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Friday, December 11, 2009

Crime Stolen Totem Pole Found in Oregon

Posted by Charles Mudede on Fri, Dec 11, 2009 at 8:16 AM

Stolen totem pole found:

(Seattle Times) An 18-foot totem pole stolen from a West Seattle park early last week has been found in Oregon. A 69-year-old West Seattle man, who was arrested Wednesday night in connection with the theft, led investigators to the pole, in Keizer, Ore., just outside of Salem. The suspect apparently had a crew with a crane help remove the pole, but it's not clear if the workers knew the man did not have permission to take the local landmark, police said. The pole was first noted missing last week. The Rotary Club of West Seattle, which donated the pole to the city, notified the Parks Department, which alerted the police. "The Rotarians were up in arms," said Rotary President Amy Lee Derenthal. "Some of our members were very passionate about our totem pole.

This is Northwest crime in its purest form. One other Northwest crime: A special tree from China is missing. It was last seen in the Arboretum.

(Seattle Times) When they spotted the stump Wednesday, staffers at the Washington Park Arboretum had little doubt what happened: Someone seeking a free Christmas tree had chopped down a likely candidate. The 7-foot conifer was one of the park's rarest specimens, an imperiled species collected from the mountainous Yunnan province in China.

Who has this tree in their living room? Who has decorated it with lights, candy canes, and the star of Bethlehem? The poor thing came all the way from China only to be turned into an average Christmas tree in some cash-starved Seattle home. The shame, the humiliation.

Comments (15) RSS

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Charles, I don't see any objectified white women or obscure Africa goings-on in this post. You're off your game. Hang it up.

Posted by delawn on December 11, 2009 at 8:30 AM

I'm not sure where you're trying to go with the tree from China but frankly that pisses me off more than the totem pole being stolen.

The Arboretum is one of the best features that Seattle offers to everyone and to have some fuck head steal a tree from there is really pathetic. But so is trying to make a joke about it being decorated for Christmas too.

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on December 11, 2009 at 8:30 AM

it won't be an average christmas tree, it will be the best christmas tree ever.

doesn't this happen with some regularity?

Posted by Max Solomon on December 11, 2009 at 8:33 AM

Jacko -I'll be regular for you.

This is about trees, but must we be so Christian-centric at this time of year? This weekend begins Hanukkah and I'd like to begin my Jewish-centric comment alerts with a story about Frank Lloyd Wright, a guy who knows a bit about wood.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/tr…

Let's gut this anti-semite archifuct (so i learned from the NYT and the book it reviewed) then disembowel him so we can sleep inside innards - The Empire Strikes Back style.

Posted by dnt trust me on December 11, 2009 at 8:39 AM

Park district forgot to spray all potential Christmas trees with fox urine and paint them pink.

Posted by Banna

on December 11, 2009 at 8:41 AM

Of course those Rotarians are up in arms, and passionate-
it's almost Dec 31 when they'll dance around that pole.
Naked.
All night long...

Posted by ...around and around on December 11, 2009 at 8:42 AM

You don't get it, Chaz-
that tree is as happy as can be!

Posted by Rendevous with Destiny on December 11, 2009 at 8:44 AM

@4: i knew i'd regret not calling it a tannenbaum.

Posted by Max Solomon on December 11, 2009 at 9:27 AM

I heard about the tree yesterday...totes makes me sad.

Posted by More, I Say! on December 11, 2009 at 9:30 AM

Tree story is sad.
Makes me think of 'The Fir Tree' by Hans Christian Andersen. Possibly my favorite Christmas-time story, despite always leaving me feeling heavyhearted:

http://www.readprint.com/work-14/The-Fir…

It's long, but HCA was a great storyteller.

Posted by Dee on December 11, 2009 at 9:35 AM

@10

thanks, i'll be sure (must live up to it) to print it up, to sit down, and read it to my young son, a baby turtle (but mostly for myself; it's also for adults) and stuffed Mouse -King?
make sure to get back to the printed version of E.T.A. Hoffman's classic about scrooge-like characters. spoiler alert: it's in 3-D, pages. i paid attention for 10 minutes of the Nutcracker on stage on video at elementary school.

Posted by dnt trust me on December 11, 2009 at 9:44 AM

Dee @10, I've just been reading HCA's The Snow Queen, and thinking how good it is these cold wintry days. I'll have to check out The Fir Tree now -- thanks!

Posted by Irena on December 11, 2009 at 9:48 AM

I kind of hope whoever stole that tree gets it shoved up their ass, splinters and all. But I'd be content if they just got a big honking fine.

Posted by Geni on December 11, 2009 at 11:26 AM

The director of the Arboretum collection was on KUOW yesterday. When asked why there is no security in place to protect rare plants, he stated that most arboretums in the U.S. are fenced to limit access at night, but here it is a political issue. Home-owners with property adjacent to the park have repeatedly pressured the city council to reject applications to fence the park. If these folks want unobstructed views, they should have to pay enhanced property taxes. They can afford it and why should they have special rights anyway?

Posted by thatsnot right on December 11, 2009 at 12:07 PM

Damn it Charles! You don't even tell us what kind of tree it is!

Posted by ams_ on December 11, 2009 at 8:32 PM