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MONDAY 9-14-20 PODCASTS 6AM 7AM 8AM
TUESDAY 9-15-20 PODCASTS 6AM 7AM 8AM
WEDNESDAY 9-16-20 PODCASTS 6AM 7AM 8AM
THURSDAY 9-17-20 PODCASTS 6AM 7AM 8AM
FRIDAY 9/18/20 PODCASTS 6AM 7AM 8AM
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Bill’s guests for 9/18/20
6:35 Rick Manning at Americans for Limited Government
7:10 Greg Roberts at Rogue Weather.com
8:10 Mayor Chris Luz of Phoenix discusses the fire damage and reopening
UPDATE ON EMERGENCY INFORMATION STORY
Well, it’s taken 5 days, but finally local news is paying attention to the news I first broke, and have been focused on since last week – The Emergency Alert System NOT being used during the fire emergency leaving many citizens and the media itself out of the loop for vital evacuation and emergency communications. Sheriff Nate Sickler issues a statement to NBC5 when asked about this lack of communication, and the basic gist was now is not the time to talk about this while there’s still active fire management. I respectfully disagree, now is EXACTLY when this needs discussed, while it is still fresh and pertinent. Both Jackson and Josephine Counties relied on their “Everbridge” citizen alert systems, which they like because it’s geo-targeted. That’s great, until fire burns down the power, and burns down the internet connections, which also takes down cell networks (fiber networks carry cell calls from the towers) and the internet death kills many landline/internet phones. Throughout the entire disaster I received ONE alert from Jackson County last Tuesday…it was from the Sheriff to “Stay Home”. Yep, pretty thin gruel. I get it, he was slammed, we ALL were. However, we have emergency managers in both counties that had a duty to provide more than geo-targeted messages. So yes, ask your counties to fix this now. Emergency messaging needs sent out broadly AND geo-targeted. Eugene/Springfield used EAS 27 times last week to keep people widely informed in the whole area. EAS instantly takes over every operating AM/FM/TV/Cable/and Satellite TV station for instant audio and text messaging from your local officials. Apparently Eugene/Springfield thought the citizens were smart enough to figure out if the evacuation applied to them, WITHOUT the county deciding whether you “needed to know”.
LACK OF EMERGENCY INFORMATION – A FIX
We’re still digging into the lack of emergency information disseminated by Jackson and Josephine Counties during last week’s emergency. You may be already familiar with the Emergency Alert System, which breaks into radio, TV, cable, and satellite TV in order to deliver emergency weather, Amber Alerts, severe storm info and other disaster info from local authorities. The system was not used at all in Jackson and Josephine Counties during last week’s fire emergencies. This is a serious problem, and I’ve brought it to the attention of both commissions. I included several pages of EAS logs from last week. More than 25 alerts were sent to radio and TV viewers in Eugene Springfield. (We didn’t air them because they’re not our counties) Here’s a link to a PDF so you can see for yourself. Wouldn’t it have been great to have had this kind of critical information put on the air immediately? Hold your county officials accountable on this issue. Here’s the PDF file – https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ao4dEmCEEfAIh_9rUYsBhHCV3ieAoA?e=bD5bM7
Bill Meyer Guests for 9/17/20
6:35 Dr. Jay Lehr A must read – “Stopping Climate Change is a Laughing Matter” https://americaoutloud.com/stopping-climate-change-is-a-laughing-matter/
Dr. Jay Lehr is Senior Policy Analyst with the International Climate Science Coalition and former Science Director of The Heartland Institute. He is an internationally renowned scientist, author and speaker who has testified before Congress on dozens of occasions on environmental issues and consulted with nearly every agency of the national government, as well as many foreign countries. After graduating from Princeton University at the age of 20 with a degree in Geological Engineering, he went on to receive the nation’s first Ph.D. in Groundwater Hydrology from the University of Arizona. He later became executive director of the National Association of Groundwater Scientists and Engineers. Tom Harris is Executive Director of the Ottawa, Canada-based International Climate Science Coalition, and a policy advisor to The Heartland Institute. He has 40 years experience as a mechanical engineer/project manager, science and technology communications professional, technical trainer and S&T advisor to a former Opposition Senior Environment Critic in Canada’s Parliament.
7:10 Greg Roberts, Rogue Weather dot com with today’s fire report
7:20 Ed “Mr. X” Community Activist and researcher and we discuss the state policy, sustainable development, which will get in the way of rebuilding Phoenix and Talent. The following are various articles to read…it’s a lot, but you need to understand the sustainable development poison, and this is going to need strong community action to fight.
https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors476.html
https://www.opb.org/news/article/forestry-bills-dead-oregon-legislature-republican-walkout/
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bds/article/184672
https://oregonforests.org/content/fire
https://oregonconsensus.org/status/current-projects/
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab6498/pdf
https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/marsh/Documents/OFFRIP.pdf
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/24797GSDR_report_2019.pdf
https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/forest-service-fy2021-explanatory-notes.pdf
https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr315.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4874420/
https://www2.illinois.gov/iema/Mitigation/Documents/Plan_FEMASustainableFuture.pdf
8:10 Scott Jorgensen, author of “Our Friend, Dennis”
Our Friend Dennis is the latest work by author W. Scott Jorgensen, who released a book about late former Governor Vic Atiyeh in 2014. Jorgensen met Richardson while working as a newspaper reporter in Richardson’s hometown of Central Point in 2002. He then served as his legislative aide during the 2005 session and remained a supporter and friend until Richardson passed away in February 2019.
“Dennis dedicated the last phase of his life to serving his community and the people of Oregon,” Jorgensen said. “I think he definitely earned his place in the state’s history and I decided to try and tell the tale.”
Published by Carlton-based Ridenbaugh Press in Yamhill County, Our Friend Dennis follows Richardson from his days on the Central Point City Council through his six terms as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, his run for Governor in 2014, the Secretary of State’s Race two years later and his stint as the state’s second highest ranking elected official. It is formatted as an oral history, and includes account of Richardson’s career from 20 different perspectives, including those of former legislators Rep. Jeff Kropf (R-Sublimity), Rep. Mike Schaufler (D-Portland), Sen. Doug Whitsett (R-Klamath Falls), Rep. Peter Buckley (D-Ashland), Rep. Julie Parrish (R-West Linn) and Rep. Patrick Sheehan (R-Happy Valley).
Also interviewed for the book are Sen. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer), Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nigel Jaquiss and many of those who worked closely with Richardson throughout his political career.
“There are many of us whose lives and careers were directly shaped by Dennis through his guidance and mentorship,” Jorgensen said. “He set a positive example for all of us to follow, and I just hope this book pays him proper tribute.”
Jorgensen, 40, began his career as a small-town newspaper reporter and as a news director and talk show host for the Grants Pass Broadcasting Corporation. He went on to work for various legislators in the Oregon Senate and House of Representatives and is now a local government administrator.
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BILL’S GUESTS FOR 9/16/20
6:35 Eric Peters – Automotive journalist at www.EpAutos.com – Diesel cheating scandal is a fraud, some reviews, other news.
7:10 Greg Roberts, “Mr. Fire” with a look at the latest in the woods
7:35 Brad Bennington, Executive Director at the Southern Oregon Builder’s Association – The Struggles we’re looking at to rebuild after the fires.
BILL’S GUESTS FOR 9/15/20
6:35 Dr. Cordie Williams, founder of 1776 Forever Free, an organization which promotes supporting the Constitution of America and the Freedoms it provides us. Dr. Cordie is also a US Marine, a professional speaker, full-time Father, Husband, and Patriot. During the tyrannical shutdowns in California, Dr. Cordie felt his Constitutional Rights, and the rights of so many other Americans, were being violated. So, Dr. Cordie picked up a megaphone and began speaking up at protests all across California. 1776 Forever Free is holding Freedom Rally’s all across America for the next few months.
7:10 Greg Roberts, Rogue Weather dot com with today’s fire report
7:20 Carey Cahill, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Hunter Communications, lots of internet burned, he details the rebuilding ops.
7:35 State Sen. Baertschiger talks the fire and politics, Governor Brown’s distortion of GOP role in wildfire. Here’s his guest opinion:
“I am incredibly saddened to watch Governor Kate Brown politicize Oregon’s fire season this year, using suffering Oregonians’ misery as her political soapbox.Countless Oregonians are homeless and have lost everything. Governor, it is time to lead the state, not blame others for failed Democrat leadership because it is an election year. Oregon is hurting; people are hurting.
As a 42-year veteran wildland firefighter, I can speak from experience that Governor Brown does not understand Oregon’s landscape and environment, or the problems it presents for firefighting and fire season. For example, the Talent and Phoenix fires in the Bear Creek greenway, which contrary to its name, is not green during fire season. The Bear Creek Greenway, which contrary to its name is not green in fire season, is a nearly 20-mile long path extending from Ashland to Central Point and passes Talent, Phoenix and Medford.
The government ruled over the creation of this trail and invited and encouraged the public to use it, but did not maintain it, letting homeless people live in the area and failing to mitigate fire hazards that exist in the area. Why?When I ask, the answer I get is, “We cannot do any work to reduce fire hazards because it is in the riparian area,” (or a place between water and land). Well, as the Democrats love to blame Mother Nature, she took care of the fire hazards for the failed government policies and hundreds of people have lost their homes. Talent and Phoenix were just decimated by wildfire.
Always one to shrug off responsibility, Governor Brown instead takes aim at Republicans and blames them for this year’s fire season. Now let me get this straight; in the last four months she has blamed the Republicans for Covid-19, over one hundred days of rioting in Portland and now for the wildfires. I thought Democrats have controlled the state for decadesI shouldn’t have to tell the governor this, but she should put the politics aside and focus on helping Oregonians – not dividing them for political gain.
Let me point out to Governor Brown that the question of what has caused these fires in the west and why so many of them. We have not seen any lighting in the last few weeks. At risk of stating the obvious, without the presence of lightning, which the fires across the state did not have, all fires are caused by people; whether on purpose or by accident.
As Oregonians, we need to be more vigilant and have a better understanding of the forces of fire. We need to take steps to reduce fire hazards in our homes, public spaces and forests. We live in a beautiful state, but our state is full of combustible fuels that come in the form of trees, bushes and other natural elements that dry out every summer to the point that they will easily ignite and burn out of control. The process is part of a cycle that will continue to repeat itself. Our job as Oregonians is to try to mitigate this cycle to the best of our ability but knowing that this process will continue. Governor, now is the time to put politics aside and do something about it to protect future generations.”
Senator Baertschiger is a 42 year veteran Wild Land fire fighter as well as an instructor in wild land fire science. He has testified multiply times at the state capitol and also in congress on the effects of fire on the landscape. He also serves on Oregon’s wild land fire committee.
8:10 Glenn Archambault, U.S. Farm Services Agency rep, discusses smoke and fire threat to food.
8:40 Steve Yancey at Skypark Insurance – 541-261-5444 – The wildfire has hit…when it comes to your insurance, NOW what?
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BILL’S GUESTS FOR 9/14/20
6:35 Byron York, reporter for the Washington Examiner and Fox News Contributor. Author of OBSESSION: Inside The Washington Establishment’s Never-Ending War on Trump
7:10 Greg Roberts with Rogue Weather.com and today’s Fire Report
8:10 Fire analysis with Dr. Dennis Powers