North Fork of Nooksack River at Horseshoe Bend – Mount Baker National Forest
I’ve written of conservation efforts to preserve our local PNW waters and the salmonids that spawn and live in these streams. In these posts I have periodically mentioned the Nooksack but I have not featured this marvelous River as it deserves.
The Nooksack River is neither a large nor a long river by most standards as it runs only 75 miles from its origin in the glaciers of the North Cascade Mountains to its delta and mouth where it empties into Bellingham Bay to become part of the Salish Sea.
However, its relatively small size does not diminish its importance to the Pacific Northwest and its marine environment. The Nooksack is one of the few streams in the PNW that supports all five native pacific salmon species as well other salmonids such as steelhead and the rare Bull trout.
The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas.
(Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas, a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. In this week’s address, Doggett highlights Republicans’ latest assault on protections for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions, in contrast to Democrats’ agenda to lower health care costs and prescription drug prices For The People. )
“This week, in a United States District courtroom in Fort Worth, a Texas Republican relied upon their tax changes to demand termination of any protection for Americans who have a pre-existing medical condition. The Trump Administration agreed, refusing to defend this current, vital safeguard upon which 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions rely. […]
“The best way to guarantee that we strengthen health care and protect pre-existing condition coverage – the best way to strengthen and change the law for the better – is to change the lawmakers. To have a Congress that puts the needs of families ahead of the special interests.
“Ensure you make your voice heard. Together, we can stop the undermining of our health care security.
Former President Barack Obama spoke at the University of Illinois on Friday, accepting the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government from the U. of I. system’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs – and announcing his entry into the midterm election fray.
I’m here today because this is one of those pivotal moments when every one of us as citizens of the United States need to determine just who it is that we are. Just what it is that we stand for. And as a fellow citizen — not as an ex-president, but as a fellow citizen — I’m here to deliver a simple message, and that is that you need to vote because our democracy depends on it. […]
Look at this crop of Democratic candidates running for Congress and governor, running for the state legislature, running for district attorney, running for school board. It is a movement of citizens who happen to be younger and more diverse and more female than ever before, and that’s really useful. We need more women in charge. But we have first-time candidates. We have veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Record numbers of women. Americans who have previously maybe didn’t have an interest in politics as a career but laced up their shoes and rolled up their sleeves and grabbed a clipboard because they, too, believe this time’s different. This moment’s too important to sit out.
And if you listen to what these candidates are talking about in individual races across the country, you’ll find they’re not just running against something, they’re running for something. They’re running to expand opportunity and running to restore the honor to public service. And speaking as a Democrat, that’s when the Democratic party has always made the biggest difference in the lives of the American people. When we led with conviction and principle and bold new ideas. The antidote to a government controlled by a powerful few, a government that divides is a government by the organized, energized, inclusive many. That’s what this moment’s about. That has to be the answer.
What gets lost amidst the parades and barbecues, speeches and parties, politicians and public is the often costly path that was necessary to make the gains we now so-often take for granted. Today, I’m going to share one story: the story of the Battle of the Overpass.
The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio.
(Ahead of Labor Day, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. Brown called for policies to raise wages and benefits for American workers, make it easier for workers to save for retirement, give workers more power in their workplaces, and encourage companies to invest in workers. Brown highlighted that while most of the richest Americans and companies that ship jobs overseas were able to gain tax breaks through the GOP’s tax bill last year, American workers largely are still seeing stagnant wages and are looking for promised relief for the middle class.)
American workers are our greatest asset; they are the engine behind our nation’s success for generations – whether they punch a time sheet or make a salary or earn tips. Whether they work behind a desk or a restaurant counter, on a factory floor, on a construction site, or in a hospital.
Yet for too many of these workers, their hard work doesn’t pay off. Corporate profits are up. Executive salaries have gone up dramatically. Stock prices have gone up. Workers are ever more productive. But wages have barely budged. In fact, under this administration, wages have actually declined. […]
To the millions of American workers working too many hours for too little pay, let me tell you, you aren’t invisible to me, you are not invisible to Democratic officeholders in this country.
We see you. We hear you. We fight for you.
We fight for paid family leave. We fight for sick leave. We fight for overtime pay. We fight to give workers a say on the job. We fight to save America’s pensions. We fight for those small businesses that are helping in our pension system. We want to make it easy for everyone to save for retirement.
We work to encourage companies to invest in their greatest asset – you, the American worker. That’s what Democrats fight for on Labor Day. That’s what we’ll fight for tomorrow. That’s what we’ll fight for the rest of the year and next year too, every day throughout the year. Happy Labor Day to America’s great workforce – the American worker. Thank you so much.”
Today’s post was prompted by two tweets. First, this one:
OMG, this is SO great!!!!
We republished an excerpt of this on Lawfare recently, but people, read this book. It is short. It is brilliantly written in first rate layman’s prose. And it is the greatest thing ever written on the subject. Here’s the excerpt: https://t.co/Yi8kcRyrychttps://t.co/vB1KTdU5kr
It may be unpopular to say it, but Rep. Swalwell is 100% correct. Of course, it’s The Hill, so it’s necessary to go beyond the clickbait headline to read this:
“We don’t want to be as reckless with the facts as he is,” he said. “I think having thorough investigations, putting forth an impenetrable case, doing it in a bipartisan way is the proper way to do this, but we’re not there yet.” Swalwell: We don’t have enough evidence to impeach Trump
So what do we need to know about the process of impeachment that we think we know, but may not really know?
The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD).
(Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. In this week’s address, Cummings highlights the immediate need for Congress to enact oversight as a check to the rampant culture of corruption in the Trump Administration, and ensure that Washington works For the People.)
This has been a shocking and disgraceful week for our nation – one that will tarnish our history books for generations.
This should be a moment for Congress to keep the most powerful government in the world accountable to its citizens. This should be a moment for Congress to demonstrate that the White House is no refuge for corruption.
[Republicans] are not acting as an effective check on the Executive Branch. To the contrary, they are aiding and abetting the Administration by turning a blind eye to its rampant corruption.
They have been actively interfering, pushing conspiracy theories, attacking our law enforcement agencies, and walling off the White House from Congressional scrutiny.
The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin.
(U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) delivered the Weekly Democratic Address to highlight the latest health care sabotage by the Trump administration – an expansion of “junk insurance” plans)
Last year, when Congressional Republicans tried to pass repeal plans that would allow insurance companies to charge more for preexisting conditions – families across our country fought back.
And when they tried to charge older Americans an age tax and make people pay more for less care, you let your voices be heard and sent a loud message to Washington – protect our care.
President Trump did not listen and we need you in this fight now more than ever.
Today’s post was inspired by this article in the Washington Post Democrats seek stronger social media presence to guard against potential Russian interference in midterms as well as the uptick of posting I’ve seen on Twitter by Democratic leaders. What I’m writing today is Twitter-specific, although most of it should translate easily to those who still use Facebook. As we gear up for the mid-terms, it’s helpful to consider how we, as individuals, can also gear up our messaging on behalf of the Party and the candidates we support. As per usual, I write, not as an expert, but as someone who has observed and learned over the years.
The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Representative Bobby Scott of Virginia.
(Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. In this week’s address, Scott highlights Democrats’ Aim Higher Act, which gives every student the opportunity to earn a quality, debt-free degree or credential that leads to a rewarding career.)
“In 1965, when President Johnson signed the Higher Education Act, he said that it meant – and I quote – ‘that a high school senior anywhere in this great land of ours can apply to any college or any university in any of the 50 States and not be turned away because [their] family is poor.’
“But fifty-three years later, the promise of an affordable education is out of reach for millions of students. And in May of this year, America’s outstanding student loan debt surpassed $1.5 trillion. We can and must do better for America’s students.
“Last month, I was joined by House Democratic leadership in offering a solution. It’s called the Aim Higher Act.
