There’s a great article that appeared in the Oregonian Newspaper on the Maxwell Ranch in Haines, Oregon. It’s called “Bound by more than a ranch”. It was in the paper on May the 11th. The Maxwell’s in the article are my great grandparents. The original farm house is still there. My mother is a Maxwell and many of the people talked about in the article I knew, or at least remember. I did not know my great grandparents but have heard many stories over the years. The cool thing about the article is that I had never heard this story before. We’ll try to get a link to it but for now, if you want to read it, just google Oregon live and write in Maxwell ranch.
Archive for May, 2008
For the past 23 years election day has meant a long night at work, lots of preparation for election coverage and plenty of interviews. Now, the coverage is on me and all the other candidates. Sitting on this side of an election is a strange place to be. Tonight, or tomorrow morning, we will know who we’ll be running against in November. For the Democrats today must be a nerve racking day (I’ll have one of those coming up in November). You put so much work into raising money and trying to get your message out to people and one night can change it all. It’s nice not to have an opponent. Especially since this is my first election. It gives you a chance to get your feet on the ground. A lot of things will change starting tomorrow. A lot of things will become more clear as voters define who the Democratic Nominee will be. Here we go.
Oh, if you haven’t turned in your ballots, you must do so by eight tonight.
Later this Summer we’ll be introducing a Students for Rick Dancer group within the campaign. While one of the goals of the group is to help directly with the campaign, the main focus of Students for Rick is to create a forum for high school and college students to discuss issues that are important to them, in a setting where policy makers are listening.
The following video by Michael Wesch, an anthropology professor at Kansas State University, and his students summarizes “some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime.
I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since the shooting happened at Thurston High School in Springfield. I was there that morning as a news guy. It was an event that changed and shaped my life in more ways than I can ever say or will ever know. Until that day, I thought of myself as a Journalist first. That was my job. We live in a culture that places such a high value on what we do for a living. I think that causes us to define ourselves by “what we do”. We start to believe what we do is who we are and that’s not completely accurate. What we do is only a part of who we are.
May 21st 1998 that all changed for me. As I was standing in front of the school, people were screaming, bleeding and looking for help. I was reporting live from the scene. But as the day went along, my roles started to change. Instead of simply “doing the news” I started allowing myself to be a part of what was going on and a part of my community. I remember a mom walking up to me saying her five year old was so angry and she was worried that he would turn into Kip Kinkel, the boy convicted in the shooting. We stood on the sidewalk and talked about why that didn’t have to be true. I learned a very important lesson that day. Yes, I was a Journalist. But more importantly I’m a dad, a husband, a brother and a member of this community. I never covered a story the same way again. How could you ever be the same? Two young men, Michael Nicholoson and Ben Walker lost their lives that day. Two teachers, Bill and Faith Kinkel were murdered. Close to two dozens students were injured and the community where I live was changed forever. I’m proud of the way Springfield handled the whole ordeal. People really came together after it all happened. I remember the “Rolling Stone Magazine” made fun of me for some things I said about forgiveness following the event. It was my first experience being beaten up for what I believe I’m sure it’s not the last.
There’s an article in the Register Guard Newspaper that looks back at some of the student’s lives, 10 years later. It’s worth reading.(May 18th)
A few months ago, when it snowed here, a woman’s car got stuck right outside my home. Her son came to rescue her and it was one of the young men who was shot and survived the Thurston shooting. He and his girlfriend were both injured that day and actually came to my home to do an interview a day or so after the shooting. He and his girlfriend ended up marrying and that snowy day, the young man, had their son with him. He thanked me for the way I’d covered their story. His mother thanked me for being so gracious with her son. I remember looking at this young mans son and thinking how much has changed in 10-years. Look how well he’s doing.
I can’t believe it’s been 10-years.
This was in the Albany Democrat Herald on May 17th
BY PHIL KEISLING
On Tuesday, Oregonians will elect people to represent them in Salem.
Because many legislative races are not being contested by one or the other major political parties, in many districts, Tuesdays winner will be rubberstamped as the only candidate in the November general election.
In all, 33 out of 75 legislative districts, including more than half of all Senate seats and the race for attorney general will be uncontested in November, alienating and disenfranchising the majority of Oregon voters who did not have the opportunity to vote for the winner in a partisan primary election.
One choice is no choice, and its not what we want in a representative democracy. Fortunately, there is something that Oregonians can do to remedy this problem: Sign a petition that places the open primary on the November ballot. And for the first time in Oregon history, Oregonians can now go online and download a petition at www.oneballot.com/petition. It takes about 89 seconds.
The open primary is based on a simple but powerful idea: Every Oregon voter regardless of party registration (or lack thereof) should be allowed to cast a ballot for the candidate he or she believes is best qualified for a given position, period. All candidates seeking these offices be they Democrat, Republican, a minor party member or registered in no party at all would compete on an equal basis. The top two vote-getters would then advance to the November election again, regardless of party registration (or lack thereof).
The open primary doesnt abolish political parties or their ability to raise money and support candidates. Indeed, voters could see candidates own voter registration status a public record on the ballot, and perhaps, too, any official party endorsements that candidates are willing to accept.
Our current primary system is a century old, and in modern times encourages excessive partisanship, abysmal voter turnout and a growing inability to solve Oregons most pressing problems. The open primary wont just give moderate, deliberate voices a far better chance to be heard. It will also encourage the kind of innovative, creative problem solving that is so critical in our rapidly changing world.
In our latest survey, conducted by Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall in December 2007, Oregonians expressed support by a 66 percent to 20 percent margin. Every demographic group, in all corners of Oregon, strongly supports this change, including registered Republicans (62 percent), registered Democrats (68 percent) and registered others (72 percent). Strongest support comes from voters ages 18 to 34, by a 70 percent to 15 percent margin.
A broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans and independents supports the open primary. Backers include former Govs. John Kitzhaber and Victor Atiyeh; U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer; and state legislators including Republicans Frank Morse of Albany and Vicki Berger of Salem, and Democrats Ben Cannon of Portland and Alan Bates of Ashland.
Not everyone likes the Oregon open primary. We know it will be fiercely opposed by those who like the current system just the way it is; mainly party leaders who want to preserve their power, and organizations whose issues and concerns are best promoted by low-turnout, intensely partisan contests.
It is clear that our current election system is in dire need of change. The open primary is exactly the kind of reform we need to take the power to choose the people who represent all of us out of the hands of the political parties and entrenched special interests, and give it back to the voters.
Phil Keisling is a former Oregon secretary of state and is the chief petitioner for the Oregon open primary ballot initiative.
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