Sheriff Elfo’s campaign urges supporters to join new Christian conservative social media platform

Elfo We Speak asking supporters
Screenshot photo of a September 19, 2019 post made by the “Sheriff Bill Elfo” profile on We Speak

By Sandy Robson

September 22, 2019

[Editor’s note: This story has been updated on September 23, 2019 to reflect the fact that sometime today (September 23, 2019) the “Sheriff Bill Elfo” profile appears to have been removed from the We Speak social media platform. Now, when searching on We Speak by entering the former profile name, “Sheriff Bill Elfo,” that particular profile no longer produces any search results. In addition to this new development, it appears that the Re-elect Sheriff Bill Elfo Facebook page has removed the post declaring that “We Speak is running most of Re-elect Sheriff Bill Elfo’s campaign,” which had been posted on that Facebook page on Thursday, September 19, 2019, and which is referenced in this article with an accompanying screenshot photo.]

Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo’s campaign for the November 5, 2019 general election recently urged the sheriff’s supporters to join We Speak, a new social media platform created for Christian conservatives and founded by Ray Gilbride and his wife, Danielle Gilbride, who reside in Bellingham, Washington.

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Local Trump devotees launch Christian conservative social media platform

Gilbride We Speak in Austin
Still frame photo of We Speak founder Ray Gilbride taken from video recording posted in an August 16, 2019 post on his Facebook page. Photo shows him in front of the We Speak booth during the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) annual conference held August 14-16, 2019, in Austin, Texas

By Sandy Robson

September 8, 2019

A July 30, 2019 post made by Washington state Senator Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) on his Facebook page read:

“Rep. Matt Shea is a good man, a good legislator, and a great American.

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Which leaders will stand up against the politics of hate?

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Photo showing the “Trump Keep America Great 2020” banner draped across the stage at the Whatcom Republicans’ annual summer picnic held on July 11, 2019, at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale, Washington. Photo is displayed on the Whatcom Republicans’ Facebook page

By Sandy Robson

August 11, 2019

The Bellingham Herald published an August 5, 2019, article, “Ferndale Police investigating signs promoting white supremacist ideology.” The article reported that the Ferndale Police Department is investigating posters linked to a group called Patriot Front which were placed in downtown Ferndale, Washington.

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Who are Rud Browne’s endorsements serving?

Screenshot of a May 18, 2019 Facebook post displayed on Rud Browne’s campaign Facebook page showing photo of Browne, current Chair of the Whatcom County Council

By Sandy Robson

June 1, 2019

Whatcom County Council Chair Rud Browne announced in a press release on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, that he had withdrawn from the 40th Legislative District (LD) state Senate race. Browne, who resides in Bellingham, Washington, had filed to run for state Senate on Friday, May 17 at 3:44 PM, according to the listed 2019 candidate filings posted on the Whatcom County Auditor’s website.

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Ethics questions arise for Ericksen: Can former Trump appointee register as foreign agent?

Image on left: Screenshot photo of paragraph 4 contained in executive order 13770, issued on January 28, 2017 by President Donald J. Trump. Image on right: Still frame photo of Senator Doug Ericksen taken from a March 14, 2019 Inside Olympia program broadcast on TVW.

By Sandy Robson

April 24, 2019

An April 5, 2019 article published in the online version of The Seattle Times reported that Washington state Senator Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) registered as a foreign agent for the Kingdom of Cambodia in an April 3 filing with the U.S. Department of Justice, along with former Republican Washington state representative Jay Rodne, of Snoqualmie, Washington.

According to the April 5 Seattle Times article, Senator Ericksen and Rodne registered as foreign agents under a company, PacRim Bridges, LLC to lobby for the Cambodian government.

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A look at two leaders of Whatcom Family Farmers

Photo of Rader Farms sign taken in Lynden, WA on August 5, 2018

By Sandy Robson

April 12, 2019

A forum featuring a panel of individuals representing local farming interests was held on March 6, 2019, at the Meridian High School auditorium, in Bellingham, Washington.

The forum, “Whatcom Agriculture – Is There A Future for Farming in Whatcom County?” was hosted by Common Threads Northwest, a local conservative organization that was created in early 2015. Common Threads Northwest essentially assumed the role of the Whatcom Tea Party after it became defunct in March of 2017.

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When Kimco Realty calls out ‘panhandling,’ human dignity pays the price

 

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Photo of the same “Say No to Panhandling” sign located at Sunset Square shopping center in Bellingham, WA, that appeared in the live-streamed video posted on the Hearts & Homes Bellingham Facebook page

By Sandy Robson

February 24, 2019

Bellingham, Washington, known for its unofficial nickname, “The City of Subdued Excitement,” is also known for its fairly subdued winter weather — not too cold, not much snow, but with a pretty steady stream of rain. Sunday, February 3, 2019, brought unusually frigid temperatures to Bellingham and its surrounding county. Those below freezing temperatures were accompanied by several inches of snow that fell on that Super Bowl Sunday, along with power outages which impacted thousands of Whatcom County residents. Local schools were closed the following day due to the snow.

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