– Sen. Murray Proposes Summer Food Benefits For Low-Income Kids

– It’s kind of amazing to think you can pull off a both-sides-say about something that’s in people’s face like income inequality.

– More playing in the street, pleez.

– I was never much of a fan of Ken Schram, but Andrew at NPI has a nice remembrance.

– In conclusion, donate your motherfucking organs.

– Richard Sherman’s Let’s Move video is pretty great.

I don’t know if any of you have the experience of trying to explain the fake superheros who “patrol” Seattle streets to your out of town friends and relatives? If you’re like me, you probably have to punctuate it with things like “I’m not making this up.” So I’m a bit loathe to point and laugh, if only because I’m not sure they would be able to tell the bad kind of attention from the good. But if the Rain City Superheros are going to disband, then thank goodness Seattlish is there to make fun of them.

Real-life “superhero” Phoenix Jones, who was once called “a giant bee with a latex fetish” by Daily Mail imprint Metro, has posted a long, meandering, allcaps Facebook post (as he is wont to do) announcing what seems like good news: His unilateral decision as Ultimate Pretend Superhero Overlord is that the Rain City Superhero Movement must die.

In case you were wondering if your voter’s pamphlet was going to be adorable, wonder no more (Spokesman-Review link). Good job to the young artist. And I suppose the democratic process.

My mental health would be better if I didn’t go on the Washington State House and Senate GOP Caucus web pages. I mean it’s so nice out, and I could be enjoying a walk or a bike ride. Instead I’m pissed at a couple throwaway paragraphs some staffer for the Senate wrote. Really, I’m only taking issue with one paragraph. They’re making hay out of the fact that the state hasn’t done anything in the year since the I-5 bridge over the Skagit River collapsed.

It’s been one year since a truck with an oversized load struck a beam on the I-5 bridge over the Skagit River, sending a section plunging into the water below. But very little has changed to prevent another similar accident from happening again on any number of bridges across the state.

Agreed. It’s problematic that the state hasn’t fixed the maintenance backlog. Hey remember when the Democratic House passed a pretty conservative, freeway heavy, transit package that would have addressed some of that? Then remember how the GOP Majority Coalition GOP in the Senate didn’t pass a transit package? The GOP is the problem here.

I don’t know you guys. Do they think if they point out that there’s a problem people won’t notice their hand in causing the problem?

– I’m not sure at what point we should just fire everyone in SPD who can’t follow the use of force policies.

– I didn’t even realize Tacoma Link not being free was on the table, but it’s nice to see businesses stepping up.

– Saying that women have put you in the friend zone implies that even a little non-sexytime time spent around women is tortuous. It implies that spending time around women, just talking to them or listening to them is time wasted. It implies that women are not women–not potentially interesting friends or colleagues, but sex robots who’ve granted or denied you permission to insert your girder.

– Today in Sally Clark is such a problem, Sally Clark is such a problem.

– Missing your bus stop is the worst.

– Public Internet is the fight of the future.

– Maybe it has something to do with the Memorial Day weekend or a rainy day after a long spell of nice weather, but there have been an outrageous number of serious traffic collisions in Seattle and around Washington State in the past day. Here’s just a sample:

– Shorter Commissioner Tom Mielke: We have to keep arresting people for marijuana related crimes because we don’t want additional policing. (h/t on the article)

– Mars Hill is such a problem (h/t)

– Solar Tax Quacks

– Here’s Some Real Talk: ‘If Gay Guys Said the Shit Straight People Say’

In the last week I was on the same bus as an old co-blogger from an earlier blog, I saw a writer of a blog I used to read back in the day and who was a Drinking Liberally regular at the Columbia City Farmer’s Market, and randomly bumped into another friend — who isn’t associated with politics or blogging — while out walking. That’s more than most weeks, sure, but it’s hardly uncommon. And I wonder what it is about Seattle (and me) that makes that sort of thing happen.

Part of it is simply that I’ve lived in the area for a long time so the number of people to accidentally run into is higher. But part of it is Seattle. I ran into those people on transit or on foot, and the city and county have invested a lot of money in those things. Of course, the primary reason for those investments is to get people around, but it’s a nice side effect to run into people you know.

I don’t really think of it as a suburban thing.* When I lived in suburbia (both growing up without a car and as an adult with one) there were a few places where you would see people. So at a coffee shop, a restaurant, a bar, or even the Post Office, you would run into a bunch of other people also there for the coffee shop, restaurant, bar or post office. But not as much out and about or commuting.

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– I’ve been asked a couple times to sign the $15 minimum wage initiative. So far I’ve declined, waiting for the process to play itself out. But if the process plays out badly (second piece) I’ll be glad to sign it.

– The Republican base had a choice to become more inclusive as the demographic tide advanced on them, or to double down on maximizing the racist white vote.

– These are possibly the NIMBYest NIMBY’s in all of NIMBYdom.

– Rainier Valley is Fueling Link Ridership Growth

– The Case for Reparations

– I’m pretty sure this XKCD What If got written for the hover text for the penultimate picture more than anything else, although the answer itself is fun enough.

Obviously, I’ve known intuitively after the Oregon ruling that the entire West Coast has marriage equality. But still, it’s really great seeing the map.

The linked post says there’s a lot to do, and of course that’s right. Also, marriage equality isn’t the end all be all of gay rights or of modern civil rights struggles. But as of this week, you can drive from Canada to Mexico in marriage equality states. While the Northeast, Midwest, and Arizona feel like islands of equality, the entire West Coast feels more substantive, even if it’s fewer states than the Northeast.

– Everyone seems to like Mayor Murray’s choice for police chief.

– Maybe guns in bars might not be such a good idea

– Hey bicyclists, be careful.

– Please jot this down and re-read it the next time you knee-jerkingly and douchily deny you are privileged. Thanks.

– Here are some names of parties that people used this year (Spokesman-Review link).

– Congrats Oregon and Pennsylvania on human dignity.

– I haven’t been watching Cosmos (I’ll probably catch it when it comes out on DVD because I am 1000 years old) but it’s always fun to watch creationists lose their shit.

– On Friday I had a breezy piece on the filing deadline. Joel Connelly has more info.

– Spitting, Stalking, Rape Threats: How Gun Extremists Target Women

– I’m excited about a possibility of a coal free state of Washington (Columbian link).

– You know the GOP are extreme on immigration when their leadership won’t even let the ENLIST Act come up for a vote.

– Rep. Matt Manweller’s plan to put a surcharge on one concert venue only to pay for medical bills seems maybe not as thought out as he would like.

– In Which I Cross All Limits To Acceptable Human Law

– Anyone enjoying museum week?

It snuck up on me this year, but it looks like if you had to file for office, in Washington, your chance is up. Here’s the list for Congressional, legislative, and court races.

Not much jumped out at me, but I will say as a history/civics nerd, kudos to Mike The Mover for running on the National Union Party line. Not enough to make me vote for him if I lived in the district, but well done nonetheless.

With the last few days so nice, a lot of people have decided to take their bike to work (yay!). And some of those people are riding on the otherwise bus only 3rd Avenue Downtown (boo?). Most of the time, as someone who bikes and takes buses in bike and bus lanes, I love that they exist, and can mostly coexist. Going from Downtown to Ballard in either mode is enhanced by lanes that bikes and buses can both use. And normally when someone complains about those damn bikes in the car lanes, the proper response is to complain about how poorly they must be driving if they can’t get around and to remind them that the roads are for everybody.

But 3rd Ave, at least during rush hour, isn’t for everybody. It’s to get buses as quickly through downtown as possible given how shitty the rest of Downtown is for traffic. If you slow down a car that was already inching along, or that could go around, it’s not as big of a deal as slowing down a bus in a corridor where that isn’t the case.

And look, I realize that 2nd and 4th are one way, and on a hill, so it can be problematic to ride a bike from one to the other to get going the right direction. And I’m certainly not advocating ticketing bicyclists like they ticket cars. It’s one of the few situations where I’m not sure it’s better to have bikes.

– I’m assuming we won’t see any opinion pieces from Senator Pearson complaining that people breaking the law to get their way on steelhead release are bullies. [h/t to Roger in the comments]

– Congrats to Idaho couples and activists.

– The Clackamas County Clerk is sure a decent person doing her job well, so stop saying that she isn’t.

– Recess Shrinks At Seattle Schools; Poor Schools Fare Worst

– Ramesh Ponnuru is one of the conservatives that the liberal intelligentsia loves to like. He isn’t a James Dobson bible-beater, nor is he a Louie Gohmert reactionary. He’s the kind of conservative who wears a suit, speaks in measured tones, and is still a liar.

– Here are some South Sound sports.

State Senator Kirk Pearson takes a strong stance against bullying. Is he opposed to people beating up kids because they’re gay? Maybe, but not in this article. Is he trying to figure out a way to make sure that schools and workplaces are free from harassment? No! He’s against bullying to the extent that it’s a metaphor for advocating a position he doesn’t like (Everett Herald link).

Most of us have to deal with bullying at some point in our lives. The key is to recognize the type of bullying you face and make sure that you don’t respond the way the bully wants. Most of all, you should never give in to intimidation or threats, lest you plan to hand your milk money over on a regular basis.

That’s how it is in movies and TV, but I’m not so sure it’s how it works best in real life. Maybe go to an authority figure? I don’t know, it probably depends on your specific situation. Anyway, OK, so that’s a setup. Now maybe we can smoothly transition away from that and talk about the thing he wants to talk about.

It’s a lesson the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife apparently has yet to learn. The agency claims its mission includes providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities, yet it recently slashed fishing opportunities by cutting a deal with Wild Fish Conservancy — a bully threatening the state with lawsuits.

OK. So a group saying that they’ll sue if they don’t think the state is living up to its responsibility hardly sounds like a bully. More like fairly routine. Lawsuits and the threat of a lawsuit are part of the way these environmental protection laws are designed. You can disagree with it if you want (and for what it’s worth, I don’t have any opinion one way or the other), but it’s not really accurate to say that just because you disagree with it, that it’s bullying. Anyway, then for a while he talks about policy, and then more leaning on his shitty metaphor.

By giving in to bullying, DFW has created an unequitable and unacceptable situation for sport fishermen, tribes and our state’s economy as a whole.

Does Senator Pearson understand that actual people are actually the victim of actual bullying? Because I feel like he might choose a different metaphor if he did.

True, the federal court agreement will keep the bully at bay for the next 2 ½ years at most, preventing the Wild Fish Conservancy from suing DFW over its Puget Sound hatchery programs during that time. But like any bully, it is likely that the group will simply resume the pursuit of its agenda by threat and lawsuit once that window has closed. And what is to prevent others from seeing the success of this tactic and launching similar bullying strategies of their own?

Like any bully, if you hammer out an agreement with them in Federal court, they’ll be back. Look, I realize that not every metaphor works. Lord knows that.