Juneau Has a Senator, and the Agony is Over.
Yay. (clap……clap……clap) Juneau has a new senator. Don’t get me wrong. I really am very happy that the insane drama of filling this empty seat is over. I want to be able to summon some real enthusiasm. I want to revel in the Dem’s spineliness in sticking to their guns, and not appointing Tim Grussendorf or Joe Nelson. I want to jump up and down, and pop a cork, and spray champagne all over the capital city. I want to congratulate the people of Juneau for getting a decent person to fill the seat, and finally give them representation. But frankly,…
“Let Them Cut Wood” in the Forests of Western Alaska.
The legislative session ends today, but the fun continues right to the bitter end. Residents of rural Alaska were interested to note that Rep. Mike Kelly (R) from Fairbanks (who won the election by one vote), is irritated with the idea of appropriating state energy assistance money to rural Alaska and suggested that people shouldn’t rely on state aid, but instead should “cut wood.” If you are picturing the rural villages of Western Alaska with dwellings nestled among stands of large hardwood trees and dense foliage, you may now disavow yourself of that supposition. In places like Emmonak, which has a few scrubby alders,…
Swans and Snubs and Bears, Oh My!
Swan Song Alaska has two common species of swans; trumpeter swans and tundra swans. The tundra swan is absolutely striking, with black bill and black feet. It is also known as the “whistling swan” because of the noise its powerful slow wing beats make in flight. To see a pair of tundra swans nesting on a misty lake, is absolutely, breathtakingly magical. A grim death toll of migrating tundra swans is again being observed at northern Idaho marshes contaminated with toxic mining waste. Thousands of swans headed for breeding grounds in Alaska stop each spring at the marshes along the Coeur…
Sarah Palin Out of Touch and Out of Town.
Alaskans are picking themselves up and dusting themselves off today after dodging the bullet that was the appointment of Wayne Anthony Ross for Alaska’s Attorney General. Relief is the word of the day. There were many factors leading to the demise of this nomination; the fact that he called gays “degenerates” in the Bar Newsletter, the condemnation by every major Native organization, the report of comments that can only be described as sexist and misogynistic at meetings and panel discussions, but the final nail in the coffin for several of those “nay” votes may have been the most awesome “gotcha” moment…
Texas Has Stolen Our Meme, and This Cannot Stand.
Heeeeey. we’re the ones who are supposed to have the disturbing secessionist tendencies. That’s our meme! Who does this guy think he is? “Texas is a unique place. When we came into the union in 1845, one of the issues was that we would be able to leave if we decided to do that. My hope is that America, and Washington in particular, pays attention. There’s a lot of different scenarios. We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what…
Les Gara on Wayne Anthony Ross.
As you might guess, I will vote against Mr. Ross today, and the vote will be close, if it happens. There is a chance, if he doesn’t have the votes, that the Legislature will not vote on him at all and just call for a new nominee. I’ve worked at the AG’s office, under Republican AGs whose politics I’ve disagreed with. A good AG, like those I worked for, puts their politics to the side, and stands up for every Alaskan. Wayne Anthony Ross is probably good man, on a personal level. I don’t know him. But he has expressed…
What Wayne Anthony Ross Thinks About Gay Alaskans.
Here’s a quick reprint from Bent Alaska. The vote on Ross’ confirmation is scheduled to take place today. [Sarah Palin’s Attorney General Nominee Wayne Anthony] Ross wrote a letter to the Alaska Bar Rag in March 1993 in response to an appeal from “Lawyers Against Discrimination,” a group that opposed the repeal of a non-discrimination ordinance, approved by the Anchorage Assembly, which prohibited the Municipality from employment discrimination on the basis of “sexual preference.” “It was a big messy battle in Anchorage in late 1992/early 1993,” writes Mel Green. “The ordinance was ultimately rescinded.” Discrimination on the basis of sexual…