Sen. Murkowski, Stand True To Your Word
Many of us are counting the days down for America to be great again. I still haven’t heard an answer to the question of when it stopped being great, but being great sounds, well, great! So let’s do it. First things first. We have got to get rid of that health care disaster that has enslaved millions of Americans by creating access to a doctor. Enough! Because of Obamacare, college-age kids have been rafted up to their parents’ policies like parasites. Those pre-existing conditions — the warning flags to companies that don’t want your sick behind dragging down their profits…
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…
Are We All In This Together?
An email from a reader this week asked me to remind Alaskans, and myself, to “appeal to the better angels of our nature.” I’ve been rolling around that phrase, “better angels,” for days. It was first used by Shakespeare in his play, “Othello,” later by Charles Dickens in his novel “Barnaby Ridge,” and still later by President Abraham Lincoln in his inaugural address. (His secretary of state, William Seward, added it to the draft. Yes, our Seward, the guy who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia.) With Alaska news outlets reporting daily on the fiscal crisis facing our state,…
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska NYTimes – Nowhere to Go Amid Alaska’s Melting Ice Alaska’s Chukchi Sea was only just starting to freeze when Nima Taradji arrived at the Inupiat village of Shishmaref last December. Situated on a narrow barrier island, Shishmaref was founded over 400 years ago as a seasonal fishing settlement. Cold weather and natural ice barriers used to protect the shore, but now the municipal village, home to some 600 residents, faces the immediate threat of inundation. ADN.com – State faces tough questions in case over Native and federal land control in Alaska The state of Alaska got a rough reception from federal…
Shannyn Moore: Republicans Go From Clown Car to Carnival Freak Show
Reprinted from Alaska Dispatch News I need a serenity prayer to recite before these presidential candidate debates. “God grant me the serenity to accept that politics in my country is now about spray tans, small hands, penises, outspoken racism and how the will of the people can be thwarted come convention time.” (Apologies to Reinhold Niebuhr.) Yes, I’m talking about you, Republicans. The Democratic debates have been relatively boring, what with all that talk about economic and foreign policy, but you Republicans are awesome entertainment, better than a carnival freak show. Chris Christie, the bridge saboteur and failed presidential candidate, joined…
NY’s Howie Hawkins – Candidate for Governor
A while back I had a chance to interview two candidates for Governor in New York State. We posted our interview with Democratic candidate Zephyr Teachout back in September – unfortunately she lost the primary to current Governor Andrew Cuomo. Still on the ballot though, is Howie Hawkins. He’s on the Green Party ticket, having run previously for US Senate and House. After speaking to a crowd of anti-fracking protestors outside the New York State Fair, Hawkins let loose the Democrats and the Republicans – explaining why there’s a need for a third party. He also emphasized that if Governor Cuomo wins…
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska The Blaze – Take a Gander at America’s Most Heavily Armed Counties. The Ones That Aren’t on the Map Might Surprise You Maybe Texans don’t like guns as much as stereotypes have led us to believe. A map, posted Saturday by Reddit user Ramesses_Deux, purports to show the 30 U.S. counties with the highest rates of gun-owning residents. NY Times – Shift in Alaska Helps Republicans Retain Senate Edge The Senate battleground remains broad and competitive, with 10 races within six percentage points, according to the second wave of data from the New York Times/CBS News/YouGov online panel of more…
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska ADN – Study envisions possible fallout from a Canadian Beaufort oil spill A well blowout, pipeline breach or vessel accident in the Canadian Beaufort Sea could spew spilled oil westward for months, polluting waters off Alaska and soiling habitat used by whales, seals and migrating seabirds, according to a study released Friday by the World Wildlife Fund. Fairbanks Daily Miner – Pro-marijuana legalization group urges opponents not to get all drunk at fundraiser The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol today urged attendees of the anti-legalization group’s Anchorage fundraiser to “exercise caution” because the event is co-hosted by a former…
5 Stories of Don Young Crazy
The Washington Post got 30mins with Alaska’s lone Congressman, Don Young. As anyone familiar with Young can tell you – it was going to be interesting. The conversation ranged from the time he scolded a “good looking blonde” Congresswoman for sitting in his chair to getting Pres. Bush to get a cigar for him. You can check out the full interview at WashingtonPost.com – it’s worth a watch (just have a bottle of something handy). The interview got me thinking though. What are the most ‘incredible’ (read: ridiculous) stories from Don Young’s never ending political run. He’s said and done…
Bieber-gate Breaks The News
If you were watching any of the major news networks this is probably what you saw – reporters cutting away from news to a breaking news story in Miami. MSNBC was talking to a Congresswoman about the NSA, RT was showing a live feed of the protests in Ukraine, Foxnews… well they’re news coverage probably improved. But that’s beside the point. The ‘BREAKING NEWS’ story was that a 19 year old Canadian pop heart-throb was arrested for drag racing his quarter million dollar sports car while intoxicated through the streets of Miami. Yes. The ‘Bieb’ (Justin Bieber) was arrested and…