“This close-up image taken by a DigitalGlobe satellite on Monday [March 31] shows the extent of damage caused by the mudslide in Oso, Wash., which devastated the area on March 22.”
Photo credit: DigitalGlobe satellite on NBC News

– “Limits to Development: When Should You Avoid Building at All Costs?”
By Erik Ortiz for NBC News:
“Even before the massive mudslide mangled homes, residents and officials knew the risks of living in the shadow of an unstable hillside in rural Washington state. Yet they built, and continued to live in an area that 15 years ago was flagged for having a potential for a large catastrophic failure.

But stopping building or uprooting people in Oso would have been a virtually impossible task, said J. David Rogers, a professor of geological engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

In a country where personal property rights are coveted, government can be hesitant to force people out or stop construction without an immediate, justifiable reason, he told NBC News.”
Read more

– “Landslide Tragedy”
“The little settlement near the small town of Oso was all but totally wiped out when a huge area of mountainside gave way. Authorities are saying the landslide was the result of recent heavy rains. This may
be partly correct, but given that heavy rain is a constant in this and other parts of Washington state, there may be other factors involved – factors that cautious people should consider.

Just as there is no good sense in living near the ocean because tsunamis are inevitable, one should also be cautious about settling below steep hills, or even alongside rivers. Rivers flood. Steep hills slide. And rivers can also be backed up substantially by an incoming tsunami – or by rising sea levels,” quoting Michael Knight’s Newsletter.

Editor’s Note:
The issues about “sustainability” have been in the spotlight lately in Thurston County. The recent Oso, WA mudslide has proven sustainability correct as these questions now are in the mainstream:
– would you build your home in a flood plain?
– would you build your home in sensitive areas?
– would you build your home in a wetland?
– would you pour oil on the ground?

Do YOU want the taxpayer to bail you out when you do these unwise things and your family home is lost?

– “Mudslide Victim Wanted Right to Live Anywhere He Wanted”
By Mike Brunker for NBC News:
“Among those missing in the landslide that devastated a small Washington community is the leader of a group that sought to secede from Snohomish County over land-rights issues, including whether government could restrict property owners from building in risky or environmentally sensitive areas like the one buried by the slide.”

“According to a history of the Freedom County movement published by the Everett Herald, the drive to secede was sparked by concerns over state land-use legislation known as the Growth Management Act. The act, signed into law by Gov. Booth Gardner in 1990, aimed to channel growth by imposing new rules on private property development that preserved farmland and restricted building on wetlands and floodplains, among other things.”
Read more

Pastor Jeff Adams
Photo credit: Facebook page of Jeff Adams, July 2013.

From the “Religious” Column in last Friday’s Nisqually Valley News (NVN), Pastor Jeff Adams wrote:
“Christians, if you come into contact with current followers in the cult, remember, Jesus died for them, too. Show them love and mercy true traits of a Christian. Lets not gloat over the negative news the cult and its leaders have manifested for themselves. Maybe you will help them get back some normalcy in their lives if you act gracious and loving.”

– “Institutionalized Tyranny”
“Christians have been institutionalized.
The reason and purpose of the church or Christian organization is no longer relevant. Generations have grown up reciting the same liturgies, regurgitating the same prayers, and rehearsing the same programs until the reason for it all doesnt even matter. But take the institution away from them, and they would not be able to cope.

The Pharisees despised the Lord Jesus because He challenged the religious institutions that had come to govern peoples lives. I am convinced if Jesus came to America today, He would be just as despised by the vast majority of our religious leaders as He was by the Pharisees”

“One of the reasons one may know that the modern church is so unlike Christ and the apostles is by the persecution that it never experiences.”

“The establishment church is doing as much to enslave people as any other institution in the world,” quoting Chick Baldwin in Truthout.
Read more

Editor’s Note:
Unknown how the NVN Editor/Publisher calls Pastor Adams’ tirades a “religious” column, however such words ring hollow from a “Christian Pastor” who continually disparages most of his RSE community neighbors, while asking his ‘flock’ to “show them love and mercy true traits of a Christian.”
He shows NO love and mercy while touting his fellow Christian’s to do so, as his self-proclaimed mission is to represent Christianity, where his ministry’s number one goal is in bringing down Ramtha, RSE & JZ Knight.
So much for Adams’ “Christian” ways.

Anyone that gets behind this leader where his actions speak louder than his words, will be on shifting sands with his mantra:
“Do as I say, not as I do.”

Blog writer Steve Klein has been employed by Ramtha’s school of Enlightenment (RSE) for 11+ years and a Yelm resident for 25+ years.

Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment (RSE) hosted 2 experts on UFO’s from MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) on Saturday, March 29, 2014 at their Yelm campus. Almost 500 people attended the session in Yelm, which open to the public and was simultaneously live-streamed in 6 languages to almost 250 participants worldwide from 18 countries plus the US.

MUFON is the world’s oldest and largest investigative body into the UFO phenomenon, and aims to be the refuge for inquisitive minds seeking answers to that most ancient of questions,
“Are we alone in the universe?”

Dave MacDonald
Photo courtesy: David MacDonald,
MUFON, used with permission.

Speaker Dave MacDonald, MUFON Executive Director Emeritus delivered an hour-filled presentation on MUFON’s mission, role and stature around the world. He included case files that had the audiences enthralled.
Click here for more information on MUFON.

MacDonald was joined by MUFON Washington State Director Jim Clarkson, who shared about cases here in this state and in what our state’s chapter is investigating.

Jim Clarkson
Photo courtesy: James Clarkson

There was a robust Question and Answer session that included a broad range of topics form the yelm audience and questions submitted from the world

Click here for more information on MUFON.

Click here for more information MUFON Washington State.

Click here for MUFON’s
“Hanger One: The UFO Files” on the History Channel 2.

Blog writer Steve Klein has been employed by RSE for 11+ years and a Yelm resident for 25+ years.

“Gov. Inslee signs bill prohibiting life sentences without parole for youths”
“Washington will no longer consign killers younger than 16 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A law signed Friday [March 28] by Gov. Jay Inslee makes them eligible for parole after 25 years, while leaving the decision up to a judge for 16- and 17-year-olds,” quoting Jordan Schrader in The Olympian.
Read more

“On Thursday [March 21], Idaho Governor Butch Otter (R) signed a bill, which would effectively nullify future federal gun laws, by prohibiting state enforcement of any future federal act relating to personal firearms, a firearm accessories or ammunition.

S1332 passed the house by a vote of 68-0 and the senate by a vote of 34-0. Alaska and Kansas have also passed similar laws,” quoting Michael Lotfi on Ben Swann.com.
Read more

Photo courtesy: Dr. Louie Enos, DVM
Copyright 2014 Equine Manipulation Through Mind,
used with permission.

Dr. Louie Enos, DVM has been a practicing equine veterinarian since 1977, beginning with a successful equine surgery practice in eastern Washington State. Since coming to see Ramtha over 25 years ago, he has always credited “his education at RSE with enabling him to unravel the secrets behind illness and disease — emotional attitudes, how they develop, and their effect on the body,” quoting Louie’s website.
Read more

– “Tenino Vet Uses RSE Techniques to Heal Horses”
“Yelm Resident Goes from Traditional Vet to One Using Ultraviolet Frequency”

From the March 21, 2014 edition of the Nisqually Valley News (NVN)
By Steven Wyble
“Last Friday afternoon [March 14], with the sun shining but the wind producing a sharp chill, equine veterinarian Louie Enos stood before Shawna Mason and her horse, Beauty, on Masons property in Yelm.

Beauty had been having physical problems and Mason had asked Enos to work with her.”

“Enos runs an equine veterinary practice out of Tenino called Equine Manipulation Through Mind. Enos methods are exactly what the name implies he claims to heal horses with the power of his mind.

Enos is no stranger to traditional veterinary practice, having operated a traditional clinic for many years. But when he became a student at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment in the 1980s, he began to apply the techniques he learned at the school to his veterinary patients.

As he stood over Beauty last week, Enos closed his eyes and placed a hand over the horses neck.

When he closes his eyes, Enos is accessing the ultraviolet frequency of the electromagnetic field, referred to as the Blue Body in RSE, he said. That frequency changes and modulates lower frequencies that ‘contain the information or polarity of disease’ in the mind and body, he said.

‘Youre going to see me go into a very focused state with my eyes closed,’ Enos said before his session with Beauty. After he accesses the ultraviolet field and alters the information that holds disease, the brain fires different and the ultraviolet frequency radiates to every cell in the body, he said. It affects cell receptor sites and DNA, and puts the animal in a unified state that ‘signifies a new level of healing,’ he said.”
Read more

Editor’s note:
Dr. Enos was recently featured in the The Chronicle of the Horse Magazine, as well, omitted form the NVN story.
Read more

Blog writer Steve Klein has been employed by RSE for 11+ years and a Yelm resident for 25+ years.

Jeremy Pawloski wrote this excellent report published this afternoon in The Olympian:
“Romanian government seeking extradition of Yelm couple on tax evasion charges”
Read more

Editor’s Note:
Pawloski’s report today was very professional and all factual, with no mention of the couple’s spiritual affiliation, just the same they would do as if the couple were members of an area Christian church or Jewish synagogue – their spiritual beliefs are irrelevant to the story.
This stands in stark contrast with the NVN’s sensationalistic reports and community-divisive Question-of-the-Week (see below), reminiscent of the NVN’s former direction by then-Publisher/Editor Keven Graves.
Is Wagar being pressured from his newspaper’s owners to return to Graves-like divisiveness?

There is a football term known as “piling on,” that once a play is stopped, the opposing team piles on the ball holder of the other team. Known another way as “kicking someone in the gut” when they are down.

Both of these acts are anathema to Judeo/Christian teachings.

Perhaps Mr. Wagar can understand that for the NVN to “pile on” with his newspaper’s assertions (originally his subtitle was “RSE connected” + Question-of-the-Week “Is RSE a cult”) and also allow his Christian minister commentator in his “religious” column to “kick in the gut” our fellow Yelm residents from Romania, before their own hearing occurs on May 22nd, that he was being the “judge, juror and sentencer” before the U. S. federal government even has the time to gather information on this couple to corroborate the Romanian government’s claims.
Regardless of Wagar’s spiritual beliefs, this was NOT the Christian way.

Wagar would be wise to put himself in their shoes and consider how this feels from this families’ point of view!
And did he investigate what people have told the couple’s two young boys about the effects the NVN’s story has had on them, too – two boys now in the care of Child Protective Services?
“The lessons of consequence” is that Wagar’s report affected so many lives.

Wagar could have benefited this community by having compassion in discussing the “human” angle to this story, a missed opportunity.

Michael Wagar
Photo courtesy: Nisqually Valley News

Last month, Nisqually Valley News (NVN) Editor/Publisher Michael Wagar was acknowledged on this blog “for what he has done to transform his newspaper into one of fair reporting on all aspects of our community” and that he “promised a newspaper providing “balance, honesty and respect” and has delivered.

With his newspaper’s Question of the Week soliciting Facebook comments to the following question, one has to question if Wagar is returning the NVN to his predecessor’s ways:

“The Seattle P-I removed the word “cult” from its headline about the Romanian couple arrested in Yelm last week after receiving an email from the Ramtha School of Enlightenment pointing out the couple was arrested in their home, not at RSE, and arguing the word “cult” doesn’t accurately describe the school.

Do you think RSE is a cult?”

I suggest Wagar is smart enough to know that publishing this would be a divisive question with:
1. anti-RSE commentators led by the fine “Christian” Pastor Jeff Adams on his crusade against RSE’s leader JZ Knight, aided and abetted by his minions of former RSE students against the school
vs.
2. the huge numbers of RSE students worldwide who appreciate their work in the Yelm-based school.

At Press Time on Wednesday at 3pm, voting on the newspapers poll garnered over 90% saying the School is NOT a cult.

Fortunately, Wagar had some readers not involved with RSE step up to the plate with balanced and reasoned comments that really puts his question in perspective:

– Becca Robinson
I thought it was ridiculous that they felt the need to say “cult” in the articles.
If they had belonged to the Catholic Church or the Baptist church
it wouldn’t have said ” church members arrested” unless the church had been involved.
There has been no mention of the Ramtha school being involved in what the couple are being accused of doing.
They just happened to be members. I am not a member of Ramtha but I was irritated by the headline.

– Tyra Hanson Burgess
I do not attend RSE, by definition any group sharing like beliefs is a cult. Like the debate team, or the Seahawks and their fans. The community, a lot of them RSE students, is amazing. The woman in the mug shot [Diana Nemes] is an awesome mom, friend and community member.

– Aimee L. Ross
The story is about the two people arrested, who cares if they went to the Ramtha school ? How about the story of their children and the lives that were upturned and damaged? Don’t worry though, I am sure you will find another way to create more of a rift between a community instead of reporting important news.

– As this Blogger wrote on the NVN posting:
This NVN question reminded me of former Publisher/Editor Graves’ tactics.
Come on, the NVN has to know they would get polarized answers.
Perhaps the reason is to get hits to their website to show numbers to advertisers, for which a question like this always garners for the newspaper.

And interestingly,
The Olympian, Tacoma News Tribune and the Seattle Times chose NOT to carry the Romanian couple’s story, to date. [see The Olympian report published at 4pm today.]

Isn’t omission one tactic used to distort a story?
If so, interesting then the NVN omitted that RSE asked them to change their story’s sub-title from:
“RSE connected”
to
“RSE students connected” –
which they DID change!

AND, the NVN has made no mention of this major Yelm event
to date of one of the world’s leading UFO experts coming to speak in Yelm this Saturday, open to the public and heralded in full-page ads placed by RSE in their newspapers. This is a huge event for Yelm.
I suggest a better NVN question this week for this community could have been:
“Do you believe in UFOs.”

To quote Brendan Williams, Olympia Disabilities’ advocate, attorney & former State Rep., recently in The Olympian,
I don’t know Knight. But many of those who subscribe to her beliefs run businesses and are engaged, productive citizens who add value to Thurston County. I encourage, and welcome, their participation in our democracy, whatever my personal feelings about their beliefs.”

Blog writer Steve Klein has been employed by RSE for 11+ years and a Yelm resident for 25+ years.

Blog writer Steve Klein has been employed by RSE for 11+ years and a Yelm resident for 25+ years.

Yelm Public Safety Building & City Council Chambers

The Yelm City Council is set to approve construction of the Skate Park relocation tonight, even after:
1. Mayor Harding said there would be public input and involvement, which has not been seen
2. Downtown owners of 32 businesses petitioned the City Council to make the new skateboard park site available for parking.

The key question remains unaddressed:
Should public input and involvement be usurped just because the City of Yelm was able to get a CDBG grant to build the new state park and a Capital State Grant to build a community center.
After-all, grants ARE public funding!
And Yelm voters twice rejected the Park Bond Plan, subsequently followed by Mayor Harding’s promise to include the public in future park plans, which never materialized.

From the City’s Staff Report on tonight’s Yelm City Council Agenda:

Recommendation
Authorize Mayor Harding to sign the Community Development Block Grant Public Facilities Sub-recipient Agreement with Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, Housing and Community Renewal.

Background
The City applied for a Community Development Block Grant through Thurston County for the development of a new skate park at the site of the old City Shop at 203 1st Street in the amount of $450,000. The grant request was approved by Thurston County in the amount of $439,208.
The sub-recipient agreement formalizes the grant award and will allow the City to proceed with the construction of the new skate park. To date, the City and County have completed the Federal environmental review process and are ready to proceed with the project.

Current Situation
The agreement has been reviewed by the City Attorney and the AWC Risk Management Services Agency. The Council should authorize the Mayor to sign the sub-recipient agreement with Thurston County for the Community Development Block Grant. After approval, the City will begin final design of the new facility and go out to bid for construction.

The City’s process of bids will be discussed in a future Yelm Community Blog entry!