There is something very wrong about this country: There are 13 people confirmed dead (including the gunman) and 10 or 12 others injured in another mass shooting, this time at a crowded bar in Thousand Oaks, California.
Witnesses said the gunman, armed with a handgun, threw smoke bombs and shot the bouncer and a cashier before opening fire on patrons at Borderline Bar and Grill about 11:20 p.m. local time. Witnesses inside described chaotic scenes, including people throwing bar stools through windows to clear an escape path. One woman said her friend threw her over a wall to get her out of harmâs way. Others hid under pool tables and in bathrooms.Sergeant Ron Helus from the Ventura County Sheriffâs Office was fatally shot during a confrontation with the shooter.
Once again, gun violence has torn a community apart. Iâm holding Thousand Oaks & all those impacted in my thoughts.
We cannot accept this level of gun violence as normal. While Seattle & our state have acted, our new Congress must step up to save lives.https://t.co/aTn4SgWoEO
â Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) November 8, 2018
For more information, follow the Los Angeles Times' coverage. They've suspended their paywall so people can get information about the shooting.
Seattle City Council member Rob Johnson wonât seek reelection: He says that he promised his wife he would only serve on the council four years, and he is holding himself to that promise. I donât blame him for wanting to spend more time with family, and really that is how public service is supposed to be done. Johnson says, âHomelessness will be a defining issue in 2019.â That sounds about right. It's 2018 and it already is Seattle's defining issue. So when are city officials going to stop talking about it and do something about it?
US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized: The 85-year-old justice fell while in her office, fracturing three of her ribs. From the Detroit News, âIn her absence, the court was going ahead Thursday with a courtroom ceremony welcoming new Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who joined the court last month.â While waking up to see âRuth Bader Ginsburg hospitalizedâ is terrifying, I would likely be willing to break at least one of my own ribs to avoid attending a Kavanaugh welcoming ceremony. We wish Justice Ginsburg a speedy recoveryâshe is/will always be one of the greats.
People are signing up for health care like it matters: Oh wait, thatâs because it does matter. And the rate of Washingtonians signing up is âabout 5 percent more than the same period last year.â Medicare for All is the message and the platform Democrats should be running on in 2020.
Acting US attorney general is just one of the bros, bro: Acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker just likes to bro-out, you know? Some gaming on his PC, a little CrossFit with the dudes, and blasting some Dave Matthews, aka âthe Jimmy Buffett of our time.â Hereâs a compilation of all the cool stuff he gets into. He looks buff as shit, so I am not trying to get on his bad side. Although heâs got so much muscle, Iâm not sure what side that would be. Oh, he also has referred to the Mueller probe as a âlynch mob.â
Lift heavy, it's the Whitaker way
â Matt Whitaker đşđ¸ (@MattWhitaker46) August 29, 2017
This just ainât right: Golf-ball-size hail? Honestly, it looks even bigger to me, like Matthew-Whitaker-fist-size hail. Iâm not that picky about where I live (except I wouldnât live anywhere outside of Washington), but one of my few deal-breakers is this...
Golf-ball sized hailstones fell in Kundabung, New South Wales, where the Bureau of Meteorology had warned residents of dangerous weather in the region. https://t.co/ME0ysndqcA pic.twitter.com/W5tu3iexsY
â ABC News (@ABC) November 8, 2018
Maybe the new acting attorney general will take me to see this! A Super Mario Bros movie? Itâs being made by the film studio that did Despicable Me, a movie I havenât seen but one that clearly did very well since those little yellow thingies from it are always popping up. Munchkins? Minions? Funions? Oh well. Honestly, I only play Mario for Yoshi, so all I can say is there better be some fucking Yoshi involved or I'm out.
Did you hear about the four-time losing champion of Washington State? As Rich Smith reported last night, Kim Schrier "will become the first Democrat that Washington's 8th District has ever sent to Congress since its inception in 1983." Having been here through every loss of Rossi's, I can almost guarantee he will run and lose again, it's only a matter of time. He just doesn't seem to ever get the message.
Emergency cat content: I don't have much to offer in terms of consolation for such an atrocious, irreparable morning, but when I'm seeking some sort of comfort, I can find just a bit in my cat Gouda, who doesn't know what's going on in the world. It isn't much, but at least it's something.
Tonight's best Seattle entertainment options include: The opening of Warren Dykeman: Attention Span, the heady dance piece Hypernova: Bitter Suites, and opening night of Cinema Italian Style.