Category: General Interest

Submitted By: jmgilpin@msn.com – Click to email about this post

Again, I find it necessary to respond to misinformation and bias posted in this forum. The following is a review of the recommendation to view The Fall of Minneapolis documentary. It is very biased and comes from Alpha News – a conservative outlet known for their signaling. IMO, Alpha News and their ilk do nothing to help heal our nation – resulting in continued damage to our increasingly fragile democracy.

“The Fall of Minneapolis, is widely considered a highly biased documentary, presenting a perspective critical of the city’s response to George Floyd’s murder, focusing on police issues and business destruction, while even some officials find its claims about police training excessive, according to reports and reviews of its content.
Key Points on Bias:
Content Focus: The film emphasizes the chaos, crime, and business damage in Minneapolis post-Floyd, suggesting police abandoned areas, as alleged by suing business owners.
Police Training Claims: It scrutinizes police actions, but even figures like Police Chief O’Hara found its attempts to justify or misrepresent police training (like kneeling on necks) as “ridiculous” and “going too far,” even while acknowledging some valid points.
Criticism: Critics argue it selectively uses evidence, ignores broader contexts, and promotes a narrative that downplays systemic issues while exaggerating claims about city governance failure and police misconduct.
In essence, The Fall of Minneapolis offers a specific, often controversial, lens on events, emphasizing conservative concerns about law & order and city mismanagement, rather than a neutral overview.”

Submitted By: Vdubcaddy@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Good morning.
I don’t even know where to begin. My entire body is hoping this is all just a bad joke or a
dream. How did we get here?

We have military operations happening within our own country—not against foreign invasion,
but largely against our own people. Federal agents cloaked in masks, void of personal
identifiers, breaking entry into homes without judicial warrants. Too many reports of American
citizens being abducted. Assaulted physically. Assaulted emotionally. Too many children and
families being utterly terrorized. Property and rights violated, and as far as I can see, largely
because the person in the White House does not care for his political opposition. Vengeance.
Retaliation.

What the just happened, and where does it de-escalate?

As if that were not enough, we are now talking about launching military threats against
longtime friends and allies such as Greenland and Denmark. With that will come an alienation
of ourselves from the rest of the world. I am having a difficult time seeing where history will nod
at any of this.

Has the entire world—and our country—really gone off the rails so badly that there is only one
man who notices and holds the prescription and ability to right all the perceived wrongs?

We have citizens being slain in broad daylight, on and off camera, by federal agents. Within
hours of these incidents, our leadership issues press releases removing any wrongdoing by the
agent involved, before any form of actual investigation can occur.

How did we get here?

And it still isn’t enough. His supporters seem to blindly cheer him on as a brave leader, a
president of “peace.”

Yeah… well, where is the peace? I see little to no evidence of it.

What I do see is a setup. One where, if enough backlash occurs, the situation could be used as
justification to launch martial law on our nation. He’s already talking about it in relative detail.

If that’s not enough, he openly jokes and taunts cities in the United States that did not vote for
him, floating the idea of using those cities as training grounds for our military. You know—to get
them accustomed to attacking their own brothers and sisters and children.

Such acts do not happen suddenly. They must be conditioned. Normalized first.

All of this comes from the hands of a man who claims our government is corrupt and in need of
fixing. Is this really the way to fix corruption in the ways it actually exists?

Is this what the framers of our Constitution had in mind when they cautioned against tyrannical
government, while ensuring that citizens and militias would retain the ability to correct course
when necessary?

Is this the corrective measure they had in mind, or does it more closely resemble the destructive transformation they warned us about?

Every one of our founding fathers was a protester—criminals under the law of the Crown,
charged with treason and carrying legal bounties on their heads. History did not remember
them as criminals because morality does not originate in law.

When compliance comes at the expense of moral character, liberty is already lost.

Slavery was legal.
Segregation was legal.
The internment of Japanese Americans was legal.
Apartheid was legal.

In every case, obedience was lawful—and protest was criminal.

Freedoms are not maintained by governments or by written laws. Laws follow conscience; they
do not create it. Liberty survives through protest, civil disobedience, and defiance—through the
willingness to sacrifice comfort, reputation, and sometimes one’s own safety so others may
remain free.

Order without conscience is not peace.
It is control.
It is tyranny.

What would this world look like if we broke trust and treaty by invading Greenland? What
would happen to NATO? Who would our allies be? Would it make this country more sovereign
and safe, or would we be thrust into some form of isolation?

Normally our neighbors—Mexico and Canada—would support our interests. But I don’t see
that being the case when military threats and invasions have already been cast in their direction
as well.

President of peace?

I’m trying so very hard to see where I’m overlooking it. I don’t see peace anywhere. What I see instead is a man—and those who idolize him—simply getting what they want. A spoiled schoolyard bully without cause.

I try hard not to feed into reaction. I try hard to see where what he’s doing could possibly be right or end anywhere positive. But there is so little balance of power left. His words and actions largely go unchallenged by the balancing mechanisms built into our Constitution.

We have one man getting his way at every strike. Anyone who opposes him is labeled a traitor.
A disgusting human. Often stripped of duty, privilege, and even retirement promises the
moment they step out of his shadow.

“Lick the boot or get the boot” seems to be the reality.

I still search for the part I’m missing. I still ask myself where I might be seeing only one side.
Where could the benefit of any of this possibly reveal itself?

Where could the lives of the people of our nation—and of the world—find betterment in an atmosphere of such hostility and authority?

Even if he were completely factual in everything he flags as a problem, is this really the way to
solve it? Through order enforced by force?
How does that encourage confidence?
How does that encourage peace?

Without confidence, there can be no peace.
Without peace, there can be no confidence.

As if all of this were not enough, he now goes further, stating that anyone who opposes him
should lose their citizenship or naturalization, regardless of where they were born. Stand up
against what is happening, and that alone is enough to be banished from the only land you
have ever known.

No laws need to be broken, apparently—at least not in the mind of the man who says such things. Simply disagree. Simply resist. In his mind, that is enough to label you a traitor. Maybe even a domestic terrorist.

To me, it seems the only people guilty of those charges are the ones saying it.
It amazes me that the party of God, conservatism, and limited government is the very party
cheering this on—doing so in an air of obnoxious obtuseness.
It seems that our government, in general, has largely forgotten where it gains its privileges of
authority.
Silence will not keep anyone safe.
“There are many who don’t know they are fascist but will find out when the time comes.”
— attribution disputed; commonly misattributed to Ernest Hemingway

Submitted By: barbaraandchuck@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

Ancestors
Elders & Angels
Earth
Sky and Ocean
Plants
Animals
And all creatures
Spirit and all helpers and allies
Be with us and give us courage
So we may be and give light and love

Karen Olson

Submitted By: info@evcnb.org – Click to email about this post

Click the following link to read the latest eBrief: mailchi.mp/evcnb.org/evcnb-ebrief-january-16-2026-learn-about-neighborhood-radio-and-emergency-communication-emergency-food-cooking-contest-returns-and-more
EVCNB eBrief – January 16, 2026 – Learn About Neighborhood Radio and Emergency Communication, Emergency Food Cooking Contest Returns and more.
Also in this issue:
Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue Welcomes Transformational $225,000 Donation to Support Solar Resiliency
Welcoming Our New Board Members at Large
Tillamook County and Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue Want Your Feedback
Emergency Food Cooking Contest! February 10, 5 – 7 PM Pine Grove Community House, Manzanita
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) Classes Available for 2026

Submitted By: dixiedarrow@icloud.com – Click to email about this post

the Fall of Minneapolis.com.

If you just want to know the truth of things – you need to watch this documentary – it really affects all of us. I came across this by accident one day while on my laptop – unfortunately I was never able to find it again until someone recently sent me the link.

www.thefallofminneapolis.com

Submitted By: dianedkgcpa@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

NEHALEM BAY TIDERUNNERS PNWCOASTPADDLINGCLUB.COM

PNW Coast Paddling Club is actively recruiting for the 2026 season. We are a group of powerful, competitive paddlers of all ages who race and train together on the beautiful Nehalem Bay.

WE SHARE the water with the bald eagles, herons, seals, and other wildlife.

WE COMPETE in local, national and international races.

WE ARE FRIENDS who enjoy camaraderie on and off the water.

WE ARE INVITING YOU to join us for a fun workout and a great adventure!

CONTACT COACH CHAR, TEXT 360-904-3899

Submitted By: pattyrinehart@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

Please join North County Resistance on Saturday, January 17 from noon to 2 PM to peacefully protest everything our Trump Government is doing. We remain peaceful because we are smarter than Trump. Trump and his cabinet are ruining our country. From our youngest to our oldest citizens Trump is making so many people struggle through each and every day. We must get our representatives to listen! Do not give up.

Dress in layers as the wind is very cold, hats, gloves, scarves and double socks and coats will make this task more comfortable. Bring a chair as that really helps. You don’t need to stay the whole time but stay as long as you can.

Thank you so much to all of you who came last week to honor Renee Good.
Patty

Submitted By: mkuestner10@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Barely used Bowflex Exercise Machine free to a good home. We’re in Manzanita. Happy to help load into your vehicle–it’s heavy…
Send an email if interested
Mark and Linda K.

Submitted By: Website@unitedpaws.org – Click to email about this post

United Paws is urgently seeking a forever family or long-term foster for Hope & Caroline, a bonded pair of beautiful cats who have lost their home. Hope & Caroline were rescued in 2023 from life in a cramped cage. They are shy during the day, but seek love and companionship after dark. Caroline (brown tabby) is the more outgoing of the two and will happily come when wet food is served.

The pair has been cared for in a loving home and both are happy and healthy, but sadly their owner must relocate and cannot bring these beauties.

We are seeking a special family that can nurture these beauties in a safe and patient environment. A forever family would be ideal, but a long-term foster situation will also be a life-saver.

To learn more please send and email to unitedpawshelp@gmail.com or visit unitedpaws.org.

Submitted By: dwieb1@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Here’s some interesting investigative reporting on why Greenland has been in the news:

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/15/ronald-lauder-billionaire-donor-donald-trump-ukraine-greenland

Submitted By: Katiep479@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Sometimes in our lives we find that we need to care for a loved one or we find ourselves needing some help in doing things we have always done for ourselves. It can be a stressful time in our lives. Whether you just need some respite care in caring for a loved one or need that extra care for yourself, i can help ease that stress level for you.

My name is Katie and I am a In-home caregiver. Looking for clients starting in Tillamook, Oregon and to the North of there. If you need a In-home caregiver, call me at 503-409-6841, or email me at Katiep479@gmail.com. Look forward to working with you. Thank you.

Submitted By: dwieb1@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

I see both of our Senators, Merkley and Wyden, are holding town halls in our area soon. Obviously there will be lots of people at these. Only a few will be able to ask questions – they hand out a ticket to everyone who enters, then after an introduction they pick numbers at random to take questions.

Whether or not you get to ask your question, most of us have the same concerns and those town halls will be very informative. However, one subject that won’t come up is what the heck happened in the 2024 election. That’s old news and long settled for most of us. But I’m concerned we missed a key factor.

Trump controls the national narrative and the media by saying and doing atrocious things. One of those is slandering Biden. He put doubt in our minds about Biden’s abilities, so when Biden essentially collapsed in that debate due to exhaustion, over-taxed from his work schedule and a cold, we accepted Trump’s narrative as the reason he won the election.

I wanted more information so studied the election results state by state and compared 2024 to 2020. I found it was actually voter turnout efforts by Turning Point USA and others on the ground specifically in the swing states that returned Trump to office. Yes, Democratic voter turnout was well down, but only in states won by the same party both years. The difference was just the swing states, where Dem voter turnout was way up from 2020, but Republican turnout was up more.

If I’m right then the election was lost long before that disastrous debate. Here’s my point: it is still crucial for politicians to connect with their electorate. Mamdani, Spanberger, and Sherrill all won in 2025 elections and each made a point of actively listening to their electorate. The media likes to say it was a referendum on Republicans. Probably to some extent, but making sure voters feel important is, I think, essential. Town halls alone cannot do it. Focus groups only scratch the surface. Texting for donations with messages like “what can I say to get your support?” is empty and appears to be the extent of what Democratic Party organizations are doing.

-Dave

Submitted By: helgregors@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

For those (like myself) that didn’t hear about added recycling options at Manzanita Transfer Station, they are now recycling #5 plastic and aseptic containers. Glad to see fewer items going to landfill.

Submitted By: babbles@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

to the BBQ readership,

again, from Heather Cox Richardson. with tonight’s post i have decided to also include her extensive footnotes. this woman does her research, folks! noting the diversity and credibility of her sources, she is to be believed.

trump is escalating illegal actions and attacking his perceived “enemies.” in his view anyone that doesn’t agree with him is an enemy. republicans in congress who have fully supported him are now starting to push back–they become his enemies also.

in my life of 83 years i have often disagreed with someone about whatever–but that never made them my enemy.

read and be appalled at the direction our top executive is leading us. does anyone besides me see the possibility of WW3?

with a heart filled with foreboding of serious consequences for the stability of our world.

CAPITALIZATION OF PHRASES AND SENTENCES BELOW ARE MINE. I WOULD CHANGE THE PRINT TO BOLD AND RED IF BBQ TECHNOLOGY ALLOWED IT.

lucy brook
nehalem resident
U.S. citizen

January 11, 2026
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

The news has seemed to move more and more quickly in the last week.

The story underlying all others is that the United States Congress passed a law requiring the Department of Justice to release all the Epstein files—the files from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into the activities of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—no later than December 19, and it has not done so.

Epstein and President Donald J. Trump were close friends for many years, and the material the Department of Justice (DOJ) has released suggests that Trump was more closely tied to Epstein’s activities than Trump has acknowledged. Although Trump ran in 2024 on the promise of releasing the Epstein files, suggesting those files would incriminate Democrats, HIS LOYALISTS IN THE ADMINISTRATION AR ENOW OPENLY FLOUTING THE LAW to keep them hidden.

Despite the clear requirement of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that they release all the files by December 19, to date they have released less than 1% of the material.

Another part of the backstory of the past week is that the Supreme Court on December 23, 2025, rejected the Trump administration’s argument that it had the power to deploy federalized National Guard troops in and around Chicago, a decision that seemed to limit Trump’s power to use military forces within the United States.

Yet another part of the backstory is that on New Year’s Eve, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee released a 255-page transcript of former special counsel Jack Smith’s December 17 closed-door testimony before the committee. In that testimony—under oath—Smith said that his office had “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump ENGAGED IN A CRIMINAL SCHEME to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power. Our investigation also developed powerful evidence that showed that President Trump willfully retained highly classified documents after he left office in January of 2021, storing them at his social club, including in a ballroom and a bathroom. He then repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents.”

With pressure building over the Epstein files and Jack Smith’s testimony, and with the Supreme Court having taken away Trump’s ability to use troops within the United States, the administration went on the offensive.

Only a week ago, on January 3, the military captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. After months of suggesting that he was determined to end what he called “narco-traffickers,” Trump made it clear as soon as Maduro was in hand that he wanted control of Venezuela’s oil.

Then, on January 6, the fifth anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters determined to keep Trump in office despite Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s majority of 7 million votes, Trump’s White House REWROTE THE HISTORY OF JANUARY 6, 2021, claiming that the rioters were “peaceful patriotic protesters” and blaming the Democrats for the insurrection.

That same day, after the Supreme Court had cut off the administration’s ability to federalize National Guard soldiers and send them to Democratic-led cities, the administration surged 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis in the largest federal immigration enforcement operation ever launched.

The next morning, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good, and the administration responded by calling Good a domestic terrorist.

On Thursday, January 8, as protests broke out across the country, REPUBLICANS IN BOTH CHAMBERS OF CONGRESS BEGAN TO PUSH BACK against the administration. In the House, Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), the leading sponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, asked U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer to appoint “a Special Master and an Independent Monitor to compel” the DOJ to produce the Epstein files as the law requires. The House also passed a measure to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years.

The Senate advanced a bill to stop the Trump administration from additional attacks on Venezuela without congressional approval. And, just two days after Trump had reversed the victims and offenders in the January 6, 2021, insurrection, suggesting that Capitol Police officers had been among the offenders, the Senate unanimously agreed to hang a plaque honoring the police who protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Congress passed a law in March 2022 mandating that the plaque be hung, but Republicans until now had prevented its installation.

Friday was a busy day at the White House.

On Friday, Trump threatened Greenland, saying that he was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.”

Trump’s threat against a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally has had American lawmakers and foreign allies scrambling ever since. In a joint statement, the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom said that “Greenland belongs to its people.” Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) released a video explaining that “what you are essentially talking about here is the United States going to war with NATO, THE UNITED STATES GOING TO WAR WITH EUROPE. You’re talking about the U.S. and France being at war with each other over Greenland.”

Trump’s threats against Greenland came at a meeting with oil executives. When he attacked Venezuela to capture Maduro, Trump told reporters that United States oil companies would spend billions of dollars to fix the badly broken infrastructure of oil extraction in that country. But apparently the oil companies had not gotten the memo. They have said that they are not currently interested in investing in Venezuela because they have no idea how badly oil infrastructure there has degraded and no sense of who will run the country in the future.

What oil executives did suggest to Trump on Friday was that they would quite like to be repaid for their losses from the 2007 nationalization of their companies from the sale of Venezuelan oil Trump has promised to control. ConocoPhillips, for example, claims it is owed about $12 billion. “We’re not going to look at what people lost in the past, because that was their fault,” Trump told them. “That was a different president. You’re going to make a lot of money, but we’re not going to go back.”

Yesterday the government made public an executive order President Donald J. Trump signed on Friday, declaring yet another national emergency—his tenth in this term, by my count—and saying that any use of the revenue from the sale of Venezuelan oil to repay the billions of dollars owed to oil companies “will materially harm the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

Specifically, the executive order says, such repayment would “interfere with our critical efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela” and, by extension, jeopardize U.S. foreign policy objectives including “ending the dangerous influx of illegal immigrants and the flood of illicit narcotics;…protecting American interests against malign actors such as Iran and Hezbollah; and bringing peace, prosperity, and stability to the Venezuelan people and to the Western Hemisphere more generally.” So, it appears, Trump wants to retain control of the money from the sale of Venezuelan oil.

Tonight Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he is under federal criminal investigation related to his congressional testimony about a $2.5 billion renovation of historic Federal Reserve buildings. On Friday the Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve grand jury subpoenas.

Powell, whom Trump appointed, released a video noting that he has kept Congress in the loop on the renovation project and saying that complaints about renovations are pretexts. Trump is threatening criminal charges against Powell because the Fed didn’t lower interest rates as fast as Trump wanted, instead working in the interest of the American people. “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions—or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.” Powell vowed to “continue to do the job the Senate confirmed me to do, with integrity and a commitment to serving the American people.”

The Federal Reserve is designed to be independent of presidents TO AVOID EXACTLY WHAT TRUMP IS TRYING TO DO. The attempt to replace Powell with a loyalist who will give Trump control over the nation’s financial system PROFOUNDLY THREATENS THE STABILITY OF THE COUNTRY. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, appeared to have had enough. He posted that “[i]f there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none. It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question.” He said he would “oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed—including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy—until this legal matter is fully resolved.”

Kyle Cheney of Politico observed that it is “[h]ard to overstate what a remarkable statement this is from a Republican senator…accusing the Trump White House of weaponizing DOJ to control the Fed.”

Over a picture of the demolished East Wing of the White House, conservative lawyer George Conway noted: “I also must say that it’s a bit rich that Trump and his DOJ think it’s a good idea to gin up a bullshit investigation about supposed illegalities in….{checks notes}…renovating a federal building.”

On social media tonight, Trump posted a portrait of himself with the title: “Acting President of Venezuela.”

—

Notes:

www.cnbc.com/2026/01/10/what-the-big-oil-executives-told-trump-about-investing-in-venezuela.html

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/01/safeguarding-venezuelan-oil-revenue-for-the-good-of-the-american-and-venezuelan-people/

www.whitehouse.gov/j6/

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/world/americas/trump-greenland-annex.html

www.mainepublic.org/politics/2026-01-09/sen-king-says-its-nonsense-that-u-s-needs-to-own-greenland-for-national-security

www.cnbc.com/2026/01/12/fed-jerome-powell-criminal-probe-nyt.html

www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/powell20260111a.htm

www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/supreme-court-rejects-trumps-effort-to-deploy-national-guard-in-illinois/

judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/2025-12/Smith-Depo-Transcript_Redacted-w-Errata.pdf

khanna.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/khanna.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/khanna-sdny-letter-1-8_0.pdf

www.politico.com/news/2026/01/08/17-republicans-vote-to-restore-lapsed-obamacare-subsidies-00717497

www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-republican-senators-venezuela-war-powers/

www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/2000-federal-agents-sent-to-minneapolis-area-to-carry-out-largest-immigration-operation-ever-ice-says

www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/01/08/congress/senate-unanimous-approves-jan-6-plaque-law-enforcement-00717799

www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4405/text

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/06/epstein-files-release-justice-department

Bluesky:

chrismurphyct.bsky.social/post/3mc4iyclym222

gtconway.bsky.social/post/3mc73ftktkj2w

gtconway.bsky.social/post/3luuiczrpis2e

federalreserve.gov/post/3mc6san2usk2g

justinwolfers.bsky.social/post/3mc6wyjaqwk2g

muellershewrote.com/post/3mc6vzhk2dk2o

kyledcheney.bsky.social/post/3mc6xpvvtez26

Submitted By: barbaraandchuck@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

From our State Legislator about the killing of Renee Good.
You Didn’t See What You Think You Saw When Authority Decides Fear Is Enough Cyrus Javadi
open.substack.com/pub/cyrusjavadior/p/you-didnt-see-what-you-think-you?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

Barbara McLaughlin

Nehalem

Submitted By: pattyrinehart@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

Community Gathering in Memory of Renee Goode

Saturday, members of the North County Resistance gathered to pay tribute to Renee Goode, a woman from Minneapolis who tragically lost her life at the hands of an ICE agent this past week. This solemn event marked a significant moment for Nehalem, drawing a crowd of 70 people, the largest ever seen in the town—to share in their collective grief and outrage.

The attendees voiced their refusal to accept the killing of Renee Goode as well as their opposition to the conduct of ICE agents throughout the United States. The gathering demonstrated the community’s strong resistance to ICE’s heavy-handed tactics, regardless of whether these occur in larger cities or smaller towns. The message from North County Resistance was clear and unwavering: the community says “NO” to ICE.

While some may dismiss the efforts of these 70 individuals, it is important to recognize that their participation reflects the sentiments of many more who may not feel safe enough to attend. For example, a conversation with a woman at the Post Office revealed she avoids public gatherings due to concerns over her skin color. This sentiment underscores the broader climate of intimidation faced by many, though the recent tragedy involved a white woman.

North County Resistance members have witnessed negative responses to their protest, such as trucks passing by in Nehalem emitting black smoke, cars and trucks hugging the sidewalk as they go around the corner, and individuals making hostile hand gestures. These actions, while within the rights of those expressing dissent, are viewed as attempts to intimidate protesters. Fewer people are expressing dissent as they pass by, and we are gaining more protesters each week and we are not giving up.

North County Resistance meets again this coming Saturday, January 17 in Nehalem from noon to 2 PM. Please join us for this peaceful protest. Thank you.
Patty

Submitted By: Will@irace.net – Click to email about this post

Fascism is the rule of the many by the few.

Fascism develops in times of economic or cultural trouble. What you do is you convince folks that their troubles are caused by someone they don’t love, someone *else*. You give permission to hate. You give permission to oppress. You give permission to dehumanize and then kill, as Renee Good’s murderer did after losing control of his temper when Good and her wife declined to show him the expected terrified deference. “I say go get yourself some lunch, big boy,” he was told before the murder.

The penalty for backtalk in fascism is death. “Fucking bitch,” he spat afterwards.

But a fascist government doesn’t give you anything your family needs to be safer or more prosperous unless you’re already part of the elite. It just gives you permission to hate, and to act on that hatred, leaving you poorer and more hateful than when you started.

Come back.

Feel the love for your community.
Feel the pain of your neighbors.
Turn away from cruelty and towards care.
Help us turn back towards democracy.

Heaven save us.
Will Irace
Nehalem

Submitted By: crissrueda@hotmail.com – Click to email about this post

My name is Crissi, and I’m reaching out during one of the hardest times in my life. I’ve been struggling with uterus complications that have led to severe anemia and chronic menstrual pain. The pain and exhaustion have become so overwhelming that I can’t function normally, and it’s deeply affected both my personal and professional life. Every day feels like a battle just to get through basic tasks, but I am determined to heal and move forward with hope.

After many doctor visits, I’ve learned that I need a special treatment to address these complications. Unfortunately, this treatment, along with the necessary appointments and medications, isn’t covered by insurance. The financial burden is heavy, and I’m doing everything I can to manage these costs while staying focused on my health and future.

Any contribution, no matter the size, will go directly toward my treatment, appointments, and medicine. Your generosity will help me regain my health and independence, and I am deeply grateful for your encouragement and belief in my recovery.

Link for donation:
www.gofundme.com/f/help-crissi-heal-with-hope-and-strength

thank you,
Crissi

Submitted By: mkuestner10@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

The newest issue of the “Manzanita Today” newsletter has been released: www.manzanitatoday.com/

Submitted By: babbles@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

to the BBQ readership,

a modern fable.

om peace namaste
lucy brook
U.S. citizen

The Mad Stamp Collector
TIMOTHY SNYDER
JAN 11

The boy grew up in a happy neighborhood, among good friends. People shared what they had, and looked after one another. When a neighbor needed a hand with a chore, others
were there to help. If someone wanted to borrow a tool, or anything else, it was readily provided. The boy never knew anything else.

The boy liked to greet the mailman, and he took an interest in stamps. One of his neighbors, a teenager, invited the boy to come look at his own collection. The boy was delighted. “Here,” said the teenager, handing the boy the album, “borrow it for as long as you like.” And so the boy took it home. He kept it for years, for decades. As the boy and the teenager grew into manhood, the borrowed stamp collection was a sign of friendship.

As the boy aged, however, his interest in stamps grew into an obsession. He ceased to enjoy the stamps, to think about their beauty and their history. He simply wanted to possess them. He began to say puzzling things to the neighbor about the collection. Rather than seeing the loan as a sign of friendship, he seemed resent that the neighbor had any claim on the stamps at all.

One night he broke into his neighbor’s house with a gun. When the neighbor awoke, he pointed the gun and said: “You see that I can invade your house. If the stamp collection had been here instead of in my house, I could have stolen it. From now on that stamp collection is mine, and you have to admit it.”

What had the mad stamp collector done? He has the stamp collection, but of course he had it before. He wants everyone to say that now it is his possession, but no one does, least of all his neighbor. He has lost the neighborhood, and all the more important forms of cooperation. He sits at home and turns pages of the album. He writes his name in big letters on its cover.

Though the stamp collector is too mad to see it, he has destroyed the foundations of his own life. Until the night of the break-in, he could have borrowed anything he wanted from that neighbor, or from anyone on the block. Now every house is closed to him, and he no longer has friends, nor will ever have any. He has nothing except for his madness.

The fable of the mad stamp collector is the story of American foreign policy. It expresses the president’s approach to Greenland, Denmark, and our allies in general. There is nothing in Greenland, or for that matter on the territory of other American allies, that we could not have, if we asked. That is the nature of old, trusting relationships, and the order represented by the NATO alliance.

As matters stand right now, the United States has the use of the territory of Greenland. We have had a military base at Pituffik for decades. We now station about two hundred troops there; if we wanted to station thousands instead of hundreds, we could do so. We did during the cold war. If American companies are interested in the Greenland’s natural resources, they can sign contracts.

If we believe, as the president and vice-president keep saying, that there is a Russian or Chinese threat to the island, then we could station more troops there, or invite the Danes or any other ally to do so. Or we could ask the Danes to build another base on another part of the island. Or we could do something meaningful about Arctic security, instead of denying global warming and letting Russia build all the icebreakers.

The Danes have been among the closest allies of the United States for three quarters of a century. The base at Pituffik is a sign of that friendship. When the Americans realized in 1951 that they had urgent need of that site of Greenland for nuclear defense, the Danes readily agreed. This was one of the crucial moments in the history of NATO, the alliance that both nations had helped to found two years before.

It is the NATO alliance that enables the American presence on Greenland, and it is the NATO alliance that the United States threatens when it threatens its ally Denmark. So long as the United States and Denmark are promised to defend one another from attack, Greenland is defended by both of them, and indeed by all of the other NATO allies. If the NATO alliance ceases to exist, then Greenland immediately becomes much less secure — and, for that matter, so does every other member of the alliance, including the United States. Nothing could strengthen Russia and China more than the end of NATO.

Trump, the mad stamp collector, has everything he could possibly want, except the ability to appreciate any of it, or be appreciative of the work that others do to create it. He can gain nothing for the United States by insisting on owning Greenland, but he can lose everything which has helped to make Americans safer and more prosperous. He can lose the neighborhood.

It might seem odd to describe all of this as a fable — and I am sorry to Greenlanders for having compared their island to a stamp collection. But the fabular form is far more honest than pretending that Trump has a notion of the United States and its interests. He just wants to see a flag in the snow. He just wants his name on the album. This is nothing more than madness, and that is where we must begin.

Submitted By: dixiedarrow@icloud.com – Click to email about this post

January 9 2026. Wilamette Week has an article about how….. NOW, NOW…… they are purging roles of inactive voters – today January 9,2026………….oh yeah just ahead of a lawsuit where the roles will be examined!! Smart !! They say they paused this in 2017 but will start up now. What BS – Thats 10 years of questionable voting roles.

As Oregon kicks off a general election year, Secretary of State Tobias Read is taking what he says is the OVERDUE step of cleaning up the state’s voter rolls. WOW! He is coming clean.

That process could lead to the cancellation of as many as 800,000 registrations. That’s the number of voters Read says are currently classified as “inactive” on the voter rolls. To be clear, inactive voters do not receive ballots, but their names remain on the rolls. Well – Thats is not true.
Well to be clear – on talk radio shows people call in and say they have received ballots – more than one for the same election, keep getting ballots for others mailed to their homes, etc.etc..

Trump’s Department of Justice has sued Read’s office, seeking information about Oregon voters (that litigation is pending in U.S. District Court in Eugene). Judicial Watch, a conservative Washington, D.C., foundation, sued Read’s predecessor, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, in 2024, seeking a cleanup of voter rolls (that litigation is also pending). And currently, a group seeking to end vote by mail is suing to overturn results of a transit district election in Douglas County, and hoping to use that case to discredit mail in ballots. So thats an update!!

Submitted By: diwax54@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Don’t think so …..please share
***********
Think on this.
I hope you will read Dave Ramsey’s comments about going cashless. It’s a two minute read and NO one has explained it better. Please take 2 minute’s and read! Wow
Dave Ramsey repost:
HERE’S WHAT NO CASH ACTUALLY MEANS:
A cashless society means no cash. Zero. It doesn’t mean mostly cashless and you can still use a ‘wee bit of cash here & there’. Cashless means fully digital, fully traceable, fully controlled. I think those who support a cashless society aren’t fully aware of what they are asking for. A cashless society means:
* If you are struggling with your mortgage on a particular month, you can’t do an odd job to get you through.
* Your child can’t go & help the local farmer to earn a bit of summer cash.
* No more cash slipped into the hands of a child as a good luck charm or from their grandparent when going on holidays.
* No more money in birthday cards.
* No more piggy banks for your child to collect pocket money & to learn about the value of earning.
* No more cash for a rainy day fund or for that something special you have been putting $20 a week away for.
* No more little jobs on the side because your wages barely cover the bills or put food on the table.
* No more charity collections.
* No more selling bits & pieces from your home that you no longer want/need for a bit of cash in return.
* No more cash gifts from relatives or loved ones.
What a cashless society does guarantee:
* Banks have full control of every single penny you own.
* Every transaction you make is recorded.
* All your movements & actions are traceable.
* Access to your money can be blocked at the click of a button when/if banks need ‘clarification’ from you which will take about 3 weeks, a thousand questions answered & five thousand passwords.
* You will have no choice but to declare & be taxed on every dollar in your possession.
* The government WILL decide what you can & cannot purchase.
* If your transactions are deemed in any way questionable, by those who create the questions, your money will be frozen, ‘for your own good’.
Forget about cash being dirty. Stop being so easily led. Cash has been around for a very, very, very long time & it gives you control over how you trade with the world. It gives you independence.
If you are a customer, pay with cash. If you are a shop owner, remove those ridiculous signs that ask people to pay by card. Cash is a legal tender, it is our right to pay with cash. Banks are making it increasingly difficult to lodge cash.
Please open your eyes. Please stop believing everything you are being told. Almost every single topic in today’s world is tainted with corruption & hidden agendas.
Pay with cash & please say no to a cashless society while you still have the choice.

Submitted By: babbles@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

to the BBQ readership,

i urge you to write letters of support to Senator Jeff Merkley, also to Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Suzanne Bonamici, who are working for our citizen rights in our U.S. Congress.

this below came from Senator Jeff Merkley tonight.

om peace namaste

lucy brook
nehalem resident
U.S. citizen

Just one day after Renee Nicole Good was gunned down by ICE in Minneapolis, federal agents under the Trump Administration shot more people, this time in East Portland. I am furious.

As we wait on word on the condition of the two people shot by federal agents, I am praying for their recovery. My heart goes out to their families, who have been plunged into pain and uncertainty.

ICE has been terrorizing our communities at the behest of Trump, an authoritarian strongman. It has done nothing to make our communities safer — quite the opposite.

I am demanding full transparency on what happened, including the role of both ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and full accountability. That means an investigation that includes local and state officials.

There is no way that we can trust information coming from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) when DHS officials have repeatedly lied to the American people. Time and again, the Trump Administration has trampled on the right to due process, denied people the ability to contact lawyers and family, and moved people without telling anyone where they are, sometimes even deporting them before anyone knows where they are.

The Trump Administration claimed Kilmar Abrego Garcia had gang connections when he didn’t. He was deported — ripped away from his family — and it took a 9-0 ruling from the Supreme Court to return him home.

The Trump Administration lied to the American public about Mahmoud Khalil, claiming he resisted arrest, all because he protested the Administration’s foreign policy.

And the Trump Administration detained Jackie Merlos, an Oregonian ripped from her young children, for more than four months without ever charging her with a crime.

There is a clear pattern here: the Administration lies to the American public, denies due process to people, and terrorizes our communities with masked agents invading our neighborhoods. There is a word for stripping away fundamental rights and fairness with no protection for the freedom of individuals: fascism.

I will continue to work with the Oregon delegation in the House and Senate to make sure that ICE and the Trump Administration are held accountable.

I’ll keep working to pass the Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America’s Streets Act to require federal military and law enforcement agents to display identifying information: their agency and name or badge number.

I’ll fight to pass the Restoring Access for Detainees Act to guarantee people have the right to call family and an attorney when detained.

I will continue to hold ICE accountable for their attempts to mine DMV data to target our communities and ring the alarm bells on the Trump Administration siphoning money meant for veterans to prop up their cruel immigration agenda.

My team and I will continue to work around the clock to reunite Oregonians who have been kidnapped by ICE with their families.

And above all: ICE needs to end its dangerous enforcement operations in Oregon now. I will keep demanding that.

I know folks are angry. I’m furious. I urge you to take care of one another and to continue to SPEAK OUT PEACEFULLY. Calm and non-violent protest is a hallmark of our democracy, and your voice is a powerful tool.

I’ll keep ringing the alarm bells on Trump’s authoritarianism and keep fighting to stop federal agents from attacking our communities.

All my best,
Jeff

Submitted By: babbles@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

to the BBQ readership:

i very much appreciate the accurate, historical information provided by the political historian Heather Cox Richardson.

copied and pasted here, word for word, from her 1/9/26 message.

om peace namaste

lucy brook
nehalem resident
U.S. citizen

Beginning in 1943, the War Department published a series of pamphlets for U.S. Army personnel in the European theater of World War II. Titled Army Talks, the series was designed “to help [the personnel] become better-informed men and women and therefore better soldiers.”

On March 24, 1945, the topic for the week was “FASCISM!”

“You are away from home, separated from your families, no longer at a civilian job or at school and many of you are risking your very lives,” the pamphlet explained, “because of a thing called fascism.” But, the publication asked, what is fascism? “Fascism is not the easiest thing to identify and analyze,” it said, “nor, once in power, is it easy to destroy. It is important for our future and that of the world that as many of us as possible understand the causes and practices of fascism, in order to combat it.”

Fascism, the U.S. government document explained, “is government by the few and for the few. The objective is seizure and control of the economic, political, social, and cultural life of the state.” “The people run democratic governments, but fascist governments run the people.”

“The basic principles of democracy stand in the way of their desires; hence—democracy must go! Anyone who is not a member of their inner gang has to do what he’s told. They permit no civil liberties, no equality before the law.” “Fascism treats women as mere breeders. ‘Children, kitchen, and the church,’ was the Nazi slogan for women,” the pamphlet said.

Fascists “make their own rules and change them when they choose…. They maintain themselves in power by use of force combined with propaganda based on primitive ideas of ‘blood’ and ‘race,’ by skillful manipulation of fear and hate, and by false promise of security. The propaganda glorifies war and insists it is smart and ‘realistic’ to be pitiless and violent.”

Fascists understood that “the fundamental principle of democracy—faith in the common sense of the common people—was the direct opposite of the fascist principle of rule by the elite few,” it explained, “[s]o they fought democracy…. They played political, religious, social, and economic groups against each other and seized power while these groups struggled.”

Americans should not be fooled into thinking that fascism could not come to America, the pamphlet warned; after all, “[w]e once laughed Hitler off as a harmless little clown with a funny mustache.” And indeed, the U.S. had experienced “sorry instances of mob sadism, lynchings, vigilantism, terror, and suppression of civil liberties. We have had our hooded gangs, Black Legions, Silver Shirts, and racial and religious bigots. All of them, in the name of Americanism, have used undemocratic methods and doctrines which…can be properly identified as ‘fascist.’”

The War Department thought it was important for Americans to understand the tactics fascists would use to take power in the United States. They would try to gain power “under the guise of ‘super-patriotism’ and ‘super-Americanism.’” And they would use three techniques:

First, they would pit religious, racial, and economic groups against one another to break down national unity. Part of that effort to divide and conquer would be a “well-planned ‘hate campaign’ against minority races, religions, and other groups.”

Second, they would deny any need for international cooperation, because that would fly in the face of their insistence that their supporters were better than everyone else. “In place of international cooperation, the fascists seek to substitute a perverted sort of ultra-nationalism which tells their people that they are the only people in the world who count. With this goes hatred and suspicion toward the people of all other nations.”

Third, fascists would insist that “the world has but two choices—either fascism or communism, and they label as ‘communists’ everyone who refuses to support them.”

It is “vitally important” to learn to spot native fascists, the government said, “even though they adopt names and slogans with popular appeal, drape themselves with the American flag, and attempt to carry out their program in the name of the democracy they are trying to destroy.”

The only way to stop the rise of fascism in the United States, the document said, “is by making our democracy work and by actively cooperating to preserve world peace and security.” In the midst of the insecurity of the modern world, the hatred at the root of fascism “fulfills a triple mission.” By dividing people, it weakens democracy. “By getting men to hate rather than to think,” it prevents them “from seeking the real cause and a democratic solution to the problem.” By falsely promising prosperity, it lures people to embrace its security.

“Fascism thrives on indifference and ignorance,” it warned. Freedom requires “being alert and on guard against the infringement not only of our own freedom but the freedom of every American. If we permit discrimination, prejudice, or hate to rob anyone of his democratic rights, our own freedom and all democracy is threatened.”

Submitted By: barbaraandchuck@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

The Lost Proclamation

When the Great Holiness
Divided its being
From one powerful greatness into two,
And then, in their lovemaking
Became one again,
Their passion rang out,
Over and under and through
All that was,
Proclaiming wordlessly,
Unendingly,
Through all the fathomless ethers,

“Let there be light and let there be darkness;
Let there be seemingly solid form
And formlessness;
Let there be soaring heights and places
Lower than low.

“Let there be bitterness and sweetness,
Weakness and strength,
Joy and sorrow,
And let there be all manner
Of essences
And differences.

“And then let all of these,
Our dearly beloved children,
Each of whom we have made
In our own separate yet united image,
Love one another
As we love,
Creating new life,
New pairings,
New wonders,
Entirely out of unity and oneness,

For the sake of all,
Forever,
And forever,
And for ever
In constantly expanding joy!”

Why then, you ask,
Has darkness lost favor with humankind,
Left out in the cold,
Unloved and misunderstood,
Distorted through condemnation
And neglect?

Why is the only
Accurately remembered portion
Of Divine Mother and Father’s
Impassioned proclamation
So often only the one tiny,
Out-of-context fragment,
“Let there be light?”

Where have the ancient scrolls
That reveal the sum total
Of those unspoken words
Been hidden?
And when will they be found?

Could it be that they await discovery
Within us?

Could it be
That we are in the process
Of finding them again,
In all their radiant wholeness,
Even now?

Laurie Hoff Schaad 8-19-21

Submitted By: janheflin@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

Let’s Talk Tillamook: The State of Childcare on the North Coast

A conversation with Eva Manderson, Director of Childcare Resource & Referral (Northwest
Regional ESD)

January 2026

This Q&A is based on an interview with Eva Manderson, Director of Childcare Resource &
Referral (Northwest Regional ESD). Listen to the full interview at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9cII1jp5aE

Submitted By: website@unitedpaws.org – Click to email about this post

United Paws of Tillamook is an all-volunteer organization, and we are always looking for volunteers to share their talents and energy. Currently we are especially seeking:
Social Media Superstars
Adoption Application Reviewers
Photographers/Videographers

Social Media Superstars:
Who doesn’t love images of cats and kittens on the internet? If you love cats and are an avid social media user, we could use your help!  Whether posting our delightful kitties seeking forever homes, sharing important cat care tips or creating some buzz about an upcoming event, use your posting prowess to help United Paws reach out to thousands of potential adopters, donors and cat enthusiasts via Facebook, TikTok & more.  

Adoption Application Reviewers:
Adoption is the name of the game! There is nothing as satisfying as being a matchmaker for humans and felines, and it all starts with the adoption application.

Photographers/Videographers:
Handy at using that smart phone camera?  Love interacting with impossibly cute kittens and wonderful cats? Come capture the photo/video that opens the door to a loving forever home for our adoptable kitties! 

Whether you shoot with a smart phone or your digital Nikon or Canon, what matters most is capturing the marvelous personalities of these gorgeous felines.  Most often, it is an image that first grabs a potential adopter’s attention and draws them into reading more.  Once they learn how amazing that kitty really is, they hit the link to our Adoption Application!

Interested to learn more? Drop us a line at volunteer@unitedpaws.org or message us on our Facebook page.

Submitted By: dixiedarrow@icloud.com – Click to email about this post

After winning the first round of litigation, the lawsuit Judicial Watch, representing the Constitution Party of Oregon vs Oregon Secretary of State over Oregon’s voter roles proceeds on the 14th of this month in Eugene, Oregon. The lawsuit was filed against the state to make the state do what it is supposed to do by law.
Judicial Watch contends that the state’s voter roles contain the highest number of inactive voters and has large numbers of voters who have moved away or passed away. In the last decade, 29 of Oregons 36 counties have removed few or none of the voters on the rolls. This is required by federal law. Many counties have on their voting roles more people than they have voters. Oregon has the highest known registration rate of any state in the nation, which exceeds the number of voters that live in the counties. Over 1500 non US citizens were found to be on Oregons voter roles when the DMV did a recheck!

Secretary of State Tobias Reed refused to turn over the states voter roles when requested stating that there was sensitive and personal information of voters on these roles.
But that is not true. Sensitive and personal information does not belong on the voter roles. To register to vote in Oregon, sensitive and personal information is not required, and it is not asked for. I would like to remind citizens that Democracy is a sham unless voting is done correctly without carelessness or cheating.

Submitted By: walnutstudiolo@gmail.com – Click to email about this post

If you’ve thought about creating a new cooperative business or converting/exiting a business to a cooperative, there’s a free virtual incubator program this Spring.

Valerie at Walnut Studiolo on Hwy 53 graduated from the Accelerator program a few years ago if you have any questions about Start.coop or cooperative businesses in general.
-Valerie Franklin, Walnut Studiolo
walnutstudiolo@gmail.com
walnutstudiolo.com

From start.coop:
With the support of Shared Capital Cooperative, applications are now open for the Spring 2026 Cooperative Business Incubator, an 8-week online program designed for early-stage co-op entrepreneurs ready to turn ideas into action.

What is the Opportunity?
The Incubator uses the Lean Co-op approach, combining flexible, on-demand learning with live, facilitated workshops. You’ll learn alongside other cooperative founders and receive guidance from both the Shared Capital and Start.coop teams.

Program highlights include:
– Access to on-demand Lean Co-op learning modules
– 8 live, interactive workshops with your founder cohort
– Connection with fellow cooperative entrepreneurs across sectors

What will you learn?
Over 8 weeks, you’ll work with experienced facilitators to:
– Clarify your cooperative purpose and the customer problem you’re addressing
– Brainstorm, test, and refine solutions and business models
– Build a plan to drive sales and grow revenue
– Understand cooperative financing options
– Develop your cooperative ownership model

What’s included in the Lean Co-op curriculum?
– What is a Cooperative? Watch video: 46801523.hs-sites.com/share/hubspotvideo/204524956231
– Defining Your Cooperative Purpose
– Understanding the Customer Problem
– Product or Service Design
– Business and Financial Models
– Ownership Models

Who should apply?
This Incubator is designed for early-stage entrepreneurs who want to explore and develop cooperative business ideas into viable ventures. We welcome a wide range of projects, including (but not limited to) child care cooperatives, home care cooperatives, housing cooperatives, food-related cooperatives, and more.

Learn more and apply: www.start.coop/shared-capital-cohort

Submitted By: pattyrinehart@nehalemtel.net – Click to email about this post

The North County Resistance is shocked and saddened by the death of Renee Good. May she Rest In Peace.

Our weekly protest of our government, our president, and his cabinet will be Saturday, January 10, in Nehalem from noon to 2 PM.