I was doing a little reading for the course I’m teaching this quarter and I came across this in a description of a trip across Oregon ( Read more... )

I resurrected dead people ( Read more... )

About a year ago, I presented a paper on a California Indian named José Peña. Peña caught my attention when he elected to join the all-white temperance society in Lockeford, California, circa 1860. How, I wondered, did an Indian end up being elected by the all-white membership to one of the leading organizations in this community. I suggested it ( Read more... )

My friend roberr works for California's Courage Campaign and he just drafted a petition aimed at opening up next week'd federal trail over gay marriage to television coverage. You can read about it, and sign the petition at www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/TeleviseTheTrial. The case, regardless of its outcome, is widely expected to go to the U.S. Supreme ( Read more... )

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So what do the sounds of protest sound like?

Well, if its a marriage equity protest, it sounds like this. It was recorded during today's Day of Decision rally marking the California Supreme Court's decision on Prop 8 and in support of marriage equity in Washington.

A long time ago, I covered state and local government for a variety of local newspapers. I watched, year, after year, as government, under the slowly swinging axe of Prop. 13 made cut after cut into vital social services and things like parks and libraries and shifted the tax burden to the "user" through fees. I saw politicians forced into funding ( Read more... )

An entry in the minutes from the 1881 W. C. T. U. minutes gives me a little thrill as it reveals what may be the first tribal W. C. T. U. established:

"The summing up gives, as published in OUR UNION, fifty points reached in fourteen States, and in addition Indian Territory, where Mrs. Emeline Tuttle has led so many of the tribes to know the ( Read more... )

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This is pretty remarkable when you think about it: In a day where public funding os being slashed, when landowners along the coast are figuring out way to defeat public policy and restrict access the coast (something I've discovered that Washingtonians have perfected), California, working with the federal government has managed to open up four ( Read more... )