An Open Letter from Rural Alaska to the Parnell Administration
~~CC Strongheart happily plays in a late summer puddle in the Village of Ugashik, while her mother Ann seeks answers about her future from the State of Alaska.~~ Dear Governor Parnell, Mr. Moller, Ms. Jollie, Mr. Black and others; After reading the article in the Dispatch I am gravely concerned and worried even more so than before about what this winter will bring to rural Alaska . Not only is the lack of both subsistence and commercial fishing, greatly diminishing our ability to put away fish for the winter but also the lack of funds brought in from commercial…
Book Wars. Palin v. Johnston – Who’s Got the Slam Dunk?
Oh boy. Vanity Fair does it again. Get ready for the latest teaser extraordinaire about life in the Palin house after the 2008 election. The world’s most infamous ex-almost-son-in-law has let loose a couple interesting little nuggets of which there promise to be more in the upcoming full article entitled “Me and Mrs. Palin.” “The Palin house was much different from what many people expect of a normal family, even before she was nominated for vice president. There wasn’t much parenting in that house. Sarah doesn’t cook, Todd doesn’t cook—the kids would do it all themselves: cook, clean, do the…
Pop, Ooze, Dung, and the Alaska Personnel Board.
Lots of good stuff floating around the internets. Here’s a little smorgasbord of tasty treats you may have missed. POP! Gubernatorial candidate Bob Poe wrote an excellent compass piece for the Anchorage Daily News that begins like this: I support equal rights for all people. And I support banning discrimination in Anchorage due solely to someone’s sexual orientation. I support a comprehensive equal rights ordinance because it’s the right thing to do, period. Sh. sh. shhh. Listen. Do you hear those faint little noises, like Pop Rocks? Remember all those people in red shirts who testified at the Anchorage Assembly…
Alaska Fund BUST. The Governor’s (Il)Legal Defense Fund.
[Read this story at The Huffington Post and Buzz it Up!] The Alaska Fund Trust, the most hubristically-named piece of legal defense fundraising in the state of Alaska, has felt the sunshine of scrutiny, and it isn’t holding up too well. It seems as though the Associated Press got its mits on some interesting information involving an ethics complaint against the governor’s office that was dismissed as frivolous by the administration. After the investigation into the legality of the fund itself was completed, appearances seem to indicate that it was, indeed, a valid complaint that uncovered some unsavory legal fund…
Farewell, My Friends… It’s Been Fun.
“Between the bizarre tweets, the incoherent “good-bye Alaska” speech, and the ensuing and constant pleading that quitting is fighting and fighting is quitting, it has become abundantly clear to anyone with any sense that Sarah Heath Palin has become “Crazy Governor Lady.” So begins a recent opinion piece from local conservative pundit Dan Fagan. It got me thinking. He thinks I have sense. And, in this case, I think he has sense. What does it all mean? Sometimes, being a progressive in Alaska can be a lonely business. Granted, our numbers are growing, and one could argue that the last…
Palin’s Health Care Priorities and Alaska’s Daughters
Today, Lisa Demer of the Anchorage Daily News has broken a story that adds another scandal to the growing list of scandals that have plagued this administration, and shines the light on Alaska’s very own health care crisis. Demer’s story centers on the horrendous condition of the Alaska’s state programs that are designed to help its most vulnerable citizens, the elderly and disabled. The situation is so bad the federal government has forbidden the state to sign up new people until the state makes necessary improvements. [snip] The moratorium is expected to last four or five months. State officials estimate…
Palin’s Parting Gift to Alaska – Another Constitutional Crisis. Gee, Thanks.
What is there to say? You do what you know. And Sarah Palin knows constitutional crises. Let’s look back at some of the highlights… Remember back when former Attorney General Talis Colberg suggested to state employees that it was OK to ignore legislative subpoenas in the Troopergate probe? He was really careful when questioned to say that he didn’t actually tell them not to testify, he merely pointed out that testifying was sort of an “option.” This set off a storm of protest from…well…anyone who knows anything about what a subpoena is. At odds with the legislature, the posture of…
Legislative Session Required to Confirm New Alaska Lt. Governor. Isn’t That ‘Special?’
Legal opinion is in, and a special session of the Alaska state legislature looms. Yup, that means that in all likelihood, this pack of hearty souls who have had to endure what must have felt like the longest gubernatorial partial term in the history of ever….isn’t done yet. The Commissioner of the Department of Corrections who, for some reason, was chosen and accepted the #3 spot in gubernatorial succession has decided he’d rather not have the job of Lt. Governor after all. Not that anyone necessarily blames him. Even he recognizes that Sarah Palin’s former high school buddy suddenly plopped in…
Buckle Up. The Palin Transition Begins.
OK folks, here we go. Rub your palms briskly on your face, and shake out your arms. The Palin transition begins… So, last February, Sarah Palin appointed someone to be third in line for the governor’s office. That someone was Wasilla High School pal Joe Schmidt, Commissioner of the Department of Corrections. An odd choice for several reasons. But nevertheless, it’s the governor’s prerogative to choose, and he was confirmed by the legislature. Now presumably, whomever accepts the position of #3 in line to the throne is thinking … “Wow. If anything happens, like the governor deciding to run for…
New Ethics Complaint Filed Against Gov. Palin – Per Diem for Personal Gain
Wasilla resident Zane Henning will be filing an ethics complaint today against soon-to-be-ex-governor Sarah Palin for continuing to collect per diem expenses from the State of Alaska while still living in, and commuting from her own home. One of the things that will still be getting some attention from government watchdogs, and legislators are possible changes that need to be addressed in the Ethics Act and/or State Law. Sarah Palin may be heading for the exit doors, but Alaska residents will have many governors to come. Like George Bush, who left the door wide open for potential abuses by his…