Corporate Giant vs. Retirees in West Virginia
Today is May Day – in honor of International Workers Day we’re publishing James Fassinger’s, moving photo-essay about a group of retirees in West Virginia fighting a corporate giant for benefits promised to them. They’re doing it Occupy style. James has sent us this story to get the word out about this struggle. He’s an internationally published photographer – with the Guardian, The New York Times and the Times of London. This is the first in a monthly series that TheMudflats.net will be posting featuring the very best in photo-journalism. Please share this story widely. Nearly one year ago,…
Congress, Meet Tongass
By Geoff Mueller Washington D.C., rife with politicians and paved with legislative hurdles, is a far cry from the Alaska backcountry. But that hasn’t stopped Juneau-based flyfishing guide Matt Boline from ditching his waders, donning a suit, and entering the melée. Earlier this week Boline traveled to the nation’s capital as part of a commercial and sport fishermen delegation pressing Congress to enact stronger protections for salmon and trout in the country’s largest national forest. The Tongass National Forest is located in southeast Alaska, home to one of the world’s largest and healthiest wild salmon fisheries. Currently, 65% of…
Murkowski Disingenuous Says NARF
Natalie Landreth is a senior staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) in Anchorage, Alaska. Founded in 1970, NARF is the oldest and largest nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide. By Natalie Landreth Last Thursday, March 7, President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Nationwide, many celebrated the new provisions allowing tribal governments to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual assault. It was a long overdue fix for a jurisdictional loophole. Absent from the press coverage…
The Cost of Doing More
By Jeff Friedman The Anchorage School Board has passed its budget, and the state legislature will soon be voting on school funding. It is that time of year when people like to ask “why is education so expensive?” As a parent and school board member, I have been active in education issues at the school, district, state, and national level for nearly 20 years. Like most of you, I also went to school myself as a child. Of course, that was nearly 40 years ago, and a few things have changed since then. When I was in school, algebra was…
Sunday Pizza & Petroleum
By Rep. Les Gara This Sunday from Noon until 2:00, Senator Ellis and I will be in Anchorage if you’d like to hear a legislative update, and share your thoughts and concerns. Or you can pretend that’s why you’re coming, bring your kids, and eat free pizza. We’d be honored if you came for any of the above reasons, and be honored to feed your kids and grandkids. Here is the low cost – like free – video invite Johnny and I put together. It’s amazing. No, it’s actually just OK. But we’re almost proud of it. Please share it…
Integrity? How Ironic.
An Open Letter to State Rep. Lindsey Holmes (D) (R), of Anchorage, from a constituent, regarding her change of political parties, just days before the legislative session. Dear Representative Holmes: I wanted to share something with you that I found on the Internet. I know that you’re not supposed to believe everything that you read there, but I thought this was an interesting snippet: When someone goes to your reelection website, this is the first image and statement they are presented with.. How Ironic. “Public service is about integrity, hard work, and an honest concern for the future of all…
Shell’s Uninhabited Island Has A Story
By Kelsey Gobroski New Year’s Eve 2012, a Shell Oil drilling rig crashed off the shore of an uninhabited island near Kodiak. The landing site lit up on the media radar. The actual setting of the wreck was overshadowed by the fears, aspirations and politics surrounding the drilling rig. To peer into the background of these images, past the drilling rig and the news updates, “uninhabited” does not do the island justice — Sitkalidak Island has played its part in history. The island retired from public eye nearly 50 years ago, but has weathered every major boom and bust in…
Meanwhile, In Shell’s PR Office…
Following the loss of control and subsequent grounding of the Shell drilling rig, Kulluk, that company’s PR team goes to work. Sitting in PR headquarters, mostly silent, members of the PR team wracked their brains trying to find a way to at least mitigate some of the negative publicity being aimed at the corporation. Then it came. One member of the team jumped up and exclaimed, “I’ve got it! Let’s spend some money on Facebook and try to get some extra ‘Likes’ over this whole thing!” And everyone at Shell agreed. The end. ************************************************************************************************* Ryan Marquis lives on Alaska’s…
It’s Not A “Game”
Only 15 to 20 percent of soldiers in World War II fired at the enemy. That is to say one in five actually shot at a Nazi when he saw one, and in most combat situations troops were reluctant to kill each other. Man, to his credit, mostly defaults to an unwillingness to kill his fellow man. “If you truly dwell on the magnitude of what you are doing when you kill another human being; if you truly dwell on the reality of another living, vital person, who is loved, and thinks and feels; that’s a very difficult thing to…
The Choices of Monsters
Born and raised in Alaska, Glen Klinkhart is a retired Anchorage Police Department Detective, a State Certified Police Officer, and Chief Executive Officer for DigitalSecurus, the largest Computer Security Firm in Alaska. He is also a father, lecturer, and author of A CyberCop’s Guide to Internet Child Safety, and the upcoming Finding Bethany. After the mall shooting in Oregon last week, my best friend asked me a question which weighed heavily on her mind, “Why? Why does someone do something horrible like this?” Needless to say, her question is now being asked by people all over the country,…