Is Obama Just Nuts Or Is He Serious?
This was taken from the Seattle Times Friday, 2-29-08: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/353111_shlaesonline01.html "In the Senate, the Democratic presidential candidate is pushing for passage of legislation that requires the U.S. government to cut global poverty in half by 2015. REQUIRES? Now, I'm willing to believe that the Times may have a poor choice of words, but--can anyone shed any light on this? What are we? The world's personal bank account?... [read more]

Washington Property Rights: Sucks to be you
More proof that what's you thought was yours really isn't yours after all: Sound Transit will pay $500,000 to acquire property for a rail station, a jury decides. That's more than the agency originally offered but less than the owners demanded. A Pierce County jury told a Tacoma couple Thursday that their property, which was seized by Sound Transit for a commuter rail station, was worth $500,000. That was far less than Ken and Barbara Miller have been seeking but... [read more]

Wall Street Journal Editorial about the Clinton Terror Pardons
Here is a link to a must read editorial in the WSJ about the Clinton Terror Pardons and how it appears they were issued to gain votes in NY.... [read more]

Huckabee agrees to a values voters debate
Press Release: Mike Huckabee Accepts Values Voter Presidential Debate LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee accepted an invitation to participate in a Values Voter Presidential Debate to be held on Monday, March 3, 2008. Huckabee received the invitation on Wednesday, February 27, for the debate which would also include Senator John McCain and Congressman Ron Paul. "I look forward to discussing the issues that are important to the people of America... [read more]

Will Obama be Indicted?
Sources: http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/807812,CST-NWS-rezko22.article http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004142018_rezko24.html A slowly developing story about Obama's erstwhile "friend" Rezko, and Illinois corruption is now apparently spreading to Illinois Gov. Blagojevich who could face indictment. Can Obama be caught up in this? Will he be indicted? From the Chicago Sun Times: Antoin ''Tony'' Rezko, a major campaign fundraiser for Blagojevich and Sen. Barack Obama who is facing a federal fraud trial next month, was jailed Jan. 28 after prosecutors said a $3.5 million payment from Auchi, a London-based... [read more]

Seattle 9/11 Billboard
From Monica Guzman's Big Blog on the Seattle Post Intelligencer's website: "A new billboard recently went up near Western Avenue and Denny Way, about 100 feet from the Seattle P-I. Text along the bottom reads that it is paid for by Concerned Citizens for a Better America." The billboard reads When you cast your vote remember September 11, 2001. The debate on who might have put up the billboard (she hasn't been able to uncover who comprises the Concerned Citizens... [read more]

Guns Save Lives - article by John Stossel
Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/guns_save_lives.html February 27, 2008 Guns Save Lives By John Stossel It's all too predictable. A day after a gunman killed six people and wounded 18 others at Northern Illinois University, The New York Times criticized the U.S. Interior Department for preparing to rethink its ban on guns in national parks. The editorial board wants "the 51 senators who like the thought of guns in the parks -- and everywhere else, it seems -- to realize that the innocence of... [read more]

Stop the unionization of PARENTS -- stop HB 3145
Friends, I share Gary M's concerns about HB 3145. The state of Washington should not be unionizing parents, be they foster parents or otherwise. We do not need union rules determining how parents can relate to their children - but it goes farther than that. The idea that anyone who receives benefits or payments from the state requires representation by a labor union has got to stop! Once a union "contract" is injected into the mix, the will of the... [read more]

SHOCKER UPDATE: Nader IS Running for President!
And shocker of all shockers, Ralph Nader (the Democrats' Ross Perot) is indeed running for President: Nader announced his candidacy in the same way as he did four years ago, on NBC's "Meet the Press." He said that he was running to draw attention to issues ignored by the major candidates in both parties: corporate crime, worker rights, military spending and foreign policy. Convential wisdom says he'll "take away" votes from the Democrats once again this year, but if the... [read more]

SHOCKER: Nader for President?
Hat-tip to Orbusmax.Com and Ben Smith of Politico for being so on top of what could be the biggest surprise in this election cycle: Ralph Nader may announce his candidacy for President on Meet the Press tomorrow. Ralph Nader's exploratory committee just e-mailed his list: that he'll be on "Meet the Press" Sunday. Wonder what he's gong to talk about. From the e-mail: As you know, we've been exploring the possibilities in recent weeks. And here's one question that keeps... [read more]

Charles Krauthammer on Democrats & Iraq
from: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/democrats_unwavering_in_the_fa.html February 22, 2008 Democrats Dug In For Retreat By Charles Krauthammer "No one can spend some 10 days visiting the battlefields in Iraq without seeing major progress in every area. ... If the U.S. provides sustained support to the Iraqi government -- in security, governance, and development -- there is now a very real chance that Iraq will emerge as a secure and stable state." -- Anthony Cordesman, "The Situation in Iraq: A Briefing from the Battlefield," Feb.... [read more]

The takeover of Diego Garcia
The following article by Deanna Spingola reveals the heartless cruelty that is practiced by Globalists in their quest to establish their World Government -- a cruelty to both animals and people. When I was pastoring in Wickford Village, North Kingstown, Rhode Island, during parts of 1971-72, I remember hearing about a new U.S. Military base in Diego Garcia. Several individuals who attended my church had a relative stationed at Quonset Point Naval Base near there, and their loved one,... [read more]

Oops! Sorry! I forgot my box cutter was hidden in a hollowed out book in my backpack
OK, I am filing this one in my "what the hell?" file. As I understand it, the guy tries to board a plane.  He passes a backpack through the airport scanner and they see books, box cutter, papers, lint...wait, box cutter? So they inspect and find a book with a hollowed out inner compartment (ala Shawshank Redemption) in which a box cutter was concealed. His excuse?  "Oops! I forget it was there." Michelle Malkin starts us off: Whoops. He just forgot... [read more]

How did they do it?
I'm still curious. In the primary, you have a non-partisan ballot issue - like a school levy. You are forced to vote by mail. You did not want to swear an oath, but you wanted to vote on the levy. If you didn't mark the box on the outside envelope, how was your vote for the levy processed? Was it separated from the envelope and put into a special stack that would go to a machine that only read the... [read more]

Residential Burn Ban Nixed
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has nixed plans to permanently ban residential outdoor burning in rural areas in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties. Good. They did continue with their recommendation to ban land clearing burning, which I found more reasonable. Quote from today's email: based on the comments received and issues raised about the availability and costs of alternatives to residential burning, particularly for large parcels of property located in rural areas, staff believes it is not clear that... [read more]

Secure Elections Still A Value In Pierce County
I feel sorry for you folks up in King County who are being strong armed in to all-mail-balloting. Especially when King County Executive Ron Sims lied and said that he had a plan in place for all-mail-balloting. Come to find out he didn't have a plan, and now King County is still trying to figure out how to implement a system that will leave voting less secure, less open, and more costly. Fortunately down here in Pierce County, we still... [read more]

Two letters by Fidel Castro
Two letters by Fidel Castro Fidel Castro's February 2008 letter of resignation as dictator of communist Cuba, CLICK ON THIS LINK: http://tinyurl.com/yor9p5 Fidel Castro's November 1999 letter to a "highly respected friend" in Seattle, a friend Castro considers a man "of honor and integrity," CLICK ON THIS LINK: http://www.berenforcongress.com/fidelcastro.html Steve Beren for Congress 1916 Pike Place, #12667 Seattle WA 98101 * Support Our Troops - Victory in the War Against Terrorism * Protect Our Borders - End Illegal Immigration *... [read more]

Even Zoning Drives Up Housing Costs
From: http://volokh.com/ http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=302388 Zoning and the Subprime Mortgage Crisis: Randal O'Toole has an interesting post rounding up evidence showing that zoning and other government land-use restrictions have played a major role in causing the subprime mortgage crisis. Zoning helped cause the crisis in two ways: by artificially inflating the price of real estate, and by increasing the likelihood of a "boom-bust" cycle in real estate prices. As Harvard economist Edward Glaeser and UPenn economist Edward Gyourko showed in this 2002... [read more]

Democrat Superdelegates For Sale?
From: http://www.capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID=336 Seeking Superdelegates As the Democratic Party's superdelegates decide whether to support Clinton or Obama, will they take into account the $900,000 they've received from the candidates? By Lindsay Renick Mayer February 14, 2008 | (Figures in this story have been adjusted to reflect Sen. Ted Kennedy's contributions from the two candidates, which were overlooked in the original posting. Changes are in bold.) At this summer's Democratic National Convention, nearly 800 members of Congress, state governors and Democratic Party... [read more]

The Irrationality of Hope
Presidential candidate Barack Obama wrote a book called "The Audacity of Hope." Mr. Obama is an excellent orator, and he is probably going to win the Democrat nomination in the next few days. And Mr. Obama has run an audacious campaign focusing on change and hope. Hope and change are wonderful platitudes. We all hope to change for the better, to make more money, to be more successful, to be more healthy, etc. It's easy to focus on the what-ifs... [read more]

John "No New Taxes" McCain
Below is post I did a long time ago but accidently never published. John McCain has recently promised "no new taxes". In determining if I can trust McCain I fall back on the old but true joke about politicians. How do you tell if a politician is lying??? Check to see if his lips are moving! So how do you evaluate who to vote for if you can not trust anything they say? Well it is difficult for local races... [read more]

History Repeats Itself: Why McCain Can't Win
In November of this year, our country will be deciding on a new president. The Republican candidate and the Democratic candidate will spar incessantly with each other in the several short months leading up to the general election, and one of them will come out President Elect. As of right now, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are neck and neck, with Obama seemingly edging Clinton out with the help of his winsome charisma and feel-good buzz words. Texas and Ohio... [read more]

Liberalism is a mental disorder
He's certainly not the first to suggest it, but Dr. Lyle Rossiter, author of the new book, "The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness," argues that liberalism is not just a belief, but something much more pathological. "Based on strikingly irrational beliefs and emotions, modern liberals relentlessly undermine the most important principles on which our freedoms were founded," "Like spoiled, angry children, they rebel against the normal responsibilities of adulthood and demand that a parental government meet their... [read more]

Re-promulgate Title 18 USC Section 1
Congress House of Representatives Senate Washington D.C. (Senate) 20515, (House) 20510 RE: SEDITION IN JUDICIARY AND EXECUTIVE BRANCHES Dear Representatives and Senators: While you are being sidetracked by the Iraq. Civil War, the Judiciary and Executive Branch career bureaucrats, for lack of a more politically correct euphemism, "2/3's Reich, are usurping your Constitutional and Congressional power to accommodate their Evolutionary War to take federal control over all Americans. The reality of the Evolutionary War can be viewed every day in... [read more]

America the Brilliant
Sometimes I can understand why foreigners think we Americans are crazy--this article is a perfect example: In a happy mix of science and commerce, man's best friend can now live again and again - if the owner is besotted and rich enough. The South Korean stem cell scientists who produced Snuppy, a cloned Afghan hound, have received the world's first commercial order to clone a dog and are preparing to recreate Booger, a pitbull terrier from California. It is an... [read more]

More Incompetence arrives in Seattle
http://theeprovocateur.blogspot.com/2008/02/dr-andy-and-media-corruption-meets.html New COO of Providence Hospitals in Seattle Thursday, February 14, 2008 Dr. Andy and the Media: Corruption Meets Incompetence Meets Corruption Introduction Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, or Dr. Andy as colleagues called him, has traveled a long and winding road. He has frankly commited an obscene amount of corruption and worse yet, he has done it in all parts of the country. Agwunobi came to Atlanta's South Fulton Hospital as CEO immediately before a JCAHO report that gave the hospital... [read more]

MICHAEL YOUNG TO RESIGN
The Reagan Wing has learned that "Mainstream" King County Republican Chairman Michael Young will announce his resignation next Tuesday. No reason has been given for the impending announcement. King County is one of the most populous counties in the nation. Speculation is high that Young will become a part of the John McCain campaign team. He was rumored two years ago to have coveted a top Washington State position with the "Mainstreamer's" Presidential campaign that has the favor of Washington... [read more]

Gregoire Authorizes 100 Million $$$'s for State Ferry Monopoly
Gregoire signed a bill today giving the state ferry monopoly 3 more vehicle ferries. That the Democratic governor would sign away so much of our money to a state monopoly is not surprising, just disappointing. What is surprising is that when one looks at the roll call for the bill in the senate and house, the bill was approved by a majority of Republicans!!! Why are Republicans afraid to say no? We are not talking about a small amount of... [read more]

Ahhh Bezerkeley...
I haven't posted on anything outside of the realm of the 2008 Presidential Elections recently, so I thought I'd just post a few thoughts about the whole U.S. Marines vs. the City of Berkeley (aka "Bezerkeley") fiasco that's going on in sunny California. First, I keep thinking to myself...does anyone in Berkeley even have a job, or does someone pay them to protest? Apparently, Berkeleians are willing to protest just about anything under the sun (I bet you that they'd... [read more]

VIETNAM VETERANS AGAINST JOHN MCCAIN
VIETNAM VETERANS AGAINST JOHN MCCAIN COL. EARL HOPPER SAYS MCCAIN GUILTY OF TREASON IN VIETNAM Click below to visit the "Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain" site: http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/cin_hopper_video2.htm At the above site, there is a video interview in a series of 5 files which one can see and hear, wherein Col. Earl Hopper states that John McCain was guilty treason while he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. But... Let it be clearly understood by all who read this file:... [read more]

Drinking Buddies
OK, so here I am, deep in the belly of the beast. Jim McDermot is my congressional representative. In my neighborhood conservatism is the sin that dare not speak its name. So where does a thirsty patron of Sound Politics go to wet his (or her)(or its) whistle and engage in sensible political discourse. Are there any conservative watering holes in North Seattle? Has anyone ever tried a casual Sound Politics get together? Maybe a sports bar at which like... [read more]

Hilarious-Archbishop of Canterbury Tale
From blogger Iowahawk: An Archbishop of Canterbury Tale: Heere Bigynneth the Tale of the Asse-Hatte. With apologies to Geoffrey Chaucer 1 Whan in Februar, withe hise global warmynge 2 Midst unseasonabyl rain and stormynge 3 Gaia in hyr heat encourages 4 Englande folke to goon pilgrimages. 5 Frome everiches farme and shire 6 Frome London Towne and Lancanshire 7 The pilgryms toward Canterbury wended 8 Wyth fyve weke holiday leave extended 9 In hybryd Prius and Subaru 10 Off the... [read more]

Janet Huckabee at NWU (2/8/08)
Yeah, yeah, I know this is a bit late getting up, but I've been busy. I finally got the videos up last night of the Q&A session with Janet Huckabee when she spoke at Northwest University in Kirkland, WA on the Friday before the Washington caucuses. I would venture to guess that around 300 to 400 people showed up, all quite enthusiastic. I was able to get some pictures at the event, which are available here, as well as with... [read more]

Clemens vs. McNamee Hearings
I know there's a few folks here who follow sports as well as politics, and tomorrow is a big day where they both collide. After a week of private depositions under oath by Clemens, McNamee, Pettite, Knoblauch and Radomski, we get to hear Clemens and McNamee testify before Congress. For a good preview of the upcoming proceedings, read SI's Jon Heyman's piece. He provides an excellent account of the uphill battle that faces Clemens, who vehemently denies taking performance enhancing... [read more]

I HOPE SOUNDPOLITICS TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THIS!
Indoctrinate U Available Free To Bloggers " Evan Maloney recently released documentary "Indoctrinate U" about the left's ironclad control of America's academic institutions has been taking the campus by storm. " " To help get the word out, he has set up a review program for bloggers to get a free copy of the movie. Don't miss this opportunity! "... [read more]

John McCain FTW.
Well, I'll keep this short and sweet. Want to win the war in Iraq? Vote McCain. Even last-ditch Ken doll turned Repub Romney acknowledged this. McCain will win the war in Iraq. End of story. Why do I care about this? I was part of OIF-1. I lost friends there and friends on subsequent rotations. I got out in late '03, and went overseas as a contractor, and met with thousands of service members transitting to and from Afghanistan and... [read more]

Quasi-Super Saturday Wrap-up
Yeah, yeah, so I'm a bit behind on posting about the several contests that were held on Saturday for both the GOP and the Democrat presidential candidates. I was visiting family, and I was busy doing other things, like driving long distances. So here it is, two days later. Be happy. Huckabee trounced, hammered, clobbered, whooped, crushed, or otherwise soundly defeated John McCain in the Kansas caucuses on Saturday. The results? Huckabee    60% McCain       24% Paul           11% As for Louisiana, Huckabee barely squeaked... [read more]

Esser RISKS non-"winner" delegate bloc / backlash
Chairman Luke Esser needs to learn the law of unintended consequences. And language has consequences .... Today, the Chairman spoke on Kirby Wilbur's radio program, saying at one time that the Party remains officially neutral regarding the delegates the candidates gained, then immediately reinforced his use of the "winner" language, certainly not neutral rhetoric. The unintended consequence the Chairman risks is the formation of a delegate bloc alliance against his declared "winner", as backlash to his imprudent and unnecessary use... [read more]

Compassionate Coercion Kills Republican Coalition
From his buried school-bus, his command outpost deep in uber-liberal-controlled territory, ThoughtRogue keeps the Conservative flame alive; a clear, unwavering signal rallies his fellow patriots... "Uniform - Sierra - Alpha, Do you read? Uniform - Sierra - Alpha, Do you read..." What an amazing morass we find ourselves in as the tectonic plates of American politics lurch and split, grinding up what came before and heaving up new, unfamiliar ground. It seems clear now that the traditional Republican conservative coalition... [read more]

Bush: $1.4B for MEXICO's Border Security
Jeez! I am getting beyond embarrassment as a Republican. Can't we do anything right?? http://michellemalkin.com/2008/02/11/the-white-house-wants-a-14-billion-stimulusnational-security-packagefor-mexico/ The White House wants a $1.4 billion stimulus/national security package...for Mexico By Michelle Malkin • February 11, 2008 01:54 PM A reader asked me to check into information that President Bush was pushing a massive foreign-aid package to Mexico to help them secure their southern border against the flow of illegal aliens from Central America. "We can't even get our own border straight, and we... [read more]

Emperor Gregoire and Darth Mariner
This totally doesn't deserve to be on the front page, but I thought people would get a kick out of it, so I am putting it on the "Public Blog." I always thought the picture of Gregoire being picked up by Mariner Moose looked like Emperor Palpatine's death scene from Return of the Jedi. Hence this terrible -- but terribly funny, to me -- Photoshop job:... [read more]

Berkeley vs The USMC: Battle Royal; Do they support the troops; and War vs Not War
First of all, I read this at Rosemary's Thoughts: Code Pinko vs. Move America Forward Now is the time to fight back. If you have to wear pink just to get in under cover, do so. They are on to our plan to show up on the 12th. They are planning to stack the deck by having all code pinkos sitting in those chairs. DO NOT ALLOW THIS. Here is the e-mail I received from Move America Forward: The radical... [read more]

PCO demands Esser withdraw "winner" statement
Open letter to Chairman Luke Esser, Washington State GOP Dear Chairman Esser, I am the GOP PCO for SEA 34-1247 precinct, and delegate for Dr. Ron Paul. I write to strenuously object to your intentionally deceptive and biased press release titled, "Sen. McCain Wins Republican Precinct Caucuses in Washington State" of February 9, 2008. With 87.2% of the precincts reporting and 13.8% "uncommitted" or "other" (meaning we do not know their preference, or did not support Mr. McCain) and 16.5%... [read more]

34th (and 43rd) District Delegate Report
These are the unconfirmed delegate counts for 34th and 43rd Leg Districts ... Delegate Counts... [read more]

34th District Republican Portal
A web portal for Republicans in the 34th Legislative District (West Seattle, Vashon, portions of N. Burien) is now open - be sure to join the discussion email list to allow effective networking. http://www.34thgop.info This is an unofficial portal for grassroot voters and supporters of the GOP, in the 34th LD. If you live, vote (or know anyone who does) in the District, and supports the Republican agenda, visit and bookmark the site. We need better networking in the District... [read more]

An Apology and a Request Regarding John McCain
One year and three months ago, I finished up what really was a wonderful time serving as Mike McGavick's New Media Director in spectacularly disappointing fashion. In the days and weeks that followed, I was inordinately frustrated with the terrible analyis of the nationwide 2006 debacle, but too drained by the whole experience to craft any response. I took a break from blogging and politics in general. Then I got a great opportunity to go overseas, which extended this break... [read more]

Democrats Resist Earmark Reform
from Instapundit: Disappointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) rejection of House Republican calls for an immediate moratorium on all taxpayer-funded earmarks, House Republicans will force a vote on the issue tomorrow, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) announced this afternoon. The leaders said House Republicans will force the earmark reform vote as a higher education authorization bill comes to the floor containing what many argue is a taxpayer-funded slush fund for colleges and universities.... [read more]

A McCain-Thompson ticket?
Interesting thoughts from a Townhall.com blogger http://scottott.townhall.com/g/2bb0f0f4-a139-49bb-8af7-9ac06ae1159d How McCain Beats the Dem Nominee: The Team America Strategy Wednesday, February 06, 2008 2:59 PM by Scott Ott As neo-lib presidential candidate John McCain heads for the Republican nomination, and a November thrashing at the hands of Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton, conservatives across the land endure the dark night of the soul, wrestling with their consciences. We reason in our hearts that at least Sen. McCain is right on... [read more]

Berkeley vs The USMC: The City Council, live on video and on the record
I know that having heard about this fiasco, I wish I could have been there. Well, Berkeley was nice enough to videotape their session, and I managed to upload to YouTube some interesting clips: Because of the procedures they use, the main resolution asking the Marines to leave (Item 12) was not called to the floor for discussion, it was instead accepted as part of the Constant Calendar.  The real debate was about the parking permit and fee waivers for Code... [read more]

$61,290,000,000! (Yes Virginia, 61 Billion!)
It's a good thing that the legislature doesn't pass every bill they write. However, it only takes a couple of bills to pass to cause severe financial hardships on the taxpayers. Sign up to the OFM emails - unless you have a weak heart. So far, out of thousands of bills, OFM has notified us of only a handful. I selected 24 from the emails OFM sent out. I put the numbers into excel and was astounded by the unbridled... [read more]

Ron Paul's message to WA Conservatives
The following is a message from Ron Paul to Washington State conservatives. For people concerned about the end of the conservative movement (not the same as the Republican Party) this message makes a very strong case. What is your prediction of Paul in Washingtons Caucus? Dear Fellow Washingtonians, The presidential primary election is fast approaching. By now, you've heard the moderate pitches from three of the Republican candidates. But there is also a strong conservative in this race. Congressman Ron... [read more]

RomneyCare vs. HillaryCare
Check out this great cartoon from David Horsey of the Seattle P-I: This cartoon, of course, is comparing Romney's state health care plan passed in Massachusetts with Hillary's mandated universal health care plan, which may include garnishing wages of those who can afford but who refuse to buy the plan. Yep, Massachusetts' health care plan was mandated. See this clip from an April 2006 Businessweek.Com article: The bill, approved by the heavily Democratic Massachusetts legislature on Apr. 4, marries conservative... [read more]

Kiss your wallet goodbye - it's Property Tax time
41%. Forty one percent! Increase. 1.41 x last year's tax = this year's tax. Dollars, not assessed value. That, folks, was the news I got today as I saw my 2008 Kitsap County Property Tax bill for the first time. Much of this was due to local levies, but the State General Fund portion alone was 37% higher. So much for I-747 and other tax-limiting devices. 71%. Seventy one percent! Increase. 1.71 x 2006 tax = this year's tax. Dollars,... [read more]

Like Hogs At The Trough III
Like the pigs that took over "Animal Farm", our state legislature is now trying to protect their swine brethren over at the Port by enacting silly transparency laws that will only cause more darkness and confusion to a system that has been screaming for sunlight and easily followed audit trails. The proposal is to require executive sessions to be tape recorded in order to persuade bureaucrats from breaking the law behind closed doors. Say what? This is stupid, we can't... [read more]

Why don't politicians practice what they preach?
Politicians, especially presidential candidates, make promises they never intend to keep, or which they are unable to keep. Not pleasant, but a historically understood problem. What galls me though, is when sitting legislators run on a platform of change or improvement but their history in their legislative branch shows no action on these issues while they were in the perfect place to do something about those issues. The solutions the politicians promise must wait until they are elected - in... [read more]

Costco vs Liquor Control Board
The 9th circuit court of appeals recently decided against Costco in its case against the Washington State Liquor Control Board. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the Washington State Liquor Control Board could prohibit discounts, ban central warehousing of beer and wine by retailers, require wholesale distributors to charge uniform prices to all retailers and require a 10 percent markup. That the 9th circuit would find in favor of the state against the free market is hardly suprising.... [read more]

PI predict strong showing for Paul and Obama
The Seattle PI just predicted a strong showing for Paul and Obama. On the Republican side, Paul reported more than 1,000 donors, giving him the edge over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 700 and Arizona Sen. John McCain with 500, filings show. All donors of $200 or more must be disclosed in the filings. The edge in donors is important because those are the same dedicated partisans likely to spend their Saturday at Washington's precinct caucuses. In addition to... [read more]

State, local government workers see pay gains
In the USA Today newspaper on 2/1/2008, there is some interesting information about the widening gap between Public and Private pay and benefits. "The gap is widening every year, rising by an average $1.02 an hour last year and $2.45 an hour over the past three years. The better pay and benefits for public employees come as private-sector workers face stagnant wages and rising unemployment." The full article can be read on the following link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-02-01-civil-servants_N.htm It's a good article... [read more]

The Marines vs Berkeley: The Peace and Justice Commission behind the actions - How bad is it? Read it here
First of all I will say briefly that I am encouraged by the building support against Berkeley.  The fact that I have seen so many local comments from people who are aghast at the total idiocy of this situation, particularly from the oh so liberal Seattle, was a bit of a surprise (I expected much more push back), but then again Code Pink (note please my restraint to not call them Code Pinko as so many others do) has always... [read more]

McCain: "I assume that I will get the nomination"
I just found an article (h/t: Drudge) on a CBS News blog about McCain's confidence in his chances at winning the GOP nomination. Oddly enough, McCain's statements seem kind of contradictory--he's "guardedly optimistic" and not "taking anything for granted", and yet he "assume[s] that [he] will get the nomination". Riiight. From CBS News' Dante Higgins: NASHVILLE, TN -- As John McCain continues to pick up endorsements his numbers in the polls continue to remain strong, McCain sounds confident about his... [read more]

Darcy Burner's supporters are mad at her.
The darling of the left-wing blogs has come under the wrath of same, due to an article in The UW's Daily. http://thedaily.washington.edu/2008/2/1/bloggers-new-media-part-two/ Her campaign spokesman, Sandeep Kaushik stated in his interview with the author, some things that have been widely taken as a dis on nutroots, when after all, it is they that have made her campaign what it is - well funded by people outside the 8th district. See DailyKos: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/1/141825/3697 and FireDogLake: http://firedoglake.com/2008/02/01/loyalty-2/ It appears as if Darcy... [read more]

Ron Paul vs. Ronald Reagan
Congressman Ron Paul, along with supporters of his presidential campaign, makes the claim that his isolationist foreign policy represents a return to genuine conservative tradition and constitutional principles. Jonah Goldberg's recent National Review article ("The Tradition of Ron Paul," 12/17/07) suggested important arguments to the contrary, and inspired me to add my own observations. I recalled Ron Paul's Libertarian Party presidential campaign of 1988, in which he was sharply critical of the Reagan foreign policy. Paul ran in opposition to... [read more]

Huckabee outspent 7 to 1
The numbers show, once again, either who is better at managing campaign monies, or who has a better item to sell. A Huckabee dollar will go nearly seven times as far as a Romney dollar, and they are nearly tied in the national polls. Could this be a taste of the kind of fiscal conservatism that could be brought back to the Whitehouse? From a HucksArmy.Com press release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 2, 2008 
CONTACT Lucas Roebuck Public Affairs, HucksArmy.com... [read more]

Will Kerry lying for Obama really help?
This morning's Seattle Times contained a rather hilarious literary romp entitled "Kerry says Obama's resume' comparable to JFK's, Roosevelt's that, like so many Kerry utterances... how can I put this civilly... "strain the boundaries of credulity?" I don't blame the Times for printing this trash; after all, Kerry no doubt said it. But once the reader picks themselves back up off the rhetorical floor from the sheer astonishment they must feel, while they shake their heads muttering, "Same old Kerry,"... [read more]

Sen. Sam Brownback Endorses McCain
With so much attention focused on John McCain's lack of support from the conservative right, I found it interesting that the media and the blogs have not picked up on Sen. Brownback's endorsement of McCain. Brownback is clearly someone who carries weight among social conservatives. It appears that McCain will continue to struggle with many in the party, and Brownback's support is unlikely to sway those who are strongly opposed to McCain.However, having folks like Brownback stand up for him... [read more]

Mitt Romney's Pipe Dream: A two-man race
Mitt Romney's supporters latest slogan and rallying cry is now: "A vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain!" I beg to differ--a vote for Huckabee is a vote for... *gasp* HUCKABEE. Romney is making a habit of calling this a "two-man race", referring to himself and McCain, of course, but there are some of us who would like to think otherwise. As of Wednesday, Romney had not bought any Super Tuesday advertising--it is now certain, however, that he has... [read more]

Berkeley: The backlash against City and Code Pink begins, and local reaction is split
And here we go.  People are starting to gather and get vocal. Before I report on the latest let me say one thing.  Dissension is an American tradition.  Even the "symbolic gestures" passed by many local communities are traditions of free speech and discourse that I appreciate, and I defend...in principle.  In other words, I vigorously defend the rights of American Citizens to protest, to pass initiatives and to complain. However. Freedom of speech works both ways.  I have the... [read more]