Decolonize This! is the 2013 Annual Environmental Justice Conference on Saturday May 18 at the UO. Topics will highlight food justice, decolonization, and free trade vs free, prior and informed consent of indigenous nations concerning fossil fuels. The conference is free and donations are welcomed, organizers say.

Speaker Jewell Praying Wolf James is a master carver of totems or healing poles displayed around the world, more of his work can be seen here.

The event will also feature a performance by Kayla Godowa-Tufti, activist, performer and columnist for EW. Here she is, performing as Tribal Thought:

Efforts to save Waldo Lake may be paying off for clean water enthusiasts and lovers of Oregon's lakes and forests. A bill has passed in both the Senate and House in the Oregon Leglislature that would ban float planes from landing on the lake. Removing polluting motors from the pristine lake has been a conentious issue with efforts by the Forest Service, conservationists and others fought at every step. The bill now gets sent to Gov. John Kitzhaber to sign into law.

Here is the info from the Sierra Club:

Oregon Legislature Protects Waldo Lake

Passes Law Banning Motorboats and Sea Planes on one of the purest lakes in the World

(SALEM, OR) —Voting 37 to 20 during a late morning session on Monday, the Oregon House of Representatives passed SB 602-A, banning the use of motorboats and seaplanes on Waldo Lake in central Oregon. This action follows last month's 18-11 passage of the bill by the Oregon Senate. The legislation was introduced by Senator Floyd Prozanski and Representative Paul Holvey, and will now be sent to Governor Kitzhaber, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

Located near Oakridge, Waldo Lake is Oregon's second deepest lake and rivals Crater Lake and Russia's Lake Baikal as one of the three purest lakes in the world. The lake is so clear that boaters on its surface can look down nearly 150 feet and discern the lake's bottom (giving one the impression of floating in outer space).

"Waldo Lake is a unique Oregon treasure," said Brian Pasko, Director of the Sierra Club's Oregon Chapter. "Today's action by the Oregon legislature will protect Waldo Lake's unique ecology and ensure that it is a place for quiet recreation and solitude to be enjoyed by Oregonians for generations to come."

Passage of SB 602-A reaffirms a 2012 decision of the Oregon Marine Board prohibiting the use of motorized watercraft on Waldo Lake except for boats using electric motors and traveling under 10mph. The decision was made following a lengthy public comment period that engaged over 4000 Oregon citizens in the decision making process, the vast majority of which supported the motorized ban.

Following the Marine Board's decision, the Oregon Aviation Board issued a temporary rule last year allowing sea plane landings on Waldo Lake. The Aviation Board's decision was made contrary to the Marine Board's determination, even though there are many large lakes near Waldo Lake that allow for safe sea plane landings and sea plane recreational opportunities. Passage of SB 602-A resolves the conflicting decisions of these two state agencies.

"Sea planes and motorized boats present a number of environmental risks to Waldo Lake, including an increased potential for the spread of invasive species and pollution of the lake through potential fuel spills, " said Pasko. "However, Waldo Lake is also highly valued by the public as a place for quiet recreation. SB 602-A will protect the public's expectations and support for the current management approach at Waldo Lake."

According to Forest Service surveys, over 75% of visitors agreed that motorized boating negatively impacts their recreational experience at Waldo Lake. Almost 70% of respondents favored only allowing non-motorized boats or electric motors on Waldo Lake, and 86% favored controlling the level of noise from motorized recreation.

The full text of SB 602-A can be found at: http://www.leg.state.or.us/13reg/measpdf/sb0600.dir/sb0602.a.pdf

Now that the Dalai Lama has come and gone, it's time to change the world. You can start doing it one book at a time, so says Gertie the Bookbus.

On Saturday, May 11th from 1-6 pm, Books To The People will hold a Pie and Ice Cream Social and Mother's Day Cookbook Sale at the Westside Christian Church, 1866 Chambers Street (opposite the Bi-Mart parking lot).

Incorporated in 2009, Books To The People is an Oregon nonprofit which sponsors GERTIE THE BOOKBUS, our blue and white repurposed bookmobile which drives around and gives away great books for absolutel free. In addition to the pie and ice cream, our fundraiser will feature music, poetry, tables piled high with cookbooks and wonderful doorprizes. Suggested donation is $10 for individuals and $20 max for families. All proceeds go towards operating expenses (like books and fuel!)

See pics of Gertie at bookstothepeople.org or else look up Books To The People on Facebook. For more information, or to donate books, time, money or pies, call 541-520-9821.

Online and in the May 6, 2013 Sports Illustrated NBA center Jason Collins writes:

I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay. I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand.

For the full first-person story, go to Sports Illustrated's website.

For the backlash, go to ESPN where, according to Think Progress "An ESPN sportscaster went on the air on Monday to publicly gay-bash Jason Collins, the NBA player who came out Monday morning in an emotional op-ed, the first active male player of a major American sport to come out. Speaking on ESPN’s Outside The Lines, Chris Broussard said that he would 'not characterize [Collins] as a Christian.'”

Occupy TV's second episode of the second season features Alternative Radio's David Barsamian and more.

Has former Lane County Commissioner Jack Roberts been improperly forced out of his position as the executive director of the Lane Metro Partnership? An email from Roberts to public officials details what led to him write a letter of resignation on April 8. The email alleges he resigned  in order to maintain funding from the cities of Springfield and Eugene and from Lane County. He writes, "these things are often as much about personality and other people's ambitions as about merit."

Lane Metro is a nonprofit organization that according to its website is "the official source of economic development and business information for Eugene, Springfield and Lane County Oregon." Roberts is also a regular columnist for The Oregonian newspaper.

Roberts also quotes County Administrator Liane Richardson as saying, she would be willing to restore the full $100,000 of funding to Lane Metro but emphasized, "The commissioners won't approve funding for Lane Metro unless there is a change in leadership."  Recent Lane County Commission agendas don't reflect any public discussion of a change in Lane Metro leadership.

Roberts, a Republican who is a former Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries, goes on to express concern that other Lane Metro employees will be terminated and writes "However I do strongly urge you to resist pressure to terminate Phillip or Christina much less to allow outside parties to dictate personnel decisions to you as a board. As a 501(c)(3) organization, this may not even be lawful."

EW has obtained the email written by Roberts that was sent to the board of the Lane Metro Partnership, as well as to the mayor and City Council and other public officials.

Dear Lane Metro Partnership Board Members: In the Register-Guard tomorrow or Wednesday, there will be a story about the Lane Metro Partnership. I¹m not entirely sure what the article will report but as members of the board you are entitled to know the underlying facts before you read about them in the paper.

On March 27 I met with Lane County Administrator Liane Richardson, Eugene City Manager Jon Ruiz and Springfield City Manager Gino Grimaldi. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss whether all three jurisdictions would be willing to continue funding the Lane Metro Partnership at the current level if I resigned as executive director.

Previously, Grimaldi and Richardson had informed me that funding for the Metro Partnership would not be included in their proposed budgets for Springfield and Lane County, respectively. Ruiz indicated that funding would be included in his proposed budget for Eugene and would be utilized for economic development in some other form if the Metro Partnership died due to lack of funding from Springfield and Lane County.

As board members, you understand how tight out budget is and know that without funding from Lane County and Springfield we could not operate through the next year. Consequently, even though neither Grimaldi nor Richardson had initially suggested that I was the reason for their decision not to continue funding the Metro Partnership, I suspected this might be the case and therefore offered to resign if that would make it possible for them to would agree to continue our funding.

At the meeting on March 27, Grimaldi indicated that budgetary conditions did not allow him to restore the full funding of $50,000 a year but said that he could come up with $25,000. Richardson said she would be willing to restore the full $100,000 but emphasized, "The commissioners won't approve funding for Lane Metro unless there is a change in leadership."

No one told me why they wanted me gone or why they were unhappy with my performance. Nonetheless, I've spent enough time in politics and in government to know that these things are often as much about personality and other people's ambitions as about merit. My feeling, both then and now, was that it was better for me to leave than for a 27-year economic development partnership to die. Therefore, I agreed to leave.

I did express concern that my leaving before the budget process was complete could provide ammunition for those who have long opposed the Metro Partnership on principle or otherwise had eyes on our money. What I offered was to write a letter confirming my agreement to leave contingent on the three jurisdictions maintaining their funding for the Metro Partnership for the next fiscal year.

Two days later I received a phone message from Jon Ruiz confirming that Eugene and Lane County would continue their full funding and that Springfield would commit to at least $25,000. Believing that this was the best that could be obtained, I signed three letters dated April 8 that each read as follows:

"Dear Ms. Richardson, Mr. Ruiz and Mr. Grimaldi:

"Pursuant to our previous discussion, I hereby agree to resign my position as the executive director of the Lane Metro Partnership no later than June 30, 2013, contingent upon Lane County and the City of Eugene maintaining their funding for the Lane Metro Partnership for the 2013-14 fiscal year in the amount of $100,000 and $50,000, respectively, and the City of Springfield making a good faith effort to secure at least $25,000 of funding for the same fiscal year."

I then called Jon Ruiz and asked what he wanted me to do with the letters and he asked that I send all of them to him because "Liane said we don't want these floating around in public." I hand delivered all three letters to Jon personally that week.

That is where I believed matters stood until April 11 when I met with Steve Korth, our board president, and John Brown, our immediate past president. At that point I learned that the agreement I thought we had was changed and that apparently someone claiming to represent the three government jurisdictions had approached some board members with a plan for me to leave by May 1 and that Phillip Hudspeth also be terminated. They apparently also informed them that Glenda Poling would be stepping in as the interim director for the Metro Partnership.

I told Steve and John that these terms were never discussed with me and that I could not support either of them. In particular, while I was and am willing to fall on my own sword, I am not prepared to drag Phillip or Christina on the funeral pyre with me. I personally want to apologize to each and every board member for not informing you of my earlier discussions and in particular for not consulting you before signing my letter agreeing to resign. While I honestly believed that I was making a personal sacrifice for the good of the organization I realize now that I was usurping the prerogative of the board and failing to meet my responsibilities to keep you informed regarding matters that are critical to the continued operation of the Metro Partnership.

If you as a board decide to terminate me for this action, I will not object. However I do strongly urge you to resist pressure to terminate Phillip or Christina much less to allow outside parties to dictate personnel decisions to you as a board. As a 501(c)(3) organization, this may not even be lawful. I know it is not something that any board member should be asked to do by any funder of such an organization.