On this day, May 5, 1903, James Beard, US culinary expert, author (Delights & Prejudices), was born in Portland, Ore.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, A Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing Mrs. Elsie Mitchell, the pregnant wife of a minister, and five children after they attempted to drag it out the woods in Lakeview, Oregon. The balloon was armed, and exploded soon after they began tampering with it. They became the 1st and only known American civilians to be killed in the continental US during World War II.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, Bly minister Archie Mitchell, his pregnant wife Elsie, and five children from Mitchell's Sunday school class were on a Saturday morning picnic. Thirteen miles northeast of Bly, or about sixty miles northeast of Klamath Falls, Mitchell parked the car, and Elsie and the children headed to Leonard Creek. Mitchell later remembered: "As I got out of the car to bring the lunch, the others were not far away and called to me they had found something that looked like a balloon. I heard of Japanese balloons so I shouted a warning not to touch it. But just then there was a big explosion. I ran up there--and they were all dead." It was a Japanese balloon bomb. They were 70 feet tall with a 33-foot diameter paper canopy connected to the main device by shroud lines. Balloons inflated with hydrogen followed the jet stream at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
“After law enforcement releases these workers from custody they have nowhere to goâ€
Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel attributes the increase in cannabis farming in 2021 to increased activity by drug trade organizations in Southern Oregon. Even though hemp and marijuana can be legally grown in Oregon, with it comes an increase in the illegal market. There are reports of water being stolen, land being clear-cut, and threats to residence. It should have got the attention of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. After all,
HB 3000 was passed to bridge the enforcement gap to crack down on illegal growers.
Josephine County Commissioners -- Darin Fowler, Dan DeYoung and Herman Baertschiger, Jr. -- got the message and discovered related issues when performing enforcement operations. They sent a
letter to Governor Brown regarding Narco-slavery complete with photos.
Dear Governor Brown,
Narco-slavery occurs when organized criminal networks intimidate, relocate, exploit and abuse their laborers. Unfortunately, one consequence of cannabis legalization has been a tragic surge in narco-slavery. During recent cannabis enforcement operations, Josephine County officials have witnessed the appalling conditions to which laborers in the unsanctioned cannabis industry are subjected. Such conditions include:
- Feces everywhere
- No running water or bathing facilities
- Unrefrigerated food and dangerously unsanitary cooking facilities
- Sleeping in containers stacked three-high
- Living in tents and plywood shanties
Typically, after law enforcement releases these workers from custody they have nowhere to go. We assume that many or most workers eventually get collected by their illicit employers and relocated to the next exploitive operation. The purpose of this letter is to assist you, Director Steve Marks, Commissioner Val Hoyle and your staff in your effort to learn about the extent and severity of this problem. We want to work together with you to end this human tragedy immediately.
In 2017 Josephine County passed Measure 17-81, but when Commissioners attempted an ordinance to effectively ban commercial and medical marijuana on rural residential land of five acres or less, it got backlash from growers. Local growers appealed the ordinance to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals, which ruled against the county saying it could not ban pre-existing lawful uses. The county failed on appeal also. In April 2018, the county
sued the State of Oregon wanting a federal judge to disqualify cannabis as pre-existing lawful use along with other points. It could have effectively invalidated the state’s cannabis program. However, the judge ruled the county lacked standing to sue the state and it had no justiciable case or controversy exists between the parties.
Josephine County has not turned away from 62% of the county voting to curtail cannabis growing in residential areas. This letter should put growers on notice to clean up their act.
--Donna Bleiler| Post Date: 2021-08-18 18:19:26 | Last Update: 2021-08-19 09:15:26 |
