crosscut.com : Military

Sausage Links, slow news day edition

Crosscut — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:00:01 PDT

The editorial board at the Stranger posted their interview with Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire yesterday — and boy, did she get defensive. Along with saying Republican challenger Dino Rossi's latest ads were "racist" and offensive, the governor got fussy on rapid transit relief, gay marriage, and the economy. Meanwhile, Fox News is ~~making its case~~ reporting on Gregoire's continuing battle with Republicans over tribal gaming compacts, while Rossi will reportedly be endorsed by the Seattle Police Officers' Guild later today. ...

The parade of foolishness

Crosscut — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:38:01 PDT

We're into August, which can be a dazzling month in the Northwest, with many things to enjoy and be thankful for: brilliant sunsets, fresh air, sparkling forests and water, music and arts festivals in places large and small, and, not least, an economy that is comparatively stronger than the rest of the country's. But concerns and irritations conspire to break the spell.

The good, the bad, and the vexing

Crosscut — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:14:01 PDT

Here are start-of-week cheers and Bronx cheers. First, the good stuff: Dave Niehaus in the Baseball Hall of Fame and justice at Fort Lawton.

Sausage Links, blame-game edition

Crosscut — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:05:01 PDT

David Goldstein at Horse's Ass says everyone has missed the boat about the latest mess surrounding the "top-two" primary. The Seattle Times blamed the parties. The parties blamed the state. Others blamed the lawyers. Goldstein, however, says the person to blame for what could be the "most monumental legal fuck up in state history — one which puts the legitimacy of our entire 2008 election in jeopardy" — is state Attorney General Rob McKenna.

Sausage links, Seattle SuuuuuuperSonics edition

Crosscut — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:00:01 PDT

Today's the day of reckoning for the city of Seattle and the SuperSonics. Judge Marsha Pechman will rule at 4 p.m., and we'll know who wins this OK Corrall shootout. Mayor Greg Nickels will hold a press conference at 5 p.m. to discuss the decision (live on the Seattle Channel). Here are the pre-announcement perspectives: state Rep. Bob Hasegawa, Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat, Stranger writer Josh Feit, Crosscut writers Ross Anderson and Sue Frause. ...

Sausage Links, gun-ban edition

Crosscut — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:00:01 PDT

It's too soon to tell if gun enthusiasts will henceforth consider June 26 "Possess a Pistol Day," but here's the immediate reactions to the Supreme Court ruling rejecting the D.C. gun ban, from both sides of the aisle: Goldstein, Earling, Obama, McCain. ...

Polimedia lunch links, blackjack edition

Crosscut — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:13:01 PDT

Place your bets: Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley is "something close to an even-money bet" against Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. ...

Hummers, hybrids, and foreign policy

Crosscut — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:15:01 PDT

Back in the run up to the Iraq war, writer Brian Miller was working on an automotive story and dropped by the Seattle Weekly offices with an enormous new Hummer. We'd occasionally go out for test-drives of automobiles — we tooled around downtown's steep hills in one of the first hybrid cars, and the public reaction to that vehicle was strong: Everywhere we went, folks wanted to know what the heck we were driving. Their eyes sparkled like kids seeing a cool new toy. Seattle's reaction to the politically incorrect Hummer was entirely — and predictably — different.

Wanna rent a ranger station?

Crosscut — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:00:01 PDT

America's national forests are in the middle of a "heritage" crisis as historic structures fall victim to budget cuts, vandalism, and neglect. Northwest forests are not immune, but citizens can help. How about vacationing in a fire lookout this summer?

Remembering the soldiers of 1–25

Crosscut — Sat, 24 May 2008 06:00:01 PDT

Another Memorial Day brings another poignant roster of bios and photos paying tribute to those killed in Iraq. Here's honoring a few of them, both for who they really were — and who they weren't.

Love the warrior but hate the war, and other weekend ruminations

Crosscut — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:00:01 PDT

Also: Whom to blame for gas prices, kudos for the schools supe, Sound Transit's latest audit, and polygamy's free pass.

Rare butterflies in a war zone

Crosscut — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:56:01 PDT

The land around Ft. Lewis, or just "off post," as those in the military refer to it, has two competing identities. First and foremost, it has been set aside and used for decades as a training ground for war games. Students at neighboring Pierce College can hear the munitions detonations as persistent rumblings in the distance, a poignant, aural reminder of the war overseas.

The high legal cost of practicing journalism

Crosscut — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:00:01 PDT

The demise of newspapers is a very bad thing, and anyone who thinks the Internet will quickly step up to fill the void is delusional. It's hard, for example, to envision even an influential national blog mustering the resources to uncover what The New York Times reports today about retired generals who serve as expert commentators on TV:

Hidden behind that appearance of objectivity, though, is a Pentagon information apparatus that has used those analysts in a campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration's wartime performance, an examination by The New York Times has found.

This week in fascism

Crosscut — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:00:01 PDT

Maybe it really is springtime for Hitler. In the last few weeks, Nazi and fascism references have been everywhere, flying from the right, the left and landing on everything in between, from the Olympics and the Dalai Lama to pasta and Puget Sound. Let's take a quick tour of jackboot country.

A friend goes off to war — for a second time

Crosscut — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:00:01 PDT

It's hard when a friend goes off to war, especially when the president is envious.

The Lazy B's blue funk descends

Crosscut — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:00:01 PST

In the Jet County, they're expending a lot of energy bemoaning Boeing's failure to win a big Air Force contract. There's not much locals can do about that. But a university, that's another matter.

The Boeing tanker slapdown

Crosscut — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:01 PST

The state's congressional delegation and others are shocked that we're shipping defense jobs overseas to Airbus. But isn't that the free trade they're always touting?

Why we hate soccer

Crosscut — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:00:01 PST

Will Paul Allen and Drew Carey succeed in establishing Major League Soccer in Seattle? Some suggest they're kicking the ball uphill.

The warpath not taken

Crosscut — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 05:00:01 PDT

How would Pacific Northwest history have differed had we taken pioneer James Swan's advice about how to treat the native population?

The scientific dark age of George Bush

Crosscut — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:00:01 PDT

University of Washington computer science professor Ed Lazowska, a onetime Bush appointee, says scientific research and education are sputtering in the "dark time" of the Bush years. He also says Washington state's higher ed system is failing the next generation.