3/2 Tim Steele for Assembly
Join us for an Education Fundraiser Saturday, March 2, 2013 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the home of Sanna Green, 1301 Bannister Drive, Anchorage This year, with our schools facing budget cuts and voucher proposals, we need leaders who understand the value of public education. Cohosts: Carol Comeau, Shirley Holloway, Peggy Robinson, Jake Metcalfe, Macon Roberts, Patti Higgins, Andy Holleman, Marilyn Pillifant, Gina Ireland-Kelly, Barb Clark, Andrea Lang, George Donart, Tommy O’Malley, Rod McCoy, Patti Minatani Steen, Gary Holthaus, Donna Holleman, Abby Hensley, Jonathan Teeters, Kalen Saxton, Linda Kumin, Paula Powlowski DETAILS HERE
Cat Got Your Tongue?
Happy Friday, Mudflatters! You deserve a smile as you end the week. Sometimes survival in itself is its own reward, but you get a bonus. This bit of awesome actually makes you more productive, according to science.
HB69: A National Disgrace
The most controversial bill in recent Alaska history – and beyond – might be this session’s House Bill 69, sponsored by Speaker Mike Chenault. This House legislation was advertised as a declaration of state sovereignty as it related to owning firearms in Alaska. But that was more of a side note to the actual threat the language of the bill presents. HB69 includes provocative language stipulating that state authorities could, should the bill pass, arrest federal agents who attempted to enforce federal law regarding gun regulations. For instance, if Washington DC passed a law tomorrow stating that high capacity ammo clips are…
Good News for Chuitna Salmon
I present to you, in the middle of chaos and frustration… (drum roll please)… a small victory! In a decision issued February 25, 2013, the Alaska Superior Court ruled that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) violated its own rules by denying Alaskans’ their right to keep water in streams to protect wild salmon runs. The decision in Chuitna Citizens Coalition vs. Dan Sullivan, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, takes on special importance as the Alaska legislature considers bills introduced by Governor Parnell (HB 77/SB 26) which will strip Alaskans of their right to protect “instream flows,” which are…
3/1 Traini Solidarity Bomb!
Assemblyman Dick Traini is standing up for workers. Let’s support him with a money bomb! Whether a firefighter, teacher, police officer, electrician, small or large business owner, student, stay-at-home mom, or anything in between, we MUST stand in solidarity at this crucial time in Anchorage. Anchorage needs the right energy, right ideas, and right experience to move the city forward in a responsible manner that mirrors the will of the people. Thats my one and only promise to you — to be a public servant of the people. Can you help me send this message to Anchorage? Lets raise $5,000…
3/2 Holmes Constituent Meeting
Representative Holmes is holding a constituent meeting on Saturday, March 2 at 11:30 AM. We would love for all of our supporters to show up at the meeting with signs and application petitions for signature. The goal here is to show our numbers, gather some signatures, and share with Representative Holmes that we are serious and passionate about our campaign. This is NOT an invitation to be disruptive, loud, difficult, or in any way disturb the event. We are taking the high road, and the event is shared with Representative Costello and her constituents. Please allow them, and also those…
I love my city, and I love my job
“It’s starting to feel like a rock concert.” I agreed with the anonymous voice drifting over the mass of people, packed like sardines into the lobby of the Assembly chambers. Bright lights were on, TV cameras set up, and people were fanning themselves with folders, and papers. Everyone was here to testify on Ordinance 37, the mayor’s attempt to take advantage of the current makeup of the Assembly to push through a law that would restrict workers’ rights, and curtail collective bargaining for public unions. The turnout was impressive. I wasn’t sure if anyone had shown up to testify in…
Greg Palast asks, ‘How Do You Steal a Dream?’
How Do You Steal a Dream? Supreme Court hears suit to kill Voting Rights Act For Care2.com By Greg Palast, author, “Billionaires and Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps” Video Produced by The Mudflats’ own, Zach D Roberts. Sign the petition to Defend Martin Luther King’s Dream Act – here. Read Shannyn Moore’s piece on how Alaska plays into all this – at the Anchorage Daily News Jim Crow is alive and well — and he has mounted a new attack on the law Martin Luther King dreamed of: the Voting Rights Act. February 27, the…
Sen. Coghill Needs a Doctor STAT!
John Coghill can’t seem to find credible doctors to attack Alaskan women’s reproductive health. Imagine that. In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, not a single doctor from Alaska was allowed to testify for or against a bill that would restrict access to safe and legal abortion for low-income women in our state. Gems of wisdom from the out-of-state doctors that the bill’s sponsor Senator John Coghill chose to testify on SB49 include these debunked falsehoods: “Abortion exacerbates existing mental health illness,” and “Women who have an abortion have an 81 percent increased risk for mental health problems.” –Dr….
M*U*S*H on PBS in Alaska This Week
There are a few people I count as “honorary Alaskans.” You know the type. They come for a visit and fall in love with the mountains, the ocean, the seafood, the wildness, and most of all the people. The unpretentious, just-a-little-different breed that decides they’d like to do things their own way. They’re a hardy lot who doesn’t much care for how they do things “Outside.” They’re sort of Libertarian/Conservative/Socialists who think you should teach a man to fish, but for the most part would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. Many have come to…