Open Thread – Battle
Well… what to say. The brain is full. The heart is heavy. It’s been a challenging week. On the upside, the governor’s new oil tax plan appears to be headed for the rocks. And the Anchorage Daily News in its article on the bill has honored me with the title “one blogger.” One blogger compared the committee action to a rumble at a hockey game, and concluded the senators were winning, big time. Pretty fancy, huh? On the downside, the botched Anchorage election appears to be headed for a potential whitewashing. The only way to assure one is to give…
Open Thread — Getting Ready for the March
By Linda Kellen Biegel Monday night was the “Sign-making party” for the Anchorage version of the “United Against the War On Women” March this Saturday, April 28th at noon starting at the Park Strip (flagpole) and ending at the Town Square Part for speakers, music, etc… At the party, about 20 folks showed up to help and in the picture you can see only a part of the “haul.” We’ll have more in the next several days about the March. What favorite pro-woman or anti-right-winger slogan would you put on a sign?
Open Thread – The Vote
“The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected.” ~Thomas Paine
Open Thread — Latest “Yes On Proposition 5” Commercial
By Linda Kellen Biegel Here is the latest of the “Yes On Prop 5” commercials. The speaker is the wonderful Reverend Michael Burke from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, where I must be in about seven hours with my little clarinet player for the first rehearsal of the 2012 Affetti Honor Band. We stopped by the church for the Affetti Registration tonight and she was so excited to see Yes On 5 stickers all over one of the church tables. Have I mentioned how proud I am of my daughter for being excited about civil rights? Anyway, talk amongst yourselves…I’m off…
BREAKING: Document Reveals Sullivan Misrepresented Escalating Port Cost
The Mudflats has obtained documents showing that Mayor Dan Sullivan is grossly misrepresenting the costs of completing the first phase of the controversial Port of Anchorage Expansion Project. Anyone who has been following the costs associated with the project can hardly help but liken it to that old tongue-in-cheek definition of a boat – a hole in the water into which you pour money. The cost of the increasingly controversial project has more than tripled since 2005 estimates. A draft of the Budgetary Cost Estimate Report for the Port of Anchorage Intermodal Expansion Project, jointly prepared by the U.S. Department of…
North Pole Republican Wants to Eliminate Government Regulation… of Food
~Want some yummy fish? You’ve got to hand it to Alaska State Rep. Tammie Wilson. Right in the middle of the “pink slime” debacle that is turning stomachs across the nation, and increasing scrutiny on what we are putting in our mouths, she’s got a project – and it’s worse than pink slime. At least that gelatinous cow-part goo was designed to preserve food. She wants to deregulate food – even hazardous food. Just like many of her right wing cohorts, she thinks there’s just too much government regulation these days, specifically at your local farmers’ market. Sanitation is overrated…
“Don’t Bend Over, Alaska” Soon-to-be-Viral Video
Remember the $40 Rubber Chicken lunch I told you about yesterday – the one in which the Governor and his oil cronies are actually charging for a lunch to tell oil executives how great it will be for Alaskans to pay them billions in no-strings-attached money? Here’s an awesome video called “Don’t Bend Over, Alaska” from radio host Bob Lester, calling out their oily BS. Let’s make this video go viral before tomorrow’s “rally.” You know what to do – watch it, and share it. And here’s a little fun fact about ConocoPhillips. In 2010 they spent $89,169 on lobbyists…
Open Thread – Cat
We’ve had so many dog posts lately, I thought it was time to do a cat one. And this reminded me of when I first moved to Alaska, and the “cat” reference more often had to do with the large yellow Caterpillar vehicles, than the warm fuzzy purr machines. It made for much amusement when I’d hear Alaskany things like: “He really abused that cat, but it still gets through the snow pretty good.” “You should just sell that cat, and get a new one. You could get almost what you paid for it.” “I don’t know how I ever…
It’s Time. Tell Lawmakers, “Don’t Give Away Alaska’s Oil!”
In the last weeks of the legislative session, the oil companies and their pet legislators have pulled out all the stops. Their bloggers are blogging, their mouthpieces are bloviating, their legislators are lying, and their money is cranking out ad after ad, and all of them are hoping to make you so afraid, you’ll ask lawmakers to give away our oil. Don’t fall for it. And, get this! This week the opposition is actually charging Alaskans $40 for a chicken lunch so they can have the privilege of listening to the oil company shills ask for billions more… They are…