Port Townsend Free Press

The Bernie Problem by Scott Hogenson I like Bernie Sanders. He’s something of an anomaly in American politics because he’s one of the most honest politicians on the scene, not just today but going back decades. It took a lot of courage for Sanders to declare himself a Socialist when running for mayor of Burlington, Vermont in 1981 .   H e went on to win four terms in that office. By the time I moved to Vermont in 1989, Sanders was already a political legend in the state because with Bernie Sanders, what you see is what you get .   I respect that.   But Bernie Sanders is making things uncomfortable for Jefferson County Democrats. Like many of their fellow believers nationally, they belong to a party in search of an identity and message .   T he local political landscape makes that exponentially more difficult. It’s no stretch to call today’s Jefferson County Democrat Party the party of Bernie. In the county’s 2016 president...

DEMOCRAT HOUSE INCUMBENTS CRUSHING REPUBLICAN CHALLENGERS IN FUNDRAISING GOP Hopes for Turning the Peninsula Red Face Money Problems By Jim Scarantino Inspired by the historic victory of Republican Jim Walsh in the 19 th Legislative District, the Washington House Republican Caucus has visions of the rest of the Olympic Peninsula turning red.   Democrats with the advantage of incumbency stand in the way, armed with a huge cash advantage. Republican Jim McEntire, a former Clallam County Commissioner, is challenging four-term incumbent Democrat Steve Tharinger for the Steve Tharinger 24 th District Position 2 seat in the House of Representatives.   McEntire failed in 2010 to beat Tharinger in the Democrat’s inaugural run for the legislature.   Tharinger is also a former Clallam County Commissioner and chairs the powerful House budget committee. Jodi Wilke, a nurse, is in her first political run against incumbent Mike Chapman for the other 24...

HAAS FACES SECOND COMPLAINT Prosecutor's Odd Response Repeats Charge He Let A Serial Rapist Go Free Jefferson County Prosecutor Michael Haas has been hit with another complaint for unlawful use of his office in his campaign for re-election.  While the alleged infraction may be minor, Haas' response reveals an incumbent chafing under scrutiny and brings to the fore a more troubling issue. This profile photo for the Re-Elect Haas for Prosecutor Facebook page has landed him in hot water. On June 7, 2018, Gary Maxfield of Port Townsend filed a complaint with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission alleging that the use of this photograph in Haas' campaign violated RCW 42.17A.555 .   That law prohibits an elected public official such as Haas from using "any facilities of a public office" for the purpose of assisting a campaign for elective office. "Facilities of a public office" include "office space." You can read Maxfield's brief...

Vintage Auto Art Around the County Photos by Kara Kellogg

Do Black Lives Matter When It Comes To Green Cars? B y Jim Scarantino Electric cars run on the suffering of Black children living like slaves.  Amnesty International exposed this painful truth in 2016.  You can read their report by clicking on its title, " This is What We Die For ." Most of the world's cobalt comes from the Congo.  Lots of cobalt is needed for electric car batteries. Its production is controlled by warlords and corrupt government officials.  They are getting rich off children who dig and haul and wash cobalt in hellish conditions.  A subsequent Sky News television report ( click here ) is heartbreaking and infuriating.   A handful of Chinese corporations control Congo's cobalt production.  These Chinese corporations supply Chinese and South Korean battery makers who produce most of the world's rechargeable lithium batteries.   Those batteries are used in cell phones, lap tops and scores of electronic devices.  ...

Lights in the Darkness by Jim Scarantino The young man was dead. He lay on his back, eyes open, skin the color of ash, no sign of breathing.  It looked like he had fallen off a new Cannondale road bike.  The bike--carbon fiber, electric transmission, high-end wheels--was on his chest.   He wore earbuds for a cell phone tucked inside his clothing.  What looked like prison tats scrolled from his wrists and disappeared under his shirt. A bottle of Jim Beam Apple Whiskey nested in the backpack's side pocket. The Port Townsend police officer shone a bright light into the young man's eyes.  No reaction.  No blinking, no change in the pupils. The young man under the expensive bike wasn't breathing. "Hey!" the officer shouted.  "Are you all right?"  He shouted it again. No response.  The young man was dead. I said a silent prayer.  Sadness crossed the officer's face. "Whah?" From death the young man spoke and the officer mo...