It’s Election night in Washington state. So, if you haven’t voted…VOTE. And then join us for an evening of electoral politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet tonight and every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm, although some people show up earlier than that for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out another DL meeting over the next week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter also meets. On Wednesday, the Lakewood chapter meets. On Thursday Drinking Liberally Bremerton meets. And on Friday, the Centralia chapter meets.

With 208 chapters of Living Liberally, including eighteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and three more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

That’s right. It was August 6, 2001 when a vacationing President George W. Bush was given a presidential daily briefing that was titled, Bin Laden Determined To Strike in US.

So you are unhappy that the U.S. assassinates people with drones? Or are you outraged about the NSA archiving phone company billing records for potential social network analysis? Maybe the whole secret FISA court things gets under your skin? Are you unhappy that over 4,500 U.S. soldiers and contractors died because the U.S. invaded Iraq on false pretenses? Or unhappy about the 100,000++ U.S. soldiers who suffered health consequences as a result of the invasion? How about the many hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians who died as a result of the invasion? Or maybe the trillion plus dollars pissed away? Or that the U.S. is STILL fighting its longest ever war in Afghanistan after more than a decade? Maybe you hate the TSA, or the fact that you cannot meet your party at their arrival gate, or that your pock knife was confiscated and they took your diet Pepsi away from you the last time you flew?

Maybe you are apprehensive about the “security” state the U.S. has become domestically, and the bully state the U.S. has become internationally?

All of this arose because George W. Bush and his security team ignored a briefing memo titled, Bin Laden Determined To Strike in US:

Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.

In a week that is filled with Republican assholes criticizing Obama for shutting down embassies based on intelligence reports of potential attacks, it is good to consider the alternative—ignoring the intelligence.

On August 6, 2001, George W. Bush’s indifference to and incuriousness about a memo titled Bin Laden Determined To Strike in US snowballed into our Great American Tragedy.

I doubt the paper’s emphasis will switch to covering Washington state, but the Washington Post is about to have a new Seattle-based owner. That would be Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.

Considering the alternatives (like, you know, Rupert Murdoch buying the paper), this can only be a good thing. Besides, if anyone is going to figure out how to turn a dying 19th century-technology industry into a thriving 21st century-technology industry, I’m pretty sure it is Bezos.

The Washington Post has been owned by the Graham family for the past 80 years. And that got me to thinking…after 113 years, isn’t it time for the Blethen family to sell off the Seattle Times and get it into the hands of someone with actual competence in internet commerce?

Bezos’ letter to the WaPo staff can be found here.

(Photo by Steve Jurvetson)

— This is the very definition of insanity!

— Don’t be an asshole…VOTE!

— I think we should call this “the GOP Cancer Strategy”: “House Republicans will take a carefully orchestrated, staunchly anti-Washington campaign to voters this month, blaming President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats for Americans’ unhappiness with government.“

— Cool! Farmer’s Market Finder for Washington and Oregon

— Woodland Park Zoo’s baby boom.

— A CEO weighs in: Law promoting STEM education is a win for Washington.

— The new Dr. Who.

— The RNC threatens NBC and CNN. Reince Priebus threatens cutting networks from debate access if they air Clinton programs.

The vanishing snows of Kilimanjaro.

Lawrence O’Donnell: Mitt Romney tries to rewrite Mitt Romney:

Congressman Asshat of Iowa:

• Thom takes on Rep. Steve King (R-IA).
• Matt Binder: “Mexican kids are drug mules!”, says asshat Rep. Steve King (R-IA)
• Sam Seder: Is it okay to laugh at asshats like Rep. Steve King?

Sharpton: Sarah Palin’s ‘maverick’ hypocrisy exposed.

Bill Maher with some new rules.

White House: West Wing Week.

This is the 40th time!

Bashir and Eugene Robinson: History shows when Republicans shut down government, they lose.

John Fugelsang: We’re in the golden age of slut-shaming.

Fast Foods Forward and FAUX Fumbles:

• John Oliver: Fast food workers and FAUX News pundits.
• Thom schools Hannity on hamburger costs.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: The case to increase the minimum wage.
• Thom: Can anyone survive on $7.25

Kimmel: This week in Unnecessary Censorship.

ONN: Onion Week in Review.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Melissa Harris-Perry: New law forces clinics to close in North Carolina.

Jimmy Dore does Bill O’Reilly.

Sharpton: How FAUX, O’Reilly, and fellow right wingers are failing miserably in the racism conversation.

Mental Floss: 79 common mispronunciations.

Katrina vanden Heuvel: Helen Thomas’s legacy:

FAUX’s Worst Interview Ever:

• Young Turks: Worst interview ever???
• Michael Brooks: Even FAUX News should be ashamed of this interview.
• Young Turks: FAUX News tries to defend the “worst interview ever”
• Reza Aslan on his now infamous FAUX News interview.
• Here come the Spoofs!

Liberal Viewer: Would NSA spying program prevent 9/11 attacks?.

Thom: How the G.O.P. causes child prostitution.

Sam Seder: DOJ sues Texas over voting laws.

Mark Fiore: Syria’s Royal Easel.

John Fugelsang plays six degrees of Edward Snowden:

Melissa Harris-Perry: Judge grants reprieve for WI health clinics.

Ruse Harstel on his racist homophobic cousin.

Red State Update: Podcast episode 37.

ONN: New Pew poll says nation just wants to be safe, happy, rich, comfortable, entertained at all times.

Young Turks: Rand Paul and Chris Chrstie duke it out!

Inappropriate Mayorial Material:

• Anthony Weiner refuses to quit.
• Young Turks: Weiner aide vs Weiner intern catfight
• Broadway goes Weiner:
• Chris Hayes: FAUX News smears Huma Abedin with baseless claims of terrorism ties.
• Matt Binder: FAUX News attacks Huma Abedin
• John Oliver: Anthony Weiner’s ‘Not Quitting’ ad.
• Stephen defends San Diego Mayor Bob Filner.

Melissa Harris-Perry: Do nothing Congress takes a recess.

Young Turks: The G.O.P. War on Women™ gets expensive.

John Fugelsang: Politicians fiddlin’ while North Carolina burns.

Thom: Conservatives are driving us to suicide.

Lawrence O’Donnell: The Republican disease of dysfunction in washington.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

It’s the Tuesday before the primary. This is your chance to join us for an evening of electoral politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up even earlier for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out another DL meeting over the next week.

The Tri-Cities chapter also meets tonight. And for Thursday, the Spokane and Tacoma chapters meet. On Friday, the Enumclaw chapter meets. And next Monday, the Aberdeen, Yakima, South Bellevue and Olympia chapters meet.

With 207 chapters of Living Liberally, including eighteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and three more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Sam Seder: Republicans try to slash funding to EPA and the arts.

John Fugelsang: What to say to people who defend Walmart:

Pap and Thom: How GOP greed destroyed Detroit.

This Week in the Republican War on Women™

• Ann Telnaes: Boehner on what the American People want.
• Sam Seder: Judge blocks Republican abortion ban.
• Farron Cousins: The GOP War on Women™ Is alive and well.

Maddow: NC GOP continues despicable effort to thwart minority votes.

Thom: Holder to Perry….You feeling lucky?

ONN: The Week in Review.

Mark Fiore: Cruel and unusual blues.

Cuccinelli’s Bizarre Views:

• Cuch…Extremist.
• Ann Telnaes: Cuccinelli’s position on homosexuality.
• Young Turks: Cuch gets trolled HARD.

Katrina vanden Heuvel: One word to describe the Republican party today.

Alex Wagner: Feds target Texas’ racist voter restrictions.

Obama on The Economy:

Bashir: U.S. has highest first day infant mortality rate of industrialized countries.

Obama on Trayvon Martin:

• Matt Binder: Obama, “Trayvon Martin could have been me”.
• Liberal Viewer: FAUX News race baits on Obama’s Trayvon Martin remarks.
• Stephen: FAUX News and Obama’s speech
• Thom: The G.O.P. is the biggest death cult in America

DEA raids medical marijuana dispensaries.

Bill Maher: Tweets from Pope Frank.

Pap and Sam Seder: Rep. Gohmert’s rhetoric echoes racist militia talk.

Red State Update: How freedom sounds fifth anniversary (Podcast 36).

Young Turks: Bill-O the Clown on black people.

Thom: More Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Susie Sampson’s Tea Party Report: Week in Review.

Weinergate 2.0:

• Stephen: Anthony Weiner’s penis.
• Weiner gets the animation treatment
• John Oliver: On Weiner.
• Young Turks: Col. Morris Davis, Weiner is a victim of religious discrimination.
• Alex Wagner: What was the Weiner thinking?
• Sam Seder with John Fugelsang: The real problem with Weiner
• John Fugelsang and friends on politician sex scandals.

Ezra Klein : Holder cites evidence of racism in Texas.

Pap and Sam Seder: Liz Cheney’s crazy talk campaign.

Young Turks: NC voter suppression bill would ruin real democracy.

White House: West Wing Week.

Ann Telnaes: Exposing the media.

George H.W. Bush shaves his head in solidarity with 2 year old battling leukemia.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is a fucking bigot:

• Same old party: On Dreamers
• Stephen: About Steve King.
• Maddow: GOP compares immigrants to dogs…Part 1 and Part 2
• Chris Hayes: GOP’s drug-mule racism.
• Alex Wagner: King is the new ‘dog-face’ of GOP anti-Immigrant extremism
• Sam Seder: Asshat Steve King (R-IA) Says DREAM Act kids are drug mules
• Young Turks: King claims 99% of Latino Dreamers are drug runners.
• Ezra Klein: Rep. Steve King’s racist comments frustrate GOP Latino outreach.

Sam Seder: The silliest G.O.P. conspiracy yet.

Young Turks: Glenn Beck’s bizarre dollar bill conspiracy theory.

Obama on Education and the economy.

John Fugelsang: Exotic dancers of America, John McCain has your back.

Thom: Boehner brags about turning America into Detroit.

Mental Floss: 26 Weird Animal Mating Habits.

Ezra Klein : GOP political hooliganism over Obamacare.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Please join us tonight for an evening of politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier than that for Dinner.

Can’t make it tonight? Check out another Washington state DL. The Tri-Cities chapter meets every Tuesday night. The Bellingham and Burien chapters meet on Wednesday, and the Woodinville chapter meets on Thursday.

With 207 chapters of Living Liberally, including eighteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and three more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

ONN: Week in Review.

Mental Floss: Fictional Character Names Revealed!

Thom and Pap: Time to Stand our Ground against ALEC.

Spawn of Dick Cheney:

• Ann Telnaes: Lizz Cheney announces
• Young Turks: The Wyoming Senate race.
• Young Turks: Another Cheney brings a reign of terror in government.

Obama and soldier’s exploding fist bump (via Political Wire).

Maddow: The Smoking gun in the Gov. Bob McDonald corruption case.

White House: West Wing Week.

This week in the G.O.P. War on Voters™:

• PA GOP official admits voter ID law “helped a bit” to hurt Obama (via Political Wire):
• Sam Seder: Politician admits the purpose of voter ID law
• Maddow: Confession.
• John Fugelsang and Rep. Shelia Jackson: Bipartisan refinement of Voting Rights Act is possible.

John Oliver on Weiner and Spitzer.

Young Turks: Michele Bachmann on “spanking Obama’s magic wand”.

Thom: More of The Good, the Bad and The Very, Very Ugly.

Obama speaks on the Affordable Care Act.

Matt Binder: Lawmaker Proposes LGBT rainbow flag ban in Louisiana.

Stand Your Ground (and Shoot a Boy):

• Liberal Viewer: Why George Zimmerman was found not guilty for killing Trayvon Martin
• Thom: Should there be a boycott of Florida?
• Young Turks: Obama, “This could have been me.”
• Mark Fiore: Zimmerman is off the hook.
• Young Turks: Proof that Ted Nugent is a racist.
• Maddow: Trayvon Martin Civil Rights Act.
• Ann Telnaes: Wild West Mentality
• Liberal Viewer: Trayvon Martin family lawsuit could challenge stand your ground law necessity?
• Tavis Smiley “disarms” Bill-O by suggesting arming every black person in America.

John Fugelsang: ‘Rush Limbaugh is so racist…’.

The awkward moments when a Tea Party rally turns racist.

Stephen does Elliot Sptizer (via Political Wire).

Sam Seder: Republicans cave to Nuclear Option.

John Oliver: CNN’s “Rock Block”.

Red State Update: The week in review.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Ann Telnaes: Gov. Perry thinks the justice system is color-blind.

Cover of The Rolling Stone:

• Stephen on the cover of the Rolling Stone.
• Sam Seder: Rolling Stone got it right.
• John Fugelsang and friends: The Rolling Stone comver
• Young Turks: Was the cover wrong?.

Nancy Pelosi on the G.O.P. lady problem.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Tim “Biggest Lie of My Life” Eyman’s I-960 and I-1185 require “advisory votes” for tax increases passed by the legislature. Unfortunately, it comes with a lengthy and burdensome voter pamphlet statement:

The Secretary of State’s office says explanations for last year’s measures added about eight pages to the voter pamphlet, which cost about $100,000. Using the same layout, this year’s measures would add about 20 pages, and $240,000.

And then there is this:

But Tami Davis, the voter education and outreach manager, is looking for a way to cut pages and costs.

So on top of the printing costs, the initiatives force us to use state employees to write, proof, and figure out new layouts that save money. All that costs money.

Eyman defends himself:

…whatever the cost may be, it will be “chump change” compared to the taxes those five new laws will collect. Voters deserve a chance to weigh in, he said.

Except that the advisory votes are only…well, advisory. Very expensive ones, at that.

Has the process done anything besides bloating the voter pamphlet and require the legislature to raise taxes to pay for bloating it? Well…maybe. Rodney Tom indicated he used these advisory votes in his decision to join the Republican caucus. And the result was a cluster fuck….more gummed up government leading to a wasteful double overtime legislative session.

The scam Eyman has going here is self perpetuating. He preys on unpopular topics—essentially forcing voters to give a thumbs up or down to raising their own taxes—in order to pass initiatives that gum up government. And when the government gets gummed up, people become unhappy with government. They make a statement through their next initiative from the Mukilteo Menace.

This is the very definition of wasteful government—the very thing the admitted liar is supposedly against.

Eyman isn’t against wasteful government, of course. It is a sham. The only thing Eyman is interested in is lining his own pocket.

Please join us this evening for some politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier than that for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings this week. Tonight the Tri-Cities and Shelton chapters meet. The Lakewood and South Seattle chapters meet this Wednesday. And for Thursday, the Spokane and Tacoma chapters meet.

With 204 chapters of Living Liberally, including seventeen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and three more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

Ann Telnaes: Call force feeding what it is.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Young Turks: Is Michelle Malkin a Jihadist for Fascism?

ONN: Week in Review.

This Week in the GOP War on the Poor™:

• Thom: The Koch Brothers’ war on the poor.
• Young Turks: Koch Brothers say all of us are rich
• David Brooks slams House Republicans on farm bill
• Alex Wagner: House GOP nut-bags hijack & defecate on immigration reform debate.
• John Fugelsang: FAUX News explains why crushing student loan debt is a good thing:
• Sam Seder: GOP Continue War Against Food Stamp Families
• Pap: The extinction of the American middle class
• Chris Hayes: Republicans jettison 47 million hungry Americans!

Thom: Wisconsin has discovered something very creepy in their woods.

Red State Update: Podcast episode 34.

Young Turks: Do-nothing GOP Congress admits to being American Taliban.

Thom: Why 30,000 prisoners strike.

Rand Paul’s Friends:

• Sam Seder: Rand Paul’s neo-Confederate, pro-seccesionist, “Southern avenger” aide.
• Young Turks: The astoundingly racist ‘Southern avenger’ and friend of Rand Paul
• Maddow: Rand Paul & top Republicans cozy up to ‘Birtfers’ in Las Vegas.
• Alex Wagner: Sen. Rand Paul employs sick, neo-Confederate activist Jack Hunter.
• Maddow: Rand, Ron and Racism in the G.O.P. Part I
• Maddow: Rand, Ron and Racism in the G.O.P. Part I

White House White Board: Why Immigration Reform Is Good For Our Economy:

PitTV: School of Social Media Arts.

Young Turks: Sarah Palin threatens to run for Senate.

Mark Fiore: Coup, or not a coup.

Thom: More Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

This Week in the Republican War on Women™:

• Thom and friends: The Republican’s vagina problem
• Sam Seder: TX Abortion debate is about shaming sinners, not about the law.
• Ann Telnaes: Govs. Walker and Perry aim to restrict abortion rights.
• Abortion is easy in Ohio (via Slog).
• Sam Seder: TX GOP lawmaker, sex education makes teens “hot and bothered”.
• Young Turks: “If my vigina was a gun”.
• Young Turks: Sarah Slamen hands it to Republican lawmakers.
• Sam Seder: Sarah Slamen pwns Texas lawmakers
• Sam Seder interviews Sarah Slamen
• Maddow: N.C. GOP customizes ‘motorcycle bill’ with abortion restrictions

White House: West Wing Week.

Mental Floss: 50 Science Misconceptions.

Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Republicans are political arsonists.

Liberal Viewer: Impeach Obama for NSA spying?

Zina Saunders: The Republican Party gets its wish:

Virginia Gov. Bob “Ultrasound” McDonnell gets probed:

• Maddow: Gov. McDonald hires himself a lawyer.
• Sam Seder: Governor “Ultrasound” McDonnell now on the wrong side of probe.
• Maddow: Virginia Gov. McDonald pocketed a $120,000 Bribe From Troubled Company, Part I.
• Maddow: Virginia Gov. McDonald pocketed a $120,000 Bribe From Troubled Company, Part II.
• Maddow: Virginia Gov. McDonald pocketed a $120,000 Bribe From Troubled Company, Part III.
• Sharpton: Gov. Ultrasound is now Gov. “Free Stuff”

Kimmel: This Week In Unnecessary Censorship.

Thom: Even more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Ann Telnaes: An American Sickness.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

They sound like a bunch of eight-year-olds who think they’ve come up with an oh-so-clever way to trap dad into raising their allowance or something.

Kevin Drum on House Republican’s amateurish plan to hold America hostage to get stuff in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.

Please join us this evening for some politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier than that for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out the plethora of other DL meetings over the next week. Tonight there are also meetings of the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, WA chapters. On Wednesday, the Bellingham chapter meets. On Thursday Drinking Liberally Bremerton meets. On Friday, the Centralia chapter meets. Finally, next Monday, the Yakima and Olympia chapters meet.

With 203 chapters of Living Liberally, including sixteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and three more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.