Today, the Seattle Times reports on the referendum campaign to put the deep-bore tunnel up to a public vote:

"It's puzzling that the mayor keeps insisting it's a popular uprising," said Jon Scholes, vice president for advocacy and economic development with the Downtown Seattle Association.

"What we saw in Egypt was a popular uprising. This appears to be an inside job."

Of course, it's all part of an inside job. And tunnel referendum supporters are "not grassroots average citizens," according to a recent Seattle Times editorial. In other words: Even though the latest filings with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission show that lots more people have donated to Protect Seattle Now, which has only a 30-day window to qualify a tunnel referendum for the ballot, the effort for a public vote is not to be confused with democracy.

So who are the tunnel supporters, the self-proclaimed outsiders? The conglomerate of downtown businesses trying to stigmatize opponents, the huge daily newspaper trying to marginalize donors, the governor's office that's strong-armed the project, the state transportation department that lied to the city about contractors? Those are the real grassroots, the little guys... or something.

Be part of the "inside job" and donate right here.