Its no good out there today.
It's no good out there today. GETTY

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 harm’s way. Others hid under pool tables and in bathrooms.
Sergeant Ron Helus from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office was fatally shot during a confrontation with the shooter.


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 won’t 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 don’t blame him for wanting to spend more time with family, and really that is how public service is supposed to be done. Johnson says, “Homelessness will be a defining issue in 2019.” 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, “In her absence, the court was going ahead Thursday with a courtroom ceremony welcoming new Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who joined the court last month.” While waking up to see “Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized” 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 recovery—she is/will always be one of the greats.

People are signing up for health care like it matters: Oh wait, that’s because it does matter. And the rate of Washingtonians signing up is “about 5 percent more than the same period last year.” 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 “the Jimmy Buffett of our time.” Here’s 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 he’s got so much muscle, I’m not sure what side that would be. Oh, he also has referred to the Mueller probe as a “lynch mob.”


This just ain’t right: Golf-ball-size hail? Honestly, it looks even bigger to me, like Matthew-Whitaker-fist-size hail. I’m not that picky about where I live (except I wouldn’t live anywhere outside of Washington), but one of my few deal-breakers is this...


Maybe the new acting attorney general will take me to see this! A Super Mario Bros movie? It’s being made by the film studio that did Despicable Me, a movie I haven’t 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.

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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.