Blue Byline » Washington State Attorney General

Rob McKenna: a non-partisan endorsement

Brian O'Neill — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 02:02:08 +0000

In my former police department the television in the break room, like the police officers themselves, worked 24/7. Sporting events, sitcoms, even nature shows were acceptable programming, but when someone switched over to one of those loud political commentary channels (MSNBC, Fox News, take your pick) I headed for the door.

It’s not that I don’t care about politics. The problem is that when we restrict ourselves by partisanship – red or blue, conservative or liberal – our voting choices become too narrow, too divisive. Selecting a candidate by the qualifier (R) or (D) is also no guarantee that the …

AG’s stance on human trafficking is spot on

Brian O'Neill — Mon, 28 May 2012 23:05:33 +0000

On a warm evening a few weeks ago my partner and I were sitting in an unmarked car along Highway 99 near Seatac. From our vantage point we watched several young women walking the sidewalk, waving at passing cars and occasionally hopping in next to a male driver.

By all accounts, the sex trade on Highway 99 continues in much the same way since the Green River Killer stalked the strip’s most vulnerable prostitutes 25 years ago. With one exception.

Milling around the entrance to a fast food restaurant across the street were more than a dozen young men wearing …

Continued violence demands legislative solutions

Brian O'Neill — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:26:51 +0000

If you’ve been keeping up on news in the Puget Sound area you already know that 2012 has been a violent year. In January a park ranger, Margaret Anderson, was shot and killed at Mount Rainier National Park. In early February our region garnered unwanted national attention due to the domestic violence homicide of two small boys by the now infamous Josh Powell. Just last week we lost another police officer, State Patrol Trooper Tony Radulescu, at the hands of a meth-crazed criminal.

Violent crime remains a critical issue. The question is, what are we doing about it?

One hurdle …