by Carl Ballard — ,
It’s pretty exciting when there’s progressive legislation that you weren’t aware of until it already passed. What a great thing that agricultural workers will have the same overtime rights as the rest of the state.
Anyway, please wash your hands right now, and get vaccinated if you haven’t already.
by Goldy — ,
Seventeen years ago today I clicked “Publish” on the very first post here at HA, with obviously no fucking idea how blogging would soon take over my life. Had I to do the past 17 years over again, I wouldn’t, even if I wanted to, because how could anyone even hope to retrace the bizarre path I followed from accidental activist to foul-mouthed blogger to talk radio host to foul-mouthed Stranger writer to mysterious behind-the-scenes benevolent-plutocrat-funded progressive propaganda king?
That said, how’d the past 17 years turn out? Well, on May 10, 2004, I wrote this:
I have serious political goals, and I intend to pursue them. I intend to help educate the public and the media about an astonishingly regressive tax system that gives billions of dollars of tax breaks to wealthy special interests while placing an almost unbearable burden on the backs of middle- and low-income families. I intend to work for real, progressive, tax reforms that provide meaningful relief to those who need it most, assure adequate funding for essential public services, and create the kind of positive, rational business environment that all citizens want. And I intend to continue my efforts to expose Tim Eyman as the lying, thieving, blowhard even many of his most ardent supporters admit he really is. (Did I mention Tim Eyman is a lying, thieving, blowhard?)
But I also intend to have a little fun.
Well, progress report: this year the state legislature passed and the governor signed into law a modest capital gains tax—Washington state’s first bit of progressive tax reform in forever. Meanwhile, after losing a long drawn out civil suit brought by the state Attorney General, Tim Eyman is in the process of paying something like $5 million in fines and legal fees for at least some of the many crimes he’s committed over the course of his lying, thieving career. I can’t say exactly what I had to do with the outcomes, but it was something. Also, I did indeed have a little fun along the way. So progress!
Anyway, a big thanks to all the loyal readers and vicious trolls who helped make HA more than just a narcissistic exercise, and an especially big thanks to Darryl and Carl for keeping it going these past few years. Don’t know if I’ll ever come back to regular blogging, but if you miss me, I do spit out the occasional foul-mouthed tweet.
by Darryl — ,
Parody Project: ♫ Environmentally Resigned (a parody of “Gentle on My Mind”) ♬
Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ First 100 Days ♬
Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week
Race in America:
Winlar: ♫ You got the right to love ♬
WaPo: How Kamala Harris is approaching her historic vice presidency
Lauren Mayer: ♫ I’m Fine (With an Asterisk) ♬
Liars, Grifters, Incompetents, and Other Types of Republicans:
Legal Eagle: Do students have First Amendment rights?
The Remix Bros: ♫ JOE.I.AM’s Americans Always Get Up ♬
AJ+: How to end homelessness in the U.S
This Week in ТрампPlague:
Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Doing nothing is not an option ♬
VICE News: The surprising contenders in California’s recall race
Jimmy Kimmel: The week in unnecessary censorship
Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.
by Carl Ballard — ,
Good morning to everyone but Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier. Seriously, it’s a couple months. Just let the grocery workers have hazard pay for a while. It’ll be over and you won’t have been the asshole. If you wanted a broader plan, you could have negotiated it. Gah.
Anyway, please wash your hands right now, and get vaccinated if you’re eligible.
by Carl Ballard — ,
Well, if my email and Twitter feed are correct, the deadline for Give Big is midnight tonight. If you have a local charity that you like, your donation will go further today. I gave to a local food bank, but there are a lot of good causes.
And also, wash your hands and get vaccinated if you are eligible.
by Carl Ballard — ,
It looks like King County (among others) will kick down to phase 2 of the reopening plan. Restaurants have been flouting the 50% capacity rules, and we’re going in the wrong direction. Eventually, the vaccine use should catch up, but in the meantime, I don’t mind a bit of caution.
by Darryl — ,
Trevor: 2020 Census results—Low population growth and a House seat shuffle
Stephen: Biden’s speech promises “Jobs, jobs, jobs”
Amber Ruffin: ♫ A White Guy Musical Recap of President Biden’s First 100 Days ♬
Now This: Biden’s first 100 days
Bill Maher: Crypto mania!
Race in America:
Stephen: Tracking President Biden’s progress after 100 days in office
Jimmy Kimmel: The week in unnecessary censorship
Samantha Bee: President Biden needs to end Трамп-Era immigration policies, pt. 1
Samantha Bee: President Biden needs to end Трамп-Era immigration policies, pt. 2
Trevor: Biden’s big speech
Liars, Grifters, Seditionists, Child Traffickers and Other Republicans:
Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week
The Daily Show: The ProbleMagic Kingdom!
Stephen: “If you have ideas, we want to hear them”—Sen. Sanders to GOP on climate change
Samantha Bee: Why Washington D. C. should be a state
Bill Maher: Old Malarkey
VICE News: Space Force is totally serious, stop laughing
This Week in ТрампPlague:
The Late Show: ♫ Grandpa Joe Has A Biden Ticket ♬
Winlar: Five Little Monkeys
Bill Maher: Ben Sheehan on “court packing”
Vox: Why the US has two different highway fonts
The Daily Show: America’s foot problem
Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.
by Carl Ballard — ,
Hey people from Tacoma (What’s the official nomenclature? Tacomaians? Tacomaites? Tacomegians? Tacoma Tuesdays?) do you qualify for GRIT. $500 a month for a year could go a long way. It also seems like it will help the community writ large to have people a bit further from the edge.
Anyway, wash your hands right now, and schedule a vaccination appointment if you haven’t.
by Carl Ballard — ,
Good morning to a future car-free Lake Washington Boulevard. It would be nice to have a few months of no cars in as many streets as possible. What street near you should go car-free?
Anyway, please wash your hands right now.
by Carl Ballard — ,
Good morning. I hope that you are signed up for a vaccine. It seems like pretty soon the supply will be good everywhere. So please sign up if you haven’t already started the process.
And so now part of the issue in Washington is to get it to people who are reluctant, or who have trouble getting to a location. If you are reluctant, my only advice is that you just have to do it. It’s a chore, but one that has great benefits in the long term. For you and for the rest of the community.
If you are unable to get to an injection location, the Washington State Department of Health is doing home based vaccinations.
And everyone please wash your hands right now.
by Darryl — ,
The Daily Show: What the fuck is happening with climate change?
Samantha Bee: Washington D.C. needs to (puff puff) pass marijuana legalization pt. 1
Samantha Bee: Washington D.C. needs to (puff puff) pass marijuana legalization pt. 2
Race in America:
WaPo: New urgency in Congress to push forward with gun reform after increase in mass shootings
The Late Show: Texas, here’s why you need to make Matthew McConaughey your next Governor
Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week
Racists, Liars, Insurrectionists, Child Sex Offenders, and Even Worse Republicans:
Now This: VP Harris on environment and climate crisis
John Oliver: Bankruptcy
WaPo: House passes bill that would grant D.C. statehood
Winlar: The safest gun….
This Week in ТрампPlague:
Bill Maher: New Rule–OK Boomer
LegalEagle: Things your parents said were illegal…
Samantha Bee gives full frontal the presidential treatment
Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.
by Carl Ballard — ,
Shot number one is officially in the rear view mirror. Everyone at Lumen Field was fantastic. Go there, go there, show me your number, go there, get a shot, wait 15 minutes, done. I was in and out rather quickly. My only side effect was that when I had my hands over my head, it was a bit sore. Not painful, but noticeable. That’s done now. In a few weeks, I can do it again.
Anyway, please wash your hands right now.
by Carl Ballard — ,
Hey! Heeeey. I’m getting my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine this afternoon. I am so excited.
I believe that the benefits of me getting the vaccine are more for the society than for me; One less potential vector. But it also feels very personal. I am excited about not getting sick. I will be glad to be able to do things and see people, and that there is a timeline for it.
Anyway, wash your hands right now.
by Carl Ballard — ,
The Tim Burgess plan to bully homeless people in Seattle without providing money shelter seems bad. And in bad faith. Like, you have to talk to the people on the ground, even when you disagree with their approach. They can tell you where you are wrong in a way people who generally agree with you can’t.
Anyway, wash your hands right now.
by Darryl — ,
Jimmy Kimmel: The week in unnecessary censorship
The Parody Project: ♫ Got To Please Yourself ♬
Liars, Grifters, Sex Offenders, and Other Types of Republicans:
Now This: Dem Senators introduce SCOTUS seats legislation
John Oliver: Long term care
The Late Show: General needs more time in Afghanistan for pizza slice
Race in American:
Stephen: Political monologue
Amber Ruffin: ♫ Biden’s war on ghost guns, explained…in song! ♬
Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week
This week in ТрампPlague:
Robert Reich: Does trickle-down economics actually work?
SNL Weekend Update: Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama on their podcast renegades
Roll Call: How Aaron Burr may have created the filibuster by mistake
Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.
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