May 4, 2013

Last Monday, I was speaking with someone about the upcoming May Day festivities. “Seattle doesn’t have riots”, I told him, “we have hissy fits.” Shortly before the protests started, I explained to another person, “Seattle riots are different than most. Here, there’ll be 100 white guys with $5,000 cameras trying to make...

Mar 17, 2013

When I first read the proclamation above, I rolled my eyes. “Overshadowed by male-dominated bands”, I said, “oooh, sounds sinister.” I couldn’t help but wonder, though … what exactly is a male-DOMINATED band? Were the Beatles a male-dominated band? How about Simon & Garfunkel? Were the Go-Gos a female-dominated...

Jan 30, 2013

In the last few months, I’ve had a few emails, not to mention a few real-life conversations, expressing surprise that I have not touched on a subject. That subject, is the legalization of marijuana in the State of Washington. It was generally assumed (correctly) that I supported legalization, and some folks are stumped by my lack of enthusiasm over the...

Jan 19, 2013

It’s a depressing time to be a Seattleite. It’s a depressing time to be an American. Over the last decade, I’ve watched not only the middle-class dry up, but small businesses dry up as well. While some places in this country are still doing better than others, in 2013 Seattle, you’d either have to be insane to start a small business, or...

Dec 31, 2012

I may be many things, but a procrastinator is not one of them. Twelve hours before 2013 even starts, and I’ve already taken care of my first resolution … a resolution which was the lead entry in my “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” category: I’ve been meaning to leave Facebook for awhile, I just never got around...

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 28, 2012

Another day, another SPD scandal. There have been several in the past few months, but for the most part, I’ve tried to just ignore them. Nothing can be done, really. There’s little probability of change. There’s little support for change. John Diaz remains Chief of Police, and Mayor McGinn … a mayor I used to support … is...

Nov 7, 2012

Congratulations Evil, you beat Stupid. You must be so very, very proud. Today, we’ll celebrate, but tomorrow, well, tomorrow, we’ll all go back to complaining about the government we just elected. After all, we’re Seattleites. Complaining is what we do. “Oh the weather is so bad, it always rains here!” … as if it’s...

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...

Sep 22, 2012

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a supporter of gay rights. I’ve voted, marched, donated, volunteered, and tried to reason with those who I felt were honestly misguided. It is with a heavy heart that I sit here now and realize that I was wrong. Not just wrong, but in many ways, I feel that I was a tool. Used by the “LGBT...

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...

Aug 5, 2012

Last week, I hopped the ferry for my usual 35 minute journey back to Seattle. When I got on and peered out the window, I noticed something unusual. There was a Coast Guard boat with a machine gun mounted at the front, and behind the gun was a man ready to shoot someone or something. Since we were nowhere near a national border, one can only assume that those...

Jun 11, 2012

Earlier this year, a friend of mine was rushed to Harborview Hospital. To protect his anonymity, and for the sake of clarity, let’s call my friend ‘Doug Thatcher Tha Booty Snatcher’. Now, the reason Doug was rushed to the hospital is not important, however, the method in which he was rushed is notable. You see, Doug is a resident of...

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...

May 10, 2012

For the second time in 8 months, the streets of my neighborhood are blocked off for a presidential visit. Oh, thank God, the president is on his way to inner-Seattle. Surely he’s coming to save lives, right wrongs, and fight for the rights of the average citizen. Right? Wrong, and … see, that’s the thing. That’s why I, and some of my...

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...

Apr 6, 2012

I love Pike/Pine. It’s the heart of urban Seattle. It’s the only neighborhood that, at least in my opinion, is equally part of Downtown, First Hill, and Capitol Hill. As someone who lives on the western edge of the neighborhood, it is where I spend probably the majority of my life. This is why today, I sit here, heartbroken. According to the...

Mar 30, 2012

After being called upon to investigate abuses by the Seattle Police Department, four months ago, the Department of Justice released a report which excoriated the SPD over its civil rights violations. This week, Mayor Mike McGinn finally issued his response — a response which consists of a 20-point plan designed to address the DOJ’s concerns. Those...

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...

Mar 1, 2012

Feb 29, 2012

Just before a vote on the downtown tunnel was taken, I informed everyone that the tunnel was a terrible idea. I informed everyone that, instead of alleviating downtown traffic, the tunnel would result in far worse traffic. Mere days after I laid out my arguments, however, the multi-billion dollar tunnel was approved by a voter margin of 60% to...

Feb 20, 2012

On Friday, I was driving down Western Avenue, minding my own business, when the email app on my Galaxy Tab chimed. “Oh good!”, I thought, “My penis pump has finally shipped!” Since I couldn’t actually read the email, it was just an assumption. Obviously, I would need to verify the contents of the correspondence. Being a...

Feb 16, 2012

Today’s news conference has come and gone, and according to the players in the Seattle arena drama, taxpayers will not have to pay for the arena directly. “Stressing that no taxpayer money would go into the project, McGinn and Constantine said up to $200 million of public funds could be used to finance construction. That money, which would involve...