Laptops of Love!
Are you looking for a way to help kids that will fill you with the spirit of Christmas? Yes, you are. Today Rep. Les Gara and the foster care group, Facing Foster Care In Alaska (FFCA), are launching the third annual Laptops for Foster Youth Holiday Drive. Over the past two years this drive has resulted in approximately 200 matches for youth in Alaska! “Laptops are crucial to helping youth improve their chances of success in school, and establishing normalcy in very disrupted lives of youth who often have very few material possessions,” said Gara, a former foster youth whose father was killed…
“Aloha,” Friend.
“Alaska’s 3rd Senator” has died. First elected in 1962, Hawaii’s Daniel Inouye (D) was a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and the nation’s longest serving senator. He was chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and also, previously, of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee for many years. In both capacities, he was a friend to Alaska. He and Uncle Ted were very close, and below are his remarks at the Stevens funeral in Anchorage four years ago. Fare thee well, friend. May the sunny skies and the ocean blue of your home surround you. Aloha.
Parnell Pounds the Table
There’s an old saying, “When the facts are on your side, pound the facts. When the law is on your side, pound the law. When neither is on your side, pound the table.” But in Alaska, when it comes to cutting oil taxes, that strategy really isn’t a winner. With all-time high levels of employment and investment on the North Slope, and the oil companies raking in record profits, the facts are definitely not on the side of the Big Oil Tax Giveaway. With a constitution that requires Alaska to reap the maximum benefit for our natural resources, the law…
Open Thread – We’re #1
Alaska’s brand took a hit a few years back due to some lady whose name escapes me at present. But that hasn’t prevented us from achieving superlative rankings in other matters.
The Choices of Monsters
Born and raised in Alaska, Glen Klinkhart is a retired Anchorage Police Department Detective, a State Certified Police Officer, and Chief Executive Officer for DigitalSecurus, the largest Computer Security Firm in Alaska. He is also a father, lecturer, and author of A CyberCop’s Guide to Internet Child Safety, and the upcoming Finding Bethany. After the mall shooting in Oregon last week, my best friend asked me a question which weighed heavily on her mind, “Why? Why does someone do something horrible like this?” Needless to say, her question is now being asked by people all over the country,…
Open Thread – Lament
Vent. Cry. Comfort. Take care of each other. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQYLMSFH4ck?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
Horror in CT
“Today is not the day to debate gun control. Yesterday was.” —Piers Morgan There are things in this life far more important than being “right,” winning an argument, or getting one’s way on a political issue. If you’re a parent, it’s far more important to me that you never have occasion to grieve the loss of your child than that my side, or my preferred solution, carry the day in the discussion about gun violence. But the refrain that “this is not the appropriate time to discuss this issue” is no longer valid. From whatever perspective you come, whatever you…
Open Thread – Ukraine’s Sport
The distinguished statesmen of the Ukrainian Parliament celebrated 12.12.12 with an homage to their national sport. To promote a greater cross-cultural understanding among the people of our two nations, The Mudflats presents… Ukrainian Parliament Fight Montage
Begich Arms for 2014
Senator Mark Begich (D) doesn’t toe the line every time Harry Reid whistles. And he’s certainly been a thorn in the side of Yellow Dog Dems, and caused much hair pulling and kicking of trash cans for progressive Alaskans, particularly in the area of resource development. All that said, the Democrats in the Senate are a family, and even the wayward kid gets some TLC. Harry Reid knows, as do we all, that 2014 is going to be an interesting race for the Senate in Alaska. It will be Mark Begich (D) vs. any one of a long string of Republicans…
Track Palin to Divorce
Huh. That was quick. And apparently it is news. So sayeth the Washington Post. After 23-year old Track Palin and his wife Britta, 22, watched a 48-minute movie on the impact of divorce on children, …they filed jointly for divorce. This means they’ve agreed to a settlement, including property, finances, and child support. The couple, who had been dating since high school, married in April of last year. The wedding of the jean-clad couple, at Hatcher Pass, Alaska, was reported after the fact in a gushy People Magazine article by Lorenzo Benet. Benet authored the equally gushy Sarah Palin biography Trailblazer,…