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.
“This House cannot functionâ€
In a gesture of frustration, House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) made a motion to censure Representative Tina Kotek (D-Portland) for disorderly behavior on the House Floor related to Representative Kotek’s decision to break her word to fellow lawmakers in order to force partisan redistricting maps through the legislative body.
Leader Drazan included the following reasons for the motion during her floor remarks:
“With the events of this past week when she chose to cheat Oregonians and breach an agreement, Tina Kotek has exhibited disorderly conduct and must be censured by this body.
I would assert that those with power demand our highest standards and greatest commitment to accountability.
The inability of the Speaker of the House to keep her word, or conduct her affairs in the execution of her duties at the highest ethical standards affects our ability as a body to function.
If we cannot trust Tina Kotek’s word, if we cannot trust that what she says is true in her capacity as Speaker of the House, if she is allowed to reap the benefits of an agreement without the obligations it imposes, this House cannot function. She has impacted the ability of this body to operate as a fair law-making body.
Today I willingly face political reprisals and urge this body to exercise the power given to us to hold our members accountable for their conduct when it has grave and far reaching impacts.
We cannot silence the voices of the minority when they are inconvenient to the majority.â€
The motion failed with all present House Democrats voting to defend Representative Kotek’s decision to break her promise to Republicans and Oregonians in order to pass gerrymandered redistricting maps.
Tina Kotek is essentially a lame duck, having to give up her House seat and Speakership in order to run for Governor. It is unknown if this incident will impact Republicans willingness to make deals with Democrats and future Democratic leaders.
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2021-09-27 17:40:56 | Last Update: 2021-09-27 19:46:33 |
