It’s still going to be windy today.
And every (non-)story is careful to note that WindStorm 07 (cue catchy graphic and sounder) won’t be nearly as bad as last December’s storm. But that doesn’t prevent any of them from playing on people’s fear of a repeat.
In other news:
To nobody’s surprise, Seattle City Council member Richard McIver entered a plea of not guilty yesterday to fourth degree assault in connection with a drunken late-night fight with his wife last week that landed the councilman in jail for two days. He has been absent from council chambers since, but will return to work today.
McIver’s wife, Marlaina Kiner-McIver, was in court for the hearing, and told the judge both that she wanted the two-week no-contact order with her husband lifted (the judge kept it in place, but allowed third-party contact) and that she did not wish to press charges. Interestingly, none of the multiple local TV and print stories on the hearing mentioned what any social worker will tell you: that when a partner in a domestic abuse case doesn’t want charges filed, it’s no real indicator one way or another as to what happened.
Greg Nickels has quietly proposed to city council a reform that, if enacted, would ensure his re-election for life: a city government call system that, rather than dumping citizens into impenetrable jungles of voice mail, would be answered by live operators 24/7. No more publicly popular administrative idea is imaginable.
Of course, there’s no word as yet as to which country the live operators will be answering from.
The state capitol announced that it will allow a nativity scene in the rotunda this year, joining a menorah and a “holiday tree” (whatever the hell that is) that were displayed last year. A “War On Christmas” type advocacy group complained after being denied a nativity scene last year (the capitol says they simply filed their application too late), and this year they get to set up their display as well.
Most curious is the last sentence in the P-I’s article on this, which addresses the rather salient question: is any religion-specific display in the capitol legal? The “answer”:
[The General Administration Department] vetted the idea [of the nativity scene] with the state Attorney General’s Office because of the religious content of the display and was told there was not enough time to research the issue.
The holiday displays have been a controversy for a year, and religion displays on public property are a perennial issue across the country, and Rob McKenna’s office didn’t have time to look up whether it was legal? So the bureaucrats are assuming it is legal.
Doug Honig. ACLU of Washington. Lawsuit. Bill O’Reilly wet dream. Tempest in holiday teapot. You read it here first.
In D.C., it looks like the Democrats have sold us out again on warrantless domestic spying, giving the Bush administration its desired legal immunity for telecom companies now being sued for secretly turning over customer records to the illegal program. News flash: Congressional approval numbers just dropped another point.
Internationally, Turkey’s parliament voted 507-19 Wednesday to authorize military force in Northern Iraq. While Turkish leaders say they have no immediate plans to act on the authorization, Turkish troops are already massed at the border and the Turkish military has already struck across the border in recent weeks against Kurdish rebels operating from Iraqi Kurdistan. The confrontation pits Turkey, a key US ally and NATO member, against the Kurds, America’s most reliable ally in Iraq, in yet another complication to the Iraqi clusterfuck. And say, whatever happened to the George W. Bush dictum that we won’t tolerate governments (like the government of Kurdistan) that harbor terrorists?
Has anyone else noticed that there’s been virtually no meaningful local news stories in our local news this week? Which raises the imponderable question: if a tree falls on a slow news week, does the gust of wind that caused it qualify as a natural disaster?
No sense in pissin’ off the Turks. We probably should just withdraw from any area they want to operate in and let them do as they will. All that crap about the Armenian genocide is true, but it ain’t worth bringing up as another way to yet again piss off an ally. It’s like rubbin’ the Germans’ noses in the WWII shit just ’cause it makes us feel superior.
As far Iraq, why not just blow off this mess and bring the troops back? They’d be of much more use along the southern borders keepin’ all the illegal aliens out.
So long as any one can set up a display, and state funds don’t pay for it, its probably legal. The idea being that government is not promoting religion only allowing a place where people can display things. I wonder if its too late ot apply to set up an FSM display.
I find it a bit of a push saying the storm last year killed 15 people.
If your electricity fails, and you gas yourself by running a generator indoors, that is a stupidity casualty, not a storm casualty.
I’ll second the FSM display!!!
Arrgh.
Second gripe about people and wind storms. I was watching the news last year and had to listen to folks griping about the city/county et al not clearing up storm debris from blocking the streets.
Note to all whiners: Get off your fat asses and help yourselves. Get your neighborhood toegther, help clear the storm drains and help clear the streets. Quit waiting for somebody to do it for you.
Kudos to Geov for actually mentioning what Goldy is afraid to — a liberal city councilman choked his wife and is being charged for the same. Geov actually has a journalists background which liekly explains this deviation from the the kool-aid drinking groupthink of this blog.
a liberal city councilman choked his wife and is being charged for the same.
Fuck you right winger. Go to (un)SP to salivate over that.
Wasn’t it reported in the local papers? Ooops you just lost your MSM conspiracy bullshit argument.
Yeah people do stupid shit when they drink – just ask any NFL football player or right wing football fan for that matter.
If McGiver loses his seat for this domestic violence beef, it won’t be the first time. Oops you just lost your bullshit argument about Seattle voters sending back wife abusers just because they have a “D” next to their names.
What is a FSM display?
YLB
Wow….you seem angry. Might want to warn your significant other you may choke them.
Btw I never alleged an MSM conspiracy, I stated the fact the Goldy is the Tim Eyman of the Left..only less accomplished because he has passed no legislation and his primary elctoral venture (Darcy Burner) lost a district John Kerry and every other democrat on the ballot carried. Goldy ignores major wrongdoing by liberals (see McIvers dv and the rape by an Everett City Councilman) and chortles over trivial bullshit by right-wingers.
Liberals and conservatives with principles can call out their own when they fuck up — Goldy and Eyman both totally lack this moral component.
Bring on the Nativity. I enjoy the displays of lots of religions, be they Christian, Jewish, Islam, Hindu, or Buddist. The fact is that what we truly worship in this country is the dollar, and Christmas is as much about celebrating shopping as it is a recognition of Emperor Constantine’s appointing December 25th Christmas. Emp. Constantine merely recognized it would be an awful lot easier to work with the masses around the time they’d be celebrating (pagans!) anyway. The display isn’t paid with government funds; indeed, it’s taken million$ of taxpayer funds to fight over this stuff. Bring them all on. Maybe what we’ll find is that by learning a little bit about each other, we might gain some respect and understanding, and celebrate the hope and joy that all people share.
MK @8
Read here and be touched by his noodly appendage:
http://venganza.org/
MK says:
What is a FSM display?
Flying Spaghetti Monster.
9 – Yeah maybe I’m a little “put off” by your multiple posts on McIver. The ink isn’t dry on the police report and you jerk offs come here wanting to throw feces about how Goldy’s not covering it.
And asshole – I don’t drink much. I don’t put myself into situations like that.
And finally I’m most “put off” by your BULLSHIT about right wingers not calling out their own. I read wingnut bullshit every day here and occasionally at (un)SP – the LAST thing you guys want to do is talk about your fuck ups.
So far you wingers have found a good solution to the losing streak you’ve been having lately – go further to the right.
Perfect – in my book anyway.
Oh and jerk off – did some politician to the left of Dino Rossi commit some legal infraction?
Hmmmm. If you break the law, you should pay the price.
You can go back to (un)SP now.
11% congressional approval rating–yay!!! Way to go!
Are windstorms the new terrorism threat? What religion are these windstorms? Are we going to profile and search the Pacific winds at the border?
Good for Chris Dodd. He put a hold (essentially a threat to filibuster) on the telcom immunity bill. About time someone started standing up on stuff like this.
Count me in on the FSM display. Yarr!
Here’s hoping the state will approve all comers for holiday displays including the Pastafarian one.
I can only imagine the scene: His Noodly Appendages wave in seasonal celebration over a Nativity scene, a menorah, and assorted other solemn Islamic, Wiccan, etc. displays. Baby Jesus laughs in delight at His wiggly arms while Mary and Joseph enjoy a nice dinner for once, remarking the while at how Intelligent is the design of the pasta.
Arrgh!
Thursday Roundup…1:50pm
What is the current cost to magnificently humiliate 41 STUPID SHEEP sitting senators?
$750,000.00
…which when combined with MATCHING FUNDS = $1,500,000.00 of priceless and PERFECT humiliation of a true bunch of horses asses!
Thanks Harry, for letting Rush make a FOOL you and the jack asses who support fucking liberals.
Ah, the best and brightest of the Right on display……
May the Flying Spaghetti Monster strangle #20 with His Noodly Awesomeness.
arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
HRDD is a pencil-dick loser crying in his momma’s basement
Thursday Roundup 2:12pm
What is the current cost to magnificently humiliate 41
STUPID SHEEPsitting senators?$851,000.00
…which when combined with MATCHING FUNDS = $1,702,000.00 of priceless and PERFECT humiliation of a true bunch of horses asses!
Hey Harry, thanks for letting Rush make a FOOL of you and every single jack ass who supports fucking liberals.
The Daily Klake
Big Wind Watch 2007: Yep, she’s still blowin’. Darcy Christ Superstar has Force Fived herself into every ugly cranny of HA, from top to bottom, front to back, side to side, and wall to wall. So which acronym agency shall we call first? FEMA, to get a whammer deal on formaldehyde trailers? CDC, to report the resurgence of swine-flu-like symptoms from our proximity to ubiquitous Darcy’s Horse’s Ass? SPCA (swine, horses, and asses)? PDC, because Darcy’s unhostile takeover of HA is an in-kind contribution to herself that goes way beyond anything imagined or attempted by Kirby, Carlson, or Dino? All the above?
Rabbit wrote that somebody thought that Goldy was vamping as Rabbit. No way. Goldy is vamping as Darcy. He got a trachea shave and became her. Or she got an addaliddledicktome and became him. Either way, Goldy + Darcy, Darcy = Goldy. End of story. Except for the PDC.
The Stranger staff are a bunch of hipsters and haters.
Yes it’s another regressive tax, but if we strike something down that basis, we’ll never get anything done. That argument should be put toward starting an initiative to evenly tax Washington’s citizens, not striking down this package.
Also paying for the roads on the east side is a good thing, it provides opportunity for trucks to bypass Seattle. I’m more than happy to pay for expansions if it lightens the traffic on I-5.
The environmental argument is lame because in 30 years the majority of us will be driving environmentally friendly cars. Perhaps we’ll be at %100 plug in electrics by then.
Vote yes!
http://tinyurl.com/2mfdef
Hey Geov!!!
Just heard on KING 5 that the non-news story windstorm claimed a life, and that there were a number of other serious injuries with the property damage pretty damned steep!
Too bad you weren’t consulted in advance so everyone could listen to your punditcy and ignore it.
The Piper
RE: YLP @ 7
“Yeah people do stupid shit when they drink – just ask any NFL football player or right wing football fan for that matter.”
An example of stupid shit might be made using (ex) NFL footall player, Ken Hutcherson.
Hutch may or may not be a drinkin’ fool, but he shore says and does stupid shit. You can read about Hutch’s recent (and upcoming) antics at:
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/.....aryId=3271
This man is conflicted, I say.
And he wants to bring us all down with him.
I got nothin’ against NFL, and I got nothin’ against drinking (in moderation, of course), but I have this odd sense of anger when it comes to stupid shit.