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March 28, 2024

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No Time for Tuckerman -

Thursday, August 3, 2023

The Quitter Returns! -

Monday, March 21, 2022

Putting the goober in gubernatorial -

Friday, January 28, 2022

Saying Goodbye to a Fallen Warrior

I found out last Wednesday, while I was in Soldotna for a family reunion, that my good friend Maurice Bailey had passed away the previous day.  While he had suffered from Leukemia for awhile now, it still seemed to catch us all by surprise. Mo was a Vietnam vet, a pilot, an aviation mechanic and a stalwart fixture in Alaska’s aviation community. He was also founder of  the non-profit organization Veterans Aviation Outreach, whose goal is to find as many of  Alaska’s estimated 80,000 veterans as he could and get them signed up for their US Veteran’s Benefits.  He sometimes found vets who were in the throes of…

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski Slams Palin

It’s interesting to see the reactions coming in from Alaska’s politicos to the surprise resignation of Governor Sarah Palin yesterday. But, perhaps the most surprising of all is that of Alaska’s Senior Senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski. We expect politicians to be…well…politicians. We anticipate all kinds of pussy-footing around, saying things without really saying them, and trying to offend the least number of people while saying the bare minimum to satisfly the public that they’ve actually responded. That’s why Murkowski’s response was so refreshing, an so unexpected. She said what many Alaskans, especially those who have supported Sarah Palin, are feeling….

When in Doubt, Trust….The Bush Administration?

A potentially precedent-setting ruling in a case involving Alaska resource development came through the Supreme Court yesterday.  It involved the legal contamination of a naturally occurring fish-bearing lake on the one hand, and the economic interest of a mining corporation on the other.  I’ll give you one guess who the court ruled for…and it wasn’t the environment.  (A lightbulb goes off over your head)  “Heyyyy, is this the same Supreme Court that ruled in favor of Exxon recently in that oil spill case?  The one where the environment and local people got the short end of the stick in favor…

Lunch with Labor and Lattes with the Legislature!

Today from 11:30 – 1:30, Anchorage union members are hosting a picnic to encourage Senator Lisa Murkowski to support the Employee Free Choice Act.  Attendees will sign petitions and make phone calls to the Senator to encourage her to support the Act. In a strange case of “go figure,”  Congressman Don Young who sponsors the EFCA will be in attendance at the picnic. All union members and their families are invited to attend. The picnic will be held in the parking lot of Laborers International Union 341 (LIUNA), 2501 Commercial Drive, Anchorage, AK (In case of rain, the picnic will…

Tuesday Catch Up – Down With Nukes, Bedbugs and Flaming Hyperbolic Outrage.

It’s Not Just You Many Alaskans are wondering how on earth they could have voted for Sarah Palin the first time.  Don’t feel bad. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin can thank Washington lobbyist and political consultant Rick Davis, chief executive officer of John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, for being the ultimate pick to become the Republican vice presidential candidate. “It was all his doing. He was completely snowed by Palin,” a source close to Mr. McCain confided to this columnist over the weekend. “He was totally taken by her.” See, it can happen to anyone. Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite The…

Missiles Good. Energy Efficiency Bad.

Budget cuts.  That’s where the rubber meets the road for fiscal conservatives.  Sarah Palin’s been talking a big game about fiscal conservatism.  Alaskans adored Ted Stevens and Don Young  and re-elected them for term after term after term (etc.) because they could bring home the pork, baby.  Don Young’s well-attended annual fundraiser is actually a pig roast.  On purpose.  And Alaskan pork isn’t all horrible and unfair.  We have challenges in transportation, scattered rural populations, and building infrastructure that other states cannot even fathom.  And we give a lot back to the nation in terms of mineral resources, awesome fish, and a…