Wednesday 19 December 2012, Scott on the stand at Thurston County Courthouse, during a pre-trial Motion to Dismiss hearing, Judge Christine Pomeroy, retired, pro-tem presiding.

Stay up to date with Scotty's struggle for justice, Scott Yoos Support Page.

Scotty had a pre-trial hearing scheduled today. Court started shortly after 10:30am. There were about a dozen "fans of Scotty" there. Wendy asked for permission to photograph. The judge asked which case she was there for. The court was notified that the prosecutor was busy with something else and the hearing had been postponed. My question is how long the prosecuting staff was going to let Scotty and friends wait before notification of postponement. Can our County Prosecuting Office do better? Thank you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDoSL7I98bg

Educational Tabling about State Tax Policy with Pat Holm, at the People's Movement Assembly. The PMA was sponsored by the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace.

(updated with additional comments)

(Update 2 below the fold: 11 October 2011 meeting video embedded, and also more information about the Citizen Commission. Meeting video is also available at the Tax Preferences website.)

(update 3: just want to note that the Commission's work is to work with JLARC—the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, and to compare and rate, and recommend and suggest various tax exemptions to the legislature, for the purpose of representing the citizenry's preferences.)

Comments at Citizen Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences Hearing

These are my comments from the Citizen Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences on Tuesday. I will add a link to the meeting video when it becomes available.

Additional comments: "Hog Fuel" is industry jargon for slash that results from clearcuts. When I went to an earlier commission a few weeks ago, this was a big topic, with industry advocates pushing for the tax exemption. I had to listen for a while before figuring out this didn't have anything to do with heating barns for pigs.

Additionally, a few things I had thought about, but didn't manage to remember to testify on during the hearing include: 1) the possibility that, if we are really concerned about job creation, then ending the practice of clear-cutting forests might help. That might have to be coupled with a dose of de-technologization. Selective harvesting of carefully chosen trees. Coupling trees to horses to pull them out of the forest, for instance. Or owners being willing to lower their margin of take-home cash, so as to ensure a responsible employment and environmental ethic.

2) I also spoke about productivity and merit and disparity in wealth. What I didn't mention is the problem of profiting from activities which have no merit. This includes both legal and illegal activities (like narco-trafficking, for example. By some estimates this illicit economy might account for $1 trillion annually.)

There are legal activities with dubious merit. Take the petroleum industry as an example. Petroleum extraction has enabled technological advancement. But for whom. And at what cost? —The petroleum industry, and other industries it has enabled (like the global military industrial complex, for example) have done tremendous harm to human cultures and to the planet. Look at the decimation of tribal societies. The meaningless consumerism. The pollution of the water, of the land, and of the air of this planet Earth. There are other industries that are harmful too. Petro-chemicals are not alone.

p.s. I suggest that the petro-chemical industry be nationalized. No one person, or group (e.g. the investor-class) should profit from industries that are harmful to everyone.

Also, think about legalization and regulation of the drug trade, to reduce violence associated with the illicit market.

[updated below] I was 15 when I started smoking, that was about 18 years ago. After about two months of daily smoking I realized that I was really addicted to smoking cigarettes. At that point I told myself that I would smoke for no longer than 10 years. Again it has been about 18 years of smoking, on and off smoking, but mostly on, and so it is obvious that I have missed my target considerably.

Recently, I have had a somewhat nasty cold with a cough. It's been about a week. Due to the presently painful upper respiratory condition, and also partly due to memory of bouts of bronchitis two of the last 3 or 4 winters, I am perhaps more motivated to quit than ever before.

I have been thinking about calling the Washington State Quit Line (been thinking about calling for years actually.) Yesterday I looked it up, and was disappointed to find that the program had been slashed in last year's legislative session.

This means that I have been paying significantly higher amounts of cigarette taxes for some time now, (since 2010 if I am not mistaken.)

To me it's a disappointing budgetary decision: because it seems to make sense (both morally and otherwise) for that tax money to have been set aside to help smokers (like me) to quit (revenue problems or no.)

p.s. I was thinking alot more about this, and I may have actually been 14 when I started.

That was back in the days when I could buy three packs for three dollars, at the convenience store a block and a half from my house in Kenwood, Minneapolis.

At arraignment in City of Olympia municipal court this morning, Scott Yoos (pronounced "Yoh s"—like "mos" in "most"), pleaded not guilty to two charges, one of trespassing and one of obstruction (of justice—I think of justice, but am not sure if that's the actual charge.) Next date is pre-trial 8am on the 1st of August.

Below is a photo of a rally to support Scott prior to the City Council meeting last night. Over thirty people spoke in support of Scott, and to call for changes. Public comment lasted about an hour and a half at the beginning of the meeting.

Sign of the Times

Ridiculous situation, resulting from merger of state and corporate power: an example of humanity in crux, betrayal...

I wrote this last night, when I couldn't sleep, filled with wonder that access to the political realms in our country seems to be relegated to only those with the most wealth and ambition (or, please excuse me, is that avarice.) I couldn't sleep, thinking about how so many people are suffering, while others go around with money to burn... And where is the nobility in profiting off the sweat equity of the poor? There is no dignity for anyone, rich and poor alike, when labor is exploited, and people are treated as if they are unworthy of being treated well. We all face challenges, hardships, life for many people is filled with near constant distress, the world for many people is a mean and scary place. Even just a taste of that is enough for most people. But the reality is that the world is hurtful and harmful, and it doesn't need to be like this. The world could be totally different. It could be mutually supportive, mutually reaffirming, mutually beneficial. Yada, yada, yada, anyway, here is what I wrote last night, in case you're interested: The U.S.A. NEEDS to stop killing, lying, and stealing! Why? Because it is making me sick, and I am not alone. It is making me sick, and it is making many other people sick too. Look: people are dying because of this, (even right here in our own local communities.) Families are being torn apart. The planet is being polluted. Species are being driven to extinction left and right. The U.S.A. NEEDS to stop killing, lying, cheating, and stealing—because people—many people—are suffering unnecessarily. And because people—ALL PEOPLE—deserve to be treated well. I need the U.S.A. TO APOLOGIZE. Please join me in asking the U.S.A. to apologize. I need the U.S.A. TO APOLOGIZE for what it has done to the world, and for what it is continuing to do to the world. I need Congress, and/or at least The White House, to make genuine and sincere apologies. I need the U.S.A. to make amends, and to make reparations.

This is only the second time that I have "liked" an ad on facebook.

Re-elect Justice Sanders, because this is a Justice who is not afraid to speak up. We need courageous leaders in the court—people who are willing to speak up against human rights abuses.

And while I have serious differences with the BIAW*, which has supported Justice Sanders, I think the Justice is someone I could talk to about the problems of torture and illegal war-making (and perhaps also about the problems with what BIAW does.)

*I think that the BIAW attempts to influence the conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

And I think the BIAW (and similar groups) don't really care about the environment, or quality of life. I think the BIAW works to advance the economic self-interest of some at the expense of others.