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For Libby Smith, 65, it was the frustration that her political involvement didn’t seem to influence anyone.
For Andrew Tuttle, 23, it was the homeless family living in the bus stop near his Wallingford house.
Garth Donald, 27, was inspired by protests in the Middle East where young people sparked revolutions through protest.
The 50-or-so individuals who turned out for an Occupy Seattle protest against corporate control of government had different motivations but agreed that taking to the streets was necessary to change the country.
The local protest at Westlake Park Saturday morning was one of dozens echoing across the country in response to weeks-long protests in New York City by a youth movement called Occupy Wall Street.
Like those in New York, Seattle protesters were largely young. A few wore dollar bills taped across their mouths.
Those who helped organize the protest said it drew all kinds of people who want more control over their own government.
“It’s amazing the diversity and the singular voice that we have,” said Albert Postema, of Snohomish.
He and his daughter traveled to New York to participate in protests there, and he helped bring the cause back to Seattle. On Saturday, he wore a noose around his neck, taping and un-taping a dollar-bill across his face as needed so he could arrange the protesters into a circle.
“Banks got bailed out, you got sold out!” they chanted.
Jon Ramer, 53, said he wanted to show protesters on Wall Street that they aren’t alone, though their protests are most visible.
“A lot of people feel as if we’ve lost a legitimate way to govern ourselves,” he said.
Older people in the group said they wanted to show that it was more than just a young person’s movement.
Smith has been politically involved for years, she said, but the last time she joined a protest was during the Vietnam War.
The head of the US air traffic control agency has resigned after a number of incidents where air traffic controllers fell asleep while on duty.
Randy Babbitt, chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, said he had accepted Hank Krakowski’s resignation.
On Thursday, Mr Babbitt pledged a “top to bottom review” of the air traffic control system.
In the past month, several planes have landed safely at US airports without controller guidance.
“Over the last few weeks we have seen examples of unprofessional conduct on the part of a few individuals that have rightly caused the travelling public to question our ability to ensure their safety,” Mr Babbitt said in a statement.
“This conduct must stop immediately.”
Mr Babbitt said David Grizzle, chief counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), would assume Mr Krakowski’s duties as acting head of the Air Traffic Organization.
Night shifts
Mr Babbitt announced on Wednesday that the FAA would place an additional air traffic controller on the midnight shift at 27 control towers across the country; previously, they had been staffed with only one controller during that shift.
The issue rose to prominence last month when two jets were forced to land at about midnight at Reagan National Airport, just by Washington DC, without help from the local control tower.
The pilots, who carried 165 people aboard the two planes, were unable to raise the tower controller on the radio, and a subsequent investigation revealed he had inadvertently fallen asleep during the shift.
This week, the FAA revealed that an air traffic controller at a major airport in Seattle had fallen asleep during a morning shift on Monday; the FAA said he had also fallen asleep on two separate occasions during an early evening shift on 6 January.
And a controller in the US state of Nevada was asleep and out of communication for about 16 minutes on Wednesday while a medical plane was landing, federal officials have said.
An air traffic controller in Tennessee was found to have lain down for a nap during an overnight shift in February,
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has picked Seattle Interim Police Chief John Diaz as the city’s permanent police chief.
McGinn officially announced Diaz’s appointment Thursday morning. McGinn admitted if he had made this decision six months ago, he may not have picked Diaz. But his civic conversations during the search process and his experience working with Diaz for six months had changed his mind.
“In every interaction I’ve had with Chief Diaz, my opinion of him has gone up,” said McGinn. “He’s a man of great integrity, a hard worker and devoted to the police department and this city.”
The final candidates for Seattle Police Chief were Diaz and East Palo Alto, Calif., Chief Ron Davis. A third finalist, Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel, withdrew.
Deputy Chief John Diaz became Interim Chief of Police on May 8, 2009, after then Chief Gil Kerlikowske was named Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy for the Obama Administration.
Diaz has overseen the department in a tumultuous year that included an officer being killed on Halloween night and two highly publicized incidents that were caught on video. One involved a Latino man being kicked by officers, in the other a teen was punched by an officer.
Ken Griffey Jr. chose his words carefully, saying “ . . . nobody in the Mariners’ front office has asked me to retire . . .”
Griffey specifically avoided mention of manager Don Wakamatsu — and not by accident.
Wakamatsu, according to three major-league sources, asked Griffey about retirement at least once in recent weeks.
Wakamatsu, in a telephone interview Wednesday night, would not reveal the specifics of any talk with Griffey, but said he did not pressure him to retire.
“I won’t be quoted talking about any private conversation I had with a player,” Wakamatsu told FOXSports.com.
“In no way would I ever force a player of that magnitude to retire. This was Ken’s decision. I would honor Ken and his career and never even approach that.”
But Griffey, 40, apparently got the impression that Wakamatsu no longer wanted him on the team.
On Wednesday, Griffey ended his career after 21-plus seasons, including the past two with the Mariners under Wakamatsu.
“While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field, and nobody in the Mariners’ front office, has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back, that I will never allow myself to become a distraction,” Griffey said in his statement.
“I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates and their success as a team is what the ultimate goal should be.”
Griffey, 40, made his last appearance Monday night, hitting into a fielder’s choice as a pinch-hitter in a 5-4 loss to the Twins. He had not started since May 23, when he went 0-for-3 with a walk and run scored in an 8-1 loss to the Padres.
His ineffectiveness — Griffey was batting .184 with zero homers and seven RBIs in 98 at-bats — put Wakamatsu in a difficult spot, particularly with the Mariners struggling offensively.
Wakamatsu also was in the uncomfortable position of dealing with a future Hall of Famer at the end of his career. Any attempt by Wakamatsu to probe Griffey’s mindset might have been interpreted by Griffey as pressure from the manager to retire.
Mike Sweeney, 36, usurped Griffey’s playing time at designated hitter in recent weeks, batting .310 with six homers and 14 RBIs in May. Griffey initially seemed comfortable with a reduced role; he did not expect to play every day when he re-signed with the Mariners last November. But by the end, he had virtually no role at all.
Griffey’s departure was not acrimonious, despite his apparent differences with Wakamatsu. Griffey goes back with club president Chuck Armstrong more than 20 years, and the two sides plan a long-term relationship now that Griffey’s playing days are over.
High School Finances Student’s Secret Abortion. A Seattle mother is furious after learning that her 15-year-old daughter was sent by her school’s health center for a secret abortion, reports ABC-affiliate KOMO, reports Patrick B. Craine, LifeSiteNews.com. The mother, identified only as “Jill,” says her daughter was given a pregnancy test at Ballard High School’s Teen Health Center, which came back positive. Rather than informing the parents, she said, the center gave the girl a pass and put her in a taxi for the abortuary, all during school hours. “They just told her that if she concealed it from her family, that it would be free of charge and no financial responsibility,” Jill said. She added that she had signed a consent form allowing her daughter to be treated at the health center, thinking it covered issues like earaches, sports physicals, or even contraception, but wasn’t aware they would be arranging abortions. “Nowhere in this paperwork does it mention abortion or facilitating abortion.” she said. “Signing this paper makes me feel like my rights were completely stripped away.” T.J. Cosgrove of the King County Health Department, which oversees the center, explained that Washington state does not recognize parents’ opinions on such issues. “At any age in the state of Washington, an individual can consent to a termination of pregnancy,” he said.