Hey! I'm a life long tree hugger, I even have my own little two acres of hundred plus year old Doug firs and Cedars that will not be cut as long as my family owns that tiny piece of the paradise that is the northwestern rain forest. I've also been a logger, a sawmill dog, and a commercial tree planter of the industrial forest kind.

While there were horrendous practices in the past, and nearly all the original stands of uncut giants out here were long gone before my time, it's a little ridiculous to blame the toilet paper for any true old growth logs that are being cut these days. At least in the lower 48. The very few old growth groves that face the ax these days produce extremely high value timber, but there really isn't much demand for them. The mills that could cut them were torn down decades ago. Cheap, subsidized imports from BC, where mills are damn near given the stumpage rights are another - although we, too, damn near give our forests away to corporate entities as well through a different process.

But really, a lot of the toilet paper made out here - and I live a mere 10 miles from a huge paper mill that makes it and paper towels - is made from low value by products from the few sawmills left, or from plantation grown cottonwoods (that don't need as much bleaching).

Sure, maybe we shouldn't be using trees at all for toilet paper, or anything. I'm not entirely hostile to that notion. But when you think of what some of the alternatives are to wood - precious drinking water, for instance, or steel for home construction instead of dimension lumber - you start to see that addressing one "problem" only pushes the balloon out in another direction.

I'd like to see the roadless areas protected, the remaining giant groves saved for good, and improved, sustainable logging in areas that can support it. But really, don't feel too bad for using toilet paper.

Oh... and I really like your cartoon work Carol. I always read you.

All think that they should be king for life, dirty uncle Newtie only being the most glaring of those holding this opinion.

Maybe he's a native American like Bobby Jindal, eh?

hahahahaha

An alleged "religious" organization headed by an ex Hitler youth member, who (supposedly) ignorantly welcomes a man back as a bishop who believe it a sin for women to wear pants and that husbands should be "willing" to beat their wives into submission, surprises people by issuing an absurd "ruling"... big surprise there, eh?

With all the blood on their foul hands for century upon century of "god" sanctioned mayhem and murder, it's surprising that this insane organization is even allowed to exist among reasonable humans. But then, one of their "vicars of christ" impregnated his OWN daughter, so I guess that incest and rape ARE "family values" of long standing tradition in the "leadership" of this criminal enterprise. But... of course... that was sooooooo long ago.... I mean.... show some compassion for the poor fool in the expensive red shoes... would ya?

fie! spit!

I'd love to see the day that the mackerel snappers lose their tax exempt status in this country. Turn their churches into something useful to society, like bars.

But Westview IS NOT in "Portland".... it IS in Beaverton, the long suffering and much ridiculed suburban, strip mall hell to the west of Portland.

As you listen the daily business report grind of "worst in 25 years", or "not since the early 80s", they're talking about the last recession I went through. And that wasn't the first I'd experienced. This fact is reflected in my yearly social security read out: a fairly steady progression upward in income since I started in the system in'66, but with two or three year periods most decades where I went down to 6k or even a goose egg of reported income a year.

I've changed jobs so many times I don't want to count; most of them lay offs due to some economic downturn or another. As a twenty something with a new child I held a CETA job - look it up, learn some history, young'uns. I'm on my third actual "career" now, at nearly 60. So... I've seen this before.

It will pass. Remember, even during the depths of The Great Depression a lot of people DID have jobs. It's really true - what all those old, dusty speeches say - that fear is our greatest enemy, etc. At the end of the day, I have great faith in our fellow citizens, from the humblest to the president. Adversity brings out the best in us, and this will be no different. Chin up... roll with it. Everything will eventually turn out. Be brave, be bold, be worthy of our shared history. But keep your eye on the money and don't let up demanding that our leaders actually lead us with the honesty that we ALL deserve.

"I'm the slime"...

Plagiarist, boondoggeralist, election loser, rip off artist, and on to Fox News "expert commentator". Well... I guess they have to get their "talent" where they can.

a fertilized egg isn't a baby, neither are right wing, bumper sticker slogans an argument.

If Nathan Croker wants to have a "snowflake baby" (gad! who thinks of this crap!?!?) maybe he should have one embedded up one of HIS orifices... perhaps the one he's pulling his debating points out of, only then it would be certain to be yet another Republican, wouldn't it?