In the top story of the day, a big storm hit the Pacific Northwest.
In other news, there was a lot of rain in the Seattle area. According to the Seattle Times, it was also windy. The P-I reports this morning that some local areas were flooded. But over at KIRO-TV, instead, their top story was the governor has declared a storm emergency. And, KOMO-TV is reporting that everything is one big mess. And that — I wish I were making this up — everyone should stay calm.
In less interesting, secondary stories, one James Michael McHaney — described as a “former” aide to Sen. Maria Cantwell even though he was only fired on Friday, after he was arrested — has been arrested by the FBI on charges of trying to meet a 13-year-old boy for sex. McHaney worked as a scheduler in Cantwell’s DC office, which raises the question: was he trying to prove that Democrats as well as Republicans can do this sort of thing, or is it just something in DC’s water supply?
In another story of people in DC trying to screw folks they don’t know, it turns out the Bush administration has known all along that Iran abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003. In other words, they were lying in order to stampede the American public into backing an unprovoked war they really wanted. Sound familiar? Now, hopefully, the MSM will get around to reporting what is fairly obvious to anyone who’s been following the Middle East: that they’ve also been lying about the Iranian government supplying weaponry to the Iraqi insurgency, the other main public Bush rationale for a disastrous region-wide conflagration.
A feared strongman is claiming victory in elections observers claim were rigged. No, it’s not Hugo Chavez — he lost his election on Sunday, and conceded as much, though the New York Times still can’t let go of its Chavez-bashing. It’s Vladimir Putin, the alleged democrat whose soul George Bush approvingly peered into. And we wonder why the world thinks the US is hypocritical?
The Washington Post, meanwhile, in one of those stories headline-writers just love, is reporting today that divorce harms the environment. Honestly, professors get tenure for studying this stuff.
And proving that TV news, despite the rain and floods, is still TV news — like McHaney, they just can’t stop themselves — every Seattle TV news outfit reported last night that McDonald’s is now char-broiling its burgers. The Renton McDonald’s had a fire.
Stay calm, everyone.
Geov, don’t you really mean to close your piece with Keep Clam?
@1…NinS…
Not sure he will understand the reference…He’s perched way high up in the Ivary Tower.
The Piper
Tuesday Headline: CANTWELL HAS A KID FUCKER… KIDFUCKING ON TAXPAYER DIME, UNDER CANTWELL’S NOSE…. GOLDSTEIN AND MINIONS IGNORE
Speaking of elections…
Somebody has hosed down a harvested corn field (grown to make green ethanol???) in order to make plenty of mud, and it’s getting slung out there in Iowa between HRC and Obama; it’s nasty time in the heartland!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/.....b01_layout
No doubt Vegas odds-makers will soon cover bets as to which of the two has a DeanScreamMoment first. Fox has a reality series (writer’s strike has fubared most original TV content) in the wings, a sort-of political version of Survivor, entitled “Slimeivor.”
The premise is to see how dirty candidates can go before voters barf them off the campaign trail. Somachs are beginning to churn from Council Bluffs to Des Moines to Dubuque such that air sickness bag futures look to be a solid way to score big moolah in bare minutes.
Don’t worry…the Republicans will match the Dems fling for fling, plop for plop. Us junkies may love it, but the mainstream of America may soon find itself increasingly supporting, “None of the above…”
In the meantime, I will thoroughly enjoy seeing high-minded Dems rip into each other like bar-fight drunks all in pursuit of the Big Prize.
Watch out for that HRC…I hear she bites!
The Piper
Hillary’s just doing it to show Republicans that she’ll jam their Swift Boats right up their lily-white asses.
3
Or, maybe the “kid fucker” (McHaney) was mentioned, um, in this blog post.
Isn’t McHaney technically a “kid contactor” at this point?
@7…DL…
Not “contractor” but a “kid contacter.”
Doesn’t anyone reference check anymore???
The Piper
“In less interesting, secondary stories, one James Michael McHaney — described as a “former” aide to Sen. Maria Cantwell even though he was only fired on Friday, after he was arrested — has been arrested by the FBI on charges of trying to meet a 13-year-old boy for sex.”
Less interesting because he is a Democrat? Hypocrite! If he were a Republican he’d be front page news on HorsesAss.
@3 Nice over reaction!
What more are they supposed to do? Spy on their employees? Do warrant-less wiretaps? Where in this article did it say anything about covering anything up? Did they act like the Catholic church and transfer him to a different location?
Cantwell’s organization trusted him to be an an law abiding adult and they fired him when they found he was not.
2
Mr. Piper,
I-V-O-R-Y. Please use spell check. On the positive side, a google search for “Ivary Tower” has your post right at the tip top.
Nice job. Some folks pay big money to land at the top of a google search.
zero tolerance for crimes against children? But she’s for abortion…
9
Dear John:
Sarcasm most assuredly escapes you. Loosen up on the old sphincter.
MLF
12:
Dear Boogey,
Shame your mom passed on that abortion.
Kisses,
MLF
11 MLF
Um, he was making an Ivar Haglund joke to respond to post #1.
12 boogey
Which is NOT a crime. Duh.
8 I said “contactor,” meaning, one who contacts. I wrote “contacter” originally but thought it didn’t look as showy.
15 Daddy Love
Um, I am not sure about fish and chips, but I know I don’t like Piper so I will let it stand and not apologize nor acknowledge that it was over my head. I learned to be this way from GWB.
Thank you for telling me though.
Boy, you try to fuck one thirteen-year-old boy around here, and everyone acts like you’re a criminal…
19:
He was just “scheduling” the kid for a meeting. What’s the big deal. Had he been a Republican congressman he would still have his job.
Conservatives, IMHO, have a reputation for being holier than thou, absolute black and white values so when they mess up, that is a betrayal of their moral principles. “Live as I say, not as I do.” It’s kind of amusing to watch the occasional conservative fail. It’s like in the movies, when the pompous a-hole gets what he deserves.
Progressives, IMHO, have a reputation for being much more flexible and open minded in their values. Progressives are not out preaching their narrow moral way is the only way. Progressives, like Conservatives, are repulsed by sex with minors, but Progressives are more likely to be accepting of adult gay couples, or interracial couples or inter religious ones. Progressives are likely to look at this case as sad. The poor guy needs jail time and help to reform, if possible. It’s not seen as a failure of the Progressive ideology.
Clinton appointee Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been said to champion 13 being the age of consent. Doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.
@3
That’s the funniest thing ever. In the comments to a post where we mention the arrest of a Cantwell staffer, an idiot leaves an angry commnet about how we’re ignoring it.
@22
What’s not a good idea is having the Supreme Court decide it. That’s something that should be left up to the states.
22 Michele
Hey, isn’t 14 the age at which you can decide against your parent’s wishes to die from refusing blood transfusions? Why can’t you decide who to fuck?
@18…Carl…
Thank you for removing whatever doubht I might have had as to whether I was on your holiday gift list. Now I needn’t bother registering at Red and Black Books (that place still in business, BTW? Or has capitalism exacted its revenge?).
For a time, Ivar Haglund owned the Smith Tower, and in those days everyone called it the Ivary Tower as it flew a salmon-shaped windsock atop the building.
If you don’t understand Ivar Haglund jokes, you will never understand Seattle. He, BTW, would have liked Ruth Bader Ginsberg at 23, not 13; Ivar had an eye…
The Piper
@25 You have a point there. I never thought of it that way.
@19 Funny. Sick but funny.
Is it more creepy or less if the guy was going after a 13 year old girl?
I’d always heard that Ivar Haglund liked the lads.
@28…BJ…
You never saw him around young women! He was one randy restrauteur! Why do you think he nicknamed his flagship place “Acres of Clams?”
The Piper
I guess every community wants to claim him as their own. Maybe he was an omnivore. (grin).
@2 What’s an “Ivary” tower?
@3 When was he hired? How long did he work for Cantwell? Is he a GOP plant?
Hmmmm. I get it now. Ivar bought Smith Tower because it’s a phallic symbol. The closest this life-long bachelor ever got to real sex.
This Iran story may have even longer legs than most people suppose.
Lessee….Iran’s supposed to have suspended its weapons program in 2003.
What else happened in 2003? Aside from the invasion of Iraq? Well, how about that Valerie Plame business?
Any of you kiddies remember what her job was at the CIA? Gathering and analyzing activities related to developing “weapons of mass destruction” by countries the likes of….Iran!
Any of y’all willing to consider the possibility that getting rid of Plame and replacing her with someone more willing to “cook the books” was BushCo’s real intent, and that Joe Wilson just provided a convenient distraction?
Why the newspaper editorialists aren’t screaming for Bush’s impeachment in light of this revelation is beyond me.
Maybe everyone in the media has gotten so numb to the maledictions of this administration they’re in a catatonic state.
Or maybe the so-called “liberal” MSM have been so completely taken over by rightwingers that they’re in head-in-sand denial like the rest of the wingnuts.
It’s a mystery.
@4: Funny, I don’t recall you having much to say when the R “debaters” were slinging slime at each other.
You think perhaps that it’s only newsworthy when Democrats do it?
Why would that be?
35 Well, might be that any part of the Chicago Trib chain is just playing nicey-nicey waiting for their little Christmas present from Kevin Martin.
26 Piper, it’s truly sad that we have a whole generation of newcomers who are less given to “understanding” Seattle than to recreating it in their own image.
@36…OM…
Not newsworthy? Nah!!! It’s just that when Demos do it, they do it with a unique gusto and panache that’s both amusing and entertaining to watch. And they usually do it after lecturing Republicans about the evils of negative campaigning.
Besides…ever watched a girl fight? I mean a real, honest to goodness fight with clawing and scratching and eye-gouging? If I were Barack, I’d get me a steel-plated cup and a Kevlar jock because he’s gonna need ’em!
Even today, ex-Prexy Bill is ripping the MSM a new one for putting disses on the Mrs. (like that? I think it’s kind of clever).
Nothing more intolerant than the tolerance crowd when an election is on the line.
The Piper
@39: Ah, so it’s okay when your side plays for keeps but not ours. Swell.
And yeah, it was really manly of Rudy to accuse Romney of hiring illegals. You could almost smell the testosterone.
Except the opposite of that.
Oh, and nice job with the male chauvinist pig bit. It really becomes you.
@38…AF…
If I understand correctly what you said, I agree with you.
Too many people move to town to escape what they then try to turn this town into. Go figure!
The Piper
@40…OM…
Glad you liked it! Certainly wouldn’t want to disappoint you! But as for MCP stuff? So many of the HA Happy Hooligans do Hooligross shtick with such frequency both in posts, but also in the monikers they choose, that it’s not funny.
Sure Mitt and Rudy whacked into each other. I just enjoy it more when your side does it.
Oh…another point on the MCP thing…If there isn’t a little reverse sexism in play here, why is that Bill is bitchin’ about the bops getting tossed at HRC?
Remember…these are the Clinton’s, and there’s don’t stink…according to them.
The Piper
There ain’t a politician alive who isn’t a mouth-breather while using the hopper.
@42 Oh but Piper, you are so above all that. Except when you’re not. Please refrain from chastising the rest of us for language when you’re plenty happy to climb into the gutter when it suits you.
Typical Republican. All about the moral superiority…until caught.