Author: North Coast BBQ

Photo Shows the Windsor Engineered Design (paid for by City of Manzanita) Which Includes the Previously All-Important Retaining Wall. (WEST SIDE)  

FACT:  Approximately $475,000 upfront costs for earlier legal setup fees and engineering fees to Windsor Engineering paid by the City. For that, we got a Precisely Engineered Safe Design, Long Term West Side Slide Prevention, and Geological Research That Backs Up this Design.

FACT:  TLT FUNDS IN MANZANITA’S GENERAL FUND= GREATER THAN $3.7 million dollars of unappropriated General Fund revenue comprised of TLT collections was available . . .was ready for Manzanita’s Classic Street as designed by Windsor Engineering.

DEFINITION OF TLT: Key Priorities for TLT Investment by Tillamook County
The county uses these funds to balance the impact of tourism, with key priorities including: 
Investing in infrastructure to support tourism (e.g., parking, restrooms). (My example: CLASSIC STREET’S ORIGINAL WINDSOR ENGINEERED VERSION: A much safer, wider, longer lasting, heavily used traffic (RVs) and pedestrian byway to and from the center of Manzanita and the State Park.)
Protecting sensitive ecological areas.
Enhancing visitor experience and educating tourists on being good stewards. (My note: The original PAID FOR AND THEN DISCARDED design for a 20% wider thoroughfare would have been a great example of enhancing visitor experience and safety.)
Supporting year-round economic stability through shoulder-season tourism. 

FACT:  Original Bid for this Superior Version DELETED apparently solely by City Manager: BACK TO SQUARE ONE WITH HARDLY ANY TURNAROUND TIME FOR MORE BIDS.

5/2025= ORIGINAL PURCHASED DESIGN—Received Bid to City by Previous Contractor, $3.5 Million LOW BID.  STATE PORTION OF THAT PAYS APPROXIMATELY $2.7 MILLION.  THEREFORE NET COST TO MANZANITA= ROUGHLY $800,000.  MANZANITA HOLDS OVER $3,000,000 OF FUNDS FROM TLT TAX IN ITS OWN GENERAL FUND.  PERFECT USE, AS CLASSIC IS USED FOR VISITORS TO AND FROM PARKS WITH LARGE RVS.

CONSIDERATIONS: “A VALUE VS. COST CALCULATION”=VERY HIGH VALUE AS ROAD WILL LAST A LONG TIME.  PLUS, IT IS SAFER FOR LARGE VEHICLES COEXISTING IN THE SAME LIMITED SPACE WITH PEDESTRIANS.
LOWER COST VERSION = LOW VALUE: THE CHEAPER VERSION CHOSEN MERELY TO “ARRIVE WITHIN BUDGET” —AGAIN, WHO CAME UP WITH THE BUDGET NUMBERS? IF IT WASN’T AN EXPERIENCED CONTRACTOR, THAT NUMBER IS NOT AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION..

WINDSOR ENGINEERING’S APPROXIMATE $424,000 BILL PAID FOR BY MANZANITA INCLUDED A SUPERIOR VERSION OF A COLLECTOR ROADWAY=22’ WIDE, 2’ WIDE BETWEEN ROAD AND PATHWAY, PATH=6’

TOTAL WIDTH= 30 FEET WIDE.

REJECTION:  WELL, THE DESIGN WE ALL CHOSE WASN’T BUILT.
5/2025= CITY MANAGER, APPARENTLY WITHOUT COUNCIL INPUT, REJECTS BID BY EXPERIENCED CONTRACTOR OF $3.5 MILLION AS EXCEEDING “HER ESTIMATE OF $3.1 MILLION”.  HMMM —THAT REJECTED CONTRACTOR WHO REBUILT TIMBER ROAD (SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 26 TIMBER JUNCTION) AFTER LANDSLIDES CLOSED IT PROBABLY KNOWS A LOT, MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN CM,  (CALL IT EXPERTISE) ABOUT PROPER COSTING OF RETAINING THE WEST HILLSIDE ON CLASSIC.

NARROW VERSION (LOWER COST AND VALUE) ROADWAY=20’ WIDE, PATH=6’

TOTAL WIDTH= 26 FEET WIDE
.
COST DIFFERENCE PER FOOT FOR THE WIDER PATH AND WIDER ROAD WITH PEDESTRIAN SAFETY BUFFER, MAYBE $200 PER FOOT BUT OUT OF TLT VISITOR FUNDS ALREADY GIVEN TO MANZANITA FOR THIS SORT OF PROJECT AND IN THE BANK, JUST WAITING FOR A VISITOR ORIENTED USE.

COMPARISON OF SUPERIOR ENGINEERED ORIGINAL VS NET COST DIFFERENCE TO CITY OF “NARROW VERSION” SAVINGS OF $400,000 OF “FREE MONEY” ON, SAY, A PROPOSED 50 YEAR LIFE OF CLASSIC STREET?? 
YOU DECIDE.

FACT:  (REMEMBER: IN THIS SCHEME, REAL NET COST OF $3.1 MILLION IS TRUE COST TO MANZANITA OF APPROXIMATELY $400,000. (OREGON PAYS THE $2.7 MILLION MAJORITY OF TOTAL PRICE). A SMALL SAVINGS IN DOLLARS, BUT AT A STEEP COST TO CANCEL THE HIGHER VALUE ORIGINAL DESIGN.  PREDICTION: MANZANITA WILL ADD THE $400,000 DIFFERENCE IN COST OVERRUNS AND ATTORNEY FEES. THEREFORE, THE PURPORTED DIFFERENCE WILL BE – – GONE.
PLUS: MORE NEW ENGINEERING COSTS; 
PLUS:  ATTORNEY FEES FOR LEGAL ACTION FROM THE REJECTED, EXPERIENCED BIDDER.

FACT:  THE STATE WOULD HAVE PAID APPROXIMATELY 77% OF THE PRICE IN A WINDFALL TYPE GRANT.  COULD WE EVER HAVE IMAGINED WE COULD REBUILD CLASSIC STREET FOR $800,000?  BUT IT WAS REJECTED BY ONE ADMINISTRATOR WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE COUNCIL.

THE NEW NARROW VERSION, NO WESTERLY RETAINING WALL: “NEW BID / NEW BIDDER” WINS THE CONTRACT.  COST TO SWITCH = CLOSE TO $500,000 SO FAR, WHEN ATTORNEY FEES TO COUNTER LEGAL ACTION BY FORMER CONTRACT BID WINNER ARE ADDED IN.
  FURTHERMORE, MOST IMPORTANTLY, THERE IS NO WEST SIDE RETAINING WALL, THE LONG-TERM “SURE FIX” FOR SLIDES, ROAD RAVELING AND THE WIDEST COLLECTOR AND SAFEST FOR PEDESTRIANS AS WELL AS BIG VEHICLES SHARING A NARROW ROAD.  REDESIGN.  

OK, SO PLEASE FOLLOW ME HERE, AND DO CORRECT ME IF YOU SEE AN ERROR:
IF WE HAVE PAID OUT $400,000 FOR THE WINDSOR DESIGN, AND THE NEW CONTRACTOR CHARGES $3.1 MILLION, THEN ARE WE NOT AT THE $3.5 MILLION PRICE CURRENTLY WITH MORE ATTORNEY CHARGES TO PAY IN THE OFFING?

OH, AND BY THE WAY, THE ORIGINAL CONTRACTOR WOULD HAVE FINISHED THE IMPROVEMENTS TO CLASSIC ALREADY!  (FALL 2025(!!)

DISCUSSION:  OUR COUNCIL / CITY MANAGER (CM) DYNAMICS ARE APPARENTLY NOT WORKING TOGETHER AS WELL AS THEY SHOULD.  IT APPEARS THAT A CITY MANAGER MADE THIS SUDDEN, SURPRISING DECISION WITHOUT DISCUSSION WITH COUNCIL.  IN THIS CASE, CORRECT, INSIGHTFUL QUESTIONS WERE NOT ASKED BY THE COUNCIL.  IF I WERE ON THE COUNCIL, I WOULD BE LESS THAN HAPPY IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE. REMEMBER, WHAT STARTED IN 2005 AS A PLANNED COLLECTOR ROAD CONCEPT FROM OREGON D.O.T. IN 2005, THEN MORE RECENTLY WAS UPDATED, DISCUSSED AT LENGTH WITH PUBLIC AND WINDSOR ENGINEERING IN MEETING AFTER MEETING . . .

MANZANITA CITIZENS APPROVED THE SUPERIOR 30’ WIDE CLASSIC STREET IMPROVEMENT OVER MANY MEETINGS.  IT WAS TOSSED. APPARENTLY. BY. ONE. ADMINISTRATOR.

CONCLUSION:  OBVIOUSLY THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN THE COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER SEEMS FLAWED.   WHAT ARE OUR CITIZENRY LESSONS HERE FOR THE FUTURE? 

YESTERYEAR -or -HOW IT USED TO BE WITH A PREVIOUS MAYOR AND A FORMER CITY MANAGER:
FROM THE HEADLIGHT HERALD, March 20, 2017, an article about Jerry Taylor, former successful City Manager of Manzanita —
“Manzanita City Manager celebrates 20 years.” “It’s a good team, it’s been that way for a long time”, he said.  “Many times, the City Manager is much like a symphony conductor.  He can wave his stick around, but it’s the people playing the instruments.  Some of what I get credit for is work they have done.” 
I observed the teamwork between Garry Bullard, a successful attorney, and Jerry Taylor.  The Mayor had, believe me, a whole lot of input to any CM decisions.  Can we say “assertive” versus this present Council?  

SOME QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS I HAVE FOLLOW:

COST OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED ROAD OF $470,000 WAS EFFECTIVELY THROWN AWAY, DELETED, AND NO LONGER THE SPECIFICATION STANDARD TO WHICH OUR CLASSIC STREET WOULD BE REBUILT.  NO WESTERN RETAINING WALL FOR A STEEP SLOPE.

ITEM:  DOWNSLOPE DEVELOPMENT OF A HOTEL STRUCTURE WILL KEEP ANY WEST SIDE RETAINING WALL FROM EVER BEING CONSTRUCTED.  FOREVER. NEVERMORE, AS POE WOULD HAVE WRITTEN.

ITEM:  CLASSIC STREET WOULD HAVE BEEN FINISHED BY LAST FALL IF THE ORIGINAL DESIGN AND BID, BY A VERY SEASONED CONTRACTOR (WHO ABLY REBUILT THE TIMBER ROAD OFF 26 AND FIXED LANDSLIDE AREAS).

ITEM:  THAT CONTRACTOR NOW HAS A LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE CITY.  WE ARE PAYING LARGE ATTORNEY FEES EVERY MONTH ON THIS ISSUE.

COMMENT 1:  WHAT?  THE CM (FIRST CM POSITION) APPARENTLY GETS TO MAKE A SOLO DECISION AGAINST  A VERY WELL QUALIFIED BIDDER ON A COMPLEX ENGINEERED PROJECT THAT HAS INVOLVED CITIZENS, MEETINGS, BEST VALUE??  WHERE IS THE QUESTIONING FROM THE COUNCIL?  ANSWER: APPEARS TO BE NON-EXISTENT.  

DISCUSSION:  OUR COUNCIL / CITY MANAGER (CM) DYNAMICS ARE APPARENTLY NOT WORKING AS THEY SHOULD.  IN THIS CASE, THE RIGHT QUESTIONS WERE NOT ASKED.  WHAT ARE THE LESSONS HERE FOR THE FUTURE? 

BIBLIOGRAPHY:  From Windsor Engineer’s website: “The City of Manzanita obtained an appropriation to construction public infrastructure improvements. Windsor designed the project for the City. The project includes over 2,000 feet of road widening, a new 10 ft. wide paved pedestrian path, over 3,000 ft. of new water main, over 1,000 linear feet of retaining walls, and stormwater improvements. The project was performed with the assistance of Pali Consulting (Geotech), North Coast Civil (Local Engineering), Onion Peak (Survey), MacKay Sposito (Landscape), and DKS (Traffic Consulting).”

BIBLIOGRAPHY:  From a Windsor Engineering Document: NOTE: WESTERLY SLOPE IS OVER 30 DEGREES IN AREAS. “Pavement cracking along the edge of Classic Street is interpreted as due to ongoing creep of loose sands beneath the roadway Retaining walls are recommended to stabilize the downslope edge of Classic Street. Final design of the walls will depend on final seismic design requirements, which are to be determined. The loose sand soils will not hold steep slope angles or have stable trench walls at any significant excavation depths. They will also be prone to raveling.” 
 

TENETS OF OREGON ADMINISTRATIVE LAWS AND APPROACH TO GOVERNANCE:
Authority relationship in Oregon: 
Council Holds Ultimate Authority: The city council is the elected legislative body, acting as the highest authority for policy decisions, such as budget approval, tax rates, and major, long-term goals.
Manager Implements Policy: The city manager is appointed by the council to implement policies, oversee day-to-day operations, and manage staff.
Binding Authority: The manager is bound by the actions of the council and must keep the council advised of city affairs.
Exceptions (Emergencies): In some jurisdictions, a city manager may have authority to award contracts in cases of emergency, but they are typically required to report these actions to the council promptly.
Termination Power: If a city manager acts without consulting the council, the council has the authority to terminate the manager at any time. 
What a City Manager CAN do independently: 
Hiring and firing of city employees (except often for the city attorney or municipal judge).
Directing day-to-day operations and department heads.
Developing staff recommendations for council consideration. 
What a City Manager CANNOT do without the Council: 
Set city policy.
Approve the annual budget.
Pass laws or ordinances.
Hire or fire the city attorney or municipal judge (usually). 
While city managers have strong administrative control, they are always subject to the direction of the council. 

SOME QUESTIONS AND A “SELF SURVEY”

WE (CITIZENS OF MANZANITA)  DON’T GET MORE INVOLVED IN CIVIC KNOWLEDGE AND COMMENTING BECAUSE:  
   **YOUR OWN CHECKMARK OPPORTUNITY — SELF-GRADED         ——-PLEASE CHECK AS MANY AS APPLY TO YOUR SITUATION AND THOUGHTS

____I’m about the average age here, 65
 ___I have many activities, no spare time
___I feel overloaded with the Trump-caused chaos in the USA
___I’m involved with only state or national politics, not local politics.
___I don’t have time to watch Council meetings and critique (not criticize, but critique)
___iF you have followed City Council meetings and dynamics, please rate the Council on how well it did vis-a-vis the solitary CM decision of a narrower, unretained on the west side of street, referring to the “TENETS” above:
_____Great_____Average_____”No Show” Council Fail
___I agree with what you have written, but residents need a united front.  How do you do that?  A lot of people I talk to agree with me, but I think people are fed up with being ignored.
___I just live here part-time, don’t vote here, frustrated that my voice is not heard.
___Hey, I pay under $500 per year in property tax that goes to this City, why should I be concerned?
___At my age of arround 65, because of age / health, I may have to move sometime, so why should I worry about years ahead of narrower road and walking path?
___I’m new to town.  I would like to get more knowledge of the City and participate in these discussions as I learn more about current affairs.
___I’m friends with one or more on the Council, and afraid of criticizing.
___If I publicly criticize decisions, there are people on anti-social media who will insult me without the correct facts.  (Ad hominem attacks). I don’t need that. 
___People seem to have thin skin and get angry in a non-professional way.  I don’t need that.
___I think some on the Council, like many today, also have thin skin and become angered in a non-professional way if they are subject to questioning by voters.
___Wow, that’s a lot of “free money” from TLT that coulda shoulda been used to build the very best road and pathway that we have wanted for 20 years!  Plus, I did not know that the State has paid for most of the improvements and we could have spent a relatively small percentage more to get a superior street and path.  
___We have a couple of lawyers and a couple of retired administrators on Council.  I’m sure they do a perfect job, but haven’t listened to a meeting or checked a rerun of Council meetings on YouTube.
___I think we should hold our leaders to account.
___Perhaps if we paid the Council members for their time (hey, they just hired another $100K employee, why not instead incentivize more people to run?  Skip the employee and divide the $100K by 5.) Then maybe we would attract more talented people to run for office and they would be more accountable.  
___This whole thing makes my head hurt and is too hard to figure out.  And—I’m just tired of controversy, way too many facts and truths to take in, and it’s always the same people with facts, and that irritates me.  I’ve tuned out.
___I’m really tired of the Council that puts more value for each member voting the same way.  It seems that’s more important than asking searching questions at Council meetings.  (Witness the apparent complete lack of participation in the decision discussed above . . .). Give me some dissension or at least questioning between the Council members and CM.  Please.
____We no longer have local media employing reporters who analyze the many City issues with talented insight.   We only seem to have social media that can be incorrect and can divide us rather than unify us with knowledge.  
____What?  We paid $475,000 out for engineering, construction checking and initial legal assistance for this project that’s now in the trash can?  
____So . . . if we now magically had the $475,000 of newly “sunk cost”, could we have paid down some of the mortgage on the new City Hall??
____Hey, why didn’t the CM ask “Do I have a half million dollars somewhere in this budget that I can realistically go to the Council and the Council can then go to the Community and say, ‘We can still do this project.’ People might just say, ‘Why ask us, yes, go ahead and do it!’” — We did not have that conversation, apparently even between the Council and CM.
____Do you suppose anyone on the Council was unhappy about that lack of advise and consent in this matter?  Why weren’t they given the option?

Please consider adding your own questions
____
____
____

OK, why did I write this? 
I don’t really have time for writing this, just like you may not have time to read it or even care.  And the most ideal version of a renewed Classic Street is in the rearview mirror.  End of that story. Opportunity lost. Not the first misstep in Manzanita political history.  I wrote this because, thank goodness, we don’t have another $4 million project coming up to make mistakes on but:
The Council are neighbors, nice people, honest, giving volunteer time to the City and other local entities, but certainly could possibly do much better with their leadership, which seems to be completely missing in this instance. . .(Examples above)
There is a certain apparent arrogance from the united front of Council and CM.  That’s apparent in what happened with this project combined with the related current legal action (lawsuit) by the contractor who lost the bid against the City.  The many meetings involving citizens taking their time to help decide the Classic rebuild mattered for nothing in the end. Presenting their Council as a united front seems to matter most to this group. By effectively always agreeing with each other on a united stance with zero questioning after the seeming fact of a CM’s critical lone decision (apparently without the Council’s knowledge), _______________________________________________________(Please fill in the blank area with your own end to the sentence)

The combination of CM and Council had the ability to use money given by TLT share to supplement the $3.1 “target” amount with $400K to fill out the coffers for the superior wide road and path.  But, perhaps one person mistakenly wanted to bring in the project for what was budgeted, claiming savings, even if the extra $400K was analogous to “free money”.  Penny rich and pound poor, just to stand on the laurels of “I stayed with the budgeted amount”. BTW, where did that particular Budget target come from? 

Conclusion: I hope, as new projects and spending decisions come up, that leadership from Council to CM is much more active, and that more citizen involvement (that’s us, folks) will also be more active.

Quotations:  “All generous minds have a horror of what are commonly called facts. They are the brute beasts of the intellectual domain.”
By Oliver Wendell Holmes”

“An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” – Unknown 
“The most important political office is that of the private citizen.” -Louis D. Brandeis

I have been trying to get my thoughts in order for a few weeks, with the escalating violence in the Twin CIties weighing heavy on my heart and mind. I normally consider myself quick to respond, and I normally can do so with more eloquence than I feel capable of right now. I will try nonetheless, despite my brain feeling scattered and my heart feeling broken. I also feel angry and empowered to act. People so much braver than me are being murdered in the street, tear gassed, and physically harmed by ICE agents. The least I can do is continue to talk about their sacrifice, and to entreat more people to have eyes on Minnesota.
I wanted to start with a poem that reminds me of the promise of America: In 1883, Emma Lazarus wrote The New Colossus to raise funds for the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, a statue that was a gift from France to celebrate the hundred year anniversary of American independence, to honor America’s hard-fought battle to abolish slavery, and to be a link for friendship and diplomacy between sovereign nations:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
“The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame” feels like a premonition of the chaos that has descended in Minnesota. The intersections of highways I-94 and 35-S may not be an air-bridged harbor, but they frame the communities that have been shaken by violence and discord over the past few weeks and months. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have long been a shining beacon to immigrants, a sanctuary city for the tired, the poor, for those yearning to breathe free for decades, welcoming the persecuted and the oppressed.

As someone who is part-Boulderite, part-Minnesotan, I feel called to write to my hometown paper to talk about the violence and federal occupation of my current home, Minneapolis.

Despite what DHS, Noem, or Stephen Miller may say, America is a nation of immigrants. Minnesota is a state of immigrants. In the 1890s, more than 40% of Minnesota’s population was foreign-born. In 1896, official ballots were printed with voting information in nine languages. This has continued with policies that welcomed Hmong refugees in the 1970s and 1980s and Somali refugees fleeing civil war in the 90s. Many of these refugees that Minnesota has welcomed are fleeing horrible wartime conditions, and refugee camps that exacerbate the trauma of war. I am proud to live somewhere that welcomes those in need, those seeking better conditions than what they leave behind.

Minnesota is FAR from perfect and still has a long way to go on cultural competence. We have plenty of people who do not welcome these immigrants. But I will be damned if I don’t see an outpouring of love for this community at every place I have turned recently. People care about openness and inclusion here, we care about protecting our neighbors.

I, too, come from a line of immigrants who chose to leave their countries of origin (namely Norway, Ukraine, and Germany) in the early 1900s for economic reasons. Half of my brood settled in Minnesota originally, in the cold northern climes that reminded them of their northerly homes. On my mother’s side, my great grandmother worked in New Jersey textile factories and never learned English, but she provided for her family and gave of herself for her children’s future, and through another circuitous loop, ended up again in Minnesota. Minnesota has time and again been an island in the storm for my own family over generations, for me as I’ve come into my own as an adult. I owe my life to people who went looking for a land of opportunity, I owe my existence to people who were brave enough to leave their known homeland for a chance at a better future. I find so much affinity with those today who seek better conditions for their families and loved ones, and who want to come to a land of opportunity, whatever their reasons may be.

In addition to descending from immigrants, I am the granddaughter of antifascists, the daughter of antifascists. My grandfathers on both sides fought Nazis during the second World War. After the war, one grandfather went on to teach at the Air Force Academy and helped to design nuclear energy generating stations in space. The other had eye damage from dog-fighting with German bombers and received a permanent plaque at the Air Force Academy for it.

I think we should all be against fascism; fascism is a government characterized by totalitarian control, alikeness, and total submission to the state. Fascism, based on the Latin word “fasces,” meaning bundles. I like to think of the fascia under our skin, the bundles of tissues that are all alike. Fascia, when there is too much of it, when it’s inflamed, it gets tight, pulling our bodies out of alignment. Fascism, in the same sense, suffers from the illness of “sameness.” When we bundle together, particularly on arbitrary lines like race, or blind loyalty to a leader, we risk the weakness of sameness, the brittleness of false consensus. We risk getting pulled out of alignment as a nation. Minneapolis feels strong because of our collective differences, we feel strong because of our unique contributions. These encroaching federal officials claim they have to use the Insurrection Act to quell civil disorder, yet the only disorder I observe starts and ends with the federal occupiers.

I am also a Patriot. I love this country and feel inordinately blessed to be a part of it. I have done nothing for my citizenship, other than win the lottery of birth. I am grateful for the rights and privileges conferred to me, freely, because of my citizenship. In the words of the great author and activist, James Baldwin, “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” I write this as a love letter to the nation, to the state that I now call home, and to the idea that good, moral people who seek justice and non-harming are the moral center of this nation. The healers, the mothers, the immigrants seeking better lives, these are the people I want to surround myself with, these are the people who enrich our community.

I critique the unjust federal occupation of Minnesota, whereby ICE agents walk our streets with impunity. I criticize the descent into authoritarianism, whereby 250 years of constitutional rights do not matter. It is abhorrent that the political right, the party consistently championing the rights of the 2nd amendment, are so quick to discuss limiting the rights of gun owners when a conscientious liberal is the lawful owner of the gun. It is abhorrent to hear our government discuss pepper spraying and tear gassing crowds of peaceful protesters whose only crime is exercising their 1st amendment right. These are not crimes, but blessings that were hard-won by our founding fathers, the original American protesters who stood up to tyranny, who listed, among their facts for declaring independence, “keeping standing armies” in times of peace, without the consent of our legislatures, make “judges dependent on his will alone,” “refusing to pass laws for naturalization of foreigners…to encourage their migration hither.” These are the very things our founders fought for, and Minnesota does not take these words lightly. To dissent and to protest, is within our national DNA, it is the most American thing you can do to show your love of life and country.

Over 1,000 ICE agents were deployed last week, joining 2,000 ICE agents already on the ground. 3,000 paramilitary troops walk and drive around the Twin Cities. These ICE agents far outnumber our local police, and that is the point. They are bullies, they are intimidators, they puff out their chests and believe they are above the law. They stop and frisk people of color and arrest and detain lawful U.S. citizens. People are being told to carry their documents everywhere. Passports and proof of citizenship are required for travel abroad, not for walking down main street. I wasn’t around in 1850, but I imagine that Minneapolis in 2026 is how people in the northern states after the Fugitive Slave Act passed Congress. ICE agents look and feel like modern-day slave catchers, rooting out undocumented people with no criminal records (73% of people currently detained by ICE have no criminal record), people whose only crime is crossing a border in search of a better life. Or, in the case of many recent immigrants, their Temporary Protected Status (TPS designation, ordered by the Secretary of Homeland Security) was suddenly ended or not extended, as if people’s home countries are suddenly safe to return to. This puts people in a 60 day limbo, where they must drop everything and leave the country or otherwise be here without documentation. Talk about pulling the rug out from under someone, our DHS is handicapping any immigrant’s ability to get a leg up, to pave a better path for themselves and their families, and is actively harming them by risking deportation to unsafe homelands, or by separating families with disjointed, disorganized “immigration control.”

Slowly, and then all at once, we have slid into totalitarianism and authoritarian control. People smarter than me have covered this. Pema Levy at Mother Jones covered this in October, discussing the dual state of Nazi Germany. “The Dual State” is a theory created by a Jewish labor lawyer who fled Germany after the takeover by the Nazi Party, Ernst Fraenkel. Levy’s insightful article covering this is absolutely worth a read, but to summarize briefly, the dual state is one where some semblance of rule of law is preserved in the “normative state” (characterized business law, contracts), while the state has increasing power to punish dissenters and place individuals into a “zone of lawlessness” in the “prerogative state.” In the “normative state,” things appear to function within the normal rules of engagement, the rule of law. However, falling out of favor with the dominant regime or party, or dissenting in any way can slide one into the prerogative state, whereby no laws apply.

It is here where people can be disappeared for unknown crimes without fair trials, where people can be publicly executed in the street, where agents of the state, like ICE, can operate with impunity.

This is what Minnesota feels like right now. We see Alex Pretti, a gun owner and law abiding citizen. An ICU nurse, a healer. His first amendment right to constitutionally observe federal law enforcement with a camera was infringed upon, because the agents didn’t like that Alex stepped in while ICE agents were pushing a woman around. His second amendment right to bear arms is what ICE agents claim was justification enough to violently take his life. He wasn’t arrested, because there was nothing to arrest him for.

Seven agents kneeling on his chest and kicking him in the face was not enough. It took three shots to his back to place him into this zone of lawlessness. His only crimes were exercising his first and second amendment rights, and ICE agents decided that was enough to end his life. Seven men were so afraid of a man holding his phone, who also happened to be carrying a lawful, licensed gun, that the mere presence of a gun meant he lost his life. To me, this sounds like the prerogative state. Alex’s first and second amendment rights did not matter to these officers who spoke an oath to “Protect and Defend the Constitution.”

To be abundantly clear, I do not believe that Alex Pretti “violently brandished his weapon” or that he “assaulted” ICE agents. I believe that he was armed only with a phone and was honorably caring for his community while ICE kidnapped yet another community member. I do not believe that Renee Good was aiming for an officer with her car, but simply trying to leave the scene of an ICE action, performing a three-point turn that was interrupted by a trigger-happy, untrained ICE agents like Jonathan Ross, who calls women he shoots in the face “fucking bitches.”

Life is sacred, and the lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti were cut short. This is a shame that cannot be made whole. It would be a small grace, a small shred of justice, if their killers can be delivered to justice in a court of law, to have a full, unbiased investigation, and to have a grand jury of their peers decide on the legality and just-ness of their actions.

To see so much callousness and dehumanizing language over the loss of human life from the political right makes me sad, dispirited and angry. Many of these statements are coming from the “Pro Life” party, all while willfully submitting to the idea that some lives are worth less, that some murders are not crimes, that agents officially operating in their duties can do whatever the “mission” commands, even when that “mission” is so horribly misguided and immoral.

I call on Governor Walz to protect our state. He says “put up or shut up” to this president and this administration, yet he only does weekly press conferences and tweets, decrying the actions of ICE. I want to see the agents who have indiscriminately fired shots into people’s backs and faces held to account, who shoot rubber bullets at protester’s legs held to account, tear gassed people at point-blank range in their faces held to account. I want to see arrests made for these ICE murderers, I want to see Walz put the weight of the nation behind our beliefs in fairness, in justice, and in doing the right thing.

Bureau of Criminal Apprehension needs to be able to conduct a fair, unbiased investigation into the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

DHS and ICE need to back out of Minnesota, and ICE needs to stay out of other states. Nobody should be exposed to these trigger-happy fools who have 8 weeks of training. Nobody should be locked up without cause, with administrative warrants that they are falsely using to gain entry into people’s homes, skirting their 4th amendment rights to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects.

I want our elected officials at the state and federal level to remember that Minnesota is a tax donor state, and to not take this federal occupation lightly. We pay $50 billion more to the federal government than we receive. I’m not advocating for not participating in common defense. But there has got to be a time when push comes to shove and we use our bargaining chips instead of waiting and wringing our hands. I’m advocating for state’s rights and defending our ideals of sanctuary for those who seek it.

I have some asks, if you have made it this far.

Please, consider donating to any of the great organizations supporting on the ground efforts. I have personally donated to Immigrant Defense Network, which provides legal support to people being detained by ICE and Unidos MN. These are good organizations led by immigrants who are front line. Stand by Minnesota has a plethora of other actions, organizations to donate to, and GoFundMes for rent assistance and stabilizing families. This goes to things like legal help for people detained by ICE, groceries, rent assistance, and other things. It can be extremely hard for people to even go to the grocery store when, by doing so, they risk a run-in with ICE. I cannot emphasize enough how their presence escalates tensions in the community.

Please, call your representatives!! This is a small act of advocacy, but these people LITERALLY WORK FOR YOU/US. Make them earn it. Tell them you do not support the federal occupation. You have city council, state representatives and state senators, U.S. Congresspeople, and U.S. Senators. Tell them to get ICE OUT of Minnesota and out of any state where they seek to sow discord.

Naomi Kritzer also wrote a great blog post on what to do if you’re outside of Minnesota. TLDR is write op-eds, speak out, donate your dollars to organizations in the Twin Cities, and hassle ICE-supporting businesses. Home Depot, Target, Enterprise, Hilton, and Delta have all bent the knee to ICE, DHS, and the Trump administration; they are complicit with these unjust and immoral actions. Do what you can to take a stand against corporate citizenship that seeks to profiteer off of the chaos in the Twin Cities.

I’ll leave with the words of the Preamble to the Constitution, because those words mean something to me: Promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

It’s pretty hard to promote welfare when there’s a boot on your neck. Help us get this unjust, bullying occupation out of our state, help us help you keep you and your neighbors safe.

Who is the real enemy? It’s always been about divide and conquer which has been used throughout history. What’s going on now has been manufactured like our color revolutions around the world to start a civil war. Anarchy and chaos to reign in the surveillance state and undermine the rule of law/spirit of the law and destroy our Constitution.

Liberalism has been hijacked. It used to be about common human decency, being open minded. About truth and justice. About promoting peace. The antiwar folks went to sleep during the Obama Administration. People that jump onto the mainstream media official government narratives on their favorite outlets. Trust but verify which sadly most people never do.

I think many people that proclaim that socialism is the answer to all our ills are living in a world of idealism and fantasy. Ask people that have lived in countries where the state is the absolute authority. Go back to who supported Marx. Neo Marxism. Parental rights and liberties are taken away for the good of the state. They know best. Socialism in European countries was built on old wealth and they had a homogeneous society. Now the system is collapsing with all the illegal immigration. People who proclaim to be socialists are tied to money in positions of power. The motto “you will have nothing and be happy.” Pushed by the elites in the World Economic Forum.

As far as J6, it’s obvious that people have not looked into this, but again rely on the media that supports their current belief systems. I spent a long time doing what someone on a jury would do. Looking at the evidence. Exculpatory evidence was withheld from juries for these show trials. These defendants were put into solitary confinement and beaten, but no one on the left had a problem with that or their right to a fair trial, due process and excessive force while incarcerated. They were kangaroo courts like they had during the reign of terror by Stalin. Audio/video from police cams were withheld. A two tiered justice system.

You saw that DC police allowed and encouraged these protestors into the building or where they were not supposed to go. They were being set up. There were feds and informants there posing as protestors=agent provocateurs who were encouraging people to break windows/stir up the crowd, or doing it themselves.

I saw Roseanne Boyland beaten by a female cop using her nightstick and they claimed she died from a drug overdose, Law enforcement were celebrated as fearless heroes. They shot rubber bullets into the crowd that were peaceful and several people died from heart attacks. One man who was peacefully protesting had a heart attack when they interrogated him by coming to his home and breaking down his door. Intimidation was used against many people. Excessive force used for Ashli Babbit. I looked at all the video footage available and circumstances behind her death.

Just like the JFK Warren Commission, the J6 Commission was a sham and a forgone conclusion=politically motivated and not about truth or justice which everyone who are US citizens are entitled to no matter their party affiliation. A weaponized justice system. Lawfare.

As far as saying the two protestors who died were worthy of our virtue signaling denies the fact they were paid agent provocateurs. They were not protesting peacefully as people on the left want to believe. I call it manufactured outrage. They were acting like jihadists putting their lives on the line as they believed they were above the law.

Where are people in our community who are silent with respect to crimes against children=sexual predators. Fentanyl-drug trafficking. An increase of crime in our county as we bring more people here who are homeless, have substance abuse issues, mental illness, violent criminals, etc because of our social services.

Why aren’t people speaking out against people who were allowed to come into this country who are violent gang members, bringing in fentanyl, terrorists from countries around the world, committing crimes against women, children, and the elderly? People saying that people they don’t agree with should be killed and carrying through on their death threats. Destroying property with zero consequences. Going out of their way to protect violent criminals or who break the law who are here illegally.

We are on the precipice of WW111 with Iran(with nuclear, chemical and biological weapons), an economy on the verge of collapse that has been artificially propped up for a very long time, paying the federal reserve, a private bank interest that we can never pay back instead of the US Treasury printing our own money which JFK wanted to do before his assassination. Moving to a digital ID, digital economy and furthering the AI surveillance police state. Where are the protests and concerns?

Elites want to implement a social credit program like China to control your every move. Move people out of rural areas into 15 minute Smart Cities all to protect our environment/planet. We are longtime environmentalists and we try to lead by example and see who is promoting these agendas and who see themselves as our benevolent benefactors. George Bush Sr. brought back UN Agenda 21-Sustainable Development which has been implemented at all levels of government around the country.

What about our Oregon “liberal” senators who support the military industrial complex with our endless wars(Russia, Russia, Russia=President Assad was an evil dictator gassing his own people), continue to vote for the Patriot Act and the NDAA, get money from the drug industry, participate in illegal trading, and make millions from back door deals with lobbyists, etc. Are they standing up for the small family farmer, people who grow their own food, ranchers and people who have chosen to live off the grid as they continue to come under attack?

Oh yes, let’s remember how we handled COVID where mandates that are not laws took away people’s right to deal with their own health. People were forced to get an experimental mRNA genetically altering shot that changes your DNA and destroys your immune system violating the Nuremberg Code or lose their jobs. Fear and virtue signaling led the way. If people did their own research, they would learn the devastation we caused because of locking down our country, forcing people to wear masks, and getting shots that were not only not effective, but not safe. A wonderful social experiment shows how easily it is to turn off critical thinking and common sense. Turn it over to a “government expert”. What we did to our children and young people is unforgivable.

We tried to undermine the “science” of immunology/epidemiology by doing away with natural immunity, herd immunity and what a vaccine is to fit the official government narrative. Ignored the body of evidence regarding masks that don’t stop a virus from spreading, and wearing toxic masks from China and forcing children as young as 2. Wearing masks outside in the fresh air and while participating in athletic events. Insane. Masks lower your oxygen, increase your CO2 and are breeding grounds for bacteria. We did absolutely nothing to promote how to strengthen your immune system(stay well) and prevention besides wearing a mask and getting a COVID shot.

I believe in our Constitutional right of due process, but the question is do people in this country illegally have the same rights? The US Supreme Court refuses to rule on this. Birthright citizenship. I have an international family from Russia, Syria, Turkey, Mainland China, Mexico and Australia. Everyone came here legally. They learned English and got a job as soon as they could. It took time to come here, but when they did, they never expected the government to take care of them. They in turn helped other family members. They didn’t commit fraud as we’ve learned has been going on for sometime or expect people to conform to their culture or religious beliefs or live off of government assistance. This is suppose to be a temporary measure to help people, not a lifetime lifestyle. What is the consequence for breaking the law these days if you are here illegally?

So everything going on now is to promote anarchy and chaos to move us a step further to the AI police/surveillance state and all for our own safety. Where is the outcry about what is going on in our own state? The level of fraud, sexual predators/criminals who have more rights than their victims? People only driven by the media. Resources going to people here illegally while people who are a US citizen don’t have the same privileges=our increasing homeless population, mentally ill, elderly, veterans, etc. Going out of our way to protect violent criminals who are here illegally=Stockholm Syndrome.

Then we have cell towers everywhere and the short term and long term effects on everyone who is tied to their electronic devices including the damage physically and psychologically to our children/young people. We do not know the impact of microwave radiation, or EMF on the human body.

So it is what I can only describe as “selective” outrage, and people can’t see the bigger picture and who are the puppet masters pulling your heartstrings. The media of course has been complicit in reinforcing the political divide, and pushing the propaganda. Obama passed an EO during his administration that made state sponsored propaganda legal again, although it never stopped them before that.

We are being played, and I hope more people wake up to see where we are heading on both sides of the political divide. The question that needs to be asked is if these ICE agents have been properly trained and vetted. Did they act with undo force? That for a very long time law enforcement is being trained in military tactics by the IDF. Where is the outcry? Where was the outcry about Israel, Gaza and the Palestinians before October 7th that was media driven? About the countless innocent people brutally killed by people in this country illegally, or sexual predators of children and women?

Looking ahead to the North County Resistance protest planned for this coming Saturday, February 7, the weather forecast predicts significant rainfall. Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately for wet conditions, raincoats, hats, rain pants, boots, and gloves are recommended. Umbrellas may also be helpful. While our main purpose is to protest regardless of the weather, we always manage to look good doing it!

Thank you to everyone who joined the North County Resistance event this past Saturday. Your participation—105 strong—and continued support are deeply valued. We are excited to announce that we will be gathering again on Saturday, February 7, from noon to 2 PM. We look forward to seeing you there as we continue our collective efforts for the betterment of our community and country.

I would like to recognize two key organizations making a difference in our community, starting with the Food Pantry at the Methodist Church in Nehalem. Operated by Nehalem Bay Community Services, this pantry provides essential support to those in need. Donations of food, clothing, linens, pet food, and other items are gratefully accepted. The pantry is open to all on Monday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM, and on Wednesday from 1 PM to 5 PM.
If you are able to donate, please consider items such as canned meats, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, soups, and similar goods. As the pantry’s needs may change weekly, it is helpful to ask what is currently needed when making a contribution.
Nehalem Bay Community Services also runs a Senior Lunch program every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 11:30 AM. Financial contributions are always welcome and help keep this vital service running. If you wish to donate, please send a check to Nehalem Bay Community Services, PO Box 232, Nehalem, Oregon 97131, and indicate on your check how you would like the funds to be used. Your generosity ensures the ongoing success of these important community meals, which are also delivered to those unable to attend in person.

The second organization deserving mention is the North County Food Bank, located in Wheeler. The food bank is open every Tuesday from noon to 3 PM, serving as a crucial resource for many in the area. Although the clothing bank is temporarily closed due to the construction of a new building, monetary donations are especially important at this time. Cash contributions enable the North County Food Bank to purchase food at discounted rates, making your support go even further.

The new facility is needed because the organization has lost access to the building they have used for the past 30 years. Support for the construction of this new building is greatly appreciated. When making a donation, please specify how you wish your contribution to be used. Large donations are particularly important for this project, and you are encouraged to reach out to others who may be interested in supporting the food bank’s new facility.

At our protest on Saturday, February 7, you are welcome to drop off checks or food donations for either organization. Simply let us know where you would like your donation directed, and we will ensure it reaches the correct destination. Thank you for your continued support!
Best,
Patty

https://youtu.be/2l2RqzVG4ag?si=yMBIxp6Jzdcp6BRz&t=1208

Grant them removed, and grant that this your noise
Hath chid down all the majesty of England;
Imagine that you see the wretched strangers,
Their babies at their backs with their poor luggage,
Plodding to the ports and coasts for transportation,
And that you sit as kings in your desires,
Authority quite silenced by your brawl,
And you in rough of your opinions clothed;

What had you got? I’ll tell you: you had taught
How insolence and strong hand should prevail,
How order should be quelled; and by this pattern
Not one of you should live an aged man,
For other ruffians, as their fancies wrought,
With self same hand, self reasons, and self right,
Would shark on you, and men like ravenous fishes
Would feed on one another.

O, desperate as you are,
Wash your foul minds with tears, and those same hands,
That you like rebels lift against the peace,
Lift up for peace, and your unreverent knees,
Make them your feet to kneel to be forgiven!

You’ll put down strangers,
Kill them, cut their throats, possess their houses,
And lead the majesty of law in liom,
To slip him like a hound. Say now the king
(As he is clement, if th’ offender mourn)
Should so much come to short of your great trespass
As but to banish you, whether would you go?

What country, by the nature of your error,
Should give you harbor? go you to France or Flanders,
To any German province, to Spain or Portugal,
Nay, any where that not adheres to England,–

Why, you must needs be strangers: would you be pleased
To find a nation of such barbarous temper,
That, breaking out in hideous violence,
Would not afford you an abode on earth,
Whet their detested knives against your throats,
Spurn you like dogs, and like as if that God

Owed not nor made not you, nor that the claimants
Were not all appropriate to your comforts,
But chartered unto them, what would you think
To be thus used? this is the strangers case;
And this your mountainish inhumanity.