this image relates to the third letter Washington Free Press - #85 Jan/Feb 2007
#85 Jan/Feb 2007
The Washington Free Press Washington's Independent Journal of News, Ideas & Culture
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TOP STORIES

Instant Runoff Voting OKed in Pierce County
The same ballot reform wins in every contest nationwide
by Steven Hill

Is it safe to buy a home in Washington?
Home inspectors are not required to report toxic mold
by T. McCormick

15 myths about global warming
by Doug Collins
cartoons by George Jartos

FIRST WORDS

READER MAIL
Bushco Propaganda, Mountain Time, Impeachment
cartoon by David Logan

Oops!
defects corrected from last issue

NORTHWEST & BEYOND
Mass die-offs of alpine trees; American businesses protest labor rights in China

FREE THOUGHTS

Should we save or spend?
Politicians tell us to spend, economists tell us to save
by Jim Sullivan

Viaduct Politics
Seattle needs a "Transit + Streets" option
opinion by Cary Moon and Julie Parrett

War abroad, crime at home
Just why do crime stats rise when the country is at war?
by Doug Collins
cartoon by Andrew Wahl

HEALTH

The contaminated cigarette cartel
The major health risk is not tobacco, but industrial substances in cigarettes
article and cartoons by John Jonik

Medical Marijuana Scores Major Win
Court upholds California measures
from the ACLU
cartoon by John Jonik

MILITARY

Watada hearing tackles free speech for soldiers, relevance of truth
article and photo by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist

NASA plans moon base to control pathway to space
from Global Network

Keeping America safe
Themes from the Federal Register
by David Ortman

ENVIRONMENT

Reducing Extravagance
There are many ways--some surprising--to address climate change
by Doug Collins

Glaciers: coming or going?
by Doug Collins

FILM REVIEW
An Inconvenient Truth
review by Demian

TRASH TALK
Wintertime savings
by Dave & Lillian Brummet

MEDIA

MEDIA BEAT
Is the USA the center of the world?
by Norman Solomon
cartoon by George Jartos

Chavez wins Time reader vote, but is shunned by editors
by John Jonik

POLITICS

Let's have public funding for public elections in WA
opinion by Robert Stern, Washington Public Campaigns

Immigration reform: finally?
by Domenico Maceri
cartoon by George Jartos

RIGHT BRAIN

BOOK REVIEW
Spanning Washington
Historic Highway Bridges of the Evergreen State
review by Robert Pavlik

Two poems by Bob Markey
The Old Man and the Tree; Waiting for Bush's Other Shoe to Drop

Poems for progressives
Empire of the Senseless; Stomach Ache

NOTABLE QUOTES
from Bill Maher, Dwight Eisenhower, etc.

TOON-O-PHOBIA
Assorted cartoons from Scott Breeze, John Jonik, George Jartos, John Ambrosavage, Andrew Wahl, and David Logan

What is the Washington Free Press?

This paper is an effort--by many individual writers, artists, and editors--to bring to you information that often goes unreported in the corporate media (to see examples, just read this issue!). In a sense, this paper is a sort of childhood dream-come-true of what journalism should be: news in the public interest and opinion from the heart. This paper is a volunteer operation in which no one is making a profit or bowing to commercial pressures. It is not distributed in newsstands, but is instead distributed by volunteers who want to get underreported news out to their neighborhoods. This paper is not aligned with any political party or other specific interest, and you'll probably find articles written by middle-of-the-road muckrakers, by Chomskyites as well as traditionalists, and by generally unclassifiable individuals, as long as they write accessibly and with a spirit of public and planetary betterment. This paper is almost entirely dependent on you--the appreciative reader--for its existence, as there are always bills to pay for printing, mailing, and supplies. We thank those who continue to help over the years, and we ask that others please also help us get the news out by subscribing and donating to the paper, in order to help spread commitment and best wishes for a better world and a better region.

Doug Collins, coordinating editor

Send your letters to the WA Free Press, PMB #178, 1463 E Republican St, Seattle 98112, or WAfreepress@gmail.com. Please include your full name and phone number for verification. Keep them short. Letters may be edited. Letters printed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the WA Free Press. Letters which respond to WA Free Press articles will be given precedence.

Reader Mail

 

Preposterous Bushco Propaganda

Thank you for addressing 9/11 conspiracy issues [see "Does the World Trade Center Study Add Up?" www.wafreepress.org/84/worldTradeCenter.shtml ]. Much of the Left seems not to want to go near the issue, and seems to fear being labeled "wing nuts," thus allowing the Right to intimidate and define them. If the Left puts itself in a position of actually believing and supporting the preposterously lying Bushco propaganda, then the Left truly becomes irrelevant! Bringing the real 9/11 criminals to justice, and not blaming "them Ay-rabs," should be a major Leftist concern.

B. Tomlinson

 

Editor's note: I'm very glad you like our coverage, but rather than focusing on conspiracy topics, I believe the WA Free Press has instead raised technical issues that are unexplainable by the official version of the 9/11 events. It's very difficult to conjecture accurately about specific conspiracies, but there is certainly an abundance of physical evidence, supported by reputable engineers, that the twin towers and WTC 7 building--which was not even hit by an airplane--could not possibly have been leveled by airplane impacts nor by fires resulting from them. I think honest people of all political persuasions should be interested in deeper investigation of this tragedy.

Doug Collins

 

Mountain Time All The Time

Arizona uses Mountain Time year round. Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada and Utah should too. Aligning the Mountain Time Zone boundary with the west coast would increase efficiency of commerce and transportation. We would enjoy the benefits of daylight saving time--added sunlight after work, energy savings, improved traffic safety, and lower crime rates--yet eliminate the need to change the clocks and adjust sleep patterns twice a year. Furthermore, this would simplify matters for Oregon and Idaho, which currently fall into two time zones.

Laurie Kimberling

 

Impeachment Is Not About Revenge

Representative Rick Larsen finally replied to my request that he support the impeachment of Bush. After all, Representative John Conyers is pushing for investigations and censorship of Bush, so my request seemed pretty reasonable to me.

Larsen's reply constitutes a spin that would make Karl Rove envious. It seems the Democrats have too much to do to seek impeachment. Also, Rick doesn't want to appear angry or vengeful nor does he think Bush's attacks on our constitution violate the law.

Who the heck said the movement supporting impeachment was motivated by anger or revenge? What about Congress's responsibility to defend our Constitution? Isn't condoning torture, illegal domestic wire tapping, lying to justify the Iraqi invasion and disregard for laws passed by Congress by using signing statements grounds for at least a Congressional investigation? Has Larsen read the minority report of his own party "George W. Bush Versus the U. S. Constitution" documenting Bush's crimes against our constitution?

Apparently an investigation isn't in the Democrats playbook because they don't want to be accused of seeking revenge and they have other "important stuff" to do. The Constitution apparently isn't worth defending!

It seems that Larsen and Nancy ("impeachment is off the table") Pelosi and their Democratic know-it-alls have decided for you and me that the Bush administration should not be held accountable for crimes against our constitution and international law.

I don't remember having a chance to vote on the issue, do you? The Democrats are part of the problem.

Howard Pellett



The Washington Free Press
PMB #178, 1463 E Republican ST, Seattle WA 98112
WAfreepress@gmail.com

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