Hope for the Homeless

03/12/2024

Port Townsend touts safe place for illegals

By Peninsula Daily News

PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend City Council unanimously approved a “Welcoming City” resolution, which reaffirms city practices that mirrors those in cities like Seattle and Olympia, which are called sanctuary cities.

Council members said there is no legal definition of a “sanctuary city,” so the council refrained from using the word “sanctuary” in the resolution in its approval of the resolution on Monday night.

The resolution says that local law enforcement will not detain people based solely on their immigration status and will not assist federal customs or border agencies.

The resolution puts the city at risk of losing federal funds because of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January.

The order threatens to withhold federal funds from cities and counties that don’t comply with 8 U.S.C 1373, which prohibits local law enforcement from restricting information on undocumented immigrants from federal Immigration and Naturalization Services.

“We’re not trying to violate federal law here,” said Councilman David Faber.

“What we’re really trying to do here is make sure public safety is the paramount focus of our police department with the limited amount of resources we have here.”

According to the resolution, the Port Townsend Police Department will not detain or arrest anyone based on immigration or citizenship status unless the police are responding to a federal criminal warrant.

Police also will not comply with, or assist with, warrants administered by Immigration of Customs Enforcement or any Customs and Boarder agencies of the Department of Homeland Security.

02/10/2023

Homeless settle in around Jefferson Courthouse

10/31/2022

10/15/2022

Meger News

Two giant grocers agree to merger that would ripple through WA

Two of the nation’s largest grocers have agreed to merge in a deal that would mean that the Northwest’s largest grocery chains — Kroger’s QFC and Fred Meyer stores, and Albertsons’ eponymous chain as well as Safeway — would be owned by a single company.

09/18/2022

Fund Raisers and Events for the Marcia Kelbon Campaign

Saturday September 17 - Quilcene Fair and Parade! We'll have a booth at the fair (10:00-3:00) and march in the parade (which starts at 11:00). It would be great to have some folks join our group in the parade if you are available!

Sunday September 18 - motorcycles and then BBQ! A group of Jefferson County motorcycle enthusiasts and campaign supporters will ride a loop starting at Four Corners at the gas station (KSU @ 11:00) and will ride from there to Chimacum, Quilcene, Disco Bay and back. Join us if you ride! Then from 1:00 to 4:00 all are welcome at a BBQ at 4795 S Discovery Road, Port Townsend (just off the four corners intersection). Games, music and BBQ ($0-$25), plus a chance to talk and have questions answered. For comfort, please bring a folding chair.

Monday September 19 - Brinnon Boosters Club Forum, 7:00-9:00, 151 Corey Lane, Brinnon

Tuesday September 20 - Marrowstone Garden Club Forum, Garden Club Road, 6:00-8:30, candidates start at 6:30, State Rep, Sheriff and Commissioner candidates. Short presentation and Q&A opportunities, each candidate will have 5 minutes to speak and 5 minutes shared Q&A. Masks required.

Hope to see you! Marcia

06/27/2022

Breaking News

High school football coach scores big win at Supreme Court over post-game prayer

The Supreme Court handed a big win to a former Washington high school football coach who lost his job over reciting a prayer on the 50-yard line after games.

At issue was whether a public school employee praying alone but in view of students was engaging in unprotected "government speech," and if it is not government speech, does it still pose a problem under the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the answer to both questions is no.
Joe Kennedy was a junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach with the Bremerton School District in Washington from 2008 to 2015. He began the practice of reciting a post-game prayer by himself, but eventually students started joining him. According to court documents, this evolved into motivational speeches that included religious themes. After an opposing coach brought it to the principal's attention, the school district told Kennedy to stop. He did, temporarily, then notified the school that he would resume the practice.

04/22/2022

Vote!

03/13/2022

Most Democrats Say They’d Flee, Not Fight, a Ukraine-Style Invasion

Wall Street Journal

A liberal is someone too broad-minded to take his own side in a quarrel. That old joke rushed to mind as I read the results this week of a Quinnipiac University survey indicating that, well, it isn’t really a joke. There are more sunshine patriots in our midst than anyone realized.

The pollster asked: What would you do if you were in the same position as Ukrainians are now, stay and fight or leave the country? Shockingly, more than half of Democrats (52%) said they would cut and run if the U.S. homeland were invaded. We aren’t talking about women and children, or even some cadre of pacifists and conscientious objectors. This is most Democrats saying they’d rather leave America than defend it. Only a pathetic 40% said they would stick around.

Republicans did better. More than two-thirds (68%) said they would stand their ground. This could be a reflection of the partisan skew in the nation’s distribution of small arms. But 1 in 4 Republicans said they’d flee—not exactly the don’t-tread-on-me spirit I was expecting.

What in the hell has happened to this country? One can hardly imagine Americans of yesteryear exhibiting such high levels of yellow-bellyism. Where have all the Minutemen gone? The Molly Pitchers? The Audie Murphys? The Todd Beamers?

In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and 9/11, when the nation was on its knees, the call was answered without hesitation by rock-ribbed Republicans and true-blue Democrats alike. Even the turbulent Vietnam era didn’t inspire such pusillanimity. Between 1964 and 1973, 2.2 million Americans were conscripted into military service. Another 15 million were granted deferments for one reason or another. Less than 2% of those who were eligible for the draft opted to evade it, either by going underground or emigrating. Some of them considered the war unjust. Say what you want about the merits of that argument, at least it was an argument.

This, on the other hand, is abject cowardice—at best. The conflict hypothesized by the Quinnipiac pollsters wasn’t a war for oil or empire. Poll respondents were asked to envision a foreign invader on their own front porch. Imagine Vladimir Putin has sent his shock troops to level your hometown, to occupy your high school and drop a missile on the hospital where you were born. If you won’t fight for hearth and home, what would you fight for?

The only appropriate response here is disgust. Making matters worse, the 52 percenters had the option to lie. It would have cost them nothing to say, “Yeah, I’m a patriot. I’ll stay and fight.” That suggests they put antipathy toward their country above the near-universal human impulse not to look like a quisling.

Being born an American is about the luckiest thing that could happen to a person. Sure, we have issues. Yes, Jan. 6 was bad. But government of the people, by the people, for the people, is still a rare thing. It’s still worth fighting for.

I never thought I’d live to see the day half of Democrats would toss the whole country to the wolves if given the chance.

02/20/2022

Jefferson County Washington

Water Street, Port Townsend 1862

02/17/2022

BREAKING NEWS

Inslee: Washington’s mask requirements for schools and retail businesses to lift March 21 as COVID-19 recedes for the moment

Washington’s COVID-19 mask requirements will lift March 21 for schools, child care facilities, grocery stores, bars, gyms and a host of other indoor establishments, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday.

11/04/2021

Thanksgiving Dinner