June 27, 2003
A Note On Stepping Down From My Other Project
Many readers here know that for many months I have also been an organizer for the Portland Bill of Rights Defense Committee, whose goal is to convince the Portland City Council to pass a resolution in protest of laws such as the USA PATRIOT Act and reaffirming our commitment to civil rights and liberties (as more than 100 other communities across the United States have done).
While I have never had a philosphical problem with engaging in what might be termed hobbyist journalism while simultaneously being involved in local activism -- and have endeavored, in fact, to keep separate the various contacts obtained from each -- I am taking this opportunity to announce that beginning July 1, I will no longer be affiliated with the PDX BoRDC.
The reasons for this decision in essence boil down to two: Feeling that I have nothing new to contribute to the PDX BoRDC organization; and the increasing "success" -- in terms of readership and the continuing development of my writing -- of the site you are reading right now.
Since I am stepping down from my direct activism, I feel comfortable in pointing readers here to the upcoming community forum on civil liberties which the Portland Bill of Rights Defense Committee helped to organize.
This coming Monday, June 30, from 7:00 to 10:00 PM, at the First Unitarian Church in downtown Portland, a panel will discuss the interplay between civil liberties and homeland security, to be followed by an opportunity for audience questions. Participating in the panel discussion will be David Fidanque, Executive Director of the ACLU of Oregon; Charles Mathews III, retired Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon; Shahriar Ahmed, President of the Bilal Mosque Association; Bernie Sanders, Multnomah County Sheriff; and Hope Marston, Co-Organizer of the Lane County Bill of Rights Defense Committee.
Following this event, I officially will no longer be working with the Portland Bill of Rights Defense Committee, and all of my "hobby" energies will be devoted to The One True b!X's PORTLAND COMMUNIQUE. So if for some strange reason you're curious to know what I'm like as an activist, this Monday evening if your last chance to find out.