Happy Thanksgiving!
Dear Mudflatters,
I love Thanksgiving. I think it’s my favorite holiday. One of the main reasons is that there is no gift buying involved. It becomes necessary to show appreciation and gratitude using other means. Sometimes it comes in the form of an invitation to dinner, sometimes it comes in the form of a toast, or a homemade pie, or a hug, and sometimes it makes us say out loud what we may be thinking all the other days of the year, but have not given our voice. We share food, time, and our presence, which are things that often seem scarce.
I have been so incredibly humbled by all I have received this year from YOU. Your messages of encouragement, your emails sharing your thoughts and ideas, your insight and humor and support have been an absolute gift. I got to meet many of you this year and say thanks in person, which was really wonderful. I am grateful for this community every day.
So, in the spirit of an “Acknowledgement” section of a book I just survived, I wanted to do one of my own today:
I want to say a special thank you to Snoskred, ServerGuy, Sephy, and all the incredible Administrators and Moderators that keep the Mudflats Forum humming along like a well-oiled machine. We hit bumps in the road occasionally, but they are always there behind the scenes doing what it takes to get things up and running again. And thanks to Erin and the crew that thought up, created, and maintains I Heart the Mudflats! You are all absolutely amazing, generous and wonderful people.
And who can forget the amazing Mudflats Art Department aka flyinureye! He has kept us all laughing with his wit and creative talent. Thanks also to the recent artistic donations from Ink & Snow, and all of you who crunch numbers, send links, make charts and provide me with raw materials of various types. Talent abounds, and you add so much to the community. And I’m so grateful to all of the guest bloggers, Voices from the Flats who give me a breather, and provide us all with different perspectives and ideas to discuss. And you intredpid “Boots on the Ground” reporters who infiltrate, investigate and share your experiences with those who could not be there in person. I salute you!
Thanks to all of you Outside who help to bring Alaska’s stories to the rest of the Lower 48. Like strands connecting the web of information, you not only show up to hear about you-know-who, but you were there for the residents of Western Alaska last winter who were making the choice between food and fuel to keep warm. You adopted families, and send food and diapers to some of the most remote communities in our country. A school class in Hawaii sent boxes to a school in Nunam Iqua, thousands of miles away because their wonderful teacher was touched by a story from Alaska and decided to do something, and teach those children about caring. And some brave and visionary women, one of whom started as a Mudflats guest blogger have taken the issues and challenges facing those rural Alaskans and have given them voice on a new blog. Thank you Ann Strongheart and the amazing women at Anonymous Bloggers for continuing to inspire me.
You’ve watched through more than 20 hours of testimony at Anchorage Assembly meetings from your homes around the world because the issues of equality that were being debated are bigger than Anchorage. And you were able to survive it because you had others with you doing the same thing week after week. We understand more now than we did that there is much work to be done.
You’ve now heard of Pebble Mine and the hazards it poses to the largest salmon fishery in the world. Most people don’t know this. You stand ready to raise your voices about this issue because you know that we can’t do it alone. Powerful interests will use everything at their disposal, and unless the rest of the country is educated and vocal, we stand to lose what in my opinion is Alaska’s most precious natural resource.
Thank you to the people at Cook Inletkeeper who have made me their 2009 Muckraker of the Year. I am amazed and overwhelmed. I look forward to being able to thank all of you on December 5 at the Muckrakers Ball.
You have contacted your legislators, and congressional representatives, some for the first time, to share your opinoins about a wide variety of topics. Most people don’t, but the common experience that you feel here gave you that little extra bit of motivation to email, make phone calls, show up at a rally, or talk to a friend about things that are important. You are a force to be reckoned with.
You tune in every week to listen to progressive talk radio in Anchorage, because for right now a few hours is all we’ve got. You’ve engaged in “swaps” on the forum and sent postcards and gifts to people you’ve never met. You and I now have friends whose real names we don’t even know, but we know who they are, and more about what they feel than many people we know in “real life.” Thank you for reaching out to each other by whatever means you can.
Thank you for indulging my occasional wanderings from politics, whether they be hikes in the woods, or days on the water, or silly stories about my dog and the moose that hangs out in my yard. And thanks for sharing your personal stories which remind us that sometimes you just have to take a break from politics, but that doesn’t mean we have to take a break from each other. We have shared joys and sorrows of the highest magnitude, and I’m so grateful that those who need it have your support when it really counts.
Thank you all for your donations of support. You were responsible for sending me to Netroots Nation this year. I would not have been able to go if not for your generosity. Thank you for your clicks of the donate button throughout the year. I can’t tell you how humbling and amazing it is to think that I have made a difference to you. These gifts have made it possible for me to spend a little more time doing this than I would have been able to otherwise. And I didn’t tell you this, but I was able to buy a new camera lens this year because of your donations. I hope that I’ve been able to share it with you by sharing the pictures I’ve taken with it. I think of all of you every time I use it.
Thank you to my wonderful advertisers! I love the fact that you are all entrepreneurs and creative spirits who choose my place to share your gifts. I am so pleased that I have been able to help you too!
I appreciate those out in the national media who have used their platform to help me share my voice and my opinions. So thank you Richard Kim at the Nation and those who made sure that Going Rouge got the other message out, Brad Friedman, Angie Coiro, KRCL in Salt Lake City, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, and the literally thousands of media outlets and blogs big and small that have linked here. And thank you to Rachel Maddow whom I respect and admire so deeply, for allowing me to have my first ever TV appearance on her show. I was and am deeply honored.
And thank you to the local media who have been so supportive, most notably The Shannyn Moore Show with (wait for it) Shannyn Moore, Studio 1080 with Christy Harvey and Kathy Phillips, Cutting Edge with CC, and all sorts of ”linky love” from the Anchorage Daily News and many others.
And to my fellow Alaskan bloggers – we few, we happy few, we band of bloggers… (oh wait. That’s already been done.) What can I say? It’s been a ride that none of us will ever forget this past year, and much lies ahead. I will never be able to adequately express to all of you how much your friendship has meant to me. We often joke that there aren’t many people out there who will really understand us when we talk about this past year’s events. I am honored and grateful to be in such company. So thank you Shannyn Moore, Linda Kellen-Biegel, Gryphen, Dennis Zaki, Phil Munger and all the rest. We each benefit from the voices of the others, and when life overwhelms one of us, we know that the others are there to pick up the slack.
And thank you to Alaska’s political “good guys” (and gals!). You know who you are. You are the ones out there really trying to make a positive difference in our communities and in our state. You come from both sides of the aisle, and you keep trying to do good work despite the fact that when people think of “Alaska politician” the first thing they will think of is the Corrupt Bastards Club, and some blogger who used to run the state from Wasilla. You give me hope for the future of Alaska, and public service can be difficult in the easiest of times. Thanks for tackling the job.
And thanks from the bottom of my heart to my family. Spouse has been a rock, and completely supportive in every possible way. He’s been living with the constant clacking of the keyboard, and has tolerated skipped meals, and long ranting phone calls, and days when I’ve been so absorbed that I look up at the clock and wonder where the last five hours went. I often hear at some late night hour, “Well….I’m going to bed.” And I’ll say, “I’ll be up soon.” And he’ll chuckle because he knows that “soon” is relative. He’s been called a “gem,” a “peach,” and “a good man.” He is all of these things.
I have three or four quotes printed out and thumb-tacked to my bulletin board at work. This is one of them.
I remind myself a hundred times a day that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of others, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. ~Alber Einstein
I think that sums it up nicely… which is why, I suppose, I have it on my bulletin board.
So, Happy Thanksgiving Mudflatters. I raise my glass. I have no idea what the next year will hold, but I know that you’ll be a big part of it and that I’ll continue to be grateful for each and every one of you.
>>>clink<<<
And thanks so much to you as well, AKM, for sharing this island of sanity!
>>>clink<<<
You made me cry……..
but in a good way.
Thank you for everything you do.
Thank you. I am a little (big) teary as well.
(((AKM and family)))
Thank you, AKM. Thank you, to the Mudflats community.
No Dear, we should be thanking you. From the night at the RNC when “it’ was announced she would be the VP my blood ran cold. I had just started reading Huff Post. Several times your blog was mentioned. I had to find others who distrusted SP as much as I did.
And I did,but I got so much more. I know more about your state,your politics,history,and wonderful writing. I save all the pictures that you post.
I am a devoted fan to you and the others. I check in constantly.
I’ve met so many good people on these blogs. They helped me get through the election. They are also a tremendous support for me dealing with my son’s deployment.
There is a lot of love on these sites,lots of laughs and not a lot of nastiness that I see on the other side. I think we are smarter. But then again we are elitist liberals.
I enjoy my cyber buddies so much. You guys mean the world to me.
As far as this past year…no crystal ball could have predicted SP actions post elections. Resignation Day is one of my faves and the turkey pardon is a tradition.
I am in awe of you state, if I wasn’t so broke I’d come up for a visit, till then I will have to live in it through your eyes.
Keep up the wonderful work that you do and cherish your sense of humor.
Everyone I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and lets be grateful for the little things in life.
Peace to all.
I’m with NYCgirl: thank YOU! You and the Mudflats community mean so much to me, I’m giving thanks to you all today. Big hug.
Hugs and peace, AKM and pups.
This is a beautiful post. I’m sure the love is felt with every reading.
And *** Raising a glass to AKM’s loving Spouse***
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you to ♥
Cheers! >clink<
NYC #5 said it all. Happy Thanksgiving to all from CO.
May the road rise to meet you, may the Sun be always on your face, and may you be in Heaven half an hour before Sarah knows you are dead. Clink, and a tossed biscuit to Buf.
Happy Thanksgiving, AKM! Very proud of your metamorphosis into a force to be reckoned with this last year! You are definitely setting entropy on its ear with your blog from your little corner of the world.
Happy Thanksgiving and thanks to all the Pups out there, also, too. Such a witty, intelligent, and caring community!
Happy Thanksgiving AKM………..here is some political humor for you…check out Huckabee!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seYUbVa7L7w
Thanks, AKM and all who read here, think/make comments, and spread the word from here…… This blog gives me hope.
Quyana cakneq, thank you very much AKM. We too, are also very thankful for you.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving everyone. Continue watching, speaking the truth, and being defenders of liberty. Evil wins when good people say nothing
Happy Thanksgiving AKM and thank you for being a voice of wisdom and sanity in this crazy world that we live in!
Off to fix my roof…
My thanks AKM, for all you do and have done for us all. It’s hardly an indulgence when you take us with you on a walk, letting us see the things you see, through your eyes; it’s a treat!
This crazy bunch of like-minded folks are more family than my own family.
I’m very grateful for the Mudflats, for AKM, for the Mudpups.
Enjoy this day! HAPPY THANKSGIVING, all!
Thank You AKM…Don’t know what i would do wihout you and the mudpups..
Have a great day everyone..This place is my soft pillow to come to when i need a good laugh ..
Happy Thanksgiving All! So many of us are so grateful you created this community, and that we have made friends with so many from all over the US and around the world.
AkPetMom # 18…off to fix my roof. lol You know Todd does everything !! Todd better be careful because if there is trouble in paradise he may get thrown under the bus too, also. She is not about to share her big bucks.
Can you get “under the bus” insurance in Alaska ?
Also, the way SP’s luck has been going can the IRS be far behind ??
Amen!!!! You’ve all said it so well. This is my refuge from a crazy world. All of you have made it that way with your love and caring for others. AKM, without you it would have never happened. There are words to say how much I appreciate your hard work and dedication.
Anyone here want a good laugh?
Go to Huff :
Anyone want a good laugh?
Go to Huffington : Beck rules out 2012 run with Palin:
She would always be “Yapping” like we’re in the kitchen.
Beck sure put her in her place The Kitchen, but according to Levi she not
to good there either.
Out here in Richland WA we have to deal with Sarah, Queen of the Idiots this Thanksgiving.
She started the 5K turkey trot this morning.
Naturally, she didn’t finish.
Is there anything she won’t quit?
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/807944.html
Thanks to YOU AKM for your insight and wit…and allowing me to contribute in my small way. Happy Thanksgiving Mudflatters.
Thanks, AKM, all of the Mudpups, mods, artists and contributors. I think I would have gone insane this past year without you.
I am most grateful to all Americans who helped elect our wonderful President. I take great comfort knowing that he’s leading our country now. I haven’t felt this peaceful about the direction of the country in 8 years. In 2004, I had to go to Costa Rica to commune with monkeys, as I was so disappointed in my fellow Americans. But today is a new day:-)
Cheers and may you all be blessed with love, joy and peace.
Happy Thanksgiving Todd. What are you doing on the roof?
Todd can see Russia from his roof. He can also see his crazy wife returning to AK on the Samaritan Purse jet, so he can head back home and avoid her!
Thank you and all the Alaskan bloggers who keep us informed and sane.
Also, too, I forget to mention all the mudpuppies who keep me laughing with their funny comments like Irishgirl and Bystander. I guess Todd would rather be on the roof than with Sister Sarah.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones, AKM.
You make me proud to be an Alaskan!
@moseon – Yes and what a HOOT!
>>>clink<<<
Here's to you, AKM – and to another wonderful year!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
Over heard at the Thanksgiving table, two ninety+ year old women were talking about the 2008 election. They were talking about Obama winning the election when one blurted out, “Thank God, that Sarah Pukin did not get elected.”
Thought I was going to choke on my turkey.
That is hilarious….Sarah Pukin….makes perfect sense to me.
Yeah this is a great place- y’all are truly decent people-
OBTW- found a really cool photo website that the ADN had an article about- It’s homw grown Alaska art-
http://www.abandonedalaska.com/
I’ll add my Happy Thanksgiving to you too, AKM, and the community of mudpups, mudflatters or any of the names I’ve seen people here use as terms of endearment toward each other. It is a unique little village that I am thankful I stumbled into a year ago.
Mashed Pukin. life just dont get better than that. All our love AKM.
Thanks to all the ‘flatters and to AKM who have given me inspiration for my political enthusiasm. ( I had this enthusiasm in the early 70s, but lost it over the years). I would probably never have: spent 30 hours at my local Obama headquarters on the phone ,stood in line to vote for 4 hours in freezing weather w/o a coat, wept the day of the inagrination, emailed/called/written my congressmen about health care, laughed, cried,and rolled eyes over”Sarahisms” …..had it not been for this blog. I’m thankful that I met AKM and Shannyn and other local PA Mudflatters in Pittsburgh..I’m thankful that AKM read the Rogue book so I didn’t have to….., and now spouse and I are giving a rest to politics to celebrate 32nd anniversary with champagne.
I am thankful that my friend ( who will remain anonymous) and her son is living in Canada, where they can have the health care they need.
The US lost two good citizens. As a Canadian I am glad they are here, they have both done much more for our country and their community, than any health care costs they may have incurred.
This is her letter to Health Care Stories for America:
Whitehorse, YT
Dear President Obama,
I am a Canadian, but I have a story about problems my family experienced with the American Health Care System.
In 1976, I was in Anchorage, Alaska when I gave birth to a son, Devon, who arrived 2 1/2 months early. He was born with many health problems including Cerebral Palsy. I am grateful to Alaska State Health Insurance because they paid over $30,000.00 in bills for his birth. Even though at the time of Devon’s birth, I was a student of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks studying for my Masters of Fine Art, I made the decision to move to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory because I needed assistance from the Canadian Medical Program with Devon’s health care. Devon’s care became more complicated because he and I were both diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis in 1978, and as a result both of us required specialists who knew how to care for this syndrome.
As much as I loved Alaska, I don’t regret moving back to Canada because we both required health care specialists. I am proud to say that Devon has grown up to be a remarkable young man in spite of his medical problems.
He is non-verbal at times and uses an assisted communication device to communicate his thoughts. Devon is Autistic, works two jobs, is active in Special Olympics, and is a very talented computer artist.
In 1993, my step-father, Lt. Col. William Scanlon (Ret.) passed away two weeks before Christmas from Liver Cancer. Devon and I had already arranged to visit my parents that year for Christmas in Bellingham, Washington where they had retired.
I watched my mother daily go through the medical bills that had accumulated during Bill’s illness, and the frustration she experienced when she should have been allowed to grieve his passing.
Even though Bill was a retired Lt. Col. from the U.S. Army, and former Commander of All Alaska Command, they had Blue Cross and other coverage, his medical bills would not have been paid if Bill and my mother did not have savings and investments to pay the balance of these bills.
In 1995, my mother suffered a heart attack and her condition was complicated by C.O.P.D. in Bellingham, Washington. At the time, I was caring for my husband, Michel, who was recovering from radiation treatment from Lung Cancer.
We flew down to Bellingham to be by her side. She requested that we move down from Canada to be with her. A request that I could not fulfill because both Michel, Devon and I depended on the Canadian Health Care System to assist us with our medical problems.
During the month that we did spent with her, I watched her once again become frustrated with her medical bills. So, I too watched my mother who was dying become stressed out from keeping up with her medical bills.
She passed away a month after we had visited her. I made the decision to stay in Canada for Devon’s, Michel’s and my health care. It was the right decision because my husband survived 71/2 years from his original diagnosis, and we were able pay off our mortgage.
During this time, I fell in love with law and became a community paralegal in Whitehorse. I opened a paralegal practice in my home working with sole practioners because Michel and Devon required my care.
I saw a need in our community that was not being met by the big law firms, and built up a successful practice to meet this need. I became an active member of the Board of Directors for Autism Yukon and helped create an autistic adult program in the Yukon.
I am now retired widow with many medical problems and require assistance from the government to help me with my health care. The decisions of not staying in Alaska or moving to Washington were the right decisions for me even though they caused me a great deal of emotional pain at the time.
These decisions were all based on health care for my family. Although our Canadian Health Care Program is not perfect, it is able to cover all the medical expenses of prescriptions and care that I need.
Yours truly,
Thank you all for teaching me. I am forever in your debt. I was born into KY politics, and considered myself somewhat astute, but my knowledge has doubled at least. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings!
Thank you, AKM, for sharing your rich and varied viewpoints and insights…and doing it all with such great skill with the written word.
Happy Holidays, (of every kind and persuasion!) from Kansas
Alaskaloha to everyone around the world. United We Stand in Thanksgiving.
Found this gem on HuffPo
Dear Grim Reaper,
So far this year you have taken away my favorite dancer and
entertainer Michael Jackson, my favorite actor Patrick Swayze,
and my favorite actresses Bea Arthur and Farrah Fawcett…
Just so you know, my favorite politician is Sarah Palin. >:-}
Thank you AKM for gathering the best people in the world together.
AKM, let me put it bluntly without any flowery language or fluffy stuff. I think I would be dead if it weren’t for you. If I hadn’t had MF to calm and focus me during the nightmare year of Palin, I would have either jumped off our lovely Juneau Douglas bridge or been thrown off by hubby. Maybe even by friends if hubby didn’t get to it. So I am thankful beyond belief!
Many thanks to all the creative, humorous, and poignant writings of AKM and all the Mudflatters. This is why we all keep coming back. It is relevant, not just for Alaska, but all over. And makes us (at least me) think a lot more about the goings on.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, AKM. I hope it’s going swell.
I drove to New Hampshire today for my dinner with my siblings. My brother’s wife’s daughter and son-in-law were there too. Guess where they are from? Anchorage!! I didn’t get to talk politics with them, but I smiled at the thought that I broke bread with some real live Alaskans. And thought of you all. Every last mudpuppy, and how thankful I am that I have you.
Just think of all the terms we have coined here over the year. Mudpuppy and Mudstock being my two favorites. Thank-you, AKM. And cheers.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Thank you AKM for making this special place for all of us to come and visit and connect with one another.
Amen to that AKM….
Cheers!
I second Justa
Thank you for the island of sanity. You understand what a threat you know who is and that we must keep on it. You give us that forum that we need to stay connected and share info.
You created a community for those of us who needed a “meetin place”
You also made it possible for us to connect with people from all over.
Thank you doesnt seem like enough.
It’s been a long, great, sometimes way-too-freaky year! When it looked bleak, this was always a warm place to go. Thanks Everyone!
AKM – You are a prolific and talented writer, touching all of us in so many ways, but most importantly – from your heart to our hearts. It gives me great pleasure to see that more and more sites are publishing your words and/or linking to the Mudflats.
Now that today’s big meal is over for the majority of us on here, we need to be aware that there are hungry people in Nunam Iqua, and they’ll be a lot hungrier before the winter is over. Ann and Victoria have posted some new articles -
http://anonymousbloggers.wordpress.com/
Apparently the flooding earlier this month has compounded the problems that the villagers already had. If anyone is able to adopt a family, Ann will match you up.
There are so many items that can be bought in bulk for a lower price. Most of the generic brands aren’t much different than name brands, but are usually quite lower……..and to a family who has nothing, generic would fill the void. I’ve passed the story along to everyone in my address book and I’m confident that some will participate.
Just thinking about how much we all trickle away by grabbing snacks while out, picking up those odds and ends we really don’t need, and the leftovers that are often simply tossed out, and I realize that my family can certainly curtail some of the frivolous spending and help feed those who have no options available to them.
The past three months have been very painful ones for me due to family issues, and my visits here have helped me chuckle, snort, sigh and occasionally growl through my more challenging days. How special it is to be among people of so many different backgrounds, professions and geographical locations and yet still have so much in common. Thank you, AKM, for creating this wonderful world and for illuminating it with your wit, wisdom and talent.
In the spirit of the day and the company here at the ‘flats, I would like to share with you an old Irish saying a friend passed on to me years ago.
May those that love us, love us.
And those that don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn’t turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we will know them by their limping.
I give thanks for knowing AKM.
oooohhhh. I ate too much. I hate it when that happens. Thank you AKM and others for all the great words, pictures, links, and sanity shared here. God bless!
>>>clink<<< right back at ya, AKM!
It's a privilege to help out around this lovely community. Keep up teh awesome work!
We don’t know each other, and probably never will, but having discovered this blog in the last few months I have come to appreciate all that it contains. The writing is wonderful and the commentators are insightful and amusing but the very best part are those wonderful pictures of Alaska that you present. True beauty!
Knowing that there is a site that is free of the insanity of Sarah Palin worship is a bonus. But why spoil the day talking about this phony baloney when we have so much else to be thankful for.
This blog is a daily must for me as it offers humor, truth, and an appreciation for the wonders of this land. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I, too, give thanks for finding and becoming a part of the Mudflats “family”. Throughout the past year, AKM has made me laugh and cry in equal measure. And the friends I have made at Mudflats, I treasure.
Raising a toast to AKM, Snos…and each and every mudpuppy.
In the spirit of thanksgiving, I too must give thanks to you AKM. I actually share a birthday with this special day (which was yesterday here in the southern hemisphere).
After receiving gifts my daughter told me I would receive yet another gift in the not too distant future. I was curious so I asked a million questions, but was told only that it was “something” to do with “something” that I lived and breathed, it had to come from overseas and would make me tremendously happy when I received it. Wow!
Yes, you guessed it, my family have bought me “Going Rouge”. Yay!
So thank you in advance for your contribution to this very important publication. I will be waiting very impatiently for the postie to bring me
my copy. Woohoo!
It has been said already, from so many, the thanks due to AKM, the administrators,
Brian, Buf, and the mountain Redoubt, all the wonderful wildnerness that I may see
only in these photographs. It is the heart connections that happen when
truth and compassion are expressed that are so powerful. Because of AKM
this community developed, and because of it, I can have hope for my country
and the planet, that the power of goodness will bring the changes we need.
What an individual can make happen is amazing and touching. That there
is so much humor just tops it off. I, too, Mudflats and Mudflatters.
oops…s’posed to say…I, too, HEART AKM. Mudflats, and Mudflatters….
Mudflats is my first stop in the morning and my last stop at night, and has been since late August, 2008.
Thank you, AKM, for being our Alaskan “mom” – I am so grateful for you and for all my virtual Mudpuppy brothers and sisters all over the world. The wisdom, courage, laughter and love I have found here is priceless.
Dear AKM, Thank you for sharing so much of yourself, what a true gift you have given. Thank you for encouraging us to get involved by simply stating facts.
Thank you for introducing me to Ann Strongheart and the plight of the people. Your blog has given so much to my family and friends.
((((snoskred)))) for everything, especially ‘hearing’ depression. You are a gem. You helped me, kept me going and I never thanked you. I read and don’t ‘talk’ much here these days but I know I do a heckuva lot (o:
I count you among my many blessings, Happy Thanksgiving!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. It’s amazing that some of us have been here more than year getting the best eduation about Alaska that we could. It has been so nice to have a voice of reason and sanity on the political scene.
And AKM, it’s been a delight to take that break from all things political with all the great photos you’ve shared with us.
How are Brian and Brenda and the twins, anyway?
Happy Thanksgiving, mudpups- I hope your day was filled with good food and great cheer. We celebrated the successful surgery to remove a tangled vein/artery (a fistula) in Daughter2′s brain covering- a reason to be very thankful.
And to AKM, Snoskred, all the Superadministrators (I am in awe), and the many, many mudpups around the world- I raise a Fat Tire to you, and offer this toast to friendship:
“There are good ships,
and there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships, are friendships,
And may they always be.”
God bless you AKM and the wonderful cyber-family that you have created because it was the righteous thing to do.
South Side Chicago
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Especially Thank You AKM for the wonderful blogging this past year. I’ve enjoyed it all.
I am thankful that you were brave enough to fight the good fight. You are a brilliant writer and a lovely person. You single-handedly brought hundreds, if not thousands, of people together at this informative and educational “meeting place”. What you have faced over the last couple of years would have sent a weaker woman to her knees. You rose above it all and have been a godsend to many of us. May your days be filled with continued blessings, and may you find success all the days of your life.
I avoided reading Sarah stories on-line for most of the day, but now that the clock has gone past midnight and it’s another day, I decided to catch up on the latest stories.
We can all give thanks that Sarah is keeping her quitter count going up. She was scheduled to do a 5k run for the Red Cross. She started it, but then quit part way through “to avoid the crowds at the end”………. lol
We can also give thanks to Snowbilly over on Palingates, for his detective work. It looks like Sarah only rides her bus to and from the airport and the book locations. Only once was she on Franklin Graham’s Samaritan plane. The rest of the time, she’s been on a private jet. There’s some confusion about the registration, but it is NOT registered in the US, but appears to be Dominican. So new questions – Murdoch’s or some other big business? Who’s paying for it?
We can also be thankful that Todd stayed in Alaska to fix the roof for Sarah, instead of hiring someone to do the repairs, thereby saving Sarah a wad of money.
AKM and all the Mudpups around the world, I feel heartfelt thanks for the informative political information you have given me. You have made me cry, laugh, critically think, and remember to be compassionate. You have taught me what a politician is not suppose to be(via SP). At the same time, I have met some of the most caring and intellectual people around the world here on this wonderful site. We definitely have a huge fight up ahead to do everything in our power to stop this divisive woman from ruining our country and spreading her lies. We will never convince her base on her how dangerous she is to this country, but we have to make sure that we spread the message to intelligent people about her deceitfulness. We can do this Mudpups! Yes we can!! Happy Thanksgiving AKM and to all Mudpups. I heart you all!
Thanks all!
You are all so awesome, I don’t really have the words!
Michigander, you are more than welcome.
I am so thankful for the wonderful writings of AKMuckraker, her friendship and trust, and the team of mods and admins for whom I would need to use about 600 words out of the thesaurus to describe.
I am so blessed to know y’all.
Thank YOU “AKM”, my oldest and dearest friend, for knowing just about all there is to know about me…and loving me anyway (sm). The work you do on your blog absolutely blows me away. It is an enormous task to deliver this much copy on ANY subject, let alone politics, and maintaining such a high level of quality and intelligence and humor on a daily basis is a monumental labor of love and commitment.
On a personal note, thank you so much for your love and support during my most hellish year. I was so touched and grateful that you used your own powerful platform as well as that of The Huffington Post to broadcast the outrageous behavior of my health insurer and the heroic actions of my cardiologist whose decision to pay for a Stress Test when Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield would NOT likely saved my life. Maybe a few more Americans finally “get it” that havig health insurance in the United States can be just as life-threatening as NOT having it. And a BIG THANKS to all the Mudflatters who passed my story on to their political reps. The GOP’s position on health care reform is postitively appalling. It will benefit no one — except the disgusting health insurers and the political whores whose “moral” imperative seems to be soely dictated by campaign contributions — to further deregulate an industry whosee murder-for-profit abuses already abound.
Love,
Deb the “Stent Girl”
The only thing I can thank Sarah for is that she led me to you, AKM, and the other Alaska bloggers. Although I don’t often post, I have read your blog everyday since she came on the national scene and find it my daily amusement. Just as I need my morning coffee, I need the Alaskan blogs. Very entertaining. So, thank you AKM for bringing such joy into my life and for showing the rest of the world that all of the Alaskan women and men aren’t stupid and ignorant as portrayed by the witch from the north.
It appears I hoisted the glass to your honor (and to all other mudpuppies) a few times too many.
But man, that north carolina turkey sure was tasty.
Hope ya alls had a good one.
And thanks to you, AKM, for daily reminding us that we cannot simply sit by and let things happen to us, that we must be aware of what is going on in our community and around the country.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Erin
I am thankful that I had a real Thanksgiving dinner yesterday as opposed to Quizno’s sandwiches, and spent it with people I actually love whom I do not treat as ‘props’ to be used for my own selfish purposes.
I am thankful I am not delusional.
I am thankful I am not jealous or frightened of Sarah Palin.
I am thankful that I appear to be in better health right now than Sarah Palin.
I am thankful for being able to work a little, play a little today, all in my pajamas! (Decided this morning I am not going to take them off all day!)
I am thankful for God giving us grapes and the brains to be able to make wine out of ‘em!
Happy Thanksgiving to all mudpups and other thinking people, and a big childish Raspberry to the Palin-Heath clan.
BTW, if Mr. Terps EVER tried to get out of Thanksgiving with me, it would mean things had gotten pretty darn bad between us. Not a good move if you are trying to squelch rumors about your marriage being ‘on the rocks’.
Cue the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet …
I’m a day late (it’s now Black Friday), but I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to thank you most sincerely for adding joy and intellect to my days. My friend in Washington state and me in New Mexico are both ex long time Alaskans, now retired to warmer climes. She told me about your site and now I can’t get through the day without my Mudflat fix. So thank you, AKM, from this old Alaskan.
Thank you so much for your thanks posting on Thanksgiving Day. I “clink” right back at you! Thank you so much.
I came upon your site when I saw the headline “Women Against Sarah Palin Rally” years ago, and loved it ever since.
Thanks from New York City
jmf
NYC #5 said it all. Happy Thanksgiving to all from Wisconsin.I have used links from here to make many points in stories I have read, Hope everyone had a really good thanksgiving and at least ate better tan palin did. I thought they were supposed to have thanksgiving dinner at her aunts home???? I have been up to Alaska a couple times but only in the Anchorage Talkeetna,Eagle river area so I learned a lot about bush Alaska.I thank everyone at mudflats for keeping this site up and running especially AKIM after she was outed which took a lot of guts to go up against the Heaths and palins that may live in Anchorage