Oh, Lisa Michaels! Cable Access's Relationship Guru with her "What's Between Us?" show. From her website: "With Oregon's unique vote by mail system there is a lot of room for voter fraud." and "The Credit Crash is almost entirely the fault of liberal Democrats in Congress refusing to pass good legislation proposed by John McCain and George Bush in 2001 and 2005." Of course, no references to facts, only sound bytes.

Mr. Dancer:

We're taking the site back to what It used to be before I ran for Secretary of State. Politics can and will still be discussed here but we no longer have to hide what we think for fear someone out there will take it the wrong way.

... because on the campaign trail, stumping for your vote, is the very last place we'd ever want to be honest about what we feel about anything.

Thanks for running, Rick. Nice to see you're keeping the ol' Republican end in.

A Kitzhaber-Smith matchup would be great, I would take that in a second. Let's return the Doctor to Mahonia Hall.

I guess in the I guess I live the same neighborhood as Lisa Michaels and there is some grumbling about whether or not she actually lives w/in the district that she ran for. Does anyone know if the elections office would be a good place to start, I’m sure there has got to be some formal paperwork she had to fill out of her intentions of running?

So am I psychic that I read RD's his statements offsite and immediately came here to check how much he would have you foaming at the mouth?

For the record, you're saying that Oregon Democrats have not generally used the language he is disavowing? You are also saying that statements are not biased to inspire the faithful and raise money?

There's the level a society gets to where everyone has a racket going and then there's the level where they savage anyone that doesn't. Civilization marches on.

If Rick Dancer wants to become Rebel Dog, I say go for it!

Had I seen these pics from Lisa Michaels' website before the election, I just might have been swayed. So compelling: http://lisamichaels.org/html/lisa_michaels_7.html http://lisamichaels.org/html/lisa_michaels_14.html I suspect she will be Sarah Palin's running mate in 2012, to round out the ticket.

Norm, you missed this one: http://lisamichaels.org/html/lisa_michaels_3.html

If Governor Kulongoski wants to dedicate at least 1.5 percent of highway spending to bicycle and pedestrian alternatives, then he needs to establish a statewide bicycle tax and collect the money for bicycle infrastructure from the freeloading pedal pushers instead of poaching and embezzle that money from motorist paid taxes and fees like an arrogant common thief.

I think I'm going to start a non-profit called TerryParkerWantsU2Bike2Work.org... It'll be a place you warn about potholes, bad intersections, post pics of rude drivers' plates, plan Zoo bombs, bike flea market, etc.

And thank you Messier Parker! Only a moment ago I couldn't think of anything progressive the Gov had done/proposed. Most that care don't look to him for relief, so it's hard for him to get his message out sometimes. You did the trick, though. Very effective. Didn't think Ted could get my attention anymore. You're one of his media guys, right? Have to be.

Yeah, and lets add a shoe tax to make pedestrians pay for all those sidewalks!!!

Terry Parker is spiderman's brother, in real life a bike messenger. Point taken, we put up with so much it takes a lot to get us standing up for something even when it's being handed to us!

He can't be real. Suppose one of those "maniacs" cuts in front of him and he ends up in court. Those posts would be something of a millstone around the neck in a civil damages trial, no? So, he must have nothing to fear, i.e., be on a bike. It's just a TP job!

Please, we need a trucker to come into this and tell us that all highway funding is paid by long-haul and that the autos are all freeloading! Which is actually closer to the truth...

The only thing Lisa Michaels rounds out is her girdle! A Palin running mate would have to have a big showing in the silicon valley region! Conservative women can be such a turn-on because they preach no sex, yet end up pregnant all the time, which communicates loud and clear, "I gotta have it"!

all public record.)

Michaels said "dogs, cats, long-dead relatives and cartoon characters" all cast ballots after "big huge groups" were out registering fake voters. "You can't make this stuff up," Michaels said. "This is reality." </i>

end up pregnant all the time, which communicates loud and clear, "I gotta have it"!

Communicates loud and clear "I can't be trusted to solve the crisis with the environment"!

Evan - Bicyclists DO NOT subsidize drivers, it is the other way around. Moreover, it is a false statement in Oregon to suggest “that most roads aren't paid for by gas taxes”, or at the very least paid for by motorists and motor freight carrier fuel taxes with registration, license and weight per mile fees added in. The Governor would not be suggesting excessive increases in driver fees and taxes if roads were paid for with general fund tax dollars. Currently, approximately 20 percent of the Federal Highway Trust Fund is being siphoned off for transit and bicycle infrastructure making neither of choices financially self-sustainable. Furthermore, I have only suggested that bicyclists be directly taxed to pay for specialized bicycle infrastructure, including bike lanes, but not for roadways where there is no specialized bicycle infrastructure. Your excuses, resistance and opposition to applying taxes directly to bicyclists and the bicycling mode of transport is part of the problem, not part of any solution.

It's dumb to do anything that would discourage people from riding bikes for transportation. Imagine the consequences if they threw in the towel and started driving cars instead. If you think we've got gridlock now, add a bunch more cars to present conditions and watch out.

The guv's got the right idea to up the percentage spent on pedestrian/bike infrastructure. People need to be able to get out of their cars, and even off mass transit as they go to and from work, if they're physically capable of doing so. I wish land use planning placed more emphasis on walkable or bike-able distance between communities, and specific infrastructure to support those modes of travel.

Lisa Michaels - further evidence that when a republican says "you can't make this stuff up", what they actually mean is "we're making this stuff up."

Terry Parker, when we stop sending young people overseas to fight and sometimes die to secure our access to oil, and when externalities of automobile use (such as carbon dioxide) are factored into the cost of gasoline, then I will take your proposal seriously.

“Imagine the consequences if they (bicyclists) threw in the towel and started driving cars instead.”

That would be one more taxpayer to broaden the transport tax base and one less tax poacher for each bicyclist that becomes a driver.

“Ask any local city, county, etc. if they get enough in gas tax dollars to pay for their roads.”

It was confirmed from within PDOT over a year ago that most transportation dollars for streets, roads and bicycle infrastructure comes from motorist paid tax dollars and fees. The only major exception was in urban renewal districts where the money for transportation infrastructure comes from property taxes on the increased amount of new development. Moreover, Anna Richter Taylor, Governor Kulongoski’s spokes-woman, was quoted in today’s Oregonian as saying: ”The vast majority of fee increases are in agencies or programs that don’t receive money from the state’s general fund, which comes from income taxes and the state lottery. The only way those agencies can increase their operating revenue is by hiking the fees they charge.”

That is why the governor wants tax and fee increases; and in doing so is using social engineering that discriminately targets motorists. Additionally, if motorist paid tax dollars were not siphoned off, poached and sucked up by the freeloading pedal pushers and transit districts where the riders do not even cover the operating expenses, there would be a considerably more money available to maintain roads and bridges without the excessive and discriminatory motorist tax and fee increases - and why bicyclists ought to be directly taxed.

As for imported oil, about two-thirds of the oil used in the US comes from North America. Canada and Mexico are large exporters to the UIS. Saudi Arabia is also a big supplier where there is no fighting by American troops. Only a small percentage of the oil used in this country comes from Iraq and no oil comes from Afghanistan where American troops are also engaged in protecting, fighting and being killed for world freedom. Out fathers and grandfathers who also fought and died for world freedom, but in WWII, would be turning over in their graves if they could hear all of today’s rhetoric and social engineering being proposed by the governor and the hardcore bicycling community.

Bicyclists are constantly using false information, half truths and the power of campaign contributions to make the case to continue their freeloading ways while ranting for more bicycle infrastructure as long as somebody else pays for it. With lower emission vehicles, plug-in hybrids and electric cars on the horizon (preferably from domestic auto makers using American workers), the old lines of misleading propaganda will eventually not work anymore and the pedal pushers and their rat holed politicians will have to come up with another spew of false concepts for their media war in the battle to maintain their freeloading ways of collecting transport welfare and slumming off of the rest of society.

Yeow! It looks like Mr. Parker is riding his bike without the bike seat on again...

There are far bigger nits to natter on about these days than those dang free-loadin' bicyclists.

What the hell is wrong with you people?

So you take a quote from Rick's blog completely out of context and then begin a smear campaign to massage your own ideology and arrogance. This is insidious at best!

The "we no longer have to hide what we think" has nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with his personal life. There are certain things you don't share or talk about publicly in your personal life when you're campaigning or in office. (Just like a lot of us know that Kate Brown is bisexual, but she doesn't make an issue of it while campaigning.)

Yes, Rick is a Christian; and yes he didn't want to talk about God or make an issue out of his own beliefs for political reasons. If Rick talked about those things during the campaign it would've given all of you fodder and you would've done everything in your power to destroy his credibility - and ridicule his personal life.

Now that Rick is not running for political office, he can get back to talking about personal issues. If Rick had anything to hide, why would he all of a sudden start talking about personal things now? Just because he lost to Kate doesn't mean his political career is over - nor is he scared to talk about personal things now for fear it might ruin those chances in the future.

Kari, you might as well be blogging for "Hollywood Access" or "Entertainment Tonight." Your salacious little headline and quote (which was taken completely out of context) is like the lead-in to a gossip session, and is quite the sophomoric attempt to degrade and malign another human being to satisfy your own disdain for anything Republican.

I visit this blog because I like to be challenged and consider the viewpoints of others. But this is going too far (not that you care). Kari, you're one of the worst when it comes to passing judgment and making assumptions about people. (Wait a minute! Now I now the true meaning of "progressive." Forgive me for being so naive.) At least guys like T.A. can be respectful when talking about topics like gay rights and religious issues - while defending his views and advocating for a certain position. He doesn't need to attack anyone to make a point, unlike you.

Mr. Dancer says:

"We're taking the site back to what It used to be before I ran for Secretary of State. Politics can and will still be discussed here but we no longer have to hide what we think for fear someone out there will take it the wrong way."

I just checked his site and it leads me to believe that he should stay out of politics and start his own religious cult. According to his writing that is something he appears to be good at.

So please, Rick, stay out of politics. We desperately need reasonable rational people in those positions.

Yes, I'm a 'pedalpusher'. In less deliberately insulting language, I ride a bike whenever I can for things I need to get done. But what is that large boxy object in my driveway with four rubber tires? Oh! It's a motor vehicle! Yes, wonder of wonder, in addition to riding a bike for practical purposes, I also own and pay all the related state fees for using a motor vehicle on the road.

I wish more people would limit the amount of driving they do to the number of miles I put on my motor vehicle in a year; last time I checked, less than 5000. So who is the freeloader here? Especially if Kulongoski gets the green to triple license registration fees, I'm going to be paying the state to have my motor vehicle on the road for its piddly 5000 miles, while many other motor vehicle drivers will be having their motor vehicles on the road for double, triple, or even more mileage than that on the road.

If a person chose to look at this situation in a certain way, it could seem that those people are taking more than their fair share of time on the road and the congestion and deterioration to road conditions that time spent represents. I'd rather just encourage them in some positive way to reduce their motor vehicle time on the road by helping them to choose to use a bike instead for as many trips as possible. There's a very good chance that a bike seen traveling down the road represents a car off the road and parked in the garage. The virtues of that situation should be obvious.

See, Terry, you should be happy with the state of affairs, it could be much worse. I think your "hard core bike element" would be in favor of waving WS's vehicle taxes for keeping the mileage under 5000/annum! Then, only the people that won't support it can pay for it!

If you take that and your position as extremes, the current state of affairs is a healthy compromise. You don't have a problem with compromises, do you?

You only censor anyone's thinking which you are trying to hide (yourself) from thinking.

Michaels said "dogs, cats, long-dead relatives and cartoon characters" all cast ballots after "big huge groups" were out registering fake voters. "You can't make this stuff up," Michaels said. "This is reality."

Dogs tend to be Democrats, but cats lean Libertarian. Hard to tell about long-dead relatives. Cartoon characters tend to become Republican candidates.

fbear's got the pulse! I didn't mention it but the cat is a definite so-big-you-can't-see-the-top-of-it-L libertarian! As am I. Shows why we shouldn't be considered a threat, too. Big cats cat be dangerous, but a little pussey (have to beat the spam filter) never hurt anybody!

Hard to tell about long-dead relatives.

I thought the conservatives would like ancestor worship!

Yeah, I remember that horrible Obama guy and his talk about God and his faith on the stump. We were busting on his ass for being a Godboy almost every DAY, here at Blue Oregon. Talk about presumptively preemptive fear of bigotry--isn't it awfully judgemental to assume that everyone will judge you harshly for your religion?

In any case, only to a Christian would it not seem absurd to talk about the pitfalls of being a Christian candidate, when it's the NON-Christians who can't as easily win office (Jews mostly get a pass in the Northeast, but try electing one in Baptist Country).

Reality check. Many deserted Obama and did not vote for him after his choice of venue for his first appearance with McCain. We said, "unacceptable religious context, good-bye". BO will support the nominee, so of course his behavior in that regard was overlooked but plenty of real, independent thinkers did bust him daily over religion.

More reality. Have we gotten so far down the road with candidates like Romney, Palin and Huckabee that people are actually dignifying that bunch with logic that says that they have some kind of real place in politics and religion is hanging them up?!? Mon Dieu! They are only there because of their religious position! Hurt them? They would be nobody otherwise. What would have put Palin on the ticket? Her knowledge of hockey? Her cleavage? Her similarity to Teddy Roosevelt? Maybe she'll run as an independent in 2012 if she doesn't get the nomination, on the "I Killed the Bull Moose" ticket.

It was a personal statement. I did, I know people that did, I read posts here that did, so I take exception to being referred to as "nobody".

I am assuming that I don't live in some kind of alien bubble. Most people that think like me wouldn't post here, so there's no doubt major attenuation in range in the responses you saw.