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Portland Is Not for Everyone - But It Might Be for You

Here’s a good long look at what day-to-day life in Portland, Oregon really feels like.

(SALEM, Ore.) - There’s something about Portland that gets under people’s skin. Some come for the trees and stay for the coffee. It’s not easy to explain why Portland draws people in— but the city does. It has that kind of personality.

How Fair Was It to Label Hamas Terrorists?

The decision has led to unspeakable consequences for the innocent

(LONDON, UK) - So Hamas have finally got around to appealing the UK Government branding their political wing a "terrorist organisation".

In their legal submission, they say "the proscription has hindered the group's ability to broker a political solution to the conflict... and undermined the possibility of a peaceful settlement".

Cannabis Dispensaries and Medical Patients at Risk

A modification to the MCA (2014) has opened the door for federal interference in state medical cannabis programs.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Cannabis advocates, warriors & champions. Be aware! The rights that we have fought for, marched for and campaigned for are slipping through our fingers.

As we rest on our laurels where cannabis is legal recreationally, the evils of prohibition continue to lurk, and it is medical patients that take the hit.

Closing Gitmo in the American Heart

If you want to be a great national leader, this is step one: Create an enemy.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Gitmo, of course!! It’s the freest place “we” have – by which I mean the American government, a.k.a. Donald Trump. No rules apply there, be they international humanitarian law or the U.S. Constitution.

It’s a dumping ground, a black hole.

The Promise of America and the Demise of Foreign Aid

An American man, Volker Franke, has been directing an innovative aid program in Liberia, a country that is resource-rich and in general loves America. The program was just ended by Elon Musk.

(Portland, Ore.) - Dreams shattered. Hopes crushed. Visions for a better future destroyed. Possibilities replaced with anguish, anxiety and fear.

All with the stroke of a sharpie.

2025: Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Here comes a new year. We are about to transition from a bumbling elderly president's administration to a chaotic malignant elderly narcissist's attempt at autocracy. What could possibly go wrong?

But also, what could go right?

Two Wars with No Way Out

Hamas is legitimized and strengthened every time Israel demonstrates its opposition to an independent Palestinian state.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - People involved in conflict resolution often say that every war must end. Most wars do end- in some fashion...

No One Owns the Future

Condemning “war crimes” is nothing more than a shrug.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Even the international condemnation of the Israeli devastation of Gaza often feels tepid.

Noting that a total of 196 aid workers have so far been killed in Gaza’s six months of bombardment and starvation, Guterres said: “This is unconscionable. But it is an inevitable result of the way the war is being conducted.”

The Ugly Origins of Trump`s America First Policy

The racist roots and anti-Semitic foundations of Trump's rhetoric.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - When Trump revived the “America First” slogan, the Anti-Defamation League urged him to reconsider, pointing to the slogan’s bigoted and pro-Nazi history.

But Trump has continued to invoke “America First” in his statements.
Why?

A One-State Solution Could Transform the World

This is the language of peace. It transcends the small-mindedness of global politics.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Probably fewer ideas are treated with more contempt in today’s world than... ahem: a one-state solution for Palestine and Israel, with, good God, every resident equally valued, equally free.

“Snort! No one wants this! It’s not possible — it’s not true!”