essentially they are threatening to bring financial harm to people who had nothing to do with this opinion piece in the hope that they can force the newspaper to do what they want.

This is a naked attempt to hold businesses and charities hostage so that they can force the press to submit to their will. They justify this use of force by claiming they are opposing “white supremacists.”

It is okay to disagree and I do not want any of the people mentioned to be censored or fired, I would rather their ideas be out in the open for everyone to see. But it is not okay to attempt to shut down, censor, and suppress through the force of social ostracization. It is not okay to hold businesses and charity hostage in an attempt to damage a newspaper who published an opinion piece you disagree with.

I have often disagreed with the Oregonian and probably have disagreements with Elizabeth Hovde, but I stand with their right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press.