Palin Puppet Show.
Well, once again Rupert Murdoch’s hand (aka The Wall Street Journal) has found its way up the backside of the Sarah Palin sock puppet. Yes, I apologize for that imagery. Whoever wrote her latest op-ed piece doesn’t even try to make it sound like it was actually written by her. They’ve just given up. Who cares anymore, anyway? She’s got Facebook ghost writers, book ghost writers, and now a ghost WSJ op-ed writer. And one of her last tweets that promised she couldn’t wait to have less politically correct tweets “fly from [her] fingertips” got squashed by some unknown handler….
Politicizing the Anchorage School District
Now that the Town Hall meetings in Anchorage are over, and Senator Mark Begich has left the state for Washington D.C., what’s a poor bored wingnut to do? Well, after drumming their fingers for 24 hours, waiting for new marching orders, they’re off and running again. Trying to get everyone health care is bad enough, but behold the latest ‘moral outrage’ that President Obama is inflicting on the poor innocent children according to the conservatives. On Tuesday, September 8th, that man is going to be on the TeeVee, in schools across the nation telling the children that education is important…
CRUDE. Another Example of Why You Should Never Ever Trust Chevron.
As if we needed another reason to remind us what big trans-national oil companies will do when they can. Right here in Alaska, Chevron allowed six million gallons of oil to sit unchecked on the shores of Cook Inlet in the path of an erupting volcano. Bob Shavelson of Cook Inletkeeper described it on Mudflats. Despite months of warning, there was no actionable plan in place to address a catastrophic spill from the facility. The spill contingency plan required by laws passed after the Exxon Spill didn’t address a 6 million gallon spill, and it didn’t even envision oil from…
Voices from the Flats – Oil Lust & Dodging Bullets
Bob Shavelson is a reformed attorney with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, and environmental sampling and compliance. He was Editor-in-Chief of the University of Oregon’s Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, and has considerable experience in toxics, the Clean Water Act, and Right-to-Know issues. Prior to joining Inletkeeper in 1996, Bob worked in the United States Senate, Oregon’s Senate Majority Office, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium, and the University of Oregon’s Ocean & Coastal Law Center. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the National Waterkeeper Alliance and the Cook Inlet…
Alaska “Deathers” Heckle Sick People (Updated with Photos)
I am taking a break. This was a strange and disturbing morning. I started the day with a big cup of coffee, and an 8:30am arrival at The Egan Center in downtown Anchorage. That’s where the special session of the Alaska State Legislature is meeting today. They have two things on their plate – voting on whether to overturn ex-governor Sarah Palin’s rejection of the stimulus money for energy efficiency, and whether to confirm Craig Campbell as Lt. Governor. The joint session convenes at 1:00, so I had time to pop over and attend a press conference Organizing for America held…
Pebble Mine, Dirty Gold, and the Corporate War on Alaska’s Salmon.
[This article is cross-posted at The Huffington Post] A lawsuit was filed today claiming that all Pebble Mine’s state permits violate the Alaska constitution. Skulduggery surrounding Pebble Mine? Imagine that. On the receiving end of these legal accusations is the State Department of Natural Resources. The suit was filed today on behalf of eight communities in the Bristol Bay area by plaintiffs including Vic Fischer, one of the drafters of the Alaska Constitution, and Bella Hammond widow of the revered Governor Jay Hammond who had previously said “I think Jay would first and foremost think of protecting that area, mainly the fish and…
White Knight v. Carpet Baggin’ Dragon! Call to Action!
It seems sometimes like politics attracts all the wrong people. The very job that needs selfless people with high moral principle, honesty, and a desire to serve the community, with no particular burning need for power and prestige, too often attracts the wrong kind. Don’t get me wrong, I think there are plenty of people who are good people looking for ways to make a difference, but not too many of them want to jump into the shark tank. But every once in a while somebody who ought to run for office, does. And every once in a while that…
Hey, Alaska! Palin Thinks You’re Stoopid!
It’s interesting to seethe spin coming from the Palin camp regarding the newly discovered illegality of Palin’s legal defense fund, The Alaska Fund Trust. Trustee Kristan Cole is spinning so hard in her panicky 3-page press release, you might as well just give her a funny hat and call her a whirling dervish. Part of the basis for the ethics complaint filed by local resident Kim Chatman, regards the provision of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act that talks about “the prohibition against a public officer accepting gifts that are intended to influence the performance of official duties.” This has ruffled the feathers…
Shoveling Through Kristan Cole’s Press Release…
Boots? Check. Shovel? Check. Aspirin? Check. Flask? Check. OK, looks like we’re ready to go on a field trip, and shovel our way through yesterday’s press release from Kristan Cole, trustee for The Alaska Fund Trust (aka Sarah Palin’s legal defense fund). Stick with me and don’t get separated, or we may never find you in there. It’s easy to get lost in the histrionics, the whining, and the unrelenting spin. Ready? First off, we learn that the conclusions reached by Mr. Daniel are “unprecedented in the history of our country.” Yes, never in 223 years and two weeks has there…