I live in Seattle and ripped out my law five years ago. I have never regretted it. Despite the reputation for rain, Seattle has very dry summers. I replaced my lawn with a mix of trees, native shrubs and drought-tolerant perennials. Many creatures absent from lawns are now abundant in my yard: bugs, butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and many songbirds. For open space, I keep a part of my backyard covered in play chips (large wood chips that don't leave splinters) and another area sports a water-permeable paver patio. My water bill is tiny, I never have to mow and I seldom have to weed. Best of all, my yard is 100% chemical free. I encourage everyone with a law to try something similar.

This completely sucks. I grew up on an island about 20 minutes from Anacortes, the town with the "mainland" ferry terminal where these detentions are being conducted (since Anacortes is also on an island, it's not quite the mainland, but is connected to the mainland by bridges). I feel sickened that the region I consider my childhood home - where several of my relatives still live - now sports intrusive checkpoints to detain citizens lawfully going about their innocent daily business. The police state creeps ever closer...

I had been planning a trip to the San Juans this weekend for sightseeing and recreation. Now that I know I might be subjected to this sort of detention, I probably will not go. Sorry San Juan businesses: the fed just scared away a family of domestic tourists who had been ready to spend money in your towns.

Slept by day and read all night.