DeLaura Who?

The other day I was talking to someone who has lived here in Astoria for 20 years, and she had no clue that DeLaura Beach in Warrenton is really a beach, as in ocean front property. She couldn't figure out what the fuss was about the Clatsop County Commissioners trying to sell it to the highest bidder instead of just keeping it as part of the county or selling it to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

No, I'm not making this up. I was astounded. I had to go to the computer, dredge up a map of the property and show her.

Then she was astounded.

Which made me wonder how many more people there are out there in Clatsop County who have no clue what a treasure this piece of land is, and how important it is that it remain as public land.

Just take a look:

DeLaura Beach

I can only hope that the recall of commissioner Richard Lee is successful, and it rattles three of the other commissioners enough to think twice about what they're doing.

They have a responsibility to pay attention to what their constituents want, although they appear to be willfully ignorant, and willfully intransigent. They need a wake-up call.

Selling one of Clatsop County's legacies to the highest bidder is totally unacceptable.

Ballot Blues

Ah, the election. I am so almighty sick of the election, and it's still a few weeks away.

I don't know what annoys me more ... the district attorney trying to gull the county into paying him a "stipend" (when he's a state employee) with Measure 4-123, or the fact that he's publicly whining about an $85K a year salary. If he doesn't want it, I'll take it. I think I could manage pretty well on $85K a year. And without whining.

While I think of it, hey, if he doesn't think he gets paid enough here, he's welcome to go somewhere else where they have real elections. Whoops, maybe that's why he's digging his heels in so deep here ... he might not be interested in having to compete against others to get elected.

And this ridiculous blather that his proponents keep saying ... that he's been "re-elected" several times. It's kinda like the tree that fell in the forest ... has he ever really been "elected" since, as I recall, he was appointed to begin with, and nobody ever runs against him? Hell, even if he and his wife were the only ones voting for him, he'd get the job. Call me silly, but it's hardly a resounding vote of confidence when you win after not running against anyone.

Oh yikes (!), the paranoia. Some lady gives some money for the opponents of the district attorney's measure and you'd think the world was coming to an end.

What happened to privacy? This really reeks. I, who normally don't give a shit about such things, am repulsed by the threatening air about the whole tawdry mess. Donate against the cause of the D.A.'s stipend and your ass will be dragged through the press, and you and your donation will be investigated. Ugh.

And that damn cigarette tax, Measure 50. I don't even smoke any more, but sin taxes piss me off on general principle. Not to mention, all that bullshit about the money going to children's health insurance. Oh hell, it's one of the oldest scams in the book ... pass the tax, raise the money, and hire more administrators to figure out how to spend the money they no longer have because they're paying a shitload more useless administrators.

I don't know anyone who knows what the hell Measure 49 is about, really. But if there's the slightest chance it can stop the Californication of Clatsop County, I'm all for it.

Too bad we can't bypass the sell-out commissioners and have the citizens vote on LNG. Now that would be interesting.

Speaking of LNG, I hear through the grapevine that someone has defaced a Bradwood Landing sign between Svensen and Knappa. I'm certainly not in favor of defacing property, but I am wondering if perhaps it's a sign that a whole new element of the population is waking up to the ugly threat LNG poses.

I've already turned in my ballot. Now comes the waiting.

Stickin' it to the Hicks

Just when I thought there was a chance that the majority of the Clatsop County planning commissioners might forsake being dodos ...

After reading today's article in The Daily Astorian about the commission's preliminary approval of NorthernStar's Bradwood Landing LNG plans, any hope of the majority of them having anything more than a "geranium in the cranium" became moot.

Worse yet, the dodos have morphed into ostriches. They have planted their thoughtless little heads firmly up their asses. Is it possible they were forward-thinking enough to realize there won't be any decent ground left in Clifton or Bradwood to bury their heads in once LNG moves in?

However ... thanks and appreciation should be bestowed on the three commissioners who showed common sense and care for the future of the river, its surrounding communities, and future generations. It is regretful they are outnumbered by morons.

I digress. Has anyone thought about why the sudden change of heart for those who recklessly approved moving forward with this project? It's so fishy the salmon would hold their noses if they could. Yet they must simply be naive rubes. Nobody wants to think their palms have been crossed with silver.

Some otherwise sensible people think LNG is going to be a good thing. Have they ever been to Clifton? Putting an LNG facility in there is like hawking a big one, and spitting it smack in Mother Nature's face.

Right now, those big ol' corporate stiffs at NorthernStar must be shooting their cuffs and laughing their asses off about how well they're progressing on the "Stickin' it to the Hicks" project.

It's more than embarrasing. It's a fucking shame.