I LOVE MY STATE!

[WOT?*]

For all the folks asking "where are the Democrats? I don't see the politicians out there." To which the rest of us, ad nauseum, are responding "It's Friday, none of them are in DC. They're in their home states, at their local airports and other locations, yelling about this." Because there are a heck of a lot of complainers. (Most of them that I saw were in states like Ohio with Republican leadership, so they don't have Dem leaders to see anyway.)

To them I also say:

www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/washington-state-sues-trump-over-immigration-order/ar-AAmpZNU?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

Yeah, we damn libruls are getting things done. May we stay united through the 2018 and 2020 elections.

[mryrcn]

Washington isn't playing. It's nice to see.

[mominatrix]

andplusalso:

Inslee is turning out to be pretty badass.  I always thought he was seriously milquetoast, but he's showing up

[turnipthebeet]

Is this getting the proper outrage locally?

www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/01/29/immigrant-ban-protest-seatle-sea-tac-airport.cnn

[Bernadine]

I have been particularly proud of MD's new Senator Van Hollen- he's been very outspoken on social media.

[mominatrix]

Jan 30, 2017 15:23:17 GMT -5 turnipthebeet said:

Is this getting the proper outrage locally?

www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/01/29/immigrant-ban-protest-seatle-sea-tac-airport.cnn

it is and it's not.

The Stranger (free alternative weekly newspaper, home to sex columnist Dan Savage) is covering a lot of the protests, from a left position, and it's getting coverage there.

The problem is that outside of Seattle proper, Washington (and even western Washington) are extremely crazy red. Wildly so. As lefty socialist as the city is, suburbs within commuting distance are pro-Trump.  So the more 'mainstream' local news sources are covering the demonstrations (in a more neutral way, obvs) but a huge amount of the commentary is pro-Trump, anti-protests.

see facebook pages for KING-5 and KIRO, for example. Also The Seattle Times.

[wawa]

Jan 30, 2017 15:26:43 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

I have been particularly proud of MD's new Senator Van Hollen- he's been very outspoken on social media.

Yup, the freshman is stepping up.  I mean, he pretty much just has to echo Cardin, so it's not complicated, but he's out there and it's nice to see.

Even my usual bump on a log Dutch has finally shown the fuck up - he was at BWI on sunday.

Which means I'm setting my sights on Hogan...he paints himself as a moderate pro-business R.  THIS SHIT IS NOT PRO-BUSINESS.

[lilac05]

That's great! I'm jealous.

I'm in a swing state & my senators both released really crappy statements that don't necessarily oppose or support the ban...which, to me, is worse that voicing support. Our governor says we shouldn't second guess the ban, or something like that. He can't leave office soon enough! Unfortunately, he's headed to DC to do something (but I forgot what it is).

It's such a lonely feeling being blue in a state with red representatives...even if our area is a good mix.

[mbcdefg]

Cory Booker was at Dulles Airport yesterday morning, and then a detention center in Elizabeth NJ the same afternoon.


fortune.com/video/2017/01/29/watch-sen-cory-brooker-show-his-support-for-protesters-at-washington-dulles-international-airport/ 


www.tapinto.net/towns/elizabeth/articles/sen-cory-booker-joins-hundreds-at-immigration-pr-2 

[Bernadine]

Jan 30, 2017 15:30:46 GMT -5 wawa said:

Jan 30, 2017 15:26:43 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

I have been particularly proud of MD's new Senator Van Hollen- he's been very outspoken on social media.

Yup, the freshman is stepping up.  I mean, he pretty much just has to echo Cardin, so it's not complicated, but he's out there and it's nice to see.

Even my usual bump on a log Dutch has finally shown the fuck up - he was at BWI on sunday.

Which means I'm setting my sights on Hogan...he paints himself as a moderate pro-business R.  THIS SHIT IS NOT PRO-BUSINESS.

I just saw that, re: Dutch.

I have to get to work on Harris. Blech.

[mominatrix]

I just looked quickly at the KIRO coverage of the AG lawsuit announcement, here are the first few comments (I've removed names); this was literally 1, 2, 3, 4 nothing in between:

You have nothing else to do you ! want to be in the spotlight so you draw up a plan to sue the president of the United States but you didn't sue President Obama when he did it ! I hope you lose

Can't people just do what the president says for the 90 days did any ones parents ever teach them to follow the rules and obey.

They will not win on this one. The president and the president alone has authority to determine who can come into the country. Period. Not congress not the media and not sone two bit politician.

We have too many homeless too many people without jobs and already enough violence we need to protect our own country and help our own people before helping everybody else. We are not the Hallmark Channel

[WOT?*]

Jan 30, 2017 15:23:17 GMT -5 turnipthebeet said:

Is this getting the proper outrage locally?

www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/01/29/immigrant-ban-protest-seatle-sea-tac-airport.cnn

It has to a degree, but it could always use more. The turnout for protest on Sunday was in multiple locations. The main location changed to Westlake Center (downtown, a couple blocks from my husband's office, and a normal rallying spot for protests) on Sunday and there were over a thousand who showed. Edmonds, a much smaller town slightly north, rallied several hundred. Blaine, near the Canadian border, held a rally. The rally and protest continued at SeaTac into Sunday, even after the police pepper spray.
With Jay Inslee, our reps Suzan delBene and Pramila Jayapal spoke, as well as the mayor (speaking of milquetoasts) and others.

www.king5.com/news/local/immigration-ban-protests-planned-in-seattle-area-across-nation/394258878
(and so many others.)

[OscarQ]

Jan 30, 2017 15:18:27 GMT -5 mryrcn said:

Washington isn't playing. It's nice to see.

I was working on the google spreadsheet cataloging every senator and representative (and now governor) response to the EO and did WA. I was so impressed. Outspoken Dema. I got all teary.

And note - my updates aren't in the spreadsheet yet because I just got access today.

[itsmyparty]

Jan 30, 2017 15:29:53 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

Jan 30, 2017 15:23:17 GMT -5 turnipthebeet said:

The problem is that outside of Seattle proper, Washington (and even western Washington) are extremely crazy red. Wildly so. As lefty socialist as the city is, suburbs within commuting distance are pro-Trump.  So the more 'mainstream' local news sources are covering the demonstrations (in a more neutral way, obvs) but a huge amount of the commentary is pro-Trump, anti-protests.

see facebook pages for KING-5 and KIRO, for example. Also The Seattle Times.

This isn't *quite* true. The city of Seattle itself is only about 650,000 people...the blue extends from the city out into the east and north suburbs, even into Snohomish County. And west to Bainbridge. Olympia has pockets of blue, too, as does Bellingham. But you're right about basically everywhere else being pretty red. I'm always shocked at how red Pierce County is, but I think it's JBLM's influence.

(As an Eastside girl born & raised, I'm sensitive to people labeling the suburbs as conservative or homogenous, when they're anything but ... Bellevue is home to one of the most racially diverse zip codes in the entire country. The political leanings in the suburbs have gotten increasingly liberal over the past 15 years or so)

[mominatrix]

Jan 30, 2017 16:57:29 GMT -5 itsmyparty said:

Jan 30, 2017 15:29:53 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

The problem is that outside of Seattle proper, Washington (and even western Washington) are extremely crazy red. Wildly so. As lefty socialist as the city is, suburbs within commuting distance are pro-Trump.  So the more 'mainstream' local news sources are covering the demonstrations (in a more neutral way, obvs) but a huge amount of the commentary is pro-Trump, anti-protests.

see facebook pages for KING-5 and KIRO, for example. Also The Seattle Times.

This isn't *quite* true. The city of Seattle itself is only about 650,000 people...the blue extends from the city out into the east and north suburbs, even into Snohomish County. And west to Bainbridge. Olympia has pockets of blue, too, as does Bellingham. But you're right about basically everywhere else being pretty red. I'm always shocked at how red Pierce County is, but I think it's JBLM's influence.

(As an Eastside girl born & raised, I'm sensitive to people labeling the suburbs as conservative or homogenous, when they're anything but ... Bellevue is home to one of the most racially diverse zip codes in the entire country. The political leanings in the suburbs have gotten increasingly liberal over the past 15 years or so)

Yeah and no. I agree, but have friends in Buckley, and feels like a whole other world.

[BlondeSpiders]

Jan 30, 2017 16:57:29 GMT -5 itsmyparty said:

Jan 30, 2017 15:29:53 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

The problem is that outside of Seattle proper, Washington (and even western Washington) are extremely crazy red. Wildly so. As lefty socialist as the city is, suburbs within commuting distance are pro-Trump.  So the more 'mainstream' local news sources are covering the demonstrations (in a more neutral way, obvs) but a huge amount of the commentary is pro-Trump, anti-protests.

see facebook pages for KING-5 and KIRO, for example. Also The Seattle Times.

This isn't *quite* true. The city of Seattle itself is only about 650,000 people...the blue extends from the city out into the east and north suburbs, even into Snohomish County. And west to Bainbridge. Olympia has pockets of blue, too, as does Bellingham. But you're right about basically everywhere else being pretty red. I'm always shocked at how red Pierce County is, but I think it's JBLM's influence.

(As an Eastside girl born & raised, I'm sensitive to people labeling the suburbs as conservative or homogenous, when they're anything but ... Bellevue is home to one of the most racially diverse zip codes in the entire country. The political leanings in the suburbs have gotten increasingly liberal over the past 15 years or so)

I hear this, and yet, Dave F*&^ing Reichert keeps getting reelected. I also think a lot of the folks that make the Eastside and Bellevue so diverse lean conservative. Racially diverse does not always = progressive. So, there's that.

[7costanza]

Jan 30, 2017 19:37:51 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

Jan 30, 2017 16:57:29 GMT -5 itsmyparty said:

This isn't *quite* true. The city of Seattle itself is only about 650,000 people...the blue extends from the city out into the east and north suburbs, even into Snohomish County. And west to Bainbridge. Olympia has pockets of blue, too, as does Bellingham. But you're right about basically everywhere else being pretty red. I'm always shocked at how red Pierce County is, but I think it's JBLM's influence.

(As an Eastside girl born & raised, I'm sensitive to people labeling the suburbs as conservative or homogenous, when they're anything but ... Bellevue is home to one of the most racially diverse zip codes in the entire country. The political leanings in the suburbs have gotten increasingly liberal over the past 15 years or so)

Yeah and no. I agree, but have friends in Buckley, and feels like a whole other world.

Buckley, Enumclaw (famous for an unfortunate death at a horse brothel if that tells you anything) etc. really are a different world! But I wouldn't really call them suburbs either, it's pretty rural out there.

I'm in a northern suburb, and it seems like the farther north of Edmonds/Lynnwood you go, the more Trump supporters there are.

[Mrs.Rad888]

Jan 30, 2017 19:37:51 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

Jan 30, 2017 16:57:29 GMT -5 itsmyparty said:

This isn't *quite* true. The city of Seattle itself is only about 650,000 people...the blue extends from the city out into the east and north suburbs, even into Snohomish County. And west to Bainbridge. Olympia has pockets of blue, too, as does Bellingham. But you're right about basically everywhere else being pretty red. I'm always shocked at how red Pierce County is, but I think it's JBLM's influence.

(As an Eastside girl born & raised, I'm sensitive to people labeling the suburbs as conservative or homogenous, when they're anything but ... Bellevue is home to one of the most racially diverse zip codes in the entire country. The political leanings in the suburbs have gotten increasingly liberal over the past 15 years or so)

Yeah and no. I agree, but have friends in Buckley, and feels like a whole other world.

I'm across the sound in Kitsap county, and as a non-conservative, I'm definitely in the minority. I'm sure it's because of the military and the retirees. There may be pockets of blue, but between Kitsap and Mason counties, we might as well be in the deep south.

[mominatrix]

The superintendent of the Seattle Public Schools just put out this letter:

Dear Seattle Public Schools families:

I recognize these are stressful times for many of our families. Last week, President Trump executed two executive orders related to immigration. While there are a number of implications, the two most publicized have caused many Seattle residents to respond. One of the orders restricts citizens from seven Muslim majority countries from entering the United States and the other reflects his campaign promise to build a wall on our southern border. These actions have heightened a sense of anxiety for both families and students, particularly when one of the orders resulted in detainment of numerous people over the weekend.
Seattle Public Schools is home to students from 147 countries of origin and who speak 143 languages/dialects. Our diversity is our strength. The detainment and potential exclusion of our Muslim, Mexican and Latino neighbors, co-workers, and families has tested our resolve.


As I communicated in a November message after the election and most recently in a letter celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., the district is steadfast in our mission, priorities, and values. Seattle Public Schools is committed to educating children regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, country of origin, or a student’s immigration status. We will do whatever it takes to make sure every student thrives and I want to reassure you, we will do everything within our power to make sure that all of our children are safe, honored, and respected while in our care.

Actions we are taking

• The district is working closely with the City of Seattle, Seattle Education Association, families, and community partners to provide resources and supports to ensure all of our families and students feel safe and welcomed in their school communities.

• We have hosted or supported numerous events for families so they know their rights.

• Seattle Public Schools has articulated our response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and shared this information with school staff.

Key points include:
The District will never ask for or record information regarding student or family immigration status.

If an agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests information about a student, or requests access to a school building or District property, staff will refer the agent to the SPS Office of the General Counsel.

General Counsel will review credentials, submission of written authority to conduct action, and determine whether to grant approval of access or not.

• We are also providing training and resources for staff on immigration rights and supports for undocumented, mixed status, refugee, and immigrant families.

• Finally, we are continuing to work with staff to ensure inclusive, safe, and welcoming environments for every child in our care.

Our commitment to the well-being of each and every student is stronger than ever. We are committed to building school communities where all students, families, and staff are safe, respected, and engaged. We expect everyone to be treated positively, without fear of bullying or intimidation. If students or families ever have concerns, they should be raised with teachers and the school principal. Concerns can also be sent to the Office of Student Civil Rights at [e-mail].

In closing, I call upon all of us to remember what makes America special – it is our diversity; it is our deep sense of justice; our fundamental belief in personal liberty; and it is our willingness to stand for and with those in need.

We believe in our constitution and the freedoms, protections, and opportunities it provides. Together, we must defend the values we hold dearly and stand for each other. I stand for all of our students. Thank you for standing with me.



Sincerely,
Dr. Larry Nyland
Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools

though there are some really not great aspects to SPS, it's hard not to love Dr. Nyland right now.

[itsmyparty]

Jan 30, 2017 20:30:18 GMT -5 7costanza said:

Jan 30, 2017 19:37:51 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

Yeah and no. I agree, but have friends in Buckley, and feels like a whole other world.

Buckley, Enumclaw (famous for an unfortunate death at a horse brothel if that tells you anything) etc. really are a different world! But I wouldn't really call them suburbs either, it's pretty rural out there.

I'm in a northern suburb, and it seems like the farther north of Edmonds/Lynnwood you go, the more Trump supporters there are.

Yes, this. Buckley, Enumclaw, Kitsap are not considered suburbs by most people. They're exurbs or rural areas. Dave Reichert's legislative district is HUGE and encompasses many conservative rural areas, most of them outside of the "Eastside." He splits the Eastside with Suzan Delbene now, with Suzan's district going up to the border and his covering much of the Ellensburg/Wenatchee/Cle Elum/Chelan area. I believe those two district boundaries were re-drawn when WA got an additional rep a few years back, resulting in Reichert's district getting redder.

The Eastside (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Sammamish, Snoqualmie, Bothell, Newcastle, Woodinville) really is a lot more liberal than it used to be. The families in those areas now are GenXers and Millennials that grew up with very different cultural values than the Baby Boomers that used to inhabit those areas. Most of my friends live on the Eastside (the schools can't be beat), and they are all liberal-liberal. Maybe not liberal compared to some in the city of Seattle, but honestly I opted to always live outside of Seattle city limits because I think the city sometimes isn't kept in check and has a tendency to run off the rails in some matters (more financial than social).