Dec 30, 2012

Earlier this year, Christine Gregoire, bowing to Hollywood interests, took a page out of the Ronald Reagan playbook, and instituted trickle-down economics for moneyed filmmakers in the State of Washington. You know, the very same moneyed filmmakers who declared Republicans to be evil for advocating trickle-down economics. See, according to Democrats, tax cuts...

Dec 15, 2012

Shock. When a colleague came into my office yesterday and told me to read the news, that was my reaction, along with disgust, disbelief, anger, sadness, and sympathy. The intellectual side of my brain realized that I was being a hypocrite.  After all, I’d read about the deaths of innocent civilians, including children, at the hands of our troops, on many...

Nov 3, 2012

Well, I voted. I voted for a few existing candidates, abstained from a couple, but mostly, I wrote myself in. “Rex” in some spaces, “Seattle Rex” in others, depending on what I felt like at the moment. Both are accurate, and historically, this is what I’ve always done, usually to a fair amount of criticism. “You’re...

Oct 27, 2012

Everyone I meet in my day-to-day life assumes that I am a Democrat. It’s a fair assumption, I suppose. After all, I’m an atheist, I have a bleeding-heart on most social issues, I believe in universal healthcare, I’m anti-large corporation, I’ve been a champion of gay rights, I believe in the legalization of all drugs, the legalization...

Aug 18, 2012

As recently as the 1950′s in this country, a white man could lynch a black man, and he would most likely get away with it.   While those days are behind us, there are swift outcries when it is perceived by mainstream America that these particular inequities are still taking place.  The Trayvon Martin case is a good example of this. While it would be...

May 18, 2012

When I tell people that I intend to run for mayor of Seattle, they either laugh or just look at me like I’m crazy. I don’t suppose I really blame them. If they told me that they intended to do the same, I might laugh or look at them like they were crazy as well. Here’s the thing about my impending mayoral run, though … I’m fully...

Apr 10, 2012

Remember this article? http://www.seattlerex.com/the-reddest-of-states/ Well, I just learned that the “Rob the Poor to Feed The Rich” film initiative has passed. Christine Gregoire, the woman who is slashing assistance to the working poor and just-plain-poor across the state, just handed the wealthy film industry a 30% rebate of our hard-earned tax...

Mar 11, 2012

Washington State. A blue state if ever there were one. At least that’s what we’re repeatedly told. What does it mean, though? What does it mean to be a blue state? Were you to ask most Americans, they would tell you that blue means that a state is liberal. That a state disproportionately taxes the rich, distributes that money to the poor, and...

Feb 14, 2012

Lost your job, can’t find another one, you can’t see a doctor and your home is being taken away? Well, fear not, my friend, for after months of lobbying, the governor of the great state of Washington has just selflessly made herself a media darling by signing a bill that will … change the definition of “domestic partners” to that of...

Aug 17, 2011

But if he takes a massive shit in it, what can you do? In the middle of healthcare cuts, education cuts, mass transit cuts, and everything cuts … last night, voters approved a 2-mile, $3 billion tunnel under downtown Seattle.  A tunnel which may very well increase traffic congestion, and a tunnel which may have a toll of up to $5 each way. Oh, and they...

Aug 9, 2011

Well, if I’m going to put on knee pads and publicly service Mayor Mike McGinn every time he’s right, I suppose it would be intellectually dishonest of me to completely ignore him when he’s wrong. For those who are not aware, Mike has been embroiled in a controversy with Village Voice Media — the company behind such “alternative” publications as...

Aug 2, 2011

I just got my King County Ballot in the mail today, and it reminded me that I forgot to make an endorsement … or rather … a dis-endorsement The ballot item I am referencing is Seattle City Council Position Number 9, in which Sally Clark is the incumbent. Some time ago, I emailed Sally Clark. You see, Sally held herself out to be a scooter advocate...

Jun 26, 2011

Sometimes, people think I am contrary just to be contrary. They think I take an opposing viewpoint just to do so. It’s kind of a shame that this assumption is made. Once upon a time, Seattle had a real independent thing going on. Some of it is still around, but so very much of it is gone. Publishing in particular. Zines were replaced by blogs, and these...

Jun 24, 2011

I am neither a liberal or a conservative. Contrary to popular belief, neither am I a nihilist or an anarchist. If I had to be pigeonholed into one particular ideology, I would be considered a ‘skeptic’. Now, what does this mean exactly? Being a skeptic means that I distrust all political parties intensely. It means I assume that all politicians, all...

Jun 9, 2011

I’ve been reading a great deal about the proposed Downtown Tunnel lately. I think it’s painfully obvious to anyone reading the debates that both sides tend to, how shall I say this … exaggerate.  I think it goes without saying that the deep-bore tunnel will neither destroy Seattle, nor will it solve all of its transportation woes.  Each side has...

Jun 6, 2011

I am 42 years old. I’ve been to a lot of places, I have done a lot of things. Most of those things I was proud of, some things I could have done better. Of all the questionable things I have done, however, tweeting a picture of my pecker is not one of them. In fact, it has never even crossed my mind. I mean, why would it? Why would it cross anyone’s...

May 23, 2011

Well, it looks like the tunnel is headed for a vote, although it doesn’t really look like the vote is going to count. Yesterday, the City Council decided to proceed with a referendum which will determine whether or not the city can “give notice” to the state. If “yes”, such notice will allow them to go ahead with the construction phase of...

May 19, 2011

You know, it’s fine and good to disagree about things. Disagreement is what makes a market, and it’s what brings about change for the better. Tricks, manipulation, and deception, however, is a sign of desperation. Take Mayor McGinn’s Wikipedia page for instance: First, the article starts out with a complete hit paragraph which consists solely...

May 19, 2011

Some people are trying to do exactly this. They have launched an effort to recall our Mayor. How are they doing this? Via Facebook. AOL of the 21st Century. Amateur hour. Dominion of the bored, lazy, uncreative, and technically illiterate. I mean, why make an actual effort to do anything when you can have some faceless corporation do it for you with a few...

May 4, 2011

Once upon a time, I was a huge NBA Basketball fan. I hung out in the Capital Center, got autographs from the likes of Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld after games, and I even played on the courts with these same guys when they participated in youth programs. I watched Ewing vs. Mourning in the playoffs at the Garden, and I attended the very first Wizards game in the...

May 3, 2011

Sunday was International Workers’ Day. A day which, every year, sees thousands of people march through Downtown Seattle. A day over which I am deeply conflicted. In 2011, in my heart of hearts, I know that I am watching “Decline of the Roman Empire, Part II – This Time It’s Personal”. Not only am I watching it, but I am living it. The...

May 2, 2011

Ding Dong! The witch is dead! Which old witch? The wicked witch! The witch that flew airplanes into buildings? No. The witch that launched three wars and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people? No. The witch that molested 6 year old girls in the airport? No. Come on people, you know that witch I am talking about … it’s the ”mastermind...

Apr 29, 2011

This afternoon, the City of Seattle agreed to pay the family of John T. Williams the sum of 1.5 million doll ars in order to avoid a lawsuit. That’s right, the “City of Seattle” which means “the 608,000 residents of the City of Seattle”. Did Ian Birk, the man who murdered Williams, pay $1.5 million to the family? No. Did Ian Birk,...

Apr 28, 2011

Tunnel supporters just gained a new nemesis. The Sierra Club. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014895763_sierraclub28m.html “The Seattle group’s efforts to stop the tunnel reflect its view that a $3.1 billion highway project encourages driving, contributes to greenhouse-gas emissions and sucks up transportation dollars that could be...

Apr 27, 2011

Mayor Mike McGinn, or as I like to call him, M3, has proposed a new initiative to make Seattle nightlife safer. The first part of his proposals involves cab stands. Mike would designate specific parking meters for cabs after hours, which would in turn make it easier to hail a ride home. These convertible cab stands are being proposed for Downtown, Belltown,...