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.
“These concerns have not diminished, and we anticipate they will continue to increase”
Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade (D-Portland) has released a civic engagement toolkit, aimed at helping organizations do voter registration and voter turnout work in the 2024 elections. According to a press release from her office, the tools included in the 2024 toolkit are official, non-partisan, research-backed and free to use with or without attribution to our office. Though they are described as non-partisan, most experts agree that increased turnout helps Democrats.
In a letter included with the toolkit, Griffin-Valade says, "Our hope is that this toolkit will make it easy for everyone to participate in civic engagement. The tools below are official, non-partisan, research-backed and free to use with or without attribution to our office.
"In this toolkit, you’ll find social media assets, sample emails, scripts and other tools to help you reach voters in Oregon. Many of you may have the ability to create materials of your own, and we welcome that. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office if you have any questions or need additional assistance with your own communications."
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
Part of the toolkit is some information to counteract what has been labeled "misinformation."
"False information about elections has led to increased threats and harassment targeting elections officials, culminating in the death of 7 people during and after the events of January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol. These concerns have not diminished, and we anticipate they will continue to increase during the 2024 election.
"Research shows the best way to prevent the spread of false information is to proactively reach people with accurate information, inoculating them against false information they may be exposed to later. This is referred to as “pre-bunking.”
The toolkit can be
downbloaded from the Secretary of State's website.
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2024-04-12 13:02:10 | Last Update: 2024-04-11 11:37:31 |
