2DRNK 4U

There has been much talk in the local media about Senate Bill 6402, which was sponsored by Lakewood’s Sen. Mike Carrell. The bill proposes requiring drivers who have been convicted of DUI to purchase and display a special bright yellow license plate on their vehicles. The idea is to let police and fellow drivers know who has a history of drunken driving and who doesn’t.



The hip thing to do seems to be to compare the bill to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel, The Scarlet Letter. Those who had proficient high school English teachers may remember The Scarlet Letter is the story of Hester Prynne, who was forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her chest for adultery after her Puritan community discovered she’d been knocked up by a man who wasn’t her husband.



Oh, those Puritans and their shame.



Sen. Carrell’s bill works on the same principle — publicly shaming those who’ve been convicted of DUI in an attempt to reduce it. No one supports drunk driving, but here at the Weekly Volcano we can’t help but wonder if Puritanical methods to combating the problem are really the answer.



“I’ve talked to the law-enforcement agencies and they think it would be an awfully good idea to have a way of visibly telling sheep from goats out on the road,” Carrell was quoted in the Seattle Times.



While identifying sheep from goats on the road may sound reasonable, it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with drunk driving. The idea that fluorescent plates for convicted drunk drivers would be anything more than something for people to point and laugh at is ridiculous. There’s a reason even Mothers Against Drunk Driving doesn’t support the legislation.

It’s because they’re not crazy Puritans like Carrell.



The Weekly Volcano supports state lawmakers looking into ways to reduce drunk driving; we only wish they were considering a bill that might actually do something. — Matt Driscoll

Glass swoosh

Tacoma City Council just can’t get enough glass. Local leaders have designated $110,000 to build a 104-foot tall glass and metal structure, which looks like a sideways Nike swoosh, and will jut from the side of the recently-renovated Hotel Murano, formerly the Tacoma Sheraton.



The metal-and-glass icon was designed by renowed Greek artist Costas Varotsos, who specializes in minimalist sculptures, and has a long history of working with glass and metal. The architectural oddity will resemble a sidways Nike Sw….water dipper. The “dipper” will be “filled” with bright blue glass. The city’s money is considered a “donation fee,” and will come from the city’s general fund. Varotsos has donated his $1 million artist’s fee. KS Tacoma LLC will cover the balance.



The towering structure will serve several purposes, according to a report delivered at a recent Tacoma City Council study session. First, it will act as a locus for downtown’s major hubs such as the Theater District and the Pacific Avenue museum district.  Councilmember Tom Stenger has vocally opposed the city’s donation to the project, reminding fellow council members of expensive arts investments such as the “Water Forest” at the Museum of Glass, which was broken by unruly children and has yet to be fixed. — Robert Dobbs

No caucus for prepress

Just when I thought there couldn’t possibly be a reason for me to hate The Tacoma News Tribune more than I already do, David Zeek, the paper’s executive editor, had to go and prove me wrong.



In preparation for the Trib’s coverage of the Feb. 9 Washington State caucuses, Zeek disclosed in an editorial that The News Tribune prohibits its news staff from taking part in this essential part of American Democracy. Actually, Zeek said the Trib prohibits its news staff and “asks” everyone else at the paper not to participate in primaries and caucuses. I think we all know what it means when the boss “asks” you to do something.



Zeek seems to think the Trib’s policy is part of his paper’s unbiased approach.



“To be a journalist at The News Tribune, one surrenders some privileges. Political activism is out. Fundraising must be approved by top editors. (If someone rejects your appeal for funds, the person might worry about how he or she will be covered by the newspaper.) Staff members can’t be publicists of civic organizations they belong to. The newspaper reserves the right to prohibit staff members from writing for competing media,” wrote Zeek in his editorial published Feb. 3.



“It seems to us a small price to limit the perception of bias by staffers.”



Unbiased my ass. There is no such thing as unbiased journalism. If The News Tribune was a greatly respected journalistic institution, maybe I could understand employees sacrificing their rights as American citizens, but it’s just the Trib. This is ridiculous.



It seems, in the pursuit of limiting “the perception of bias,” the Trib has decided the rights of its employees are unimportant. That’s a damn shame. — MD