It’s like the end of a magic show.  The magician stands there in the spotlight, all eyes are upon him.  A flourish of the cape, a puff of smoke, and…..poof!  Gone.  The smoke clears, and he is nowhere to be seen.  The audeince stares.  They look at each other.  There is murmuring.  Nobody knows quite [...]

Rural Alaska Speaks Mudflatter (and Anonymous Blogger) Ann Strongheart will be appearing on Native America Calling, a radio show that is part of Native Voice One and the NPR Satellite System. Tune in on Monday, August 3 at 9am Alaska time to hear Ann (and hopefully Emmonak resident Nicholas Tucker) discuss the salmon fishing ban [...]

Last Saturday was ex-Governor Palin’s farewell stop in Anchorage. I spent the afternoon at the governor’s picnic, fighting my way through packs of tourists with cameras and cell phones, pressing in and trying to snap a picture of the governor. I was told to evacuate the condiment area by some sort of hired picnic security [...]

The latest Palin poll numbers are out.  Oh, it looks like those halcyon days of the 89% approval ratings are a thing of the past.  Now we can say that more Alaskans disapprove of the ex-almost-one-term-governor than approve of her. And the Approval Index (Very Positive minus Very Negative)w  -1.2 Question 1 Would you say [...]

Heeere She Is….Miss Anti-America! The Humor Gazette has a fascinating retrospective/forward looking view of the many titles of our ex-governor.  Her humble beginnings as Miss Wasilla, take an amusing turn… After the election, the glamorous governor continued to tout herself for the title of Miss Understood. However, sources say she missed the national spotlight in [...]

Not since 48 hours ago have we seen such comic genius!

Things are buzzing here at Mudflats Central this morning.  Something’s come out of the Number Crunchery Department!  They’re usually pretty quiet over there. We see a light on late at night down the hall, and we hear all kinds of paper shuffling and clacking keyboards and adding machine tape, but we’re never quite sure what’s [...]

[This article is cross-posted at The Huffington Post] A lawsuit was filed today claiming that all Pebble Mine’s state permits violate the Alaska constitution.  Skulduggery surrounding Pebble Mine?  Imagine that. On the receiving end of these legal accusations is the State Department of Natural Resources.  The suit was filed today on behalf of eight communities in the [...]

Oops!  Forgot last night’s open thread.  My bad. Use this one as a quick fix, until tonight. Chatter on chattering class!

It seems sometimes like politics attracts all the wrong people.  The very job that needs selfless people with high moral principle, honesty, and a desire to serve the community, with no particular burning need for power and prestige, too often attracts the wrong kind. Don’t get me wrong, I think there are plenty of people [...]

NYC Mudstock is fast approaching! If you are anywhere in the New York Metro area, take this opportunity to meet your fellow Mudflatters from far and wide! Date:  Saturday, August 1 (This Saturday!!) Place:  The Frying Pan (a boat) at Pier 66 and the Westside Highway, NYC Time:  3:00pm I believe this will be the [...]

It’s been a day of farewells.  Kiss-offs and parties, reflections and celebrations… Palin fatigue yet?  Don’t worry.  This is our final send-off to the governor…  er…  ex-governor.  Where will she land?  We’re not sure.  There’s a rumor circulating that she and Todd have been looking at real estate in the Hamptons.  I heard about this [...]

Our last report from Fairbanks comes from Mudflatter Rubber Room Hotel, a regular commenter.  She passed on some great pictures and impressions from the event.  It’s interesting that each person brings some new insight and perspective.  Much gratitude to all the boots on the ground in Fairbanks for sharing the day with us.  Now that [...]

It’s hard to believe it’s been 48 hours since Alaska became Palin-free. The parties, the polls, the articles, the late night talk shows… We’re all still getting it out of our systems. There are a lot of other things going on in the state and the wider world, but we still need to have our own [...]

Today I continue today to bring you reports from Mudflatters across the state – those who were at the Abdication Ceremony, and those that celebrated Palin’s stepping down in other ways. I look forward to writing about other things, but today we continue to purge our systems. Here are some thoughts on the Palin “rally [...]