As we move away from the immediate aftermath of the Department of Justice findings regarding the Seattle Police Departments, we begin approaching the period of time where adjustments are supposed to be made. Enter former SPD chief Norm Stamper, who weighs in on what he thinks has gone wrong among the men in blue. more ›

LUNCH AND POLITICAL POEMS: Nation humorist Calvin Trillin does a special midday Monday event at Elliott Bay, reading from his collection of poems about the 2008 election cycle Deciding the Next Decider: The 2008 Presidential Race in Rhyme. The event is free and open to the public, but if you want to go one step further and make a lunch of it, call up the cafe (206-682-6664) to pre-order from your choice of box lunch: roast beef sandwich, albacore tuna sandwich, or egg salad sandwich, all of which are served with chips and a cookie. more ›

Now that Independence Day weekend has come and gone, Seattlest has gotten all that nasty "freedom" and "liberty" and "love for one's country" out of our system---so it's back to cynicism as usual. With that in mind, it's the perfect time to hit up Elliott Bay Book Company for the reading/signing tonight by politically-minded cartoonist Ward Sutton. Ward lived in Seattle from '91 to '95, when he illustrated posters for local bands (of the grunge variety, no doubt). He's back in town this evening promoting his new book o' comics entitled Sutton Impact: The Political Cartoons of Ward Sutton. This is his first-ever collection, culled from his weekly strip in the Village Voice, as well as works created for the New York Times, The Nation, Mother Jones, The New Republic, TV Guide, and other hippie commie pinko rags. In fact, his book features the following warning:

The Attorney General has found that reading Sutton Impact may be hazardous to your unquestioning devotion to the Bush administration, the Religious Right, and the Media Industrial Complex.