Palin, the Pipeline, and Exxon
Rumors were circulating last night, but it looks like its going to be official. Palin tweeted about her conversations with Alaska’s congressional delegation and the need to flow Alaska’s gas to “hungry markets,” and guess who’s going to help? The pipeline company TransCanada announced today that it has an agreement with Exxon Mobil Corporation to work together on an natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the Lower 48. “We are pleased that TransCanada and ExxonMobil have reached agreement on initial project terms to progress this exciting initiative,” Hal Kvisle, TransCanada president and chief executive officer, said in a written statement….
Open Thread
Brian the Moose hangin’ with Representatives Chris Tuck and Pete Petersen Brian hearts Representative Berta Gardner
Ziegler’s Folly II – UPDATED With Letterman’s Response to Palin Joke Kerfuffle
Ah, that’s our Ziggy. Contessa Brewer at MSNBC had John Ziegler on today to discuss David Letterman’s tasteless jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter. He, apparently had a different agenda. He seemed more interested in using the time to insult Brewer, rail on MSNBC, whine about the media, jab at Keith Olbermann, and demonstrate for us all “How to Burn Your Bridges and Never Be Invited Back to a Network Ever Again.” Brilliant PR work. This is exactly what he was like during the screening of his documentary here in Anchorage…even to people who were trying to be complimentary…
Slogging Through the Mud. No, Really.
No political mud this time. Today, it was the real deal. Since the summer has been unusually warm, and many flowers seem to be blooming early, I thought I’d take a hike to my favorite iris spot. Irises love boggy marshy areas, and there’s a great one near here. Usually they are blooming by mid June, so I thought I’d go check it out in the hopes they made an early showing. It soon became apparent that this was no hike. This was a slog. The path was interrupted by long stretches of deep black mud. Successful navigation required walking way up…
Equal Rights in Anchorage. A Small Step on a Long Road.
Last night was the Anchorage Assembly meeting in which the public was invited to give testimony about ordinance #64, which ensures non-discrimination in housing, education and employment for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered persons. Pastor Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage mega-church the Anchorage Baptist Temple was the one organizing those in opposition to the passage of the ordinance. We all knew it was going to be a dramatic evening. As I was heading out the door, I remembered that I’d gotten something from Equality Works in an email saying to wear blue. So, I quickly ran upstairs and changed into…
Palin on GOP – They Turned Me into a Newt! Again.
To truly appreciate the latest incident between the Republican Party and Governor Sarah Palin, it’s helpful to take a moment to refresh our memories. I posted a while backabout the strange and devolving relationship between Sarah Palin and the GOP when it comes to “making dates”. Here’s a quick recap. First Palin says she can’t speak at the GOP winter retreat because she’s got homework in Alaska, and then shows up that same night at the Alfalfa Club Dinner across town in D.C. Then she commits to speak at the CPAC convention, confirms, and then cancels. Now, she’s all set…
The Hope Truck Trilogy – Part 1, The Departure
Here’s the report we’ve all been waiting for, and it was definitely worth the wait. Mudflatter Hope is the one who volunteered to fill up a truck of donated supplies, tools, and clothing donations and drive them up the highway to Eagle to help the victims of the Yukon River flooding. She did such a great and detailed job of chronicling her odyssey, that it will be posted as a trilogy! You can check back throughout the day for the other two parts which are yet to come. Once again thank you to all in this community who stepped up…
Palin is Pallin’ Around With Plagiarists?
Todd Palin, that is. That’s because the plagiarist is none other than the Governor, herself. Geoffrey Dunn over at Huffington Post read my transcript of Palin’s 17 minute introduction of Michael Reagan, and a little bell went off in his head. He had a strange feeling he’d heard all this somewhere before…..(except in English)….. (insert harp music here, as things get all blurry) I realized I had read some of this before. So I tracked down the original Gingrich-Shirley article, “Republicans Need to Relearn Lessons of the Reagan Revolution” which appeared in the Union Leader, November 1, 2005, and is also online….
Silence is Consent. (Updated)
It’s hard not to comment on today’s news. Killing in the name of pro-life. Last year I attended a candlelight vigil at the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in the memory of innocent people who were gunned down in their church at a Sunday morning children’s program. They died not because of who they were, but for what they believed. They were randomly targeted as symbols of liberalism in America. Adkisson, [the shooter] who had served in the military, said “that because he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement he would then target those that had voted them…
Hike Up the Hill (Non-Political!)
This is our first cold, windy, rainy weekend of spring. It reminds me of the entirety of last summer. And the summer before that. But I was able to go out and enjoy one of the warm sunny days earlier in the week. Things are really greening up, but the grasses and leaves are still not mature yet, so it’s easy to see all the little things that will become hidden under the green as summer progresses. Fungi and lichens seem to congregate on particular trees for some reason or another, and are easy to spot and photograph now. The…