Begich Arms for 2014
Senator Mark Begich (D) doesn’t toe the line every time Harry Reid whistles. And he’s certainly been a thorn in the side of Yellow Dog Dems, and caused much hair pulling and kicking of trash cans for progressive Alaskans, particularly in the area of resource development. All that said, the Democrats in the Senate are a family, and even the wayward kid gets some TLC. Harry Reid knows, as do we all, that 2014 is going to be an interesting race for the Senate in Alaska. It will be Mark Begich (D) vs. any one of a long string of Republicans…
Pozonsky-gate. The Plot Thickens.
But wait, there’s more! Not only did the hiring scandal of former Pennsylvania Judge Paul Pozonsky into the Parnell administration touch strange corners of Alaska politics, it seems that the Judge’s checkered history in Pennsylvania is not just limited to destruction of evidence in 17 drug cases, but it now appears he’s been doing some inappropriate favors for frackers in the name of keeping information from the press and the public by inappropriately sealing records. Are we shocked? No, we are not. Alaska politics are such that it takes a lot to consider something scandalous, let alone a soap opera….
BREAKING: Pozonsky Resigns…Again.
The embattled Paul Pozonsky has resigned as hearing officer for the State of Alaska. This news confirmed by the Department of Labor this afternoon. His resignation came yesterday. I asked if it was under pressure from the governor and was told his resignation was for “personal reasons”. This story broke my column for the Anchorage Daily News last Sunday and was followed up by posts from Jeanne Devon and Linda Kellen Biegel. I will link more information as it comes in.
Parnell Hiring Scandal leads back to Dyson, Kopp, Palin
Chuck Kopp, Chief of Staff to Republican State Senator Fred Dyson, and a two-week Palin administration official, dismissed over a sex scandal is now at the center of another firestorm – the controversial hiring of his brother-in-law Paul Pozonsky by the Parnell administration. Pozonsky, a Pennsylvania judge under investigation for destroying evidence (including crack cocaine and cash) in 17 criminal cases was hired by the Parnell administration as an Alaska hearings officer. He was given the job despite his late application, the fact that the current investigation has stripped him of his ability to hear cases, and that he was…
Connecting the Dots from PA to AK
~Paul Pozonsky, right I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. When someone does something that looks bad, I usually assume incompetence rather than conspiracy. That said, follow along with me and see what you make of this. The job of Hearing Officer for the state of Alaska is a pretty important job. In other states, hearing officers are called judges and wear black robes. Talis Colberg, a former Alaska attorney general, went on to serve as a Hearing Officer for the Department of Labor after leaving the AG job. Hearing Officers decide the fates of Alaskans every…
Parnell – Time to End the Hypocrisy
Earlier this month, Governor Giveaway asked for disaster relief funds from the federal government to help Alaskans. This week he refused to set up a state-run health care exchange, which would have helped tens of thousands of Alaskans buy insurance cheaper on the free market by pooling together. That’ll teach the federal government! It reminds me of when I was a teenager. I wanted to go out with my friends. It was a Friday night, and I was 17. “Be home at 10,” Pop said. “What? 10?! Are you kidding me?” “OK, 9:30.” “But Pop!” “9 is fine.” “That doesn’t…
Oyster Roundup!
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Here’s your news on the half-shell for this week. Belly up to the oyster bar! Busting a Move Elizabeth Warren, the new Democratic Senator from Massachusetts has been up front with her declaration that she’ll be a senator of consequence. To that end, she plans to start off her freshman year with a bang. Or a bust. She wants to bust the filibuster. Republicans in the senate have effectively rewritten the spirit of the Constitution which requires a simple majority to get things done – to a…
Jesus Gets Punked by Exxon
Election day may be over here in Alaska, but now is when the fun begins. The results of a couple close races are hinging on absentee and questioned ballots yet to be examined, and shiny new lawmakers are angling for committee assignments and chairmanships. Pundits, meanwhile, examine and expound upon the results of the Citizens United meets Big Oil meets Jesus campaign machine. Let me be one of them. During this time, it’s good to remember the lessons of the past. The genius of Ronald Reagan was his ability to unite two completely different groups of people—with completely different policy…
Money Changers in the Temple
Someone called me a communist this week. Pop Moore was a teacher and principal at Nikolaevsk, a Russian village near Homer, from 1970 until 1992. My mother taught school there. I grew up hearing stories from Old Believers who had escaped Soviet communism, about barns full of men, women and children burned to death for not renouncing their faith. I saw handwritten holy books that had been strapped to the heads of men swimming across rivers into China to escape, before China went communist. I was about as tall as the post office counter when a clerk said to Pop,…
Oyster Round Up!
It’s time for another chilled plate of delectable goodies from the week. Let’s start off with a true story that happened right after last week’s roundup. Picture me sitting on the couch on a Saturday afternoon, minding my own business, and drinking a cup of coffee. Let’s watch… Knock, Knock! Who’s there? The mailman with a certified letter from Austin McDaniel! Austin McDaniel, who? Austin McDaniel, Governor Sean Parnell’s social media coordinator sending a copy of an APOC complaint to senate candidate Ron Devon! Nope, not kidding. That was my Saturday. So, what’s up with that? When people donate to…