Rational in Portland

By Kristin Olson

A podcast about the people making hard decisions. From addiction, crime and public safety to leadership, politics, and culture, each episode goes beyond headlines to examine what really drives institu... more

· Society & Culture

4.3

102102 ratings

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FAQs about Rational in Portland:

How many episodes does Rational in Portland have?

The podcast currently has 163 episodes available.

Rational in Portland episodes:

January 19, 2022 Living on the Edge: How a lesbian Portlander has survived riots, poverty, physical disability, addiction, mental illness, and why she wants out of Portland forever.
Rebranded as the Rational in Portland podcast.
We speak to Susan Griffin (Twitter handle @SusanGriffin530), a lesbian Portlander and lifelong Democrat who lives downtown. She describes herself as a "forgotten resident". She is physically and mentally disabled, and she spoke to me from her wheelchair about what it was like to live through 200 days of rioting in Portland, Oregon, from her government-subsidized housing. Learn what separates Susan from those living on the street around her in encampments and how she copes with her mental illnesses, addiction, and living in a city that she feels has utterly abandoned her.
Jo Ann Hardesty, Portland City Commissioner's lawsuit: https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2021/12/13/jo-ann-hardesty-files-5m-lawsuit-against-portland-police-union-and-its-former-president-for-leak-of-false-hit-and-run-allegation/
Mayor Wheeler let Portland burn because it had "nothing to lose": https://www.opb.org/article/2020/08/24/portlands-protests-three-months-in-no-end-in-sight/
Gov. Brown and Mayor Wheeler were at odds over how to handle the riots: https://www.opb.org/news/article/pandemic-protests-oregon-governor-kate-brown-portland-mayor-ted-wheeler/
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2h 7min
December 30, 2021 20-year-old Portlander comes out as conservative for the first time ever
It's hard to speak out in Portland. That's why we have this podcast. Today you will hear from Sarah, a 20-year-old who voted for Trump and is a conservative from Portland. Before today, the only people who knew Sarah's political affiliation were her family. She opens up to us about what it's like to be a conservative in Portland.
Links from today's episode:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/expert-warns-cloth-masks-useless-215341566.html
Article about Howard Zinn, who wrote the textbooks used by Sarah in Portland Public Schools: https://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/december/wineburg-historiography-zinn-122012.html
For those of you who were looking for the article about the $11.5 million Portland gave away to a woke company run by an ex-convict: https://nypost.com/2021/12/14/portland-awards-11-5m-energy-contract-to-woke-firm-run-by-ex-convict/
If you want to support the podcast, please like and subscribe, tell a friend, and give us a good rating on iTunes.
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2h 4min
December 17, 2021Red pilled
BLM v. the nuclear family (https://nypost.com/2020/09/24/blm-removes-website-language-blasting-nuclear-family-structure/)
Kamala/MLK: (https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-kamala-harris-plagiarize-story-martin-luther-king-jr-1559091)
Hardesty's alleged tactics v. opponent Smith (https://www.kgw.com/article/news/politics/smith-accuses-hardesty-of-tasteless-tactic-in-city-council-race/283-600285586)
Hardesty sued by B of A (https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/12/portland-commissioner-jo-ann-hardesty-defends-fiscal-integrity-on-public-funds-amid-lawsuits-over-personal-debt.html)
Hardesty accused of stealing from the NAACP (https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/406630-305192-smith-accuses-hardesty-of-stealing-from-the-naacp)
Hardesty's lawsuit v. PDX Police Union (https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2021/12/13/jo-ann-hardesty-files-5m-lawsuit-against-portland-police-union-and-its-former-president-for-leak-of-false-hit-and-run-allegation/)
PDX placing homeless in neighborhoods (https://www.portland.gov/council/documents/ordinance/passed/190478)
(https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2021/05/19/portlands-mayor-asks-downtown-law-firms-for-help-with-a-plan-to-relocate-people-sleeping-in-front-of-their-offices/)
Attempted kidnapping of 6 y/o (https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2021/12/unidentified-man-who-tried-kidnapping-child-in-pearl-district-linked-to-second-concerning-incident.html)
Shelters (https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2021/07/30/35550324/as-city-clears-laurelhurst-homeless-camp-unhoused-portlanders-enter-familiar-cycle-of-displacement)
Race or class? (https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2018/03/19/race-class-debate/)
https://nypost.com/2021/12/14/portland-awards-11-5m-energy-contract-to-woke-firm-run-by-ex-convict/
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2h 13min
December 06, 2021Why isn't anyone stopping the violence in Portland?
High profile professional and native Portlander Jennifer tells us what it was like to work with the Gang Violence Reduction Unit.
PDX former gun violence reduction team/gang unit (https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-mayor-ted-wheeler-changes-city-police-bureau/)
Mayor Wheeler's condo set fire (https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/09/protesters-march-to-portland-mayor-ted-wheelers-residence-monday-throw-birthday-party-demand-resignation-live-updates.html)
PDX Comm. Ryan’s home vandalized 7 times (https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/01/portland-commissioner-dan-ryans-home-vandalized-7-times-since-october-he-says.html)
Central Park Karen (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-story-of-the-central-park-karen/id1570872415?i=1000530855326)
Mingus Mapps: park rangers not police (https://ktvl.com/news/local/portland-city-commissioners-present-plan-to-address-gun-violence)
Homicide rate for blacks this yr is nearly 8 times higher than for whites (https://projects.oregonlive.com/under-the-gun/)
Homeless in PDX neighborhoods (https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2021/05/19/portlands-mayor-asks-downtown-law-firms-for-help-with-a-plan-to-relocate-people-sleeping-in-front-of-their-offices/)
Homeless ordinance (https://www.portland.gov/council/documents/ordinance/passed/190478)
Hardesty's campaign (https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-oregon-city-council-loretta-smith-jo-ann-hardesty-electric-slide/)
Kristof article (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/opinion/portland-protests-trump.html)
Crime victim attacked in downtown PDX in broad daylight op ed (https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2021/10/opinion-knocked-down-but-lets-get-back-up-portland.html)
https://nypost.com/2021/12/14/portland-awards-11-5m-energy-contract-to-woke-firm-run-by-ex-convict/
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1h 8min
November 23, 2021 Kyle Rittenhouse
Betsy Johnson for governor of OR (https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23343-a-betsy-proof-margin.html) (https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/46663/betsy-johnson) (https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/votesmart/)Nicholas Kristof article asking us to disbelieve what we saw with our own eyes in Portland (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/opinion/portland-protests-trump.html).Ayanna Pressley condemns Kyle Rittenhouse in 2020 (https://twitter.com/AyannaPressley/status/1298780540431224832?s=20)Cori Bush condemns Kyle Rittenhouse on 11.15.21 (https://twitter.com/CoriBush/status/1460335492415819786?s=20)The evidence at the Rittenhouse trial did not fit the pre-trial left-wing political/media narrative. (Bari Weiss's podcast episode breaking down the facts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-medias-verdict-on-kyle-rittenhouse/id1570872415?i=1000542265808)Deceased Rosenbaum used the "n-word" (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/man-killed-by-rittenhouse-challenged-group-shoot-him-used-racial-slur-witness-2021-11-05/)Bari Weiss NYT resignation letter (https://www.bariweiss.com/resignation-letter)Oregon politicians condemn Rittenhouse verdict (https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/oregon-portland-elected-officials-react-to-kyle-rittenhouse-not-guilty-verdict/283-46569b2f-8ad5-45bd-9bf8-af4de762a9db)Biden is "angry and concerned" about Rittenhouse verdict: (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/19/statement-by-president-biden/)Biden splices Rittenhouse video with Charlottesville white supremacists (https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1311268302950260737?s=20)SF DA Chesa Boudin condemns Rittenhouse riots (https://twitter.com/chesaboudin/status/1462147099017969664?s=20)Glenn Greenwald: Rittenhouse supports BLM (https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1462835329208139776?s=20)
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55min
November 16, 2021 Should the term "birthing people" replace the word "mothers"? Biden thinks so.
We discuss the following articles:Homeless encampments have caused Fairview Lake to flood because the camps are blocking access to the city pump that city workers are unable to reach due to gunfire from homeless campers. (https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/homeless/fairview-lake-floods-homeless-camps-block-pump-access/283-7d1f6005-d443-4c69-8d87-0c48beefd003)Homeless campers living at Sandy River Delta park are facing off with vigilantes trying to clean up the park. (https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2021/11/02/36769230/illegal-camp-sweeps-and-limited-shelter-space-east-multnomah-county-grapples-with-a-growing-homelessness-crisis)The ACLU altered a Justice Ginsburg quote changing references from "women" to "people". (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/us/aclu-apologizes-ginsburg-quote.html)The Biden Administration has replaced "mothers" with "birthing people" in its maternal health guidance. (https://www.newsweek.com/biden-admin-replaces-mothers-birthing-people-maternal-health-guidance-1598343).Med schools are denying biological sex. (https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/med-schools-are-now-denying-biological).The war between radical feminists and transgender activists. (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/04/woman-2).Children's mental health is now a national emergency. (https://www.npr.org/2021/10/20/1047624943/pediatricians-call-mental-health-crisis-among-kids-a-national-emergency)
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2h 3min
October 24, 2021 Healthcare worker vaccine mandates
Cancellation of a math poster (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Number-Talk-Hand-Signals-4116451?st=787cf6ab52195710f90ca69d0d5425b8.) "Traumatized" by a math poster?Vaxx rates in Oregon. (https://www.opb.org/article/2021/10/20/vaccination-falls-prey-to-politics-as-oregons-rural-and-urban-counties-drift-further-apart/).Losing jobs at OHSU due to vaxx mandate. (https://katu.com/news/local/ohsu-says-96-of-members-vaccinated-for-covid-261-people-face-termination.) OHSU does not appear to allow for vaxx exemptions for natural immunity. (https://news.ohsu.edu/2021/10/02/ohsu-covid-19-vaccine-policy-and-exception-process.)Natural immunity: (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01442-9.) (https://www.science.org/content/article/having-sars-cov-2-once-confers-much-greater-immunity-vaccine-vaccination-remains-vital.)Are vaxx resistant of low socioeconomic status? (https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/06/poorer-us-counties-have-lower-covid-19-vaccine-uptake.) (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7022e1.htm.)Most drs are vaxxed. https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-survey-shows-over-96-doctors-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19Caitlin Flanagan's Atlantic article on abortion. (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/the-things-we-cant-face/600769/.)OR suspends standardized testing in school: (https://www.opb.org/article/2021/09/20/examining-oregon-decision-to-drop-high-school-essential-skill-requirements/.)2021, PDX: most homicides on record. (https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-10-19/a-dangerous-time-portland-oregon-sees-record-homicides.)Adolescents on a crime spree in PDX: (https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/boys-arrested-crime-spree-portland/283-02093634-184b-440d-8695-6a1881d2e9a4.)
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2h 17min
October 18, 2021 Where did the term "Two Spirit" come from?
PDX riots, 10/12/21: https://www.koin.com/news/protests/pearl-district-residents-to-ppb-are-we-a-lawless-city/https://www.koin.com/news/national/lawless-city-worry-after-portland-police-dont-stop-chaos/https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/10/protesters-commemorating-activists-death-damage-downtown-portland-windows-leave-graffiti.htmlhttps://www.koin.com/news/protests/downtown-businesses-vandalized-following-memorial-for-slain-activist/Police are claiming that they cannot engage in crowd control or other tactics to stop riots due to House Bill 2928. But 10/12 would likely qualify as a riot under ORS 166.015.Betsy Johnson is currently our choice for governor of Oregon. She voted no on the bill allowing tent camping throughout the state in public spaces--which even Dan Ryan opposed. Johnson is the "moderate", data-driven, reasonable voice we need.Nick Kristof, also running for gov, is not as clear-eyed about Portland's problems.Singer Jason Mraz was widely criticized for coming out as "Two Spirit" because he is not indigenous, but a white man may have coined the term "Two Spirit." Will Roscoe may have invented the term Two Spirit at a conference in Winnipeg in 1990.
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1h 10min
October 11, 2021 Recycling is Garbage
Caitlin Flanagan's article on abortion.Andrew Yang has started a new political party. He believes that the public has the right to walk the street and not fear for their safety due to the unpredictable and potentially violent nature of the behavior exhibited by the untreated mentally ill. Andrew Yang advocates for compelled mental health treatment for those members of our community who cannot care for themselves.Listener comment: DA Mike Schmidt's unwillingness to prosecute has got to be really undermining police enthusiasm for law enforcement. Recall that DA Schmidt told Willamette Week that, "I think that when you look historically at this nation, it's during these protests when we've gotten some of the changes that we are proudest of in our nation's history. And sometimes it took some property damage. It took more than just peaceful protests to get the government's attention. I'm very mindful of that."According to treatment providers, more Oregonians have died from drug overdoses during the pandemic than have died from COVID-19. Oregon has decriminalized drugs but cannot provide the drug treatment our vulnerable drug addicted population so desperately needs. We should be treating this as a crisis and an emergency that is on at least the same level as COVID-19.In response to a listener comment, we explore the post-George Floyd era of policing in Portland, Oregon. What kind of tactics are PPB employing and are they efficient? We look at one recent example from September 30, 2021.In 1996, John Tierney, a Yale-educated journalist, wrote one of the most controversial articles in New York Times Magazine history called "Recycling is Garbage". We explore this article and his 2015 follow up, "The Reign of Recycling." Is recycling just a big waste of time and money?Dr. Vinay Prasad, hematologist-oncologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco addresses masking in The Dallas Morning News. Is there any authoritative consensus on outdoor masking?Check out Dr. Michael Osterholm, director for Infectious Disease, Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, explain why cloth masks buy you maybe five minutes of time and are not as effective as most of us think. You can also read the transcript below the video.
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1h 13min
September 28, 2021 What if we funded police, but abolished their unions?
Data supporting the idea that we need more police to solve crime.https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/instead-of-defund-the-police-solve-all-murders/619672/https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2021/04/20/988769793/when-you-add-more-police-to-a-city-what-happens?t=1627991403020The Bangladesh mask studyhttps://twitter.com/martymakary/status/1435780819616940035?lang=enhttps://vinayprasadmdmph.substack.com/p/why-do-we-have-to-lie-about-the-resultshttps://www.city-journal.org/public-healths-truth-problemIt wasn't as good as they thought; result is null. When the pre-print of the study was released, they claimed surgical masks were 11% effective. However, when the study was finally published, the underlying data didn't support this figure: https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.01296More evidence from doctors that children should not be masked:https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/school-mask-mandates-downside/619952/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/26/its-time-children-finally-get-back-normal-life/https://www.wsj.com/articles/masks-children-parenting-schools-mandates-covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic-biden-administration-cdc-11628432716Data showing that Democrats wildly overestimate the threat posed by COVID:https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-misinformation-is-distorting-covid-policies-and-behaviors/
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1h 10min

FAQs about Rational in Portland:

How many episodes does Rational in Portland have?

The podcast currently has 163 episodes available.