All the fun starts at 1.

If you're a Republican, go here to find out where to be.
If you're a Democrat, go here to find out where to be.

If you're neutral, independent or not a U.S. citizen, well, maybe you can watch TV today.

Follow the action at Political Buzz. Dude, I'm totally buzzed already.

If you're looking for the best online coverage of today's candidate visits in Tacoma and Seattle, check out the Politcal Buzz. It's like a machine. It's not even noon, and there have been 19 posts today.

Plus, Gritizen Niki is writing for them, if you miss her.

Here's a sample from Niki at the Clinton rally:

A rep from the American Nurses Association is here.

You know how some people pronounce it "Warshington?" Well, she's one of them.

She said she was glad to have come from Wa(r)shington, D.C. to the great state of Wa(r)shington.

A hush spread across the crowd, followed by audible giggles.

OK, now she's talking policy... gotta go.

Update: The fire marshall is estimating 6,000 people are here. I'm estimating about 2,000 of them giggled.

A friend and reader recently told me he gets all of his local news from this fine blog. Troubling? Mildly.

So the GritCity editorial department got together and formulated a plan: What if we started posting facts? Or, at the very least, dispatches from places where facts happen.

Here's how it's going to work: I'll be stationed in Olympia for the legislative session, posting said facts, along with findings and occasional secrets delivered to my office via dwarf carrier pigeons, to the Political Buzz blog.

The rest (shiny stuff, made up stuff, funny stuff) is all for you. Like, let's say someone introduces legislation that would make it legal for Hot Chick-a-Latte and the online prostitutes of Federal Way to open their joint venture: Scone Jobs ... clearly, I would give you a heads up.

These updates may not happen often -- or ever. But you'll sleep soundly knowing that someone you know knows what's going on.

Oh, and another detail that may help you sleep tighter: I promise the T-shirt details are on the way.

Dear Tacoma anarchists,

I know how it feels. It's like you got out your markers and made pretty party invitations, then waited for hours, switching out the ice ring in the punch bowl and watching traffic reports to see if there were any big traffic jams in the area.

But don't feel bad. Maybe tonight you'll shut downtown down. Or, hey, there's always tomorrow.

And if you find yourself spiraling into self-pity, think about this: Today was a day every riot cop in Tacoma probably looked forward to, and it's been a real letdown for them, too. Poor things -- they've probably been reviewing footage, cleaning the nozzles on their pepper spray sprayers and guzzling Red Bull. And for what?

You'll get 'em next time, tiger. If not for the immigrants, do it for the riot cops.

Sincerely,

Yours truly

This morning, I heard from Scott Fontaine, who writes the Word on the Street blog, that he received a frantic e-mail from a contractor in Iraq. It went something like this:

Dude, I found a photo of a coffee chick on your blog and was so excited. You wouldn't believe how many sites are blocked by a firewall over here... But then I lost it! Help me out!

Geez. It's like, first they're swept away to a land with no drive-thru coffee stands. Then, when they do get coffee, it's probably Folger's crystals. To add insult to injury, they can't Google "Black Water," "Valhalla" or "Cutter's Point" without getting investigated.

So, this one's for the boys and girls of the United States Military and its affiliated contractors who crave a nice, big cup of coffee:

Coffee for you, photo by Karie Hamilton.

And this one's for those of you who miss the unpredictable climate of the Pacific Northwest, which necessitates dressing in layers:

We've been talking an awful lot about signage lately, so yesterday, when I was sick and restless, I took pictures of some non-billboard signs around town.

Some are wonderful, some are not. You decide.

Some cities and towns (Sisters, Ore., which is completely western-themed, comes to mind) are incredibly restrictive about any kinds of signs. Others aren't. The question: Can we talk about billboard blight and leave out business signs? Should we?

Also, if you have signs to add, e-mail me or suggest them in the comments.

Elected leader arrested after coffee mug attack

Although it doesn't say this, which is a winning quote in my opinion:

"The district regrets what happened," said Joe Quinn, Key Peninsula Fire District 16's attorney. "People get upset but fisticuffs aren't appropriate."

Let's look at two scenarios:

1. You're bummed post-Valentine's Day. Or you're just bummed.
2. You're so captivated by the will-they-or-won't-they** nature of the 2008 presidential race, seemingly in full swing now in 2007 (whee!), that you need something to spoon into your agape mouth while watching C-SPAN.

This'll do:

** (they will, don't worry)

Darcy Burner, you just lost a race for Congress, what are you going to do now?

Burner: “I plan on taking my son to Disneyland.”

You only have five more hours to cast your ballot. Use them wisely.

I was troubled this morning to realize I won't be able to wear an "I Voted!" sticker since I vote absentee, as many of our state's residents do. How about all the counties consider including those stickers in our ballot envelopes?

Anyone know of election night parties happening in the area?

There's been an awful lot of commotion about a very little park downtown. (Don't believe me, check here.)

So, dear reader, we thought we'd ask city reporter Jason Hagey and, in the process, start a new feature, which we'll do when we feel like it, thank you... I'm going to call the Q&A "Questions for People." Brilliant. You'll read this if you know what's good for you.

Hey, Jason, I have some questions for you about this thing.

I normally don't grant interviews, but I'll make an exception for Grit City. I'll try not to go all Bill Clinton on you.

Huh ... That's, um, weird. OK... Well, first thing's first: What's going on and why should I care?

The Washington State History Museum is trying to build a brick wall as part of a new "pocket park" under construction along Pacific Avenue near the Chihuly Bridge of Glass. A pocket park is urban planner slang for "really small." Some people don't like the plan because they think it will interfere with pedestrian flow and further obscure the view of the bridge from Pacific Avenue. You should care if you ever get lost trying to take out-of-town visitors to see the bridge. This will increase the odds that you will accidentally wind up in the history museum gift shop instead and be forced to buy another Lewis & Clark coffee table book.

I'm going to allow you to use one pair of quotation marks per response. So, what's with this cease and desist business? Has anyone been handcuffed?

Tacoma Public Works officials issued a "stop-work order" on the project this week after Councilwoman Julie Anderson asked a question about the wall. A "stop-work order" is an order telling the construction workers to ...
Anyway, the action seriously upset David Nicandri, the history museum director, who says the city has no right to interfere.

I was serious about those quotation marks.

Have you looked into what happens when Councilwoman Anderson wiggles her nose? Geez. Also, tomorrow's museum day, so admission is free and the area will be crawling with kiddies. Is Nicandri going to unveil his super powers or chain himself to the wall or something?

Well, it's hard to say what Nicandri might do next. I haven't encountered someone so articulate and so angry at the same time in quite a while. Kind of like early Chuck D. He's got an army of donors in his corner -- the wall was supposed to hold plaques containing the names of people who rescued Union Station from the wrecking ball. And he's got architect Arthur Andersson backing him. Andersson, who also designed the Bridge of Glass and the history museum, says the wall contains an "aperture" or "small opening" that would provide a dramatic framing of the Bridge of Glass.

And yes, you're right to point out the impressive response to Julie Anderson's question. She's probably making a list of questions she can ask at the council's meeting next week, such as, "What's the deal with the Courtyard Marriott?" Or, "Has anyone noticed Fife?"

What's Fife? And when can someone get arrested?

The city and museum folks are supposed to meet on Wednesday to see if they can reach some kind of agreement to bring this madness to a peaceful end. If it doesn't go well, bring your camcorder to the history museum and keep an eye on the construction site. While you're waiting for some action, you can always swing by the gift shop and pick up a Lewis & Clark book. In truth, I think the odds of an arrest are much higher at the Hustler Hollywood store. The neighbors are almost as angry as Nicandri, and the store's got a good supply of cuffs just waiting to be used.

I'll be there. Unless there's anything else, I'm going to end this on a high note (i.e. when you're not getting crazy with bunny ears).
Thanks for playing!

Mr. Hagey later admitted, under questioning, that he does indeed own a fanny pack and has been dying to out himself. Thank you, Jason. You are among friends.

Jon Stewart: "If you went out and voted in the mid-term election primaries, you have a problem. ... Come on, I didn't vote and there was a voting booth in my apartment."

Several voters were irritated by being forced to pick a party affiliation, so they didn't pick at all. Their non-partisan votes will still count. Unfortunately for these voters, it's impossible to tell how many of them were deliberately taking a stand against the ballot requirement and how many just didn't "get it." Which reminds me, I miss hanging chads.

The libraries are looking forward to some extra cash, Cantwell and McGavick score easy wins, Tacoma minicasinos are hanging on for dear life and the state Supreme Court is... uh... well, something's going on there and there's a lot of money involved.

In other news...

• A 63-year-old woman who won a $7.2 million Lotto jackpot won't be quitting her job as an office manager for a general contractor. That office is SO going to be hooked up with donuts every day.

• A University Place crossing guard was arrested last week after selling a machine gun, a silencer and explosives to an undercover agent. Looks like it's back to the blaze orange flag.

• Niki and Kelly D. manage to get three-quarters of a newspaper page dedicated to cupcakes. It's only a matter of time, people, before we get a centerpiece about fanny packs.

• More Fort Lewis soldiers went to Iraq this week and a couple of our colleagues went with them. They describe the temperature as "well over 100 degrees," but ... you know ... it's a dry heat. And in all seriousness, we wish all of them well.