Sullivan, Murkowski & Young cry racism? WHAT?
Hey, Republicans – you’re doing it wrong. In a time when the most NON-political issues have become political third rails like, I dunno… basic hygiene during a pandemic, the Republican party never ceases to amaze. As the Black Lives Matter movement rolls forward, demanding that Alaskans and all Americans look hard at reforming our law enforcement agencies in the wake of decades of horrific inequities and violence against people of color, toxic seeds of racial division are being sown even by our Republican Congressional Delegation. Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. IT’S ONLY RACIST IF THERE’S OIL…
Alaska Republicans Silent and Absent. Again.
WHAT A WEEK! We say that every week, but this week sets the bar for bad weeks in the Trump administration. The historical lack of equal justice in our country, the horrific murder of George Floyd, the violence on the streets of our cities, the President threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and turn the U.S. military against its own citizens… The headlines we see on a daily basis sound like the stuff of dystopian fiction. But one thing that has happened as a result is that the response to these events by individuals has told us a…
Don Young Goes Aggro on Staffer
We snickered when he banged a walrus penis bone on the table during a House session. We face palmed when he threatened to bite a New Jersey congressman like an Alaskan mink. We rolled our eyes when he wore a beanie propeller in committee to mock wind power. We sighed when he cursed at a police officer, and barged into a building that was closed for asbestos cleanup. We dropped our jaws when he suggested that public sector union members/federal employees should be ashamed of themselves. We cringed when he made goofy faces on camera during the naming of a post…
Oyster Roundup – Cool Pope, Crazy Cruz & More
Gather round little ones! It’s time for a cool half-dozen slurpable newsy bites on the half shell. We Heart the Pope There goes that Pope again, giving Christians a good name. Sarah Palin noted, with some consternation that this Pope is sounding kind of “liberal” and her verdict is still out. While the former half-term governor of Alaska “does her homework” and figures out that Jesus was a liberal, the Pope turned his ire toward corruption. Take heed governments around the world and the Vatican. AwesomePope is not pleased with you, and says “the corrupt should be tied to a…
Don Young & 22 in GOP Oppose TPP Fast Track
“Fast track.” Sounds productive. Sounds exciting. Sounds all, “Git ‘er dun.” But in reality, what fast track trade authority does is allow a President to sign and enter into a trade agreement before Congress gets to vote on it, have a guaranteed vote within a set number of days, limited debate, and no amendments allowed. Presidents including Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush requested the authority, which has been used 16 times since its inception in the 1970s. And now President Obama would like to have it while negotiating trade agreements via the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). [Here’s a quick…
Don Young Attacks Federal Employees, Goes Hitler
The “Congressman for All Alaska,” Don Young (R) was a featured speaker today at the Federal Overreach Summit in Anchorage. Young, who has a reputation for being outspoken, outrageous, and often politically incorrect was in rare form. After railing on what he perceives as the intrusion of the federal government into land and resource issues in Alaska, and into our personal lives, he castigated the EPA, the DEC, the National Parks Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers, saying they “do nothing.” He also had a harsh message to federal employees in general who number 22,887 in his state of only…
North Pole Dentist Won’t Go Away
BY SHANNYN MOORE I was hoping the Alaska Republican Party would self-correct. The GOPers have had more than a month to make things right but haven’t yet seen a need. Oh, I know, they’re just as busy as the rest of us, getting ready for guests, looking for the top of the pressure cooker, wondering if sunburned mosquito bites were worth that day at the Slide Hole. (They were.) See, there’s a bad penny that keeps showing up in Alaska politics. I wonder why Republicans don’t get rid of him, because sooner or later someone will write a story or…
Chicken & Waffles, & John Boehner?
STRANGE OMEN #1 I should have know something was afoot in the universe when this happened just down the road from my house, begging the question, “Why?” Just to be clear, I have never actually seen a chicken cross the road, nevermind in this visually perfect allegorical fashion. I have never even seen a chicken in my neighborhood at all, though clearly there is now photographic evidence that they exist. About a quarter mile and a few hairpin mountain road turns away from the chicken sighting, is something relatively new to Alaska – a fancy gated community. It is called…
Don Young’s Legal Fees. Follow the Money.
Don Young’s second ethics investigation rolls along. The FBI investigated Alaska’s lone congressman, but in 2010 it said it didn’t have enough evidence to convict him and turned the whole thing over to the House Ethics Committee. They looked it all over, and decided to launch their own investigation in March of this year. He allegedly improperly accepted gifts, used campaign funds for personal use, and lied to federal officials. Say it ain’t so. So that means a whole host of new legal bills. Just this spring, Young forked over $60k from his legal defense fund to the DC law…
Don Young “We used to hire wetbacks.”
Congressman for all Alaska Don Young is known for his verbal gaffes. The Ear just had a nice summation for the Congressman’s 40th Anniversary in office: 40 years of the mind-bending wit and wisdom we so love. Who can forget “Pribilof’s dog,” “bladderdash” and the “money we get is a piddlance of the total bill.” Well we remember his claim that he convinced his wife to get a “monogram” (you know, to prevent breast cancer). And he once reported replacing copper piping in his home with inexpensive “PCP pipe” (Ear is pretty sure he meant PVC pipe; if not,…