Real Alaska And Natural Causes
~The wreckage from the plane crash Ted Stevens survived in 1978.
I wrote a thank you note to Rachel after watching this coverage. There is so much unable to explain about Alaska. It’s why I have a T.I.A moment every day. This. Is. Alaska. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it rips your guts out.
For many Alaskans, if you had to put a facebook status to your relationship with former Senator Ted Stevens, you’d select “It’s Complicated”.
The New Yorker wrote:
To go down in a plane crash is such an Alaskan thing to do that to die by falling from the sky amounts in Alaska to dying of natural causes.
A fellow Homer resident and a man who I nannied for in high school, Tom Bodett wrote about Ted Stevens:
I disagreed often, if not always, with Stevens’ policy positions but I voted for him every six years and would have the last time too were I still an Alaska voter. I owed him that. A lot of Alaskans who disagreed with him felt the same way.
Alaska, it really is nothing more than a super huge really, really, really small town.
Excellent description.
Spot on dear, spot on.
What Paula said. Alaska is a small town on a very large piece of land. We all know each other. And we’re united in mourning the loss of the man who fought like a wolverine for all of us.
I live in a town of 800. A town about 2 miles long. And, literally, I know maybe 20 people here. Tops.
. Those of us who live in the lower 48 will never understand TIA.Thank you, Shannyn and Rachel.
Thank you, Shannyn. He was quite a man.
I would have a difficult time getting into such a itty bitty plane on a regular basis or any basis for that matter.
I remember watching the Senator walking in and out of the courthouse during the trial on television and thinking I hope he is not convicted. He seemed like he could be any of our uncles or grandfathers. Very composed, walking side by side with his family members. I don’t know how serious the charges were (we’ve certainly seen much worse) but I am glad he was able to have the convictions overturned before his death. It must have been a huge weight off his shoulders in his final days.
And… Senator Stevens tried to get a pardon from Bush- this all happened during the Bush Administration. It was new, Eric Holder, attorney general in the new Obama Administration who dismissed the charges.
People who aren’t from Alaska don’t always understand. By our standards, the Otter is a “big” plane, not an “itty bitty” plane. Most of us own planes with 2 to 4 seats, not one as large as an Otter that can hold a dozen. It’s just a fact of life. We don’t have roads here.
Stevens did indeed help build Alaska, with the rest of the country’s money. He brought home more money that our entire population paid in taxes. For that, everyone here will be in his debt.
All I can say is that I love my State. When I woke up this morning I looked out to the ocean and watched the boats slowly moving around making their way out to the fishing grounds, I took in a deep breath and marveled at my fortune of bing born and raised an Alaskan. It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s vast, it’s unforgiving and I appreciate anyone who is willing to stand up and fight the good fight for Alaska and Alaskan’s. I met Senator Stevens while he was in town doing a town hall meeting. I have a friend who was running for State House at the time, and Senator Ted Stevens took the time before getting on the jet to meet with us and talk to my friend about how to run his campaign, He was quick on the draw and he gave some great pointers to my friend. You could tell just by talking to him that he loved what he was doing, he enjoyed talking to all Alaskan’s and he loved Alaska. Such an amazing difference between him and the crazy lady from Wasilla. He was the real deal. He gave so much and did so much for our beautiful State. Thank you Senator Ted STevens.
When I lived in Fairbanks, lo these many years ago, I lived in a log cabin next door to Ted Stevens and Anne when he was the Assistant D.A. in Fairbanks. Anne always reminded me of the story of the old woman who lived in a shoe and had so many children, she didn’t know what to do. I remember feeling sorry for her as she didn’t seem to know how to cope with them. She was a very nice woman. Ted…not so much. I used to babysit (dog sit) Louie, their big old Lab. When Ted was appointed, to the Senate they took Louie to D.C. with them, but Louie couldn’t adapt to the big city life and became a little too aggressive, so they gave him away to folks who lived in the country. Aw, memories, memories. As true Alaskans, both Ted and Anne died in plane crashes.
I think my favorite legacy of Uncle Ted was the Denali Commission.
Someone just the other day said to me “I didn’t realize Alaska was like a 3rd world country” after I was describing life in Kotzebue. I said, “well it is, and it isn’t”
Something that just goes to show TIA is that at the same time only 50 miles from Anchorage the PJ’s crashed and flipped a Pavehawk on a glacier during a rescue attempt for another crashed aircraft (no one was killed in either crash)
The Air National Guard (“PJs”) Pavehawks did not have a flip. It was an Army National Guard Blackhawk which flipped on Knik Glacier.
Once I got a kitchen range that blew up when I plugged it in. Poof! The seller didn’t feel like being responsible for it. I did get a letter from “Uncle Ted,” the Senator, to the manufacturer that helped get the situation resolved eventually.
She did such a good job on the background story here, but missed one point. She talked about Nick Begich’s death by plane crash, and that his son, Mark, is now a Senator. She did not say that Mark Begich defeated Ted in the last election, just after Ted’s conviction.
Alaska is a really small town.
My dad was killed in a plane crash and every time I hear about one, it brings back so many memories, the long wait to see if your loved one survived, dealing with the press, and waiting to find out what really happened.
My condolences to all the families involved.
I am so sorry. Please accept my sympathy.
My Anchorage friends are moving. To Japan, no less! I will miss visiting them, and will miss your beautiful, beautiful state. I have to tell you, I just walk around in a daze when I am there. I am overwhelmed by the beauty, but am smart enough to realize that right behind that beauty is danger.
I like your way of thinking, jimzmum. Even though it may not seem like it, we Alaskans really do appreciate having tourists visit our state, and we appreciate even more the ones like you who know the inherent danger that comes with the natural beauty of our state.
I love to spend time in the Nevada/Arizona desert, too. I know what to watch for, know how to take care of myself, and know to use my brain! I take a lot of pictures when we are in the desert. I was in Anchorage in February and didn’t take a danged picture of the wintertime beauty I could see. Totally stunned at the vistas. Walked around that path thing close to the mudflats. They are so lovely in the winter!
I grew up flying and riding in small planes. I got my pilot’s license when I was 16, two weeks before I got my driver’s license. Learned to fly in a tail-dragging Taylorcraft. My father and I flew all over the place in that plane. Mother flat refused to go. Daddy taught me to fly.
We lost a great Alaskan!
GO in peace uncle Ted…..
Shannyn, lovely article, and good coverage by Rachel. The New Yorker article was decent also, too.
Tomorrow is my mother’s yahrzeit (year time); the anniversary of her death on the Hebrew calendar. At sunrise, I lit the candle and said the Kaddish (mourners’ prayer), not only for her, but for Alaska’s “Uncle Ted” and the others who died so tragically-yet-ordinarily-by-Alaskan-standards. (The reason the candle’s already lit is because the day begins at sundown on the Hebrew calendar; in Genesis it reads, “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Shalom.
May your mother and all the others who recently died be of blessed memory. I’m not Jewish, but I think that’s how it goes?
Littlebird and I will remember her when we say Kaddish Friday night. (I’m a Friday night Shabbos gal, but the shul does have Saturday services if I ever feel the call.)
We’re lucky to be spending a few days now with my 78 year old parents, my sisters, their kids, and assorted friends and critters before I head back to Florida and back to school on Monday. It’s the second annual houseboat hootenanny on Lake Russell in Georgia. I hope there will be many more houseboat hootenannys for years to come…
It is unfortunate Stevens gave in to corruption. There will still be statues and schools named after him, just not like they would have if he had stayed true.
Complicated, powerful, corruptand a sad ending.
Thanks, thatcrowwoman. Shabbat shalom. It’s been six years now, and my sisters and I appreciate your prayers.
Please add my prAyers.
Excuse the upper case in inappropriate places, please. Computer is downloading a massive file, so I am posting from my iPhone.
Rachel Maddow did such a great job on this story. I am sure Ms. Maddow would disagree with Senator Stevens on many political issues but that is not what she focused on. Instead she focused on his service and commitment to the people of Alaska. In addition Ms. Maddow talked about the dangers of transportation in Alaska especially for politicians. It was just the facts with no hyperbole. And it was awesome. You will never see this kind of reporting on Fox News………….ever. And that is why I respect Rachel Maddow along with Fareed Zakaria because they are true to the facts. Fox News is neither fair or balanced.