TOP STORIES
Instant Runoff Voting OKed in Pierce County
The same ballot reform wins in every contest nationwide
by Steven Hill
Is it safe to buy a home in Washington?
Home inspectors are not required to report toxic mold
by T. McCormick
15 myths about global warming
by Doug Collins
cartoons by George Jartos
FIRST WORDS
READER MAIL
Bushco Propaganda, Mountain Time, Impeachment
cartoon by David Logan
Oops!
defects corrected from last issue
NORTHWEST & BEYOND
Mass die-offs of alpine trees; American businesses protest labor rights in China
FREE THOUGHTS
Should we save or spend?
Politicians tell us to spend, economists tell us to save
by Jim Sullivan
Viaduct Politics
Seattle needs a "Transit + Streets" option
opinion by Cary Moon and Julie Parrett
War abroad, crime at home
Just why do crime stats rise when the country is at war?
by Doug Collins
cartoon by Andrew Wahl
HEALTH
The contaminated cigarette cartel
The major health risk is not tobacco, but industrial substances in cigarettes
article and cartoons by John Jonik
Medical Marijuana Scores Major Win
Court upholds California measures
from the ACLU
cartoon by John Jonik
MILITARY
Watada hearing tackles free speech for soldiers, relevance of truth
article and photo by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
NASA plans moon base to control pathway to space
from Global Network
Keeping America safe
Themes from the Federal Register
by David Ortman
ENVIRONMENT
Reducing Extravagance
There are many ways--some surprising--to address climate change
by Doug Collins
Glaciers: coming or going?
by Doug Collins
FILM REVIEW
An Inconvenient Truth
review by Demian
TRASH TALK
Wintertime savings
by Dave & Lillian Brummet
MEDIA
MEDIA BEAT
Is the USA the center of the world?
by Norman Solomon
cartoon by George Jartos
Chavez wins Time reader vote, but is shunned by editors
by John Jonik
POLITICS
Let's have public funding for public elections in WA
opinion by Robert Stern, Washington Public Campaigns
Immigration reform: finally?
by Domenico Maceri
cartoon by George Jartos
RIGHT BRAIN
BOOK REVIEW
Spanning Washington
Historic Highway Bridges of the Evergreen State
review by Robert Pavlik
Two poems by Bob Markey
The Old Man and the Tree; Waiting for Bush's Other Shoe to Drop
Poems for progressives
Empire of the Senseless; Stomach Ache
NOTABLE QUOTES
from Bill Maher, Dwight Eisenhower, etc.
TOON-O-PHOBIA
Assorted cartoons from Scott Breeze, John Jonik, George Jartos, John Ambrosavage, Andrew Wahl, and David Logan
What is the Washington Free Press?
This paper is an effort--by many individual writers, artists, and editors--to bring to you information that often goes unreported in the corporate media (to see examples, just read this issue!). In a sense, this paper is a sort of childhood dream-come-true of what journalism should be: news in the public interest and opinion from the heart. This paper is a volunteer operation in which no one is making a profit or bowing to commercial pressures. It is not distributed in newsstands, but is instead distributed by volunteers who want to get underreported news out to their neighborhoods. This paper is not aligned with any political party or other specific interest, and you'll probably find articles written by middle-of-the-road muckrakers, by Chomskyites as well as traditionalists, and by generally unclassifiable individuals, as long as they write accessibly and with a spirit of public and planetary betterment. This paper is almost entirely dependent on you--the appreciative reader--for its existence, as there are always bills to pay for printing, mailing, and supplies. We thank those who continue to help over the years, and we ask that others please also
help us get the news out by subscribing and donating to the paper, in order to help spread commitment and best wishes for a better world and a better region.
Doug Collins, coordinating editor
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