A brief account of the public comment at Monday's meeting of the Port Commissioners at the GA building - June 12 2006 5:30-7:00PM

Sorry if I butcher the spellings of anyone's name. I went from my notes only, and forgot to photograph the sign-in sheets. (old reporter's trick)

The Port Commissioners held a meeting on Monday in the General Administration Auditorium, on the Capitol Campus. The GA building houses the Capitol Campus Detatchment of the Washington State Patrol, and is known for an especially bad 1950's mosaic of Paul Bunyon and nuclear power in the foyer.

The meeting started at 5:30PM, and I was late - about 10 minutes late. I had been delayed at my store (while shopping for a pie) because I had to take OPD officer Greg Brown's photograph for my web page. The argument which ensued ate some of the time I had planned to spend in my car.

As I walked into the GA Auditorium, Banana Cream pie in hand, the commissioners fidgeted and stared. Would they be the first to taste the pie? They wondered and stared at the package, safely parked on the floor just in front of my feet.

The agenda had been moving at a lightning pace, and I only had a few minutes to survey the room and see that I had not shown up alone. Thirty One people had signed into the guest log; many more staff and longshoremen also filled the hall. Somewhere near ten fully dressed WSP officers stalked the edges of the crowd, also wondering who would first taste the creamy banana pie at my feet. Everyone loves a pie.

Art West spoke, and I forgot to take notes. Oops! I pulled out of my proctological self exam and turned over the meeting agenda packet - thankfully, the Commission staff decided that one sided copies were sufficient for the 30+ pages of minutes and agenda contained in the packet. Cool - I had note paper. I pulled out my pen and got down to it.

Jeff Brigham spoke, and pointed out that the "mob" of young people who self-appointed themselves to hold the Port responsible for its part in the war in Iraq had not been elected; he argued that the election of Paul Telford (33,000 votes, 25% of the registered voters in Thurston County) and Steve Pottle (43,000 votes, 33% of the voters of Thurston County) had proven that the people of Thurston County wanted the war, and were happy with the military's illegal use of our port. He forgot that no one ran in opposition to either candidate on a clear antiwar message, and thus voters who might have turned out in that election were not actually given a choice.

Theresa Labouff spoke about her brother Major Douglas LaBouff, who died in a helicopter crash in the war last January. She said to the protesters, whom she explained she would call "protesters" (I think she believes this is an insult) had "no regard for the families" killed in Iraq. I think she meant her, and the other American families. She didn't speak about the Iraqi families.

Scott Baker commended the Commissioners' support for the troops.

Keith Bosch, the Longshoremen's Union local president, stated that we might not be aware of the safety issues of running onto the port property and being crushed under heavy machinery. Imagine Olympians being unaware of this possibility, of all possibilities. He also pointed out that "We're just as much against the war as you guys are. But we won't stop work at the port. I am not a war criminal." For a moment Nixon's ghost hung heavy in the air and held up two peace signs at a 90 degree angle, then dissappeared in a puff of ether and pitch smoke.

Nicole Miller spoke as well, her voice cracking as she spoke the truth to power and reiterated that the war is, indeed, illegal - that we support workers and we all have to work to end our complicity in the war.

Ron Manwell called the protesters "children" and mistakenly pointed out the 1991 UN resolution for the use of force in Kuwait as the perfect excuse to invade Iraq and alter or abolish its former system of government and public control of its oil, water, and communities. He has lived in Olympia for 40 years, paying property taxes since he was 18. Not sure why he thought that was important, but that is what he said.

Jeff Berryhill stated that he was there at the Port when we protested, and that he was proud of us. He apologized for the neccessary disruption of the operations of the Port's regular business, pointing out that what we did was symbolic action, and that we also engage elected officials and work our complaints through official channels.

Josh Elliott pointed again to our complicity with the illegal war.

Rachel Graham expressed her disgust at the Military's use of our Port, pointed out the complicity this lays on us as citizens who own the Port, and stated that the protests will continue.

Michael Yates spoke about the Weyerhauser environmental damages, and noted that we don't want the Port to become another Superfund site. (Apprently unaware that it already is...) He also pointed out that the local governments do have a duty to hold the Federal Government accountable when it breaks the laws.

I spoke, rambling through my two minutes on the topic of the history of the 1991 UN resolution not authorizing regime change or force at this late date, and the action I did on the morning of May 23rd 2006 at 3AM. I said to the commissioners that it was ridiculous that I would have to secure their open gate at three in the morning. It was also ridiculous that I would spend 14 hours in jail for doing my duty when the commissioners shirked theirs. I recounted that the Vietnamese dead in VietNam numbered 16 for each US soldier who died there. The current radio in Iraq is closer to 38 to one. I asked if this is "progress."

Tom Howdeshell spoke, but I can't recall wahat he said - I was watching the pie, too. I knew exactly who would first taste the pie.

Caleb Howletz spoke about Weyerhouser hurting our community, and the war's being morally wrong.

Bart Adler said that he was proud of the support shown for the troops, and his disgust at "mobs of children in masks." Well Fnord to you, too, sir.

Commissioner Van Schoorl tried to confuse the issue of the 11 military shipments through the Port of Olympia by claiming that General Fletcher of the SDCC / 833rd Transportation Btn said that 75% of the shipments were humanitarian aid. He also noted that "This war will end - please, God, let it end." He deplored the use of spray paint on one part of the port's observation deck structure. He liked the chalk, though.

Pottle said something, I think. I must have been staring at the pie. Creamy, banana cream pie. Ahh, so who wants some pie?

Commissioner Telford stated that he spent the week rethinking the issue, and stated that he will "not do anything to show disrespect to those serving" in Iraq, apparently forgetting that Iraqis serve under arms in Iraq too, trying to drive out people who invaded their homes and land. He said that an email list he uses to communicate with people interested in Port issues was asked the question : given the damage to property, if you were King, what would you do? and got 24 of 25 saying they would prosecute. He advised us that "whoever is leading this, you need to weed out the bad apples." Apparently shipping weapons to an occupation is OK, but spray paint on public property is not.