As you may recall, I have done two blog posts (HERE and HERE) about The Blair Years - The Alastair Campbell Diaries. A week ago, I finally finished the 757-page tome and have finally gotten around to blogging my book review. First a word [...] For a lot of reasons - including what appears to many Washingtonians the use of legislative power for a special interest group (namely the Washington Education Association [WEA]), the 2007 Washington State legislative bill HB 2079 - a bill I blogged about repeatedly - was a debate of great [...]
Apparently, the Nobel Prizes are now a j-o-k-e. Instead of Irena Sadler or Tony Blair winning the Nobel Peace Prize, you get Al Gore. As if Al Gore had to do battle with the Nazis or make the tough calls to stop evil dictators with all on the line, [...]
You may have heard via the links in THIS Open Government Blog post about the delay in the Sunshine Committee reviewing and recommending repeal of the public records exemption for Washington State legislators. You also may recall my blog post from last week.
I reviewed the TVW clip [...]
Finally, here's from the Diary of the Diary:
Yup, the designated global warming species for Halloween. As per a fav blog - Chris Mulick's Olympia Dispatch.
Opine in the comments...
[...]...too many members of our “thinking” classes deny or downplay the fact that war has been declared against us by an ideology that is as ruthless and fanatical as that of Nazism or communism. Spread by a network of cult-like entities [...]
Former President of America George H.W. Bush, Inaugural Address, 1989: "We know what works: Freedom works. We know what's right: Freedom is right. We know how [...]
Well, well the Seattle Seahawks may not be hoisting the Lombardi just yet. But the other elite football team - the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, that is :-) - is doing great!
Seems as if EFF has good clock management, a defense shutting down the opponents' offense and [...]
Maybe instead of raising taxes or making it easier to raise taxes or an illegal teachers' strike... take a million out of the copier fund and put [...]
Earlier this week, I blogged about the open government troubles Skagit Valley College has got itself into and made mention of what can be called "Operation Plink-A-Trustee" where the governor's office is briefed about open public meetings act violations and doesn't reconfirm the trustee in part due to these [...]
Okay, enough punditry from me already on the North American political disaster of 2007, but if you want some more... here you go...
Recently, I read on Open Government Blog about how a water district a county away was having an election in which violations of open public meetings law were [...]
As I listen to Ontario Liberal/Pupatellontario Liberal Dalton McGuinty's victory speech, I've held on this, maybe for too long, but I've read Rescuing Canada's Right and have my copy full of tabs. Here's a quote from pages 197-198 that helpfully explains why the negatory campaign I documented just didn't [...]
Just seems appropriate... the Italian-Canadian fighter jock taking to the air on afterburner to defend our liberty against a common enemy for a common cause of democracy.
John Tory is Dalton’s other best friend: Let me say something [...]
Oh and FYI, about John Tory the Negatory Divider... he's still keeping on the table in Ontario public subsidizing of private, non-Catholic schools. Bad enough Ontario has a public & Catholic dual education system. But as the Canadian Coalition for Democracies recently wrote in the conservative newspaper Toronto Sun [...]
Steven Maggi of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation is attempting to make a good case against the "simple majority" scheme/HJR 4204 that would "vote for our schools and provides for the basic needs of our students" according to proponents in the voter's pamphlet. But Steven points out that... we're [...]
Negatory
Negatory \Neg"a*to*ry\, a. [L. negatorius: cf. F. n['e]gatorie.]
Expressing denial; belonging to negation; negative. --Carlyle.Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Thought a definition was in order. This guy John Tory, the leader of Ontario's [...]
Poor Tasha Kheiriddin. I can only imagine how she must feel, now watching the man who at best changed his mind about not raising taxes (Dalton McGuinty as I blogged) slide to victory over an imploding negatory campaign in Ontario. Well was written by The [...]
I've got from a friend the recent Windsor AM 800 debate starring Sandra Pupatello, Lisa Lumley and some no-name candidates. The negative, niggardly, nega-TORY bullying Lumley campaign is discussed starting @ 33:47 but the rest of the debate [...]
Yup, the incredible implosion of the Ontario Tories, what with their smear campaign in Windsor West and their crazy "leader" is tonight's cinema. As you may recall, I blogged at the start of Ontario's election campaign the [...]
In reviewing states with public polls testing hypothetical general election match-ups, Mayor Giuliani runs 6 to 7 points stronger than Fred [...]
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| From A Skagit Valley College (SVC) Alumnus Blog Album |
A welder welding on the new Skagit Valley College student center. Previously blogged about HERE with link to Skagit Valley Herald story and 2 SVC Alumnus photos.
[...]Remember that open letter of Sandra Pupatello's?!?
Well, finally that letter has paid some dividends.
From The Globe and Mail:
The Liberals retaliate by saying that they have created 350,000 new jobs since 2003. Sandra Pupatello, who served as the Economic Development Minister in the McGuinty government, [...]
Today, our state's (greatest) Attorney General (ever) Rob "RMK" McKenna wrote an op-ed in the Seattle P-I to raise awareness of how America's state attorney generals - well, let's use a Sandra Pupatello-ism*, are "forming to fight with all the might required to eliminate terrorism in our midst" [...]
The spirit of Sam Adams lives on through the Evergreen Freedom Foundation's (EFF's) Amber Gunn... and the Sam Adams Alliance & Foundation (SAA&F). The SAA&F put out a podcast with a PDF transcript playing off of her [...]
Try challenging Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a debate as an alumnus of Skagit Valley College to said alma mater. Iran's President has decided to spin, roll and bully his way out of the rhetorical mess he got himself into.
On top of that, some are actually buying Iran [...]
The leadership by Sir Rudy Giuliani in the wake of the abominable assault on Gen. David Petraeus by MoveOn.org and independently Sen. Hillary Clinton has finally, after two weeks, forced the Senator to call retreat. On Meet the Press last Sunday, the Senator said - and I've abridged because [...]
A Canadian problem.
So now Ontario provincial [...]
Wonder the impacts of the Canadian currency equalling ours?
After last week's claims of betrayal of Windsor by the Tory candidate, Sandra "Lady Churchill" Pupatello has decided to stand up with her own firebrand, Trump-esque 'stand up for yourself' style. I am going to repost this open letter in [...]
Here as the madman of madmen speaks is the text of an anti-terror speech (a transcript with endnotes is HERE, the audio is HERE in MP3) I gave on 11 September 2007.
September 11, 2007 Oration to SVC BofT:
Towards a New Cardinal Order…Sources: Brent Bozell III: The Death of Sportsmanship; SVH 21 Sept. 2007 Letter to the Editor: Chaos at local football games
Warning - expletive below
Indeed, we have a problem with our relationship with sports in this country. We have taken what should be a fun time for all to [...]
As you may recall I blogged not once, but twice about the Gen. Petraeus controversy. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani weighed in - and got the same treatment by the New York Times as did MoveOn.org. You can read more details HERE at Advertising Age, [...]
As you may know, once in a while this blogger covers open government issues. The recent furor over the Shoreline City Council is certainly worth study.
Here's the problem - as I gather from THIS The Seattle Times news report of 13 September - is the Shoreline City Council decided [...]
I just thought my readers needed to know that America now has a conventional penetration bomb that can do the work of a nuclear penetrator while Russia attempts to imitate us. Further details beyond the Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSINT) link kicking off this blog post at this Russian [...]
I've read THIS Michelle Malkin column several times if for no other reason than moral clarity. I encourage you to read the column as well. Here's the initial few paragraphs:
"If only." Those are the verbal crutches America must discard in a post-9/11 world.
If only the State Department [...]
First, the Mayor's ad about General Petraeus, C-in-C MNF Iraq, that I blogged about yesterday ran in today's NYTimes. BRAVO ZULU to the Mayor's Campaign for providing real counterfire. Today Senior Communications Advisor Jim Dyke went on MSNBC and [...]
At MoveOn.org's abominable assault on General Petraeus calling a public servant in a combat zone - okay, a professional solider a traitor and liar - with a discount from the New York Times!! The General at least knows how to reply:
At Senator Hillary Clinton's abominable assault [...]
Ever hear of "you magnificent bastard" - as in Hotair.com's description of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in their recent bylines? Well, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation now has a magnificent, prescient bitch… in Amber "Gunny" Gunn. Last night, I blogged at the group blog NWBloggers.com how her prediction [...]
In today's Education Reformer, a semi-weekly (doesn't exactly come out weekly, but close) news brief by the Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF) - also available as audio - against holding special elections for school bonds. See, EFF has, "looked back at the last 3 years, and found that [...]
We stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment. The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move [...]
Friendly reminder from this month's Living Liberty: The Evergreen Freedom Foundation now has a blog at [www.libertylive.org] and yes, I syndicate their blog's feed to the side.
[...]As in about the only liberal and Liberal politician* I have any respect for these days except for Tony Blair. Namely Sandra Pupatello who I've blogged about before. Today, the writ is dropping in Ontario, Canada and [...]
Just wanted to thank the Skagit Valley Herald for their news story today on the renovations to the Skagit Valley College student center. I encourage you to read the story.
Here's two photos from my travels of the college campus of construction - the first on July 24 and the [...]
As Orbusmax reported yesterday and EFF opined, Jane Balogh got a mostly-deferred sentence. Jane did say though to The Seattle Times that some may find this funny but... " this is a serious matter because our democracy is truly at risk."
Finally, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation has an all-staff blog, not just the Teachers vs. Union blog on EFF's battles with the WEA and other unions. As a member and as somebody frustrated with EFF's difficulties in getting the message out, I applaud this measure. A blog that as [...]
[Update at bottom]
Yup, the Gunny. Apparently you Washington State Government got yourself in trouble with the Gunnery Sarge, me and my fellow taxpayers to the tune of $12 Billion.
The Gunny wants you to explain GASB 45. Yes, the same Government Accounting Standards [...]
Sir Rudy - or his op-ed writer - just put the proverbial hammer down on the nail of higher taxes. Go HERE and if your initials are A.G., I hope you like it as much as I like you and your great work today.
That said, here's one reason [...]
I hate to take whacks at a resolved issue, but the Association of Washington Business (AWB) Blog linked to a great column today by Richard S. Davis. Mr. Davis said, in part:
... Teacher strikes are illegal. Regardless of everyone's best intentions, public employees and elected officials have [...]
Time to get back on the saddle and support America's Mayor once again.
Yesterday, Sir Rudy (your lefty crossed eyes and cringing bring joy to my heart) made clear that going on offense on terror includes having First Responders' ready for what may come, whether that's another Katrina or 9/11. A [...]
SPANAWAY, Wash. (AP) - Striking teachers in the Bethel School District, south of Tacoma, ratified a new two-year contract Tuesday, ending a short strike and sending children back to the classroom, union officials said.
Teachers in Shoreline and Issaquah [...]
. . [...]
What other arena is the union privy to the management's resources? Answer:
None
What other arena allows labor to use words like "don't cut in the classroom" when the classroom (labor budget) makes up more than 85% of the school budget.
On [...]
"Fortunately, due to the men and women on the front lines and the security personnel we have in our country, these security threats are constantly monitored. And to this point we've been fortunate that we haven't had anything in the home base," Mr. Harper said. "These are real threats. There [...]
Today's blog burst on illegal teacher strikes in Washington State is a simple link to today's The News-Tribune on this touchy subject. The story is a very good and dare I say fair summary of the legal arguments by both sides and problems of early Washington State Attorney [...]
Just like with the C-SPAN archive being unearthed - THIS of Vice President Cheney is the example that comes to mind - 2001 quotes from then-Attorney General Chris Gregoire are just as bad. Here's what she said - before [...]
1. A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.
2. A hired ruffian; a thug.
Aren't teacher strikes the [...]
As a teacher myself, I understand the frustration regarding pay, class size, planning time and other issues. These priorities [...]
Yo, Washington Education Association (WEA), what part of “In Washington, state and local public employees do not have a legally protected right to strike” do you not get???? You just want to bully some more, don't ya????
I think somebody just dialed 1-888-EFF-HELP...
SACK 'EM!
EFF comments on Bethel [...]
Not So Super-majority
If you've been haunting this blog, you know that adequate funding for schools is a major issue in this state (as in, the state doesn't pony up what it should). One result of this is that districts have come to rely [...]
Of course, the Washington Education Association (WEA) seems to [...]
Well, thank goodness Virginia Tech - in between trying to clean their honor of that filthy creep Michael Vick and deal with a carbon monoxide leak in their Collegiate Suites apartment complex - has had some relatively safe days to start school. I mention this because Monday's [...]
Here's some recent posts of mine on the group blog NWBloggers.com:
“The soccer field you’re building,” said our host to the lieutenant, “is great for the kids, but it also helps with security. Insurgents were using that area as a base. Thank you, thank you.” He put his hand on his heart.
[...]
Time for a serious dosage of Tasha Kheiriddin, my favorite Canuck pundit who I mention on a regular basis :-).
As you may recall, she is the Directrice, Québec et la Francophonie/Supreme Allied Commander Quebec and Francophonie Theatre for The Fraser Institute (Canada's [...]
Very new to the blogosphere by whom appears to be Skagit Valley College staff. Using - hopefully only because of the Blogger template - those "new age" SVC colors I deeply dislike. The "new age" logo cannot be far behind... but they are more than welcome [...]
Every supporter of Palestinian causes simply must ask whether or not the Palestinian people are worth their (mostly) well-intended exertions, especially if such advocacy is for human rights.
The Palestinians are the mothers and fathers of homicide bombing [...]
