In an essay Are We Doomed? from The Atlantic in January of 2022, George Packer warned of the dangers to our democracy from Republican extremism, in particular with regards to elections. His prescription for stopping Republican extremism is that a coalition of Democrats, Independents, and moderate Republicans should overlook minor areas of disagreement. He says […]
Civil rights
On wokeness, defunding the police, Shor, and Populism
Ezra Klein in the New York Times wrote an article reviewing the work of political consultant and pollster David Shor, who said that the Democrats need to tone down their support for minority (black) rights if they want to win back white voters, whose motivations may or not be based on racism. Klein writes: All […]
Anti-immigrant “Blood and Soil” leaflets in Clyde Hill
A friend emailed me: On my driveway today was a ziplock bag with a melted Snickers bar and a leaflet that says, “KEEP AMERICA AMERICAN. REPORT ANY AND ALL ILLEGAL ALIENS THEY ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS THEY ARE CRIMINALS CALL 1-866-DHS-2ICE. BLOODANDSOIL.ORG Honestly, I am shaking and thoroughly disgusted that fascists are at work here. The […]
King County Sheriff’s Department Arrest Jean Barton and Her Son, Drag Disabled Veteran Byron Barton to The Hospital
Two weeks ago, SAFE activists held a press conference where they asked the question, “Who runs this town?” Today, Sheriff Urquhart, stepping up to the role of corporate goon, answered the question definitively; property developers do. Thanks to a hastily-obtained search warrant, a mother and her son have been handcuffed, stuffed into a cop car, […]
Systemic injustice threatens democracy
One hundred fifty one years ago today the pivotal battle of the Civil War was fought, as Union soldiers succeeded in holding off Confederate charges on Little Round Top at Gettysburg. If the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment had been overrun by southern troops, the Confederacy may very likely have prevailed in the Civil War, […]
Can Surveillance Technologies Be Tamed? May 3rd in Seattle
InspireSeattle Invites YOU to join us at our Social Forum: Saturday, May 3rd at 6:30PM. Main discussion topic for this evening: Can Surveillance Technologies Be Tamed? Video surveillance cameras are far different from the technology of a few decades ago. They now allow remote control, with pan, tilt, and zoom features; the images obtained are […]
The day we fight back against surveillance – Tuesday Feb 11, Seattle
2/11/14 at 6:00 PM at the Jackson Federal Building in Seattle Washington Details: Meet at the Jackson Federal Building. 915 2nd Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98174 (between Madison Street and Marion Street). Bring signs if you have them. Leaders of the ACLU, independent media reporters and members of our State legislature have been invited to speak. […]
Obama's defense of NSA makes the Dems look bad, makes Republicans look good
TruthOut is reporting on a bill introduced to the Washington State House: HB2272 was introduced by a bipartisan team of legislators, Rep. David Taylor, a Republican from Moxee, and Rep. Luis Moscoso, a former three-term secretary of the state Democratic Party from Mountlake Terrace. If passed, the bill would make it the policy of the […]
Santa is a spy
Jeff Lyles and I wrote: Jingle Bells, something smells, Santa is a spy. He works for the NSA. What a sneaky guy! Jingle Bells, something smells, in the USA. The Constitution is at risk. Our rights have gone away. It would be nice to fit Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Chelsea Manning in the song. […]
Join EOI Dec 3 for the Legislative Summit on Racial Equity
Too often, policies are blind to the true impact they have on low-income and communities of color. Well-intended hopes can result in disastrous outcomes when the voices of those most affected are not included or considered. Here at EOI, we believe in the power of everyone coming to the table to have a stronger collective […]