Local group uses holidays to sow resistance to Gov. Inslee’s statewide COVID-19 restrictions

*Still frame from YouTube video recording showing Jim McKinney at the December 5, 2020, Santa Rebellion rally in Lynden, Washington*

By Sandy Robson

December 12, 2020

Despite the alarming news being reported recently about the significant rising COVID-19 case numbers and death numbers in our nation, along with the warnings from health experts about the critical stage of the pandemic we are in presently, a potential COVID-19 superspreader event was held last week on December 5 in Lynden, Washington.

The event was the “Santa Rebellion” rally, after which, a lighted Christmas Parade on Front St. in Lynden, followed on that same evening.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

Conservative forces converge on tour to grow propaganda network and promote Eyman’s I-976

Tim Eyman full contact — Tim Eyman speaking at the May 10, 2018 “Full Contact Activism Tour,” held at Meridian High School, in Bellingham, Washington

By Sandy Robson

July 10, 2018

In May of this year, some well known Whatcom County conservative stalwarts teamed up with one of Washington state’s most infamous tax opponents, Tim Eyman, and newly dubbed “Master Provocateur” Glen Morgan, to launch the “Full Contact Activism Tour.” The tour visited eight cities throughout the state.

Continue reading →

The one foot out the door senator from Ferndale dodges accountability

By Sandy Robson

March 15, 2018

On January 6, 2018, Republican state Senator Douglas Ericksen found himself on the front page of The Bellingham Herald, and the subject of headlines in numerous other news publications later that day and over the weekend, for having been appointed to the position of senior adviser to the regional administrator in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 10 office, in Seattle, Washington. Ericksen tried to quash that news by saying the story was false, and by calling those press reports “erroneous.” Local reporter Kie Relyea, first broke the story on January 5, in the online version of The Bellingham Herald.

Continue reading →