Watching the eclipse in Ballard, Wash.

by Jack Brummet

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Don't mess with a Sasquatch/Bigfoot/Yeti/Abominable Snowman in Washington State

By Jack Brummet, Unexplained Phenomena Ed.
illustration  by Jack Brummet

In my home state, Washington, it is illegal to mess with a Sasquatch.  They're protected. As an interesting sidebar, the state only made sex with horses illegal after the notorious Enumclaw Horse Sex Incident (detailed in ATIT in eight posts, in excruciating detail). 

Undiscovered Species Protection Act

Whereas, there is evidence to indicate the possible existence of an undiscovered species a primate mammal variously described as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, an ape-like creature or a subspecies of Homo Sapiens.

Whereas, reported recent and past sightings, research by anthropologist, Primatologist, biologist, forensic experts, cryptozooligst, independent organizations, private individuals and the famous chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall support this possibility.

Whereas, the absence of specific laws covering the slaying, taking, trapping or harassing of said specimens encourages laxity in the use of firearms and other deadly devices and poses a clear and present threat to the safety and well-being of persons living or traveling within the boundaries of the creatures habitat as well as to the creatures themselves.

Whereas, for the safety of all, the carrying or dispersing of firearms requires a sense of responsibility to all surrounding individuals and animals. It is the shooters full responsibility to correctly identify the species before the taking of aim and or the killing of a species, therefore ignorance will not absolve the shooter of said charges.

Whereas, be it resolved that any premeditated, willful and wanton slaying harassing or any malicious activities upon such creature shall be deemed a felony punishable by a fine not to exceed One hundred Thousand Dollars ($100.0000) and/or imprisonment, not to exceed ten (10) years.

Whereas, in the event of the slaying or capture of said creature any and all (moneys) proceeds and revenues shall be donated to a state college for future studies and or the protection of said creatures. The rights and physical possession to the said creature shall also be immediately donated to a state college, for further studies.

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Hanford back in the news and an "air-conditioned atomic suit"

By Jack Brummet, Energy Editor 

With Hanford back in the news due to the discovery of leaking radioactive waste containers, I remembered this great picture I had stashed away. This is a tearsheet from Popular Science magazine that I found in a drawer of ephemera at a bookstore.

 

The piece shows a "girl" with a Geiger counter, in an "atomic suit inflated with conditioned air" about to do her job at the Hanford site. The Hanford Atomic Site occupies 586 square miles in Benton County, in central Washington, just off the Columbia River. It was established in 1943 during World War II as the Hanford Engineer Works, part of the Manhattan Project, to provide plutonium for the development of nuclear weapons. Plutonium from Hanford was used to build the first nuclear bomb (the one tested in New Mexico), and used to build Fat Man, the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Hanford is now a storage facility for nuclear waste, and the only operating nuclear plant in Washington state.

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In 20 minutes, in Washington State, 4/20 is now 24/7

By Mona Goldwater, Social Mores Editor

Not rain on the parade of the far more important step forward in Washington State of marriage for everyone, but curiously at midnight both "same sex" marriage and marijuana became legal in the state where I now live.  Now, maybe next year we can repeal the second amendment.

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A Republican hero: Washington State's Maureen Walsh

By Jack Brummet, Washington State Editor

A Republican in our state, Representative Maureen Walsh, gave a courageous and emotional speech in favor of the same sex marriage bill wending its way through our legislature.  This couldn't have been an easy thing to do as a Republican, and she did a great job, stating correctly that this is not an issue of parties, but an issue of conscience.

She is being celebrated across the nation (and certainly also being vilified in the darker corners) today for her courage and straight-ahead plain thinking.  Thank you Rep. Walsh!

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We know from rain. . .and this is rain: 22 rivers flooding in Western Washington

click to enlarge this brain surgeon's pickup

On top of the still melting snow, we've been hit with massive--even for here--rainfall and by 22 rivers flooding in Western Washington. In our immediate vicinity, the Tolt, Cowlitz, Nooksack, Skagit, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Cedar, Nisqually, Puyallup, Carbon, and Skookumchuck rivers, as well as dozens of creeks are flooding. They've closed Interstate 5 to the south and north, as well as the Stevens, Snoqualmie (I-90), Bluett, and White Passes over the Cascade Mountains. Western Washington is an island at the moment, cut off from the rest of the west coast, anything east of the mountains, and Canada.

It could be worse of course; those 22 flooding rivers are only a fraction of the waterways in the Puget Sound/Western Washington Region (and we do have some cool river and creek names..I don't even think Jumpoff Joe Creek is listed!):


Fraser River (BC)
Chilliwack River
Nooksack River
Samish River
Skagit River
Baker River
Sauk River
Suiattle River
White Chuck River
Cascade River
Stillaguamish River
Boulder River
Snohomish River
Pilchuck River
Skykomish River
Sultan River
Wallace River
Beckler River
Rapid River
Snoqualmie River
Tolt River
Raging River
Pratt River
Taylor River
Pipers Creek (within walking distance of Jack's House)
Lake Washington Ship Canal/Lake Washington (within walking distance of Jack's House)
Taylor Creek
Thornton Creek
Sammamish River
Kelsey Creek
Coal Creek
Cedar River
Rex River
Juanita Creek
Duwamish River
Black River
Cedar River
Green River (which runs a block from where I grew up)
White River (feeds into the Green River)
Fauntleroy Creek
Puyallup River
Stuck River
Clearwater River
Greenwater River (childhood fishing spot)
Carbon River
Mowich River
Chambers Creek
Clover Creek
Nisqually River
Mashel River
Deschutes River
Skokomish River
Hamma Hamma River
Duckabush River
Dosewallips River
Big Quilcene River
Strait of Juan de Fuca
Dungeness River
Gray Wolf River
Elwha River
Lillian River
Lost River
Haynes River
Pysht River
Hoko River
Sekiu River
Lyre River
Sooes River
Ozette River
Big River
Quillayute River
Dickey River
Bogachiel River
Calawah River
Sitkum River
Sol Duc River
Hoh River
Queets River
Clearwater River
Solleks River
Salmon River
Sams River
Raft River
Quinault River
Moclips River
Copalis River
Humptulips River
Hoquiam River
Chehalis River
Wishkah River
Wynoochee River
Satsop River (scene of a great rock festival I attended)
Canyon River
Black River (now subsumed into the Whote and Green rivers)
Skookumchuck River
Newaukum River
Johns River
Willapa River
North River
Fall River
Palix River
Canon River
North Nemah River
Middle Nemah River
South Nemah River
Naselle River
Columbia River
Grays River
Elochoman River
Cowlitz River (the river where my Uncle Guy of the fabled wooden leg ran a one-car ferry)
Coweeman River
Toutle River
North Fork Toutle River
Tilton River
Cispus River
Ohanapecosh River
Kalama River
Lewis River
Muddy River
Lake River
Washougal River
Lacamas Creek
Wind River
Little White Salmon River
White Salmon River
Klickitat River
Little Klickitat River
Walla Walla River
Touchet River
Snake River
Palouse River
Cow Creek
Union Flat Creek
Rock Creek
Tucannon River
Asotin Creek
Grande Ronde River
Yakima River
Toppenish Creek
Naches River
Tieton River
Bumping River
American River
Little Naches River
Teanaway River
Cle Elum River
Cooper River
Waptus River
Kachess River
Crab Creek
Wenatchee River
Chiwawa River
Napeequa River
Little Wenatchee River
Entiat River
Mad River
Chelan River
Stehekin River
Methow River
Twisp River
Chewuch River
Lost River
Okanogan River
Similkameen River
Nespelem River
Little Nespelem River
Sanpoil River
Spokane River
Little Spokane River
Hangman Creek
Colville River
Little Pend Oreille River
Kettle River
Pend Oreille River
American River
Baker River
Big Quilcene River
Bogachiel River
Bumping River (childhood fishing spot)
Calawah River
Carbon River (childhood fishing spot)
Cedar River (childhood fishing spot)
Chehalis River
Chelan River
Chewuch River
Chiwawa River
Cispus River
Cle Elum River
Clearwater River (Queets River)
Clearwater River (White River)
Clover Creek
Coal Creek
Columbia River
Colville River
Cowlitz River
Crab Creek
Deschutes River
Dosewallips River
Duckabush River
Dungeness River
Duwamish River
Elwha River
Entiat River
Fauntleroy Creek
Gray Wolf River
Grays River
Hamma Hamma River
Hoh River
Hoko River
Humptulips River
Indian Creek (Elwha River)
Juanita Creek
Kachess River
Kelsey Creek
Kettle River
Klickitat River
Lacamas Creek
Lewis River
Little Pend Oreille River
Little Spokane River
Little White Salmon
Mad River
Mashel River
Methow River
Muddy River
Naches River (childhood fishing spot)
Naselle River
Newaukum River
Nisqually River
Nooksack River
North River
Okanogan River
Palouse River
Pend Oreille River
Pilchuck River
Puyallup River
Queets River
Quillayute River
Quinault River
Raging River
Rex River
Samish River
Sammamish River
Sauk River
Sol Duc River
Skagit River
Skokomish River
Skookumchuck River
Skykomish River
Snake River
Snohomish River
Snoqualmie River
Spokane River
Stehekin River
Stillaguamish River
Stuck River
Sultan River
Taylor Creek
Teanaway River
Thornton Creek
Tieton River
Tilton River
Tolt River
Touchet River
Toutle River
Tucannon River
Twisp River
Walla Walla River
Washougal River
Wenatchee River
White River
White Salmon River
Willapa River
Wishkah River
Wynoochee River
Yakima River
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