No jokes, this is a tragedy.  Darcy Burner, the democrat nominee to the 8th District Congressional seat, lost her home to a fire this morning.

The Burner’s and their dog escaped injury, and their cat was lost.

As I said, this is every family’s nightmare.  To be woken up at 7am by your child telling you his room is on fire is an experience I am happy to avoid.  Thank God they did waken and escape.

Now the cause is under investigation, with rumours off a gas main blowing and a faulty light in the child’s room running forefront.

The fact it started in a child’s room might lead to other speculation, as it would not be the first time that a child has done something tragically stupid.

Hopefully not.

What I was curious about when I read this story this afternoon was how long it would take our local loony left to blame this on the republicans.

I didn’t have long to wait, nor was I the first to wonder.  Browsing to Horsesass.org, the local den of rabid liberals, and a stronghold of Burner Support, I was not disappointed.

Here are a couple examples from the comments:

Blue John spews:

It’s a sad world where I considered that it could be some sort of republican dirty trick. “Can’t win legitimately, so burn her house down and distract her, at the very least.”

ME spews:

No conspiracy needed… just a right-wing jerk with a gas can and a chip on his shoulder.

I’m sure there aren’t any of THOSE types around there.

My Left Foot spews:

By the way, just where was Reichert this morning??

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmm??

ByeByeGOP spews:

Which of the right wing fuckheads did this and will there be justice? I knew the righties would resort to this shit. It’s all they have - it’s all they can do. They can’t win with ideas so they try to win with intimidation! Come to my house bitches and you’ll find it tougher to burn down.

Answer:

You still have some money, and they want it.

Alternate answer:  Because they think you will let them.

Exit question:  Are we people or sheep to be shorn at every opportunity?

Nuff Said.

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I have been to one game at Qwest Field.  I can say this with all assurance:  It is loud.  Every beer swilling loudmouth within ten rows of me was screaming his (or her) lungs out.  Don’t get me wrong, I was beer swilling and screaming too.  It is infectious. And loud.  I am use to being hoarse after a game, but not deaf.  My ears rang for hours.

So no, I am not buying the constant accusations of loudness being artificial.  Which made another appearance before todays game, when the ‘Skins running back Sellers had this to say:

Like very loud broken record, rumors that the noise supplied by Seattle Seahawks fans at Qwest Field may be artificially flavored is starting again.

The latest volley in the controversy comes from a member of the Washington Redskins, who play the Seahawks this Saturday.  It’s a rematch  of a playoff game two years ago which the Seahawks won 20-10 on their way to Super Bowl XL.

Running back Mike Sellers thinks the crowd noise is piped in, saying, “That place had to be miked up  because the last time we played there, it was ridiculous.  We couldn’t hear ourselves talk.  For a stadium that small,, it can’t be that loud.”

Sorry bub, it is.  As the article notes, the NFL investigated the noise in 2006 and walked away shrugging. 

Frankly I think the stadium is acoustically designed to be loud.  But that’s just me.

Today’s games seemed like a done deal, the ‘Hawks up 13 to nothing at the half.  But the ‘Skins Fought back hard in the 4th, and made it 14-13.  They said on the TV show that Joe Gibbs was unbeaten (72-0 I believe) in any game his team lead in the 4th quarter.

Until tonight.

22 unanswered points by the ‘Hawks ended this as a 35-14 rout.  The ‘Hawks advance to the Packers next week, in what will sure to be a real nail biter.

It was only a matter of time, but now in Seattle, there are three places where it is going to be illegal to smoke in your own apartment.

King County Housing Authority to start smoking ban

Jackie Brooks has smoked for a half-century and figures she consumes a pack a day inside her Auburn apartment.

The 74-year-old doesn’t want to quit and says she has a right to smoke in her own home.

Not anymore. The King County Housing Authority is banning smoking in all units at Plaza 17, the 70-unit apartment complex where Brooks has lived for 14 years.

In addition to the Plaza 17 in Auburn, the authority banned smoking at its 70-unit Northridge 1 in Shoreline and its 82-unit Nia Apartments at Greenbridge project under construction in White Center. The ban starts next month.

Nice.  Let’s ban smoking in homes.   I don’t smoke, I quit in 91, so I would never be affected.  But people should have a right to privacy in their own homes.

My exit question remains the same:  If smoking is so bad, then why not ban cigarettes.

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This is like electing a pop star president of their own fan club.  Big Shock. 

Not content with telling kids Santa was going to die, now he is the head cheese for the biggest waster of tax payer money in western Washington.  I am speaking of the Light Rail project that was billions overbudget before it broke ground, does nothing to relive traffic problems, and doesnt go where the people need it to.

And as Greg is a HUGE fan of transit and wasting money, this should mean lots of new taxes and even more waste.

Hoorrah!

This is just one more reason to oppose Sound Transit.

Mayor voted to lead Sound Transit board

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels was unanimously elected chairman of the Sound Transit board for a two-year term.

Nickels, 52, is a longtime advocate of the light rail system the agency is building.

As chairman, he will preside at meetings of the agency’s 18-member board of elected public officials and will be its chief link to Chief Executive Officer Joni Earl. His two-year term will include the scheduled December 2009 opening of the 15.7-mile light rail system between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport.

Nickels became a member of the board as a King County councilman when it was organized in 1993 and chaired its finance committee from 1993 to 2001.

Sound Transit, based in Seattle, has 377 employees and 2007 budgets of $162 million for operations and $890 million for capital investments.

It operates a regional bus system and Sounder commuter trains linking Seattle to Tacoma and Everett. Its new light rail system is 80 percent complete.

Nickels replaces as chairman Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, who remains on the board.

The board, in action this week, also named two new vice chairs: Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon and Lakewood Mayor Claudia Thomas.

Truly, the inmates run the asylum….

KVI responds:

Thank you for taking the time to write us with your concerns.   We certainly understand you are not happy with the recent changes that have been made on KVI.  

As we continue to evaluate our programming on KVI, please know this was a difficult decision for us.  Ultimately, we needed to look at the strongest programs on KVI from a ratings and revenue standpoint and make some hard but necessary business decisions.

Bryan Suits is one of the most brilliant, quick-witted people we know.  But unfortunately his wisdom, experience and side-splitting humor failed to gain ratings traction against his competitors.  We believe the local, political talk show The Commentators will have a better chance competing during the important afternoon drive time period (it will be the only show of its kind on the radio in that timeslot).

(Not anymore, it is now up against David Boze…)

We wish Bryan all the best and thank him for his service to the station, and more importantly, his service to our country.

We hope that, in time, we have the opportunity earn you back as a listener.

The real answer?  We care more about the money we will make from Dr Laura.

Fools.  They sacrificed quality, and more important, substance for smarmy feel good pap.

With the Seattle area still reeling from the firing of Bryan Suits (KVI has still not responded to my request for comment) we now learn that rival KTTH has also dropped a morning favorite.

The Sytman and Boze show ran against Kirby Wilbur, but now it is the David Boze show and it is running at 3-6 against the commentaters, and was replaced in the 5-9 slot by Glenn Beck

Like Bryan, Dan has been excised from his radio station’s page, with no notice I can see.

Dan’s website says:

Being the ridiculously blessed person that I am, I have a little extra time off this November. I hope to talk with you soon. In the meantime I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from President Ronald Reagan:

“Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.”

Dan Sytman

November 16, 2007

Now, knowing that his severence likely depends on an an anti disparagement clause regarding his former employer, I don’t take his light hearted attitude too seriously.

But I return to my previous question:  Why are so many local shows going bye bye?  Granted, Glenn Beck in the morning is a nice thought, I enjoy his show.  But I don’t know if David Boze can carry the 3-6 slot solo.

Time will tell.

Like Bryan, my best wishes to Dan, and I hope he lands on his feet.

UPDATE:  I have been in contact with Bryan, and hopefully he will be back on the air somewhere soon. 

I don’t know any details, but this is Bryan we are talking about, and you cannot keep him down.  He seems very optimistic.

I passed on some of the comments, and I am sure he appreciates the support.  I will continue to pass on your messages and comments.

He also promised to keep in touch and let me know where this road takes him, and I will pass on anything I can.

Finally, I emailed the station for comment.  No response.

OK, this is a local thing.  Apologies to non-Seattle readers.

So there I was, at work this afternoon, and I realized it was time for the afternoon entertainment called the Bryan Suits show on talk Radio KVI.

I opened my shortcut to their internet stream, and….nothing.

So I open their web site and find all traces of Bryan gone from the site, and a complete lineup shake up, with apparently no warning.

I finally got some confirmation (such as it is) on Blatherwatch, a local leftist site that enjoys trashing conservative radio:

Bryan Suits, 1999-2007 R.I.P

The Bryan Suits Show, afternoon drive (3-6p) was abruptly dropped from the KVI line-up Friday afternoon. His picture has been purged from the website like a bad dream.

One less live & local talk host in town, one less host to fry.

..

Suits had been languishing in the ratings for over a year, and this move was much predicted, especially by us.

When Suits returned to his KVI talk job in March 2005 after a year’s deployment in Iraq, P-I radio columnist Bill Virgin wrote, “When you’ve been on the front lines of a war, and history, talking about the latest outrage in Olympia or the Michael Jackson trial, Bryan Suits concedes, ‘is going to seem mundane.’

No, really.  Only in Seattle would they call their new Trolley line the South Lake Union Trolley, or SLUT.

So yes, everyone come to Seattle and ride the SLUT.

Seattle’s ‘S.L.U.T.’ just a trolley ride

Officially, it’s the South Lake Union Streetcar. But in the neighborhood where the new line runs, it’s called the South Lake Union Trolley — or, the SLUT.

At Kapow! Coffee, a shop in the old Cascade neighborhood, 100 T-shirts bearing the words “Ride the SLUT” sold out in days, and another 100 are on order.

“We’re welcoming the SLUT into the neighborhood,” said Jerry Johnson, 29, a part-time barista.

Some claim — incorrectly, according to representatives of Vulcan Inc., the company that is developing the area — that South Lake Union Trolley was the original name and that it was changed when officials belatedly realized the acronym.

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Only Jim McDermott.

 McDermott knighted by king of Lesotho

Jim McDermott, congressman and doctor, has added another title: knight.

McDermott, D-Wash., was knighted by the king of Lesotho during an Aug. 22 ceremony at the Royal Palace in Maseru, his office said Friday.

“His Majesty Letsie III, by the Grace of God, Sovereign of the Kingdom of Lesotho, is pleased by these presents to appoint Jim McDermott Knight Commander of The Most Dignified Order of Moshoeshoe,” the official citation reads.

According to Lesotho officials, Most Dignified Order of Moshoeshoe recognizes distinguished leadership, particularly in the political sphere.

The knighthood acknowledges the Seattle lawmaker’s leadership on the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which has enabled Lesotho to become the No. 1 African exporter of apparel to the United States. McDermott sponsored the act, which has directly created 50,000 jobs in Lesotho, his office said.

Just one little problem, namely the Consitution which explicitely forbids it. (hat tip: Orb)

U.S. Constitution - Article 1 Section 9

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of  any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State.

Whoops.

The Seattle PI covered the Knighting…I haven’t seen them cover the Constitutional violation.

Crickets chirping…

Exit question:  If this had been a prominent Republican….you finish it…

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