The Big Guns are Out in the Avva Cigars Vs. DHS Battle

Just got the letter from attorney for Avva to DHS director Dr. Bruce Goldberg.
This is what we have said all along and NOW he is listening. Lars Larson will be discussing this on a show this week. The snowball is rolling, I think this will all be fixed in the next week or so.
Stay tuned for more developments!

Dear Dr. Goldberg,

Sir, I am writing to gain clarity as to why AVVA Cigars and Wine has not been granted its exemption Status for on premise smoking rights. Using the Oregon Administrative Rules, (OAR 333-015-0025 through 333-015-0080), which implement Oregon Revised Statute ORS 433; I am confused as to why we have been denied our Smoke Shop Certification. I would like to believe that this is just a misunderstanding and that we can resolve this issue immediately; clearing the smoke if you will of opinion and prejudice.

I only mean to imply that there may be biases from your department to our industry based on my conversation with your co-worker Kylie Menagh, your Tobacco Community Programs Liaison. Although Kylie and I disagree on the effects of pipe and cigar smoking, she would be happy to know we are allies in the fight of cigarette smoking. I am grateful the state employs such enthusiastic program leaders.

Sir I would like to turn your attention to a section of the DHS web page regarding “Exceptions to the Law” I have interjected comments in red between stated points of the Law.

Exceptions to the Law Exceptions to the law will include: Smoking in certified smoke shops. Smoke shops must be certified by the Department of Human Services and abide by specific guidelines. Get application for smoke shop certification. We have filed this on several occasions now, which I have photocopies of. If you need these faxed to you, please call. To qualify as a smoke shop, a business must: Apply to the Department of Human Services and receive certification before allowing smoking on the premises. Again please let us know if you need further copies. Acquire at least 75 percent of its gross revenue from tobacco sales every fiscal year Currently our sales of Tobacco equals 82 – 83% of our gross sales Prohibit persons under 18 years of age from entering the premises and post notice of the prohibition at each entrance and exit Our Policy is to ID anyone/everyone who appears 25 or less. Our employees are trained on this policy. Post signage at each entrance and exit stating that smoking is allowed on all or some of the premises As certification is granted Not offer video lottery games, social gaming or betting on the premises No gaming/betting on premises Not sell or offer on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages No sales of on premise consumption of alcoholic beverages Be a stand-alone business with no other businesses or residential property attached to the premises The office at Lancaster Mall has provided me with blueprints to show that this is a standalone building. I have forwarded this information to your office in the past and I am happy to do so once again. The configuration and seamlessness of the malls interior construction can seem a little confusing to an uninformed observer. It can appear as if the space occupied by AVVA could have been there from the beginning of the malls design. In fact it predates this wing of the mall. As originally constructed, this was a standalone liquor store for many years. The mall extended a wing and built a hallway and restrooms, adjacent to the back wall of the space now occupied by AVVA to enclose them, giving the appearance of a shared roof. So, this evening while searching Google Earth, I zoomed in on the mall and as I looked at AVVA it was very clear that this building has four distinct, non-shared walls. Additionally, due to the fact that AVVA is, in fact, a stand-alone building it has its own water and power feed as well as a discrete environmental control system, separate from the rest of the mall building. Were this not a distinctly separate building, this would not be so. When I looked at the exemptions of other cigar stores, I am glad to see that the judgment and wisdom of your office has set a precedent to shops that can appear to touch each other, yet are in fact separate physical entities. As can be clearly seen now, we meet all the criteria not just in the spirit of the law but the letter of the law as well.

Dr. Goldberg, My belief that we qualify for an Exempt Smoke Shop is based is based in OAR definition as stated below:

ü 333-015-0030

Definitions

For purposes of OAR chapter 333, division 15, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) "Act" means the Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act as it appears in ORS 433.835 through 433.875 and 433.990(5).

Please note that Definition 2- 21 has been removed for brevities sake, as it is not applicable to us or our situation.

(22) “Smoke shop” means a business that:

ü Is primarily engaged in the sale of tobacco with at least 75 percent of gross revenues resulting from tobacco sales in every fiscal year;

ü (b) Prohibits persons under 18 years of age from entering the premises;

ü (c) Does not offer video lottery games as authorized under ORS 461.217, social gaming, or betting on the premises;

ü (d) Does not sell or offer on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages; and

ü (e) Is a stand-alone business with no other businesses or residential property attached to the premises.

(23) “Wall” means any architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness, used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure.

Stat. Auth.: ORS 433.855

333-015-0068

Smoke Shops

(1) A business must apply to DHS for certification prior to allowing smoking on the premises.

(2) A business must apply for certification on a form prescribed by DHS (this form is available on the Internet at www.healthoregon.org/tobacco or by calling the Public Health Division, Tobacco Prevention and Education Program) and the following information or documentation must be included:

(a) Documentation demonstrating that at least 75 percent of the smoke shop’s gross revenue is derived from the sale of tobacco products or smoking instruments; and

(b) Documentation, including written descriptions or visual aids, demonstrating that the smoke shop is a stand-alone business with no other businesses or residential property attached to the premises.

(3) DHS shall review application materials within 30 days of receipt and shall determine whether the application is complete.

(4) Within 10 days of an application being declared complete, DHS shall deny or grant the application. DHS shall grant a business certification if, upon review of the application materials, DHS finds that sufficient documentation has been provided to demonstrate the compliance with section (2) of this rule. In lieu of denying an application, DHS may request additional information from the applicant in order to determine compliance with section (2) of this rule.

(5) DHS may permanently deny the application for smoke shop certification if an applicant provides information that is false or deliberately misleading.

(6) Every year, within 30 calendar days from the date certification was originally granted, a smoke shop must provide DHS with documentation demonstrating that at least 75 percent of the smoke shop’s gross revenue is derived from the sale of tobacco products or smoking instruments.

Dr. Goldberg I do not need to quote statute to you, I do so here only for the sake of clarity. Please understand, I believe the issue here is misinformation. My purpose in writing this letter is to remove all barriers from running my business and allow AVVA cigar to cater to my clientele. This “misunderstanding” is costing me thousands of dollars a week. In a time when my incidental holiday sales should be strengthening my bottom line for 2010, shoring up the anticipated lean times, I am lost in a bureaucratic battle trying to defend my rights. My business is at stake… My sales are down 30%. I am a small business owner who employs five employees. This interference of un-fair, targeted and maligned injustice from DHS is an abuse of the trust we the people put into our government. I am in compliance with the letter and the spirit of the law.

You and I can resolve this in an afternoon. I am being pressured by my customers, my employees and close personal advisors to take this fight to the media and national press. Lars Larson is ready to go with this story to his national audience. This would be great advertising for me, but what does that do for the state and all of the stakeholders here? From the era of the Magna Carta forward the concept has been “Lex Rex”, the law is King; not “Rex Lex”, the King is Law.

I am reaching out to you sir as a citizen, a business owner a tax payer and a voter please share the mantel of service you chose when you became a public servant with AVVA, and do the right thing. We are in the right, we are in compliance and we have precedent on our side.

Thank you,

Saadeh Hadeed

www.avvacigars.com

503-585-5807

831 Lancaster Dr. NE, #11B

Salem, OR, 97301

Located in the Lancaster Mall

Freedom of Choice at Avva Cigars

If you listen to my program you know that one of my best supporters and advertisers is Sadeeh the owner of Avva Cigars. If you have never met him, let me tell you, he is one of the kindest, gentlest, sweetest men I have ever known. He will do anything for anyone. Complete strangers are always welcomed with open arms by him.
Well as you may or may not know, when the Workplace Smoking Ban Statute was put into place on January 1st of this year, Sadeeh filed the necessary paperwork for an exemption (which is in the statute) as a smoke shop. He met the four criteria for being exempt. The State "lost" that paperwork.
So, come August, September and October the State then filed 3 complaints against the store for "violating" the law. Sadeeh RE-Filed the paperwork and hand delivered it along with supporting documents and more.
Tonight, he received a call from the lady at the Department of Health and Human Services, Jill Thompson and one of her underlings. They told Sadeeh his application was denied because the door from his store into the Lancaster Mall was too close to the food court. It's a long story but, trust me, it's over 50 yards AND the store has a reverse airflow that actually sucks the Mall air into the store, meaning NO smoke EVER goes into the Mall.
This State Worker also told Sadeeh that it was her "goal to end all smoking in Oregon" and when he asked who he could appeal to, she said "me" and informed him that "she would continue to deny it".
So, what is he to do?
If you care at all, even if you can't stand smoke, you have to believe in the rights of a business to do business. His business is down CONSIDERABLY since he shut down the smoking.
This is not about smoke it is about FREEDOM!!
Please support him with calls, emails and visits, even if you don't smoke cigars, please!
The number is 503-585-5807 and email is: info@avvacigars.com
This story is NOT over, my friends in the talk radio business are going to work together to defeat the Liberals who HATE our freedoms and WE WILL WIN!!
Thank you,
bill

I Love My Ducks, but, I hate Eugene!!!

Just read a story from the Eugene newspaper about the MAJOR party problems they are having in Eugene. It's not new, just at an all time high level. I love the Oregon Duck football team, but as I have said a million times, I wish I could pick up Autzen and move it to Keizer, Oregon! I hate Eugene and this article adds to my dislike!

The dozens of people, many of them under-aged, who walk the west and south university neighborhoods each night with open containers of alcohol are hardly an unfamiliar sight to Eugene police Lt. Angie San Miguel.

But even San Miguel, who’s in charge of the night shift Wednesday through Saturday, says she has been surprised by what she’s seen this fall.

“Honestly, I’d say in all my 18 years as a police officer here, the amount of people this year out and about drinking in public and displaying disorderly behavior is the worst I’ve seen,” she said.

The rough outline of where many central parties occur, San Miguel said, is between 13th and 17th avenues between Hilyard and High streets. More specifically, San Miguel said, police have had multiple problems on 14th Avenue from Patterson to Ferry streets, and from 15th and 16th avenues and Hilyard Street.

University of Oregon sophomore Kristina Lekas said she chose her Patterson Street apartment because of the area’s reputation for being a party hot spot. The 20-year-old said she and her three roommates have a party at least once a week.

It’s a good thing she likes to party, she said, because she’d be miserable otherwise.

“It would be impossible to sleep on the weekends if I wanted to,” she said. “Anyone who wants to go to sleep before 4 a.m.: Don’t live here.”

But Lekas said she and her friends are fine with the amount of partying that goes on. The same holds true for the west university neighbor­hood in general, she says, because it’s a college neighborhood.

“I’ve never seen someone over 25 here,” she said.

Lekas also said she sees at least one arrest outside her apartment every week.

The most common citations issued in the university neighborhoods are for minor in possession of alcohol and carrying an open container, San Miguel said.

Between Sept. 24 — the Thursday before fall classes began at the UO — and Nov. 19, officers issued 180 citations for minor in possession of alcohol — 27 in the south university neighborhood and 153 in the west university neighborhood, according to police department data.

During the same time period, police issued 141 open container citations, with four in the south university neighbor­hood and 137 in the west university neighborhood. Additionally, police arrested 13 people in the west university neighborhood in connection with open container offenses.

When intoxication levels go up, so does disorderly behavior, San Miguel said.

On weekends, San Miguel said, it’s not uncommon for officers to have a half-dozen party calls waiting for responses.

Police received about 125 noise complaints in the university neighborhoods from the start of school until Nov. 19, issued 26 citations for noise — 13 in each university neighborhood — and arrested one individual in connection with a noise violation.

“We get so busy with other parties and priority calls on the weekends that we can’t respond to half of the noise complaints we receive in a timely manner,” San Miguel said.

In the south university area, it’s mostly homeowners who make the noise complaints, but in the west university area, homeowners and students alike make the calls, San Miguel said. Police typically don’t break up parties unless they receive a complaint, she said.

“If we see a party with lots of people in the front yard, we’ll make contact,” she said. “But if a party is not bothering anyone, we typically don’t care.”

The most effective way to patrol the university neighborhoods is with officers on bikes, San Miguel said.

Generally, students are cooperative with police. “Some slam doors and don’t let us in,” she said. “But that rarely happens.”

Tommy DeVoe, a 20-year-old university junior and advertising major, said he sees numerous fights every week at his Patterson Street apartment. From what he’s seen, police seem to handle the hectic environment well.

“The police do a good job at it,” he said. “We’ve had no complaints here, and my friends have had no trouble. They do a good job for having a couple thousand college kids around.”

— Rebecca Woolington

What is the matter? We have ANOTHER generation lost in the things of this world. What SEEM like the pleasures of this world are foolishness. These will only leave horrible scars that will stay with these kids all of their lives.
I know, I have them and ONLY because Christ has freed me from the bondage of guilt am I able to sleep at night. The scars though, are still there. They will be until He appears or I go to be with Him! Praise the Lord!

City of Salem saves Christmas Parade: Bah Humbug!

The annual Festival of Lights Parade in Salem will go on after all! During a late night emergency meeting of the Salem City Council last night, Mayor Janet Taylor made a motion to grant $10,000 (UPDATE: THE AMOUNT WAS ACTUALLY $25,000, NOT WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY REPORTED TO THE MEDIA!) from the city's contingency fund to help offset a budget shortfall.

Now I don't want to sound like the Grinch, but, I am a little concerned that "contingency funds" designated for "budget shortfall" was used. I love a parade. I love Christmas. I don't love misuse of funds and this to me, seems like a pretty silly way to use those emergency funds.
If the Festival of Lights group cannot raise the funds then the parade itself should not happen.
In this economic climate, do we really have the latitude to use money for a parade? Aren't there many more pressing issues that could have used this money?
Where were the brave city councilors when the Obama administration wanted to take OUR land away at Minto Brown Park? They were holding another late night meeting to give 200 acres to the Feds in exchange for $800k. Yes, that is the Salem city council hard at work.
Maybe THIS decision, was to help placate the residents? Bah Humbug!

My Veteran's Day Show is posted on Oregon Catalyst

Oregon Cataylst dot com, a conservative gathering site on the web has posted a link to my Veteran's Day tribute yesterday. I had Vets call in and tell their stories and it was extremely moving!

The Bill Post Radio Show Veteran's Day Program on Catalyst.com

Veteran's Day: for those who didn't come home...

This Veterans Day, I am reminded once again of the wonderful line at the end of the movie adaptation of James Michener's The Bridges at Toko Ri.

A Navy Admiral is reflecting on the sacrifice of airmen given the mission of destroying a group of heavily defended bridges during the Korean War. The men were successful, but at the cost of their lives, leading the Admiral to famously ask: "Where do we get these men?"

Oregon under Gov. Ted's Watch: #2 All time Unemployment!

Our fearless leader, Governor Ted Kulongoski has led Oregon into it's deepest recession and 2nd worst unemployment in Oregon history.

Great link to story here:

Underemployment suggests Oregon economy worse off

Berlin Wall: 20 Years Later, No President?

This is the 20th Anniversary of one of the GREATEST Moments in Human History, the fall of the Wall in Berlin. Where is our President?
Here are the highlights of my thoughts on this issue for today's radio program:

President Obama squeezed in a trip to Copenhagen last month to lobby, unsuccessfully, for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. He plans to travel to Oslo next month to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award that even Obama has said he does not deserve. And this coming week, he sets out on a weeklong tour of Asia.

But the president does not plan to travel to Germany to attend the 20th anniversary celebration Monday of the fall of the Berlin Wall, drawing heated criticism from those who say he's ignoring a shining triumph of American-inspired democracy.

"A tragedy," is how former House Speaker Newt Gingrich described Obama's absence.

Some question whether the decision not to go was a nod to Russia, with which the Obama administration is trying to mend relations, or just another attempt to play down the perception of the United States as an exceptional superpower.

For its part, the administration is citing a scheduling conflict. The White House says the president simply does not have the time to go, with the trip to Asia starting Wednesday.

"Obviously we have a lot to work on here and we have commitments for an upcoming Asia trip," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday, noting that a "very senior delegation" of U.S. officials would attend.

David Hasselhoff may seem at first an unusual person to be commenting on the fall of the Berlin Wall.

But the American actor and singer has a long association with the wall and the German public. In the summer before the wall fell, Hasselhoff's hit song Looking for Freedom was racing up the charts in West Germany.

'I have about 100 pieces of the wall and I also have one that's really special because it's got all the colours of the German flag, that I just chopped out look at this piece,' he told Reuters.

Hasselhoff was even part of a concert on New Year's Eve 1989 where he sang on top of the partly demolished wall at the Brandenburg Gate.

'I had an opportunity to actually sing behind the Wall before New Years Eve at a kind of a pre-concert. And I drove in 35 minutes into East Berlin and I went to the studio and the studio was magnificent it had the most beautiful lighting and the stage and the cameras, but outside it looked like World War II,' he said.

Now Hasselhoff is back in Berlin for the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall.

Obama acknowledged the anniversary of the fall of the wall last week during his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"We are now moving towards the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down and Germany being reunified after so many painful years," Obama said. "And this is a special moment for Chancellor Merkel, as somebody who grew up in East Germany, who understands what it's like to be under the shadow of a dictatorial regime, and to see how freedom has bloomed in Germany, how it has become the centerpiece for a extraordinarily strong European Union."

But some saw Obama's decision not to travel personally to Berlin as a snub to Merkel, Germany and the history behind the anniversary.

"Barack Is Too Busy," Germany's Der Spiegel magazine declared in a headline last month, writing that Obama had declined Merkel's invitation.

While Obama has traveled to Germany since taking office, he has not as president traveled to Berlin -- the site of his major speech in July 2008 during his overseas campaign tour. During that speech, he acknowledged Berlin's struggle, saying, "This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom."

Why then, critics asked, would the U.S. president not revisit that site to mark the culmination of that dream? After all, he has established himself as an intrepid traveler in office, setting off on a slew of overseas trips during his first 10 months on the job.

On several of the stops he has expressed regret for past American behavior, but the Berlin Wall anniversary was seen as an opportunity for the president to honor an American and Western victory for which the U.S. need feel no regret.

"It is a true shame that the president of the United States -- this man who cloaks himself in the rhetoric of hope -- won't be pausing to remember," Gingrich wrote in a column last week in The Washington Examiner.

The National Review's Rich Lowry wrote that the decision speaks to Obama's "dismissive view of the Cold War as a relic distorting our thinking."

"John F. Kennedy famously told Berliners, 'Ich bin ein Berliner.' On the 20th anniversary of the last century's most stirring triumph of freedom, Obama is telling them, 'Ich bin beschaftigt' -- i.e., I'm busy," he wrote. "Obama's failure to go to Berlin is the most telling nonevent of his presidency. It's hard to imagine any other American president eschewing the occasion."

Time line of the fall:

1987

June 12 Speaking in West Berlin at the wall, US President Ronald Reagan says : "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

1989

February 6 Chris Gueffroy is the last person shot and killed trying to escape. Meanwhile, the Polish government initiates talks with the opposition to defuse social unrest.

April 5 The Roundtable Agreement is signed in Poland, legalizing independent trade unions and calling the first partially democratic elections in June.

May 2 Dismantling of the Iron Curtain – the boundary between Warsaw Pact and NATO countries – begins as Hungary disables the electric alarm system and cuts through barbed wire on its border with Austria.

Aug. 19 The 'Pan-European Picnic' – a peace demonstration at the Hungarian town of Sopron on the Austrian border – turns into an exodus when Hungarian border guards hold their fire as 600 East German citizens flee to the West .

Aug. 24 Tadeusz Mazowiecki is appointed Polish prime minister, becoming the first noncommunist head of state in Eastern Europe in more than 40 years.

Sept. 10 Hungary reopens its border with East Germany, allowing 13,000 East Germans passage to escape through Austria.

Oct. 18 East German leader Erich Honecker is forced to resign.

Nov. 4 One million people rally in East Berlin during weeks of mounting demonstrations.

Nov. 9 The Berlin Wall falls.

Here is a wonderful video tribute to this momentous day:

The Stimulus in Oregon: Rep. Bruce Hanna on Fox News

How has the Stimulus money been working in Oregon? Watch this video from Fox News last night featuring one of my friends and regular guests on The Bill Post Radio Show, Rep. Bruce Hanna (R) from Roseburg.

A Northwest Owned Business That Gets It!

At the Taco Bell pictured above, the unbelievable is happening! Shudder.....they are following the law! Yes, the law!

I want give a huge "thumbs up" to ES-O-EN Corp. of Meridian, Idaho. They own several of the Taco Bell franchises in the Salem-Keizer area and it was found out lately that they participate in the "E-Verify" system AND they print it right under the drive up window in English and in Spanish!

They also post these notices on the wall just below the menu and immediately behind the cash registers.
These attest to their commitment in participating with the E-Verify program (in both English and Spanish) and that fact is obvious in the staffing.

It's my intent to call and thank them for their responsible actions and promise them my support. Are you with me? (208) 888-6428

SURPRISE!! CONSERVATISM IS NOT DEAD!

I heard this so many times this year I started to wonder if they were right: "The country has shifted to the left, talkradio is dead." I think the rumor's of that death have been greatly exaggerated. This poll from the Gallup organization made me feel a lot better about the future of our format, and you should too.

LATEST GALLUP POLL INFORMATION

The Statesman Journal and Me: AGAIN!

Bill Church, the editor of the Statesman Journal, our local newspaper, continues the attack against local talk radio and in particular, yours truly (I can say that since I am the ONLY local talk radio "jock").

Here's the article:
You don't have to look far to see diversity

Now in this article he lumps me in with "unabashed racists" and others. I do not peddle hate, only if you hate how our country and in particular our state has devolved into what it has. I wouldn't call that hate anyway, I call it pointing out the obvious.
Showing us that "diversity" is all around us here in Salem is a fine thing to do, and yep, there is a lot of diversity. So, if we both agree on that, what the heck does that have to do with his other claims?
To quote from one of the comments left on the website:

"A census survey of business owners (done in 2002) showed Hispanic-owned companies generate more than $100 million in annual sales and receipts. There has been continued growth, which is why the Latino Small Business Conference is in its seventh year at Chemeketa Community College."

Just how much of that $100 million stayed in the United States, and how much was sent to Mexico?

A lot of the "minority" work here, make their money, then either take it or send it back to Mexico, so how does that benefit this state?

If they were legal citizens, then they pay their dues, but if they aren't, they are making virtually free money, while we pay taxes to help support them.

That is the question of the day, are they the legal ones that are generating the business?

Do they pay into the taxes for the schools to teach their non-English speaking children?

Its all in fairness that we need to look at these issues and say no freebies for anyone, everyone needs to pay their dues.


These are great questions, that I bring up all the time. Yes, we know there are a lot more minorities in Oregon, we are just asking, "are they paying their fair share?"

By the way Bill Church: we stopped being "jocks" back when the record players were hauled off in about......oh 1980? You are showing your lack of intelligence once again Bill.

Pro-Life, Free Speech and Violence: Can't we all just get along?

WARNING: THIS VIDEO DOES FEATURE VERY GRAPHIC LANGUAGE BUT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO WATCH!!

I always thought liberals were all about "free speech"? Of course they are! When it suits them.
Here we have a group of Pro-Life folks standing outside of a Fresno, California abortion clinic and they have the audacity of praying for the people inside and those coming from the outside. They set up a camera to film the 40 days they are doing this vigil. No signs, no dead baby pics, just prayer. Well, here is what the "progressive" left does when those they don't agree with, don't play their game.



Sickening ain't it?

How SNL Could Change the 2010 Elections!

After you watch this SNL sketch, which has had heavy play on YouTube and everywhere it seems, take a look at my thoughts below:



Here's the thing: When I first saw this, I just thought it was pretty funny. I thought once again SNL has done a good job of political satire. Then it hit me, this sketch may have just completely opened the door for the Left to finally jump OFF the Obama bandwagon.
Why?
They now have permission to blast him! In the Left's eyes, what HAS he done?
The Anti-War folks are not happy with him. The pro-health care reform folks don't think he's moving fast enough. The far Left is not happy and the "from the Center" position President Obama has seemingly taken, is not what they wanted when they pimped hard for him.

Of course the Right thinks he is completely a leftist and that he is taking America down the road to ruin, and rightly so, but, until this SNL sketch came out, you never heard the Left attack him. Now it's come and it will get worse.

He was protested yesterday in New Orleans for not acting fast or hard enough for the victims of Katrina (sounds "Bushish" doesn't it?). He was protested by Anti-War folks in San Francisco yesterday for not keeping his promise to get us out of Iraq and increasing our presence in Afghanistan.

This will make 2010 even MORE fun won't it? I think the Left will sit on their hands and the Right will be more engaged then ever and this will bring about a complete change of hands in Congress and across the nation's gubernatorial races.
Between the 912 Projects, Freedomworks, Americans For Prosperity and all of the other Conservative grass roots movements going on in America, and the Far Left's anger at this president for not "delivering", we are going to see some real change in 2010. I don't think anyone would have seen this coming. Did you?

American Flag Flying Again In Albany!

After much "reconsideration" the mess in Albany is cleaned up. See story link below:

Flag Flying is ok in Albany Apartment

Who do YOU Worship?

You have heard of "tree huggers" right? How about "tree worshippers"? That's right, people who actually "worship" trees.
I found this video while trolling for another story and I couldn't resist.




Whether or not you feel we are truly in the "end times" (of course the "end times" have been the "end times" since the moment Jesus was caught into the clouds but let's forget that for the moment), this is a really, really scary video.
Let's look at Paul's writing in the book of Romans:
Romans 1:25 - THEY EXCHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR A LIE AND WORSHIPPED CREATED THINGS RATHER THAN THE CREATOR, WHO IS FOREVER, AMEN!

Note in the video they are lifting their hands in praise of the trees, just as we are commanded in Scripture to "lift Holy Hands" to God. Notice the holding hands in prayer towards the trees. Just as we are commanded to "pray unceasingly" to our Father in Heaven.
Note the comment about the "rock and all of the life it has". Remember when Jesus said in Luke 19:40 - "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the rocks will cry out".
Now, Jesus was of course saying, that if WE don't praise him, and we continue to withhold our worship of the True God, then the he'll allow the rocks to worship Him.
Of course He is being somewhat facetious, but the point is, WE don't worship rocks, they don't have life. God IS life, and we owe Him our worship.
Worship of created things is an abomination to God, a breaking of his Commandments and just plain STUPID!

I won't say this "scares" me, but it does drive home the point, that we are closer than ever to the return of Christ, Amen!

Have We No More Shame?

This photo released by Save the Ta-tas shows one of their T-shirts. The company also has hats. The T-shirts proclaim everything from "caught you lookin' at my ta-tas" and "I love my big ta-tas" for women to "my girl has great ta-tas" and "save a life grope your wife" for men.

You know, I am all for raising awareness of the horrible disease, Breast Cancer. I have done many a fundraiser over the years, have worn the pink hat or shirt, have even been involved in some of the "walks". This, this is TOO MUCH!
What has happened in our society that we just don't have any shame anymore!
Let me quote from the Associated Press story:

LOS ANGELES — A woman in a skimpy white bikini sashays next to a swimming pool. Onlookers gawk, men's tongues roll and music blares in the background.
The camera zooms in slow motion to her jiggling chest as a message spreads across the screen: "You know you like them / Now it's time to save the boobs."

It may resemble a beer commercial, but it's really a public-service announcement for Toronto's annual Boobyball party to benefit the charity Rethink Breast Cancer, and it's gone viral, with more than 350,000 hits on YouTube. It's just one of the edgier ways awareness is being promoted among younger women during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"Generally, with people my age, who watch MTV, there's no association between the breast and breast cancer. They think the boobs in beer commercials are different," said MTV News Canada host Aliya-Jasmine Sovani, 27, who stars as the bikini-clad gal and wrote and co-directed the clip.

"But everyone uses sexy imagery for commercials," Sovani said. "I thought guys would watch it because they would watch it naturally, and girls would like the humor and irony ... We all like boobs, we all celebrate boobs, so let's save the boobs."

Similar messages are showing up on feisty T-shirt lines and at events aimed at younger women. According to leading breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure, about 5 percent of all breast cancer in the United States occurs in women younger than 40. Worldwide, about 465,000 women die from breast cancer each year.

Julia Fikse started her cheekily named T-shirt business Save the Ta-tas in 2004.

Her T-shirts proclaim "caught you lookin' at my ta-tas" and "I love my big ta-tas." Five percent of every sale goes to breast cancer research and awareness. About $340,000 dollars have been donated so far, Fikse said.

Men's involvement, noted Fikse, was paramount. Her company has T-shirts for men with slogans "my girl has great ta-tas" and "save a life, grope your wife."

"Men have an ability to take it into a sexual place very fast," Fikse said. "But you can turn an awkward, sexual conversation into something awesome about breast cancer awareness."

The tongue-in-cheek message makes a serious point, said Rethink Breast Cancer founder and executive director MJ DeCoteau: Information on breast cancer has been mostly directed toward older women.

"I remember grabbing a pamphlet with a 60-year-old woman on the cover. Another one had a dark shadowy woman facing the corner. It looked quite fearful," said DeCoteau, now 39. "Taking control of your breast health should be positive and upbeat."

Not everyone is comfortable with such boundary-pushing campaigns. Susan G. Komen for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker voiced reservations about using sexy imagery, though said she wouldn't discredit what anyone else does.

Sovani brushes off comments that her video may be inappropriate.

"Whether you love it or hate it, it gets people talking," she said. "Breast cancer is scary. We're not trying to take away from that. But preventing breast cancer doesn't have to be scary. If it's made to be scary, people don't want to check as much."

Ok, so we want MEN to stare at Women's chests now? One of the absolute worst things for a man to do, especially when he may want to remain as clean in his thought life as possible. Do men really need another reason to look? Do we not already as a society "sexualize" enough?
This offends me and I believe makes light of Breast Cancer Awareness.
I would love to hear from women on this story. Are you offended?

A Year Without Hunting

This year, due to my son's knee injury in football and a combination of other factors, I could not go deer hunting.
Even though I know that an ENTIRE group of women at my church pray against me every year, I have for the most part had success.
Now I know, I don't hunt to put food on the table, those days are mostly long gone, but it is good to have some fresh deer steaks, chops and sausages. I will miss that this year.
More than the meat is the hunt itself. I have hunted Eastern Oregon and Western Oregon over the years and I find myself today, reminiscing about some of the fantastic times I had hunting with my Grandpa, Dad and Uncle over East.
Long walks through canyons and arroyos, with grandpa perched on a nice high spot at the end, Dad, Uncle Arnold and I would try to push a buck out of that area and down towards Grandpa.
One year we heard a buck running out in front of us, knowing it was headed right towards Grandpa's perch. A shot rang out, then another. Then a long silence.
My dad yelled out: "Papa, did you get him?" We didn't hear anything for a long time, so we hustled towards the end of the canyon.
When we got down there, we still couldn't see Grandpa. After another shout to him he calmly answered: "yep, he's right down there, drag him on up here for me!".
True to his word, he had shot a nice buck and we obediently dragged him up the canyon wall and got him dressed out.
I miss Grandpa and Uncle Arnold a lot and greatly look forward to seeing them both again in Heaven, but man, the smell of Fall in Oregon really makes me want to go hunting.
I hope to make those same sort of memories for my son.
If you have a hunting story you would like to share please feel free.

YOUR Teachers Union Dollars Hard at Work

This little ol' piece doesn't require much in the way of commenting, it speaks for itself.
The Oregon Legislature couldn't balance the budget like the rest of us do (cut excess, spend less, be careful), so they raised $733 million in new taxes that will drive small businesses from Oregon. NOW that WE the people got the 2 initiatives on the ballot for January, the NEA and the OEA, Teachers unions, are starting to do battle. This document came from inside the OEA.

Archives of OEA Newsflash from 2005 to 2009 can be read at: www.oregoned.org/newsflash

From the September 25, 2009 OEA Leader Letter Signatures Turned in to Put Tax Fairness on the Ballot Some large corporations and out-of-state special interests opposed to the legislature’s tax fairness measures appear to have turned in enough signatures to force an election this January. In order to uphold these measures and preserve Oregon’s critical services, now is the time to get involved in the YES campaign. (Notice they say "appear to have turned in enough". Sheesh we needed 55,179 and got over 125,000 on each petition) The two measures, which will likely be on the ballot in January, protect about $1 billion in funding for schools, healthcare, and public safety without making things more difficult for middle-class families. Voting YES on these measures will preserve services by raising the $10 corporate minimum income tax for the first time since 1931. Right now, two-thirds of the corporations doing business in Oregon pay just $10 a year in income taxes, while the average family pays about $3,100. When a single Oregon family pays more than 300 corporations combined, it’s time for a change. Voting YES on these measures will make Oregon’s tax system more fair for working families and will preserve schools and the essential services we all depend on. (Ah yes, it's always the old violin, "we'll lose schools....." How about balancing the budget with the money you already had, Democrats? How about the "hidden" money that is not HIDDEN!) The YES campaign needs your help. The corporate-funded opponents may have millions of dollars to spend on misleading TV ads, but we have you. We need your help to reach out to voters to explain why a YES vote will protect schools and critical services by making our tax system more fair. Your voice will make the difference. (Again, look at the spin: "outside money". "Big corporation's money". So, if money comes from the NEA, SEIU & OPEU which have contributed huge sums in previous tax campaigns is not considered "outside money"? Hmmm...) Here’s how you can get involved: (And of course I DON'T want YOU to do any of the actions below, but I DO want you to know what they are up to!) Sign the Pledge: Visit www.DefendOregon.org to get the facts and sign the Defend Oregon Pledge. Then, get your friends and family to sign up as well, letting the campaign know that you plan to vote YES on January 26. Spread the Word: Join an upcoming neighborhood event to get the word out about these measures. RSVP by visiting www.defendoregon.org/volunteer.php or by calling the campaign at 503-234-0444. Finalize Your Local Plan: Now's the time to put the finishing touches on your local association or UniServ's plan to engage and mobilize members. Schedule your dates for volunteer activities like phone bank and neighborhood walks. Begin recruiting members today! You can start by urging members to participate in the Defend Oregon Neighborhood Walk on October 3. Details below. Saturday, October 3 10am to 1pm Machinist District Lodge 24 3645 SE 32nd Avenue Portland, OR 97202 Download a flyer here.

Who REALLY WON in 2008?

I know I know, population centers win elections, but, the following map is really fun to look at as is the story I reprint below:

Interesting Statistic
Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul , Minnesota , points out facts of 2008 Presidential election:

Number of States won by:
Democrats: 19
Republicans: 29

Square miles of land won by:
Democrats: 580,000
Republicans: 2,427,000

Population of counties won by:
Democrats: 127 million
Republicans: 143 million

Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by:
Democrats: 13.2
Republicans: 2.1

Professor Olson adds:
"In aggregate, the map of the territory Republican won by Republicans was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of the country.

Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare.

Professor Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.

If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegals and they vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.

The Obama Youth Song

Wow, I cannot believe WE punked all of the national talk shows and morning shows with the schoolchildren singing the Obama song!
Justin and I ran with the story yesterday, including the music, the lyrics and the background on the writer of the song and the accompanying book as well as pointing out that the same author had pulled the video from her YouTube account.
NOW, this morning, Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, Don Imus and others are running the story as if they just found it!
Further reason to listen to The Bill Post Radio Show on 1430 KYKN or online at www.1430kykn.com every weekday at Noon.
If you want to hear the whole story as presented yesterday go to my website: www.thebillpostradioshow.com

Republicans and Oregon

I am really tired of how Republicans have done in Oregon politics. It is time for major change and I will be speaking at the Marion County GOP meeting on Oct. 2nd on this very subject.
I am not advocating a third party, but, if Oregon does not find the right person to run against the blue jeans queen, John Kitzhaber, I will END my affiliation with the party.
WE MUST find someone articulate, educated, business savvy, well spoken and FIRED UP about this state.
I would name names but I want them to come forward on their own. So, stay tuned.

Conservative Books lead the NY Times Best Seller List

I never cease to be amazed at the really stupid behavior of the left leaning and DESPERATE "anchors" on MSNBC. From that lunatic Keith Olbermann and his nightly ramblings to Chris Matthews and his "Hardball" "news" show.
Now, the majority of the books on the New York Times best seller list are Conservative leaning. Why? BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE BUYING!! Sheesh, how dumb do you have to be to struggle with that concept? Why then, would Chris Matthews complain about the books currently on the list? BECAUSE NO ONE FREAKING BUYS THE BOOKS HE LIKES!!!
Listen to him in this video cut:



Chris: your side can't write books that sell. So, just as they have with your UNWATCHED network, the people of America have chosen.

Why can't liberals see what is right in front of their faces? 1.7 million march on Washington, D.C. Hundreds of thousands more march all over the country. Town Hall meetings, dominated by regular folks just wanting to get questions answered. This movement of Conservatism is moving and shaking and it has the shills of this administration running scared and it is really fun to watch.

Don't worry America, the "hope and change" you were looking for WILL COME! Just not from where you thought it would come.....

SEIU Union Thug Livin' Large On Union Wages?

Down in Humboldt County, California, a group of folks gathering for a Democrat's town hall meeting, were joined by this fellow:

Now you might say, "so what, what does this have to do with Oregon? Well, here is the story from a blogger in the area:

First this car rolled in as we were standing in line.....from Oregon.
Either it's an official Mike Thompson peace-mobile or it's a Mercedes that drove all the way from Portland.

Then this caricature-on-legs slithered out of it. Seriously you could smell the sleazy boss hog cologne and cigar smoke from twenty feet away. Can you say union thug-o-crat?
Sometimes you just can't believe your eyes...or make this stuff up. I had to cough to keep from just laughing out loud....
That Mike Thompson...he sure knows some classy people.

"Hey doll, wanna go for a ride in my 'benz?"

Then he began to "work" the crowd...but he was very specific in who he talked to and he went directly to them, right out of his car. Can you tell how he knew who to talk to yet?

I'll give you a hint...look for the purple......

Yes, the idiots were color coded for this little gathering. Guess who Thompson called on in the meeting?
BTW....there will be an award for anyone who can identify Mr. Big and the union he represents....oh, come on we all know which one loves purple and morons....

So, what is an SEIU mobster doing in California, obviously being FROM Oregon? I will have to keep looking into this story!

My War with the local Newspaper: Statesman-Journal

My ongoing war with the Statesman Journal newspaper, our local fish wrap, has reached new highs (no pun intended).
Today's paper featured an article stating, in big bold letters: "HELICOPTERS A HEADACHE FOR FAIR NEIGHBORS".
In the article, which by the way was done by a young lady who showed up the day before to ask questions about what "our helicopters" were doing and how it was doing. She was bent due to my blasting an article in the paper that day.
I KNEW that she would come back with some kind of story that's how they work.
I quote the story below and then give my rebuttal:

It's hard to miss one of the new attractions at the fair. Helicopter rides — $20 for about five minutes — are part of the sesquicentennial celebrations going on at this year's Oregon State Fair, to the delight of fairgoers and the dismay of fairgrounds neighbors.

Galit Miller, a school administrator for Leading Edge Aviation, estimated that the company has been running about 80 flights per day.

Alan Scott, the chairman of the Northeast Neighbors neighborhood association, said he has received about five complaints, mostly regarding the noise the copter makes during takeoff and landing.

"Our concern is how do we prevent this noise in the future?" Scott said. He said he's been in contact with two other neighborhood associations that also have received complaints.

He said neighbors weren't given enough advance warning about the helicopter rides, finding out only about one week before the fair.

"What we'd like to be able to do is sit down and discuss options," Scott said. "We're not sure why they come over the neighborhoods to land and not over the fair."

Connie Bradley, the acting manager of the fair, said she's taken note of the complaints and already is making changes.

"This week, we are only going to run the small helicopter during the week," she said, adding that during the weekend, they also were using a larger, louder helicopter.

She said they will also stop flights at 6 p.m. for weekdays and change the flight patterns so they're not always flying over the same houses.

And, she said, fair neighbors just have to make it through this fair — the helicopters won't be a yearly attraction.

"This is just kind of a one-time deal," she said. "We're not doing this every year. … It was part of our big birthday celebration."

Although she said she had met with all the neighborhood associations in July to let them know about the helicopters, she conceded it could get old quickly.

"I'd probably be annoyed after a little while, too," she said, as a helicopter shadow crossed the parking lot outside her office.

A city noise ordinance does not apply to the helicopters, said Brady Rogers, administrator of Salem's neighborhood enhancement division.

"Flying in your plane is just like driving down the street in your car," Rogers said. "You have a right to do it."

Rogers said the fair worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to allow the copters to land on the fairgrounds. Officials with the FAA could not be reached Monday.

kwbrown@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6743 or sbarchenge@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6610


Ok so first of all: the fair director never said what was quoted (I talked to her personally today). Second, there are over 1,000 people who have had a WONDERFUL time riding a helicopter and only FIVE neighbors have complained? These are the same pathetic people that cost us the horse racing (too loud) great late night concerts (too loud) and the same people who do all of this complaining living next door to an institution that has existed in the same location for about 100 years?
Give me a break.
So far the comments on their website have been about 99% positive towards our helicopters.
I talked with a 103 year old man who just took a ride and he was so thrilled, I wish you could have seen him.
In this economy, SOMEONE, ANYONE has found a way to profit and at the same time give a thrill of a lifetime for $20! How can anyone knock that?

Cash For Clunkers? NOPE!!!

Those great guys at Clem and Enos's Car Lot have taken "Cash for Clunkers" to a whole new level!!

The Salem Town Hall Meeting with Kurt Schrader

Your intrepid reporter was there! Although I fell asleep half way through as Mr. Schrader is rather long winded and boring as heck.

What I came away with was: about 2/3rds of the crowd were Conservatives concerned with Obamacare and a small segment were what really looked to me like OLD HIPPIES.
Yes, old hippies. I didn't know they still existed. The evidence is the bus pictured above. Oh, and a large group of Illegal Immigrants holding signs for "immigration reform".

They were the only ones to applaud when Rep. Schrader said ANYTHING PRO health care reform.
For the most part Rep. Schrader repeated the mantra heard all over the country and covered NO new ground. The crowd seemed mostly restless and not satisfied and by the time it broke up, I felt NOTHING had been accomplished.

The funniest thing of all was watching Dick Hughes, the editor of the Statesman Journal trying to control the crowd and being in charge of sound. Never let a newspaper man run sound. NO ONE could hear the questions, he just wouldn't turnthe mic up other than when he had some wiseacre crack to make. He was NOT funny.

All in all, I think the Democrats have really lost on this one and are in full fledged retreat mode. It's ONE TERM AND OUT FOR PRESIDENT OHbama.