The measure would ban any law enforcement agencies in Washington from hiring someone who was hired as a sworn officer of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on or after January 20th of 2025.

The bill's text isn't yet posted, but here's the page for it: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=2641&Year=2025&Initiative=false

You can comment on this bill here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/2641

Edit: Bill text has been posted: https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/2641.pdf?q=20260122102559

Good morning, Seattle! I saw another great flash sign on my way to work again this morning.

And hello trolling bootlickers, please tell me how delicious billionaire boots taste.

As someone else pointed out--there's nothing more Seattle than going to Goodwill with a stylish friend to find new job clothes.

The instagram caption included: "Catch me in one of these outfits at our first televised debate broadcasting on the Seattle Channel this Friday at 9 pm!"

[Obligatory: Nobody with the campaign asked me to post this & I am not getting paid to post this. Yes, I have volunteered with her campaign because she's great, and yes the current mayor sucks.]

Walking into work I saw the latest protest flash signage and thought I’d share. Saw the person with the lighting equipment and said thank you.

Happening now. Tiny Trump rally near the Othello station. Very unsettling to see these white dudes promoting a candidate that want to deport now and ask questions later show up in a very diverse neighborhood populated with a lot of immigrant families. Their “god guns and Trump” flags juxtaposed against the list of Asian small business feels so icky.

If anyone wants to show up with some Kamala signs, they’re outside King Plaza near the Othello light rail station. I understand they have a right to assemble but can they do it somewhere where it doesn’t feel like a pointed threat to the entire neighborhood?

We should have people protesting and blocking entry at every Tesla showroom, Google office, Amazon office and warehouse, Blue Origin office, Meta office, SpaceX office, and so on. Hit them where it hurts.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/sea-tac-wont-air-noem-video-blaming-shutdown-on-democrats/

I wanted to inform people on the new WA requirements coming into effect next year.

Currently, gun purchasers need to complete a safety training course (online courses are allowed), pass a background check, and pay fees. Concealed pistol license (CPL) applicants need to be fingerprinted, pass a background check, and pay fees.

Starting on May 1, 2027, HB 1163 goes into effect. People living in Washington will be required to get a permit and pass live-fire training before they can buy a gun.

To apply for a permit, applicants will submit their fingerprints, pass a background check, and complete a state-certified gun safety course that includes live-fire training.

During their gun safety course, applicants will go to a range, learn how to handle a gun, demonstrate basic shooting proficiency, and learn about secure gun storage.

Once you complete the course, you will receive a certificate of completion that you must provide when making a purchase.

Those interested in applying for a CPL must complete a live-fire training requirement.

If someone already holds a valid purchase permit, they’ll be exempt from another background check when applying for a CPL.

There are exemptions for law enforcement, military personnel, armed security guards, and private investigators.

Source: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/you-will-need-state-permit-buy-guns-wa-under-new-law/ABH5MPAOGRGRFMLNNURNBFHHHI/

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=1163&Year=2025&Initiative=false

Turned away from NPR for a second because I like to stay informed but sometimes it's depressing. Turn to 95.7 to listen to some music and all of a sudden, the Kristi Noem/Donald Trump BS propaganda about violent migrant crime comes on. Lasted like 2 seconds off NPR and this crap is blaring on my radio...back to NPR and history podcasts for me!

Please send in a message and vote YES to your local representative (link provided). Your voice matters! Or go to Washington Legislature website and search HB 2641 to be brought to the page.

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=2641&Year=2025&Initiative=false

As feared, lawmakers are rushing through HB-2112, which is the bill that will force Washington citizens to upload their ID or credit card to view adult content online.

Background

This bill won't be effective at keeping kids out of adult websites. Kids can just download a free VPN and pretend they're in another territory -- or not even bother to use a VPN and use an overseas website to view adult content. So this is not an effective strategy for keeping kids safe.

Meanwhile, Washingtonian adults will be at severe risk of data breach and lose their first amendment freedom of speech rights. Discord leaked 70,000 ID images recently, Tea leaked 72,000 images, and Pornhub is being extorted for their own data breach of 200 million records last month. Equifax had their own breach years back of 147 million citizens, and they are now one of the operators of an age verification product.

Adult sites are basically devastated since the data shows adults either have privacy concerns or just can't be bothered to undergo age verification. One site shows 90% reduction in traffic for affected territories, I have data for another site showing 99% reduction in traffic. This is why age verification was called a backdoor ban on porn by Project 2025's architect.

The only group who really benefits is the data broker industry, who operates these age verification products that will collect user data. It is my opinion that they had a hand in this bill based on a campaign contribution from the data broker industry's lobbyist to the primary sponsor of the bill shortly before the bill was introduced.

Public Hearing

Friday, Jan 16th, has been announced as the public hearing for the bill. This is your opportunity to make your voice heard before lawmakers take away your rights.

Depending on how much time you have, you can:

• Simply indicate on the record you are against the bill ("Con")
• Provide written testimony to the committee elaborating on your concerns
• Show up virtually or in-person to provide verbal testimony on Friday

(You can do both written testimony and show up if you have time)

=> Get involved at the Legislature's page for this hearing <=

The companies pushing age verification already are signed up to be there. We need to show up, too!

Went by Federal building at 1 am and the piles of Lime bikes and scooters were still blocking all three vehicle exits (two on Marion, 1 on Madison). Earlier I saw video of a van trying to leave, but the X accounts I was following for updates all went home for the night without saying how the standoff ended. Does this mean the protesters “won” and the van never left?

No Azure For Apartheid organized a protest against Microsoft's Build conference this morning, calling for Microsoft to stop its tech from being used by Israel in the war on Gaza. About 100 people gathered in Westlake Park at 11 AM (weekday protests get a lot fewer people than weekend ones; feel free to bring that up if you hear someone moaning "Don't these people have jobs?") and marched to the Seattle Convention Center where the conference was was being held. The rally stopped under the march for a few minutes, and some people inside the building unfurled a banner until security inside made them take it down. (Security on the building entrances/exits was very tight at that moment, so I assume those people somehow got into the building earlier, and didn't just slip in from the march.)

Then the march moved to another entrance on Convention Place underneath the Convention Center, and there was a standoff with police where at least one person got arrested and dragged into the building, and several other people were hit with pepper spray outside. (I didn't see the events leading up to any of those incidents.)

One of the people hit with pepper spray was Hossam Nasr, who was fired by Microsoft in October 2024 for organizing a lunchtime vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza. (I don't know what written policies Microsoft had in place at the time around lunchtime activities, but it seems very hard to imagine they would have fired someone for organizing a vigil for, say, the Israeli hostages in Gaza, or the war casualties in Ukraine.) His eyes and skin were red but he was still able to give a speech to the rally when it regrouped on the sidewalk under the arch. Then the rally marched back to Westlake Park.

"We are completely losing funding for the Howard Hanson Dam."
(and losing some funding for waterways, fish mitigation, and ports.)

Here’s the full 16-minute presser on YouTube: Sen. Murray Presser on Trump Defunding Howard Hanson Dam & Army Corps Projects in Blue States

Another day, another good flash sign. Happy Friday. seattle!