6/1 FBX BBQ to Repeal SB21
SATURDAY, JUNE 1 Myrtle Thomas Park – 12th & Noble Street 1:00-3:00pm Come to sign the SB21 petition, and enjoy burgers, and conversation about Alaska’s future! With the summer sunshine heating up in the Fairbanks area, so is the movement against our oil wealth giveaway. Saturday, June 1 will mark the half-way point of the 90-day petition drive designed to put Senate Bill 21 to a vote of the Alaskan people via the referendum process. Fairbanks friends and families who support the repeal of the oil wealth giveaway will meet for burgers, sunshine and a dialogue about Alaska’s future. The…
Alaskans March Against Monsanto (PHOTOS)
More than 300 demonstrators turned out on a beautiful Memorial Day weekend to join groups across the world marching in protest against Monsanto, and genetically modified foods. For an issue that crosses political boundaries, the enthusiasm was clear and loud. Local activists organized the event to bring attention to threats to our food supply,to support local Alaska farmers, and to raise general awareness about the effects of genetically modified foods on farmers, and our health. Marchers also carried signs warning against genetically modified “frankenfish,” a salmon-eel hybrid that could damage wild stocks. “We want safer food, we want to know…
He’s In! Joe Miller Files for Senate Run
Buckle up boys and girls, it jut got interesting. Joe Miller has tossed his hat in the ring, and will be running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Alaska. This will be Miller’s second attempt at a senate seat. He did his best in 2010, winning the Republican nomination, and running in the general against Democrat Scott McAdams, and write-in candidate incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski, whom he’d trounced in the primary. Murkowski won that race in a history making election. But this time, the incumbent is not a member of the same party so no write-in will…
When is Fishing a Crime?
“If I got the means to do it, I will do it,” Phillip said. “Even if you are breaking the law?” asked his lawyer, James Davis Jr. “Well, if it comes down to feeding my family, yes,” Phillip answered. A radio report from KYUK in Bethel made me pull over the Subaru this week. I was listening to the story of Bethel fishermen being prosecuted by the state of Alaska for subsistence fishing during a state-ordered closure. This was Les Misérables, Alaskanized. Last summer these Native fishermen defied a fishery closure to catch salmon to feed their families. The…
March Against Monsanto
Monsanto shouldn’t be immune from the U.S. justice system. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring legislation to eliminate the Monsanto rider. The Monsanto rider stripped the courts of their power to halt the planting of genetically modified crops that could be dangerous to people or the environment. I will keep working on this issue because genetically modified crops can be just as dangerous as genetically modified fish. I’ve always opposed Frankenfish—and I oppose special legal exemptions for Frankenfruit companies too. ~Senator Mark Begich, D-AK Anchorage will be making history when we participate in the first ever global March Against Monsanto! Join over…
Parnell Signs SB21 While Protesters Gather
Inside, former ConocoPhillips lobbyist and current Gov. Sean Parnell was signing away billions of dollars of Alaska’s oil wealth to BP, Exxon, and ConocoPhillips. He was handing them new roads and road improvements, he handed them schools, he handed them public safety officers, and bridges. And in return, we get nothing. Outside, a crowd gathered during their lunch hour to protest the action. The Republicans who backed the Governor’s giveaway either tried to rush through the crowd without making eye contact , or they entered the lobby of the Dena’ina Center from the other side. It was a parade –…
Did You Miss Irony Week?
I have to admit, I missed it. Apparently it was Irony Week in the Municipality from May 5-11. Luckily we have Mayor Dan Sullivan on the job, raising Irony Week to new heights of… well, irony. This winter, hundreds of people – municipal workers of all stripes, and supporters from the community, filed into the Assembly chambers to protest the erosion of collective bargaining rights, and threats to the livelihood of public workers in the form of the Mayor’s Ordinance 37. They stood in line, they waited in seats, they filled the lobby. They went on their day off, their…
Day 19/20 – The Melt
Day 19 and 20 kind of melted together, which is in keeping with the theme outside. It’s melting. Big time. I say this in hushed tones so Old Man Winter doesn’t catch on that I know. Fortunately for all of us, even though the jet stream and the precipitation don’t seem to get it, the sun is actually doing its job. No weather is going to change the axis of the Earth, so our daylight hours continue to grow, and the sun gets warmer by the day. Most of the snow is gone from the lawn, although mornings are still…
The Best Bill in Juneau
During the hearings, and vote on SB21, (the governor’s oil tax plan to give billions to oil companies in exchange for absolutely no promise of anything) did you find yourself wondering why Sen. Peter Micciche who works for Conoco Phillips was allowed to vote to give his boss a windfall? Or why Sen. Kevin Meyer who also works for ConocoPhillips was allowed to do the same? And then there’s Rep. Mike Hawker whose wife works for the oil industry. Before critical votes, you’ll hear a legislator like Micciche and Meyer pipe up and say they’d like to abstain from the…
Day 18 – A Prediction
I thought I’d open with this weather prediction. It’s Bill Murray playing Phil the weatherman from the movie Groundhog Day. “It’s going to be cold, it’s going to be grey, and it’s going to last the rest of your life.” That’s where we are. Facebook is filled with people posting pictures of the snow, and writing messages in it. Some can be repeated: REALLY? WTF? OMG! And all are followed by the date. According to KTVA, we have now surpassed the previous record for longest snow season ever. The previous record was 32 years ago. Despite the winter weather conditions,…