Erdoğan once put it, “Democracy is like a tram. You ride it until you arrive at your destination, then you step off.”]
My post was answered by Tillamook County Commissioner Vice-Chair Mary Faith Bell. I then replied to Commissioner Bell on this site, and she has yet to respond to my concerns from that post.
Since Commissioner Bell addressed the issue on this site, I am replying to her again on this site, and I thank BBQ for the opportunity, as the county’s deployment of A.I. in any form or fashion should be of grave concern for all county residents; whether those concerns are about out-of-control and needless government surveillance, or county administers using Grok or whatever A.I. service to replace human jobs, or any other concerns about the deployment of A.I. There should be absolute up-front transparency about the county’s plans to employ A.I., if such plans exist outside of the library system.
The pro-human anti-A.I. revolution has begun, and I think it right that Tillamook County join that pro-human revolution.
Santa Fe and Sedona have banned the A.I.-driven Flock cameras, and litigation regarding their use has begun is several states.
From article:
“Amid growing public debate over the role of surveillance tech in law enforcement, Flock issues have become a flashpoint. Its cameras, which can track vehicles using an easily-searchable database, have blanketed hundreds of cities across the country. The company presents its product as a simple license plate scanner, boasting “billions of monthly plate reads.” That phrasing alone makes clear that committing a crime isn’t the only way to end up in Flock’s tracking database. One Virginia man found he had been tracked 526 times in just four months after investigating the company. Meanwhile, Flock’s pitch to law enforcement boasts much more aggressive AI capabilities than simple plate scanning, including a “Vehicle Fingerprint” that can track cars even without a license plate by identifying everything from paint jobs to specific objects in a truck bed.”
Oregon’s biggest fraud, Senator Ron Wyden, has championed himself throughout his career as a staunch advocate of an individual’s right to privacy. He couldn’t be more dishonest. He has said nothing meaningful about the wide-spread privacy concerns about A.I. and certainly has not pushed back. Maybe because his donors want A.I., and he values them and their money more than he values the individual privacy concerns of the Oregonians he pretends to represent.
Of Flock cameras, which have been deployed all over Oregon, Wyden was taken to task by voters, and he finally weighed in against the cameras – but not until AFTER they were deployed all over the state. Eugene has stopped using the cameras, and I hope the rest of the state, and indeed the country, does the same. We 99% still wield a lot of power, and the wide-spread push-back against A.I. is evidence of that power.
Radio Cab in Portland, whom I contracted with as a driver for ten years, deployed A.I.-driven facial recognition cameras in all of their taxis over the summer. But these cameras do a lot more than facial recognition. Every time I honked the horn, the A.I. sent a video to my supervisor. Every time I picked up the phone, the A.I. would yell “PUT DOWN PHONE” then send a video to my supervisor. It packages passengers’ entering and exiting the cab, and all of those interactions are saved in a file for the supervisors to watch at any time. The entirety of the passengers rides are recorded and stored FOREVER, or as long as the wickedly anti-human A.I. stains the human experience, as the audio/video of the taxi rides is ostensibly stored in one of those giant Google-esque facilities that hog our electricity and cause the electric rates for us 99% to double, while the 1% who are using A.I. and our subsidy to digitally enslave us and degrade the human experience, get a screaming deal on electricity rates. I was also told that Radio Cab packaged all of my conversations with my passengers in text form and made those conversations available to the supervisors. Of utmost importance, I am told by tech folks smarter than me about this stuff, that there is no such thing as closed A.I., despite some companies’ claims otherwise. So ICE and whomever else that is savvy enough, can hack into any A.I. system.
If you know folks who are living here unlawfully and do not want to be deported, tell them not to ride in Radio Cabs! (It would be prudent for someone to look into TriMet’s use or potential use of A.I. on busses and trains.) If you value your privacy, including your private conversations with your driver, DO NOT USE RADIO CAB! Uber and Lyft, though born of the tech 1%, have yet to require their drivers employ A.I. cameras, and at this time are a preferable option to those who value and individuals right to privacy, as the original founders of Radio Cab, World War Two vets, surely understood.
Behavior modifications A.I. systems like these are what the Chinese Communist Party employs on its citizens, and they couldn’t be further from the ideals of those who fought the fascists and communists during World War Two, after which Radio Cab was born by American soldiers.
Commissioner Bell, you didn’t follow-up and answer any of my questions. These questions are of significant import to your constituents. Here they are again, with an add-on or two:
1. Did the idea to deploy A.I.-driven facial recognition cameras throughout the Tillamook County Library system come from within, or was the idea brought to the commissioners by a tech lobbyist/salesman?
2. How much is the contract worth?
3. Has the county come up with guidance with respect to its deployment of A.I. throughout county government?
4. Have the cameras been turned on yet?
5. Are you willing to cancel the contract and get the A.I. cameras that have already been installed removed?
6. You mentioned that the libraries have had ‘incidents’ that gave rise the deployment of these cameras. How many incidents have there been over the last year? Was law enforcement involved? The main branch is a stone’s throw from the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office and the Tillamook Police. OSP is also close by. Why the cameras when we have these three great law enforcement agencies (and more) in our county?
7. Commissioner Bell, you characterized the libraries as all-inclusive places that are safe spaces for all. Clearly that is not the case now that hackable A.I.-driven facial recognition cameras have been deployed. Please consider removing them and writing language in county code that prohibits the use of such A.I.-driven cameras in their entirety. Would closed circuit cameras, that are NOT connected to the internet and that are DELETED every two weeks, suffice?
And please use this site for a reply, if possible, as many concerned folks are awaiting your response.
Andy Norris
Wheeler
In addition to ICE, the following agencies are being impacted by the shutdown:
U.S. Coast Guard
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Secret Service and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
My lunch companion questioned why these agencies, each of which provides essential services for our country, are being grouped together in discussions with ICE. This is a point worth considering and will be revisited later in this document.
Now asking you to consider helping two local organizations who provide food to many in our community:
Nehalem Bay Community Services is in Nehalem, Oregon at the Methodist Church. At this time of year this agency is very busy providing donations of food, clothing, blankets, and more. Their food pantry welcomes everyone Monday, Friday, and Saturday (10 AM-2 PM) and Wednesday from 1 PM – 5 PM. If you would like to help with their mission, please drop off canned meats, peanut butter and jelly, breakfast cereal, eggs, fresh produce, canned soups, and condiments. Gas cards can also be helpful. These are just suggestions. In their last message they were asking for men’s clothing. Nehalem Bay Community Services also has a Senior Lunch Program which they serve on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which begins at 11:30 AM. This program not only offers food but also companionship. You can support and make a direct impact to both these programs by sending a check to Nehalem Bay Community Services, PO Box 232, Nehalem, Oregon, 97131. For more information you can call 503-368-4385.
The North County Food Bank is in Wheeler, Oregon. It has been in operation for over 30 years. This Food Bank is open on Tuesdays and serves 50 or more families a week. Your dollars can be used to buy more food for this organization. Check can be sent to North County Food Bank, PO Box 162, Wheeler, Oregon 97147. More information can be had by calling 503-368-7724.
Now back to the discussion of the Government Shutdown. I must ask if they have electricity in Washington, D.C.? Where are these people who we all elected to the House of Representatives and Senate? It doesn’t seem to me like they are showing up for work! Do we need to start taking attendance every morning? I must question their ability to see into the future. And I also question their loyalty to the people who elected them, the people of the United States of America. What are these people, both the House of Representatives and the Senate, thinking? Why does it take the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti to make them act on something that is a non-issue since the Big Beautiful Bill passed? ICE doesn’t need any money-they are funded. If our elected officials had acted earlier perhaps these two people would still be alive. Should we all be ashamed of ourselves because we elected them? Should we be ashamed of ourselves because we let them get away with it? A friend on the line says, ‘WAKE UP’! What should be done to get the people we elected to think a lot more than they’ve been doing. I know there’s a lot more to do, many more problems to work on. Let’s all try to wake up the people we voted for to take care of our country.
Peaceful Protest in Nehalem, February 21, Saturday, noon to 2 PM. North County Resistance
Best,
Patty
We need blankets and towels.
And Animal Haven by the Sea, also located at the Church, needs kitty litter.
NBCS is always looking for donations for the following Personal Care items:
shampoo and baby shampoo, soap, toothpaste for adults and children, toothbrushes, personal wipes, deodorant, bar soap, etc.
Our drop off hours are Monday, Friday and Saturday 10 to 2; Wednesday 1 to 5. At our location, Nehalem Methodist Church.
For more information about our organization, visit our website: NehalemBayCS.org
Equal Opportunity Provider.
Thank You for Supporting Our Community.
On Saturday, more than fifty people gathered in Nehalem to participate in a protest organized by the North County Resistance. The group continues to demonstrate against a variety of issues, with each participant bringing their own concerns to the forefront.
This week, several topics have emerged among protesters:
• Controversial and racist imagery involving President and Michelle Obama shared by Trump.
• Claims that protesters are being financially compensated for their participation.
• Legal proceedings were launched against Senator Mark Kelly and others who disagree with the President.
• Efforts to relax regulations within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Threats directed toward Greenland.
• Calls for individual Americans to protect themselves from federal government overreach.
• The Pope’s announcement that he will not return to the United States for the remainder of the year.
• Ongoing threats from ICE that impact United States citizens.
• Confusion resulting from inconsistent messages from various branches of the U.S. Government.
These concerns represent just a portion of the issues being discussed, and the list continues to grow as the political climate evolves.
There is a noticeable increase in frustration among citizens regarding the policies enacted by the U.S. Government. A particular point of anxiety centers on the unpredictable presence of ICE teams. For example, ICE has appeared in Portland, Oregon, deploying a wide array of tactics, some of which have been questioned for their legality—against protest crowds. Despite public outcry, ICE has not been halted in its activities.
Participants are now questioning what might happen if ICE were to arrive in Nehalem or Manzanita and employ similar tactics against members of the North County Resistance. It is important to note that this group is committed to peaceful protest: they refrain from raising their voices, throwing objects, or shouting at those with opposing views. This situation raises a critical question for the community—would you stand up to defend the right to peaceful protest?
As I write I wonder if I am stirring up problems, certainly not what I want to do. If you think I am, please write and let me know what you are thinking.
Coastal City Governments are reacting to ICE. Check with your City to find out what their position is.
Our North County Resistance Group needs some specific volunteers with the March 28 No Kings event coming up. Our group plans on having an event on this day in Manzanita. Because our location we have some safety challenges. To detail, we need CROSSING GUARDS, SAFETY MARSHALLS, and some SET-UP AND TEAR DOWN help.
CROSSING GUARDS will be helping people to cross, at the crosswalk, Highway 101, this crosswalk is located between Hwy. 101 and Laneda Avenue. Another crossing point is between Manzanita Avenue and Hwy. 101. If this is something you might consider, please get in touch with me. I want to be sure you understand what this job entails. Crossing Guards make sure people can safely cross either Highway 101 or Manzanita Avenue. We will supply you with orange vests and pom poms for crossing. We need 8 CROSSING GUARDS.
We need 14 SAFETY MARSHALLS-
SAFETY MARSHALLS will be placed in areas of the protests to watch the crowds. You will be given an orange vest and a particular unit of people to watch. You will not carry any signs or banners as you are to be considered neutral if placed in any incident. Your job, which will be detailed more in the future, will be to calm down the situation.
SET-UP AND TEAR DOWN-We will be bringing 30 cones to the Event plus CAUTION tape. Cones are light, but their bases weigh 5-6 pounds. CAUTION tape will be placed between the cones. We will also have a couple of tables and tents which will need to be placed in certain areas. Cones will be placed from Manzanita Avenue, along Hwy. 101, down past the Big Wave Café.
All this is being done to keep people at the protest as safe as possible. Previous events have had people cross Hwy. 101 or go from one side of the street to the other, not realizing this might be dangerous. We cannot protect everyone but want to do the best we can.
Please contact me if you might be able to help with being a Crossing Guard, Safety Marshall, or help with the Set-up and Tear-down teams.
Apologize for this being so long,
Patty
To see more great recommendations go to:
Their information is:
Ideal Clean for Humanity LLC
Blu.idealclean@gmail.com
971-389-6795
You won’t be disappointed!
The U.S. House passed the SAVE America Act on Feb. 11. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) led the legislation that would require Americans to prove their citizenship when registering to vote.
Under the bill, citizens would have to show a photo identification when casting ballots, including mail-in ballots.
The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said this week there aren’t enough votes to drop the filibuster to advance the bill.
The bill allows several valid forms of proof, including a U.S. passport, a REAL ID, or enhanced driver’s license, government-issued photo identification, such as a passport card, and a U.S. military ID shown alongside a military record of service showing the United States as the applicant’s birthplace.
Several left-wing and progressive organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the Brennan Center for Justice, came out against the Voter ID requirement this week.
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, broke party lines this week to support photo ID voting requirements, but told Dasha Burns on Politico’s “The Conversation” that his support did not extend to the House-passed bill.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who often votes against her party, became the first Republican to speak out against the bill Feb. 10. The senator claimed the bill would federalize elections.
Day after day we’re seeing more signs of Donald Trump’s slipping grip not only on public opinion, but at the margins of the GOP itself. But I thought it was a good time to remind ourselves that Donald Trump isn’t the only problem. Yes, there’s the GOP, which could easily dispatch him at any point if he didn’t have an iron hold over the party. There’s the 30%-40% of voters who are solidly in the MAGA camp. Without them, Trump’s nothing. I don’t mean either of those. I’m talking about the global authoritarian movement, which includes and is even perhaps led by Trump. But it exists quite apart from him and has roots in some of the wealthiest and most powerful people and governments around the world.
I’m talking about the Authoritarian International which includes a host of authoritarian governments around the world, the princelings of the Gulf monarchies, the sprinkling of European right-revanchist governments, the rightward portion of Silicon Valley (which accounts for a larger and larger percentage of the top owners if not the larger community), the Israeli private intel sector, various post-Soviet oligarchs and, increasingly, the world’s billionaire class. Trump is their avatar, but they exist and are now joined together in a way that will outlive him personally and electorally.
Early in the Biden administration I talked to a U.S. hedge funder who gets invited to the confabs Mohammed bin Salman has put on for the world’s billionaires since he became the country’s de facto leader. He described that world to me, a bit about its mores, what he saw. As you’d imagine for this 21st Century kind of Kremlinology, who gets to sit next to MBS at the dinners is the subject of close scrutiny and much envy. At the last of these confabs before this conversation, Jared Kushner had been given the seat of honor at something like every dinner. He was MBS’s guy. And remember, this was when Trump was at his nadir. Maybe MBS and the Saudis just had a better view of America’s political future than I did. Certainly possible. But the bigger takeaway was: this wasn’t just a transactional relationship. Kushner and MBS and Trump and MBS were a thing in and out of office.
It is not so much an anti-democratic world — though it is certainly that — as an anti-civic world. It’s a world of private, one-off deals, mutual pledges of secrecy, often enforced by soft, mutual extortion, and above all, a rejection of democratic accountability. We saw this coming into view during the late Biden administration, when Biden was already rapidly losing public support, with Elon Musk’s increasingly brazen efforts to run U.S. foreign policy from Twitter and SpaceX. The Saudis meanwhile were trying to ease Biden out of office through the manipulation of oil prices. It was no accident that Musk was advancing a strongly pro-Russian line in Ukraine, where he was most visibly trying to undermine U.S. policy.
I’ve discussed this concept in the past. So I don’t want to belabor the point of its existence. I want to point out how its forces are arrayed against civic democracy in the U.S. — quite apart from Donald Trump. This wasn’t always the case. There didn’t use to be so many U.S. billionaires. And they characteristically had economic views which aimed to preserve their wealth. But they were not clearly on the right in the way they are now. They have moved an increasingly anti-civic democratic direction as the scale of their wealth and their identity as a class has exploded. They also weren’t so increasingly allied with primitive economy petro-states of the Gulf.
The point is that they will exist no matter what happens to Trump. They command vast economic resources; they run the governments in many countries where the government never changes; they have deep tentacles into the U.S. political system and many of its key players are from the U.S. Trump didn’t create this movement precisely. But his role in global politics over the last decade solidified it as a self-conscious group and congealed it together. Any movement of civic democratic revival in the U.S. will be menaced by its continued existence. Now is the time to think about how a revived and revitalized civic democratic movement in the U.S. could combat it and avoid being destroyed by it.
Below: Jared Kushner & Mohammed bin Salman
rumble.com/v75ngry-south-america-is-on-fire-and-israel-is-the-reason-why.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp_a
This summer is looking to be very dry around the Pacific Northwest.
Arson is the biggest threat in my view.
Like many suspected of Oregon’s biggest fire, the Biscuit fire (2002), which seemingly came out of nowhere, just as Dubya was in Oregon drumming up support for massive logging, supposedly due to the threat of…wildfires.
Related?? The Weyerhaeuser family comes from the same Yale secret society ‘Skull and Bones’/crime family as the Bushes.
I wonder what Israeli-citizen and anti-Oregon anti-American senator Ron Wyden would say about the Israeli arsonists who were arrested in Chile, from the report from above?
And what does Israel-first America-second Ron Wyden think about Israel and Drumf gearing up to attempt to genocide Iran? Netanyahu has ‘hurried to Washington’ – of course. He’s always in the war room when the goyims in US gov’t start fighting the anti-MAGA wars for Israel.
Money for schools? Health care for all? Crumbling roads? Bad bridges? Mental health facilities for the homeless? Rehab for addicts?
NOPE! JUST WAR FOR ISRAEL!!!!!!
anti-war film dealing with Iran:
Many of us are frustrated by the “mixed signals” we receive, sometimes as frequently as every hour, from our National Government. Despite these challenges, we are committed to upholding DEMOCRACY. Your participation is important, PLEASE join us.
Most attendees are familiar with the North County Resistance’s efforts to avoid interfering with local businesses in both Nehalem and Manzanita. In Nehalem, we ask protesters to remain on the right side of Highway 101 as it heads north. We will gather in the Nehalem Public Parking Lot, which has a capacity of about 100 people.
When confronted with negativity, we strive to respond with the peace sign instead of returning a middle finger. If you try both gestures, you’ll find that the peace sign is much easier. Additionally, there are instances of diesel trucks purposely emitting black smoke. For more information, you can search “purposely spewing black smoke from diesel trucks” online. It’s a bit of a rabbit hole, so be careful.
The North County Resistance is requesting support from volunteers. We need SAFETY MARSHALLS at our protests in Nehalem, and especially in Manzanita for the NO KINGS protest on March 28th. Although we had Safety Marshalls at the last NO KINGS protest, additional training would be beneficial for everyone involved.
Specifically, we are looking for at least 6 volunteers to serve as TRAFFIC MONITORS, ensuring safe passage for protest participants across Laneda and Highway 101, as well as Manzanita Avenue where it intersects with Highway 101. We also require 10 SAFETY MARSHALLS to be stationed within the crowd and respond to the dynamics of the protest.
If you are able to volunteer as a TRAFFIC MONITOR or SAFETY MARSHALL, please email or check in with the organizer tomorrow. North County Resistance would like to meet with volunteers to discuss expectations and provide information to guide your role.
And last, but not least, is a weather report. We are not looking for the water bombs and wind we had last week. That said, it is going to be cold. Bring your rain gear but you might be able to leave it in the car. You will need hat and gloves, and several layers on both top and bottom. And don’t forget your feet.
Thanks and don’t forget to volunteer to be a SAFETY MARSHALL or TRAFFIC MONITOR.
Patty
I think for us average folks we just need to be informed and aware of the dangers out there. Getting duped by malicious actors into believing stuff we wouldn’t otherwise is not freedom, it’s enslavement.
– Dave
theconversation.com/swarms-of-ai-bots-can-sway-peoples-beliefs-threatening-democracy-274778
Ivy is an extremely outgoing, people-oriented cat that adores attention, being pet, etc. She has polydactyl front feet, and likes to talk to you. Ivy will be a wonderful companion for someone, but should be the only cat in her forever home.
Ivy has been spayed and vaccinated, and is litterbox trained. Could this beauty be for you?
See more photos and videos of Ivy at unitedpaws.org, and schedule a “Meet & Greet” by emailing unitedpawshelp@gmail.com.
As you probably know, North County Food Bank has been working for some time to build a new, permanent home for food distribution in north Tillamook County. We are pleased to report that we’ve completed several important steps on that journey, including buying and clearing land, getting permits, engaging an architect and civil engineer, and identifying a general contractor.
Our current plan is to build a very modest building with room for expansion. The project is located off Highway 101 in Nehalem, behind the Hope Chest Thrift Store.
Senator Suzanne Weber, who represents our district in the Oregon Legislature, has made allocating funds for site infrastructure (water, sewer, electricity) one of her priority projects for the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Capital Construction. We need to show the committee that this project has community support. That’s where you come in!
Will you take the time to submit a short written testimony to the committee in support of a new food bank for north Tillamook County? All testimony needs to be in by Sunday, February 15, so please don’t delay. Please tell your friends. Thank you for your support!
Here’s the easy process:
Go to: olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Testimony/JWMCC/SB/5701/2026-02-13-13-00?area=Measures
Enter your name, email address, and city of residence.
In the On behalf of field, put North County Food Bank.
From the Position on Measure menu, choose Support.
Click Text Testimony.
Write your testimony in the box and click Submit Testimony.
You don’t have to write much–they mostly just tally support. You can say something like this, but if you have experience as a client, volunteer, or supporter, feel free to make it your own:
I’m writing in SUPPORT of the North County Food Bank New Distribution Facility Project. The food bank has helped feed our Tillamook County community for 33 years, and they have to move because their old building is being demolished. This appropriation provides needed infrastructure for the project. Please support this project.
Some good friends experienced a huge fire and lost all the contents of a building on their property, which contained 2 recording studios, a myriad of musical instruments, stage equipment, lights, computers, and their livelihoods.
A bunch of us who love them would really like to provide support to cover the cost of things insurance will not provide. All of the people involved are the kind of people who have helped everyone around them in multiple ways, on multiple occasions. They are a big part of the heart of our music community. Money won’t replace the lost treasures and memories, but it can help lighten the pain of starting over.
Thanks again,
Abram Harris
NeahTech
neahtech@gmail.com
neahtech.com
(971) 704-2012
“Your friendly neighborhood tech support”
And, also way ahead of his time, Norris VS Chomsky!
smartfish.substack.com/p/letter-to-noam-chomsky
And it’s looking like this latest Epstein (Mossad agent) email dump has Drumf doing what he does best: ANYTHIN ISRAEL ASKS OF HIM. Treason Trump has sent 100 C17s to the Middle East so our anti-MAGA military can attack Iran for Miriam Adelson, Israeli citizen Ron Wyden, and the Middle East’s number one terrorist, Netanyahu.
So sad: Israel runs America.
Here is one thing Oregonians can do: GET RID OF ISRAELI CITIZEN PRO-WAR PRO-GENOCIDE PRO-POLICE STATE ANTI-PRIVACY and ANTI-AMERICAN SENATOR RON WYDEN!!!
Israel-first Wyden has taken 1.5 million dollars from AIPAC!!!!
Senator Merkely = has taken zero dollars from AIPAC!!! (Why hasn’t Jeff taken any money from AIPAC? My guess? He knows it is a genocide-supporting pro-war anti-American org!)
1776 AGAIN NOW!!!
My office itself was… let’s call it lived in. My desk was chronically a mess. Papers stacked in what I insisted were very organized piles. It was only clean once a year, and that was during summer break when no one was around to witness the miracle.
But in the corner sat the real treasure. A big, oversized, slightly worn chair that I am fairly certain I rescued from the side of the road. It became the unofficial safe haven of the school. Kids curled into it. Teachers sat in it. And if we are being honest, there may have been a few educators who shut the door and took a five minute nap in that chair. Do not tell my boss.
That was the chair he sank into that day.
He had just been shoved into the bathroom wall right next door. The noise had traveled straight through the thin office walls, as it always did. A scuffle. A thud. A door slamming. Then the sound I hated most. Laughter fading down the hallway.
He walked in trying very hard not to cry. Shoulders squared like a soldier. Jaw tight. Eyes glassy but determined. He sat down and said, “It’s fine.”
Which in middle school language means it is absolutely not fine.
When I gently asked what hurt the most, he surprised me. It was not the shove. Not even the names. It was this:
“Everyone just watched.”
Everyone just watched.
Now here is the part people do not like to talk about. When I later met with the boy who did the shoving, he was not some movie villain twirling a mustache. He was anxious. Angry. Sleep deprived. His home life was chaos. He had learned that power is the fastest way to stop feeling small. Hurt people hurt people is not a Hallmark quote. It is clinical reality.
So we had three mental health stories unfolding at once.
The bullied child was internalizing shame, developing hypervigilance, and starting to believe the lie that he deserved it.
The bully was rehearsing aggression as a coping skill and wiring his brain to associate dominance with relief.
And the bystanders were absorbing a lesson about safety. They were learning that staying quiet keeps you protected. They were also learning that cruelty can go unchecked.
In school counseling we talked often about the bystander effect. Research consistently showed that the person with the most power in a bullying situation was not the adult, and not even the bully. It was the peer who said, “Hey. Not cool.” Or the one who walked over and stood beside the targeted child. The one who disrupted the script.
When a bystander speaks up, even briefly, the bullying decreases. Not always dramatically. Not always instantly. But measurably. Because environments shape behavior. Silence shapes it too.
Now zoom out.
Our children are watching something much bigger than a middle school hallway.
They are seeing images on the news of agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arriving in neighborhoods. They are seeing families in distress. They are hearing adults argue loudly about who deserves what and who belongs where. Some children feel fear. Some feel anger. Some feel confused. Some absorb rhetoric that hardens into contempt. But none of them are unaffected.
Even the ones who look like they are not paying attention.
The nervous system does not require a front row seat. It only requires exposure.
When children repeatedly see images of authority figures taking parents away, or people being detained, or communities in chaos, their brains do what brains are designed to do. They scan for threat. They ask, Am I safe? Is my family safe? Is this how power works? Is this how we treat people?
For some children, especially those from immigrant families, the fear is personal. For others, it is ambient. But ambient stress still alters a developing brain. Chronic exposure to fear based messaging can increase anxiety, aggression, or emotional numbing. And emotional numbing might be the most dangerous of all. It is the bystander reflex on a national scale.
Then there are the children who absorb something else. They see force. They see division. They see adults cheering or mocking. And they learn. They learn who to stand with. They learn who to stand against. They learn that the loudest voice wins. If we are not careful, they may also learn that empathy is optional.
We cannot pretend our youth are insulated from this. They carry phones. They overhear conversations. They sit in classrooms with peers whose families are directly impacted. They see the tension in their parents’ shoulders. Children are excellent observers. They are just terrible at paying taxes.
And here is the uncomfortable parallel.
In that middle school hallway, the child who was bullied suffered. The bully suffered. But the bystanders were the tipping point.
In our broader community, there are children who feel targeted. There are adults acting with force. There are systems at play. And then there are the bystanders. The rest of us. The ones who watch the footage, scroll past it, shake our heads, or say nothing.
Silence is a lesson.
It teaches our children that fear is normal. That cruelty is tolerable. That discomfort should be avoided. That speaking up is risky.
But involvement is also a lesson.
It teaches them that civic engagement is part of adulthood. That protecting the vulnerable is not weakness. That disagreement does not require dehumanization. That communities are built, not just inherited.
I am not suggesting that everyone needs a megaphone. I am suggesting that our youth are watching how we respond. Are we modeling thoughtful dialogue? Are we asking hard questions? Are we advocating for due process and human dignity? Are we showing up in ways that are lawful, respectful, and courageous?
Because the bystander has always had the most influence.
Back in that school hallway, it was not the principal’s speech that changed things. It was one student who rolled his eyes at the bully and said, “Dude. Stop.” It was another who walked the targeted boy to class. It was the subtle but powerful shift of the crowd.
Everything quieted after that.
Our kids do not need perfection from us. They need participation. They need to see adults who refuse to be passive in the face of harm, and who refuse to become hateful in the face of disagreement. They need to see that strength can look like compassion. That courage can look like standing beside someone.
Childhood should be about bike rides, awkward dances, and arguing over whose turn it is on the game controller. Not about wondering if families will be torn apart.
If environments shape children, then we are the environment.
The question is not whether our youth are being impacted. They are.
The question is what lesson they are learning from us while they watch.
Saturday brought exceptionally wet conditions for the North County Resistance. Despite the relentless rain, a dedicated group of 35 participants gathered, undeterred by the weather. Their enthusiasm and positive outlook were evident, as everyone supported one another and maintained high spirits throughout the event.
When asked to sum up the day using words beginning with the letter “W,” the responses were: WILD, WET, WINDY, WISHFUL, WILDFUL, WONDERFUL, WORRISOME, WELCOMING, WE’RE WINNING, WHOLESOME, WEEPING, and several others that were lost in the soggy conditions. The spirit of the group was clearly upbeat, with many regular attendees and at least five newcomers joining us. Thank you to everyone for showing up and persevering through the wind and rain!
Interestingly, no one used the word WACKY—which means extremely irrational or impractical, screwy, or erratic. To conclude, there’s also “weasel,” referring to a sneaky, treacherous person.
North County Resistance invites you and your Valentine to join us for our next peaceful protest on Saturday, February 14th in Nehalem, from noon to 2 PM. For everyone’s safety, we ask protesters to remain on the left side of Highway 101 in the large public parking lot, which will serve as our designated safety zone. Please ensure that access to the businesses across Highway 101 from this lot is not blocked. Thank you for your cooperation.
Again, mentioning our two organizations for food resources, Nehalem Bay Community Services, which open Monday, Friday, and Saturday (10AM-2PM), and Wednesday (1 PM-5PM). A phone number for them would be 503-368-4385.Mailing address is NBCS, PO Box 232, Nehalem, Oregon 97131. The North County Food Bank in Wheeler is open on Tuesday. Their phone number is 503-368-7724 and the mailing address is NCFB, PO Box 162, Wheeler, Oregon 97147.
Thanks for Protesting and thanks for providing food.
Patty
City officials seem reluctant to discuss anything that they believe may reflect negatively on their job performance. Consider the following: 1) ln December, the City Manager stated that project infrastructure should be completed by the end of the month or shortly thereafter. No updates on why that forecast has proven to not be even remotely accurate. 2) Given that approximately $75,000 has been expended to date in legal fees to defend the decision to enter into the second round of bidding after the initial low project bid was rejected, an update to explain the project will now be over budget and additional cost cutting measures will need to be taken would seem appropriate. 3) The City Manager in May explained that she rejected the low bid for the project due to cost. She then stated in a recent Headlight Herald interview that her reason was due to cost AND document discrepancies. When I asked Councilor Hart for an explanation of these “discrepancies” that the City Manager is now publicly referring to and should citizens expect there to be additional new reasons disclosed by the City for why the initial bids were rejected, I was told that the matter could not be discussed.
City officials offering cryptic public explanations of their actions, spending exorbitant amounts of money on legal fees and then telling us they cannot talk about it sounds reminiscent of how the situation with Mayor Simmons was handled.
Twice in recent months upon a review of the monthly Bills For Approval in the Council packet, I have pointed out to Councilor Hart that billings for the Classic Street project were placed in the wrong Fund. This inattention in performing routine oversight in important administrative responsibilities related to Classic Street was also apparent when no discussion or questions were raised during any previous Council meetings as to why the low project bid was rejected, why $475,000 of engineering and legal advice was ignored, why not a single dollar of available TLT revenue was not added to the project budget to give the community the safest and most structurally robust project possible. Taken together, these situations would suggest that the Council lacks either the interest or understanding to administer this project and will unanimously approve whatever is placed before them by the City Manager or claim that the Council has no role in decisions being made on the project.
One could conclude that Councilors are privately receiving project updates and prefer not to reveal what they know in a public meeting. An alternative explanation is that the City Manager is not sharing these details with the Council. Neither option is a characteristic of open and transparent governance.
Randy Kugler
www.pbs.org/video/social-media-as-insidious-and-predatory-manipulation-upyjcu/
Maria Ressa, a Nobel Prize winning author, journalist, and news media executive has been sounding the alarm about what investigations have found about how and why global subversive organizations use social media, and the predatory nature of big tech and its effect on politics. Here is some of what she said:
“The big question, I think, is how you address the institutionalized corruption that is these social media platforms.
The first is that I’ve been dealing with it for over a decade. In 2016, I was getting an average of 90, nine zero, hate messages per hour. But the second thing I realized is that it is both a blessing and a curse, because the attacks are, you know, it is meant to change the way you feel. It’s, free speech used to pound you to silence when you’re targeted. The way we were, the way I was.
And then I thought, oh my gosh, wait. If you’re targeted with 90 hate messages per hour, I’m going to take them all. I’m going to get the data. I don’t have to ask anyone for the data, any company, it’s all coming my way. And that allowed us to analyze it to understand how it works.
We took apart clusters of messaging with the distribution networks that put out these messages. I used to travel for CNN, my beat was counterterrorism, right, to look at terrorist networks. And I began to look at these virtual world networks like terrorist networks and their recidivist networks. These [social media] companies know them. But the more they work, the more money they make.
And then it became in the Philippines and now in many other countries around the world, including in the United States. Then it became state sponsored or state enabled. When your President, when President Duterte in the Philippines was the one attacking me, the government apparatus worked hand-in-hand with the recidivist networks of disinformation. And that’s how you began to spread fear.
Social media at that point, hacked our biology. It changes the way we feel about the world, changes the way we see the world, the way we act, the way we vote.
That’s our public information ecosystem. It’s massively corrupted. It’s insidious manipulation. And I’d say the same thing that’s happening in the physical world that’s causing all the wars. Impunity is the exact same tactics used in the virtual world by the CEOs of these tech companies.
But the way I describe big tech today, because it is the least regulated industry globally, right, is predatory. It’s predatory and extractive and it takes our data. It takes our humanity and runs it through a machine to be able to insidiously manipulate us for profit.”
…..
“What should happen is legislation should protect the public the same way that like, you know, it’s a public safety issue. And what the tech lobby has done very well is to present it as a free speech issue.
It’s a safety issue, right? The same way that this building will not fall down around us because they had codes in place. They had the law in place. We don’t have any of that in the virtual world.
Everything in the physical world is going to be, is moving to the virtual world. And yet that virtual world is in the hands of private companies running for profit, running the virtual world for profit. That’s the corruption of our public information ecosystem.
And actually, it’s not just big tech that gave up on public safety for profit. It’s also democratic governments, starting with the United States, that enabled Silicon Valley. I had hoped after January 2021 that after Silicon Valley since came home to roost on Capitol Hill, that America would have learned.
But no, you know, governments, democratic governments abdicated responsibility by not building a public interest tech stack. A tech stack in the virtual world that allows real people to talk to real people without insidiously manipulating us. It’s the same way that, you know, broadcasters in the past, we were independent from government, but there were laws in place that if we, for example, lied repeatedly we would be held accountable for it. None of that is happening in the virtual world.”
I guess how old trees are.
I believe in gratitude.
I save ladybugs
from certain death.
And I look for
things in nature
that remind me
of myself.
Like a flower
breaking through
where it wasn’t
supposed to grow.
by ullie-kaye
music and love in Minnesota
Drew Dietle — at Orchestra Hall (Minneapolis). ·
From the Minneapolis Singing Resistance Organizers:
“The focus of this action will to ENCOURAGE DEFECTIONS by ICE agents. After gathering indoors to rehearse, we will walk through downtown Minneapolis, visiting hotels where ICE agents are known to be staying. We will use the power of song to encourage agents to quit their jobs and walk away from the violence. We will embody a deep spirit of nonviolence and love Encouraging defections is a time-honored tactic by civil resistance movements around the world.
We will embody our commitment to nonviolence and love, singing outside the windows of ICE agents, encouraging them to put down their guns and come back over to the side of humanity and love.
About defections Encouraging defections is a tactic that has been used by civil resistance movements throughout history to erode the power of oppressive regimes. While it is unlikely that individual agents will defect on the spot on Sunday, our goal is to popularize this call in order to expand the possibility of defections happening at critical moments in the future.
The spirit of this action will be to call our lost siblings home. We will operate from a deep spirit of love and belief in the possibility of transformation. We are feeling many things in this time, including outrage, horror, and terror at the actions of ICE agents. We are fully justified in those reactions, and we believe that accountability for harms done is an essential part of transformation. Holding all of that to be true, the message we will convey on Sunday is that if federal agents are willing to step away from their roles and leave their violence behind, we will welcome them back into beloved community. We believe this message is essential to spread throughout the country, in order to undermine the administration’s legitimacy.“
www.facebook.com/reel/1230437539054746/?s=single_unit&__cft__[0]=AZYduu5glR_9UDBnFdOVZvxzpP7537eOaYmIS7z7IRul7F3Xpiml3KtFYI-HnusjjrxkCCh0VxasBjS2JFpZ103XK0W_HP8KgL_675mIfOsZxnEtLfaGgGHL1xGM3FAgxyx6ro91x5PR-da-f-38qipQb57CMy5etV65oC23q_z-txVRLM168o7HAlO9LEgiEPo&__tn__=H-R
Please check it out and give generously–sowing your own seeds of love.
The Giving Guide and detailed directories of the organizations can be found at www.northcoastbbq.com/local-resources/
The Giving Guide can also be found here:
www.northcoastbbq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Giving-Guide-2025-26_Final_Spreads3.pdf
Not every organization can afford a paid profile, which pays for the production. So there is a list of contact information for all in the back of the Guide.
Here are descriptions of several of those organizations:
Fulcrum Community Resources
Garibaldi Cultural Heritage Initiative/Coast Guard Boathouse
Garibaldi Lions Club
Garibaldi Museum
Fulcrum Community Resources
PO Box 136
Nehalem, OR 97131
503-368-6874
info@fulcrumresources.org
www.fulcrumresources.org
Barbara McLaughlin, President
barbaraandchuck@nehalemtel.net
503-368-6874
Mission Statement: Fostering the transition of the Nehalem Bay community to a sustainable future.
One paragraph about your organization’s history/work:
Our volunteer group initiates and coordinates local programs in north Tillamook County on the north Oregon Coast. We also sponsor others’ projects that fit with our mission and goals. We see Fulcrum, not as a hub, but as an enabling node – one of many groups locally who are organizing and creating projects. Our guiding philosophy is that the most effective and innovative projects are initiated at the grassroots community level.
Garibaldi Cultural Heritage Initiative/Coast Guard Boathouse
PO Box 671
1209 Bay Lane
Garibaldi, OR 97118
savegaribaldipier@gmail.com
www.savegaribaldipier.org
Clair Thomas, President
Mike Arseneault mikes.arseneault@gmail.com
Kristen Penner kristenann@gmail.com
Mission Statement: To preserve, restore and meaningfully use Garibaldi’s Historic United States Coast Guard Boathouse, creating an inclusive community gathering place that enhances the Tillamook Coast’s economic strength, and to generate both educational and recreational opportunities for public-private partnerships to thrive.
One paragraph about your organization’s history/work:
Built in 1936, the Boathouse building and pier indicate a rare type of maritime architecture that tells the story of a pivotal chapter in Oregon’s history. The combination of location, historical integrity of the building, and scenic value elevate the heritage, cultural, and visitor value as well as the need for a long-term plan to repurpose and preserve this unique asset for our community. A staggering testimony to the enduring spirit of the Tillamook Coast pioneers, the Garibaldi Historic US Coast Guard Boathouse represents an opportunity for our current culture to embrace the legacy of our past and preserve this site for generations to come.
Garibaldi Lions Club
shehawks@hotmail.com
karnasmoon@yahoo.com
Garibaldi Museum
PO Box 5
112 Garibaldi Ave
Garibaldi, OR 97118
503-322-8411
info@GaribaldiMuseum.org
www.garibaldimuseum.org
Duncan Maher, Executive Director info@GaribaldiMuseum.org
Mission Statement:
• Enhance the maritime heritage of the Pacific Northwest by focusing on Captain Robert Gray and the historic vessels, the Lady Washington and Columbia Redivivia;
• Encourage studies in the construction, sailing, navigation and other related maritime and oceanic activities;
• Recognize the literature, art, music and dance related to the age of sailing;
• Provide services to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest geographical region through community educational programs for all ages, in order to develop knowledge and understanding of the cultural and historical aspects of shipbuilding, sailing, navigation and other related activities.
One paragraph about your organization’s history/work:
Open Thursday through Monday, 10AM – 4PM. Last Entry at 3:30PM. Celebrating our 20th Anniversary in July, 2024!
Full of playfulness and purrs, these kittens adore attention and love to be held. On their own, they love to chase each other and go after any sort of toy. They love to climb towers, hide from each other in boxes, and explore their surroundings. They are the perfect age where everything around them is something new to discover and play with. Strings, balls of paper, wand toys, or springs will entertain them for hours. When they are tuckered out from playing, they can often be found sleeping together in a big kitten pile.
Claire, Oboe, and Piccolo are very good eaters and they always use their litter box. Their perfect home would be one where they will get lots of attention and play time. In exchange, these kittens will bring sweetness and love to their new family, plus loads of entertainment to match.
To see more photos and videos of these cuties, please visit unitedpaws.org, or schedule a Meet & Greet by emailing unitedpawshelp@gmail.com.
