Washington
updated
7:24 a.m.
I showed up with a dying battery so there is an abrupt ending and this is the sole photo I got, but the event itself outdid my high expectations. Jason performed with friends on strings and brass, and they came......
Silenced Majority Portal - 7:24 a.m.
...a random ten. Lyle Lovett - Farther Down The Line Dwight Yoakam - Honky Tonk Man That Dog In Egypt - Hunter Thompson Frank Sinatra - Ring-A-Ding Ding! Joe Turner & His Blues Kings - Shake, Rattle & Roll Wylie & The Wild West - Hooked On Honky Tonk Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee Mollie O'Brien - Brown Eyed Handsome Man Jerry Jeff Walker - L.A. Freeway James McMurtry & The Heartless Bastards - I'm N...
Upper Left - 3:46 a.m.
I don't tell a lot of 'em here, but this one's become a Fourth of July tradition. First posted in 2004, I've run it here every year since because, well, I still can't think of a better way to say Happy 4th. Once again, here 'tis ... I was a soldier once... ...and one of the lasting effects has been to make Independence Day a bit more meaningful to me. 33 years ago today I was on a plane bo...
Upper Left - 3:06 a.m.
“This proves once again that the lesson of history is that we don’t learn the lessons of history.” Terence Doherty on China's grim economic future (though it's easy to find broader application. Hat tip to ballgame at Cogitamus . ...
Upper Left - 3:06 a.m.
Yeah, Moosegirl, you. Under the bus … Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — daughter of Frank Murkowski, who was defeated by Sarah Palin in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary — released a statement Friday after the governor announced her decision to leave office by the end of the month. Full text: “I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided to abandon the State and her constitue...
Upper Left - 3:06 a.m.
Instead of doing something really patriotic on the Fourth of July, (like have a mattress sale) BlatherWatch has a tradition of covering ourselves in glory, and helping you celebrate your American liberdee by providing an inspirational red, white and blue......
BlatherWatch - 3:04 a.m.
(And there are some 65 other media clips from the past week in politics posted at Hominid Views.) ...
HorsesAss - 12:16 a.m.
- posted by demo kid It seems like (un)Sound Politics is self-destructing in a rather weird way. This has pretty much led to some of the Powers That Be at the site to do what they do best: blame the problem on liberals. Still, I do (surprisingly) have some grudging respect for pudge and [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Fri 9:28 p.m.
Former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin announced Friday she is resigning as Alaska Governor in order to become first lady of South Carolina, shocking the political world today as well as providing an explanation for another gubernatorial bruhaha. ...
Mr_Blog - Fri 8:23 p.m.
Seattle City Council member Jan Drago announced today that she will retire rather than seek an unprecedented forty-first term. ...
Mr_Blog - Fri 8:23 p.m.
In my post earlier today, I didn’t mention anything about what the Obama Administration is trying to do inside Pakistan itself, but it’s quite important and extremely disconcerting. Jeremy Scahill has a very good rundown on the extent that we’re operating across Afghanistan’s southeastern border. ...
HorsesAss - Fri 6:45 p.m.
Ukrainians Seek to Rename Their Village for Michael Jackson In one of the oddest displays yet of the global reach thatMichael Jackson possessed, residents of the Ukrainian village of Oktyabrskoye are seeking to rename it after the singer, Agence France-Presse......
Silenced Majority Portal - Fri 4:44 p.m.
Talk station KVI and mixed-music Star 101, (KPLZ) Seattle's no.1 radio station have been silent since about 11:25p Thurs. A small fire broke out in Fisher Plaza in the basement parking garage in an electrical vault. It's the section of......
BlatherWatch - Fri 4:44 p.m. - 5 clicks 
Lloyd Grove: Is this a great country or what? A live Sarah Palin steals the spotlight from a dead Michael Jackson! Jay Rosen: No politician in our time has lived her political life at a wider variance from verifiable fact......
Silenced Majority Portal - Fri 4:01 p.m.
Wow, didn't see this one coming : Sarah Palin made a surprise announcement Friday that she will resign as governor of Alaska in a few weeks, saying she will try to "affect positive change" from outside government. The former Republican vice presidential candidate hastily called a news conference Friday morning at her home in suburban Wasilla, giving such short notice that only a few reporters a...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Fri 2:36 p.m.
A couple of years ago I was in Paris for the Fete de la Musique (which was held last weekend during Solstice) and this first video is a quick trip to Paris, for sure. Watch and listen and save yourself......
Silenced Majority Portal - Fri 1:43 p.m.
Palin resigning as Alaska governor Palin to Resign as Alaska Governor on July 26 Palin to Resign as Governor of Alaska Palin Quits as Alaska Governor Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she won't seek reelection Palin clashed with McCain staff......
Silenced Majority Portal - Fri 1:43 p.m.
Friday before a holiday. From KTUU-TV in Anchorage: In a stunning announcement, Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday morning she will resign her office in a few weeks. Speculation has swirled for weeks, perhaps months that Palin would not seek re-election in 2010 as she pursues a political career on the national stage. The former vice presidential candidate [...]...
HorsesAss - Fri 1:24 p.m.
Australia-based writer Gregor Salmon spent the last eight months exploring the world of Afghanistan’s opium trade. “Poppy is not just a crop… it’s a financial system, a finely-tuned industry,” he said. “It’s a low-risk crop in a high-risk environment.” He got used to feeling a “constant sense of unease” and managed to talk farmers, police...
HorsesAss - Fri 10:29 a.m.
Right on the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and at the time of many of the Gay Pride rallies and marches across the United States, Ft. Worth cops Raided the Rainbow Lounge and rounded up gay persons without cause,......
Silenced Majority Portal - Fri 9:14 a.m.
she had to leave her fur behind Feds seize Madoff penthouse, wife leaves NEW YORK (AP) — Federal marshals seized disgraced financier Bernard Madoff's $7 million Manhattan penthouse on Thursday and forced his wife to move out and leave her......
Silenced Majority Portal - Fri 8:30 a.m.
The Mark Sanford Affair Commemorative Poem by Gershon Hepner On the Appalachian trail hangs an Argentinian tale. a trail-rhyme romance of which Chaucer might well have been a rude endorser. Alibis in Appalachia, more consistent with males' nature than the......
Silenced Majority Portal - Fri 8:30 a.m.
BHL, French intellectual giant Translated from the French .. probably loses something in the translation but it's kind of a comparison with Christ, n'est-ce pas? Excerpts: First station of the cross: things. The holy horror of things. An entire apparatus......
Silenced Majority Portal - Fri 8:30 a.m.
On Thursday initiative developer Tim Eyman turned around 314,000 signatures to put his latest measure on the ballot. The secretary of state’s office indicates it is likely to be the only citizen initiative on the ballot, which could be a plus: Rather than fade into a fog of issues, this one is likely to stick [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Washington) - Fri 8:18 a.m.
I’m on the road to Brownsville, OR for our annual 4th of July beer and wood fired pizza fest, and I’m traveling sans laptop. So don’t expect much posting from me this weekend apart from an occasional iPhlog. Um, like this one. ...
HorsesAss - Fri 8:17 a.m.
Crystal. Steve M. on Caribou Barbie... She doesn't just talk in soundbites, she clearly thinks in soundbites. Yep. ...
Upper Left - Fri 3:07 a.m.
Maybe we should encourage Republicans not to fill out census forms. From the Federal Eye blog at WaPo, in regards to wild statements made by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., concerning the census. Republican colleagues have now called her boycott illogical and illegal. “Every elected representative in this country should feel a responsibility to encourage full participation in [...]...
HorsesAss - Fri 1:24 a.m.
Sean Hannity, hearing the news that Al Franken was the new junior senator from Minnesota, called him a "liar and a lunatic." Michelle Malkin described him as "an angry, unstable man." Expect that to continue being the right-wing media meme......
BlatherWatch - Thu 11:18 p.m.
As British Columbia acknowledges the one year anniversary of the landmark carbon tax shift policy , the revenue-neutral tax recently bumped prices at the pump from 2.4 cents to 3.6 cents a litre. But the price change at the pump hasn't drastically altered public opinion one way or another. In fact, as reported in Sightline Daily today, carbon tax shifting appears to be gaining favor across Ca...
Sightline Daily Score - Thu 5:43 p.m.
Old dog Eyman just ain't learning any new tricks. Initiative 1033 , which he filed today with the Washington State Secretary of State is just another old trick to transfer money from the poor to those better off, namely property owners. Eyman latest scheme puts a limit on state, county and city revenue growth by limiting year to year growth to the previous year plus local population growt...
MajorityRulesBlog - Thu 5:43 p.m.
Assuming his numbers can be trusted (and that’s a huge assumption), Tim Eyman has apparently turned in enough signatures to qualify Initiative 1033 for the November ballot, his most vindictive, dangerous and mean-spirited initiative yet. I-1033 is a “TABOR” initiative, one of many, similarly constructed spending-cap measures that have been peddled in the initiative states nationw...
HorsesAss - Thu 4:32 p.m.
…ask someone who isn't ... The American economy shed 467,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.5 percent from 9.4 percent, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. Job losses were widespread among the construction, manufacturing and business and professional services sectors. Shouldn't be too hard to find one. ...
Upper Left - Thu 1:49 p.m.
This morning in Olympia, Tim Eyman showed up at the Secretary of State's office in Olympia to submit what he signatures he's managed to collect for his jobs-killing Initiative 1033 . Reporters from several newspapers, KOMO TV, and NPR attended Eyman's press event, which mostly featured rehashed Eyman talking points. The Secretary of State's office tells NPI that they received 19,317 petitions,...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Thu 1:23 p.m. - 2 clicks
My Fuse Sizzle Award didn’t come with a large cash prize, but I did receive a free beer and a framed caricature of myself. And oddly, it wasn’t my first caricature of the day. I occasionally meet with foreign journalists through the World Affairs Council, and yesterday I met with a group of visiting political cartoonists [...]...
HorsesAss - Thu 1:23 p.m.
Columnist Steve Duin at The Oregonian recounts the troubling tale of a Clark County man falsely charged with luring a child. The kid later recanted his accusation. It’s a little involved so if you wish please click through and read Duin’s column. The story raises many questions about the conduct of the Clark County Sheriff’s Department [...]...
HorsesAss - Thu 10:46 a.m.
Anything wolf makes big headlines--and, it seems, is never old news. For fourteen years since conservationists and the federal government brought the wolf back to the northern Rockies (plus several years leading up to the reintroduction), anything and everything about the Big Dog has been, to say the least, controversial. But something hasn't happened yet that could make it much more contentious...
New West Columbia Gorge - Thu 6:02 a.m.
Less than a month after failing to reach agreement on endorsing anybody for King County Executive, the membership of the 45th District Democrats has decided that everybody who wanted our support for the job can have it. That's right, I said everybody. By a vote of twenty two to ten, the membership of the formerly indecisive 45th District Democrats quad-endorsed (is that how you say that?) half ...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Thu 1:44 a.m.
Posted by Carl So this is probably old, but Faith and Freedom have a piece on their main page (I’ve only been following their blog) 10 Reasons to Sign REFERENDUM 71. It’s actually 10 people saying only a few things. Anyway, here are the 3 elected officials. “At the founding of our country we made the [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Wed 4:24 p.m.
For our latest research report, we looked at gasoline consumption data in the Northwest for 2008 and found some significant drops. In fact, total gasoline consumption saw the biggest drop since 1980. It would be easy to attribute this to high gas prices and the economic downturn we experienced last year, but the fact is that this drop actually marks an acceleration of a trend that's been going o...
Sightline Daily Score - Wed 4:13 p.m. - 2 clicks
Rush Limbaugh claimed Tuesday that President Obama is laying the groundwork to stay in office beyond 2016! He said Obama's followers will seek to repeal the U.S. Constitution's 22nd Amendment, allowing him to serve more than two terms -as Honduran......
BlatherWatch - Wed 4:12 p.m.
In Washington, certain kinds of wells for certain uses such as domestic, stockwater and some manufacturing and noncommercial, can be drilled and used without a permit. A 1945 state law established that, and limited water extraction to 5,000 gallons per day. A 2005 state attorney general opinion, however, concluded that “the first proviso to RCW [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Washington) - Wed 2:28 p.m. - 4 clicks
To the President of the Senate of the United States: This is to certify that on the fourth day of November, 2008, Al Franken was duly chosen by the qualified electors of the State of Minnesota a Senator from said State to represent said State in the Senate of the United States for the term of six years, beginning on the 3rd day of January, 2009. Witness: His excellency our governor Tim Pawle...
Upper Left - Wed 10:13 a.m.
- posted by demo kid The logic in FWC’s rants against Mark Sanford here and here are… well… non-existent. But there was an interesting little beat that I only picked up on a second read (emphasis mine, natch): I am glad, personally, that Newt Gingrich will never be nominated for president. If a man cheats on [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Wed 10:12 a.m.
- posted by demo kid Shorter Doug Parris: Every single gay parent in history had plastic surgery, put out several hit records, wore quasi-military fashion, lived in Wonderland, had sham marriages and surrogate pregnancies, and died of drug overdoses. Because, you know, every gay family is exactly like Michael Jackson’s. Wow. Just when I [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Wed 10:12 a.m.
The good news is that someone is actually wrestling down the needs of the long-troubled Washington ferry system, including the purchase of five new boats in the next five years. The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division has just released a plan that looks as if it may make sense for the ferry system. [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Washington) - Wed 12:24 a.m. - 2 clicks
This got shuffled in all the rada-rada about Sen. Al Franken, but Dick Morris hung up on Thom Hartmann (KPTK m-f, 9a-12p) Tuesday. (photo: shrimping toad from the '90's) Scheduled to talk about his new hit book Catastrophe (about the......
BlatherWatch - Wed 12:24 a.m.
Two Republican candidates have stepped up to oppose Congressman Brian Baird in Washington's third Congressional district: Jon Russell and David Castillo . A Republican city councilman from Washougal with a history of opposing gay rights has stepped into the ring to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Brian Baird. [...] Russell joins David Castillo, as the GOP challengers in the 3rd district, which ...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Tue 11:49 p.m. - 5 clicks
- posted by demo kid Before diving into this cap-and-trade business, I’ll be up front about my position on global climate change: I think that it’s far more complex than most rank-and-file voters understand, and even more complex than most policymakers or scientists understand. There are a lot of unknowns, and in twenty or [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Tue 11:20 p.m.
Most places have limitations of some sort on 4th of July fireworks, but outright bans are relatively uncommon. Spokane, and communities around it, have had such a ban for 17 years. From a city release: “Fireworks-related fires in the City of Spokane dropped from 1,044 in the 10 years prior to the ban to just 46 [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Washington) - Tue 9:41 p.m.
The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill passed the House narrowly on Friday. The epic, historic, landmark (insert favorite, happy superlative here) piece of legislation that sets limits on greenhouse gases and invests in renewable energy passed narrowly with a 219 to 212 vote. Even President Barack Obama made last-minute calls to get this thing approved. So how did lawmakers vote in the Cascad...
Sightline Daily Score - Tue 5:57 p.m.
Oregon lawmakers today are hanging it up for 2009. How'd they do? Folks are celebrating bills to cut the carbon content of fuel in cars and trucks by 10 percent by 2020; requirements to increase energy efficiency in buildings; and prohibiting construction of new coal plants. A few tears were shed for the failure to pass legislation putting the state on track for meeting greenhouse gas reductio...
Sightline Daily Score - Tue 5:57 p.m.
I'm in the back of the room listening to Senator Maria Cantwell's expert panel discussion on healthcare reform at UW Medicine. Joining Senator Cantwell for today's event are representatives from Regence Blue Shield, Premera Blue Cross, AARP Washington, Group Health Cooperative, Washington State Labor Council, Physicians for a National Health Program, and Community Health Network of Washington. A...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Tue 4:42 p.m. - 6 clicks
Is it over? Minnesota's Supreme Court has dismissed former Sen. Norm Coleman's challenge to the state's November election results and declared Democratic challenger Al Franken the winner. Apparently. Hopefully. And quickly, please. ...
Upper Left - Tue 3:21 p.m.
Putting a formal stamp on its difficult transaction that netted it 15 stores from the bankrupt Sportsman's Warehouse chain, UFA Co-operative Limited,of Calgary, Alberta, has quickly rebranded the stores as part of the Wholesale Sports chain it has owned and operated for many years in Canada. The new signs are going up right now, says Natalie Dawes, of UFA, but customers still might find temporary...
New West Columbia Gorge - Tue 2:22 p.m.
(photo: Senator Al Franken, D-MN) "The Supreme Court has made its decision and I will abide by the results," Coleman told reporters outside his St. Paul home. "In these tough times we all need to focus on the future, and......
BlatherWatch - Tue 1:44 p.m.
Half a year after his fellow freshman Senators took their seats in Congress, Minnesota's Al Franken finally and truly has been declared the winner in Minnesota's 2008 U.S. Senate race. The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled: DFLer Al Franken beat Norm Coleman last year fair and square, and is eligible for an election certificate that will allow him to be seated in the United States Senate. Yo...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Tue 12:27 p.m.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled Al Franken the winner of the 2008 Senate race. (photo: Minnesota Star-Tribune In a unanimous 5-0 decision, the court upheld a three-judge panel’s April 14 ruling that Franken defeated Republican Norm Coleman in the......
BlatherWatch - Tue 12:17 p.m.
U .S. Supreme Court maneuvering in a case involving corporate money in political campaigns suggests that the right wing majority on the court is practicing judicial activism. The case involves a corporate documentary last year that was critical of Hilliary Clinton. According to an article today in the New York Times entitled " High Court Poised to Rewrite Spending Rules " the US Supreme Court ...
MajorityRulesBlog - Tue 11:19 a.m. - 2 clicks
…that Republicans are like back seat drivers who, if given the wheel, would immediately drive into a ditch as they have time and time again. Time and time again, though, Americans have given in and given 'em the wheel. We've really gotta knock that off. ...
Upper Left - Tue 4:09 a.m.
...when I catch up a bit. An unfortunate alignment of vacation schedules and an injured cook has led to me spending altogether too many hours at the perfect tavern . Today was Day 12 of Shaun Held Hostage and there's no relief in sight for a number of days. Drop in if you have a chance and you're likely to find me around or by in a bit. Big doings planned for the Fourth, by the way, if you're...
Upper Left - Tue 12:43 a.m.
... by Walter Brasch Some columns are easier to write than others. This is one of them. Providing all of my research were the "family values" Republicans. This week, second term Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina disappeared for six days, leaving the state without a chief executive who could make decisions in an emergency. His Republican lieutenant governor didn't know where he wa...
Pacific Views - Mon 11:05 p.m.
Our current president is a former U.S. senator, but historically that’s an anomaly: In recent decades, and even no so recent, a lot of them have come from the ranks of governors. (Bush II, Clinton, Reagan, Carter . . .) So Ken Rudin of National Public Radio decided, just as an exercise, to rank the nation’s [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Washington) - Mon 8:37 p.m. - 14 clicks
– posted by thehim For some bizarre reason, the Crackpiper sent me a friend request in Facebook. I accepted of course, and I imagine there will be plenty of good material coming my way. Here’s a snapshot from my current front page, which shows the wingnut echo chamber in full force: To see the debunking [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Mon 7:07 p.m.
Pleading with reporters to "keep an eye me," Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina today announced that he is ready to take responsibility for having an extra-marital affair by running for the 2012 Republican nomination for president. Sanford follows in a tradition of Republicans who atone for personal or professional wrongdoing by not stepping down. ...
Mr_Blog - Mon 6:10 p.m.
Liberty Belle thinks teleprompters are the devil. Another successful Tea Party ladies and gentlemen! I’m waiting to get the footage from various sources so that I can edit something together to post. Thomas Paine (Bob Basso) was BRILLIANT!! It was one of the best speeches I’ve ever witnessed, and funny, he didn’t use any teleprompters… I mean [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Mon 6:10 p.m.
How many of us in this economic climate know someone relying on an unemployment check to pay a mortgage? And how many of them have a solid plan for what happens when that money dries up? We're about to find out, The Oregonian tells us. They visited rural Harney County, OR, where creating any new job seems like it would take small miracle. So far, the community has remained relatively intact...
Sightline Daily Score - Mon 2:46 p.m.
...the random ten you've been waiting for! The Louvin Brothers - Cash On The Barrelhead Wilson Pickett - 634-5789 The Grateful Dead - Deal Blue Street Jazz Band - Take The A Train Gram Parsons - Streets Of Baltimore Phil Lesh & Friends - Turn On Your Lovelight Keely Smith - One For My Baby (One More For The Road) Bottoms Up Blues Gang - Ain't Nobody's Business Willie Nelson - I Gotta Get Drunk Rig...
Upper Left - Mon 2:31 a.m.
Central Tacoma/Stapilus Some battles never end. Those between the Emerald City and the City of Destiny, for example. In modern-day style . . . The Port of Tacoma tries to entice a key shipper away from the Port of Seattle. The city of Seattle tries to lure away one of Tacoma’s most prestigious businesses. A solid rundown on the [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Washington) - Mon 2:31 a.m. - 7 clicks
Corporate Knights recently hosted Dr. James Lovelock speaking on his latest book, The Vanishing Face of Gaia . Here's the first segment of that talk. He says the IPPC document is by far the scariest document ever written because it isn't just what we are doing to the earth that is the problem, it is that the earth responds to our actions. And change is coming faster than e...
Pacific Views - Mon 2:31 a.m.
The Associated Press' Olympia bureau has done it again . For reasons I can't fathom, the Associated Press has put out on the wire a short "news brief" (hard to call it a story, since it's so short) trumpeting the "news" that Tim Eyman spoke at a small gathering of conservatives in Olympia about his latest scheme to bankrupt Washington State. Not only is this "news brief" a wasted effort, since ...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Mon 2:31 a.m. - 5 clicks
Editor's Note: The following is a transcription of Susan Hutchison's entire remarks at the King County Executive candidate forum organized by Gary and Jennifer Fancher this past Thursday evening (and held in North Bend), which we liveblogged here on The Advocate and on Twitter . We decided to transcribe Hutchison's remarks because so far she has chosen not to appear at almost any of the ma...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Mon 2:31 a.m.
Okay, now this is just getting silly: About an hour after Jenny Sanford talked of her pain and feelings of betrayal, her husband brushed aside any suggestion he might immediately resign, citing the Bible and the story of King David — who continued to lead after sleeping with another man’s wife, Bathsheba, having the husband slain, [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Mon 2:30 a.m.
– posted by thehim Making fun of Jonathan just never gets old. The man can bring the crazy like no one else: Why are Obama and the Democrats so Busy? For the same reason that the Gorge cleanup crew is busy after Ozzfest. Watching the Cap ‘n Trade bill go through the House, I have to wonder, what [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Mon 2:30 a.m.
Thirty-five great photos taken over the last several months of the earth from the ISS. One photo even features the center of my universe Vashon Island, WA. via: boston.com big picture ...
ArtistDogBoy - Mon 2:30 a.m. - 2 clicks
The Obama administration has been a "significant failure" when it comes to making the spending of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars transparent and accessible to the public, according to the Sunlight Foundation. Also absent from the new instruction is a requirement to make raw data public. By not including raw data at Recovery.gov, transparency is dramatically...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 26
Whew, that was close. By a margin of just seven votes - one less than the total number of Republicans who crossed the aisle to vote for the bill - the United States House of Representatives voted in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, also known informally as the Waxman/Markey bill, H.R. 2454. A total of two hundred and nineteen Members voted aye on the bill, including all six o...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 26
– posted by thehim According to the statistics in the right sidebar, this is my 350th post at EffU. It feels like roughly half of those posts have been about how far wingnut nation has devolved from when the right could legitimately complain about the political correctness of the left. Those days are such [...]...
Effin' Unsound - Jun 26
Nick Beaudrot ... ...if you take the view that the police state has gone too far in enforcing drug laws and that any reduction in police powers or complications in prosecuting drug crimes is a good thing, today was a good day. …is that today was a good day. Good. ...
Upper Left - Jun 26
Last night at the King County Executive Forum in North Bend, NPI asked Susan Hutchison what her position was on Tim Eyman's Initiative 1033, a measure that will likely be on this November's ballot that would have a devastating impact on county and city governments. More precisely, Initiative 1033 a jobs killer: it would cause thousands of public servants to be laid off across the State of Washingt...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 26 - 3 clicks
Yesterday, the world lost one of its most incredible and legendary performers: Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" was pronounced dead at a Los Angeles hospital after apparently suffering cardiac arrest. Further details about what happened are not yet available, but the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating, as is usual when a high profile celebrity dies in the City of Angels. The media f...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 26
A new book by four public health advocates called Globesity: A Planet Out of Control ? was recently reviewed by Grist’s Jonathan Hiskes . I haven’t read the book but Hiskes’ review got me thinking about how the origins of public health practice and current efforts to address climate change are related. It might seem like a stretch. But public health was built on the premise that the mo...
Sightline Daily Score - Jun 26
Me & Haley Barbour … "I don't talk about people's personal problems: I don't think it's polite." Well, not usually, anyway, though hypocrisy can create some tempting targets. ...
Upper Left - Jun 25 - 3 clicks
Minority Leader John "Boner" Boehner , whining about Nancy's team… "They are running over us." Faster, harder, further, please. ...
Upper Left - Jun 25 - 3 clicks
If President Obama hadn’t published two best-selling books which brought in a nice heap of cash, he and Michelle might still be paying off their hefty college debt. Unfortunately, most college graduates can’t expect to experience that kind of good fortune. Today, two-thirds of four-year college students leave school with debt, crowding out many of their options and dreams like buying a home, st...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 25
Good evening, NPI Advocate readers! Daniel and I are out in picturesque North Bend tonight to watch and listen to six of the candidates for King County Executive talk about the most challenging issues that face our state's largest local government, and how they would solve them if they were in charge. In attendance are Dow Constantine, Ross Hunter, Susan Hutchison, Fred Jarrett, Alan Lobdell, and...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 25 - 6 clicks
As the House of Representatives fine tunes legislation like the American Clean Energy and Security Act , public opinion weighs far less than other pressures. But as our elected officials make perhaps the biggest decision of their careers about the biggest, most sweeping climate and energy legislation ever, it’s worth noting that the American public is calling for "yes" votes – and that’s across...
Sightline Daily Score - Jun 25
Well, not that sad, from a Democratic perspective. Pretty sorry, though, and probably true. Texas Gov. Rick Perry on his Alaskan counterpart's support… "If there's a bigger endorsement in the Republican universe, I don't know who it is than Sarah." ...
Upper Left - Jun 25
Sir Charles this time… It appears that Sanford and John Ensign were in the same Bible study group on Capitol Hill -- what version of the Bible were these guys reading, the Bob Guccione edition? The only answer I can think of is Heh™. ...
Upper Left - Jun 25
The streets of Tehran are clear of demonstrators this morning, as opponents of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad absorb Wednesday's shocking news: opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has been disqualified after publication of semi-nude photos. Iran's ruling Guardian Council announced Mousavi's disqualification mere hours after the ...
Mr_Blog - Jun 24
If you've read any of my past columns, you know I'm a strong proponent of designating more Wilderness, but when considering whether to support including our national parks under the National Wilderness Preservation System, I have to wonder if this is a good idea. Here's why....
New West Columbia Gorge - Jun 24
A little compare & contrast never hurts when figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Seattle and Vancouver have a light rivalry of a sorts - both have similar ideas about what constitutes civic virtue - that can make such a thing useful. Knute Berger at Crosscut has a report on a meeting that put one [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Washington) - Jun 24 - 2 clicks
At the risk of alienating fans of Superman, let me suggest that the character of Bizarro ranks very high among the stupider plot devices and antagonists ever dreamed up in DC Comics' long-running, flagship comic book series. For those not up on their super-villain lore, Bizarro is from Bizarro world, where everything is backwards. Good is bad, right is wrong, et cetera. Hokey as that may be, ...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 24
For the better part of the last thirty years the Republican Party has claimed the mantle of family values, as being a party morally superior to others. And once again that image has taken a hit, as Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) has followed the same path of Newt Gingrich, Bob Livingston, Rudy Giuliani, John Ensign, David Vitter, Larry Craig, Mark Foley and others by admitting to having an affair...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 24
The King County Democrats met last night to endorse candidates for the August 18, 2009 Primary. Many candidates were voted by acclimation following the recommendations of the endorsement committee. The most fought over races were those for Seattle City Council and Seattle Mayor. A 2/3 vote was required for endorsement. No candidate was endorsed for Seattle Mayor . A series of single and du...
MajorityRulesBlog - Jun 24 - 3 clicks
...from Darryl . Why didn’t President Mohammad Khatami of Iran come out with more forceful statements when the 2000 U.S. presidential election was being stolen? Maybe they bought his silence with a promise to take out his belligerent neighbor. Maybe. ...
Upper Left - Jun 24
If the Defense Department, the Navy and various defense contractors have their way, you will. This coalition has petitioned the White House to keep the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating perchlorate in drinking water . The Pentagon and the defense industry is lobbying the White House to prevent U.S. EPA from tightening a health advisory for a rocket-fuel chemical. Representatives o...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 23
Two new analyses on the economics of Waxman-Markey -- the ever-expanding legislation tackling US greenhouse gas emissions through a cap-and-trade program and investments in renewable energy -- conclude that the bill wouldn't break the bank for consumers, and in fact could even save people money. Not bad for a law that would bring sweeping changes to the energy economy and wean the United State...
Sightline Daily Score - Jun 23
BTB at Horses Ass … Chris Dodd, with a strict emission standards and carbon tax proposal that won over the likes of Al Gore, had arguably the best energy plan out of the entire 2008 Democratic presidential field. He was an early and forceful voice on FISA and has since discussed the idea of Bush administration torture trials. Plus he had the balls to endorse Ned Lamont over his long time colle...
Upper Left - Jun 23
This morning, in his latest electronic screed to supporters and the press, initiative profiteer Tim Eyman declared that his buddies Jack and Mike Fagan (the latter of which is running for Spokane City Council) tabulated all the signatures they have on hand for Eyman's latest scheme to wreck Washington State, and they came up with the number two hundred and seventy thousand. (241,153 valid sign...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 23 - 5 clicks
Our Outreach & Advocacy Director, Rick Hegdahl, is in The Other Washington this week helping the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) lobby for passage of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act , also known as the Waxman/Markey bill. This morning LCV made some waves by announcing in a letter to U.S. Representatives that it will not support any member for reelection in 2010 who vot...
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog - Jun 23 - 3 clicks
I see the battle taking place in Iran as one between generations. The old one who remembers the 1979 uprising and blindly believe in the leaders who came to power in that earlier revolution and, the younger generation that sees the outside world and longs for greater personal freedom and a move away form an autocratic government. Ironically the older generation always sees its revolution as be...
ArtistDogBoy - Jun 23
