While sneaky Stranger political operative Dan Savage has been busy infiltrating Republican campaigns and advising co-conspirators to sabotage Republican caucuses, it appears as if Seattle's local Green party was recently hit by a similar devious plot. On February 29, at the Green's presidential nominating meeting, shoo-in Ralph Nader actually failed to get the endorsement when a group of over 40 insurgents from the flaky Natural Law Party (governance through transcendental meditation) showed up. The visitors paid the $15 Green membership fee and voted for their man, John Hagelin, who flew in from Iowa to attend the meeting. Luckily for the Greens, there were enough real members present to withstand the NLP coup. The final vote count was 46 to 41 for Nader -- not enough for the super majority Nader needed for the nomination, but enough to head off Hagelin. Hagelin, who wants to tap the ancient Vedic science of consciousness for the science of governance, has reportedly pulled similar stunts nationwide at Reform Party caucuses (stealing the Iowa Reform party nomination from Buchanan), but this was his first hit on the Greens -- who unwittingly invited him to Seattle. JOSH FEIT

Health Scare

Last week, Olympia killed off the final remnants of the state's sweeping 1993 health care reform by passing Senate Bill 6067 ["Health Care Deform," Feb 17]. Not only does this legislation triple the time insurance companies can make you wait for coverage, it also lets them randomly change your plan, and screen out the sickest people. ALLIE HOLLY-GOTTLIEB

Housing Vacancy

The Seattle Displacement Coalition, the Tenants Union, and Real Change newspaper got a decidedly whopping turnout for their March 1 "Speak Out" on low-income housing issues. Well over 200 cranky activists packed into Capitol Hill's Pilgrim Congregational Church to bash the Seattle Housing Authority, trash the creepy "Safe Harbors" proposal to monitor the homeless, and outline housing and renters' rights demands. Unfortunately, some key invitees were MIA -- namely, the three city council housing committee members: Heidi "we had the date marked wrong on the calendar" Wills, Peter "another engagement" Steinbrueck, and Richard "didn't call us back" McIver. JOSH FEIT

Moneyrail

Strapped for cash, the Elevated Transportation Company (the monorail people) decided Monday to compel the city's financial help. The group plans to write a letter to City Attorney Mark Sidran, asking him to enforce the 1997 initiative that voters approved. The initiative designates monorail funding from the city's Business and Occupation Tax. The inititative says if the ETC fails to get private funding, public sources can serve as a stopgap. ALLIE HOLLY-GOTTLIEB