Latest info I have regarding Lakefair Military and Assorted Protestations

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Latest info I have regarding Lakefair Military and Assorted Protestations

Submitted by Rafael on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 4:37pm.

this is from an email forward I recieved, thought I'd post it here as I've been meaning to start olyblogging for a while now. At this point I don't know what the police/sheriff situation is, the ships might not even be coming.

The Capital Lakefair will take place in Olympia from the 20th to the 23rd. As part of this year's festivities, the City of Olympia thought it would be a great idea to bring three military ships into the port. That way, the military can have a chance to try and pass itself off as an organization which does not KILL other human beings. Children can be shown by their parents that big boats with big guns that can level whole towns are real cool.

But there are some of us who do not wish a sick institution like the military to be in our town in any form whatsoever, be it a deployment of Strykers or this petty propaganda ploy. Some of us oppose the military as it exists and has always existed: the tool of rich, greedy human beings, used to murder and pillage other countries in order to maximize their profits. Some of those in the military are decent enough people. Others are psychotic and talk about killing all the Arabs. In either case, everyone in the military is working for the rich and we do not want them flouting their weapons in Olympia or anywhere else.

They ARE coming to Olympia, though. So come down on the 21st and 22nd to show the local government and the sailors on the boats that we do not care what excuses they give for their presence; they are not welcome. All groups are invited. Independent planning is strongly encouraged. There WILL be a basic plan in which, hopefully, the various groups will have space to do whatever they wish.

Time and Place.

Saturday July 21

First roundabout above 4th Ave. Bridge. Meet on the sidewalks around the roundabout at 3:00 PM.

Sunday July 22

Sylvester Park. Meet there at 3:00 PM

Rafael's blog
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ships and sunburns, balloons and cakes

Submitted by a.future.with.n... on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 11:26pm.

i've been to a whole lot of protests. huge ones in san fransisco before the war, little tiny ones with sign holding old people, late night battles with trigger happy police. lots of protests. i bring this up because for me, this is a really silly thing to protest.

if people take issue with military fetishism (which i certainly do) then the most direct counter action is a personal relationship with the people you live around. seriously. it's way harder to glorify war and death (the big guns on a ship) if we rely on one another.

i am an anarchist. straight up. i will break windows, pull people away from the police, tear down fences, throw back tear gas, pretty much do anything i have to do shy of harming another person in defense of what i feel is right. but all that stuff is in it's own way war glorification. if protest, reactive thinking, is the best we got then there is a serious problem.

fortunatly it's not the best we got, its just one tactic and it goes hand in hand with another far more important tactic: choosing your battles. If a change in perception is the end goal, then binary (no-war/yes-war) interaction acomplishes nothing from a strategic standpoint.

let them have thier silly ships and funnel cake. when that world ends and another begins it'll be far more important to know the people you live around, and be able to at least co-exist, if not even kind of like each other than repeat these useless divisions.

now if it's weapons and ammunition they want to drag through town, call me up and i'll get my gas mask. unitl then, i'll just avoid lakefair like i do every year. sheesh.

Okay

Submitted by Rafael on Thu, 07/12/2007 - 12:13am.

I agree with a lot of what you say, a_future, and I won't neccesarily go to this (but The Pasties under the bridge... woo hoo!). I try to spread the word when I hear about a protest just out of solidarity, regardless of what I think of them tactically. In this case, though, the idea seems like it might actually have a huge impact: if the OPD won't supply the guns and uniforms neccsarry for freedom of assembly, the ship might not come at all. Seems like victory to me.

If the ship does show up, I hope the protesters use their presence as a tool of outreach and education rather than alienation. Otherwise, you're right, why bother.

City of Olympia thought it

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 11:46pm.

City of Olympia thought it would be a great idea to bring three military ships into the port.

Actually, planning festivities for Lakefair is the job of the Capitalarians , not the city. Lakefair will run Thursday, July 19 through Sunday, July 22. And this is one I always like to correct:

flout:

–verb (used with object)

1.	to treat with disdain, scorn, or contempt; scoff at; mock: to flout the rules of propriety.

–verb (used without object)

2.	to show disdain, scorn, or contempt; scoff, mock, or gibe (often fol. by at).

–noun

3.	a disdainful, scornful, or contemptuous remark or act; insult; gibe.

flaunt:

–verb (used without object)

1.	to parade or display oneself conspicuously, defiantly, or boldly.

2.	to wave conspicuously in the air.

–verb (used with object)

3.	to parade or display ostentatiously: to flaunt one's wealth.

4.	to ignore or treat with disdain: He was expelled for flaunting military regulations.

–noun

5.	the act of flaunting.

6.	Obsolete. something flaunted.

intolerance is lame

Submitted by chad360 on Thu, 07/12/2007 - 10:11am.

OK, I don't much dig the military scene either, but intolerance is mega-lame... Do what you gotta do (i guess) thanks for the info meta

Update!

Submitted by hrstruggle on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 3:33pm.

See my blog for an update on this issue - No Talking Heads

Bottom line: it's still up in the air . . .

I'm not sure they've figured

Submitted by Ehver Green on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 3:40pm.

I'm not sure they've figured it all out. I had a conversation with TCS Dan Kimball and he has offered his staff's services - but not in full. The city has to pony up as well. If they choose not to or are stifled by the council (to date they've said no) then I believe the ships will still be here, but without tours.

The mayor emailed me OPD's Chief Michel's current staffing for Lakefair and any further staffing would be volunteer based - but still subject to budget pressures.

As Councilmember Kingsbury

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 11:35am.

As Councilmember Kingsbury pointed out during the meeting, the city had a meeting with the Capitalarians earlier this year to determine needed staffing (police included). At that point, the Lakefair folks didn't think a ship was coming, so they didn't ask for extra police, so the city didn't budget for it. If the ships don't come, it will be entirely the responsibility of the Capitalarians for their poor planning, NOT the city council "stifling" it. In order to "pony up" in the future, the city might need to raise taxes. How does anyone feel about this?

Budget Club

Submitted by Ehver Green on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 2:17pm.

First rule of Budget Club - don't leave yourself with a zero balance.

I know the city isn't obligated here. I thought the mayor's offer was sufficient - too bad nobody else did. With that offer, Kimball's commitment, and ship's security on the inside, tours may have been a reality. It is very unlikely the ships won't be here - I'm almost certain they will be here. Without tours. But who knows, tours could still happen!

"..don't leave yourself with

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 8:21pm.

"..don't leave yourself with a zero balance." In order to budget, with or without a zero balance, things need to be prioritized. There was a town hall meeting this last January about balancing the city budget and setting priorities. Were you there? And how do you--and everyone else here--feel about the city raising taxes to provide police presence for events like this? Is that a priority? Would you be willing to cut other programs? What are some of your suggestions for resolving this?

I understand the city's

Submitted by Ehver Green on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 8:44am.

I understand the city's position. You have to question the integrity of the Capitalarians. How much sooner could they have come to the city with their needs?

Am I OK with taxes being raised? Yes. Obviously I'd like to know how they'd do it first. Personally, Lakefair is not a priority. But we are just a family of 5 among 50,000 people.

Yes, there are a few programs the city runs that I'd like to cut. Some for personal reasons (selfish) others for more legitimate reasons. I'd also be inclined to change the priority on several current budget items.

The first suggestion is to stop wasting money on protests. Let them all fend for themselves. Become a first responder - not a proactive deterrent.

I would also entertain the idea of an entrance fee into the fair. I don't recall the numbers from last year but I think a $1 at the door (kids under 12 free) would generate enough money to cover unexpected costs of the fair.

Which brings me to my original idea, budgets. Maybe when you become mayor you'll make sure we have that so-called "rainy day" funding. To be so static that you have no fiscal leeway is hardly workable.

I guess my point is that,

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 11:11am.

I guess my point is that, even with a rainy day fund, you need some input on how to spend that. There are many events, projects, etc., that would love to be funded on a rainy day. (And there are a lot of rainy days here!) I would hope that rainy-day funding priorities would be closely aligned with regular budget priorities, and those would be determined by the city council and staff with citizen input. In this case, I believe they were. It's awkward in this case, though, because the issue of extra police overtime hours overlaps with other, more contentious, community issues. If we look at the council's decision last week on its own, it looks like some members were acting on a sense of fiscal responsibility and expecting others (capitalarians) to do the same. But we who watch have built a context for this decision, and that context includes last year's port protests, disagreement about the war in Iraq, etc. So it could be decided on a solely financial basis, but many will not see it that way. Just thinking out loud here...

While we are thinking out

Submitted by Ehver Green on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 11:55am.

While we are thinking out loud...

I have a real problem when protests ruin events for others. I get that some don't want warships in our port. I get that many oppose military action entirely.

The fact remains this is an event put on by the Capitalarians and if they choose to honor our military, after all Thurston County is home to thousands of military personnel, then that should be their choice. They aren't breaking any laws. They are operating within their rights. So why then, should a bunch of selfish, loudmouths get to dictate this event?

Nobody is required to visit the ships. People can choose not to see them altogether. Protests are going to happen - that's inevitable. They should be peaceful and I would hope the bar is raised a bit this time around. The Tacoma port protests were childish to say the least. The language used was juvenile. By the way, I support civil protest - despise criminal activity when the afforded rights just aren't enough for some.

Remember, our community (Olympia) is 50,000 give or take. 12 out of 14 in the council chambers opposing the ships isn't even 1/2 a percent of our population (I admit, several hundred likely oppose the ships). I think the community that opposes these ships has to come to the conclusion that they don't get a say in everything Olympia. The sooner they realize this, the sooner we can become a community where everyone is represented.

+3 Funny!

Submitted by Rafael on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 1:20pm.

"The sooner everyone who disagrees with me shuts up and goes away, the sooner I'll be happy with this democracy thing"

wooo haa ha ha

I didn't really get that

Submitted by OperaGirl on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 1:55pm.

I didn't really get that from his post at all...

Rafael, certainly not what I

Submitted by Ehver Green on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 2:11pm.

Rafael, certainly not what I said. Don't attempt to quote me unless you are going to do it right. I embrace a "Live and Let Live" mentality.

I think the thing about your post that stands out the most is your lack of argument. You didn't do anything other than try to be clever. It wasn't.

Don't shut up, don't go away. Keep on living - while allowing others to live as well. Not all of us agree with the way you live your life and we certainly don't enjoy all the things that you do. The difference is that I'm not out there trying to stop you. I'm not blocking the entrance to Evergreen. I'm not laying down in the middle of the PRIDE parade or the procession of the species. Any of this make sense to you? Do you see the hypocrisy oozing through your comment?

You see, I understand the "REAL" meaning of diversity. It isn't a buzzword for me or something I hang my hat on because it's popular.

And on this note, I post no more on the subject. You want to talk more about it, meet me the ships. My cell number is on my profile.

wow

Submitted by Rafael on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 4:06pm.

sorry, I saw an undertone in your post I found funny, thought i'd share my amusement.

specifically, your attitude that people who protest think they run things (huh? what would they be protesting if they ran everything?) and that somehow protesting (or just Olympia's brand of protesting?) prevents representative governance, or that protesting or even non-violently preventing just one small instance of this culture's ubiqituous and heartbreaking celebration of the glory and grandeur of large-scale industrialized murder is somehow oppressive, anti-democratic and (ha ha!) homogenizing.

I thought briefly about posting a disclaimer like "obviously this isn't exactly what you're saying, you made a nuanced comment and I'm making a (throwaway, fairly stupid) joke" but then I thought, no, people understand how humor works, right? exageration, parody, etc.?

by the way, "don't attempt to quote me"? I wasn't. I was lightheartdly mocking you. ha ha again.

thanks for shooting me downn,, though, I'll keep my failed cleverness to myself from now on unless I've checked with a few other people first to make sure it's worthy of a public forum. way to show me.

-Rafael

ps.

"something I hang my hat on because it's popular"? Is that how people choose where they hang their hats? Like, "this old-school hatrack could work, but I heard The Arcade Fire hang their hats on chairs so SCREW the hatrack!"

whew, ha ha. I'm sorry, dude, I think you're funny.

a possible solution

Submitted by bubba z (not verified) on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 3:21pm.

1) Reprimand the Lakefair organizers for being stupid.

2) If the boat shows up, let the sailors have a good time (none of this is their doing, and they have been on a ship for months, let them have fun + good beer in Oly)

3) No tours of the boat (this shouldnt be about the boat & its a safety issue)

Why?Why are the organizers

Submitted by Norm on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 9:03pm.

Why?

Why are the organizers stupid? Some clarity would be nice here.

This shouldn't be about the boat? Some people out there would love to take a tour of the boat. I have tons of respect for the sailors but I wouldn't go to lakefair just to hang out with some sailors. I WOULD go just to take a tour of one of those ships.

I'm hoping, really hoping, that the "peace movement" "anti-war" movement, whatever any of you wish to be called, don't feel that your OPINION on this is so powerful that you would deny other citizens of this country the opportunity to take a look at some of the incredible machines that we are currently using in our military.

I would think that denying someone the opportunity to explore an interest because of your political/religious/personal beliefs would be WRONG in most folks eyes that contribute here.

The Lakefair organizers are stupid because..

Submitted by bubba z (not verified) on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 9:22pm.

1) the City was already cutting off Lakefair's (Lakefare?) subsidy and they were made fully aware of this.

2) the City had no desire to fund any more port related military activity, and they were fully aware of this..

3) They were fully aware of all of this when they decided to attempt this political stunt, but decided to do it anyway because they felt the shitheads at the Zero would have their back.

4) Your desire to see miltary equipment is not a priority.

5) I hang out with Naval people all week, so the "you folks" stuff aint gonna fly with me.

6) We need to bring the troops home right now so these individuals can get laid. Its not fair to them to keep dragging this crap on.

My desire is not a priority

Submitted by Norm on Mon, 07/16/2007 - 9:54am.

My desire is not a priority huh? Mature answer their Bub. Lakefair, overall, is not a priority, or did that register? Parks? Not a priority. Bike trails? Not a priority. So let's get rid of them all.

Anything that isn't a priority needs to be scrapped. Right.

Norm..

Submitted by bubba z (not verified) on Mon, 07/16/2007 - 10:30am.

Stick to the issue at hand.

When you go to places that actually have these boats on display, they have the boats there for a long time and they are run like museums. They have paid security staff, etc.

Drive to San Diego to go see these things.

Or you can go to Mcchord Air Force Base, or Bremerton, and ask to see some military equipment over there.

They will tell you that your desire to see military equipment is not a priority, and send you away.

I understand everything needs to be a partisan hack issue with you, but im actually trying to make some sense of this please if you dont mind.

Here is an idea...

Submitted by Anonymously Larry on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 11:29pm.

Welcome the sailors ashore. Offer to buy them a beer (or non-alcohol beverage, if that is the choice). Ask them, while having said beverage, if they are happy with the way things are being handled by the Administration. If they say "no" suggest that they make their voices clear to send the message to the pro-war people that supporting troops is listening to them.

Oh...we should avoid letting civilians on military ships. They could be terrorists. I suppose we could hire the security folks from the airport to screen everyone for the day......

"There is only one race, the human race" - The Neville Brothers

Goods ideas.However I'm

Submitted by Merwyn Haskett on Mon, 07/16/2007 - 7:10am.

Goods ideas.

However I'm guessing the last thing sailors want to do after being offshore is once again answer civilian questions about "do you think we're doing the right thing" just like they probably did last time they were in a port.

Having been in those shoes,

Submitted by Rob Richards on Mon, 07/16/2007 - 8:27am.

I have to say that it goes with the job.

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