Murmurs: Gov. Kate Brown’s Fundraising Pitch Exaggerates Her Military Cred

Gov. Kate Brown meets troops. (Oregon governor's office)

Gov. Brown's Fundraising Pitch Exaggerates Her Military Cred

On Aug. 7, Gov. Kate Brown sent out a fundraising email attempting to leverage President Donald Trump's odious tweet calling for a ban on transgender Americans serving in the military. But Brown overreached. "I was born on a military base when my dad served in the Air Force in the midst of the Vietnam War," Brown wrote in her email. In fact, the governor was born in June 1960, when records show the U.S. had fewer than 1,000 military advisers in Vietnam and was years away from sending American troops into combat. And that military base—it was outside Madrid, more than 6,000 miles from Vietnam. Brown's campaign manager, Thomas Wheatley, admits Brown's father never saw combat duty and completed his service in 1961—well before the U.S. committed combat troops in Vietnam—and acknowledges the email is misleading.

Alt-Right Street Brawler Faces Criminal Charge

The bloody Aug. 6 waterfront rumble between alt-right groups and their antifascist adversaries was merely the latest example of political street violence in Portland. But it did have one unusual result: a criminal citation of a far-right brawler. Tusitala "Tiny" Toese, 21, perhaps the most recognizable figure in the Portland area's far-right activist circles, was issued a criminal citation for second-degree disorderly conduct after the fight. Police also cited two other demonstrators—but say they can't charge anyone with assault unless victims come forward.

Diversity Reporter Leaves The Oregonian

The Oregonian is losing another prominent reporter. Casey Parks, an 11-year newsroom veteran who covers diversity issues, completed a three-part front-page series this month on a teenager's gender reassignment. The project was Parks' swan song: She's leaving the paper this week for a master's degree program at Columbia University, where she hopes to write about budget cuts to core services in Louisiana. "I feel kind of crazy giving up my great job," she says, "but I grew up in Louisiana, and it's always been my dream to write about home."

Veto Punishes Republican: No Pork for You

Gov. Kate Brown unsheathed her veto pen Aug. 8, showing she's capable of playing hardball. In the recent legislative session, Democrats desperately needed a GOP vote to pass the $670 million hospital tax. Rep. Sal Esquivel (R-Medford) agreed to vote with Democrats in exchange for nearly $4 million worth of goodies in his district—including a $1.9 million irrigation project, a $1 million theater renovation, and a $750,000 baseball field. But after the bill passed, Esquivel joined other GOP House members in referring the tax increase to voters. So on Monday, Brown used a line-item veto to excise Esquivel's rewards from House Bill 5006. Esquivel says the deal was for his vote and made no reference to a referral. "She reneged," he says. Brown disagrees. "The cornerstone of all negotiations whether they occur in a public or private arena, is the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing," Brown said in a statement.

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