Emmett O'Connell
@emmettoconnell.bsky.social
Blogger, podcaster, local government communicator, rec soccer defender
OlympiaTime.com
theolympiastandard.com
OlympiaTime.com
theolympiastandard.com
They had to pull Darnold early because he needs to stop by Home Depot to get a jump on his honey do list for the long weekend
January 18, 2026 at 4:15 AM
They had to pull Darnold early because he needs to stop by Home Depot to get a jump on his honey do list for the long weekend
Did you see how Coach McDonald isn't chasing Charbonnet in the concussion tent?
January 18, 2026 at 2:39 AM
Did you see how Coach McDonald isn't chasing Charbonnet in the concussion tent?
Reposted by Emmett O'Connell
new state flag dropped
@sounderatheart.com @jeremiah.sounderatheart.com thanks for Stickers!!
January 18, 2026 at 12:01 AM
new state flag dropped
Can't believe I Iive in a state where we're wringing out hands about taking down a white supremacist statue but SeaTac erasure is pedal to the metal
January 17, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Can't believe I Iive in a state where we're wringing out hands about taking down a white supremacist statue but SeaTac erasure is pedal to the metal
Throw the idea of a 100-Justice Supreme Court in the pile of good government ideas that need to happen, including uncapping Congress and the state legisiture, folding special districts into general government and normalizing political boundaries of local governments
www.techdirt.com/2026/01/16/t...
www.techdirt.com/2026/01/16/t...
The Case For A 100-Justice Supreme Court
With the current mess that the US is in, there has been plenty of talk of “what comes after” and how to think about the big structural changes needed to prevent another authoritarian fr…
www.techdirt.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Throw the idea of a 100-Justice Supreme Court in the pile of good government ideas that need to happen, including uncapping Congress and the state legisiture, folding special districts into general government and normalizing political boundaries of local governments
www.techdirt.com/2026/01/16/t...
www.techdirt.com/2026/01/16/t...
Baton Rouge PD will deploy a $1M military-grade Stalker VXE30 surveillance drone used in war zones. Its long-range, high-powered monitoring marks a dangerous escalation in police militarization and demands strict oversight.
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
Baton Rouge Acquires a Straight-Up Military Surveillance Drone
The Baton Rouge Police Department announced this week that it will begin using a drone designed by military equipment manufacturer Lockheed Martin and Edge Autonomy, making it one of the first local p...
www.eff.org
January 17, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Baton Rouge PD will deploy a $1M military-grade Stalker VXE30 surveillance drone used in war zones. Its long-range, high-powered monitoring marks a dangerous escalation in police militarization and demands strict oversight.
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
The danger of malinformation: it survives correction. Even if audits find poor controls, not fraud, the suspicion sticks. The story “wins” without ever proving wrongdoing. That’s corrosive to public trust. /6
January 17, 2026 at 1:48 PM
The danger of malinformation: it survives correction. Even if audits find poor controls, not fraud, the suspicion sticks. The story “wins” without ever proving wrongdoing. That’s corrosive to public trust. /6
Calling DCYF a “dumpster fire” anchors distrust before evidence. Once that frame is set, routine bureaucracy looks conspiratorial and every gap feels criminal. That’s narrative shaping, not oversight. /5
January 17, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Calling DCYF a “dumpster fire” anchors distrust before evidence. Once that frame is set, routine bureaucracy looks conspiratorial and every gap feels criminal. That’s narrative shaping, not oversight. /5
“Unaccounted for” means many things in public finance: timing gaps, inter-agency transfers, reporting lag. To the public, it means “stolen.” Leaving that gap unresolved lets fear fill it. /4
January 17, 2026 at 1:48 PM
“Unaccounted for” means many things in public finance: timing gaps, inter-agency transfers, reporting lag. To the public, it means “stolen.” Leaving that gap unresolved lets fear fill it. /4
Invoking Minnesota fraud is key. A real scandal becomes a template. Similar words ≠ similar systems. The comparison is emotional, not analytical, but it primes the audience to assume fraud before facts exist. /3
January 17, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Invoking Minnesota fraud is key. A real scandal becomes a template. Similar words ≠ similar systems. The comparison is emotional, not analytical, but it primes the audience to assume fraud before facts exist. /3
Malinformation uses truths stripped of context. “Unaccounted for” funds, real audits, real failures elsewhere are all technically true, but sequencing them creates suspicion without proof. The structure does the misleading. /2
January 17, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Malinformation uses truths stripped of context. “Unaccounted for” funds, real audits, real failures elsewhere are all technically true, but sequencing them creates suspicion without proof. The structure does the misleading. /2
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What’s happening in this DCYF debate isn’t misinformation or simple concern trolling. It’s malinformation: real facts arranged to imply something more sinister than the evidence supports. That distinction matters. /1
mynorthwest.com/john-curley/...
What’s happening in this DCYF debate isn’t misinformation or simple concern trolling. It’s malinformation: real facts arranged to imply something more sinister than the evidence supports. That distinction matters. /1
mynorthwest.com/john-curley/...
WA rep. finds unaccounted child care funds - MyNorthwest.com
WA officials probe potential fraud in child care funds amid rising concerns from Minnesota's government programs.
mynorthwest.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:48 PM
🧵
What’s happening in this DCYF debate isn’t misinformation or simple concern trolling. It’s malinformation: real facts arranged to imply something more sinister than the evidence supports. That distinction matters. /1
mynorthwest.com/john-curley/...
What’s happening in this DCYF debate isn’t misinformation or simple concern trolling. It’s malinformation: real facts arranged to imply something more sinister than the evidence supports. That distinction matters. /1
mynorthwest.com/john-curley/...
Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank publicly rejected the Legislature’s authority and vowed to defy state law, violating his oath to uphold Washington’s Constitution. That breach of duty is explicit grounds for recall under the state constitution and statute.
www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2026/...
www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2026/...
Militant right wing sheriff Keith Swank is openly inviting his Pierce County constituents to try to recall him - and they should - NPI's Cascadia Advocate
An individual who mocks lawmakers to their faces and vows to encourage breaking the laws of the jurisdiction they have sworn an oath to faithfully execute is not a person who should be in law enforcem...
www.nwprogressive.org
January 17, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank publicly rejected the Legislature’s authority and vowed to defy state law, violating his oath to uphold Washington’s Constitution. That breach of duty is explicit grounds for recall under the state constitution and statute.
www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2026/...
www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2026/...
The Marcus Whitman statue in Olympia functions like a Confederate monument: built to promote a false, harmful myth that justified colonization and white dominance. The state should stop debating relocation and fully remove it to tell the truth about history.
olympiatime.com/2026/01/17/t...
olympiatime.com/2026/01/17/t...
The Whitman Statue Is Our Confederate General Statue. It is Time to Go – Olympia Time
olympiatime.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:25 PM
The Marcus Whitman statue in Olympia functions like a Confederate monument: built to promote a false, harmful myth that justified colonization and white dominance. The state should stop debating relocation and fully remove it to tell the truth about history.
olympiatime.com/2026/01/17/t...
olympiatime.com/2026/01/17/t...
Here is to normalizing post Christmas lights in the northern latitudes.
January 17, 2026 at 2:18 AM
Here is to normalizing post Christmas lights in the northern latitudes.
When we wait for people to "age into" voting, we lose a decade of vital perspectives. By understanding the epochs of the brain, we can build a more inclusive democracy that values every voice, regardless of where they are on their biological journey.
/6
/6
January 17, 2026 at 1:47 AM
When we wait for people to "age into" voting, we lose a decade of vital perspectives. By understanding the epochs of the brain, we can build a more inclusive democracy that values every voice, regardless of where they are on their biological journey.
/6
/6
So, what’s the fix? We could move toward "Citizen Assemblies." These are facilitated, collective spaces that lower the barrier to entry. By making participation social and supported rather than an administrative hurdle, we finally design for the brain as it actually is.
/5
/5
January 17, 2026 at 1:47 AM
So, what’s the fix? We could move toward "Citizen Assemblies." These are facilitated, collective spaces that lower the barrier to entry. By making participation social and supported rather than an administrative hurdle, we finally design for the brain as it actually is.
/5
/5
This shifts the conversation. If young people aren't voting, it’s likely because our system relies on individual "follow-through" that is biologically harder to access in your 20s. It’s a structural mismatch, not a character flaw or a lack of interest.
/4
/4
January 17, 2026 at 1:47 AM
This shifts the conversation. If young people aren't voting, it’s likely because our system relies on individual "follow-through" that is biologically harder to access in your 20s. It’s a structural mismatch, not a character flaw or a lack of interest.
/4
/4
Voting isn't just about what you know; it’s about "non-cognitive skills" like grit and organization. These traits peak around age 40, which is exactly when voting rates tend to stabilize. We are asking young brains to navigate a system designed for older ones.
/3
/3
January 17, 2026 at 1:47 AM
Voting isn't just about what you know; it’s about "non-cognitive skills" like grit and organization. These traits peak around age 40, which is exactly when voting rates tend to stabilize. We are asking young brains to navigate a system designed for older ones.
/3
/3
Studies show the human brain doesn’t hit adult mode until our early 30s. Before that, we’re in a long adolescent phase where the neural wiring for "executive function," the skills needed to plan, follow through, and manage complex tasks, is still being built
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
/2
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
/2
Brain has five ‘eras’, scientists say – with adult mode not starting until early 30s
Study suggests brain development has four pivotal ‘turning points’ at around the ages of nine, 32, 66 and 83
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:47 AM
Studies show the human brain doesn’t hit adult mode until our early 30s. Before that, we’re in a long adolescent phase where the neural wiring for "executive function," the skills needed to plan, follow through, and manage complex tasks, is still being built
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
/2
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
/2
Why is voter turnout among young people consistently low? We often blame apathy or lack of education, but the real answer might be hidden in our biology. It’s time to look at how brain development shapes our democracy.
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/1
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/1
January 17, 2026 at 1:47 AM
Why is voter turnout among young people consistently low? We often blame apathy or lack of education, but the real answer might be hidden in our biology. It’s time to look at how brain development shapes our democracy.
🧵
/1
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/1
Seattle’s Latino murals, led by artist Rene Julio Diaz, use public walls to explore migration, identity, and community. His work blends culture and current issues, fostering dialogue, connection, and belonging across neighborhoods.
thefulcrum.us/community/se...
thefulcrum.us/community/se...
Washington Murals Tell Stories of Migration, Identity, and Community
Many Latino artists in Seattle use walls as canvases to tell stories and display powerful messages. One of them is Rene Julio Diaz, a muralist from Mexico City who believes mural art must be meaningfu...
thefulcrum.us
January 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Seattle’s Latino murals, led by artist Rene Julio Diaz, use public walls to explore migration, identity, and community. His work blends culture and current issues, fostering dialogue, connection, and belonging across neighborhoods.
thefulcrum.us/community/se...
thefulcrum.us/community/se...
"Of course they’re going to do what the algorithm demands—which, on today’s right, means snappy, confrontational, fact-agnostic propaganda for the regime. That’s what the ecosystem rewards... If you think that’s grim today, wait till you see the future."
www.thebulwark.com/p/if-you-thi...
www.thebulwark.com/p/if-you-thi...
If You Think MAGA Journalism Is Bad Now, Just Wait
The mayhem in Minnesota is partially the fault of one pup “reporter” chasing clicks.
www.thebulwark.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:12 PM
"Of course they’re going to do what the algorithm demands—which, on today’s right, means snappy, confrontational, fact-agnostic propaganda for the regime. That’s what the ecosystem rewards... If you think that’s grim today, wait till you see the future."
www.thebulwark.com/p/if-you-thi...
www.thebulwark.com/p/if-you-thi...
A fundraiser for an ICE agent that wasn’t just pro-police but white supremacist, using antisemitic language, “America First” signals, and Great Replacement rhetoric, showing how extremist ideology sits at the core of some anti-immigrant fundraising.
slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com/news-and-pol...
This Fundraiser for the ICE Shooter Speaks Volumes About What’s Happening Here
The posting has been adjusted, but not that much.
slate.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:19 PM
A fundraiser for an ICE agent that wasn’t just pro-police but white supremacist, using antisemitic language, “America First” signals, and Great Replacement rhetoric, showing how extremist ideology sits at the core of some anti-immigrant fundraising.
slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com/news-and-pol...