Alaska’s Business Report Card – F is for Fabulous, and A is for Asshat
Senator Bill Wielechowski and Rep. Les Gara held a press conference yesterday talking about how corporations attempt to wield their power over the Alaska legislature through the use of the Alaska Business “Report Card.” Let’s listen to what this is all about from Rep. Les Gara. Now, think about corporations for a moment. I have equated corporations to polar bears before. Polar bears are not inherently evil, but they can be dangerous, and they do have an agenda that doesn’t always match that of people. The internal programming of a polar bear is simple – if it moves, it’s food….
“Occupy the Tundra” Lady on The Shannyn Moore Show Today!
Many of you know Diane McEachern as the “Occupy the Tundra Lady.” She’s the one who posted a picture of herself attending a solo vigil (plus a few dogs) out near Bethel in rural Western Alaska. The picture rapidly went viral, and Diane has used her 15 minutes of fame to draw attention to an issue of tremendous importance to her remote region – the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine project, and how she feels the threat of corporate interest that has very little to do with human interest in her area. Our hats off to Diane for helping…
Working Hard Representing… Who?
‘Tis the season for political fundraisers. Invitations come via email, and Facebook, and robocall, and some still even come the old fashioned way and arrive in the mailbox. Each invitation tries to sound a little exciting, a little different, a little “stand out from the crowd.” Well, this is one that definitely stood out. We’ve got two candidates – Neal Foster, and Donny Olson. They’re both from Nome, and they are both running for re-election to the state legislature – Foster in the House, and Olson in the Senate. Now, let’s put on our reading spectacles and have a careful…
Corrupt Bastard Double Feature – Kott and Kohring Sentenced
Yesterday, a long dark chapter in the history of Alaska politics came to an end. I decided that even though the day didn’t promise to hold any shocking news or big surprises, that I ought to be there nonetheless. The last of the self-described “Corrupt Bastards Club” have pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Judge Ralph Beistline. Courtroom 2 in the Federal Courthouse was busy today. No cameras were allowed in the courtroom so, as usual, you will have to rely upon my masterful and detailed court drawings that will make you feel like you were really there. First up:…
After Three Years, the State Requests Another Extension for the Palin Email Release
~The Alaska Department of Law hard at work on the Palin emails Remember when our former governor was nominated to be the VP candidate? And we were all like, “What? Really? You’ve got to be kidding me!” I know. It seems like a lifetime ago. Back then, in days of yore, people in the Lower 48 didn’t even know how to pronounce her name. “Is it Pallin?” they asked. “Who is this woman? We know nothing about her!” And so journalists started doing what journalists are paid to do. They investigated, and they asked (utilizing public records requests) to see…
Corrupt Bastards Plead Out – No New Trials for Kott and Kohring
Well, it’s good news for former Senate President Pete (got) Kott and former Representative Vic Kohring – bad news for courtroom devotees of the Corrupt Bastard trials. It was political theater at its best, and there never seemed to be an end to the drama. But with news that there will be no prosecution of Ben Stevens, former Senate President (and son of the late Senator Ted Stevens), nor of Congressman Don Young, it appeared that things are winding down. Kott and Kohring were both found guilty and serving prison time when their attorneys successfully appealed and got both a…
Vulture’s Picnic by Greg Palast – A Mudflats Exclusive Excerpt
By Zach Roberts Hey Mudflatters – In addition to my duties as New York Bureau Chief of The Mudflats, I’ve taken on working with Greg Palast. You might have heard him on the Shannyn Moore Show talking about the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He was a forensic economist for the Chugach Natives – kind of a Sam Spade, except with numbers (not as sexy… and no whips). He uncovered the fact that it wasn’t the drunk Captain, but Exxon being cheap that caused that man-made disaster. The story made him give up his day job and start working as a…
Bristol Bay Votes to “Save Our Salmon” from the Threat of Pebble Mine
Voters in the Lake and Peninsula Borough near Bristol Bay have had their say. After being blanketed with pro-Pebble mine propaganda telling residents that if the initiative passed it would jeopardize future projects like roads and airports and docks, the majority of the residents remain unconvinced. The Pebble Partnership has stated repeatedly that if local residents don’t want the mine, then there will be no mine. According to an October 2008 article on the Fast Company website, Anglo American’s CEO Cynthia Carroll said, “I will not go where people don’t want us. I just won’t. We’ve got enough on…
Politicians – Judge Them By Their Deeds
By Shannyn Moore “Go out and preach the gospel. And if you must, use words.” — St. Francis of Assisi This week I watched the GOP round-table debate. It still startles me to hear words and moral claims from candidates who must believe we’ve never seen their deeds. I’m a big believer in the separation of church and state … but let’s suppose we were a “Christian Nation,” not just a nation made up of Christians, Jews, Muslims, old believers, pagans, atheists and free-range hippies. Could we, this new “Christian Nation,” pick the Beatitudes as our rule of law?…
Occupy Alaska! (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau, Unalaska, Bethel, Cordova) updated
The Occupy movement has reached Alaska! Occupy Fairbanks photos from Mudflatter “Fairbanksan,” and front page coverage from the Fairbanks Daily News Miner HERE. Armed with megaphones, signs and the power of free speech, Occupy Fairbanks protesters occupied downtown for much of Saturday. The group of more than a hundred people marched from place to place, chanting, singing and speaking up about their frustration with corporations’ power in the country. “I’m here today because I grew up loving America,” Marco Lewis, a retired military veteran, said. In recent years, though, he said, the country is different than the one he grew…