The Audacity of Failure – She’s Back!
She ran for governor of Georgia in 2010 and lost. Then she took one of the most beloved and successful non-profits on the planet, set it on fire, and shoved it out to sea like a viking funeral pyre, before resigning in disgrace. Then she wrote a book with the painfully prosaic title “Planned Bullyhood,” in which she called members of Planned Parenthood “a bunch of schoolyard thugs.” So, what’s next for Karen Handel, disgraced and ostracized former head of the Susan G. Komen foundation? She’s considering a run for the U.S. Senate, of course. If she ran, she would…
Wielechowski Wins National Veterans Honor
We affectionately call him “The Best Bill in Juneau” but now Viet Nam Veterans of America have named him the Best Bill in the Nation! Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) has selected Senator Bill Wielechowski, a Democrat from East Anchorage, as the “State Legislator of the Year” for 2012. The award is given only once every two years to one legislator in the entire nation who has exhibited exceptional leadership, support and dedication to veterans, service members and their families. “I am incredibly honored and humbled by this recognition from Vietnam Veterans of America,” said Senator Wielechowski. “We have an obligation to properly…
The Soldier, The Sailor & The Senator
Prisoner #313052 was wounded and, a few days later, taken captive by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. A member of the 86th and 28th Infantry Divisions during World War II, George Chilton aka “dad” would later be liberated by the Russians and awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his service. He never did claim the Bronze Star. He said he didn’t like to think about what he had to do to earn it. And thus, ever since I was a young girl, I was made aware that there are ordinary people who do extraordinary things…
Schaeffer Cox Trial – The Book of Armaments, Chapter Three
I rushed in to the court house on Day 3 of the trial of Schaeffer Cox, Coleman Barney, and Lonnie Vernon, and did the security drill. I passed the first checkpoint, but the second screening caused the security man to say, “Do you have any batteries in there?” Asking me if I have any batteries in my bag is like asking me if there’s a loose button in my house. I’m sure there must be, but I cannot verify it for sure, or tell you exactly where it is… And so the rifling through my giant saddle bag began –…
Militia Trial – The Book of Armaments, Chapter Three
I rushed in to the court house on Day 3 of the trial of Schaeffer Cox, Coleman Barney, and Lonnie Vernon, and did the security drill. I passed the first checkpoint, but the second screening caused the security man to say, “Do you have any batteries in there?” Asking me if I have any batteries in my bag is like asking me if there’s a loose button in my house. I’m sure there must be, but I cannot verify it for sure, or tell you exactly where it is… And so the rifling through my giant saddle bag began –…
Murkowski Votes Against Jobs, Deficit Reduction, Veterans, Teachers, and Taxing Millionaires. (Rally!)
The Constitution. We’ve seen it wrapped around buses, misspelled on Tea Party signs, hailed and praised by the “back to basics” Republicans who tell us that if we just went back to the wisdom of the founding fathers, life would be good again. It’s been waved like the flag, held up like holy writ, and revered as the greatest document ever written. Yes, the right loves them some Constitution – unless of course it means that they don’t get their way. It’s kind of like the Bible. Just don’t pay attention to all that healing the sick, and taking…
The Swindling of Our Wounded Warriors — A Request for Assistance *UPDATED*
By Linda Kellen Biegel Those of you who live in Anchorage may have heard about a fundraiser put on by Arkansas transplant politico and drag performer Caleb Pritt for an organization called “Homes for Our Troops.” The money was supposed to be designated towards a home for Latseen Benson and his family. Latseen lost both of his legs in a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq and required a more adaptive home to successfully complete everyday tasks. Homes for Our Troops was (is) in the process of building him one. It was still a few thousand dollars from completion when Caleb…
Of Starfish and Mudpuppies and Miracles
There have been many instances in the last three years that the Mudflats Forum community has risen to the call to help a fellow Mudpup in need. I want to share one such story with you as it came from Mudpuppy Bubbles. Her account brought to mind a parable of sorts that I’d heard a long time ago. An old man and a boy were walking on the beach. There were starfish on the beach as far as the eye could see, and they were about to be stranded in the hot sun by a very low tide. The man…
Palin’s Paul Revere Gaffe – The Idiocy Tour Continues (VIDEO)
Well, Hurricane Sarah continues its ravaging rampage up the Eastern seaboard. Leaving idiocy, ignorance and alienation in its wake, it continued its relentless path of destruction as it headed for New Hampshire. First, in the nation’s capital, Sarah Palin managed to alienate the organizers of the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally in support of veterans, POWs and those missing in action. Then, she struck New Yorkers in the heart with a fork by desecrating their local customs and humiliating herself by eating pizza with silverware. And let’s not forget the “Statute [sic] of Liberty.” So where is she now? Boston,…
Memorial Day 2011
By Jim Wright (Stonekettle Station) It’s a beautiful day here in the Alaskan Mat-Su. It’s perfect day for grilling out or just working in the yard or maybe taking nice hike – and I may do all three. It’s also nearly ten years now since those terrible days of 2001. A full decade of war and death and sacrifice. For some of our children, the most recent generation and the ones just now reaching the age of reason and awareness, they have never known an America not at war. Think about that. Their grandparents came of age in the 1950s,…