Did Priya Cloutier lie to the unions about her signs?

If you're like me, you don't much care about endorsements. However, I am very interested in what a candidate will do and say to get that endorsement, especially when that candidate takes a stand on a policy issue.

Or worse, they lie.

Unions typically expect candidates for office to show solidarity by purchasing their signs through a union printer. The proof of that is shown with a symbol called the "union bug," which denotes information about the union who is associated with the printing shop.

Priya told the unions she was using a union shop to make her signs, but it turns out that's not true. Her signs were made in a non-union shop in Texas, and the sticker denoting the union bug is a fraud designed to deceive folks into believing that the sign was union made. The union bug is for a union in California.

Now to be fair, the unions have forgiven Priya, excepting her explanation that she was unaware of the deception, but I have a hard time believing that a Patton attorney and nuclear engineer would be so stupid as to not make sure her signs were union made before telling the unions they were.

In short, I think she's lying.

Regardless of whether you believe a candidate should use union signs or not, I think we all agree that a candidate should be truthful about it.

After all, if Priya lies to some of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the state to get their endorsement, what lie is she is willing to tell you to get your vote?

A good movie: Julia & Julia

Two weekends ago, my wife and I saw Julia & Julia, drawn by the fact that Meryl Streep is playing Julia Childs. Naturally, she did wonderfully, but her performance wasn’t the only good one. I was particularly impressed with Stanley Tucci, who plays Paul Childs, Julia’s devoted husband. Stanley Tucci made me look up to Paul Childs, a man who supported and encouraged his wife to write her book. When the book wasn’t published, he always took her side of things. When her book was finally published, he rejoiced with Julia. He never forgot her birthday, and he also remembered Valentines day.
Of course, you could say Paul benefitted from Julia’s interest in French cooking. “What’s for dinner?” was one of Tucci’s common lines in the movie, but Tucci also brought out Paul’s appreciation for Julia. Tucci wasn’t just saying “I want food”, he was saying “Stick with it Julia, I love you.”
Thanks to Stanley Tucci, we can see an example of a good husband, Paul Childs, in action.

Local Business: Tarantulas.com

Every once and a while, it’s good it to highlight a local business. Today’s business is tarantulas.com!

Yes, Edmonds is known for its restaurants, shops, and tarantulas! I have looked at their website and they have a variety of species from Acanthoscurria geniculats (otherwise known as the Brazilian Giant Whiteknee) to Theraphosa sp, blondi (alias the Burgundy Goliath Bird Eater).

Next time I need a giant bird eating spider, I am going to support our local businesses and go to trantulas.com. Don’t go to Lynnwood to get your tarantula. Only Edmonds has the best.

And I don’t have to walk far. It turns out that trantulas.com is located just on the other side of my backyard fence. We can wave to each other. Whoopee! Or should I just say EEEEEEEEE!

Poor guy, Freddy goes to the vet.

I took my dogs to the vet yesterday. Unfortunately, our youngest dog, Freddy, doesn't appreciate the vet as he once nipped an assistant. For the safety of the staff, I asked him to be muzzled. As you can see, he is not a happy dog.

Vets must be hard for dogs. They can't comprehend why they have to be poked, prodded, and probed. Our vet actually saved Freddy's life once with emergency surgery, but Freddy can't appreciate it because he doesn't even understand what surgery is! All he remembers is the humilating cone he had to wear over his head.

So he gets a muzzle. Poor guy.

Regulation of Gnomes in Edmonds

Gnomes are a mixed blessing in Edmonds. On the one hand, they are responsible for many a beautiful garden. On the other hand, some are mischief makers that cost the city enumerable dollars.

I recently caught a gnome sleeping in a tree in my parent's backyard.

Lot's of myths concern the culture of gnomes; the main myth being that gnomes are essentially "friendly little people." The reality is that gnomes have a full range of personalities and tempers, and they absolutely hate humans. For example, the gnome above quickly woke up, gave me a hand sign that I can't describe here, and scrambled into the tree and threw seeds and nuts at me. I tried to explain that I was just a councilman trying to do research, but that only made matters worse.

Some gnomes are so nasty they "go gremlin." Gremlins, while genetically identical to gnomes, shed their pointy hat in favor of leather jackets and body piercings. They cause all sorts of problems. Their favorite prank is to cause personal computers to run slow or make a printer fail just when someone is running late for a presentation.

One nasty gremlin, known as Zanchilius, repeatedly dumped bubble bath in the gazebo fountain in downtown. Then assistant parks director Brian McIntosh eventually caught him by creating a stand on the street used to sell nose piercings, which would periodically emanate a shock similar to a taser. Zanchilius was stunned (along with several Gothic band members) and held in a "gremlin proof" cage, which failed to live up to its name. Zanchilius has not been seen since (sadly) a youth drove a car into the fountain while the gremlin was sabotaging it.

Another troublesome gnome is Grimchnotti. Grimchnotti is tired of "taller buildings" in Edmonds; however, anything over 2 foot tall is too tall for Grimchnotti. In his now infamous lawsuit, Grimchnotti v. Edmonds, Gimchnotti argued (over the phone since he couldn't stand being near humans) that any development over 2 feet tall was an unconstitutional breach of a gnomes property rights. An odd argument, since gnomes don't have a concept of property ownership. Attorney Scott Synder argued the constitution did not recognize the rights of gnomes. Synder prevailed, but the case still eats up city legal resources on appeal.

Gnomes are currently regulated under the animal control ordinances of the city of Edmonds; however, there is nothing our animal control officers can do about them. Edmonds gnomes flee human contact and effective gnome traps are virtually non-existent. The planning board will take up the regulation of gnomes this year, but in the meantime here are some tips to prevent gnomes and gremlins from becoming pest:

1) Reward good behavior by praising excellent gnome work. For example, if your flowers are blooming, say "Thank You" very loud and tell them him much you love the flowers. You can't see them, but they listen.
2) Don't get angry when a gremlin strikes. Gremlins feed off anger. Calmly fix the problem they have caused and smile like it's no big deal.
3) Respect a gnome's privacy and they will respect yours.
4) Don't cut down trees. Gnomes love trees, gremlins hate them.

You can report problems to animal control, but don't expect them to do anything about it. And don't report it to your councilman either, because well, some council members mistakenly believe that gnomes are not real. :>)