Open Thread – Mountain Snow
One of the countless breathtaking views from the scenic Seward Highway. This is heading north from Seward. As beautiful as the mountains are in the summertime, there’s something about the light and shadows on fresh snow…
December 21, 2024
Thursday, August 3, 2023
The Quitter Returns! -Monday, March 21, 2022
Putting the goober in gubernatorial -Friday, January 28, 2022
One of the countless breathtaking views from the scenic Seward Highway. This is heading north from Seward. As beautiful as the mountains are in the summertime, there’s something about the light and shadows on fresh snow…
There’s no new open thread (yet), so the twin moose babies playing in a sprinkler video has to go here:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/twin-baby-moose-romp-in-sprinkler-video.html
I was just at Barnes in Noble in Anchorage. You might want to avoid it on December 8th from 1-3. Chuck Heath is signing his book there. They had signs everywhere.
My new F,F and G magazine has a Chuck Heath mention in the back cover story. Yes,it reminds everyone he is directly responsible for the irremovable human stain,whats her name. If you don’t mind my inquiring mind asking,what the hell are you doing in Anchorage? I figured you was more east coast affiliated. Did I miss a memo?
Advice to a new hire at the Iowa Writers Workshop from Kurt Vonnegut,circa 1967. Too bad pols can’t be open and honset. http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2012/11/20/kurt_vonnegut_the_author_s_advice_for_a_friend_about_to_teach_at_the_iowa.html
On Friday, November 16, Helen Milliken died. She was the wife of former Gov. William Milliken who served for fourteen years as governor of Michigan. The Milliken home is here in Traverse City. Helen Milliken, although a Republican, was an environmentalist and a very public advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment right from the start. She was 89 when she died. All of us who live in this area are lucky to have had the Millikens as neighbors. She and her husband were supporters of the Traverse City Film Festival from its inception. And we used to see them at local movie theaters here and in Suttons Bay and at the local Farmers’ Market in the summer. Traverse City and Michigan lost a great first lady last week.
Hey-o, now here’s some ironic reading for a Sunday morning”
http://www.politicususa.com/campaigning-pulpit-wing-churches-lose-tax-exempt-status.html
Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the IRS for failing to audit thousands of churches that violated federal tax law by engaging in partisan advocacy. The lawsuit alleges, “The Internal Revenue Service, under the direction of the Defendant Shulman, has followed and continues to follow a policy of non-enforcement of the electioneering restrictions of §501(c)(3) against churches and other religious organizations. As a result, in recent years, churches and religious organizations have been blatantly and deliberately flaunting the electioneering restrictions of §501(c)(3), including during the presidential election year of 2012.” Back in October, in a flagrant violation of 501(c)(3) rules, over 1,600 preachers engaged in Pulpit Freedom Sunday and actively campaigned from the pulpit to challenge the IRS rules that allow them to leach money from taxpayers.
A spokesperson for Freedom From Religion Foundation said, “This looks like the only way to get some action out of the IRS,” and that “the tipping point was the braggadocio of 1,600 pastors claiming they endorsed from the pulpit. The number of complaints we’ve received has been escalating, and we have no explanation from the IRS. This is our way of finding out what is going on.”
Plus there’s a petition that just needs a few more signatures….
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/enforce-tax-code-and-strip-violating-religious-institutions-their-tax-exempt-501c-status/mCsW32Ng
They didn’t like the “separation” of church and state, but now I wonder how they will feel about “separation” of their “money”?
Learned something new from the coeur d’alene,idaho press. Idaho is as divided as the rest of the nation. What I rilly learned and I must admit I had no clue whatsoever. There are caribou of the woodland persuasion that live and work in eastern Washington state. I had always figured them to be far eastern Canadian or north and central Canadian fixtures. How the hell did they manage to survive in America with Ted Nugent running wild? btw rwnj want to de-list them from the endangered species act. Go figure.
No worries; Ted will either be dead or in jail in six months. And they’ll take away all of his guns in any case.
I used to live in Coeur D Alene. A tree stump could get voted in if there was an R next to their name. There are Democrats there but they are outnumbered a lot. But now there are different Republican groups trying to prove that they are more Republican then each other. Eastern Washington state tends to lean Republican as opposed to Western Washington which leans Democrat. But all of the Republicans in Coeur D Alene and Idaho call Eastern Washington liberal. I gave up trying to figure out what they were about.
http://juneauempire.com/opinion/2012-11-13/empire-editorial-back-capitol-what-awaits That darn Hollis French and other obstructionists in Alaska need to consider what is best for all Alaskans and vote for tax giveaways to big Awl. He also stopped the state from getting a seat to help plan the Pebble Mine,a decision which has already been made,apparently. Must be the only pol Juneau Empire knows by name. He wasn’t officially blamed for lack of local coastal zone management,but if I were him I’d keep a pretty low profile. In iowa we only coast downhill. Do not try this in a tractor hauling grain as free wheeling on a downhill is a recipe for a dubya rwnj sized disaster. Mr French,I’ll never have the pleasure of meeting you,but I sincerely hope you fight the good fight and hold on until reinforcements arrive.
For those seeking some thought-provoking weekend reading over breakfast coffee:
http://www.bostonreview.net/BR37.6/ndf_debt_relief_forgiveness_economics.php
I especially liked Barbara Fried’s response on the limits of personal responsibility, because we definitely live in what Mike refers to as a finger-wagging culture.