If It’s Good Enough for Them, It’s Good Enough for Us.
The blogosphere is full of tributes to Senator Ted Kennedy today. The left is mourning. Some on the right are not. Ted Kennedy was a consummate negotiator. He never gave up without a fight, and he knew what was right. He lived a life of privilege, fiercely devoted to serving those who did not. I was reading the comments from Sarah Palin’s facebook page, and over on Fox News. I wondered to myself how it was possible that the very people that Kennedy fought for all his life, to give them a living wage, and to give them the…
1 – 2 – 3 … Jump! Entering the Blogosphere.
At Netroots Nation, I attended a lot of panel discussions because I thought they’d be valuable for me, and for Mudflats. But there was one that I looked at and thought… I’m going to this one for YOU. So many of you donated to make the trip possible, and voted for my scholarship, this was my way of saying thank you with some tangible information that will help you make change where you are, whether you’re in Alaska or not. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to start a local blog? Do you have a blog already…
Voices from the Flats – Oil Lust & Dodging Bullets
Bob Shavelson is a reformed attorney with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, and environmental sampling and compliance. He was Editor-in-Chief of the University of Oregon’s Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, and has considerable experience in toxics, the Clean Water Act, and Right-to-Know issues. Prior to joining Inletkeeper in 1996, Bob worked in the United States Senate, Oregon’s Senate Majority Office, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium, and the University of Oregon’s Ocean & Coastal Law Center. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the National Waterkeeper Alliance and the Cook Inlet…
Odds and Ends
Getting Those Damn Rats Out of Alaska No, not those kind of rats. And not really the whole state…but still, it’s a victory. I’m talking about actual four-legged, snaggle-toothed, beady-eyed, bird-killin’ varmints. The ignominiously named “Rat Island” appears to now be completely rat free. I’ve been following this story for a while, so I was glad to hear that the latest news was good. The down side to the rat eradication is that the poisoned pellets used to kill them also killed gulls and bald eagles in the process. Since Rat Island has been infested with rats for 230 years,…
Netroots – Turning Red Districts Blue: Organizing for Change
One of my favorite panels at Netroots Nation was the panel discussion entitled Turning Red Districts Blue: Organizing for Change. Panelists were David Atkins (moderator), Darcy Burner, Adam Lambert, Democracy for America’s Arshad Hasan, Matt Browner Hamlin, and Eden James. Matt Browner Hamlin spoke about his time as Mark Begich’s online communications director in the 2008 campaign. MBH: The challenge in Alaska is how do you get from a population which is only 23% Democratic to a vote of 50% +1. It was a big hurdle. Most Alaskans are registered as Non-Partisan. What helped the Begich campaign was the…
Frankenmap is Now Complete!
Last summer I first noticed two things; Al Franken’s strange and wonderful parlor trick, and it’s fatal flaw. It seems that Al Franken, when he was a child, was given by his parents a wooden map puzzle of the United States. I was also given by my parents a wooden map puzzle of the United States. That’s where the similarity between me and Al Franken ends. Although I was left with a better than average sense of geography, and can still put the map together pretty quickly, Al Franken can actually draw the thing from memory. Franken’s childhood map did…
Netroots – Progressive Punch
I finished up the morning today by attending a discussion called “Staying on Top of Congress’ Shenanigans.” How could I resist that one? It turned out to be a tutorial on using a webiste called “Progressive Punch.” It’s probably something you can figure out yourself by just jumping in and clicking around. It seems to be organized fairly well, and is extremely informative. It looks at the voting records of all members of the House and Senate, and scores based on a curve how your representatives rate in terms of their support for progressive causes. Clicking on embedded links brings…
Alaska “Deathers” Heckle Sick People (Updated with Photos)
I am taking a break. This was a strange and disturbing morning. I started the day with a big cup of coffee, and an 8:30am arrival at The Egan Center in downtown Anchorage. That’s where the special session of the Alaska State Legislature is meeting today. They have two things on their plate – voting on whether to overturn ex-governor Sarah Palin’s rejection of the stimulus money for energy efficiency, and whether to confirm Craig Campbell as Lt. Governor. The joint session convenes at 1:00, so I had time to pop over and attend a press conference Organizing for America held…
Senator Mark Begich’s Arctic 7-Pack
Recognizing that the Arctic will play a major role in the nation’s commerce, foreign policy, and energy independence over the next 50 years, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich today introduced a legislative package of seven bills designed to plan and prepare for the changes and challenges in the region. Begich devoted his “maiden” speech on the Senate floor to the issue because of its importance to Alaska. Called the Inuvikput legislation after the Inupiaq expression meaning “the place where we live,” Begich’s package of bills deal with oil exploration, climate change, shipping, health, and diplomacy in America’s arctic. Begich said the…