The government of Portland doesn’t get it: Hey gang, guess what? WE’RE IN A WAR!

Noses were bent out of joint in Portland, our Socialist Brethren to the South. The FBI screwed up big time in the Mayfield case, and the weaknesses in the system that resulted in the wrongful arrest of Mr. Mayfield must be addressed.

The question is: “How does Portland’s ‘pick-up-our-football-and-go-home’ attitude, as expressed by their premature withdrawal from the Terrorist Taskforce, achieve that aim?”

The Neo-comms of the ultra-left controlling Portland has always hated the Patriot Act. What better way to express their disapproval then contriving a bogus reason, in this case, the Fed’s refusal to grant Tom Potter the security clearance HE thinks HE needs, to use that as an excuse to shove a stick in the Fed’s eye while toadying to their socialist base?

And, on top of that, a dim-bulb Portland Commissioner tells us “We have to open up our society!”

He fails to tell us, unfortunately, how this little temper tantrum accomplishes a more “open” society, but the rhetoric fit in so nicely, don’t you think?

Ladies and gentlemen, we are in a war. A war in many respects unlike any we have ever known.

What do you think would have happened if, say, in protest of the forced relocation of the Nisei population, the city of Portland had tried a similar stunt and had attempted to withdraw from such a taskforce in WW2 as a result?

Times ARE different now, but the issues of protecting this country remain the same. Contrary to Mr. Sten’s bizarre assertions, we need a more SECURE society before we need a more OPEN society.

Given Portland government’s proclivities and sympathies, I’m not terribly surprised either that the Fed would deny Portland officials the clearances those officials believe they deserve. And it is unfortunate that the Fed hasn’t been all that forthcoming as to the specifics of the issues as to why those clearances have been denied.

But in the end, this is a judgment call. And the question is this: do we put more faith in the ultra-leftist Sandinista types running Portland, who believe their world begins and ends within the borders of Multnomah County? Or do we give the Fed the benefit of the doubt?



April 28, 2005
City Council Approves Withdrawal From JTTF

By WILLIAM McCALL
Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. - The City Council on Thursday approved a recommendation by Mayor Tom Potter to withdraw police officers from an FBI-led anti-terror task force, making this city the first in the nation to pull out of a network the federal agency has put together across the country.

Potter joined the council in a 4-1 vote to withdraw two city officers from the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The mayor decided to pull Portland off the anti-terror team after the FBI refused to raise his security clearance, which Potter said was necessary for him to provide full oversight of city officers on the task force and ensure they do not overstep their authority under state law while acting as federal agents.

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