BULLETINS FROM ALOHA

LIARS AS LEADERS  --- ALL FOUND IN ONE SPOT!

Standing in that one spot, on a cold Fall Sunday,  I could look at six leaders who are liars.  Former Senator Mark Hatfield.  Former President William Clinton.  Should be-former Mayor, Sam Adams.  Portland, Oregon Police Chief Mike Reese.  U.S. District Court Judge Marco Hernandez.   Chief Judge Ann Aiken.

The place is Fourth and Salmon in downtown Portland, Oregon.  I was following the Occupy Portland rally to Portland’s waterfront.  It was cold and the previous day’s storm had blown down many of the remaining leaves over Lownsdale and Chapman Park.  

I don’t know why, but I was drawn to the cyclone fence our leaders have put up around these two commodious parks in an important part of town.  The fence even has barbed wire on top to keep the motley crowd from stealing any of those beautiful gold leaves.

There was a soft breeze.  Three police clomped by on their Clydesdales.  Going nowhere, all of us.  

But, this is an important issue  --  the truth.  Truth in important part of town:

• There it is.  A sixteen floor building of dubious architecture.  You know the building I mean;  the one with the odd hat.  There is more odd about it, but that for another time.  I am speaking of the U.S. Courthouse with Mark Hatfield’s name on it.  He was found guilty of accepting gifts and accepting money for his wife’s no work job from a criminal.  You’ll find her name on a theater thereabouts.  Why do liars get their names put on buildings?  Clinton’s name is on the corner courthouse stone circa 1997.  Two liars in positions of authority.
•         Sam Adam's building is close by.  Mike Reese’s building next door.   Two liars in positions of authority.  Their lies are now well known.  Sam about criminal-sex.  Mike about Occupy Portland.
•         Marco Hernandez lied about a contentious case he was judging, just because he could.  He got rewarded for that lie as our U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee just turned away.  Ann Aiken lied about the Rule of Law and all others there and in the Ninth Circuit also just turn away.  It is about foreclosures in America where an awful, awful big lie is going down right now.  

Lying by our leaders is not just happening at the corner of Fourth and Salmon St. in Portland.  In fact, Eric Alterman wrote a complete book about some of the more momentous lies told by U.S. Presidents in his book When Presidents Lie.  

Just tell the truth.  It works.  It works fine.  Now, I turn away to  join those in Occupy Portland.  But, I will never look at that intersection at Fourth and Salmon St., in Portland the same again.  Four buildings full of liars.  The U.S Courthouse, the Justice Center, City Hall and Multnomah County Courthouse.  All right there.  Full of liars.  And the ragtag don’t even get to pick up the golden leaves in their own park at 4th and Salmon. 

 laurenjpaulson@gmail.com