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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.

The next round of Washington State Liquor Control Board public hearings on I-502 implementation start today. I’m planning to be at the Seattle Center meeting at 6pm. Follow me on Twitter to get my updates. And I might swing by DL afterwards depending on how early I get out of there.

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.

Last week’s contest was won by BA1959. It was the site of the Vancouver hotel (then under construction) where actor Cory Monteith was found dead.

This week’s is a random location somewhere in the world, good luck!

Oh, right … with Carl taking a well-deserved vacation, the rest of us were supposed to step in and take up the slack. So, here I am.

By “here”, at this moment I refer to PHL. I got to the airport well in advance of my return flight to Seatac, and while waiting I’m quaffing a refreshing Yuengling Lager between keystrokes. Unfortunately, their Porter (a longtime favorite of mine) is rather more difficult to find.

I’ve been here in the mid-Atlantic for a week, largely to attend the annual SABR convention. Arriving several days ahead of the meeting, I also visited my brother in Bucks County (about 50 miles north of the city) and my 90-something year old aunt in Dutchess County NY.

The city of my youth is a much nicer place than it once was. Center City is lively, studded with restaurants and bars. Best of all, the convention hotel was immediately adjacent to the Reading Terminal Market, a space not unlike our own Pike Place Market … that is, if the food stalls carried cheesesteaks (wit wiz, of course), hoagies, roast pork sandwiches, pastrami, and such instead of that tasteless healthy stuff that populates the dull vegan-friendly cuisine of Pike Place and Seattle in general.

The principal difference — well, aside from the flavors and aromas — between the RT and PP Markets is that the latter is a venerable farmers’ market saved from the wrecking ball of “urban renewal” whereas the former is an exemplary reuse of a once-decaying anachronism. It’s been decades since you could Take A Ride On The Reading, and the line’s Center City terminal was nearly demolished before it was transformed.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time here in my old stomping grounds, but I’ll be happy to leave the heat and humidity behind. Not that it was unbearable this week, but I know it’s just a matter of a few days before the next bout of 90-90 weather.

Now, which gate do I need to find??

Matthew 5:28
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Discuss.

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.

The State Supreme Court issued a pretty damning opinion.

However, several justices nevertheless expressed concern about the issues raised, saying race is often a factor – conscious or unconscious – when lawyers use their peremptory challenges to dismiss potential jurors from cases.

“Peremptory challenges are used in trial courts throughout this state, often based largely or entirely on racial stereotypes or generalizations,” Justice Steven Gonzalez wrote. “As a result, many qualified persons in this state are being excluded from jury service because of race.”

When lawyers question members of a jury pool in Washington, they can ask prospects to be removed for cause, such as some evidence the juror would not be able to sit impartially on the case. They are also allowed three peremptory challenges, by which they can have jurors removed for no reason at all, as long as the effect is not purposeful discrimination.

Even though the Supreme Court upheld the conviction in this case, this is still a shot across the bow. And hopefully it will lead to actual changes.

I’m sort of already on vacation mode, so here’s a post that (a) is another damn library post and (b) has vacation planning as the intro. Also, (c) the post doesn’t really know what it wants to do and (d) is pretty short, but that’s just me being me. Sorry in advance!

I was at the library trying to find something light but interesting to take on vacation. I looked through the science section, and I came across a fair amount of intelligent design and similar nonsense mixed into the actual science and popular science books. I was rather startled, but I suppose it’s better than them not being available.

To be clear I certainly don’t want to be censorious or to tell librarians how to do their jobs. And if people want to read it, well then I guess it should be at the library. I mean, it isn’t the library’s job to say what books are good and bad science. It’s just surprising to see it.

– It’s too bad that the state’s unions have to justify their existence, but they do a good job of it.

– Everybody get your rotten tomatoes ready, Scott Walker is coming to town.

– Taking pictures is not a problem, and certainly not worthy of escalating a situation, King County and Seattle police.

– I’m on the record in the Hillary Clinton is great camp, but if she runs (and I’m not saying either way) there is going to be a lot of stupid. Even by the standards of the manufacturers of stupid.

– From the first day the first troll king pooped out his first troll-sac full of butt-eggs (and then told his placenta to eat less/exercise more, fatty), the conventional wisdom has been to ignore them. Ignore them and they’ll go away. Stop feeding them and they’ll starve. Except…has that worked?

– And a heads up: I’m on vacation next week. I may do a few posts, but will probably be more preoccupied with family stuff. Darryl will be around, and maybe the rest of the front pagers.

Fuck.

Two men were taken to Harborview Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon after reportedly being shot while driving on a freeway in Tukwila.

[…]

The victims, ages 23 and 24, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

I don’t know what to say except, please don’t shoot anybody.

There aren’t enough fuck-offs for whatever legislator this is:

Mayor McGinn described how a coalition of mayors presented a united front for transit funding, including Mayor Skip Priest (R – Federal Way). However, when the mayor talked with a Senate Republican leader, who he did not name, he was told, “We want Seattle to starve until we get what we want.”

Sen. Kohl-Welles said the votes were there in the Senate to pass the transportation package (House Bill 1954), but that leadership would not allow it to come up for a vote. In a telling sign that transit advocates did not have a presence in Olympia, the senator said “I wish you were down here with us.” She offered that “There is hope the governor will call a special session.”

It’s impossible to know for sure who said that, but it was either Rodney Tom or someone he has elevated to a position of power. Whoever it was, I’m sure they talk like that all the time, and so Seattle legislators must know who they are. It’s not OK that Seattle legislators aren’t pushing to starve their city or district.

But OK, fine. Our legislators favor a one sided congeniality over protecting their constituents. It’s terrible, but kind of understandable. What I don’t understand is that the non-Seattle legislators think Seattle will let ourselves starve.

Ideally transit solutions will come from the state, but Seattle is pretty good at figuring out work arounds when the state doesn’t do its job. Think of the Families and Education Levy. Sure it would be better if the state would fund education at an adequate level. But Seattle didn’t wait around for that when the state failed year after year with Republican and with Democratic legislatures. We passed, and recently expanded the levy to make up some of that shortfall. Oh, and by the way: we didn’t have to share with the people who want to starve Seattle.

It’ll be tough to do something like that to save Metro funding without the authorization from the state. But I’m sure Dow, and some of the King County mayors, have staff and attorneys working on something. It almost certainly won’t be as elegant as what they asked the state for authority to do, but they aren’t just going to give up on Metro, just let it starve.

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.

– Tents are a half assed solution to our homeless problem. But the people who opposed Nickelsville legislation don’t even want that.

– Kirby Wilbur is going to DC to chair the Young America’s Foundation so he won’t be the state GOP chair anymore.

– My sincere best wishes for Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler’s family.

– Obamacare? More like Obamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacare!

– At comparable points in their presidencies, for every day Obama has taken off, Bush had already taken 4.5 days off. Obama could stay on vacation for the rest of 2013 and still not be within striking distance of Bush’s hyper-lazy pace