Thanks sgt_doom, sort of funny how Cienna would venture into NBA territory to cover the SoDo EIS but nobody here wants to cover the political donation Hansen made to overturn Sacramento's NBA arena efforts.

Does this tarnish rub off on McGinn too much and so it is being buried ? Are you guys looking into if Hansen funded any pro-McGinn PACs covertly and forgot to file here ?

@ 2, it's customary for honest sloggers to back up claims with links and their own research. Otherwise you're just spreading FUD like a nice little Republican op.

FORGOT ONE:

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2…

Here's some real sports-related news for you. English Premier League football ("soccer") is now being carried on broadcast NBC-TV.

The big shocker is that they're using British commentators, color people, and play-by-play. No patronizing, condescending or parochial American slant at all. At all!

I'm not that even big a soccer fan, but I appreciate the genuine, authentic coverage immensely. I'm going to enjoy this. I hope there are enough others to convince NBC that this was a good idea.

The game is on right now. Swansea was holding their own for the first 30 or so minutes, but Manchester just poked two goals in in as many minutes.

Them muslim niggas all need to be disolved. Just sayin.

Arlo White + EPL! This is a great Saturday morning!

#1

There's been some reporting on organizations that will marshal a protest movement for money. It sounds like Chris purchased some of that kind of service.

As someone who participates in many forums, I also noticed there was a period a few years ago where comments were clogged by people supporting the tunnel.

Publicola was getting hundreds of comments a day, and anyone who had the slightest questioning was downshouted. (Same happens here with questions about arenas.). Then, just as suddenly, hundreds of regular commenters suddenly disappear!

I also see this nationally on issues where the Big Boys want to create an illusion of consensus, by flooding the threads with single minded comments.

But what is more distrubing is that the slightest dissent, in even the most obscure blog, can suddenly be met with an astroturfed comment in response. Sometimes within minutes!

I documented this in my own blog when the topic is hydrogen.

9 (cont'd)

The Trayvon Martin case was a more recent example of this. Threads were running 200 to 1 with racist statements, or ones that claimed that Zimmerman was being discriminated against.

Now, I know there are a lot of racists in America, but if I counted the unique names, the volume of comments an the pervasive nature (appearing in blogs big to small) I would have to think that every other family in a America has a white conical hood in the closet!

I have to think this type of outrage is bought and paid for.

Yeah, it's terrific to hear Arlo White again. We miss you.

I haven't got any fantasy players in this match so I'm free to just let my Manchester United hate flow freely. I gotta say, Giggs looks like he's lost yet another step, but the rest of them don't. Wayne who? Come on Swansea, get them back. At least kill off their clean sheet.

Chris Hanson is a private business man. He is not an elected official or a public employee. It may have been a sneaky, underhanded move but, that's his prerogative. Your outrage is silliness.

Hansen isn't just "a private business man" once he partnered with the local government to try to secure funding for an expensive building to be used primarily to benefit his privately owned business.

To have to sue a law firm to actually get them to file their PDC filing (late, which can result in significant fines) acknowledging that Hansen was the sole monetary donor to the initiative campaign sure screams shady. Consultants working on that campaign were fleeing like rats for the past week trying to escape the "taint of the Maloofs" as termed by a Sacramento political consultant who worked on a campaign to get a Sales tax increase for an arena (akin to the SafeCo Food & Bev tax).

http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2013/8/16/…
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/10/5638880…

I appreciate NBC broadcasting Premier League games and will surely watch them whenever I get the chance. Always appreciate the opportunity to watch any sport I'm a fan of played at the highest level. I'm a little concerned though that anything that could distract or take away from the tenuous fan base MLS is slowly (and finally!) establishing could do more harm than good to America's long term soccer interests. Yeah, Fnarf and other devotees will remain loyal, but they're still the exception as far as our fan base goes.

@15 I would think that NBC broadcasting the BPL would only increase interest in soccer in this country, and put a few more people in the stands for MLS matches as a result.

@9&10. Start here, and dig deeper if you want the answer to your question as it relates to Sonics Fans/Hansen Astroturfing:

http://www.arenasolution.org/
http://www.sonicsrising.com/
http://www.sonicsarena.com/

http://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/search_detai…

http://www2.seattle.gov/ethics/lobbyists…

http://www2.seattle.gov/ethics/lobbyists…

That's a good start. Sure there is more out there.

@17, you left out Claudon
http://www2.seattle.gov/ethics/lobbyists…

Please ban #7 already.

PS Sports

I suppose you may be right. Certainly hope so. I guess it just seems like a lot of fans, particularly those new to a sport, are gonna be reluctant to really embrace multiple league formats. And there's certainly a reason the established leagues in any given sport fight so hard to maintain the monopoly they have in fandom. That said, maybe in a growing market like soccer, any exposure is for the best.

@18 Knew I forgot one.

Callan: That shit has no more to do with Kent than your fecal matter has to do with Capitol Hill.

what else could one expect from the daughter of two of the most half-witted, delusional, sociopathic despots who ever lived, ie: nicolae and elena ceausescu?

@23 Princess Irina is not related to the Ceausescu family. She is the daughter of the former King, Michael.

@20, we're putting ~68,000 in Centurylink next week against Portland Timbers -- probably more than the Seahawks have ever drawn, and probably an alltime MLS record, depending on how many SRO tickets they sell. I think we're doing OK.

My prediction is that Goldy will suddenly be in favor of people's referenda. Buying an election is the only chance Chris Hansen has left to keep his and Goldy's pipe dream alive. If he's willing to throw $3,100,000 down the toilet in Sacramento, he will add a few more here.

$30,100,000 plus the not-yet-known expenses on if his land will appreciate, paying for arena designs that will not be used, etc.

@14 Wow Joe you're really reaching. Quoting Sactown Royalty and the Sacramento Bee.

What's next, you'll start praising Russia and China's human because they gave refuge to Snowden?

There's several other sources if you prefer:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/17410…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba…
http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/08/17…
and my personal favorite that begins-
So it turns out that the guy who tried to buy the Kings and move them to Seattle is kind of a giant scumbag. Huh, how about that.
http://deadspin.com/chris-hansen-secretl…

The more The Stranger turns it back on a story involving unidentified, passed through a law firm, contributions to a mysterious PAC "Citizens for a Voice in Government, Major Funding by Investment Manager" (with no records showing the PAC existed until Hanen put $100k in its hands - could he have created it? Why not ask its treasurer http://www.lysaray.com/ ) the more I see the rag is so ruled by love of basketball and McGinn's bike shorts it's afraid to do any sort of critical journalism.

Keep on doing that. Pretend that Sawant is going to be successful in actually enacting any of her positions from the position of a lowly city councilperson.
http://www.votesawant.org/issues

Issues

Fund Human Needs, Not Corporate Greed
* Raise the minimum wage to $15/hr.
* A Millionaire’s Tax to fund mass transit, education, and living-wage union jobs providing vital social services.
* End corporate welfare. Tax freeloading corporations. Reduce the unfair tax burden on small businesses, homeowners & workers.
* Unionize Amazon, Starbucks & low-paid service workers.
* No layoffs or attacks on public sector unions!

Environmental Sanity
* Put the brakes on the coal trains! Words are not enough – the council needs to pass an ordinance & organize mass protests to make Seattle coal-free.
* End the traffic disaster. Dramatically expand public transit & bikeways so cars aren’t necessary to meet day-to-day transit needs.

Affordable Housing
* We need rent control!
* End homelessness in Seattle. Fully fund services for the disabled, veterans, seniors, & families in crisis.

Fight Police Brutality & Racism
* Build a mass movement against police brutality & racial profiling. Create an elected civilian review board with full powers over the police. No SPD drones.
* The council should campaign for immediate, unconditional citizenship rights for all undocumented immigrants. Enact a moratorium on Seattle deportations.

Quality Public Schools
* Stop defunding public schools. Lower class sizes. Support Seattle teachers & students boycotting the MAP standardized test.
* Empower students, parents, and teachers to democratically develop culturally relevant curriculum. Expand anti-bullying efforts & curriculum promoting LGBTQ equality, anti-racism, and anti-sexism.