At the June 8th Town Hall meeting of Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA 9th CD) in Crossroads, Bellevue, Rep Adam Smith gave progressive answers to almost every question he was asked: on immigration, on the environment, on low-yield nuclear weapons, on convening impeachment hearings for Trump (he mostly supports it), on taxation, on peace, etc. One […]
Politics
Rep. Adam Smith on nuclear arms control and how to lobby Congress
Rep. Adam Smith spoke at a meeting of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about arms control, nuclear arms non-proliferation, and President Trump’s withdrawal from international treaties. Smith said we need to modernize our nuclear weapons, but we should not intend to use them tactically, as some people do Perhaps one leg of the […]
Visualizing Members of Congress in 3D along Ideological Dimensions
Visit 3D Visualization of U.S. Senators based on voting records (with freedomworks data). 3D Visualization of U.S. Senators based on voting records (with Peace Action data). 3D Visualization of U.S. House members based on voting records (partial data)
Increasing the Visibility of Washington State Democrats’ many progressive resolutions
Hundreds of active members of the Democratic organizations in Washington State devote substantial time and energy into attending party meetings, working in committees, vetting candidates, knocking on doors, making phone calls, and debating resolutions. Legislative district orgs, county orgs, and state caucuses pass resolutions and send them on to the state Democratic Central Committee, whose […]
Robert Wright’s Nonzero and the growth of cooperative complexity
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny, is an ambitious book, with a title that one might deem grandiose. But the author, Robert Wright, crafts a satisfying, readable tour de force that synthesizes human history, anthropology, game theory, biology, and ethics. The book first explores the evolution of human societies towards larger and more complex social […]
Report on 41st LD Town Hall with Sen. Wellman, Rep. Senn, and Rep. Thai
The auditorium at Bellevue College was standing-room only on March 23, 2019 for the town hall of the 41st Legislative District lawmakers Sen. Lisa Wellman, Rep. Tana Senn, and Rep. My-Linh Thai. Sen. Wellman is Chair of Early Learning & K-12 Education and sits on Environment, Energy & Technology, Higher Education & Workforce Development, and […]
The non sequitur in Seattle is Dying
The KOMO documentary Seattle is Dying is a powerful and angry film, denouncing the city council and courts for allowing homeless camps, tents, filth, and crime to fester. It depicts the low-functioning homeless who are drug addicted, mentally ill, and/or criminal. It condemns the inability or unwillingness of the police, courts, and city council to […]
Uh-oh, military spending may rise again, and the Democratic leadership is on board
Common Dreams is reporting that the Democrats in Congress appear ready to give into most of Donald Trump’s request for a $750 billion defense budget. From ‘Military Keynesianism is Back!’: Democrats and Trump Agree on Pentagon Increase, Quibble on Details: The Democrats proposed $733 billion budget would give the military most of what it wants […]
The movement to rein in U.S. militarism is gaining momentum
An abundance of progressive legislation is being introduced in the House of Representatives, setting the stage for eventual passage, when the Democrats take back control of the Senate. Thanks to Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Bernie Sanders and years of advocacy by health care activists, single-payer healthcare is coming closer to reality. As of Februrary, 2019 there […]