Oyster Roundup! Whales, FROGs, and Alligator Shirts.
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Here’s a plate of slurpable stories to start your week. Source links are in the title. Start shucking! Pay Up, Joe An Alaska judge on Friday ordered that failed U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller pay more than $17,300 in legal costs incurred by the state in fighting Miller’s challenge to last year’s election. Don’t even get me started. OK, I’ll start. First the disclaimer – I didn’t vote for Joe, would never vote for him, am ideologically opposed to his political philosophy, and have written extensively…
New Assemblyman Trombley Guilty of Lying and Being a Whippersnapper
The thing that consoles me when I write about local issues, is that our characters here in Alaska (even though many of you are from elsewhere) are so incredibly over-the-top and ridiculous that they can be appreciated in their own right, just for the entertainment value. It’s like writing a book full of short stories about some mythical crazy dysfunctional municipal government, only it’s not mythical. Today, we’ll revisit one of the larger yet lesser characters in our serial drama, and one of Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan’s henchpeople. Remember Adam Trombley, former local basketball star and up-and-coming conservative mayoral toady?…
Oyster Roundup!
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Chuitna Coal Comment Period Extended The comment period for the petition to make the Chuit River and its tributaries declared unsuitable for coal strip mining has been extended! That means if you had all the best intentions of emailing and saying, “I think it’s a really bad idea to dig up 11 miles of productive salmon stream for your crappy coal mine” and just didn’t get around to it, you have another chance! The new deadline is tomorrow, February 2, at 5pm so click HERE and jot…
Murkowski and Young Sworn In. Here We Go Again…
~Lisa Murkowski and husband Verne Martell when she declared her write-in candidacy. Today, Lisa Murkowski was sworn in for her second full term as U.S. Senator. She was escorted to the swearing in by Murkowski the Elder (Also known as Murkowski the Lesser). Frank the Bank who gave her the seat when he left to become the second-worst governor ever, today gave her a kiss on the cheek. Husband Verne Martell upgraded her rubber “Fill it in, Write it in” wrist band from the campaign to an engraved gold one. No word if it says “Voter intent trumps all, so oval…
Miller Concedes – Now What?
Happy New Year, Mudflatters. The Mudflats is slowly returning from its hiatus… Of course, I’d never want to come back and all of a sudden just bonk you on the head with a large cast iron skillet, but sometimes we don’t get what we want. This is one of those times. Over the weekend, there was a big development in Joe Miller’s legal pursuit to clarify election law, and demand a complete hand reconciliation of the Alaska vote count. Our Voices from the Flats contributor, and publisher of The Brad Blog has been following the case closely and has written a…
The 2010 Muddies – Vote Now!
It’s that time of the year again – the beginning of it. And it wouldn’t feel right, hanging up that new calendar without our yearly round up of the ne’er-do-wells, miscreants, and rogues of Alaska politics. Yes boys and girls, it’s time for the Muddy Awards. Now that our heads are clear after the holidays, it’s time to reflect. In past years, the first place award winner frankly hasn’t been much of a shock. I’m sure you won’t be surprised in the least when I tell you that the First Place Muddy for 2008, and 2009 went to Sarah Palin….
Thomas Van Flein Exits Stage Right – Farewell, Snidely…
This blog post comes with musical accompaniment to enhance your reading pleasure. Yes, it’s true. One of our most favorite villains in the never ending Palin drama is leaving the Great Land. And I have to admit, as much as I’d like to tell him not to let the door hit him on the way out of the state, the dramatist in me is just a little sad to see him go. *sniffle* So, grab your li’l white hankies and join with me by the train tracks as we bid a not-so-fond farewell to Thomas Van Flein, who has been…
Hand Count Coming in the Alaska Senate Race?
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Here’s the latest information on the Alaska Senate race. Looks like we’re headed for the most important step – a full hand recount of all the ballots! It’s a good day for election integrity when that happens. If anyone still needs convincing, check out the must-read post from Brad Friedman who has been dogged on this issue for a very long time, but staunchly stands on the side of the process, not the candidate. He has a very good flak jacket. If the issue of election integrity is close to your heart as it…
Murkowski & Begich – A Tale of Two Senators (and some guy from San Francisco)
It was a busy week last week. The giant metal gears in Washington D.C. were busy grinding up the hopes and expectations of those who voted for the President in 2008. And then, just as suddenly, something hopeful started to happen. Alaska’s story of the last week is one of the more interesting ones. We are the only state in the union that has not had its 2010 Senate election results certified. Joe Miller, who is raising legal challenges to the apparent write-in victory of incumbent Lisa Murkowski, still has several courses of action he can take. We’ll know Tuesday whether…
State Court Rules Against Joe Miller in Election Suit (But it ain't over yet…)
In the battle of Miller v. State of AK v. Murkowski v. Voter Intent v. Election Integrity, the next bell has sounded. Today Superior Court Judge William Carey ruled against Joe Miller on all counts in his suit against the state. Carey stated that he saw no evidence of election fraud, and allowed the state to consider voter intent in casting ballots. Part of Miller’s suit suggested that any ballot not perfectly spelled for Murkowski should be disallowed, stating that the state law was very clear on that point. It all boiled down (on that point) to what the word…