America got a double treat a couple years ago when, first, Sarah Palin couldn’t name a single newspaper she reads during her famously embarrassing interview with Katie Couric. And then, for her second act of idiocy, Palin went on Fox News in an attempt to clean up the mess and blamed not herself but “the state that is so sorry today of journalism.”
Which brings us to Seattle this week. Some readers may be familiar with the Guardian, the internal union newspaper of the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild, written by and for the city’s 1,350 sworn cops. A controversy ensued in January after The Stranger republished recent officer-written editorials that slammed the city’s “socialist” agenda and “the enemy” at City Hall, spoke of wanting to repeal racial and social justice training, exhibited contempt for oversight, and joked about shooting at the ACLU and African American leaders. That exploded into a firestorm picked up by the Seattle Times, KING 5, KIRO FM, and other outlets.
“Where did all of this frenzy come from?” asks police-union president Rich O’Neill in the February issue of the Guardian. “A ‘newspaper’ called The Stranger. I don’t read the thing as I find it as credible as The National Enquirer.”
This is classic Sarah Palin—blaming the media for your own PR catastrophe. (But to O’Neill’s credit, at least he could name two newspapers.)
O’Neill then proceeded in his “president’s message” to thank the officers who supported Seattle police officer Ian Birk (whose shooting of John T. Williams was recently found unjustified by the police department’s Firearms Review Board), defend the officer who opposed the racial and social justice training, and cast the US Department of Justice review of the Seattle Police Department as “embarrassing.”
For months now, city officials have asked if there are simply a few bad apples at the SPD or if a toxic culture pervades the department. It may be a few bad apples, but, as this steady stream of bile-washed articles makes clear, one of those apples is leading the police union.
“We need the union to come to the table, not be defensive, not be closed, not say the problem is the media,” said Mayor Mike McGinn at a press conference on February 16. “If we don’t have the courage to take a hard look at their job and acknowledge how and where we can do better, things are not going to change.” 
Fuck you Dominic….. Hope you get a baton shampoo soon!!!!
What is a baton shampoo?
@2, I’m guessing it means getting hit over the head with a police officer’s baton.
Someone supporting the police advocating violence?
Shocking! Shocking I tell you!
Get rid of the police union!!! What good does it do for the society? It got so many protections and rights now that they are not even afraid to hide it. Strip officers off their unusual protections and hold them accountable. No more union crap!
Once the union is gone, make each officer sign a promissory note that each will be financially liable for misconduct and that lien will be places on all of officer’s family assets!!!! And no more internal affairs circus. Only a 3rd party investigation can fairly investigate a misconduct. Watch the heads roll then. They must know that they are serving and protecting, that they are not special in anyway. Right now they think they are some heroic gods, all on taxpayers’ account.
They call ’em PIGS for a reason.
Better be careful about portraying a public employee union in an unfavorable light – you’re giving Scott Walker further ammunition.
Cops are nothing more than dumbfuck ex-jarheads that have no other skills than “engaging the enemy” most of them are die hard republiclowns that get their talking points from Glenn Beck and the like. IE: “Gotcha Media”
Seattle being a progressive city means that Seattleites are the cops ideological enemies, any chance they get to take their political frustrations out on the “enemy” will be taken with great eagerness.
The worst part is that when they are caught pulling off their right-wing thuggery, the taxpayers are the ones who have to pay huge settlements to the victims.
Did you guys miss the memo that investigative journalism is dead? Shame on you The Stranger! Not buying-into a self-consciously constructed Conservative narrative is by definition Liberal bias and Bad Journalism.
@8: Walker exempted the police; who else will enforce his dictates? Also, they didn’t buy it, they’re backing us 100%; if a general strike goes down, WI is going to be a madhouse.
The Seattle Police Officers Guild, coming to you since ’52…. The most powerful union in the state and rising!!!! Bow down and repent bitches!
@7:Indeed!Oink!Fuck ’em!Fuck ’em all!