The Stranger: Slog: No Charles Edition

Week in Review

Eli Sanders — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:05:54 -0800

Rob McKenna's NOM-approved ballot language, the mayor's state of the city address, and the charms of a stupid new sports arena—all of that, plus more of that, plus your calls, this morning on Weekday.

That's 94.9 FM starting at 10 a.m.

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Morning News: Gun Violence, Bullying, Willy Wonka

Anna Minard — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:44:50 -0800

All That Gun Violence, a Follow-Up, Part One: The 9-year-old boy who brought a gun to school appeared in court yesterday.

Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Anna Laurie spoke slowly. She was trying to determine if the boy could understand what was going on.
"Do you read at grade level?" she asked.
He looked at his lawyer, at his dad, at his uncle, who also was sitting at the defense table. Laurie rephrased the question.
"I have a little trouble reading," he said finally. His dad handed him a tissue.

The 8-year-old girl who was accidentally shot is in intensive care and expected to remain there for several more weeks.

All That Gun Violence, a Follow-Up, Part Two: The man who shot State Patrol Trooper Tony Radulescu during a traffic stop was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Yemen's President: Set to step down on Monday, after a US-backed agreement was ratified by voters in a nationwide election.

Bad News in Afghanistan: Protests over the burning of Korans has now claimed 12 Afghani lives. NPR teaches us "How to Properly Dispose of Sacred Texts": "The assumption there is that Americans disrespect Muslims. That's why there would be such a visceral response to burning the Quran, even though a layperson could do so under Muslim law—as long as the intent was respectful."

It Gets Better: As Anthony points out, you can watch this weekend's MTV It Gets Better special online. Go! Now!

Speaking of Bullying: Harvey Weinstein is threatening to boycott the MPAA for giving the documentary Bully an R rating. One of the kids featured in the film, Alex Libby, "gave an impassioned plea and eloquently defended the need for kids to be able to see this movie on their own, not with their parents," but the appeal failed.

New Head of the Washington State Police Academy: Sue Rahr, current King County sheriff.

Molly Moon's "Secret Plan": Involves Willy Wonka.

Could It Snow This Weekend? Maybe (aaaaahhhhhh, freak out!!!!!).

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Because Guns Make Children Safer

Goldy — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:30:20 -0800

There were, of course, two victims in this week's accidental shooting of an 8-year-old girl at a Bremerton elementary school. Both the girl, and the 9-year-old boy who brought a loaded handgun to school in his backpack. The pictures and accounts of the boy appearing in court in his orange prison jumpsuit are heartbreaking.

According to news reports it sounds like the boy probably got the gun from mother's house, with whom he had visitation over the weekend. But if true, even though she's clearly the person most responsible for this tragedy, it's not clear that she'll be charged with any crime.

In Olympia, the Seattle Democrat who chairs the state Senate Judiciary Committee said there is a lapse in state law. "We do not hold people very accountable in this state for leaving guns around the house with small children," Sen. Adam Kline said.

Kline said that he would consider a bill to address it during the next legislative session next year, but didn't sound hopeful of its chances.

Not hopeful, presumably, because Republicans and some conservative Dems have a strong record of opposing any legislation with a hint of gun control to it, even sensible legislation that attempts to make people responsible for their own deadly weapons.

Whatever. The point is, statistically, a gun in the house is much more likely to be used against you or your family than against an intruder. So if you want to keep your children safer, don't keep a gun in the house, because without access to a gun, there's no way your child can shoot a schoolmate, a neighbor, a sibling, or himself.

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Every Child Deserves a Mother and a Father

Dan Savage — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:12:12 -0800

Nine-year-old Savannah Hardin is dead because she wanted a chocolate bar.

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Awww. He Looks Like People!

Paul Constant — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:09:30 -0800

Buzzfeed offers up "25 Photos of Mitt Romney Looking Perfectly Normal." I'm still not buying it.

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Meanwhile in New Hampshire

Dan Savage — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:57:20 -0800

You know... for years I wrote "Straight Rights Watch" items in "Savage Love." I tried to warn straight people that the anti-gay right had an anti-straight agenda too. And here we are:

New Hampshire, one of the least religious states in the nation, has become the latest front in the political battle over contraception. State GOP leaders oppose the new federal rule compelling insurers to provide birth control to employees of religious organizations. They want to change a 12-year-old state law that requires contraceptive coverage under insurers' prescription drug policies.... New Hampshire has required contraceptive coverage in all prescription drug plans since 2000. The law was passed by a Republican Legislature and signed by a Democratic governor. And nobody at the time, it seems, saw the policy as a blow against religious liberty....

The [New Hampshire] diocese isn't itself directly affected by the contraception mandate because it, like the state's largest catholic hospital, has chosen to self-insure. But if the church gets its way, contraceptive-free insurance may soon be widely available on the open market. "I ask that all of our people of good will support that which is in the best interest of that which gives life, that which sustains life," Bishop Peter Libasci said during a recent news conference. The diocese helped draft the bill, which would free any employer [to deny contraception coverage], be it an auto repair shop or a metaphysical bookstore, with a religious objection to birth control.

So much for the separation of church and state. In New Hampshire the Catholic church is drafting legislation that will make it harder for women—Catholic or not—to obtain and use contraception.

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Will a Tax Break to Encourage Filmmaking Die in the Legislature?

Eli Sanders — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:00:03 -0800

It's deadline time in Olympia for bills that haven't yet made it out of committee; either they make it out fast, or they admit it's over for this year. Among the bills fighting for their lives: a bill that would re-instate a tax break to encourage filmmaking in Washington State.

From the Washington Filmworks blog:

We repeatedly heard that Representative Ross Hunter (D-48) is not willing to schedule a Ways & Means Committee hearing on the bill. This hearing must occur before the bill cut off date of Monday, February 27th at 5 p.m. or the bill could die.

If you are a constituent living or working in the 48th district and are Represented by Ways & Means Chair Ross Hunter we urge you to write or call his office, asking him to schedule a hearing before the bill cut off of 5 p.m., Monday February 27th. Representative Hunter’s email is ross.hunter@leg.wa.gov and his Olympia Office telephone number is (360) 786-7936.

This tax break, as I noted a week ago, would cost the state an estimated $7 million every two years in rebates to filmmakers, but would bring in around ten times that much in revenue generated by their filmmaking projects.

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It Gets Better Special

Anthony Hecht — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:00:58 -0800

I don't think this has been on Slog yet, somehow..

The It Gets Better Project's special on MTV aired last weekend, and now you can watch it online too.

I just finished watching it, and it's just great. Dan and Terry have really done something incredible with this.

Watch:

Get More:
It Gets Better, Full Episodes

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Re:Generation Tonight Only at Pacific Place

Grant Brissey — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:18:35 -0800

It involves DJ Premier, Skrillex, Mark Ronson, the Crystal Method, Pretty Lights, the Doors, Erykah Badu, Trombone Shorty, Mos Def, Zigaboo Modeliste, Martha Reeves, Dr. Ralph Stanley, LeAnn Rimes, and members of the Dap Kings, and it's not a bad watch.

Now You Can Be a Film Booker

Paul Constant — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:01:08 -0800

For once in my life, I learned something by reading Aint It Cool News.com. An AICN blogger by the unfortunate name of "Nordling" wrote a post about a service with the unfortunate name of Tugg. It sounds like an interesting way to use digital delivery of films to make the moviegoing experience more personal:

Tugg, with participating theaters, means that you can basically program your local movie theater for a movie that you want to see on the big screen. Say, theoretically, you want to see ALIEN (the list of movies available is dependent on what's in the Tugg library) on the big screen at the theater by your house. You go to the Tugg website, create an event, set the price, theater, and time (depending on the partcipating theater), invite as many of your friends and family through various social media points, and once the minimum number is reached, Tugg books the theater and you have fun at the movies!

You can read more about it at Tugg's website. I don't know if this service is especially worthwhile in a city like Seattle, with a very strong repertory scene—although I could see it being a draw for birthday parties and things like that—but it could be great in rural areas that don't get a lot of independent movies. I could see the future of movie theaters looking like this: Hyper-personalized, with a huge catalog of choices rather than a strict what's-out-right-now model. But enough about what I think:

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SL Letter of the Day: How Many Is Too Many?

Dan Savage — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:43:43 -0800

I'm a 23-year-old male with a 24-year-old male. Not typically into serious relationships, too many emotions make my head explode, but this one works and the sex is great. It's been less than year and the question of how many sex partners we've had has already come up. I can count mine with two hands. He can't come up with a number. I understand that with the gays it's different (especially with things like CL, and Grindr), but it still makes me nauseous to think he's been with so many guys he can't count them. We both have gotten tested and we're both disease-free. Admittedly, I have my insecurities, but I am mostly grossed out by thinking about it. Sometimes I don't even want to kiss him, how can I get over this?

Conflicted And Nauseous

My response after the jump...

····················

If it grosses you out to think about it, try not to think about it.

If you can't help but think about it, CAN, try to think about it differently: your boyfriend has been with a lot of guys. He knows from men. It sounds like he can have his pick. And he picked you! You can either will yourself to accept the freakin' compliment already or, if you just can't stop slut-shaming your boyfriend, you can do him the favor of breaking up with him.

If you break up with your boyfriend, CAN, you'll be free to find one of those exceedingly rare 20-something gay virgins. Now twenty-something gay virgins aren't unheard of (or unheard from—I get emails), CAN, but your task won't be as simple as finding yourself a gay virgin. You're going to have to find a gay virgin who you like well enough to risk experiencing "too many emotions" and with whom you have great sex. Basically you're going to have to find the 20-something virgin version of your boyfriend.

And you know what, CAN? You might never find that guy. So best to err on the side of getting over your slut-shaming bullshit.

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Maryland Senate Approves Gay Marriage

Goldy — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:34:23 -0800

The Maryland state senate approved marriage equality legislation today by a 25-22 margin, sending the bill on to Governor Martin O'Malley, who is expected to sign it into law. This makes Maryland the eighth state to approve gay marriage, following quickly on the heels of Washington.

Kinda feels unstoppable.

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AG 's Office Confirms That Every Pharmacy in the State (Except One) Must Still Stock and Sell Plan B

Cienna Madrid — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:11:04 -0800

Yesterday, I reported that a Tacoma federal court Judge ruled that one family-owned pharmacy in Washington State and two licensed pharmacists couldn't be forced by the state to stock or sell the Plan B, as it infringed upon their religious freedom to treat women as second-class citizens and/or ovulating furniture. ("I bought this couch from a farmer down the road but the damn thing won't stop bleeding!")

But two questions remained: Would Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna’s office—which defended the state's prerogative to require pharmacies to dispense the emergency contraceptive in federal court—appeal the decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals? And how would the AG's office interpret how this very specific ruling affect the estimated 1,432 other registered pharmacies in Washington State?

1) If I were a betting woman, I'd say fuck yes, they'll appeal, based on precedent. You see, when the Plan B lawsuit was first filed in 2007, presiding Judge Ronald Leighton immediately decided to suspend the new state rule requiring all pharmacies to dispense Plan B until his court reached a decision on whether it infringed on pharmacist's constitutionally-guaranteed religious freedoms. In response, the AG's office promptly filed an appeal with the 9th Circuit Court to throw out Judge Leighton's injunction:

"When we appealed the injunction the 9th Circuit, they found that Judge Leighton abused his discretion in suspending the rule and lifted the injunction," explains Assistant AG Rene Tomisser, who worked on the case. "I think what the judge did this time in the trial is not consistent with what the 9th Circuit previously ordered him to do, and it’s not consistent with what the Supreme Court has required of courts when analyzing these claims."

He adds: "He made many of the same mistakes again, in much greater detail this time, with regards to his legal analysis."

But Tomisser, who, like most attorneys, enjoys playing coy and not directly answering my questions, stopped short of confirming that his office would file the appeal (attorneys are such rabidly squirrely people!) "If an appeal is to be filed, our office would file it on behalf of the board and the [Department of Health] within the next 30 days," he would only say. And, from a legal aspect, the AG's office has a vested interest in ensuring that more professionals don't cite "religious freedoms" when refusing people access to services they're legally required to render.

"From a legal aspect... we would not like to see that perpetuated," Tomisser confirms.

2) In the meantime, how does the ruling affect other pharmacies (and pharmacists) aspiring to discriminate against women?

"That’s the big question," Tomisser says. (No shit!)

"In my view,* it doesn't. Even if they have a religious objection, they simply wouldn’t be able to refuse to comply and say, 'me too.' They would have to file an injunction as the plaintiffs in this case did."

But that doesn't mean that every other pharmacy in the state is following state rules that mandate they stock and sell Plan B to women (among other medications). In fact, according to a recent NARAL survey, at least 12 percent of pharmacies in the state refuse to stock Plan B.

They can get away with it because the state Department of Health doesn't check up on pharmacies to ensure they're following the rules unless it receives tips from the public. "It’s really a complaint driven process," confirms Tim Church, a spokesman for the Department of Health. "We don’t proactively go out and ask folks what their beliefs are and if they’re following the rule."

Since 2009, the DOH has received just two complaints against pharmacies for denying women access to Plan B. Both of those complaints were investigated and then "closed without action," meaning that the investigation wasn’t able to gather enough evidence to find fault with the pharmacy. The modest number of complaints could indicate that the vast majority of women aren't denied access to emergency contraception they need and can legally purchase, or it could mean that women who are unlawfully denied the drug don't know to complain. "It's hard to say which it is," says Church.

How comforting.

*Which, I'd like to point out, is the only view that matters, as Tomisser is responsible for interpreting how the Judge Leighton's ruling applies to other Washington pharmacies and pharmacists.

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For-Profit Universities: The Unfettered Free Market at Work

Goldy — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:51:34 -0800

Enrollment at for-profit colleges and universities has boomed over the past few decades, skyrocketing from 18,333 in 1970 to 1.85 million in 2009. Over the past decade alone, the percentage of college students attending for-profit schools has almost tripled, from 5 percent in 2001, to 13 percent today.

So, how are these for-profit schools doing, most of which are significantly more expensive than their public university counterparts? According to a new study, not so well:

Students who attend for-profit colleges are less likely to be employed and have lower earnings six years after enrolling than similar students who attend public and not-for-profit colleges, according to a new study by authors affiliated with the Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment (CAPSEE). They also carry heavier debt burdens and are more likely to default on their student loans.

And yes, the survey was controlled to account for demographic differences such as age, income, and ethnicity. For-profit students simply have poorer outcomes and report less satisfaction with their educations, than public and not-for-profit students of similar circumstances and backgrounds.

How could this be? If the market always makes the most efficient allocation of resources, and the private sector always outperforms the public, how is it possible that for-profit universities don't out perform their public university counterparts? If you're a free marketeer, clearly the problem must be the dangerous market-distorting impacting of taxpayer-subsidized public universities. Simply eliminate government funding for our public college and university systems (as we are wisely on our the way to doing here in Washington state), the uber-capitalists might argue, and the market will fix itself.

Or something.

Though, of course, not all government subsidies. While for-profits enroll only 13 percent of our nation's college and universities students, they now consume 26 percent of federal financial aid and 24 percent of GI Bill tuition expenditures—over $1 billion in GI Bill money to eight for-profits alone. Indeed, in 2009, combined federal money accounted for an astounding 91.5 percent of revenue for Kaplan Higher Education (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Washington Post).

So no, we would want to eliminate all that federal student loan and grant money. I mean, we wouldn't want to destroy all those valuable private sector jobs.

So what explains the extraordinary growth of the for-profit higher education industry when it produces substantially poorer outcomes at a substantially higher price than its public college and university counterparts? Well, they advertise like hell. That's gotta play a role.

But so too must our shortsighted disinvestment in our public college and university system. For example, Washington now stands 48th out 50 states in baccalaureate capacity, annually producing less than half the four-year degrees necessary to meet the needs of our state's employers. So some students must surely choose for-profit institutions simply because the lack of capacity at public ones leaves them no other choice.

And if there's one thing the market inarguably does well, it is generating supply to meet demand... however shoddy the final product.

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Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown: "We will balance the budget without revenue."

Eli Sanders — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:34:27 -0800

The budget sausage—now leaner than ever!—is currently being made in Olympia, with house Democrats introducing their plan the other day and house Republicans doing the same.

There are important (and very predictable) differences between the two parties' proposals, of course, and there will be even more differences to come next week as the Democrats and Republicans in the state senate unveil—don't soil yourselves with excitement—their plans.

However. When you step back, the biggest budget news is best summed up in a statement Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown made today at a sit-down with reporters: "We will balance the budget without revenue."

Meaning: No new revenue. (Aka, another all cuts budget.)

This turn of events traces back to the recent not-as-terrible-as-usual state revenue forecast, which predicted $96 million more coming in during the current biennium than previously thought. Hooray!

Everyone's immediate reaction—including the governor's—was to flush plans for a half a penny sales tax increase right down the toilet and instead find ways to nip, tuck, and use tricky accounting if need be to deal with what's now a relatively small (compared to previous years) $1.1 billion shortfall.

The biggest message of Brown's chat with reporters is that this nipping and tucking should be easy, at least compared to previous sessions. “It doesn’t seem to me that any of the budget spending differences are that insurmountable," she said when asked to compare the various plans already floated or in the works. “Communication’s going well… Everybody’s talking.”

However, in the absence of a plan from the state senate (which will come on Tuesday), what most people are talking about is the house Dems' plan, which manages to preserve Basic Health and Disability Lifeline (though it does do away with some programs to help the developmentally disabled). It also saves money by temporarily delaying certain payments to schools—a tricky accounting maneuver that the Seattle Times dismissed as "akin to floating a check" and Representative Reuven Carlyle (D-36), a member of the house Ways and Means Committee, said was more like a very responsible family deciding to just make the minimum payment on a credit card for one month rather than paying the whole balance down every month.

In addition, the house Dems' plan deals with the inevitable cutbacks to social services that come with an all-cuts budget by allowing cities and counties more freedom to raise taxes to help cover those cuts. Brown noted that while this might be helpful to, say, King County, it doesn't do much to help smaller cities and poorer counties.

Carlyle called this critique "completely legitimate pushback," but then said: "At the same time, it’s also a legitimate pushback to question those who pretend like it’s possible to sustain what you could call King County-level services in places where there’s a dependency on a massive infusion of state dollars to accomplish that goal."

Carlyle didn't say this, but I translate his sentence as: Fuck 'em. If poor conservative areas of Washington State want to slash state services because they don't like Big Guvmint, then let them realize how much they actually depend on the services of Big Guvmint, and how much those services are actually subsidized by the wealthy areas of the state they claim to hate.

This—as always—will be one of the main areas of debate as the budget is made over the next two weeks: If we're not raising revenue because conservative areas of the state won't stand for new taxes, and we're slashing services because conservative areas of the state say they want that, then how much pain will Democrats let themselves inflict on those conservative areas of the state?

Brown's statements suggested: Not much.

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Line Out Finally Premieres a Song! (Absolute Monarchs' "Attack," from Their Forthcoming Album, 1)

Grant Brissey — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:28:16 -0800

If that doesn't pique your interest, I'll add that the rhythm guitarist is the lovable Miki Sodos of Bang Bang Cafe. Now go listen to it!

Etymology of the Day: "Snark" (or, Hello 2004!)

Brendan Kiley — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:24:36 -0800

A new novel by Heidi Julavits just arrived at the office, which reminded me of the disservice she did to the English language back in 2003, with her bleating, hand-wringing essay about the insidious evils of a thing called "snark," a "disorder" irreverent humor that was "infiltrating" the writing world:

As she wrote back then:

... I don’t know what many critics believe when it comes to literature; at worst, I fear that book reviews are just an opportunity for a critic to strive for humor, and to appear funny and smart and a little bit bitchy, without attempting to espouse any higher ideals—or even to try to understand, on a very localized level, what a certain book is trying to do, even if it does it badly. This is wit for wit’s sake—or, hostility for hostility’s sake. This hostile, knowing, bitter tone of contempt is, I suspect, a bastard offspring of Orwell’s flea-weighers. I call it Snark, and it has crept with alarming speed into the reviewing community, infiltrating the pages of many publications...

At the time the essay was published (and during the heated debates that followed it) I thought: "Poor Heidi. She thinks it matters whether she understands what a critic does or doesn't believe. While some people are hostile for hostility's sake or witty for wit's sake—and I fail to see the problem with the latter—could it be that she and certain critics just disagree about what deserves hostility? And it seems embarrassingly self-centered to take simple disagreements, blow them out of proportion, and diagnose them as some cultural 'disorder.'"

I thought the word would have its faddish moment and then disappear (maybe once some of those delicate flowers, so easily bruised by this "snark" business, aged a little and toughened up). But no. The word has stuck around like a mope, and become a conveniently lazy way of dismissing sharp criticism by staking out an ill-defined moral high ground.

And that's the most insidious thing about this word "snark"—the implication that it is a character flaw, a moral failing. If I criticize X and you respond by calling me "snarky," you're not saying I'm wrong about X. You're simply dodging the argument while slipping in an ad hominem attack.

People only use "snarky" to deflect criticism that a) has enough humor to sting (i.e., is successful) and b) points at something the person crying "snark" holds dear, or above criticism. If I'm talking to a local actor, for example, and I criticize Michael Bay with an irreverent joke, I'm a good guy, just tellin' it like it is. But if I criticize a performance by that actor's friend with an irreverent joke, I'm being snarky, disrespectful, a bad guy. "Snark" is relative—a sloppy word* for a cowardly rhetorical trick that attempts to dismiss an argument without engaging it.

Apparently, "snark" is here to stay. But I hope these fingers never type it again.

*Before it came to mean "sharp, humorous criticism about something I hold dear," snark meant "irritable" or "short-tempered" (etymologically derived from the Swedish snarka, "to snort").

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Here Is Your Newtinerary

Paul Constant — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:08:31 -0800

As we've told you here on Slog, Newt "Mr. Cheerful" Gingrich is coming to town tomorrow. Here's the hour-by-hour itinterary of all his public appearances:

Newt to visit Washington State Capitol
Friday February 24, 2012 – 9:45am PT
Location: Washington State Capitol
416 Snider Avenue SE
Olympia, WA 98504
Note: This event is not open to the public

Callista Gingrich to visit Evergreen Christian School
Friday February 24, 2012 – 10:00am PT
Location: Evergreen Christian School
1000 Black Lake Boulevard
Olympia, WA 98502
Note: This event is not open to the public. Mrs. Gingrich will tour the school and read Sweet Land of Liberty to students.

Newt 2012 Rally in Federal Way
Friday February 24, 2012 – 12:30pm PT
Location: Best Western Plus Evergreen Inn & Suites
32124 25th Avenue South
Federal Way, WA 98003
Note: This event is free and open to the public

Newt 2012 Rally in Everett
Friday February 24, 2012 – 7:00 PM
Location: Historic Everett Theater
2911 Colby Avenue
Everett, WA 98201
Note: This event is free and open to the public

Make your plans accordingly.

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Santorum Shaken, Not Stirred

Bethany Jean Clement — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:44:14 -0800

Slog tipper Joey notified us that Lunchbox Laboratory has a couple of new cocktails:

The Dan Savage: Watermelon Jolly Rancher–infused vodka, Malibu passionfruit, fresh lemonade, and soda served in our signature beaker

Shot of Rick Santorum: Watermelon Jolly Rancher–infused vodka, sour, shaken up with a drop of cream

Subsequently overheard in the office:

"Why isn't the Santorum a frothy chocolate drink? This is more like a Bloody Santorum."

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

I think this last person speaks for all of us.

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This Week in the Music Section: Pat Thomas's Listen, Whitey!, J. Pinder, Black Bananas, Whitney Ballen, Trent Moorman Takes a Lesbian to the Ballet, the West Launch Party in West Seattle, and HELLA MORE

Grant Brissey — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:41:48 -0800

White Man's Book Does Justice to Black Power Music: Pat Thomas's Listen, Whitey! Is History at Its Grooviest*
by DAVE SEGAL

Rap Urbanism: J. Pinder Finds His Place in Urban Hiphop
by CHARLES MUDEDE

Veteran of Disorder: Jennifer Herrema Switches Gears (Sort of) with Black Bananas
by GRANT BRISSEY

Things You're Not Supposed to Hear: Whitney Ballen's Debut Album Is Telling Everyone's Secrets
by MEGAN SELING

Sound Check: Trent Moorman and Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy Go to the Ballet
by TRENT MOORMAN

Granted: The West Launch Party in West Seattle
by GRANT BRISSEY

* Already populated with White Supremacist comments

Charles Mudede Tried to Eat This

Bethany Jean Clement — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:11:05 -0800

...at Katsu Burger. He failed.

Shpring Is Shprung

David Schmader — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:32:39 -0800

I could waste words telling you why you should go see the brand-new Dina Martina show opening March 2 at Re-bar (AKA the show she'll spend all summer performing in Provincetown), but I had an appreciation of concision Strunk-and-Whited into me at a tender age, and the poster tells you all you need to know.

Full show info here.

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Anti-Pot Campaign to Be Funded by Doctors, Lawyers, and Maybe Medical Pot Dispensaries

Dominic Holden — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:11:38 -0800

Purportedly acting in the interest of people who want to drive with active THC in their bloodstreams, No On I-502 filed a campaign this week to oppose a sweeping pot legalization and regulation measure that will appear on Washington State's fall ballot.

The campaign has donation pledges from attorneys and doctors, says treasurer Anthony Martinelli, and he speculates that medical marijuana cooperatives may also fund their campaign of television commercials and newspaper advertisements. "It's a very good possibility [medical marijuana dispensary operators] will donate if they think passing it will negatively harm their patients, because a lot of patients have to drive to get to their location," he says.

The medical marijuana industry—threatened by the prospect of legalization harming their business model—was a leading opposition to the 2010 legalization initiative in California. Similarly, medical marijuana activists in Washington have been opposing I-502.

The anti-I-502 campaign was filed by Martinelli and Gil Mobley, a doctor who operates a clinic in federal Way that writes medical marijuana authorizations, and the campaign has the backing of Patients Against I-502. That organization's advocacy has been led in part by Hempfest director and medical cannabis patient Vivian McPeak along with marijuana defense attorneys Jeffrey Steinborn and Douglas Hiatt. All except Mobley have direct ties to Sensible Washington, a campaign that twice failed to qualify their own legalization initiative that contained no DUI provision and zero regulations.

The group's primary gripe with I-502, as explained by Martinelli, is that drivers who are first stopped with probable cause, then are found to be impaired, and finally taken to a lab or hospital and found with 5 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood would have no further court defense. They say Initiative 502 goes too far in creating strict felony DUI penalties for people with 5 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood, and although it would require testing in laboratories or hospitals, they fear that the state could develop roadside tests to nab high drivers.

Martinelli says that stopping approximately 10,000 annual marijuana possession arrests is "not worth the exchange for the DUI provision that will take away driving for all cannabis users." Martinelli says that a scientific study has shown marijuana users can exceed the 5 nanogram cut-off of THC six or seven days after last using marijuana. However, he has not yet provided copies of that study.

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This Is What Happens When Mitt Romney Tries to Act Human

Paul Constant — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:02:36 -0800

During yesterday's debate, Mitt Romney shocked the world by making a Seinfeld reference when he quoted George Costanza. It was almost as though Romney had spent some of his Earthly hours watching television. The thought of him sitting on a couch, perhaps with several bowls of snacks surrounding him, staring at a TV set and occasionally chuckling warmly, was enough to inspire many debate viewers to feel faint, as though they were staring at the sun for too long.

But every time Romney pulls on his human skin-suit and tries to pretend he's like everyone else, it backfires horribly. In this case, it inspired Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza on Seinfeld, to send off the best post-debate Tweet of the night:

Thrilled Gov. Romney enjoys my old character. I enjoyed the character he used 2 b 2. If he'd embrace that again, he'd b a great candidate.
— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) February 23, 2012

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Obsessed with the Seattle Times Obsession

Goldy — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:59:21 -0800

Really, Seattle Times editorial board? You're going to lash out at Initiative 1163 for the second time this week... the sixth time since it was overwhelmingly approved by voters in November. Writing about the House budget proposal, the editors lament:

What is in it? Initiative 1163. That is the measure promoted by the Service Employees International Union that has the state pay for increased training that most of their members don't need.

Washington's voters have now twice approved expanded training and certification requirements for long-term care workers, and by landslide margins: 65-35 for I-1163 in 2011, and 73-27 for I-1029 in 2008. Yet the union-hating editors at the Seattle Times simply can't get past the SEIU backing to see these provisions as something that voters clearly want.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

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