Oyster Roundup – On Inbreeding, Moose Cheese, and GOP Muppets
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Brilliant Public Relations from the Coal Industry So, a study comes out that was done in coal mining areas in West Virginia, where mountaintop removal threatens the health of residents, devastates ecosystems and leaves the “Mountain State” far less mountainous than it once was. The study says that women who live in coal mining areas have a greater risk of having children with birth defects. But industry lawyers say that it may not be the toxins associated with coal mining, it may be the INBREEDING. Wow….
Open Thread – ACLU Director Comes to Anchorage
Alaska is about to have a very special guest! And it’s a first – a visit by the National Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Anthony Romero! Thursday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. University of Alaska – Anchorage Wendy Williamson Auditorium Romero will address the ongoing struggle for equal rights, and the continuing challenges faced by minority and underprivileged communities, along with the work of the ACLU in expanding civil liberties and equal opportunity for all. A reception with Anthony and a chance to speak with him in person will follow at 8:30 p.m. Don’t miss this exciting…
The Pipe and the Pump – The Price We Pay
By Rep. Les Gara Do you want to be bound, by contract, to pay natural gas prices that are double what is paid in the Lower 48 – for the next 20 or 30 years? How’s that for attracting business to Alaska? How’s that for your pocketbook? The folks who held the press conference on Tuesday didn’t mention any of that, did they? Unfortunately, the gasline debate has devolved into competing sound bites. Those pushing the project want you to think the lights will go out tomorrow if you don’t do what they propose. It’s bad policy to scare people…
Mudflix – Whose Books Would Chicagoans Ban? (You’ll Never Guess)
OK, just to be clear, we here at The Mudflats totally heart the first amendment. It’s actually one of our favorite ones. We would never want to sound like we wanted to limit speech, or squelch the marketplace of ideas, no matter how mind-numbing, head-banging, or downright painfully idiotic those “ideas” may be. That said – Your average Chicagoan on the street was asked which books they would like to see banned at the Printer’s Row Literature Festival in their city. Guess who won. Here are the results: Sarah Palin 36% Glenn Beck 23% Ann Coulter 22% Adolf Hitler 0.5%…
Palin on the Presidency, Family, Her Film, and Beef Jerky Rage.
~Hail to the Chief Pinup Girl The Newsweek cover story on Sarah Palin and her agonizingly drawn out declaration of candidacy for the Presidency is here. The article spares no mercy, launching right out of the chute with Palin’s quote, “I believe that I can win a national election.” So, what then, is stopping her from simply declaring, and putting the ‘lamestream’ media out of its collective misery? “Family.” It’s allllll about the family. Yes that same family that Palin claimed were consulted about the VP nomination, and took a vote, which resulted in an overwhelming, “Go for it, Mom!”…
Palin Says “I Can Win.”
It appears as though Newsweek has yet another traumatic Sarah Palin cover ready to hit the stands. One, as you may recall had her in a calendar girl pose, in running shorts demonstrating her mastery of flag etiquette by leaning on the flag as it lay draped over a bar stool. Then there was the ultra unretouched closeup, showcasing pores and facial hair. Palin fans did not like that one at all. And now here’s one with Wasilla gym clothes, and a ginormous watch that has seemingly replaced her wedding ring as the adornment du jour. But that’s not the…
Open Thread – Coal Country
Here’s one not to miss if you are in town. The Mat Valley Coalition is having a free screening of “Coal Country,” a film about the effects of coal mining on communities and property values. This is an issue vital to Alaskans and those in other coal-bearing states. A recent victory in Chickaloon should not lull us into complacency. The specter of the development of the Chuitna Coal Project looms over Anchorage. Even scarier than those Russians rearing their heads. ~A River near the proposed site of the Chuitna Coal Mine
The Boondoggle vs. The Bridge from Hell
Imagine yourself as a kid in the schoolyard. Over by the monkey bars, you see a scuffle break out. It’s an all out battle between the class bully and the class jerk. They’re fighting over which one of them gets to pick on the good-hearted skinny kid. The Municipality of Anchorage has filed a lawsuit in federal court. You’ve heard of the “Bridge to Nowhere?” Well, the Muni has sued over what I like to call “The Bridge from Hell” and what others call The Knik Arm Bridge, which would span the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. But Mayor Sullivan…
Governor Sean Parnell Gives Alaskans Brain Freeze
By Shannyn Moore It’s summer in Alaska. Days are long and the fish are running. For most of us, it’s the season for rain-gear and fleece, fishing tackle and clam shovels, not torches and pitchforks and recall petitions. That’s lucky for Gov. Sean Parnell. A few weeks ago, Attorney General John Burns addressed a federal ruling on roads in the Tongass by saying, “Today … more so than at any time since statehood, Alaskans’ ability to manage and to responsibly develop its state’s resources is under an unprecedented and coordinated assault by federal regulatory agencies and environmental organizations.” We hear…
Oyster Roundup – Independence Day Edition
Happy Independence Day! Of course, “Alaskan Independence Day” was yesterday, the two year anniversary of the event at Lake Lucille in Wasilla that we like to cal “Quitstock.” That’s right, Sarah Palin abdicated the governorship and left us in the not-so-capable hands of Captain Zero. We Alaskans were rid of her whether we individually wanted to be, or not. Moving on… You may notice that my usual John Tenniel illustration from Alice in Wonderland does not grace this Oyster Roundup. Instead may I present oysters from Kachemak Bay in Homer, Alaska that were presumably engulfed by our editor Shannyn Moore….