Recent NWCitizen Articles

Congressional Gold Medal Legislation Reintroduced For The Donut Dollies
By Dick Conoboy · Thu Mar 13, 2025
A bi-partisan bill to honor the Vietnam service of the Red Cross Donut Dollies was reintroduced by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) on March 11th.
2 min read
Privatize Medicare? Perish The Thought...But Wait!
By Dick Conoboy · Tue Mar 11, 2025
Now that I think of it, half of Medicare has already been privatized under Bush, Obama, Trump 45, and Biden.
3 min read
City Council Fails Us Again
By Jon Humphrey · Thu Feb 27, 2025
Thanks to Jon Humphrey, our community knows more about public fiber than most. Unfortunately, it hasn’t helped us.
3 min read · 1 comment, 2 weeks ago
Veterans Must Unite To Save The Veterans Administration
By Dick Conoboy · Sun Feb 23, 2025
It is about “having the six”* of your fellow veterans.
2 min read · 5 comments, most recent 11 days ago
City-Created Floodplain Threatens 62 Homes
By Christopher Grannis · Sun Feb 16, 2025
New 33-unit project makes matters worse
3 min read · 5 comments, most recent 3 weeks ago
Updated NW Citizen Website - Here It Is
By John Servais · Tue Feb 11, 2025
Thanks to generous donations from readers, this site is renovated and improved.
3 min read
YIMBYs: It Was Never About Affordability
By Scott Jones · Mon Feb 10, 2025
Affordability has been a ruse for creating market rate housing.
8 min read · 11 comments, most recent 3 weeks ago
Ask City Council to Do Right by Us
By Jon Humphrey · Sat Feb 8, 2025
Represent Us and Our Interests. Please!
3 min read · 5 comments, most recent 3 weeks ago
Bellingham City Council Resolution on the $5 Trillion National Infrastructure Bank
By Dick Conoboy · Wed Feb 5, 2025
Local action in support of a proposal to rebuild nationwide infrastructure
2 min read
Truth, Justice and the American Way
By Tip Johnson · Mon Jan 27, 2025
Who’s Superman when you need him? We are.
4 min read · 2 comments, most recent 6 weeks ago
Corporate Welfare at its Worst …and About to Get Worse
By Jon Humphrey · Sat Jan 4, 2025
From Musk’s big investment all the way to local campaigns, political “contributions” will be re-paid. Here’s how.
6 min read · 7 comments
State Budget Crisis? Stop Paying Private Banks!
By Marco Rosaire Rossi · Mon Dec 30, 2024
Private banks are fighting hard to keep us from starting our own state bank. There’s a reason.
4 min read
Gabbard and Hegseth.  Why Are They Not Profoundly Ashamed?
By Dick Conoboy · Sun Dec 1, 2024
To be so manifestly unqualified and yet not be deeply aware of that speaks exactly to the very point of not being qualified.
6 min read · 6 comments
New Trump Administration Expected To Undo Biden’s Financial Regulation
By Marco Rosaire Rossi · Sun Nov 24, 2024
Chaos likely to ensue. Catastrophe cannot be ruled out.
4 min read · 15 comments
The Tyranny Of Leaf Blowers
By Roseanne Laan · Thu Nov 14, 2024
There is no escape from the deep-throated roar and the clouds of filth produced by these machines.
2 min read · 3 comments
The Election of Donald Trump
By John Servais · Thu Nov 7, 2024
A perspective from a very old liberal political junkie.
4 min read · 19 comments
Veterans Day, 2024.  What Is To Be Done?
By Dick Conoboy · Mon Nov 4, 2024
Deeds, not talk, count on Veterans Day
2 min read · 2 comments
VA Health Care for Life?  You Now May Be Eligible.
By Dick Conoboy · Fri Nov 1, 2024
Several days ago, I received the following from Veterans Service Officer (VSO), Liz Witowski, of the Whatcom County Veterans Program (items below in bold are mine). On this Veterans Day, the
2 min read
How Do You Spell Budget And Disaster Relief?  N…I…B
By Dick Conoboy · Sun Oct 27, 2024
An off-budget $5 Trillion National Infrastructure Bank (NIB), along the lines of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) that operated between 1932-1957, means low-cost loans and no additions to the deficit.
2 min read
Medicare Advantage Open Season And YOU Are The $$$ Target
By Dick Conoboy · Wed Oct 23, 2024
Medicare Advantage is NOT Medicare. Medicare is there to provide health care. Medicare Advantage is a business, there to make money.
2 min read · 1 comment
An Overlooked Benefit of Improved Internet Access in Whatcom County: The U.S. Census
By David A. Swanson · Mon Oct 21, 2024
David Swanson verifies what Jon Humphrey has said for years: good internet access benefits people, cities, counties, and states.
5 min read · 10 comments
Minimum Wage - Farce or Tragedy?
By Dick Conoboy · Sat Oct 19, 2024
Or perhaps tragic farce or farcical tragedy might be more apt descriptors. Pick one, or both.
3 min read · 13 comments
The Big Ask
By NWCitizen Management · Wed Oct 16, 2024
After nearly 30 years online, and literally being one of the oldest blogs on the internet, Northwest Citizen needs a major programming overhaul. To do so, we need your help.
4 min read · 1 comment
The Disturbing Disappearance of Local Banks
By Marco Rosaire Rossi · Thu Sep 19, 2024
The top 20% of commercial banks in the United States control 95% of our total banking assets. Remember “Too-Big-to-Fail”?
4 min read · 3 comments
How To Get Nothing Done
By Jon Humphrey · Sat Aug 24, 2024
The City has created another useless document ensuring nothing changes and mediocre communication services are protected.
6 min read · 13 comments
You haven’t voted yet? Check out this idea for one of your votes.
By John Servais · Mon Aug 5, 2024
Why a vote for Jason Call for Congress is a good vote for conservatives, liberals, Democrats and Republicans. Yes, an unusual idea.
2 min read
First Murray. Now Larsen. Half Trillion Dollar Theft From Medicare: Not An Issue.
By Dick Conoboy · Sat Jul 27, 2024
Heaven forbid our reps should attack the main problem, Medicare Advantage, head on. But no. They must nibble around the edges to give the appearance of doing something.
4 min read · 1 comment
Moral Injury Links Medicare Advantage Physicians To Combat Veterans
By Dick Conoboy · Sun Jun 16, 2024
Morally significant double binds force doctors and combat soldiers into identical life and death quandaries, damaging their moral centers. To these two groups we can also add law enforcement officers.
3 min read · 4 comments
Over A Half Trillion Dollars Stolen From Medicare - Sen. Patty Murray Is OK With That
By Dick Conoboy · Fri Jun 14, 2024
“Citing the nonpartisan Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the paper  [Less Care at Higher Cost—The Medicare Advantage Paradox] notes that Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have overcharged the
3 min read · 3 comments
Nooksack Adjudication vs. State Water Law?
By Eric Hirst · Fri Jun 14, 2024
Eric Hirst gives us a brief and clear explanation of the water adjudication process that is beginning now in Whatcom County
2 min read · 3 comments
The Scrap Heap - The Real Message
By David Netboy · Wed Jun 12, 2024
Aggressive citizen involvement carried the day.
3 min read · 5 comments
The Wealth Of Real Estate Corporations Is Not Our Purpose For Being
By Carol Follett · Tue Jun 11, 2024
Build-for-profit, incarceration-inspired housing is destroying our souls.
4 min read · 11 comments
All Remaining ABC Scrap Metal Is On Ship
By John Servais · Mon Jun 10, 2024
The last of the scrap metal is loaded on the ship and it will be gone from our town.
1 min read · 1 comment
A Walking Tour at the Core of the Explosion
By John Servais · Mon Jun 10, 2024
A 54-photo tour of the ruptured pipe area of the Whatcom Creek explosion taken in July 1999.
2 min read · 1 comment
The Audio of the Pipeline Explosion
By John Servais · Sat Jun 8, 2024
Below is an audio tape of 911 calls, emergency responders’ radio communications, and local radio coverage from June 10, 1999 when Whatcom Creek exploded in Bellingham
1 min read · 2 comments
Court Process for Defining Whatcom Water Rights Begins
By James Davenport · Mon Jun 3, 2024
Whatcom County's confusing water rights will be defined by court proceedings beginning now
3 min read · 1 comment
Memorial Day 2024 - Remembering My Friends
By Dick Conoboy · Sat May 25, 2024
If not killed-in-action, they are still dying from the effects of their service in Vietnam.
5 min read · 7 comments
More Broadbandwashing and Anti-Voter Secrecy
By Jon Humphrey · Sat May 25, 2024
The foam of secrecy hides all.
6 min read
Water Rights
By Tip Johnson · Thu May 2, 2024
Local presentations scheduled on a reasonable use framework for water resource management
1 min read
A Resolution to Make Sure Nothing Gets Done
By Jon Humphrey · Tue Apr 9, 2024
Broadband-Washing: Greenwashing the Internet
5 min read · 6 comments

Ruth Fruland

Commenting Since Dec 31, 1969
Early career - lunar geologist at the Johnson Space Center in Houston TX during the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and beginning of the Shuttle program (1965-1984). Mid-career, environmental geologist at the Hanford Site in Eastern Washington (1985-1996), late-career, educator, sustainability, systems thinking, change management (University of Washington, DigiPen Institute of Technology, Bellevue College. Now working towards public banking to build a resilient economy.

Total lifetime comments: 8

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