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NEW WILDFIRE RISK MAP IS HERE – https://oregon-explorer.apps.geocortex.com/webviewer/?app=665fe61be984472da6906d7ebc9a190d&viewer=wildfire
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Friday 01-17-25 Bill Meyer Show Guests
Podcasts on www.BillMeyerShow.com
Facebook – www.Facebook.com/billmeyershow
6:35 Rick Manning, president of Americans for Limited Government, www.DailyTorch.com
Today a good DC Swamp Update talk on who did well and less well in the confirmation hearings, why Tulsi Gabbard is a tougher confirmation than RFK Jr.
7:10 Greg Roberts from www.RogueWeather.com for the Outdoor report, a talk of TikTok’s woes, a bit on the fire map issue and more.
7:35 State Senator Jeff Golden and Tim Holschbach of ODF for a deep dive into the Wildfire Hazard Map from SB762 and SB80. I have issues with the attack on personal property rights that I view the map as imposing on the people. I also focused on the actual law implementing the rules of the fire map program, some of which I think the state is ignoring…especially the issue of appeals. Here’s the ORS I mentioned: https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_477.490
Senator Gold suggests the following link for more information and FAQ’s about the program:
https://hazardmap.forestry.oregonstate.edu/
Jeff adds there’s a ton of written material about this complex issue. Three of the most useful are:
–A recent article that puts the mapping program in context and is an easy read: Oregon places new rules on homeowners living in certain high-risk wildfire areas | AP News
–
-OSU’s page on the developing the map –I like that readers can pick how deep a technical dive they want to take:
https://hazardmap.forestry.oregonstate.edu/understand-map
–The State Fire Marshall’s wildfire page, the best info hub in Oregon for all things wildfire:
Oregon State Fire Marshal : Wildfire in Oregon : Wildfire in Oregon : State of Oregon
8:10 Jackson County Commissioner Colleen Roberts and Forest Supervisor Molly Juillerat. There are 3 alternatives being presented to amend the Northwest Forest Plan. Wednesday January 29th is the presentation at the Medford Interagency Office, 3040 Biddle Rd. in Medford starting at 6pm. It will be good that sensible people show up, otherwise only the “KS Wild People” are there to make the decisions for us. Here’s the press release:
MEDFORD, Ore., January 10, 2025 — The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest will host a community meeting to share information about proposed changes to the Northwest Forest Plan January 29, from 6-8 p.m.
The public is invited to join and learn more about the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Meeting Details:
- What: Community meeting on proposed changes to the Northwest Forest Plan
- When: January 29, 2025
- Where: Medford Interagency Office, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR 97504
- Time: 6-8 p.m.
The Northwest Forest Plan was created in 1994 to conserve habitat for wildlife and forests while supporting local communities.
After nearly 30 years, the Forest Service is amending the plan to address today’s challenges, including wildfire risks and economic needs.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) explains these proposed changes and is open for public comment until March 17, 2025. Some of the key focuses of the updated plan include:
- Reducing wildfire risks to communities and forests,
- Supporting local economies with sustainable timber and restoration work,
- Adapting to a changing climate to increase resiliency to extreme weather events, including droughts and wildfire,
- Honoring trust responsibilities to tribal governments and communities by involving them in land management planning and implementation of forest management practices.
At the meeting, you can:
- Speak directly with Forest Service staff and experts who worked on the plan,
- Review detailed maps of the area and proposed updates,
- Pick up easy-to-understand fact sheets to take home,
- Learn how to share your thoughts during the public comment period.
Why Your Voice Matters
Public input helps shape the final version of the plan. This is your chance to share concerns, ask questions, and help ensure the plan reflects community priorities.
You can read the full Draft Environmental Impact Statement and find other resources at NWFP DEIS.
For a list of all public meetings across the Northwest Forest Plan area, visit the NWFP website.
If you have questions, email the team directly at SM.FS.NWFPquestion@usda.gov.
Information about the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan and the proposed amendment to the Northwest Forest Plan is available at https://shorturl.at/VaBUr.
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Thursday 01-16-25 Bill Meyer Show Guests
Podcasts on www.BillMeyerShow.com
Facebook – www.Facebook.com/billmeyershow
6:35 Claton Butcher is the President of CrossCurrent Digital
an online digital and audio book portal which hews to Christian and conservative values. Claton and I talk about one of their censored titles – Mindy Belz’ They Say We Are Infidels.
(Removed for “Hate Speech” by SoundCloud)
The Problem
Many Christian and right-of-center publishers depend on Amazon for the majority of their sales. In 2021, it came to our attention that Amazon was censoring books (their removal of When Harry Became Sally, by Ryan T. Anderson tipped us off). In 2022 Amazon removed a Christian publisher’s entire Amazon store, claiming they “have published books with misleading content that have the potential to mislead or defraud our customers”. This was simply a lie, and an excuse to censor views they didn’t like. They, and other Big Tech companies, don’t want you to see the other side of the debate on important topics.
This is why Claton created this site – CrossCurrent Digital
7:35 Joyce Michealangelo, Jackson County Republican Party Chair and Commissioner Colleen Roberts, Vice Chair are in studio talking about their Monday inauguration watching part at the Central Point Library, all starting at 8:30, Lincoln Day Dinner is coming up, Trump Classic Golf Tournament. Find out more at https://jcor.gop/
8:10 Rob Schlapfer from the Oregon Education Project http://oregoned.info/ joins me, and this project launches this coming Tuesday. (following is from Rob)
The Oregon Department of Education is transforming K-12 schools into centers for social justice activism. Their focus is producing critical consciousness {“wokeness”} in students so they become aware of “systemic oppression”, transforming themselves into change agents for “equity” and “social justice”— which are political aspirations, not educational ones.
That’s the primary claim I’ll make when we launch the Oregon Education Project next Tuesday, the 21st. It’s the major reason Oregon has one of the worst records in the country for K-12 student success:
- Almost 60% of Oregon students FAIL proficiency tests in English language arts;
- Almost 70% FAIL proficiency tests in Math;
- Over 70% FAIL proficiency tests in Science.
We’re building a collaborative network of parents, educators, and wise community members to restore merit, excellence, and success in our schools. It’s a grassroots effort focused on local school districts. We’re going to balance, moderate, and replace politicized content curricula and promote viewpoint diversity.
I’ll be doing my first Community Talk about this issue February 8th at the Medford Library. I will be presenting information and leading a discussion including invited guests. Mostly its an opportunity to get clarity on this topic, and chart a successful course forward as a community.
It’s the first of a series of Talks I’ll be doing in the coming months throughout Southern Orgegon. Download the current schedule here.
Join me for our first Community Talk at the Medford Library*
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 8 —6-7:30pm
* These talks are sponsored by the Oregon Education Project, not the Jackson County Library Services.
And join me in GRANTS PASS at the MLK Community Gathering
SATURDAY JANUARY 18 — 11am
Grants Pass High School
I’ll be giving away copies of African Founders: How Enslaved People Expanded American Ideals by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Hackett Fischer at the Grants Pass MLK Community Gathering this Saturday. Please stop by and chat.
The Oregon Education COUNTEROFFENSIVE begins January 21st.
Please urge your friends to sign up for SMART RESISISTANCE.
Youtube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuDu2rO9EYGEFgC-CAZ23_Q
8:40 Open for Business with Mary Beth Salmon, proprietor of
Nothing Bundt Cakes – Boy are they yummy. Located in the Trader Joes Shopping Lot area across from “Public Lands”.
nothing bundt cakes | medford, OR
181 rossanley drive, suite 105
707-228-9791
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Wednesday 01-15-25 Bill Meyer Show Guests
Podcasts on www.BillMeyerShow.com
Facebook – www.Facebook.com/billmeyershow
6:35 Eric Peters, automotive journalist with www.EpAutos.com
Just some of our talk this morning involved:
https://www.ericpetersautos.com/2025/01/15/chrysler-is-over/
https://www.ericpetersautos.com/2025/01/15/2025-vw-jetta-gli/
https://www.ericpetersautos.com/2025/01/14/congestion-relief-zones/
7:40 R.J. ROGER, author of “THE DON”
RJ Roger earned his MBA from the College of Business and Leadership, Eastern University, Philadelphia.He lives in Pennsylvania and is a longtime researcher into the American Cosa Nostra. Follow him online:
ABOUT THE DON: 36 RULES OF THE BOSSES
“A smart, tough, and eye-opening book-even for people who think they know everything there is to know about the Mob. It will stay with you long after youfinish it.”-S. J. Peddie, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Sonny: The Last of the Old-Time Mafia Bosses
A captivating history of the Mafia in America as well as an illuminating breakdown of the formidably effective-indeed ruthless-success strategies of the infamous Five Families that ruled, for anyone who’s ever wondered what it takes to be a boss.
The Don: 36 Rules of the Bosses is the fascinating culmination of author RJ Roger’s extensive research into the Italian-American Cosa Nostra. Analyzing more than 100 years of underworld history, Roger has distilled the behavior of the bosses of the five New York Mafia families-the most powerful in the United States-into 36 rules. Unwritten until codified in The Don, these rules were the foundation of the bosses’ success for over a century.
* Twitter:@rjroger6
* Instagram: @rjroger6
8:10 Bob Hart, retired land use consultant with an in-depth conversation on the “Wildfire Map Letters” being received by thousands of southern Oregon rural landowners. This is all part of SB762. Deadline to appeal your wildfire rating is early March so it’s important to have a strategy and we discuss this.
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Tuesday 01-14-25 Bill Meyer Show Guests
Podcasts on www.BillMeyerShow.com
Facebook – www.Facebook.com/billmeyershow
6:35 William Flaig – CEO and Co-founder of The American Conservative Values ETF (Electronic Traded Funds) www.InvestConservative.com
AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE VALUES ETF TAKES DECISIVE ACTION AGAINST CORPORATE WOKENESS: Divests from Costco and Allstate, Welcomes Walmart’s Return to American Values
The American Conservative Values ETF (NYSE: ACVF) announced it has taken decisive action to protect conservative investors’ dollars from corporate wokeness by divesting from Costco (COST) and Allstate (ALL) while lifting its boycott on Walmart (WMT).
KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
- ACVF has removed Costco (COST) from its portfolio due to the company’s expanded commitment to controversial DEI practices
- Allstate (ALL) was dropped following concerning statements from leadership embracing politically charged HR policies
- Walmart (WMT) welcomed back after demonstrating leadership in scaling back DEI programs
- ACVF now boycotts 38 companies representing 30% of the S&P 500
The DEI Pushback
- Costco’s decision to double down on DEI as other major companies scale back shows poor judgment
- Walmart, America’s largest employer with 1.6 million U.S. workers, demonstrates leadership in returning to merit-based practices
- Growing evidence that DEI programs harm shareholder value and company performance
Conservative Investment Alternative
- ACVF offers conservatives a way to invest without supporting hostile corporate agendas
- Currently boycotts major woke corporations including Disney, BlackRock, Google, and Amazon
- Demonstrates the growing market power of conservative investors
Financial Impact
- ACVF’s boycotted companies represent 30% of the S&P 500
- Conservative investors can now effectively “vote with their dollars”
- Market pressure proving effective in challenging corporate woke policies
“It’s a moral imperative to stop and roll back the left’s takeover of corporate America. Giving conservative investors the power to fight back is why we built ACVF.” — William Flaig, CEO and Co-founder
ABOUT ACVF: The American Conservative Values ETF (ACVF) is based on the conviction that politically active companies negatively impact their shareholder returns while supporting issues and causes that conflict with conservative political ideals, beliefs, and values.
7:10 Kevin Starrett from Oregon Firearms Federation – www.OregonFirearms.org
Legislature in session, ooh, it’ll be ugly. (from recent update)
01.12.2025
The opening days of the 2025 legislative session start on Monday. We cannot sugarcoat it. This is going to be ugly.
If we have learned anything from the LA fires it’s that if you are relying on the state to protect you, you will wind up disappointed at best… but you could wind up dead. The fires in LA are not just a perfect storm of wind and fire, they are a perfect storm of greed and corruption.
Not only do LA residents have to deal with the loss of their homes, but having been disarmed by the state, they also have to deal with looters while defenseless. Make no mistake, that is exactly what the Legislature has in mind for you.
Like a psychotic but oversized 8 year old, the Democrats in the legislature are obsessed with stealing or breaking anything they can get their hands on. Their policies are designed to destroy what’s left of the state while forcing you to pay for the destruction even as they spew incoherent nonsense about making Oregon more affordable. And rest assured, what’s left of your gun rights are top of the list for them to eliminate.
We are not exaggerating. The first of what will be many more gun restrictions have already been introduced. Gun bans for 18-20 year olds. Bans on specialty triggers. Bans on concealed carry in all public buildings and property around them. Waiting periods, new red tape for background checks, and of course legislative implementation of Mz 114 which is still in court.
But believe it or not, they made it worse. More than doubling the fees and doubling the time to issue “permits”. But don’t think we can just take this one to court. The bill also requires that any legal action take place in the courts least likely to side with gun owners. The deck is stacked and the dice are loaded. The Democrats have the majority and, infuriated by the election of Trump, are determined to crush gun rights in Oregon.
You can see the long list of anti-rights bills already on the agenda on the legislative website.
https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1
7:35 Former Josephine County Commissioner Herman Baertschiger for the weekly talk on politics, his applying for the open county commission spot and a big topic of concern – Governor Kotek in the last election cycle raised 30 million dollars, most of it from out of state. How does this distort “Our Oregon”?
8:40 Open for Business with Lisa McClease Kelly ‘s Network in Action, a business and marketing solutions provider with innovative networking methods. She leads a local group that meets monthly, the share referrals to grow their business.
To contact Lisa if you’re interested In joining, go to networkinaction.com and then “Try a group”. They will see where we meet and who are in the groups. They will also be able to contact me.
Here is the link to the “Connecting The Kingdom” networking event for Christians that Lisa mentioned coming up on the 28th from 7-8:30am. zoombizsuccess.com
Today’s Network in Action businesspeople:
Hailey Bischof – Manager of Best Home Storage in White City
Emma Nelson – Financial Planner at Oregon Pacific Financial Advisors
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Monday 01-13-25 Bill Meyer Show Guests
Podcasts on www.BillMeyerShow.com
Facebook – www.Facebook.com/billmeyershow
6:35 Dr. Carole Lieberman, M.D., M.P.H., “America’s Psychiatrist” www.TerroristTherapist.com
She’s a Malibu Resident, evacuated from the California fires and shares her experience with the fires.
About Carole Lieberman, M.D., M.P.H
Carole Lieberman, M.D., M.P.H. (‘America’s Psychiatrist’) is a board-certified psychiatrist and an award-winning and bestselling author. She was trained at NYU-Bellevue and at Anna Freud’s London Clinic. She has served on the Clinical Faculty of UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Institute for years. She’s the author of 4 books, including the 5x award-winner Lions and Tigers and Terrorists, Oh My! How to Protect Your Child in a Time of Terror. When Dr. Carole isn’t seeing patients or testifying at trials as a forensic psychiatrist/expert witness, she’s working as a three-time, Emmy-honored TV personality who has appeared on Oprah, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, Newsmax, HLN, ET, ABC, CBS, NBC and many more.
7:10 Mike O’Neill from Landmark Legal Foundation www.LandmarkLegal.org
Last Friday the Court held arguments in a case involving the propriety of a law banning the popular social media app TikTok. Mike and I discuss that in addition to the Trump sentencing…what does this really mean moving forward?
7:35 Oregon Farm Bureau’s Jenny Drexler (following from last week’s release)
– Yesterday, OR-OSHA adopted updates to its Division 4 – Ag Labor Housing (ALH) rules. While this marks an end to regulatory uncertainty after a tedious and emotionally draining, six-year process – it signals the beginning of a new chapter of unsustainable state policies for farmworkers and farm families alike.
“Small and mid-sized farms are being pushed to the brink—faced with an impossible choice: spend $400,000 to $1.5 million per operation on new housing to meet these requirements, or risk losing their workforce,” said Angela Bailey, President of the Oregon Farm Bureau. “After years of devastating crop losses and brutal market conditions, taking on massive loans isn’t just unrealistic—it’s operationally fatal. Meanwhile, off-farm workforce housing is virtually non-existent in many rural areas. So, where exactly does OR-OSHA expect workers to live during the critical harvest season? This is a disaster in the making for family agriculture in Oregon.”
Oregon Farm Bureau’s Executive Director Greg Addington said that his group and other agriculture organizations participated in good faith for years during this rulemaking. “We are not just disappointed—we’re outraged by OR-OSHA’s shortsighted and heavy-handed approach to these rules. This isn’t just bad policy; it’s outright hypocrisy. While the Governor claims affordable housing is a priority, OR-OSHA’s reckless decisions will, without question, eliminate access to safe, low or no-cost, housing for farm workers near their workplaces. The rules will also create workforce shortages during peak harvest periods. The outcome of this process confirms a blatant disregard for stakeholder concerns,” he said.
OR-OSHA eventually decided against prohibiting farmworker housing within 500 feet of livestock facilities, so long as certain conditions are met, which prevents upheaval of local dairy farms and ranches. That may be the only positive outcome of this rulemaking, which all but ensures the end of many family-based farms that grow famous Oregon crops such as pears, apples, peaches, and cherries.
Oregon agriculture is facing a severe crisis. USDA data shows net farm income is projected to drop another 4.4% in 2024, following a massive 19.5% decline in 2023 compared to 2022. Over just two years, U.S. farms have lost $40 billion in revenue—the largest two-year drop ever recorded. On average, farmers are losing between $97 and $373 per acre across all crops. For example, Oregon’s 720,000 acres of wheat are seeing losses of about $125 per acre, amounting to $90 million in 2024 alone—and that doesn’t even include the steeper losses from 2023. Multiply this impact across Oregon’s 200+ commodities, and it is clear: local farms simply don’t have the resources to rebuild worker housing that OR-OSHA has previously deemed safe – but now doesn’t – and already meets federal housing standards.
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Oregon Farm Bureau is the state’s largest agricultural organization representing all of Oregon’s more than 200 commodity types and farm and ranch families in all 36 counties
8:10 Dr Dennis Powers, “Where Past Meets Present”, more about Dennis at www.DennisPowersBooks.com Dennis and I also have a LOT of talk about the new fire map from the ODF and state. Question is how and what can be done to properly appear this rabid state property grab of the people?
The Almeda Fire: Least We Not Forget
By Dennis Powers
Although fire-scorched trees, landscape, and bare concrete or land where structures used to be (or being rebuilt) are still visible, the impact of the Almeda Fire seemingly is slowly ebbing from our memories—that is, until we watch the Palisades and other LA wildfires. On a windy, early morning on September 8, 2020, people were going about their business here, only to be struck by a fire that started south of Ashland’s city heart and raced with wind gusts along I-5 towards Talent, Phoenix, Medford, and Central Point. It didn’t stop.
Some say it was the windiest day ever witnessed here and the air felt dry. As a meteorologist concluded: High winds, hot temperatures, the ongoing drought, and dry conditions formed a “perfect storm” of fire conditions. The gusts of winds for hours were estimated at 40 mph or higher.
To the southeast of Ashland’s center, the grass field where the fire probably started (near Almeda Drive) was next to a 5-acre plot without trees or shrubs; the high wind gusts and dry grass alone pushed the fire out of reach. By the time, Ashland firemen arrived some seven minutes later, the field was blackened and reports of structure fires were being heard over the radio.
But after the fire tore through the field, it hit the wide-open Bear Creek Greenway and wind-whipped over a heavy fuel load of bushes, downed trees and timber, all extremely dry, raced along I-5. Phoenix/Talent and Ashland Fire Department engines went to work immediately, spraying the homes that were hit and succeeded in saving a few.
Within a 360-degree orange glow, surrounded by fire during the day and night, and breathing soot and smoke, the firefighters tried to fight back. (Self-contained breathing apparatus (“SCBA”) and its 30-minute tanks aren’t much help when fighting house fires spreading like wildfires.) Helicopters with water or retardant began dropping their loads. But the fires were faster.
When fire engines were sent out to a subdivision on Willow Springs Drive, one house was already burning; firemen worked to prevent it from spreading to the other houses tightly packed around. However, scattered flaming embers sprang new fires near instantaneously.
It wasn’t long before responders knew how dire the situation was: No help from outside Southern Oregon was likely coming. On that day, resources from Grants Pass to Ashland were all that were available. Fewer than 200 firefighters battled the Almeda fire during the first two days. A task force from Portland showed up at around 11 p.m. that night to help for the next 12 hours. But that was it.
As one fire chief observed: “It was pretty amazing, the next 30 hours to watch,” he said. “All of us are working 30, 40 hours in a row. And it’s not sitting at a desk. It’s physically demanding work of dragging hose, fighting fires, pulling people and helping people into vehicles, carrying stuff, moving stuff on limited sleep, limited food and water and no real breaks. Some of these guys were working 30-plus hours and their break was a five-minute drive to the next house on fire.”
On the first day of the fire around 9:00 p.m., a firefighter in Talent cracked open a hydrant. He discovered that the hydrants were dry–depressurized by the fire rupturing thousands of gushing pipes. They had to fill up the trucks from Ashland hydrants and race back–a 10-minute turnaround that yielded only about three to four minutes of spray. They only had two wildfire grass engines (Ford F250s), two engines, one water tender and eight firefighters for a roughly 6-mile stretch of road, but somehow managed to keep the fire from largely crossing over Talent Avenue.
Meanwhile, police were trying to evacuate areas ahead of the firefighters. Officers drove through city streets in near-zero visibility, knocked on doors, and evacuated those who either weren’t aware of the fires or unable to find a way out. Some were confined to electric wheelchairs. When unable to get out fast enough, police would stop in trucks, put the frightened folks into the back, and lifted the chairs with them.
With Talent, Phoenix, even to Medford and Central Point being burned extensively, the following morning, the conflagration was basically under control—but with spot fires continuing on. The fire took three lives, consumed some 2,600 residences, and destroyed or damaged 200 businesses.
The reconstruction of the burned-out areas will take years. Elementary and high school students needed to be able to get their education with Talent and Phoenix being inoperable. The homeless needed shelter, food, clothing, medical assistance, and support. Housing and buildings needed to be replaced.
Those of us who didn’t lose homes, pets, or friends can be thankful. All of Southern Oregon can be–for this could have been much worse. The next one will be.
Source: Trish Glose, “Remembering Almeda,” KTVL TV, at Almeda Fire; Joe Zavala, “We gave everything we had,” Mail Tribune, Sept. 7, 2021.