Free Republic

n this city, a petri dish of progressivism, a prevailing theory is that when you raise the price of something, people will buy less of it, except when they do not. A related theory is that constitutional and statutory texts should be construed in the spirit of Friedrich Nietzsche: There are no facts, only interpretations. The city council has voted to impose a tax, effective next year, on sugary soft drinks, raising the price of a 2-liter bottle of soda about $1.18. Presented as a public health measure to combat obesity, the tax is projected to generate about $15 million...

A nation has come before my courts attention, Its leader creating his own ascension, The cries of the innocent brought before me, Torture and murder with blasphemy, Turning his back to My very Throne(Jeremiah 17:13), Creating a temporal one of his own, Causing his subjects through fear to give him fame, Trying his best to erase My Name("Jesus Christ"), No fear of The Creator has he, So now he shall meet the angel of death and catastrophe, A boy attempting to become a man, But very soon will lose his land, The hand "is" writing on the wall, This man's...

A federal appeals court in Seattle ruled Tuesday that police can only use force “proportional” to the threat they face, seriously damaging the Seattle Police Department’s ability to use firearms. The ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the use of force reforms put in place by federal mandates under the Obama administration that required police to use only “objectively reasonable force, proportional to the threat or urgency of the situation,” the Associated Press reports. The unanimous ruling strikes down a lawsuit filed by a group of more than 120 Seattle officers in 2014 who claimed that the...

The NFL would prefer the players’ now-ubiquitous protests take a back seat to the action this season, but it looks like the league won’t get its wish. If anything, the players seem ready to take their social critique beyond sitting during the national anthem. Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, who is among the ranks of NFL players to sit during the anthem, celebrated a sack Sunday afternoon with a single raised fist. Bennett was the first Seattle player announced during pregame introductions before the home opener against the 49ers and ****received one of the loudest ovations.**** (NFL fans are becoming...

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigned from his position Wednesday afternoon after a fifth accusation of child abuse came to light, this time from his own family. "While the allegations against me are not true, it is important that my personal issues do not affect the ability of our city government to conduct the public's business. ... It is best for the city if I step aside. To the people of this special city and to my dedicated staff, I am sorry for this painful situation," Murray said in a statement. The Seattle Times reported on Tuesday that the latest accusations...

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigned Tuesday, just hours after new allegations that he had sexually abused a younger cousin decades ago in New York. Murray, a former Democratic state legislator elected mayor in 2013, said in a statement he is resigning effective 5 p.m. Wednesday. “While the allegations against me are not true, it is important that my personal issues do not affect the ability of our City government to conduct the public’s business,” Murray said in a statement, adding he was proud of his accomplishments while in office. The mayor stayed in his office Tuesday and didn’t address his...

Washington State must prepare for a nuclear attack because of the growing threat from North Korea, according to local politician. Mark Miloscia said the danger to Washington, which is the closest part of the lower 48 states to North Korea, was 'starting to become imminent'. And he warned that the threat was growing with each weapons test, urging lawmakers to back the bid for an emergency response plan when they meet tomorrow. The senator – who flew nuclear-ready B52 bombers during the Cold War – also said that America could not rely on the safeguards that once prevented hostilities with...

SEATTLE - Mayor Ed Murray abruptly announced his resignation from his post Tuesday, about two hours after The Seattle Times reported that his cousin said Murray had repeatedly molested him in the 1970s when he was a teenager. Murray's cousin became the fifth man to accuse the mayor of sexual abuse. Earlier allegations of sexual abuse prompted Murray to drop out of his campaign for re-election but he had steadfastly refused to resign until now. He said his resignation would be effective Wednesday at 5 p.m. “While the allegations against me are not true, it is important that my...

SEATTLE - Amazon's announcement Thursday that it's looking to base a second headquarters in new North American location garnered quick reaction from leaders across the state. While the company said that it plans to keep its Seattle space, it will spend more than $5 billion to build another "full equal" headquarters that will house as many as 50,000 employees. Cities and states have a month to apply, and the company will make a final decision next year. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray speaks at a news conference at City Hall Wednesday, June 14, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Kshama Sawant:...

Olivia Capestany, now a senior at Seattle’s Roosevelt High, writes about the need for more political tolerance at her high school. (Editor’s note: This is the sixth essay we’ve published this year as part of Education Lab’s Student Voices program. Our Student Voices columnists are high-school and college students writing about education issues that matter to them. Know a student with a story to tell about school? Email Education Lab’s engagement editor, Dahlia Bazzaz: dbazzaz@seattletimes.com.) A week after the election, when a man wearing a Make America Great Again hat walked into our journalism class, we all thought it was...

Goonies actress Martha Plimpton is slammed after boasting at a pro-choice event that she had her 'best abortion' in Seattle when she was 19 The Goonies star made the comments in June during a Q&A session in Seattle Plimpton underwent the procedure when she was 19 in 1989 at a Planned Parenthood She joked to the cheering crowd: 'If I could Yelp review it, I totally would' Plimpton, 46, is a passionate abortion advocate and activist She received insults from Twitter critics who said the comment was 'tacky'Actress Martha Plimpton has sparked controversy by saying she had her 'best abortion'...

The U.S. election season has reached a whole new level of absurdity now that Donald Trump voodoo dolls are selling like hotcakes in Seattle. Voodoo dolls are effigies into which pins are inserted so that the person made into its likeness will suffer pain. It is commonly used in the occult. However, Sally Noedell, a Bainbridge Island woman, thought of making these dolls to earn some extra cash. "At first, I made a whole bunch of political figures, but Trump became the front-running doll really fast," Noedell told the Kitsap Sun. "This is the one most people most want to...

A handful of self-described supporters of President Donald Trump converged on Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood Wednesday to call for the removal of a statue of Russian Communist revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin that has stood in the neighborhood for 22 years. Protesters Wednesday wore Make America Great Again hats and held signs that said “Lenin = Hitler,” “100 Million Dead” and “Alt-Left Hate,” and they chanted slogans such as “Shame on Seattle,” “Tear hate down,” and “Genocide is not a joke” at passing cars and people grabbing lunch in the arty, tech-heavy neighborhood. Fremont is home to offices of such tech companies...

"Seattle earned his reputation at a young age as a leader and a warrior, ambushing and defeating groups of tribal enemy raiders coming up the Green River from the Cascade foothills, and attacking the Chimakum and the S'Klallam tribes living on the Olympic Peninsula. Like many of his contemporaries, he owned slaves captured during his raids. "

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray expressed his displeasure in a Confederate statue Lake View Cemetery on Wednesday. Now, on Thursday, he’s officially asking for its removal. That and the removal of the Lenin statue in Fremont. RANTZ: Murray should mind his own business See his entire statement: “In the last few days, Seattleites have expressed concerns and frustration over symbols of hate, racism and violence that exist in our city. Not only do these kinds of symbols represent historic injustices, their existence causes pain among those who themselves or whose family members have been impacted by these atrocities. We should remove...

Fremont's statue of communist leader Vladimir Lenin has once again come under fire. On Wednesday afternoon, a small group had gathered in front of the monument in Fremont calling for its removal. The group was seemingly led by Jack Posobiec, a pro-Donald Trump conspiracy theorist and self-described online "alt-right" activist. Posobiec Periscoped part of the gathering on Twitter. The statue's origin story is well documented.(snip)The statue was toppled in 1989 after the Velvet Revolution toppled communism in Czechoslovakia, and that's when Lewis Carpenter found it in a scrapyard. The English teacher from Issaquah then mortgaged his house to purchase and...

While the Seattle Storm’s players warmed up inside a quiet KeyArena, the area surrounding the building was crowded with members of the community who supported the team’s partnership with Planned Parenthood, and a few who opposed the rally. The Storm’s WNBA game against the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night featured an ownership-led initiative in support of the nonprofit that provides reproductive health care. This marks the first time a sports franchise has partnered with Planned Parenthood, according to a spokesperson from the organization. In addition to an online auction, the Storm pledged to give $5 from each ticket sold to...

SEATTLE - The Seattle City Council voted 8 to 0 to prohibit landlords from using criminal records to screen prospective tenants. The only exception to the new ordinance are sex offenders. City leaders and supporters of the measure; 'Fair Chance Housing Ordinance' insist its goal is to reduce housing discrimination and barriers. Inside Seattle Council Chambers there was overwhelming support for a measure. In short, it will restrict how landlords can use arrest and conviction records to exclude prospective renters. Seattle landlords will no longer be able to ask about criminal records, pending charges, juvenile records or any arrest record...

Several players plan protests following violence in Charlottesville Colin Kaepernick still without a team after protest last season Bennett says protest is not a sign of disrespect for military The day after Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch sat out the national anthem, his former team-mate Michael Bennett has followed his lead. The Seattle Seahawks defensive end, who is known for his strong views, sat with a towel draped over his head during the anthem before Sunday’s game against the Los Chargers. Bennett said he plans to continue the protest for the rest of the season, and his stance was...

SEATTLE - If you think living in the Pacific Northwest looks good now, consider the next 100 years. Atmospherics scientist Cliff Mass of the University of Washington said that as global warming takes hold, we'll be better off than the rest of the lower 48 states. According to Mass, global warming will affect different parts of the US in different ways. “The Southwest United States is emphatically going to get drier,” he said. “The models are really all on board about that, and they start off with a water resource problem right now. I mean they have too many people...