– 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?
Coal-free WA won’t happen any time soon.
The Pacific Coal Company notified residents within a half mile of the John Henry Mine with letters on April 2 saying the company would resume mining of pits 1 and 2 of the mine, which hasn’t produced coal since 1999. A blasting notice informed residents of Pacific Coal’s intention to detonate explosives on approximately 160 acres of land during the mining operation. The notice covers blasting up until June 30, 2015. The company plans to mine 740,000 tons over a six year period, followed by a one-year period of “reclamation-only actions.” The company has a contract to sell coal to cement plants in Seattle and Richmond, British Columbia.
http://www.maplevalleyreporter.....51221.html
Apparently cement takes a whole lot of energy to produce. Until something that can adequately substitute for that is in place, coal will have a role in the WA economy.
Hopefully ENLIST will be back on the House schedule after the primary season is over.
Both Denham and Buck McKeon claimed that Cantor quietly supported introducing the Enlist Act. The fact that he’s suddenly changed his mind means either (a) he badly misjudged the degree of resistance to Enlist that he’d see from conservatives or (b) he’s genuinely fearful of what’s going to happen in the primary for his seat in Virginia next month. WaPo had a story about that the other day, claiming that challenger Dave Brat was starting to make Cantor sweat with attacks on him over — ta da — immigration. I didn’t take it seriously because it’s so unusual for a big-name House member like Cantor to lose. His 180 on Enlist makes me wonder, though. What numbers is this guy seeing to make him want to pull the plug now, at a moment when Boehner’s signaling his resolve to tackle immigration this summer? If they’re going to move on amnesty, it makes sense that they’d do it soon and also that they might want to start small, with a measure targeting highly sympathetic illegals. Denham’s ready to help on both counts. Instead Cantor’s running away. Hmmmm.
http://hotair.com/archives/201.....ense-bill/
It might be a little more accurate to separate the House GOP leadership from the GOP electorate when alleging extremism on immigration, since nearly 2/3 of GOP voters want to see something change:
Poll: GOP voters back immigration reform
The support spans party lines: 64 percent of Republican respondents back comprehensive immigration reform, as do 78 percent of Democrats and 71 percent of independents.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/.....z32BMq1fG3
I rather doubt that Cantor missed the results of the Nebraska Senate GOP primary election.
Afraid of the tea party primary voters?
@2 If everyone supports immigration reform, why can’t Congress pass it? Maybe because doing so would deprive the GOP of an issue to demagogue with in this year’s campaigns?
Seattle is going to have a woman police chief. The Seattle Times responds with a muddled, unfocused, bush-beating editorial.
I can tell you right now the righties will hate this appointment:
“Kathleen Taylor, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington — the group that first called for a federal investigation of the SPD — said O’Toole had forged a good relationship with the ACLU of Massachusetts while commissioner of the Boston Police Department.”
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/.....spd-chief/
That, right there, disqualifies her as far as conservatives are concerned.
In other news, a federal judge has ruled Oregon’s voter-approved ban on gay marriages is unconstitutional and ordered the state to stop enforcing it.
Oklahoma Republicans would rather let kids get killed by tornadoes than pay taxes for storm shelters in schools.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyli.....ol-n107256
@7
Also today Utah ordered to recognize more than 1,000 gay marriages
@ 8
Actually, a bill proposed by the GOP governor of OK is now in conference committee:
http://www.oklegislature.gov/B.....ll=HJR1092
Sometimes maybe try to click the links of the stuff you post, RR.
@8 who needs a shelter when you got a bible!
Next week I’m going off the grid. Solar Power!
@10 “Sometimes maybe try to click the links of the stuff you post, RR.”
“A bill proposed by Democratic state legislators that would’ve permitted school districts to pay for bond issues out of $1 billion in state taxes levied on corporations never made it out of committee, and an attempt to put it before voters as a state referendum was scotched by the Attorney General. A proposal backed by Republican Gov. Mary Fallin to raise the debt limit for local governments that want to issue bonds to build shelters has stalled in the legislature.”
Maybe you should follow your own advice before lecturing others.
@12 Better build an ark, too.
http://www.nbcnews.com/science.....nd-n109261
The Wisconsin State Claims Board has denied TALGO’ s $66 million claim against the state of Wisconsin. Looks like the case will be going to court.
http://host.madison.com/news/s.....a7cac.html
@ 13
SA’s rejected, conference requested, naming GCCA 1029 05/05/2014 H
Conference granted, SCs named Sykes, Griffin, Treat, Sharp, Sparks, Ivester 05/19/2014 S
It’s in conference committee, and there was movement on it yesterday. It’s not stalled.