The Lakewood Examiner

The highlight of the week is a Full Moon, which happens on Thursday, August 11, at 6.36 pm Lakewood Time. It’s not in itself an unusual event, but it’s caught up with Mars, Saturn and Uranus. All of us are going to be on edge, and my warnings for last week continue.

We live in unstable times, and the news is mainly going to be bad. So don’t get excited about Biden talking up the latest job report – things are not getting better, and the world is becoming more violent.

Of course it didn’t help that Nancy Pelosi barged into Taiwan. A question of acting first, thinking later. Typical Aries.

Nearer home, we have news that over 100 Garry oaks are definitely gong to to be cut down on 123rd Street, in Springbrook.

You can feel the apocalypse. And the one thing worse than a godless society is a society which has created its own gods in its own image. A god that has been perverted into a craven image, giving property rights the same status as scripture. Blasphemy upon blasphemy, and Babylon awaits.

What happens to live oaks, the crucified Earth, happens to you next.

Luke 23:29-31 tells us

29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.

30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

As for next week, only God knows the future, but here are my forecasts for the 12 signs:

Aries (Mar 20 – Apr 19) There’s something you like doing, that’s almost become a matter of habit.  However is it really a good idea?  There is an element of risk, albeit very small, and one day the odds could turn against you.  Something, or someone, who seems cute and cuddly, could turn out to have a nasty streak.  In your love life try to plan ahead, and make allowances for all possibilities, however unlikely.  Sometimes it’s OK to be selfish – as every Aries knows!

Taurus (Apr 20 – May 20) Don’t slack off!  There’s work to be done, the sooner the better!  You might think that you haven’t got what it takes, but once you swing into action you’ll be surprised at what you achieve.  And don’t be afraid to get outside help – your persuasive skills are at the top of the range.  If you’re looking for a new job you’ve got qualities that are much in demand, and if you ask around you’ll find the right slot for yourself.

Gemini (May 21 – Jun 20) You’ve got some free time on your hands, and it’s tempting to twiddle your thumbs and watch the clouds go by.  However free time exists for a purpose.  You can fine-tune your act, and make sure that your knowledge-base is second to none.  It might be boring, but by adding to your strengths and covering your weak-spots you’ll be putting yourself on the fast-track to success.  Someone wants to talk about money – don’t change the subject!

Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 21) Is it enough to have natural talent?  Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.  And what you have to do is ask yourself whether you’ve got what it takes, and if necessary you must be ready to do some extra work.  A few hours a day of practice can make all the difference.  Yet this week’s Full Moon raises a few questions. Some of your assumptions are not entirely correct, and the stress-points in society may take their toll. You either look away or join the struggle – and hopefully you’re not part of the problem!

Leo (Jul 22 – Aug 22) It’s time to think very hard about other people.  You need to understand what’s going through their minds, and you must be able to anticipate their next moves.  It’s going to take some work, but once you’re able to anticipate someone’s actions you’ll be in a strong position.  Partners and lovers are demanding, but if you are looking at things from their point of view you’ll probably realize that they’re in the right.

Virgo (Aug 23 – Sep 20) Mercury’s movement into your star sign makes you hard to miss.  You’re starting to realize that there are many possibilities, and that with the right moves you can achieve pretty much whatever you want.  And don’t fall into the Virgo trap of underestimating your brainpower. Right now you’re the cleverest kid in the class, and detail plus understanding make for a winning combination.

Libra (Sep 21 – Oct 21) You haven’t got all the energy in the world – there are limits to what you can do, and you need to respect that.  So decide what matters, and leave the rest for later.  Yet under the surface things are changing. This week’s Full Moon is all about your personal sense of direction – the goals you set yourself, which differentiate you from the rest of the herd. You might then find yourself in a position where you have to express your viewpoint, in such a way that you attract criticism. It’s OK, you can’t be friends with everyone.

Scorpio (Oct 22 – Nov 21) You’ve got responsibilities, as well you know, and the sooner you meet them the better.  So this week look around, and ask yourself what needs to be done.  You might prefer to enjoy yourself, but can you really let go if you’re weighed down by a guilty conscience?  Yet once your various responsibilities are out of the way, you’ll be faced with a brand new situation, which could be both exciting and profitable.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 20) You need to distinguish between the sacred and the profane. There are things going on that are utterly trivial, which could take up all your time. Amusing distractions, which on reflection are an insult to your very being. Yet there are other things things going on that are essential, in a way that links with your fundamental purpose. Have some self-respect and everything will be fine.

Capricorn (Dec 21 – Jan 18) The world’s not perfect, as you know very well.  However that doesn’t mean you should give up on things.  Your own little corner is the place to start, and by making things better in your immediate environment you’ll be setting a good example.  OK, in the first instance you might be ignored, but soon enough you’ll get the attention you deserve.  By reaching out to a distant land you could in some strange way connect to your destiny.

Aquarius (Jan 19 – Feb 18) There’s no disgrace in a change of mind.  You haven’t got all the answers, and new information is coming in all the time.  So at regular intervals you need to review the situation, and be ready to revamp your strategy.  Other people might complain, but they haven’t got the whole picture.  If you stick to your guns, and you trust your intuition, your approach will eventually be vindicated.  But try to be sensitive – someone is under enormous pressure, and they need your help and understanding.

Pisces (Feb 19 – Mar 19) You just want to get on with it, and you don’t want to worry about the world and its problems.  However it’s unlikely that you’re going to be left alone.  There’ll be trivial demands on your time and energy, which soon build up.  For your part, take a relaxed attitude, and don’t allow yourself to get annoyed.  Nonetheless, the most important things in life can only be discovered on your own, and in this sense solitude can be a blessing.

There was a dreary inevitablity to the August 2 elections. The Democrat establishment won out, and we can all go back to sleep. However, I’ll briefly discuss the three candidates I wrote articles about.

The Lakewood Examiner endorsed Melissa Knott for Washington State Representative in the 29th Legislative District, Position 2. Melissa is infuriated by non-partisan politics, and I think she understands that when there is no debate, when there are no split votes, democracy dies. A vote for Melissa Knott was a vote against the Croneyism that pervades Pierce County.

So perhaps it wasn’t surprising that she came in a poor third, with only 16.66% of the vote.

On the other side of the political spectrum, Republican Susanna Keilman did nearly as badly, in her bid to be elected for State Representative, Position 2, in the 28th Legislative District. Yet in spite of only getting 26.16% of the vote, she came second, and goes through to the November election.

Chris Nye, who came third, was also a Republican, so Keilman is likely to pick up his votes. And with Biden continuing to trash the Democrat brand, she might be in with a chance.

Linda Farmer had a great election, getting 43.92% of the vote in the election for Pierce County Auditor. She will get most of Damon Townsend’s votes, so she is all but guaranteed to be elected in November.

Some might ask what I’ve got against her. Well, she hadn’t even finished her first term as Lakewood council member, and yet she wants to move on, to better things. And as a council member, she was largely ineffective, standing by as the rot and the injustice continued.

Worse, if she gets elected as Pierce Couny Auditor, then presumably she will stand down as council member, and the council will appoint an unelected replacement.

But I hear some people claiming that she’s non-partisan, just the person we need as Pierce County Auditor. In which case why did the Pierce County Democrat establishment endorse her?

There’s no point in asking, you’ll get no reply.

The City of Lakewood council, at the end of its August 1 meeting, went into executive session. It then voted in favor of settling with a certain Arthur West, for an amount not exceeding $25,000.

The story started on August 29, 2020.  There were clashes in Portland, Oregon, involving pro-Trump and antifa groups. In one incident, antifa demonstrator Michael Reinoehl shot and killed Patriot Prayer supporter Aaron Danielson. Danielson was also armed.

Michael Reinoehl fled northwards, into Washington State. He ended up in Lacey, just north of Olympia, and this is where he was gunned down by law enforcement officers.

Or as The New York Times put it put it:

On Sept. 3, about 120 miles north of Portland, Mr. Reinoehl was getting into his Volkswagen station wagon when a pair of unmarked sport utility vehicles roared through the quiet streets, screeching to a halt just in front of his bumper. Members of a U.S. Marshals task force jumped out and unleashed a hail of bullets that shattered windows, whizzed past bystanders and left Mr. Reinoehl dead in the street.

Four police officers fired at Michael Reinoehl. According to The New York Times, his .308 handgun was found in his pocket and his rifle was “apparently untouched in a bag in his car”.

The four officers, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting, were members of a federal task force, and included Lakewood police officer Michael Merrill.

On October 23, 2020, Arthur West submitted a public records request with the City of Lakeood, with the subject line “RE: Public Records Request for Reinoehl Arrest and Investigation Records”. The subject line spelled Reinoehl’s name correctly, but in the body of the request it was spelled “Reinoel”.

As part of the search, the City’s public record specialist contacted the Police Department, who told her “that the Lakewood Police had no responsive records because the incident was being investigated by Thurston County“. The specialist then searched the City’s email server, and found no relevant files, because she was using the misspelled name, used in the request’s body.

On December 18, the public record specialist told Arthur West that there were no responsive records. She further stated “The records requested are associated with a case that is under active investigation and non-disclosure is essential to effective law enforcement“.

A few days later Arthur West started legal proceedings. He went through the Pierce County Superior Court and the State of Washington Court of Appeals. The latter found in his favor, in an opinion filed on July 12, 2022. As a result, the City of Lakewood council agreed to settle the case, for an amount not exceeding $25,000.

Some people reading this might be concerned about such a high settlement, for what seems a very small mistake. However, it is a matter of public concern when a Lakewood police officer is involved in a fatal shooting. We need to know all the details, and we need to know what action the City and its police department are taking.

Arthur West, whoever he might be, should be congratulated for bringing the City of Lakewood to account.

Susanna Keilman is a Republican, and she is standing for State Representative, Position 2, in the 28th Legislative District.

The Tacoma News Tribune was not particulary impressed by Susanna Keilman, on account of her declining to be interviewed:

Unfortunately, while voters and the TNT’s Editorial Board would have benefitted from a spirited conversation amongst all three candidates in this race, Keilman declined an invitation to participate in the endorsement process. If Keilman moves on to the general election this fall, we hope she’ll rethink her strategy and realize the importance of the public exchange of ideas and the responsibility to reach beyond one’s base.

You would have thought that Susanna Keilman would have welcomed the opportunity to get some extra coverage, especially as she has raised close to $100,000 for her election campaign, including $50 from Paul Wagemann, a Clover Park School District Board member.

In June Paul Wagemann was censured by the Board, for “harassing, intimidating and bullying the district’s superintendent“.

The superintendant, Ron Banner, was quoted as follows by The Tacoma News Tribune:

Paul Wagemann is part of a community group with an overtly racist agenda, and I am being subjected to heightened scrutiny by him due to my race, and due to my leadership and support of equity and inclusion for our students and staff in the school district…

On June 13 Susanna Keilman attended a meeting of the board of Clover Park School District. Paul Wagemann was the main subject of public comments, and this was a chance for the budding politician to make her point. She could have made a spirited defence of her $50  supporter. Or perhaps she could have made an eloquent critique of critical race theory.

And guess what she said? Wait for it…

I’d like to yield my time to J… Healy, please.

That was it, Susanna? Is this the kind of response we want from someone who is standing for political office? Who has raised around $100,000 for her campaign? She yields her time to someone else?  Who is she going to yield her time to if she gets elected?

But perhaps it didn’t matter what she said. Susanna Keilman attended a highly charged meeting, and was making it clear to her supporters which side of the fence she stands on.

Lakewood’s de-annexation from the Pierce County Library System is moving onto the agenda. This would be the process by which Lakewood stops contributing it tax dollars to the Library System, and becomes responsible for its own libraries. However, we mustn’t get too excited – right now council members are lukewarm about the idea. 

At the Council’s study session on Monday, July 25 2022, the issue of de-annexation was raised by the City Manager, John Caulfield. He wanted to know what action the City should take.

Council member Anderson said he would like good “back of the envelope” numbers before making a decision, though he suspected that he it would be too expensive. Indeed, he indicted that he would not be supporting de-annexation:

I would like to make an informed decision when I vote no…

This raises the issue of what Donald Anderson will be voting against. The most likely route to de-annexation would be the City voting for a resolution, which would be put to the people of Lakewood at a general election (RCW 27.12.380).

So is Donald Anderson saying that he doesn’t want to give voters the choice? Or is he referring to the alternative route to de-annexation (RCW 27.12.355), where there is no popular vote, and both the City Council and the library system’s trustees agree to an amicable divorce? Or am I over-interpreting his use of the word “when”?

However, I don’t want to be too critical of Donald Anderson. He is clearly unhappy with the way Pierce County Library System has been treating the City of Lakewood. And because of his influence on the Council, he is in a position to make de-annexation happen.

Council Member Michael Brandstetter seemed to be supportive of Donald Anderson’s view, as was Paul Bocchi.

Linda Farmer appeared unsympathetic to de-annexation, saying

I don’t know that we [the City] want to be in the library business…

Of course there are many ways of running a City’s libraries, and one needs to look at how other cites run their libraries. There could be a Lakewood Library System, acting as a municipal body. There could also be the Puyallup model, where Puyallup Public Library is run by a board, appointed by the City Manager.

In spite of council members’ doubts, the Council is going to get more information about the viability of de-annexation, and they are not dismissing the idea out of hand.

That’s progress.

The Panthers – the Panther Party of Washington and the Black Panther Party of Washington – are some of Lakewood’s unsung heroes. They are heavily involved in volunteering and charity work, and they campaign against injustice – whether it is homelessness, racism or environmental destruction.

The Panthers regularly make comments at Lakewood council meetings, either in person or through Zoom.

The July 18, 2022 meeting was a particular challenge. Those wanting to make public comments had to sit through 90 minutes of presentations.

These presentations covered topics such as tiny homes for the homeless and the provision of pro bono legal services for people in rental accommodation.

Yet 90 minutes was way too long, and I suspect that few people at the meeting had the attention span to fully follow the seemingly endless presentations.

Council member Patti Belle started eating during the presentations, and at one stage council member Linda Farmer shifted herself from a sitting to a standing position.

Yet another reason why Linda might want to shift from being a Lakewood council member to being Pierce County Auditor.

Fortunately Docere Pharmakis, Minister of Information of the Panther Party of Washington, was paying attention. On Zoom, all the way from Pullman, on the other side of the State.

He reminded us of Jonathan Swift’s 1729 essay, “A modest proposal”. It is a piece of satire, which suggested that one could cure poverty in Ireland by eating the poor, or at least their offspring:

Supposing that one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for infants flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings, I compute that Dublin would take off annually about twenty thousand carcasses; and the rest of the kingdom (where probably they will be sold somewhat cheaper) the remaining eighty thousand.

Docere Pharmakis didn’t advocate the eating of children. Just the homeless. This would kill two birds with one stone – you would get rid of the homeless and also provide a local source of meat, at a time of sky-rocketing prices. As he put it:

…we can simply slaughter them [the homeless] and put them on the shelves for consumption and feed the people in our communities…

However, if you’re worried about food prices, there is an alternative. French revolutionary Pierre-Gaspard Chaumette, in 1793, stated

Quand le peuple n’aura plus rien à manger, il mangera le riche.

In English,

When the people shall have no more to eat, they will eat the rich.

Bon appétit.

Aries (Mar 20 – Apr 19) Your financial situation is moving into new territory, for better or for worse.  Indeed over the next couple of weeks facts will emerge, that you need to take on board.  But whatever happens, you’ve got a choice.  You can be honest with yourself or you can look the other way.  If you deal with the situation in a mature and decisive way the future looks good. But just because you’re decisive doesn’t mean you’ll get instant results.

Taurus (Apr 20 – May 20) It’s clear that something isn’t moving – it should have moved, but it won’t budge.  Don’t force it.  Instead work round the problem, at least in the short term.  Later on, when the situation has improved, you can be more decisive.  And while you’re waiting it might be a good idea to do some clearing up.  Bear in mind also that Mars is moving towards a conjunction to Uranus. Things are getting less stable, but there are going to be ways for Taureans to leverage the chaos.

Gemini (May 21 – Jun 20) You know that you don’t know everything, and if there are holes in your knowledge then you have a great opportunity to plug them.  It could be very simple.  Surfing the internet, or reading a few chapters of a book.  At the same time there’s something important that you’ve forgotten to do.  You get another chance to sort the matter out. On a different note, someone close to you is in the process of changing their mind – at least for the moment.

Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 21) Ditch the old, bring in the new!  And I’m thinking particularly about other people.  You can’t hang out with the same crowd for ever, and you can’t deny yourself the excitement of new contacts.  So think about your social environment, and be ready to make some adjustments.  Elsewhere, there is a New Moon in the finance sector of your solar chart. There are going to be changes, and you need to make sure that you’re ready for them. Read the small print, and don’t be afraid of talking things through.

Leo (Jul 22 – Aug 22) Your creativity can move into new areas – but are you ready to take the risk?  You can’t divorce your talents from your feelings, and when you’re emotional you create your best work.  However once you get a good idea, don’t shout about it – because right now secrecy is the key.  I should also say that just because you have given up on something, it doesn’t mean that it’s a lost cause. The idea might have been right, but the time might have been wrong. If you’re working, machinery and technology could be more trouble than they are worth.

Virgo (Aug 23 – Sep 20) At some level you want to redefine who you are, and this might mean returning to your roots.  So perhaps it’s time to think of the past rather than the future.  Yet if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll know what you’re comfortable with, and you’ll be able to act accordingly. And time spent alone, far from the madding crowd, could be time well spent. It might also be a good idea to consider spiritual matters – and that means putting your ego to one side, and recognizing that self and property are just passing phases.

Libra (Sep 21 – Oct 21) This week there is a New Moon, in a very sociable part of your horoscope. Now is a time to focus on your social life, and to make new friends. However, with Jupiter starting to go retrograde, at a time when Mars is making a conjunction to Uranus, you can’t be friends with everyone. Indeed, it may be necessary to match every greeting with a farewell. A person who loses their temper too many times isn’t worth the effort.

Scorpio (Oct 22 – Nov 21) Recently you’ve been clearing up things from the past and it’s been difficult for you to focus on the future.  However you can now spread your wings and start moving into new areas.  Something you said might have to be corrected – in this light don’t be too proud to admit your mistakes. In terms of relationships you are starting to feel the influence of a conjunction between Mars and Uranus. Agreement is difficult to find, and it may be that something has to give.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 20) This week there is a New Moon, which is expansive and forward-thinking. You were looking down when should have been looking up.  When you look at the ground right up close you see nothing, when you look at the sky, and all its many possibilities, you see everything.  So think about your philosophy on life, and also your spirituality.  Things are good but they could be better – if you had the right guiding principles.  A change of scene can bring a change of luck.

Capricorn (Dec 21 – Jan 18) You’re ready to do something, when all of a sudden you have second thoughts.  It’s unusual behavior, but your caution is almost certainly justified.  Things are complicated, and it might be a couple of weeks before you’re ready to take the plunge.  In your career the clouds are parting, and you start to understand your wider role. But can you handle it? Practicality on its own might not be enough – you might also have to be wildly creative. At home, ambitious plans may have to shelved until Christmas.

Aquarius (Jan 19 – Feb 18) In your love life there are things going on, which you might not be immediately aware of.  If you’re in a relationship, the dynamic might be slowly changing; if you’re a single Taurus, someone new could be arriving on the scene.  But whatever happens, don’t hold onto your emotions too tightly. While all this is going on, some Aquarians might have to row back on their messages. Things used to be clear, but it doesn’t take long for commitments to become liabilities.

Pisces (Feb 19 – Mar 19) Don’t read too much into other people’s actions.  Just because someone is being secretive, and doesn’t want to talk, doesn’t mean that they’re being unfriendly.  Everyone goes through phases, and you just need to work with the ebb and flow of the human personality.  While all this is going, Jupiter is coming to a standstill. Jupiter, rather than Neptune, is your ruling planet, and things are going to slow down – especially in terms of finance. Perhaps you need to hold back on a purchase or a project, until your financial situation has clarified.

There are three candidates for Pierce County Auditor: Daryl McCarty, Damon Townsend, and Linda Farmer. Looking at the voters’ pamphlet, Daryl McCarty and Damon Townsend have considerable experience in running elections. Linda Farmer doesn’t have their experience, and appears not to be qualified for the job. If you are a progressive or neutral, vote for Damon Townsend. If you are a conservative, vote for Deryl McCarty.

Thank you Amelia Escobedo, for pointing out that Lakewood’s Republican mayor Jason Whalen has just endorsed Linda Farmer for Pierce County Auditor.

He kind of had to, given that in 2020 Slippery Linda, a supposed Democrat, endorsed him in his failed bid to get onto Pierce County Council.

Slippery Linda’s endorsement of Jason Whalen was a betrayal of the Democrat doorbellers who worked so hard to get her elected to Lakewood City Council in 2019.

And now Slippery Linda is demonstrating that she is a self-seeking user of the people of Lakewood. They elected her, and even though her term has over a year to run she is moving on to other things. Is she planning on doing a Sarah Palin, who resigned as Governor of Alaska before her term was over?

Slippery Linda has gotten what she wanted from Lakewood, including an endorsement from its mayor. Now she wants to move onwards and upwards, to a job that pays $145,650.82 a year.

If by some misfortune Slippery Linda does get elected, one would hope that she takes her job more seriously than her current elected role, as Lakewood council member. She wrote on her Linkedin profile that

In my spare time, I serve on the Lakewood City Council.

Yes, it is a part-time job, but something she does in her spare time? Along with gardening, basket-weaving and supporting Seahawks? Is it such a minor role that it can be trivialized as a spare time activity?

Maybe if Slippery Linda had take the job more seriously, and less of a spare time activity, she would have questioned why Michael Wiley, Michael Zaro, and  Brian Markert weren’t fired from the Lakewood Police Department after the Leonard Thomas killing?

Maybe Slippery Linda would have noticed that hundreds of Garry oaks were under threat in Springbrook, Woodbrook, and Sylvan Park at the former Oakwood school property?

Maybe she would have thought for herself, rather than meekly deferring to current mayor Jason Whalen and former mayor Donald Anderson?

We saw this when council member Michael Brandstetter suggested that the Garry oak becomes Lakewood’s City’s tree. Slippery Linda turned her back on Lakewood’s environmental heritage, by saying

I would like a little bit more information about what it would mean to designate a city tree, to Council member Anderson’s point. What would happen if we needed to cut one down…?

What guarantee do the voters of Pierce County have that Slippery Linda won’t also trivialize the job of Pierce County Auditor? Is it going to be another spare time activity?

What guarantee do the voters of Pierce County have that Slippery Linda won’t use them – like she used the people of Lakewood?

It should also be pointed out that if Slippery Linda is elected Pierce County Auditor, and if she does a Sarah Palin and vacates her seat on Lakewood City Council, Jason Whalen and the council will get to choose her replacement.

The last time they chose a replacement, they went for Patti Belle, who has shown herself to be far and away Lakewood’s most ineffective council member. We certainly don’t want them choosing another Patti Belle.

The voters of Pierce County will hopefully see through Slippery Linda, and not make the mistake that Lakewood voters made in 2019 when they elected her.

Keep Slippery Linda in Lakewood, let her sit out her term on the city council. Then the City of Lakewood can be the final resting place of her ill-starred and self-seeking political career.

Columbia Lily, Roy, WA

Twice a week I have been pulling Scotch broom in Roy, Washington. You can’t cut it, because it just grows back, and poisoning isn’t eco. So you have to pull it out, either by hand or with a lever.

For this year, we’ve done all we can do. The Scotch broom has already flowered, so now one has to contend with the seed pods. One plant can produce 10,000 seeds, which survive 60-80 years in the soil. In other words, you should pull in the spring, before it starts flowering.

And now a new batch of plants are flowering. Daisies and dandelions, and also some orange flowers, which look like hanging pumpkins. They are very attractive, and are part of the lily family. Specifically, Lilium columbianum, or the Columbia Lily, or tiger lily.

The Columbia Lily is native to the Western United States and Canada. Perhaps we can see more of them, if and when the Scotch broom ever gets cleared.