Doomed Planet

#051: Regressive taxes, budget austerity, incompetent political leaders, mass unemployment and homelessness, an epidemic of police violence ... a pandemic. That is the reality in Seattle right now. What can Seattleites expect from the coming decade? We interview Elaine to find out.

#050: Two massive oil refineries owned by Marathon Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell operate on the Puget Sound, where tankers containing millions of gallons of crude oil ply the waters. What happens when an Exxon Valdez-style catastrophe occurs? An oil spill would devastate the cornucopia of wildlife that thrives in and around the Sound: Mollusks, Crustaceans, Echinoderms, Cnidarians ... Cetaceans and other vertebrates. Tribal fisheries and other industries of the ocean would be wiped out for generations.

#049: The richest person in the history of modern capitalism lives near Seattle, where thousands of homeless people exist in tents. It's one of the most expensive cities in the USA, with the most regressive taxes. Disingenuous police chief Carmen Best was forced to resign after her "troops" gassed and beat peaceful protesters. Her fascist boss, Mayor Jenny Durkan, is still in office. Welcome to Bezostown.

#048: Mary Kay Letourneau died with Vili Fualaau at her side. They began sleeping together when she was 34 and he was 12.

Her dad was a far-right wing politician and one of her brothers worked for war criminal Eric Prince.

PLUS: We talk with Merlin Ryan, a high school buddy who just got paroled after serving a very, very long stretch for a 1983 murder.

#047: In 1995 four Seattle firefighters died after Martin Pang torched the family egg roll factory. A self-styled playboy and secret agent, Pang had an unlimited expense account thanks to his parents. After the fire he fled to Brazil, where hotshot criminal defense attorney John Henry Browne got his murder charges lowered to manslaughter in an extradition deal. He served his time and was released in 2018.

#046: American supermarkets in the age of COVID display the utmost contempt for their employees AND their customers. A fifty cent fee for cash back, union-busting self check-out kiosks, long lines at understaffed registers where underpaid employees risk exposure - the list of insults is endless. In this episode we tour a Seattle Safeway store, praise their union (UFCW21), and explain why 80% of food products on supermarket shelves could be considered junk food.

#045: Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley was a good person. A gentle being who never had a bad thing to say about anybody. He was in rough shape when he finally cashed out, but he left us with his music and his story. Fair enough.

#044: In 1976 Canadian rock band Rush released their epic concept album 2112. In 2006 Kyle Huff killed six people at 2112 East Republican Street. We explore the connections between a Libertarian-leaning rock album about a lone hero who commits suicide and Kyle Huff - a mentally ill fan of classic rock who might have associated the 2112 address where he met his fate with the Rush album of the same name.

#043: Travel writer, entrepreneur and activist Rick Steves is the king! We throw the Seattle true crime format out the window for this episode and instead profile an all-around decent guy who works tirelessly to make the world a better place.

#042: Sinister plutocrat Bill Gates loves cheeseburgers! He's been spotted around Seattle waiting in line for them. See! He's a regular person! Just like you and me! A humble, simple, private man who needs nothing more in life than a cheap beef sandwich.

Special appearances by plute Warren Buffett and Seattle burger heir/right wing oddity Saul Spady.

This episode sponsored by Chop Mart. Torches. Pitchforks. Guillotine Supplies. You'll find it at Chop Mart!