Seattle City Council staffer and inveterate local activist Michael Maddux stopped by to pet the dog and it turned into a conversation about organizing; about being a homeless teen; about working through inevitable policy fights without hating your opponents; about Tim Eyman's awful 1% rule; and -- like so many other conversations in Seattle right now -- about homelessness. He emphasized the importance of thanking elected officials when they do the right thing, or else all they hear is criticism from the bad guys.