An Open Letter from Wickersham’s Conscience to Attorney General John Burns about Ben Stevens, former State Senate President and son of the late Senator Ted Stevens. August 11, 2011 John J. Burns, Attorney General Department of Law PO Box 110300 Juneau, AK 99811 Re: Ben Stevens Dear Attorney General Burns: The Anchorage Daily News reports today that Ben [...]

One never knows when Brian the moose will wander in to the yard, and subsequently in to the open thread. This morning, there was I, minding my business and deep in thought, enjoying my morning coffee on the deck, when what should catch my ear but the distinct “Mwwwph” of a bull moose. Sure enough, [...]

Today, Iowa Republicans gather to get their little thumbs inked as they vote in the Ames Straw Poll telling an eager nation who they would vote for in the presidential election of 2012. The straw poll has predicted the president two of the last five times, and while the poll itself means absolutely nothing in [...]

It sounds like the beginning of a joke: A priest, an African American woman and a “union thug” walk in to the Sheraton… But, in reality, it’s no joke at all for the hard working hotel workers in Anchorage. First, a little background. Currently, two hotels in Anchorage are under boycott – The Anchorage Hilton [...]

For background on this story, read The Mudflats’ previous post HERE. What better way to spend a sunny summer morning in Anchorage, than to attend a nice arraignment in the Federal Courthouse. Today’s defendant is the man who is quickly becoming known as Alaska’s most infamous fish crook - Senator Lisa Murkowski’s top fisheries adviser, Arne [...]

We couldn’t be prouder of Mudflats contributor and big scary Alaskan “union thug” Ryan Marquis of Kenai. Here he is with newly elected Senator Jennifer Schilling (D) in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Ryan was one of many Alaskans who have helped out on the ground in Wisconsin this year, proving that there’s nothing like boots on the ground [...]

~Shiny new oil rigs bound for Prudhoe Bay, Alaska If you listen to the oil companies, their lobbyists, and the cadre of legislators and elected officials they’ve purchased over the years, you’d think it’s the end of the world. They run in circles, hair on fire, rending garments, pounding their own foreheads with their palms [...]

This Harry Nilsson song is from the classic animated 1971 movie The Point. It’s oh so 1971, and one of those movies that kids and adults can both appreciate in different ways. It’s lots of fun if you haven’t seen it. There’s plenty of great music in the soundtrack but this is my favorite, and [...]

~Sarah Palin, the future financial prophet, in college. Her economics themed attire reads: “I may be broke, but I’m not flat busted.” Yes, those fancy spectacles that may or may not have prescription lenses certainly gave the former governor 20/20 hindsight. You see, she predicted the United States’ credit downgrade all along. Yes, she did. [...]

So, what does Brian, the official moosecot of The Mudflats read?  All of it. Everything they put in front of him. And this week, Mudflatter ThatCrowWoman put in front of him a copy of the July/August issue of Sierra Club Magazine. Inside is a nice little nod to The Mudflats! Coming shortly, another one of [...]

~The original Captain Zero Before I go off on some rant about how my forefathers fought the British to birth a country that could VOTE, and how siding with the British to take away the right of Americans to vote should be called treason, I’ll take a deep breath and explain a few things. Since [...]

~The Right’s Vision of America The much anticipated recall election is happening today in Wisconsin. Six Republicans in the state senate may be recalled. There are two camps in this fight, each with a radically different vision for America, the role of government, and the rights of workers to organize. When Gov. Scott Walker introduced [...]

For those of you who have been waiting with bated breath regarding the mysterious orange slime that washed up on the shores of the remote Northwestern Coast village of Kivalina, Alaska, the algae experts have spoken. It’s not algae. This is why we need such folk, ready to analyze and evaluate on a moment’s notice. [...]

In the light of Anthony Weiner resigning over a personal problem affecting his professional life, it would seem that someone actually guilty of a professional misdeed affecting her professional life might be called to account. If Mark Begich had been faced with the situation Lisa Murkowski was faced with this week, we’d likely hear the [...]

  This clever little bit of Origami is what I like to believe that George Washington might have said if faced with the corporatism that is taking over his country. (h/t David Otness and Say No to Corporate America)