Alaska
updated
10:42 a.m.
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I was exploring the clever snarkfest which is Wonkette and the plethora of Palin posts. The "post swarm" started when I "consorted" with Dr. Chill to "desecrate" her icon through the evils of photoshop. It has continued through the insanity that has been her resignation and up to the wacked-out strategy of threatening another Alaskan media figure (Shannyn Moore) with legal action....
Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis - 6:02 a.m. - 2 clicks 
I'm going to be out of Internet access for a few days. I'd like to start revisiting somethig I paused when the Palin stuff came out last fall - "Real Native Myths and Legends." I started it because there's so much stereotyping, misundestandngs and common beliefs about the Native people of Alaska, and America in general. I meant the posts to shed some light, as well as start some conversations, or...
Alaska Real - Sun 8:21 p.m. - 3 clicks
(image by Dr. Chill ) Back in May, PA posted an article called The Courage of Shannyn Moore . The article was inspired by Moore's passionate articles and broadcast appearances highly critical of U.S. policies of torturing prisoners, whenever and wherever that has happened. The only other Alaska blog to visit and revisit this important issue has been PA . On Friday July 3...
Progressive Alaska - Sun 1:27 p.m. - 3 clicks
from Dr. Chill Yesterday, I got a phone call from Shannyn Moore, letting me know that she had sent me something via email. When I read what she had sent me I discovered that Palin and company had found another situation to milk for publicity, another Alaska blogger to intimidate and yet one more way that Palin could play the victim card. This was from the lawfirm of: Clapp, Pe...
Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis - Sun 12:44 p.m. - 6 clicks
--- by Dennis Harris I'm surprised that former Lieutenant Governor H. A. "Red" Boucher's passing had little mention in Alaska political blogs, because he was a pioneer progressive pro-labor Democrat in public office in Alaska. It was Red who first got me involved in Democratic Party politics when he recruited me in the summer of 1969 for his 1970 campaign for Lieutenant Governor. I wa...
Progressive Alaska - Sun 12:43 p.m. - 7 clicks
From the Anchorage Daily News Saturday edition : Mickey Sandra Duane Riley Belden, 70, died July 1, 2009, in Gloria's Golden Heart Assisted Living, in Anchorage after suffering from a brain tumor. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at UAA Fine Arts Building, Music Recital Hall with the Rev. Norman H.V. Elliott officiating. When I wrote about Mickey's passing last week , ...
Progressive Alaska - Sun 12:43 p.m. - 2 clicks
As one commenter at one of the growing number of DailyKos posts about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's attorney, Thomas van Flein's probable opening gambit in a SLAPP suit against Alaska bloggers tersely observed: going after bloggers for money... Hilarious !! That might or might not be what Palin attorney van Flein and SarahPAC spokesperson Meg Stapleton are attempting, but I dou...
Progressive Alaska - Sun 2:29 a.m. - 8 clicks
One of the responses to rampant speculation yesterday (Friday) that one of the possibilities that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin so abruptly announced her imminent resignation from the job she swore to uphold for four years, is the possibility of an ongoing criminal investigation, more than one ongoing criminal investigation, either by the Federal Government, or by some other law enforcement entity, ...
Progressive Alaska - Sun 2:29 a.m. - 5 clicks
I'm going to be out of Internet access for a few days. I'd like to start revisiting somethig I paused when the Palin stuff came out last fall - "Real Native Myths and Legends." I started it because there's so much stereotyping, misundestandngs and common beliefs about the Native people of Alaska, and America in general. I meant the posts to shed some light, as well as start some conversations, or...
Alaska Real - Sun 2:29 a.m. - 14 clicks
I'm going to be out of Internet access for a few days. I'd like to start revisiting somethig I paused when the Palin stuff came out last fall - "Real Native Myths and Legends." I started it because there's so much stereotyping, misundestandngs and common beliefs about the Native people of Alaska, and America in general. I meant the posts to shed some light, as well as start some conversations, or...
Alaska Real - Sat 11:49 p.m. - 10 clicks
Katie Hurley, one of Alaska's most distinguished Democrats, was Grand Marshall: Katie passing the reviewing stand: John Klapperich, owner of KMBQ & KBYR, was the MC: Mat-Su Democrats march: The Hartman boys in their band from Matanuska Music: Lyda Green and friends: The Tea Party float: Some of scores of kids wearing Soldiers for Christ T-shirts: ...
Progressive Alaska - Sat 6:08 p.m. - 8 clicks
I had a hard time embracing the term "anklebiters" or the image of me as a "chihuahua." All of my wisest friends told me I that needed to seek acceptance. They reminded me that everything about the Palinistas, Palinbots, whatever you want to call them was myopic and ill-conceived. Their nickname for those of us Alaska citizens who refused to stand by while Sarah Palin gutted the...
Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis - Sat 12:27 p.m. - 13 clicks
This past week began with many speculating that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford would be announcing his resignation by Friday, the 3rd. It ended with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announcing her resignation on the 3rd. The week began with Gov. Palin positively twittering away from Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, about Alaska Natives and other rural residents on the lower Yukon having met 50% of the...
Progressive Alaska - Sat 9:23 a.m. - 7 clicks
(the flag atop Lazy Mountain, near Palmer. It is a memorial for the Wounded Warriors - image by Judy Youngquist) There's going to be a lot of activity today in Wasilla. It's hard to compete with Seward today, but we'll do our best. At 11:00 in the morning, the parade through central Wasilla begins. John Klapperich, Eddie Burke's (and to a lesser extent - Shannyn Moore's) boss, will ...
Progressive Alaska - Sat 1:45 a.m. - 3 clicks
It is just breaking on CNN that Sarah Palin will NOT run for re-election for Governor of Alaska. She can't take the heat. She wants to further shirk her responsibilities so she can run for president. I congratulate the people of Alaska for shedding themselves of her. This could be used as a live open thread as she appears before reporters and cameras. ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Sat 12:28 a.m.
I hope this means she does not plan to run for anything including running for POTUS. Sarah Palin plans to make an announcement from her home in Wasilla, wow what does she plan to say?? She plans not to run again for Governor of Alaska Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is expected to announce that she will not seek a second term, a GOP source close to Palin says. CNN Alaska Gov. Sarah...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Sat 12:28 a.m. - 10 clicks
The soon-to-be-ex-Governor of Alaska came into office 30 months ago a wildly popular figure. Claiming to represent a new kind of politics in the wake of scandals and allegations surrounding former Governor Frank Murkowski, Representative Don Young, the Stevens family, and other members of the state Senate, Sarah Palin was embraced by her state. T-shirts bragging "Coldest State, Hottes...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Sat 12:28 a.m. - 11 clicks
Happy 3rd of July the day America learned that after almost completing 2/3 of her single term as governor of Alaska she had to resign to protect the troops from socialism. But that's not the real reason why she's decided to step down--the truth is far, far, far, far, far, far, far more sinister. ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Sat 12:28 a.m. - 17 clicks
The New York Times is reporting this breaking news as we speak! The scandal is threatening to shake up the entire Republican establishment in Alaska! ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Sat 12:28 a.m. - 25 clicks
Brave Sarah, I bet the mountains in Alaska are beautiful this time of year. I saw the movie "Never Cry Wolf" more than once, it's a masterpiece of cinematography and choreography, depicting Alaska at it's most lovely, and terrifying. I recommend it. Whatever happens next for you, Sarah Palin, I hope you find mercy, and hope, Brave Sarah. ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Sat 12:28 a.m. - 8 clicks
At a news conference, held in front of the windows in her home that look exactly like some of the windows in the Wasilla Sports Complex (Palin's most dubious achievement as Wasilla mayor), Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced she will be resigning her duties in two weeks. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, the man who put the "lack" in "lackluster," will assume her duties at that time. The resignation co...
Progressive Alaska - Fri 3:02 p.m. - 38 clicks
...IN TWO WEEKS! More to come... UPDATE I keep getting calls asking why I think this is happening...mainly, do I think that the emails are the reason. Actually, I think the biggest reason she did this is because of something looming on the horizon, possibly in the next few weeks... the next poll of Alaskans. That would have been the kiss-of-death for higher office. I'll have much...
Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis - Fri 2:05 p.m. - 21 clicks
At a closed news conference at her home in Wasilla, at 11:00 a.m. Alaska time, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced that she will be resigning her duties as Governor of Alaska. More as details emerge. ...
Progressive Alaska - Fri 2:05 p.m. - 11 clicks
This special edition brought to you by Writing Ravens mom, as Writing Raven really is stuck on the ferry in Southeast Alaska. She got the shocking news before us and as usual she called and told us to turn on the tv. I managed to see the breaking news live on CNN, as Palin annnouced she will be stepping down as Governor at the end of this month. For more new on this announcement continue check th...
Alaska Real - Fri 2:04 p.m. - 18 clicks
As the YouTube posted below shows, many who have seen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's Runner's World photo set are saying that she is wearing pantyhose . While wearing running shorts. I haven't seen a quote from anyone at Runner's World yet that actually verifies this, but short of that, I think people are making unwarranted assumptions. A Saturday Night Live producer c...
Progressive Alaska - Thu 8:21 p.m. - 10 clicks
The only thing this past week in Alaska politics more sickening than watching the Anchorage Daily News run a fundraiser for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on the newspaper's front page , was watching the governor herself being shredded by the harsh glare of the truth. In a radio broadcast, shortly after the Soviet Union joined Nazi Germany in their joint attack upon Poland, Winston Churchill ...
Progressive Alaska - Thu 12:24 p.m. - 10 clicks
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, hugging Eddie Burke: Eddie Burke: Sarah Palin, with Pastor Jerry Prevo, whom Eddie has characterized as "Christ-Like" ...
Progressive Alaska - Wed 11:44 p.m. - 5 clicks
University of Alaska Anchorage voice professor, contralto, longtime Anchorage arts supporter and dear friend, Mickey Belden, passed away quietly this morning. Mickey was diagnosed with a brian tumor in early May. Judy and I had dinner with Mickey and her husband, Dr. George Belden, on May 2, the day she was told about the tumor. She was very brave throughout her two-month ordeal. Micke...
Progressive Alaska - Wed 11:03 p.m. - 6 clicks
Alaska State Senator Hollis French announced today his intent to run for the office of Governor of Alaska. He joins Rob Rosenfeld and Bob Poe. Some have speculated that ex-House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz will also file for this race, but Berkowitz has stated he won't make an announcement until later in 2009. Bob Poe has enlisted some of he most talented Democratic Party camp...
Progressive Alaska - Wed 5:42 p.m. - 4 clicks
I'm going to be out of Internet access for a few days. I'd like to start revisiting somethig I paused when the Palin stuff came out last fall - "Real Native Myths and Legends." I started it because there's so much stereotyping, misundestandngs and common beliefs about the Native people of Alaska, and America in general. I meant the posts to shed some light, as well as start some conversations, or...
Alaska Real - Wed 10:11 a.m. - 12 clicks
Yesterday, the Anchorage Daily News Washington DC reporter posted an ADN political blog entry that brought suck-up stenography to a new height. She wrote an entry there that basically, with no attention to journalistic decorum, promoted sites that want you to donate to Sarah Palin. She observed that there are very few hours left before an important deadline approaches - Jul...
Progressive Alaska - Tue 10:52 p.m. - 5 clicks
I. Now here's a true icon - Katie Hurley! Katie will be the Grand Marshall of the 2009 Wasilla Water Festival Parade , on the 4th of July. Katie was Secretary of Alaska's Constitutional Convention . Along with Convention delegate Vic Fischer , Alaska's Thomas Jefferson (Vic framed much of the language of our constitution), Katie is Alaska's greatest living Democr...
Progressive Alaska - Tue 1:00 p.m. - 5 clicks
What an "airdrop of lawyers" might look like Back in August 2008, the evening after Sarah Palin was chosen as McCain's runningmate, I was still in Denver after the Democratic Convention. That evening, I got a call telling me something interesting...that McHugh Pierre, acting spokesperson (at that time) for the Alaska Republican Party, had inadvertantly revealed that the McCain peopl...
Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis - Tue 4:30 a.m. - 6 clicks
John Moller, Alaska Rural Affairs Advisor to Gov. Sarah Palin, apparently under enormous pressure, has posted a video at the State of Alaska web site, that the state is purporting to back Gov. Palin's contention that subsistence needs are legally being met in the lower Yukon River, as the summer of 2009 inexorably sweeps up and down a river that has nurtured hundreds of communities for thous...
Progressive Alaska - Tue 2:57 a.m. - 4 clicks
From the Dutch Harbor Fisherman: New fishery panel aims to hear rural voices From the article: The seven-member committee will meet with Native and tribal leaders, including in rural areas of the state that have traditionally had little involvement in federally managed fisheries, said Duncan Fields. The group is planning an initial meeting in Anchorage this summer, though no date had been s...
Alaska Real - Jun 29 - 3 clicks
This is a special request from Dennis Zaki of the Alaska Report. The coverage is neccessary, and Dennis is one of the few - usually the ONLY - person reporting it. Not only is he getting the story, what I've seen of his work is more accurate and at the heart of the situation than anything else. Dennis' coverage has ended up on major news outlets, including CNN, and his work has gone a long way to...
Alaska Real - Jun 23 - 4 clicks
So we're driving along, and my friend gets annoyed at the cars lined up on the highway. Construction season? No. She suddenly yells, "BEAR!" and we go into the only instinctual reaction one can go into when you hear that (in the safety of a car) on the Alaska Highway. "BEAR!" is code for, "Get the camera right now!" Probably code for that anywhere, but on the Alaska Highway, this can also ha...
Alaska Real - Jun 20 - 3 clicks
Another important appointment, this time at the state level. Palin appointed Dan Sullivan (no, not THAT Dan Sullivan) as AG. I don't know much about him either, but the Anchorage Daily News has a few bios up about him. If you remember, the last AG pick, Wayne Anthony Ross, of Palin's was strongly protested by Native organizations (and LOTS of other people) because of his views about, well, ...
Alaska Real - Jun 17 - 2 clicks
Alaska Says: "No We Can't!" It turns out Don Young is right. Alaskans are the dumbest people on the planet. And Mr. Young is going back to Washington. McCain/Palin also easily carried the state, even though the twitchy Mr. McCain often seemed more like a contestant on "Deal or No Deal" than potential commander in chief, especially when he opened the Sarah Palin briefcase. ...
Rogue Wave - Jun 10 - 5 clicks
Did you know that Alaska's Senator Ted Stevens was a pioneering surfer? Say what you will about Alaska's Senior Sourpuss, the man knows when to sit on his board and when to paddle. Since before statehood he has shown the knack for recognizing a rising groundswell and riding it well. Even now, sitting on his board in federal court with shoals of evidence all around him he is waiting for the...
Rogue Wave - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
As Uncle Ted takes the stand today in his own defense he will claim to be so obtuse that he was unaware of the existence or value of gifts laid at his feet. It is red faced grass kicking lie, like that of a boy caught by his mother breaking rules he thinks are stupid. The barely concealed current running through the recorded phone conversations between Stevens and former pal Allen is that t...
Rogue Wave - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
National Media Blitz Powered By Gas Did you wonder why Sarah Palin was suddenly in the national spotlight just before John McCain started casting around for a VP? Give the credit to Marcia Brier, a Massachusetts based public relations expert hired by the state of Alaska to promote the Governor. The state paid $31,000 to Brier , who pushed Palin in prepackaged stories like "Big Oil Unde...
Rogue Wave - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
How many of the citizens of Oz wanted to lynch Dorothy when she pulled down the curtain and exposed the Wizard? Let's face it, the illusion had been working pretty well. Here in Alaska Palin the Great and Powerful had the people praising her and the Legislature on a leash. Likewise, Uncle Ted, the Wizard of Washington, conjured up golden earmarks for the grateful peasants. ...
Rogue Wave - Jun 10 - 4 clicks
This can only be brief right now, since it’s late and I need to go to bed. The good news is, Vision Fairbanks passed the Assembly 8-0-1. (Nadine Winters had a conflict of interest and had to recuse herself.) The bad news is, the version that passed was the weaker of the two proposed — one that [...] ...
Fairbanks Pedestrian - Jun 10 - 4 clicks
It finally got cold enough in Fairbanks — three degrees Fahrenheit this morning — that I decided to forego riding my bike to work and to take the bus instead. Truth be told, I don’t mind the cold or the dark so much as all the damned dressing and undressing. Lazy, I guess. Riding [...] ...
Fairbanks Pedestrian - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
For those just tuning in: The Borough Assembly will hold a public hearing on Vision Fairbanks this Thursday evening (Aug. 21) at 6:00. Be there, speak in favor of its adoption, and wear blue to show your support! More details here. Those of you who read the Vision Fairbanks article in today’s (Monday’s) News-Miner will [...] ...
Fairbanks Pedestrian - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
This post continues thoughts begun in “The people’s thing?” about three weeks ago. (If you’re wondering where my fuller report is on the Vision Fairbanks public hearing before the FNSB Assembly, it’s coming. This is now a little more timely. And it’s what I feel like writing about today.) As I said in “The people’s thing?”, there [...] ...
Fairbanks Pedestrian - Jun 10 - 4 clicks
Friends, this is The Big One: The Borough Assembly will hold a public hearing on the adoption of Vision Fairbanks this Thursday, August 21, in a session starting at 6:00. Be there, speak in favor of its adoption, and wear blue to show your support! If you’d like to know why you should speak in favor [...] ...
Fairbanks Pedestrian - Jun 10 - 2 clicks
As I reported earlier, and as readers of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner may may have read, the Vision Fairbanks downtown revitalization plan passed the Borough Assembly 8-0. While this seems like a stunning coup, I have worries. First, some highlights (or at least points of interest): Dozens of citizens testified — and just about all in favor. [...] ...
Fairbanks Pedestrian - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
What chance does Fairbanks stand of being — or being part of — a republic? Can we be a community? In high school, I learned that the United States was not a “democracy”, as many people think, but a “democratic republic”. Certainly the CIA World Factbook describes us as a “Constitution-based federal republic”. The [...] ...
Fairbanks Pedestrian - Jun 10 - 4 clicks
For those just tuning in: The Borough Assembly will hold a public hearing on Vision Fairbanks this Thursday evening (Aug. 21) at 6:00. Be there, speak in favor of its adoption, and wear blue to show your support! More details here. Following is a letter I’ve just sent to the members of our Borough Assembly: <<<<< Good [...] ...
Fairbanks Pedestrian - Jun 10 - 5 clicks
I need to lower my standards enough to let out a few half-baked ideas. If you read my last post (on the crime rate in Fairbanks), you may have left with the feeling that it was not the most thorough piece of argumentation you’d ever read. Frank Cox called it a “rough and ready first cut [...] ...
Fairbanks Pedestrian - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
At least 6 Alaskan legislators had their offices raided by the FBI in an investigation into ties between the lawmakers and an oil field services company. One of the legislators whose office was raided , state Senate President Ben Stevens,......
Western Democrat (Alaska) - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
Seven of the thirteen Western states have Senators up for election this year: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The Republicans are defending six of these seven Senate seats. Montana’s Max Baucus is the sole defending Democratic......
Western Democrat (Alaska) - Jun 10 - 4 clicks
Former two-term Democratic Governor Tony Knowles of Alaska has filed to run for his old job again -- against GOP Governor Frank Murkowski. "It's time for strong, bold ideas. To discussing at length with the Alaska public, so we can......
Western Democrat (Alaska) - Jun 10 - 4 clicks
It seems ethical problems and a close affiliation with the Corrupt Bastards Club, have conspired to quite possibly bring an end to the lengthy tenure of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, long coveted by Democratic party leaders......
Western Democrat (Alaska) - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
The Aspen Times has on its masthead: If you don’t want to see it in print, don’t let it happen. The sad stories of Republican Senator Stevens of Alaska and Democratic presidential aspirant and former Senator John Edwards are recent......
Western Democrat (Alaska) - Jun 10 - 5 clicks
A big chunk of Sarah's speech was bull last night. Let's share with you the facts that those of us in Alaska know so well. -CLAIM- PALIN: "Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems - as if we all didn't know that already. But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all." -FACT- R...
Blue Oasis - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
Union Director John Cyr Per NBC (hat tip to Daily Kos diaries ): The GOP candidate for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, may be facing yet another ethics investigation back in her home state of Alaska. An ethics complaint obtained by NBC News was filed Wednesday by the police officers union in Alaska, requesting a probe into possible wrongdoing by the governor or her office. It was br...
Blue Oasis - Jun 10 - 4 clicks
UPDATE Running L8 mentioned in the comments that there was an Alaskan group called "Alaska Women Reject Palin" and that they are having a rally on Saturday...which is a very busy day in Anchorage (I'll be posting more about that later). Here are the links for more anti-Palin groups: - the blog for "Women Against Sarah Palin" and the website - The Wiki "Sarah Palin is NOT Hillary Clinton"...
Blue Oasis - Jun 10 - 5 clicks
Here's my post up at Firedoglake : It was clear that Editor and Publisher was peeved at the Alaska media for sitting on a story for weeks, even months...the pregnancy of Bristol Palin. I can understand why a reporter from a large media outlet in a populous city would be baffled by all of the secrecy. Understand that NO ONE was saying ANYTHING on the record and the blogs (and the Anchorage D...
Blue Oasis - Jun 10 - 2 clicks
I received this forwarded email today: I just received a copy of the full text of the Kilkenny letter that was referenced in the Anchorage Daily News article today. It is very thorough and puts words to some of the discomfort I feel about Governor Palin's meteoric rise to power. I don't know Ann Kilkenny, but I do know that her recount of events rings true by virtue of other things I have hear...
Blue Oasis - Jun 10 - 5 clicks
Cue calliope music "The Ex-Gays are Coming! The Ex-Gays are Coming!" Focus on the Family's " Love (Hate) Won Out" Conference will be at the Abbott Loop "Community" Church this Saturday, September 13th. Yes, THIS is the conference that Sarah Palin's Church has been promoting which has been broadcast all over the news. The explanation is per Bent, Alaska : On Saturday morning, ...
Blue Oasis - Jun 10 - 3 clicks
Per Talking Points Memo : As noted below, the McCain campaign has a new ad out designed to portray Obama as a predator and Sarah Palin as prey by pointing to 30 opposition researchers that the Obama team allegedly sent to Alaska to savage her. Of course, the article that the ad references doesn't say Obama sent them -- it actually says Democrats sent them. But the Democratic National Commit...
Blue Oasis - Jun 10 - 6 clicks
Today, the Obama Campaign launched "Alaska Mythbusters," a group of Alaskans who have followed Governor Palin’s career and will set the record straight about whether Palin has what it takes to bring the change that’s needed in Washington, DC. Former AK Governor Tony Knowles and Mayor Bob Weinstein of Ketchikan, the city of the "Bridge to Nowhere," headlined a press conference call this morning o...
Blue Oasis - Jun 10 - 5 clicks
A year ago today I began this blog - and so sorry to be cliche, but oh - what a year! I coudn't have dreamt up half of what happened this last year. I learned a lot from this little experiment, and will continue it further. The last several weeks have been a flurry of activity for me personally, and I hope to be gone for a sizeable chunk of the summer. Some of my focus needs to go to exciting...
Alaska Real - Jun 8 - 5 clicks
