On Wednesday, social media was filled with remembrances for U.S. Senator Slade Gorton and the day was capped off by a touching remembrance by the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Elected officials, community leaders, average citizens, and former staffers filled Facebook and Twitter honoring the three-term Washington State Attorney General and three-term United States Senator, who passed away early Wednesday morning in Bellevue. Even though Gorton was often portrayed in the media as being “cold and aloof,” those who knew him had a great fondness for the man.  His former staff members (sometimes called the “Gorton Mafia” or “Team Gorton”) were especially close to the Senator, even after he had left office. He continued to mentor and assist them in their careers, and he reveled in their successes. Whenever their paths crossed, Gorton would always inquire into his former staffers’ projects and want to hear about their families.  His superior intellect and his ability to find meaningful compromise were perfectly suited for the U.S. Senate.  More importantly, his devotion and loyalty were perfectly suited for a friend.

There has been a mad rush to purchase the excellent biography of Slade Gorton by John Hughes – we recommend it for anyone who wants to know more about the man or is thinking of making a career in public service. (Seattle Times and Amazon)

And, if you want to read some of those accolades from around the state, here is a selection:

Northwest News Network (Public radio)

“He was always respectful,” said Ron Allen the chairman of the Jamestown S’Kllalam tribe. “He would always give you time of the day to talk and debate issues. He would respectfully disagree with you. And he would tell you up front. He would be very candid about that.”

The Everett Herald

“His legacy and hallmark was the ability to reach consensus and reach across the aisle, something I think we are missing today on all sides,” said Nate Nehring, who’s also chairman of the Mainstream Republicans of Washington. “It’s something we can learn from Slade’s life and try to recapture that.”

“He was genuine and straightforward and someone who gave a good gosh darn,” (Democratic Snohomish County Executive Bob) Drewel said. “So many people missed that about Slade.”

The Seattle Times (News section)

“Whenever Slade was around, you knew he was the smartest person in the room,” (State Senator Mark) Schoesler added later. “And it’s going to seem a whole lot emptier with him gone.”

The Seattle Times (Sports section)

“Literally at every turn, when the Mariners or baseball in general had its challenges, Slade was there,” Mariners chairman John Stanton said.  “I feel horrible. It’s disappointing to me that Slade is not going to be there for that World Series.”

Governor Jay Inslee may get another chance to distribute get-out-of-jail free cards. The continuing COVID crisis has given liberal lawyers time to try again to empty out Washington’s prisons, due to the state’s failures to keep inmates safe. As reported by Q-13, “Families with loved ones serving prison sentences in our state’s correctional facilities are sounding the alarm, worried the system is not prepared to keep inmates safe from COVID-19.” Of course, with some liberals it’s never just about justice – money is also a part of the equation. From the same activists, “They also demand the prison’s populations be cut in half and the state’s department of corrections budget slashed.” And you can bet the lawyers have a few suggestions on where those “slashed” funds could be spent, and it’s not likely to keep you any safer.

Fortunately, the governor’s crack team was ready for this and – went into hiding. “A request for comment from Governor Inslee’s communications team was not immediately returned” was the way the story concluded. (Q13 FOX News)

For those seeking to escape Washington for a little non-Inslee governance, going North will remain a challenge. The Bellingham Herald reports that “when it comes to lifting the current travel restrictions at the U.S.-Canada border, the only certainty at this point is the uncertainty about when and how it will happen.” That is certainly distressing news for Whatcom County businesses, as they have a lost more $30 million in cross-border activity since the border was closed (to all but commercial goods and essential workers) in March. A Canadian consultant pointed out that both national governments are making the situation more difficult, by using rolling 30-day extensions as policy. “It makes it difficult for businesses to plan; providing some measurement about when the border might open would be helpful, she said.” (Bellingham Herald)

By mid-August of 2020, Seattle has already matched the number of homicides that occurred in all of 2019. Yet, the Democrats on the Seattle City Council feel this is the time to cave into the demands of rioters (whose “CHAZ” was the site of two murders) and reduce funding for the police department (and force the resignation of an effective and respected Black woman police chief.   Despite the 44% increase in Seattle murders this year, there is silence from the councilmembers and the liberal activists who have are pushing the controversial and unpopular agenda to defund the police.  Just as the city experienced an increase in homeless individuals after it enacted policies that enable (and do not treat) the homeless, we can fully expect the council’s defunding the police measures to attract people who want to live in a city where they are less likely to run into the police from a shrunken department – thus we can expect to see more violent crimes in the future. (Seattle Times)

Mayoral candidate who lost to Jenny Durkan in 2017 is now dictating the terms of police reform. Or at least, Nikkita Oliver is trying to do that by portraying herself as a leader who speaks for those protesting in the streets and attacking cops on a seemingly nightly basis.  In Crosscut, she tells outgoing Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best how she should feel about the disrespect thrown her way by the City Council and the professional protestor community. After all, cutting her salary was not personal, it “was a reasonable response to a growing youth- and Black-led movement to defund armed police.” That is important to Oliver, because “Racism is baked into the very structure of policing in this country.” (Crosscut)

WSU students may face fines for acting like college students. Now that universities on the semester system are opening back up, education is in the air (as are parties). But as the Pullman Police Chief said, “We’re going to transition from just the education” of telling students to wear masks and practice social distancing, and go beyond warnings to hand out tickets for up to $250 “if you’re caught throwing a party with people not following state guidelines”. Guess they prefer people learn to drink alone. (KXLY)

As Shift reported on Monday, the Washington State Democrat Party is having a problem recognizing a map of Washington State, sending out an email whining about a Culp for Governor rally in “Cheval” County. Since there is no “Cheval” County in Washington, we provided the Democrats with a map listing all 39 counties, so our liberal friends at party headquarters could expand their horizon past the Seattle city limits.  We have now been told by several sources, and provided copies, that the Democrats have doubled down on their embarrassing error by blasting out the faulty email (still talking about a Culp Rally in “Cheval” County) two or three more times.  This obvious computer failure leads some to think that the Democrats have retained the services of those who programed the Employment Security Department’s computer system, which allowed one of the biggest heists in American history to take place. Or, maybe the State Dems hired the firm which developed the computer program for the Inslee Administration’s Department of Corrections, which allowed 3,000 inmates to be released early.  (Washington State Democrat Party email, Washington State map, RT.com, and NPR)

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