Occupy Anchorage!
This afternoon in Anchorage, several hundred people gathered in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protesters. A crowd this size was a fantastic turnout for an event that was promoted largely on Facebook and by word of mouth. The weather cooperated beautifully. It was a gorgeous sunny autumn day in the 50s, and spirits were high. The crowd was full of families with kids, and dogs, young adults, and seniors. There was a great contingent from the Native community as well. Anyone who wanted to could sign up to speak, but the main event was former Mayor of Sitka and…
Vitamin Democracy – Save the Internet
Howdy, Mudflatters! Ready for your dose of Vitamin Democracy? This is where you get to feel important and participatory, and do things that members of free societies get to do – bug your representatives. We don’t ask you to bug them often, or unless it’s really important. This is one of those times. See the little guy with the ‘D’ and the hammer? That’s you. The scary looking green thing is the anti free speech force that wants to tell you how you can use the internet. And your job today is to whack that SOB right on the top…
Oyster Roundup – Rats, Scented Candles, Pebble Mine and more…
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more… A half-dozen slurpable stories for your consumption. All titles are links. Eat up! Westboro Baptist Church to Picket Jobs Funeral Yes, apparently the most hateful, vicious, mean-spirited group of “religious” wingnuts, who made famous the “God Hates Fags” slogan, will be picketing the funeral of Steve Jobs. Why? Because he “served self, not God” and “encouraged his neighbors to sin.” How do we know they will be doing this? (Wait for it) Because they tweeted it from an iPhone. Yes, really. No worries about Westboro appreciating this…
OccupyWallStreet Issues Declaration Through Mastery of the Human Mic
~Photo by Zach Roberts The OccupyWallStreet movement, through consensus, has issued its first official statement. The process took two weeks. It may seem like a long time, but a fascinating article by Richard Kim of The Nation explains why this statement is a Herculean achievement, and it may not be for the reasons you think. Microphones, speakers, and even bull horns are prohibited from the site of the demonstration. If you use one, it can mean 30 days in jail. That means that all communication must rely on “the human mic.” So despite all the attention given to how Twitter,…
Pebble Mine and the Foreign Fox in Alaska’s Legal Hen House
By Shannyn Moore We take the 49th star on our nation’s flag for granted. That was a hard fight, and statehood wasn’t won on the first pass or even the second. The tipping point and fuel came in large part from the “We-don’t-like-being-bossed-around-by-outsiders” attitude of Alaskans. It’s a bit ironic when we look at ourselves 50-plus years later. This week at the Alaska Energy Council luncheon, oil lobbyists and Republican lawmakers sat side by side at the head table. I guess I should be grateful they’re fraternizing in public instead of in a room at the Baranof. I long for…
Vote Tuesday – Critical Elections in Fairbanks and Mat-Su!
Fairbanks! Mat-Su! This Tuesday, Vote Like You Mean It. You know how sometimes you stand there in the voting booth, squint your eyes, and vote for the lesser of the two evils. You’re half tempted to close your eyes, make a big circle in the air with your pencil, stab it down on the ballot and pick whichever Assembly member you come closest to. This is definitely not your problem if you live in Fairbanks or the Mat-Su Valley. In Fairbanks, the Tea Party is well represented among Borough Assembly incumbents like talk radio host Michael Dukes. Predictably, assaults on…
Diebold Voting Machines Can Be Hacked for $10, and How This Could Save Your Thanksgiving.
I roll over lazily, stretch, yawn, and open one eye… I do a combined gasp/shriek, recoil a little, and bury my face in the pillow. Yes, my strange bedfellow is still here. I thought he left after the 2010 election, but apparently not. Given that you all know how I feel about former U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller, that I agree with virtually none of his political philosophy, and that I am grateful every day that he is not in Washington, D.C., he does bring up an interesting point to the readers of his website. The topic of the article…
Open Thread – Wall Street Occupation Continues (PHOTOS)
Zach Roberts, our NY Bureau Chief has been providing ongoing coverage of the Wall Street occupation. The mainstream media is all but ignoring the demonstrations, so the photographic and video record of this event will have particular historical significance. Zach’s photos have been picked up by more than one of the very limited outlets who have had some amount of coverage on the subject.
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…