Olympia lawyer Legrand Jones had all charges against him dismissed Friday in a Tacoma courtroom.

Jones had been arrested during an antiwar protest at the Port of Tacoma. He was charged with trespassing and refusing to identify himself to police.

His lawyer argued, successfully, that it is not a crime in the state of Washington to refuse to identify yourself to the police. Further, while there was a "no trespassing" sign on a fence referred to by the police, Jones' attorney argued that such signs refer to the other side of the fence not the area in front of it.

Jones had been on site as a legal observer to the protest.

The three leading headlines in Yahoo news read like a poem. I pass this along before I hit the hay:

Palin testifies to investigator in ethics dispute

Police: McCain volunteer made up robbery story

Christian right intensifies attacks on Obama

Sweet dreams fellow Americans.

These are old homes on wheels. A retirement village for trailers. A Guantánamo Bay for caravans. This is what comes to pass when there are no laws protecting the rights of housing.

This is a ghost sign. Tacoma is full of  ghost signs, but you will have to make do with this one. (Tacoma is actually famous for its ghost signs, among the  ghost sign  set.)

This is a beautiful old sign. Anyone who argues with me on this point lacks both taste and sophistication.

This reminds me of an old joke.

 Why did the nun cross the road?

  To get to the other side.

That is very sophisticated humor. It took thousands of years to evolve from the joke to the anti-joke. Who are you to deny evolution?

Does anybody know a good local source to go to for the LOCAL election endorsements and information? I (and a lot of community members I know) are looking for a guide to the current ballot from a source of integrity (ie not the Olympian!) so we know who to vote for say... County Judicial Nonpartisan offices.

Is there a radical/liberal/environmentalist resource out there for Thurston county voters? I was hoping Works in Progress would have something but havnt found any info.

(ps, yea yea I know all the reasons why voting sucks).