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Author and McClatchy military columnist Joe Galloway will be at the Fort Lewis PX 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to sign copies of his new book, "We Are Soldiers Still." (Review here.)It's a followup to his "We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young" with retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore.If you don't have a Department of Defense sticker or ID, but you want to get a signed copy or meet the author, you can still get on Fort Lewis. Go to the visitor center at the main gate – Exit 120 off of Interstate 5 – and present your driver's license,...

Go Cry In Canada guy gets interviewed by FOX News. :-)

RENTON (WA)— Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean told Barack Obama supporters Saturday that Washington needs a huge Obama victory to "carry" into office Democrats whose wins are less certain. Specifically, he mentioned Gov. Christine Gregoire, who is in a tight race with Republican challenger Dino Rossi, and Democrat Darcy Burner, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert in the 8th Congressional District. Dean, a 2004 presidential candidate and former governor of Vermont, gave an impassioned speech to a crowd of Democrats packed into the Renton Carpenters Hall. The crowd cheered madly as Dean told them the McCain campaign appeals...

King County GOP booth at Bumbershoot vandalized  08:55 AM PDT on Tuesday, September 2, 2008  By KING5.com Staff  KCGOP Vandals tore open the tent, flipped over the table holding candidates' literature and set parts of the display on fire.  SEATTLE - The King County Republican Party reports that their booth at Seattle's Bumbershoot festival was vandalized Sunday evening. The vandals tore open the closed tent, flipped over the table holding candidates' literature and set parts of the display on fire. A person at a neighboring booth saw the flames and extinguished them before more damage was done. The KCGOP says...

More Kitsapers Packing Heat for Their Peace of Mind By Josh Farley (Contact) Saturday, August 30, 2008     Marcus Carter April Borbon Julian Piercy Richard Lively Marcus Carter is one of more than 3,000 residents of Kitsap who have a license to carry a concealed pistol. Data show that the number in Kitsap who have permits to carry a hidden pistol is rising. Carter, executive officer at the Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club, has taught many of the permit holders in his classes. Safety is paramount for him. "If you're going to carry a firearm, you have a...

John McCain will be nominated this week as the Republican candidate for president. He likely will ride effortlessly through the party's national convention in St. Paul, MN. But in Washington state, McCain will share the ballot this fall with Republicans trying to distance themselves from the national party and doing little to link arms with the McCain campaign. Dino Rossi, a Republican who lists his party preference as "GOP Party," is doing his best to bask in Barack Obama's message of change as he tries to unseat Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire. Rossi talks so much about Obama on the campaign...

PORT ORCHARD — It's been more than five years since Julea Penland launched her mission "to beautify Kitsap County one mullet at a time." The beautician began offering free haircuts to anyone sporting the once-popular "business in the front, party in the back" hairstyle because she believes they perpetuate negative stereotypes about Kitsap County. And she plain thinks they're ugly. Her sign advertising "Free Mullet Removal" has drawn plenty of yuks and people stop by almost daily to take pictures of the readerboard at her Port Orchard spa and salon. But so far, no one has taken her up on...

Motorists stuck on Mercer Street this summer have been treated to an odd overhead sight as they crawl under Aurora Avenue toward I-5. Wielding banners and signs, a small band of protesters has appeared on certain evenings, waving at drivers below and encouraging them to honk if they hate Xenu. And now, following a notorious Tom Cruise video released earlier this year and a certain prior South Park episode, Scientology finds itself the target of a new generation of activists who have declared this coming Saturday, August 16, to be their next worldwide Scientology protest day

A new SurveyUSA poll was released today for the Washington state general election, and in it we see the precise way Obama can lose this election. His numbers are crumbling bit by bit. Obama now leads John McCain 51%-44%. But its the anatomy of the poll that should be so concerning to Democrats. Among women, Obama had led by 22, now leads by 15. Among men, Obama had led by 10, now trails by 1. Among voters younger than Obama, Obama’s lead has fallen from 19 points to 10 points. Among voters older than John McCain, Obama’s lead has fallen...

DES MOINES — Regan "Draco" Lane-Smith and "Naughty" Nonah Elliston outfitted their six-bedroom rental house with 15 mattresses, bondage crosses and sex swings. They built elaborate sets in their backyard for taking erotic photos. And they promoted the Hardwood Cabin online. Up to 60 guests at a time came to mingle, sunbathe nude by the pool and have sex with fellow swingers and fetishists, Elliston said. Parties were frequent enough that the couple's laundry service was cycling through 50 bedsheets a week. But the couple shut down the sex club last month when they were cited for running a business...

I need ballot help from the Washington State Forum. Would any of you mind moving the discussion to this thread so that I can get a handle on the candidates? This impressive video is Randy Neatherlin running for Representative District No. 35 Position No. 2.

<p>PORT ANGELES, Wash. - An athletic shoe containing bones and flesh has been found on a Washington state beach and authorities are investigating whether it may be linked to a series of human feet found in shoes along the coast of British Columbia.</p>

If you are not sure who to vote for in the upcoming primary elections, we have completed a review of the candidates for Supreme, Appellate and Superior courts (contested races only). This is the Judicial Forum legal review. http://cominus.com/judicial-elections/ Feel free to pass this on to friends and family. Dean Isaacson

SEATTLE – As part of Seattle's campaign to combat global warming, Mayor Greg Nickels plans car-free days throughout the city. He has enlisted the help of a group of eco-friendly moms to make his latest environmental push forward. Exact details about car-free days and locations will be revealed at the mayor's press conference Wednesday morning, but one of Seattle's favorite beach communities is expected to top the list. On some days you can't find a parking space at Alki Beach, but on one upcoming day people may have Alki all to themselves. "On Sunday, September 7, from 12 to 6...

TWISP — Everyone agrees, gray wolves are generally wary of humans.But with the state's first pair of breeding wolves and six of their pups roaming the foothills near Twisp, people are asking: "Just how wary should we be of them?" By the numbers: Wolves and humans Wolves in Alaska and Canada: 59,000 to 70,000 Dates of case histories: 1900 through 2000 Encounters examined: 80 ◆ Aggressive encounters: 14 ◆ Nonaggressive encounters: 29 ◆ Testing for prey: 8 ◆ Self-defense: 10 ◆ Provoked aggression: 4 ◆ Rabies: 12 ◆ Hunting of humans: 3 Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife,...

A Communist Party of New Zealand recruiting poster from the Progressive Era* * * * * The left has been trying to re-brand itself in recent years. It's no secret that leftists don't like the word liberal anymore and have been trying to recast themselves as progressives. "The liberal brand is tarnished," says lefty Rob Glaser, who heads the online multimedia company RealNetworks. Glaser is a member of George Soros's Democracy Alliance, which is a collection of statist billionaires trying to force Americans to worship at the altar of Big Government. Glaser says he wants to "change the political paradigm"...

Washington is poised to make driving while talking on hand-held cell phones illegal. New Jersey has already been down this road. The cell-phone ban for Washington will start Tuesday and will be similar to a New Jersey law that went into effect in 2003. Washington's law makes it a secondary offense. That means police must find a driver committing another violation such as speeding before stopping drivers for holding a cell phone up to their ear. New Jersey's law also began as a secondary offense. State officials there found the law toothless and difficult to enforce, said William Cicchetti,...

Cell-phone-driving ban takes effect July 1 in Washington On July 1, the new law takes effect in Washington that bans driving while using a hand-held cell phone.   OLYMPIA, Wash. — On July 1, the new law takes effect in Washington that bans driving while using a hand-held cell phone.Drivers caught holding a mobile phone to their ear risk a $124 ticket. To talk on a phone drivers should use a handsfree headset or speaker phone. But, the law allows exceptions for people reporting an emergency or crime.The violation is a so-called secondary offense. That means an officer must...

Even with the skies overcast and threatening rain, Khang Nguyen, 18, and Joel Juan, 19, kicked back after school at Alki Beach."It's just a relaxing way to hang out with friends," Nguyen said of the bonfire crackling in front of them one evening earlier this week.But Seattle Parks and Recreation might do what even this week's chilly weather couldn't -- douse the long tradition of beach bonfires at Alki and at Golden Gardens.Park department staff is recommending reducing bonfires at the two beaches this summer and possibly banning them altogether next year.The park board will hear the recommendation Thursday, and...

Kansas, Or A Seattle Suburb? When Bill Clinton was presenting himself to the American public in 1992, he was described as "The Man from Hope", Hope, Arkansas, that is.  His supporters even made a movie with that title.  The Clinton campaign called him the Man from Hope for two reasons, to take advantage of the town's name, and to imply that Clinton had the wholesome values many of us associate with small towns.There is just one thing wrong with calling Clinton the Man from Hope; it isn't completely true.   Clinton was born in Hope in 1946 and lived...

Two Seattle high schools are among seven statewide that will lose a chance to add and strengthen Advanced Placement courses in math and science because a $13.2 million grant that Washington state won last year has been scrapped. The National Math & Science Initiative (NMSI), based in Dallas, announced that it will end Washington's grant because NMSI was unable to reach agreement with Washington's schools on the terms of the contract. NMSI declined to give any specifics, but state Rep. Bill Fromhold, who resigned his legislative post as of next year so he could help administer Washington's grant, said it...

(edit)   Nickels and City Council President Richard Conlin proposed a 20-cent "green fee" Wednesday on all disposable bags to encourage customers to carry their milk and eggs home in their own bags. Forget the canvas sacks at home? Shoppers at grocery, convenience and drug stores will pay the price starting Jan. 1, if the City Council approves. A family buying six bags of groceries a week would spend $62.40 a year in bag fees. The city will issue one free reusable shopping bag to each household."The answer to the question 'Paper or plastic?' should be 'Neither,' " Nickels...

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of illegal immigrants are expected to join supporters in a four-mile march through downtown Seattle at the height of rush hour today, proclaiming they're not illegal or undocumented — but workers. And at the same time, many more are expected to stay away, fearful of drawing the attention of immigration authorities or frustrated by the failure of Congress to fix the immigration system even as raids and deportations continue. "Two years ago, there was legislation in Congress and a tangible reason to turn out," said Louis DeSipio, an expert on Latino politics and associate professor of political...

Rep. Jim McDermott has paid more than $1 million to House Minority Leader John Boehner, ending a decade-long dispute over an illegally taped telephone call. McDermott, a Seattle Democrat, paid $1,093,297 to the Ohio Republican's campaign committee earlier this month, spokesman for the two men said Monday. The payment is in addition to $64,000 McDermott paid Boehner in January, as part of court-ordered punitive damages in the long-running case. A federal judge ordered McDermott to compensate Boehner for attorney's fees after Boehner sued McDermott for leaking the contents of a cell phone call that was illegally recorded in 1996. A...

Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years. This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and...

"At the mere mention of doing the pledge there were groans and boos. Then, when the district chair put the idea of doing the Pledge of Allegiance up to a vote, it was overwhelmingly voted down. One might more accurately say the idea of pledging allegiance to the flag (of which there was only one in the room, by the way, on some delegate’s hat) was shouted down."

Seattle Police Department scheming to steal cops from the shrinking NYPD BY MICHAEL WHITE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Friday, April 4th 2008, 4:00 AM Roca/NewsBillboard for the Seattle Police went up on the West Side Highway a few days ago. The Seattle Police Department is scheming to steal cops from the shrinking NYPD - paying for a huge billboard along the West Side Highway and papering bus shelters with recruiting ads.The pitch is simple: Seattle pays its new hires nearly twice as much as the NYPD.And if that's not enough, they'll throw in another $5,000 to cover moving expenses."We...

Being a belligerent jerk now against the law in Poulsbo, Washington Posted by Michael Rollins, The Oregonian March 28, 2008 06:55AM Categories: Puget Sound The North Kitsap Herald has a story on a new law that forbids arguing that looks like it could lead to a fistfight, or something like that. It's expensive to lose your temper in the city of Poulsbo. If the situation comes to blows, that is.An ordinance defining fighting in public -- including verbal bouts that could incite violence -- as a gross misdemeanor was adopted by the Poulsbo City Council Wednesday night.A violation of...

Andy Rogers / P-I Justin Hall leaves the automatic public toilet at Hing Hay Park, one of five installed by the city in 2004. Hall, who is homeless and trying to get off the street, uses the toilets regularly. A recently completed report by Seattle Public Utilities recommends that the city cancel its contract for the costly self-cleaning lavatories. Cancel toilet contract, city told By ANGELA GALLOWAY P-I REPORTER The naysayers may have been right: Seattle's multimillion-dollar, high-tech public toilet program looks like a washout.Some city officials, including the city's wastewater utility director, want to remove the five automated,...

Public's help needed to find missing sex offender William A. Blythe         Story Published: Mar 21, 2008 at 1:38 PM PDT Story Updated: Mar 21, 2008 at 3:00 PM PDT By KOMO Staff   Pierce County sheriff's detectives are seeking the public's help in locating a missing Level 3 sex offender with a history of child rape and molestation. A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of William A. Blythe, 29, who is considered very dangerous and at serious threat to re-offend. A felony warrant has been issued...

Initiative Would Exempt Cigar Bars From Indoor Smoking Ban By Austin JenkinsOlympia, WA  March 19, 2008 3:28 p.m. Washington State’s two-year-old indoor smoking ban is facing a challenge. Cigar shop owners have filed a citizen initiative to roll-back part of the law.Dale Taylor is with the newly formed Cigar Association of Washington. He says the initiative would allow smoking in cigar shops, cigar bars, private clubs and service organizations like the Elks.Dale Taylor: “What we’re asking for here is a fair and reasonable exemption to the law that allows a cigar store, for instance like the one I work in,...

When the big Boeing biplane lifts off from Felts Field Saturday afternoon, its open cockpit and wood-paneled passenger cabin will carry the history of American aviation back into the skies. It will fly again after nearly 70 years on a mountainside, a few years in a horse trailer, and nine years in a hangar at Felts, where some 61 volunteers spent about 18,000 hours meticulously restoring it to life. “It’s damn near a miracle,” said Mike Lavelle, an employee of the Boeing Museum of Flight, who has researched this type of plane, the 40-C, and its key importance to American...

SEATTLE  —  Within the next 18 months, medical researchers will be asking people in Seattle to volunteer to be exposed to the deadliest form of malaria to help them test the effectiveness of vaccine candidates.The Seattle Biomedical Research Institute is collaborating with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative to accelerate malaria vaccine research by opening a new vaccine testing center in Seattle's south Lake Union neighborhood.Scientists at the center will use early testing of vaccines to weed out those that don't work so they can speed up research on the ones that are effective. Malaria vaccine testing has already begun...

Bill would let tribal police arrest non-Indians   Richard Roesler Staff writer February 27, 2008OLYMPIA – A bill that would expand some tribal police officers’ power to arrest non-Indian criminals on reservations is moving quickly in the Legislature.Proponents say the bill would speed up police response on reservations, which some say are in danger of becoming “havens” for non-Indian criminals who feel they have little to fear. The House of Representatives has approved House Bill 2476 and it’s expected to be approved by a Senate committee before a key deadline Friday.“Right now we have citizens in the state of...

Washington state elderly woman loses everything in flood, needs help for herself and surviving puppies

OLYMPIA — This normally laid-back town is on edge after a week of raucous war protests that have resulted in dozens of arrests, broken windows and police firing pepper-spray projectiles to control restive crowds. More than 40 people were arrested Tuesday night after anti-war protesters tried to block shipments of military gear at Olympia's port for an Army Stryker Brigade recently returned from Iraq. Continued protests seem likely. Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Piek said the Army expects to finish moving equipment from the port in the next day or so. The protest group watches for military shipments at local ports...

Comedian Bill Cosby laced some humor into his messages to Lakewood kids and parents in an afternoon session Tuesday, but he also earnestly urged youngsters to talk to others about feeling sad before it grows into something worse. To hundreds of kids in the audience, he said: “Whatever you’re sad about, the longer you leave the sadness in, the more it turns into frustration and anger and will come out some way.” To parents, he said: If your children complain that they have nothing to do, “and if you believe that, you’re not parenting. Give the child something to do....

Anti-war protests have returned to the Port of Olympia with the unloading of a military ship bearing Army gear from a Stryker Brigade that recently returned to nearby Fort Lewis from Iraq. According to an initial news release Sunday from Olympia Port Militarization Resistance, the group at first did not plan to try to block cargo from being sent from the port to the Army post ... Late Monday, however, after the arrival of 950-foot roll-on, roll-off cargo vessel, group leaders said a series of votes and discussions resulted in a change in strategy. "As long as the war in...

At least 12 arrested as protests move to downtown, I-5 entrance Jeremy Pawloski The Olympian  OLYMPIA -- At least 12 people have been arrested today as protests of military-cargo shipments from the Port of Olympia moved to downtown and the Plum Street entrance to Interstate 5. About 12:15 p.m., Olympia police arrested at least three people at Fourth Avenue and Plum Street. About 12:20 p.m., protesters gathered at the I-5 entrance in a failed attempt to block convoys. Police arrested at least nine people there.Protesters on foot blocked traffic at Fourth and Plum about noon by jumping in front...

It's one thing to set fire to The Man at the Burning Man festival a few days early -- at least the effigy is built to be burned, albeit at a specific hour. But Paul Addis, the guy who bummed out thousands of burners by torching The Man before festival participants were ready for it, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of trying to torch a historic cathedral in San Francisco. Here's a slice from the story:(Edit)On the one hand, I can understand the power of the image to someone who sees the church as an oppressive institution. On the other...

Makah whalers plead not guilty 05:28 PM PDT on Friday, October 12, 2007  By ROBERTA ROMERO / KING 5 News and Associated Press  SEATTLE - The five Makah Indian whalers accused of illegally killing a gray whale off of Neah Bay pleaded not guilty Friday in federal court in Tacoma. A federal grand jury in Seattle indicted the five on misdemeanor charges of conspiracy, unlawful taking of a marine mammal and unauthorized whaling. They could face up to a year in jail and $100,000 fine if convicted. They also face prosecution in tribal court. #main-video { background:#000; position:relative; top:0px; left:0px;...

Walt Crowley, historian, part of city history, dies at 60 By Sharon Pian Chan [snip] Mr. Crowley, in his trademark bow tie, served as a conscience of the city -- as city planner, local television commentator, speechwriter to a former governor. In his final, and possibly most lasting role, he served as public historian through the Web site and in a dozen books he and his wife collaborated on, including the histories of the Rainier Club, the Blue Moon Tavern and Seattle University. "He really, truly loved Seattle, and he dedicated the latter part of his life to trying to...

Universal Healthcare on its Way (Rep. Jim McDermott) September 13th, 2007 In this video, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) envisions implementing a universal healthcare system in the U.S. by 2009. Video is at this link: The Hill Blog» Blog Archive » Universal Healthcare on its Way (Rep. Jim McDermott)

Makah tribesman "feeling kind of proud" he shot whale  01:20 PM PDT on Monday, September 10, 2007  KING5.com Staff and Associated Press Makah tribe members shoot, harpoon gray whale NEAH BAY, Wash. - The Coast Guard and National Marine Fisheries Service says the California gray whale killed by rogue whalers off Neah Bay could refloat as it decays. If it is found, the carcass would likely be evidence in a case against Makah tribal members. Coast Guard spokesman Shawn Eggert says buoys were cut from the whale when it sank Saturday, but it still carries a harpoon. National Marine...

Editor's note: Rocky Spencer had one of the most unusual job titles in all of state government: carnivore specialist. Spencer and his main co-worker, a dog named Mishka, searched the forests of East King County for evidence of cougars that roam in and around the suburbs there. He and Brian Kertson, a University of Washington doctoral student, had been conducting the most in-depth study ever on the cougars that live alongside the state's largest concentration of humans. Spencer, 55, was killed Saturday while working on a project to relocate bighorn sheep from the Yakima River canyon. He accidentally walked into...

Arrests made in bomb-related cases By LEVI PULKKINEN P-I REPORTER Bainbridge Island police arrested a 17-year-old boy Friday after a search of his computers revealed bomb threats against Bainbridge Island High School.Police found marijuana and bomb-making materials at the boy's home following a bomb threat against the school in June, Deputy Chief Mark Duncan said. The boy pleaded guilty to several related charges in juvenile court earlier this year. During a search of 17 computers found at the boy's home, police found a message from the boy to another student that included a bomb threat, Duncan said. The boy...

Ferry plots and Filipino Muslim converts By Michelle Malkin  •  August 30, 2007 02:46 PM  The FBI is still sifting through hundreds of tips on the two suspicious men in Seattle whom ferry employees witnessed photographing restricted areas and pacing several ferry routes, “as if trying to measure distances,” over the past several weeks.I have learned that these men have been the subject of much investigative energy within homeland security bureaucracies for quite some time. Indeed, one source told me that until the FBI released the photos of the men, the snapshots had been handled as classified material.Arab-American and Muslim groups...

The Seattle Post Intelligencer is carrying an AP report of a suspicious package found on ferry, but still hasn't published the photos of two men the FBI is seeking in order to question them about their suspicious surveillance-type activity aboard several Seattle-area ferries in recent weeks. The AP report in the P-I says the details of the contents of the suspicious package "were not immediately available, but the Seattle Times' report, by a Seattle Times staffer, says Trooper Cliff Pratt of the Washington State Patrol's bomb squad, described the package, found rolled in carpet in a ferry bathroom earlier Wednesday...

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Offers Haiku Contest - But No Help - in FBI Terror Probe  By Bill Hobbs | August 21, 2007 - 20:18 ET The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is refusing to run the photos of two men the FBI is seeking to question in connection with suspicious behavior aboard a Puget Sound ferry - behavior that could be a precursor to a terror plot, or could be nothing nefarious at all.The Seattle PI reports the story here and explains its rationalization for not publishing the photos here. And - in a steller example of complete touchy-feely uselessness - the paper...

Rove’s gift basket for the Seattle Times By Michelle Malkin  •  August 20, 2007 02:09 PM Remember the fair, objective journalists at the Seattle Times who cheered Karl Rove’s resignation? Via the Media Blog and HA Headlines, here’s news in Howard Kurtz’s WaPo column of Rove’s farewell gift: In an embarrassment to the industry, some staffers at a Seattle Times news meeting cheered when Rove’s resignation was announced. To his credit, Editor David Boardman made the incident public and warned that staff meetings should not “evolve into a liberal latte klatch.” Rove responded by sending a basket of cookies to the...