Governor Sean Parnell: Lord of the Flaming Pants
Former director of government relations in Alaska for ConocoPhillips, Sean Parnell made an announcement on Tuesday. Some of you may know him by his other job working for the lobbying firm that represented ExxonMobil against Alaskans in the matter of a little oil spill that happened in Prince William Sound. Some of you may also know him as Captain Zero, or Caribou Ken, or SeanocoParnellips. However you know him, he also currently wears the mantle of Governor of the State of Alaska. But it’s been difficult for Sean to turn against his old bosses. He’s a loyal foot soldier, and…
New Oil Rigs Shipped to Alaska Cause Pants to Ignite!
~Shiny new oil rigs bound for Prudhoe Bay, Alaska If you listen to the oil companies, their lobbyists, and the cadre of legislators and elected officials they’ve purchased over the years, you’d think it’s the end of the world. They run in circles, hair on fire, rending garments, pounding their own foreheads with their palms and wailing, “Nobody wants to invest in Alaska anymore! It’s too hard! We’re too regressive! The poor oil companies can’t make a living! They’re going to go somewhere else if we don’t give them everything they want! Aaaaaaaa!” It’s an ugly sight. First, of course,…
Alaska Grown vs Made In China
The past two budgets have included $84 million for a bridge…to somewhere in Alaska. Senators Wielechowski and French have written a letter to the Alaska Railroad with some concerns. ANCHORAGE- Today, Senators Bill Wielechowski and Hollis French are calling on Alaska Railroad officials to ensure steel products made only in America are used to build a bridge over the Tanana River near Salcha. The Senators say numerous constituents have recently contacted them, concerned that the Alaska Railroad Corporation is considering using foreign steel on the massive project. “Alaskan funds should be used for Alaskan and American jobs and goods,” said Senator Wielechowski,…
Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Synthetic Cannabis
I was in an Anchorage Assembly meeting a few weeks ago, and the question came before the body – Should synthetic cannabinoids be illegal? I had never heard of “synthetic cannabinoids” and thought that this sounded like some kind of manufactured drug that had the same effect as marijuana. After a few questions, I found out that this stuff which looked a lot like cannabis was being marketed as “incense” under the name “Spice,” “K2” and others, and being sold over the counter in Anchorage. The Assembly voted to illegalize the substance and I thought at the time that I should…
Voices from the Flats – Dear Sarah, You're Not Alaska.
By Zach Roberts Special note: This is a message to Sarah, that I sent to her via Facebook. Alaskans will get all the places, some of the references and some of the names. If you don’t get them, give it a Google, or read TheMudFlats.net (why aren’t you reading it already? What’re you a member of the Paliban?) Or better yet, get your butt on the next flight up to Anchorage. Yes I know it’s November and it’s cold… that means flights should be cheap. Go to Spenard Roadhouse get the Bacon Jam and tell them I sent you. ***************…
Gov. Sean Parnell Inherits Flaming Pants from Palin & Denies Children Health Care
Governor Sean Parnell, who has framed himself as an advocate for women and children, last week vetoed a bipartisan bill passed by the Alaska Legislature that would have provided health care for 1300 Alaskan children and prenatal care to more than 200 pregnant Alaskan women. These, most vulnerable Alaskans are those that fall between 175% and 200% of the federally recognized poverty level. Those that fall below that level are already covered by the state program, called Denali KidCare. What made the governor decide to veto the bill? He just discovered, he said, that some of the money allocated would…
Voices from the Flats – Donald Craig Mitchell
The following is an op-ed by Donald Craig Mitchell, an attorney and historian who lives in Anchorage. He is the author of Sold American: The Story of Alaska Natives and Their Land and Take My Land Take My Life: The Story of Congress’s Historic Settlement of Alaska Native Land Claims, which in 2006 the Alaska Historical Society named as two of the most important books that have been written about Alaska. *********************************** CAPTAIN ZERO VERSUS COMMISSIONER OF ADMINISTRATION Donald Craig Mitchell With the world watching, two months ago in Fairbanks in front of a crowd of cheering fans and jeering…
Another Hat in the Ring for Alaska Governor
It’s finally official. Today, Democrat Ethan Berkowitz has tossed his hat in the ring to run for Governor of Alaska in 2010 by submitting his letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Berkowitz was unsuccessful in his attempt to knock Alaska’s lone congressman Don Young off his perch in 2008, although polls showed him with a solid lead going in to the election. Berkowitz leads in name recognition among Alaskans, and has now entered a gubernatorial field including Democratic Senator Hollis French, and Democrat Bob Poe. “A lot has changed in the fifty years since statehood and yet…
Jefferson Jackson Democratic Party Dinner
Just got back from a lovely evening in the Dena’ina Convention Center, where Alaska Democrats gathered together for a fundraiser/celebration dinner. During the evening, I thought back many times to my infiltration of the Republican party’s counterpart event, the Lincoln Day Dinner back in March. There were some interesting comparisons, one being that the dinner tonight left me feeling happy, instead of nauseous and depressed. The Hallway: Lincoln Day Dinner: There were many tables set up handing out literature on anti-abortion issues, the Father/Daughter Purity Ball encouraging abstinence until marriage, and a laptop with the home page of The Alaska Standard…