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.
5th consecutive session with restricted public access
Oregon Senate Democrats rammed through partisan gerrymandered redistricting plans that will rig elections for the next decade. The Congressional Plan, by far the most egregious, creates 5 solidly Democratic districts. This would give Democrats control of 86% of Oregon’s congressional delegation, despite Oregonians never giving Democrats 86% of the vote in contested elections.
“I believe the plan that was passed violated the law by not following the criteria,†said Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend), vice-chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee. “They must do logical and legal gymnastics to justify pairing the rural and urban communities that they lumped together. No matter how Democrats try to spin it, the only reason to spread downtown Portland into three districts is to silence the voices of rural communities.â€
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Senate Republicans spoke about the problems with the Democrats’ proposed redistricting plan on the Senate floor, referencing hours of public testimony in opposition to gerrymandering.
“As written, this plan will rig the next 10 years of election to favor Democrats,†Senator Republican Leader Fred Girod (R-Lyons) said. “Fifty percent of Oregon’s congressional representatives will serve the City of Portland, but only 15% of Oregon’s population live in Portland. The urban-rural divide will continue to grow wider under this plan. Today the Democratic politicians decided it was more important that they pick their voters than voters pick their representatives. This partisan process proves that the legislature cannot be trusted to draw these lines in the future. The majority party will always look out for themselves. Oregonians deserve better than that.â€
The redistricting plans will now be considered by the House.
--Ben Fisher| Post Date: 2021-09-21 10:47:46 | Last Update: 2021-09-21 18:14:47 |
