By Elstun Lauesen Franklin C. Spinney was a staff analyst attached to the Department of Defense’s ASD/PA&E (Tactical Air Division). In 1991 he wrote an independent position paper on why the F-22 should not have been approved for engineering and development. His objections were two-fold: first, the production of the F-22 didn’t make strategic sense [...]

I had great fun hosting Firedoglake’s book salon yesterday. Authors Amanda Coyne and Tony Hopfinger were there to answer questions about their new book/stocking stuffer Crude Awakening – Money, Mavericks and Mayhem in Alaska.  For those of you who weren’t able to make it, below is my introduction with a link to the conversation at [...]

Join me and author Amanda Coyne of Alaska Dispatch today at firedoglake.com for a book salon featuring the new release Crude Awakening – Money, Mavericks and Mayhem in Alaska by Coyne and co-author Tony Hopfinger. Details below. Hope to see you there! [Cross-posted from Alaska Dispatch] Jeanne Devon, AKA AK Muckraker, who runs the popular [...]

‘Tis the season for political fundraisers. Invitations come via email, and Facebook, and robocall, and some still even come the old fashioned way and arrive in the mailbox. Each invitation tries to sound a little exciting, a little different, a little “stand out from the crowd.” Well, this is one that definitely stood out. We’ve [...]

“We don’t need no stinkin’ feds telling us what to do!” Ah, the mantra of the 49th state. It’s true that there are many great points to support local governance. Communities themselves are often the best at determining what the needs of their residents are – especially in areas that don’t fit the “norm” of [...]

~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more!   Neighbors and Cupcakes and Bears – Oh, my! For the faint of heart, and the thin of stomach lining, the ADN’s Julia O’Malley got a peek at the first episode of Sarah Palin’s Alaska, and she watched it so you don’t have [...]

AFN Diary: Day 3. Stop the Bullying and Let’s Be Family Again! By Elstun Lauesen This morning the long list of Resolutions were considered by the delegates and the Chairman of the AFN Resolutions Committee, Trefon Angasan asked if there were other matters to be brought before the body. A young man from Ft. Yukon, [...]

By Elstun Lauesen The most interesting meeting on Day 2 of the AFN Conference was on Village Survival! It wasn’t held at AFN. It wasn’t on the official AFN agenda. It was held miles away from the Carlson Center. It was a government-to-government consultation held with Alaska Tribal Leaders well away from the AFN venue. [...]

By Elstun Lauesen I will begin with the end of the suspense. Rumors had been hanging like streamers from the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, making the day enticing to the drama-addicted media from the far reaches of Boston and New York. The closeness of the U. S. Senate race has made Alaska interesting again. Would [...]

By Linda Kellen Biegel Sarah Palin’s accusations regarding the “Liberal, Lamestream Media” being “out to get her” are no secret, especially after publication of her first work of fiction, “Going Rogue.” However, there is a less-published (by credible sources) accusation that goes like this: There is a so-called “Alaska Mafia” of Democrats who take orders [...]

I love this ad – even the invocation of Ted Stevens at the end… It’s respectful, and even though it’s obvious that McAdams is a Democrat, it’s a recognition of someone who worked hard for the state. What do you think? This from the McAdams campaign: In the ad McAdams identifies priority issues for his [...]

Alright everyone, put on some protective eyewear, because it’s time to play “Peel the Political Onion!” A new Alaska poll from Craciun Research is out, and the numbers look… I believe the technical statistical term is “wacky.”  So let’s start peeling and see what we find. Here’s the way it falls out: Lisa Murkowski 41% [...]

In the spring of 2009, a smiling Ted Stevens surrounded by his equally smiling daughters graced the front page of the Anchorage Daily News. A federal judge had set aside a jury’s guilty verdict and the indictment against former Sen. Ted Stevens, then announced he was appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the government attorneys in the [...]

~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! The old adage is true – you play, you pay.  I have almost completed shoveling a path to my desk, after returning from vacation, and the only thing that’s going to help today is an Oyster Roundup where I tell you all [...]

Shannyn Moore and I arrived at the Anchorage Baptist Temple at about 10am.  For the first time in more than a month, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  The Chugach Mountains were out in full glory, unshrouded by the persistent drizzly clouds that have made this the rainiest summer on record in [...]