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Open Thread 2-17

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There’s something great, or at least stereotype challenging, about the fact that Seattle’s Marxist City Council member organized a meeting for business owners to complain about city government. Specifically figuring out construction mitigation on 23rd Ave. I know, I know, it’s for small businesses, and representatives of the 23rd Ave Starbucks, for example, probably wouldn’t be welcomed.

3 Strikes

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I’m a big believer in parole over just locking people up. It incentivizes people to fix their shit in prison. And while it should be tough to get out of prison early for people who’ve committed serious crimes, it should be possible. I’m also not sure 3 strikes legislation, or in Washington’s case initiative, is a particularly helpful in reducing crime. It might make sense to go with something more grounded in crime prevention than sports metaphors. So, I’m glad that the Washington Sentencing Commission is proposing this, even if it has approximately 0 chance of passing the GOP Senate:

Three-strikes offenders serving life in prison without the possibility of parole should get a “second look.” That’s the position of Washington’s Sentencing Guidelines Commission.

It voted Friday to recommend a new review process for these prison inmates.

This is a non-binding proposal to the Washington Legislature. It basically says three-strikes inmates should be able to petition for early release after 20 years behind bars. Aggravated murderers would not qualify. A special “Second Look Review Board” would consider the petitions.

It has been over 2 decades since Washington passed the 3 strikes law. Even with the state becoming more liberal, I don’t imagine it would have much trouble passing again. Certainly, there will be victims who don’t want this sort of thing, and I’m not here to tell them how to feel.

Still, I hope the Legislature takes a good look at giving people another chance. It’s not even just for the criminals who should get another chance, or the cost of keeping reformed people behind bars. It’s as much about the kind of society we want to build. I’d like to build one where people can genuinely get out of prison.

Drinking Liberally — Seattle

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DLBottle

Please join us tonight for an evening of political pontification and revelry over the beverage of your choice at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet tonight and every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the small room at the back of the tavern. We start at 8:00pm.




Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings happening this week. Tonight the Tri-Cities, Vancouver, WA, and Shelton chapters also meet. The Lakewood chapter meets on Wednesday. And on Thursday, the Tacoma, Bremerton, and Spokane, chapters meet.

There are 188 chapters of Living Liberally, including nineteen in Washington state, three in Oregon and one in Idaho. Find—or go out and start—a chapter near you.

Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!

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Seth Meyers: A Closer Look at Martin Shkreli and pharmaceutical price gouging.

Young Turks: Is Henry Kissinger a war criminal?

Obama’s Weekly Address: State of American politics.

David Pakman: MI Republicans “fix” flint water crisis by outlawing anal sex.

Farron Cousins: Have the Koch brothers finally been caught?

2016 Kkkraaaaazy Kkklown Show

Five crazy facts about lobbyists.

Mental Floss: Misconceptions about the wild west.

Young Turks: Oregon standoff ends; Cliven Bundy arrested.

Test Tube News: Should governments pay a basic income?

New Hampshire:

White House: West Wing Week.

Oregon siege ends.

Jimmy Dore: Dowd, Trump, Fiorina, Steinem & other jokes

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Jamila Woods: White Privilege II.

#MakeValentinesDayGreatAgain: Presidential Candidate V-Day Cards.

Thom: The Good, The Bad & The Very Very Brockedly Ugly!

Mental Floss: 26 facts about the science of love.

Minute Physics: Concrete does not dry out.

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

Open Thread 2-12

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Since I usually skip holidays for Open Threads, I’ll just give you a quick President’s Day rant now: Basically, we’ve had some terrible presidents. John Tyler? That motherfucker joined the Confederacy the first chance he got. We don’t need to celebrate the people who pushed slavery in this country and then committed treason when the slavery wasn’t enough for them. Richard Nixon? Are we celebrating Watergate or the bombing of Cambodia? Andrew fucking Johnson? Maybe we should rename the holiday Presidents Are A Mixed Bag At Best Day.

Democratic Debate Open Thread

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I’m at the Roanoke Tavern this evening with a couple of friends to watch the debate (starts at 6pm local). Please join us if you wish. Otherwise, join the fun in the comment thread.

I’ll post some commentary, snark, and (mostly) other people’s excellent Tweets.

Enjoy!

5:59: I’ll be watching the debate on PBS rather than CNN. Just a personal choice (and a choice endorsed by the bar management).

6:03: Opening shot of the candidate’s backs…looking for the secret radio receivers strapped to Clinton’s back…

6:07: Sander’s opening statement “Yuuuge count”: 1

6:09: Shorter Hillary, “I’m just like him.”

6:21: Hillary is sure “we” will have the political capital to raise taxes on wealthy. Don’t think so, but probably better than Sanders.

6:43: Come’on, when is Bernie going to go all Christie on Hillary?

6:46: Will someone PLEASE ask the candidates about their position on waterboarding?!?

7:50: Man…Democrats SUCK at negative campaigning.

Learn How WA Is Kicking the NRA’s Ass, on the Latest Episode of “The Other Washington”

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Last week I made my triumphant return to the podwaves with the release of “The Other Washington,” a new podcast on politics and policy from me and my co-workers at Civic Ventures. This week I’d like to invite you to listen to Episode 2: Gun Responsibility, through the convenient player embedded above.

Of our first batch of episodes, this is the one I’m proudest of, including a harrowing account from a survivor of the Jewish Federation shooting, plus a firsthand report from inside the White House on the heart-wrenching truth behind President Obama’s tears.

If you like what you hear, please, please go to iTunes, subscribe to the podcast, and leave us a review. The more subscriptions and reviews we get, the higher we get pushed up the iTunes charts, and the more listeners are likely to find us. Thanks!

Open Thread 2-10

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Congrats to Senator Sanders for the win in New Hampshire. I think that puts him in the lead in the (non-super) delegate count by 2. I have some family in New Hampshire and they’re either super conservative or much more liberal than me. So based on that small, unrepresentative, sample size, the result isn’t too surprising.

Election night edition of Drinking Liberally — Seattle

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DLBottle

Tonight’s the first primary of the 2016 presidential election season, and there are some local elections happening as well. So please join us for an evening of election returns and primary politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet tonight and every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the small room at the back of the tavern. We start at 8:00pm.



Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings happening this week. Tonight, the nation’s newest DL addition, the Federal Way chapter meets along with the Tri-Cities and Redmond chapters. The Kent chapter meets on Thursday. And next Monday, the Aberdeen and Yakima chapters meet.

There are 187 chapters of Living Liberally, including nineteen in Washington state, three in Oregon and one in Idaho. Find—or go out and start—a chapter near you.

Open Thread 2-8

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In many Washington State jurisdictions, there’s an election tomorrow. Get it postmarked by tomorrow. Or drop it off. Here are the locations for King County. I voted for both of the Seattle levies. I have to say though: I’m not a parent, but I paid enough attention when the latest round of school closures went through to find the we have to reopen schools because who could have predicted we’d need capacity arguments pretty ridiculous.

Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!

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Congressional hits and misses of the week.

Straight outta options:

Mental Floss: Fifteen facts about coffee.

Bill Maher: Lies are the new truth.

What led to Flint, MI’s poisoned water.

Stop making guns so sick.

Minute Physics: How to discover new particles.

I Oh Wha???

Twelve minutes of Right-wing nutjob Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5) talking politics.

Stephen and Samantha Bee try out some lady euphemisms.

What the West gets wrong about Muslim women.

Obama: Employment is down to 4.9%.

Young Turks: “Pro-life” activist proves she’s not really pro-life at all.

Pap and Farron Cousins: Lunatic Michele Bachmann says Obama is about to reveal himself as Anti-Christ.

Larry Wilmore and friends: Anger and politics.

Conan meets his censor.

The 2016 Conservative Crazy Car:

Mental Floss: Misconceptions about famous companies.

Madame President.

David Hawkings Whiteboard: Here comes the budget:

Follow the money: The chemical industry writes a law.

Farron Cousins: Republicans destroy government to prove government doesn’t work.

VSauce: Math Magic.

One of these people will be President.

Thom: The Good, the Bad & the Very, Very Depascently Ugly!.

Martin Shkreli invokes his fifth amendment rights before Congressional oversight committee.

Space Station Live: African American History Month.

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

Omigod, I’ve Got a New Podcast!

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Missed the mellifluous sounds of my whiny high-pitched nasal voice? Then you’ll want to tune in to the premier episode of my new podcast: The Other Washington!

Each episode, co-host Paul Constant and I and the rest of the troublemakers at Civic Skunkworks will take you on a deep dive into a single issue, exploring the nexus between policy and politics from a uniquely Washington State perspective. Our first topic? The $15 minimum wage, of course! How did $15 go from “insane” idea to political reality, and what does this teach us about the rest of the progressive agenda? Tune in and find out.

Huge thanks to our producer, Tina Nole of Larj Media, for making us sound like more than just a couple of opinionated assholes crowding around a mic. We’re still learning by doing, and I expect the podcast to evolve over time, but if you agree with me that it’s a damn good start, then please go to iTunes (or wherever you get your podcasts) and leave us a good review. (Or if you hate it, just leave a nasty comment in this thread.)

Open Thread 2-5

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It is always amazing to me when I read things like this. “I’m old enough to remember the shock, replaced quickly by compassion fatigue, when urban homelessness first energed as a problem in the early ’80s,. Before then, hard as it is to imagine now, cities didn’t have homelessness issues – just a few random drunks and what were then quaintly called hoboes.” Geov isn’t the first person I’ve read with similar observations, and while I believe it, it’s tough to internalize. What seems like an intractable problem that has been there forever is actually a bit younger than me.

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