Photos: TheMudflats at the Right Wing CPAC Conference
It’s been an odd couple of months for me. Usually I’m covering the fringes of politics – from OWS to Ferguson protests to civil rights marches. Maybe a third party candidate or an environmental struggle that no one will care about for another couple years. But so far this past year, I’ve covered Presidential Candidates, Koch Brothers conferences (Americans for Prosperity), NRA conventions and now CPAC. CPAC, if you don’t know the initials, it stands for the Conservative Political Action Conference. It’s an annual conference where all of the biggest names in conservative politics get together and conspire for good or evil…
Palin and the “Dogs” of a ‘War’ Against Police
Here’s video of Sarah Palin calling #BlackLivesMatter protesters dogs. pic.twitter.com/aD6hblfL29 — Jesse Berney (@jesseberney) September 9, 2015 The video was captured by a writer for the lefty BlueNationReview at the anti-Iran deal protest in Washington, DC today. The video picks up somewhat mid-statement so we’re not quite sure yet if there is some weird Palin-istic metaphor going on here or if she really did just call the #BlackLivesMatter protestors “dogs.” Based on the mainstream media’s reports of her speech it doesn’t seem as though there is. It’s not shocking that Palin, like the rest of right wing in this country…
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska Alaska Public Radio – Unusual Weather Prompts Concerns Over Early Fire Season Possibilities Alaska wildfire mangers are anticipating the possibility of an early season. This winter’s unusual weather is prompting concerns. Bloomberg – Alaska’s Hidden Billionaire Just south of the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, Alaska, there’s a seven-block mobile home park named Four Seasons, where rentals start at $1,300 a month. It’s one of at least 40 multifamily properties in the area, or about 12 percent of the city’s entire rental market, owned by Weidner Investment Services Inc. ADN – Denali’s squeaky-clean air best among all US national parks Fairbanks air…
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska ADN – Tundra Green — an illustrated history of cannabis in Alaska On Feb. 24, the initiative to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana passed by Alaska voters takes effect, adding another wrinkle to the unique history Alaska has with the plant. Here is an illustrated history of marijuana in Alaska. ADN – Alaska government spent nearly $28 million on database project scrapped before it was ever implemented The Alaska Department of Public Safety took 11 years and spent at least $27.9 million trying to replace the state’s aging criminal information database before the project was abandoned, derailed by problems with funding…
Jeanne Devon Interviews Zach Roberts Today
I’ll be filling in Thursday, Friday, and Monday for conservative radio talk show host Eddie Burke (< ---not a typo) on KOAN 1080am and 95.5fm in Anchorage. He's having knee surgery and asked me to man the ship. What's that about? Today, I'll be talking to The Mudflats' own award-winning photo editor and investigative reporter Zach Roberts! He recently went to Ferguson and then New York City in the wake of grand jury decisions in the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. You'll hear his take on the trip, what he found, and what he didn't expect. And our...
The Oath Keepers in Ferguson
Standing on top of a boarded up beauty shop, silhouetted men look out over the street. I can faintly see the outline of a rifle, an AR-15? M-16? I don’t know guns well enough to make a guess. I walk carefully over to the building, hands half raised. The weather in Ferguson has turned cold, and as I get closer I can see their breath in the night air. I’m trying to think of what to say. There’s lots of stories about these guys. People down the street are connecting them to the rumors that the KKK is in Ferguson. Some…
Mudflats Reports From Ferguson
After the announcement Monday that no charges were going to be brought against Officer Darren Wilson, we saw fires across Ferguson with many buildings burned to the ground, and stores looted. Tuesday, with some of the initial anger released and an increased police and National Guard presence, the city was quieter, but there were still arrests and tear gas. The protests are centered at the Ferguson Police Department on S. Florissant Road in Ferguson Missouri – from there groups of people split off and take the police and sometimes even the National Guard for a run around the area. After marchers that went…
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska Fairbanks News Miner – Unlike statewide, Fairbanks voters favored “yes” votes on Measure 1 FAIRBANKS — A majority of Alaska’s voters decided to keep the oil tax system passed by the Legislature in 2013, but on Tuesday, Fairbanks favored throwing it out by a wide margin. ADN.com – Extreme weather events pose risks to Alaskans’ health, study finds Wacky weather may be hazardous to people’s health, at least in far-flung areas of Alaska, according to researchers who have been conducting a multiyear study in eight communities around the state. Juneau Empire – ‘Suspicious’ lightsaber draws police [ed. note: make sure to read this…
CNN: Why Not Use Water Cannons on Ferguson Protestors?
As we drift into another night of likely arrests and police violence against protestors and journalists in Ferguson, MO a CNN anchor has given us this ethical and historical quandary. Rosemary Church: “Talk to us about what police are saying to you. Why they are using this strategy? Why the use of tear gas, stun grenades? Why not perhaps use water cannons?” Watch the video below, but really watch the fantastic understated reaction from her co-host Errol Barnett. For those of you that aren’t history buffs here’s a reminder of why this might be a bit awkward. And maybe we need to have…