By Tom Wright

As you know, the Corrie family is now in Israel after years of procedural delays, for the civil trial against the Israeli military in the case of Rachel's killing. This lawsuit is the culmination of the family's seven-year effort, not just to compel a credible investigation, but to pursue numerous other legal and diplomatic avenues to achieve a modicum of justice. I want to briefly outline that history, to provide background for understanding what brought the Corries to the trial now underway.

Corrie Foundation Press Release

On March 17, the Haifa District Court saw a fourth day of testimony in the civil lawsuit filed by Rachel Corrie's family against the State of Israel for her unlawful killing in Rafah, Gaza. Rachel Corrie, a U.S. human rights defender from Olympia, was crushed to death on March 16, 2003 by a Caterpillar D9R bulldozer. She had been nonviolently demonstrating against Palestinian home demolitions with fellow members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent, direct action methods and principles.

By Larry Mosqueda

The following is a letter written to the Port of Olympia Commissioners, the Olympia City Council, and the Thurston County Commissioners

It has come to my attention that the Port of Olympia Commissioners are again considering using the Port of Olympia to ship military equipment to and from the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This would be a terrible mistake, both legally and morally.

By Glen Anderson

Many of the people who hold formal positions of great power in government and business are skilled at doing two things at once. They make public pronouncements that resonate with broadly held public values, while at the same time they are enacting policies that favor special interests over the broad public interest. The struggle for Health Care Reform is an excellent case study.

By Stuart "Tate" Wilson

Camp Quixote and PANZA are a collaboration of faith communities, individuals and organizations that work together to sustain a safe, healthy tent community that provides dignity, opportunity and personal growth for residents, volunteers and church host.

By Marco Rosaire Rossi

On March 10, Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich brought a much needed resolution to the floor of the House on the war in Afghanistan. Invoking the War Powers Act, the Kucinich resolution called for the removal of all United States forces from Afghanistan within 30 days, or-if the president can demonstrate that doing so would jeopardize the lives of military personnel-by the end of the year. The resolution failed by startling numbers: 65 voted in favor of it, 356 voted against. Nevertheless, the resolution prompted a very important debate on the war in Afghanistan, and the future of US military interventions.

Press Release

Fort Lewis, Washington - War resister and conscientious objector Travis Bishop was released from the stockade at Fort Lewis Thursday morning. Bishop, an Iraq War veteran, originally was sentenced to 12 months in prison during his court-martial at Fort Hood, Texas for refusing to deploy to Afghanistan for reasons of conscience.

By Martha Koester

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (Variations on a theme by William James) is a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin. It won the Hugo Award (in science fiction) for short stories in 1974. In the story, Omelas is a utopian city of happiness and delight, whose inhabitants are smart and cultured. Everything about Omelas is pleasing, except for the secret of the city: the good fortune of Omelas requires that a single unfortunate child be kept in perpetual filth, darkness and misery, and that all her citizens should be told of this on coming of age.

The following is an open letter to the Members of the Olympia City Council by the Olympia Climate Action.

Olympia Climate Action applauds the City's efforts to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, and is pleased to provide the attached recommendations for inclusion in the Comprehensive Plan that is currently being updated. We believe this is only the beginning of a process to include climate change in the City's planning documents, maps, and regulations. We also recognize that more work needs to be done to refine these recommendations and that some of them may already be included in long-range planning documents. Nonetheless, these recommendations reflect the current thoughts and feelings of a segment of the population that is well aware of and concerned about the future of Olympia and of the natural world upon which we depend. We therefore ask that you consider the spirit of our recommendations, as strongly as our words.

By Mike Coday

A little dialogue between Mike Coday and Andy Haub for the City of Olympia. Mr. Haub is an employee of the Public Works Department.

By Ken Hoyt

Dedicated to the life and work of my dear friend and mentor Joe DeRaymond who passed on last September.