Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Former Anchorage mayoral candidate Andrew Halcro has offered a last-second endorsement of Ethan Berkowitz, one of the two candidates in Tuesday’s runoff election.
Halcro, a centrist Republican who used to lead the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, placed third in the initial round of balloting last month, behind Berkowitz, a Democrat, and Republican Amy Demboski, the other candidate in Tuesday’s runoff.
The top two finishers stand in the runoff if neither reached 45 percent of the vote in the first round. The election is officially non-partisan, but both Demboski and Berkowitz have received partisan backing.
Halcro, who got 21.5 percent of the vote last month, initially said he would not endorse either Berkowitz or Demboski. But in a Facebook post late Sunday, Halcro encouraged his supporters to vote for Berkowitz, saying he was worried about Demboski’s honesty, integrity, and maturity, “and her decision to allow the most extreme elements of the Republican Party to lead her campaign.”
Halcro said that the catalyst for him was Demboski's ugly attacks against Berkowitz:
“After the last week, it was like, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t bite my tongue any more,’” Halcro said. “To watch this campaign degrade over the last two weeks into this personal attack at Ethan was just way too much.”
"At any point in time, Amy could have stopped this," Halcro added.
There are a lot of reasons to disagree with Halcro politically, but he is clearly a man of integrity.
Remember if you are a resident of Anchorage, it is imperative that you get out and vote tomorrow.
Because trust me, Jerry Prevo is going to have his followers bussed to the polls in support of Demboski if need be.
Well today is election day here in Anchorage, Alaska.
Perhaps the most important choice is for a new mayor to replace Dan Sullivan, possibly the worst mayor we have had in the last twenty years.
The choices for that position are as follows.
Jacob Seth Kern
Dustin Darden
Amy Demboski - Anchorage Assembly member
Timothy Huit
Christopher Jamison
Samuel Joseph Speziale III
Ethan Berkowitz - Former Alaska House of Representatives Minority Leader
Andrew Halcro - Former Alaska House of Representatives member and 2006 Alaska gubernatorial candidate
Dan Coffey - Former Anchorage Assembly member
Paul Bauer - Former Anchorage Assembly member
Lance Ahern
Spencer Halgren
If you know any of the names on that list it is most likely that you will recognize Andrew Halcro, who ran against Sarah Palin and Tony Knowles for Governor back in 2006, and then became a blogger for a time, and Ethan Berkowitz who ran against Don Young in 2008, and lost after an aggressively disputed tally of the votes.
Dan Coffey is the guy caught on tape talking about buying votes and Amy Demboski is the Anchorage Assembly member who introduced an ordinance in response to our new pot legalization law to forbid the sale of marijuana within city limits. So you can imagine how popular she will be.
Currently it is suggested that the race is too close for one candidate to emerge victorious after today's vote, which means we can all look forward to a runoff election, one that will most likely have Berkowitz facing off against Halcro.
Personally I think we desperately need a Democrat in the Mayoral office, after eight years of Dan Sullivan, and will vote accordingly.
There are also several bonds on the ballot, and several school board candidates to choose from.
Whatever your political affiliation and position on the issues please make sure to vote today.
P.S. You can find more about the candidates and bod initiative here.
Kyle Beus, co-founder and co-owner of Valley Dairy, which does business as Matanuska Creamery, is facing accusations he steered money meant for the dairy operation into his own hands. A six-count indictment filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Anchorage charges Beus with wire fraud and false statements used to obtain grant disbursements from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
He's accused of pocketing at least $120,000 for his own "personal and discretionary use unrelated to the construction and management of the dairy processing facility," but details enumerated in the indictment suggest the amount may be tens of thousands of dollars higher.
The government alleges Beus abused his status and relationships with several interrelated companies to facilitate the fraud scheme. Simplified, as a dairy manager with the authority to oversee disbursement of federal grants, prosecutors say Beus used grant-awards and contracted companies as a conduit by which to draw and request cash that was never applied toward the dairy's operations. In some cases, none of the money went toward the dairy's operations. In others, some, but not all of the money drawn was properly used.
In the indictment, Beus is accused of carrying out the scheme by sending false or inflated invoices in support of his funding requests.
It's a new twist in a long saga that began with the demise of the state-subsidized and now defunct Matanuska Maid Creamery. Under the watch of then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the dairy was dissolved, a highly controversial move, and its assets disposed of. Beus was able to pick up the old equipment at a deep discount to launch his fledgling Klondike Creamery and Candy. By 2008, Valley Dairy was born – a joint effort between Beus, Robert Wells and Karen Olson.
The Rural Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was authorized to appropriate $5 million over years 2003-2007 to expand Alaska's dairy industry. Later, an extension was given by Congress to keep $650,000 available until expended.
In summer 2007, Beus received $168,000 of that money for his cheese and ice cream making facility. A month or two later, an unnamed corporation in Alaska received $475,000 to support a milk manufacturing facility. According to the federal indictment, it is from these two grant awards that Beus fraudulently sought and received disbursements meant for the dairy operation.
Ooh you know the milk is curdling in a certain Wasilla Refrigerator now!
Here is my favorite part of the article. Prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing.
Palin is the one that helped orchestrate the sale of Mat Maid to Beus, even though he had defaulted on a previous loan and was under investigation. Essentially Palin's prints are all over this thing, and I have a hard time imagining how she will walk away unscathed.
For those who want to connect the dots here is TPM's post from August 2008, Halcro's post from February 2009, and Regina's post from March 2010.
Several of my long time confidential sources stated last week that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is knee deep in trying to unwind some of the financial activity surrounding the use of federal government grants awarded to the Matanuska Creamery.
"Something is going on with an FBI investigation regarding the federal grant funds. The FBI has been contacting folks about checks they were given with cash back," read an email I received from one long time dairy source.
"It appears the FBI Investigation is focused on one of the major shareholders," a follow up email read from yet another agriculture insider.
In a phone interview with andrewhalcro.com, Anchorage FBI Special Agent Eric Gonzalez refused to admit or deny that the Bureau was investigating the Mataunuska Creamery. Saying it was agency's policy not to publicly comment, Gonzalez offered nothing by way of confirmation.
But given the number of unconnected individuals who have been reportedly approached by the FBI concerning possible kickbacks from Creamery disbursements, law enforcement's attention appears leveled at the way the fledgling Creamery put their initial grants to use.
There is much more at the link, including Andrew's long history of reporting on the scandal.
Go ahead and visit Halcro to see what he has, and then, if you so desire, you can come back here to discuss your impressions.
Personally I think he is really on to something.
Update: Here is picture of the Matanuska Creamery that Dennis Zaki took recently.
This courtesy of my fellow Alaskan blogger Andrew Halcro:
New developments in the Matanuska Creamery debacle have the FBI investigating allegations of fraud.
Just when I thought the FBI had completely dropped the ball. I guess when somebody works this hard to do away with the evidence, it is bound to draw some attention, don'tcha think?
Dunn's book is pretty simply constructed. We get the life of Sarah Palin, as told by those who know and knew her, in roughly chronological order. It stands in pretty stark contrast to the official version, however, and here's where Dunn shows his ability to write more than news. While carefully documenting everything he writes about Palin, he also manages to give readers a story, to put things in context. Through fine prose, a remarkable job of excavating witnesses and friends from across the years, and the ability to craft character from fact, Dunn tells us the story of Sarah Palin.
This story is not without controversy, and what Dunn presents contradicts much of the publicity associated with Sarah Palin's carefully constructed image. In a sense, this is also a book about the state of news coverage in American media, where competence and coherence compete for our attention with sheer chutzpah, while we select facts to bolster our own opinions from a buffet of boutique made-for-me outlets. Dunn's story is powerful and convincing, no matter what your political inclinations may be. Of course, you'd have to read it, and by virtue of the title alone, many will understandably be disinclined to do so. They'll certainly miss a compelling story of American politics.
Now that the hubbub over Frank Bailey's book has died down, people are really starting to take a much longer, and more significant look at Geoffrey's book.
I know that people have been comparing the two books, and proclaiming which one they like the best, but in my opinion BOTH books have something important to offer.
In Bailey's book you get the behind the scenes 411 on what was happening in real time during Palin's campaign, her scandalous behavior while she was Governor, and her frame of mind after she returned from the McCain/Palin campaign trail.
In Dunn's book you get just about everything else.
Of course there is STILL much left untold, which leaves plenty of interesting details, and scandalous facts, for Joe McGinniss to reveal in his book.
The important thing to note as you read these three books is that they ALL describe Sarah Palin as the duplicitous, manipulative, and deeply troubled woman we all know her to be.
Which of course is in stark contrast to the person described in "Going Rogue", the propaganda laden "The Undefeated," and even Palin's stupid reality show.
By the way, speaking of the REAL Sarah Palin, you would be well served to take a moment and read what Andrew Halcro had to say about Snowdrift Snooki in his Anchorage Press article entitled "We Can't Make These Things Up." He is ALSO describing a woman, very similar to the one in Baily and Dunn's books.
I don't agree with Halcro too many issues but he guy knows his Alaskan politics and what he sees in Joe Miller is something that bothers him very deeply.
In my opinion the REAL Republicans in Alaska should follow Halcro's lead and run, not walk, to the polls to vote for Scott McAdams in the general election. At least he understands the needs of Alaskans, and is not pandering to a group of angry Teabaggers living in the Lower 48.
BTW if you want to see Andrew's full interview on Moore up North please click here for part one and here for part two.
Lately there has been a lot of gossip about the comings and goings at City Hall. The story revolves around an alleged tryst and a political position given as a quid pro quo. And oh yeah, political survival and self preservation.
The press has requested a laundry list of emails, text messages and other documentation from City Hall, spokespeople are on edge and hanging in the balance could be a promising political future.
As usual Andrew is being very circumspect and taking a wait and see attitude. After all HE potentially has a political future to consider whereas others do not.
I am also aware that he has access to certain sources that are less likely to speak to a progressive blogger, so I am interested in what Halcro may turn up.
So gentle readers we return, once again, to the "riveting" hagiography of Alaska's first female governor, Queen Ester of the North, our very own Sarah Louise Heath Palin.
Now one of the things that fairly leaps out at you in this book is the fact that there are two separate realities. There is the "reality" reality that you and I live in, and then there is the "Sarah Palin" reality.
Now apparently, much like "matter" and "anti-matter", reality and "Sarah Palin" reality simply cannot occupy the same space.
So in the book "Going Rogue" you will find very little, if any, reality. For if there were too much "real" reality the book may in fact explode (not such a bad idea if you ask me).
For instance, in the real world there are people who we may think to be good citizens, honest public servants, and celebrities. But in the "Sarah Palin" reality we learn that these people are "gadflies", "Rogue's" (before it was all cool and everything), and Hollywood hypocrites.
So let us spend s little time getting to know these loathsome (in Sarah's reality) characters.
First we have Andree McLeod, or as Sarah refers to her on page 107, "Andree the Gadfly".
Andree who had once listed her occupation as "whistleblower" on a candidate survey, was a too-frequent caller to my home. My kids dreaded hearing her voice, but the only way I could get anything done during her long, one-sided conversations was to put her on the speakerphone while I'd go on cooking dinner and washing dishes. (According to Levi, a person more in touch with "real" reality, Sarah NEVER washed dishes nor cooked.)
Of course what Sarah fails to mention, and the REAL reason for her venomous words concerning Andree, is that Ms. McLoed is also the author of a number of the ethics complaints filed against her while she was the governor. Of course Sarah's book cannot have THAT much "real" reality in it, now can it?
It has often been noted that Palin has an unhealthy obsession with our current Commander-in-Chief, and she demonstrates it again on page 114.
Every part of our campaign shouted "Change!"
We were amused a couple of years later when Barack Obama--one of whose senior advisers (come to think of it) had roots in Alaska--adopted the same theme. Kris (Perry) and I joked about it: "Hey! We were change when change wasn't cool!"
So did you get that kids? In Sarah Palin's reality, Obama STOLE the change idea from HER gubernatorial campaign. And the evidence for that is that one of his advisers CAME from Alaska. Well that seems like a cut and dried case of campaign slogan stealing to me!
Of course the obvious follow up question would be, "If you had the idea first, why couldn't YOU make it 'cool'?"
On page 116, it is Andrew Halcro's turn to get thrown under the bus. But hey rather than type out the passage for you to read, how about I just let Andrew read it to you himself.
Gee I wish everybody that Sarah attacked could read their part to you like that, it would save a lot of wear and tear on my typing fingers (both of them).
Time to get all Hollywood as Sarah takes on the evil, and hypocritical Ashley Judd.
One animal rights group recruited a perky, pretty celebrity to attack our scientifically controlled, state-managed wolf-control program. It was ironic that she opposed using guns to kill predators that would cause Native people to starve, but apparently not opposed to taking movie roles in which she'd use a gun to kill predatory people. (P 134)
Yeah what a hypocrite! How dare she object to splattering the guts of REAL wolves all over the snow using REAL guns, from REAL helicopters when she herself uses PRETEND guns, in PRETEND scripted situations, to PRETEND to kill PRETEND bad guys! Can you believe the audacity of that woman?
Hey do you want to see the commercial that pissed Palin of so much? Of course you do.
Yep, I still love it!
Here is a great example of Palin pettiness for your perusal.
Once after school, Willow hid the puppy in her purse and snuck her into my office. The Senate Rules Committee chairman (John Cowdery) busted her and sent me a letter with some kind of official citation attached. Heaven forbid any lawmaker would catch Willow carrying her furry four-pound puppy into my office in violation of the NO DOGS ALLOWED sign. (Surely just a small distraction for this senator--he was later busted by the FBI and convicted on federal corruption charges.) (P 137)
And under the bus you go Senator puppy hater! You will notice that in Palin's reality it is a far worse crime to speak out against a small violation of the rules by somebody in her family then it is to be convicted on federal corruption charges.
Next up John Bitney, Sarah's high school band mate and first legislative director, and now nothing more than a tread covered speed bump.
My first legislative director was one of those (the 20 percent that Sarah would ask for a "do-over" if she could). He turned out to be a Blackberry games addict who couldn't seem to keep his lunch off of his tie. He relished the perception that he as a "player" in Juneau politics, but we were never sure which team he was on. (P 144)
Occasionally, he would wander in and out, plop down in the chair at the end of the table, nibble cookies, and absently thumb his Blackberry. Every now and then a tired staffer on a bathroom break would pass behind him, glance down, then mouth over his head, "It's Brick-Breaker." (P 150)
Slouching against the wall, he assured us that, yeah, he had everything under control, mission accomplished. The fact that his shirt was buttoned one button off and his shirttail was poking through his open fly didn't exactly inspire confidence. (P 151)
Sarah then goes on to blame Bitney for not preparing the Senate for the huge budget cuts that she was proposing. But you notice that Palin cannot simply say that Bitney did not perform his task adequately, instead she has to essentially point him out, in true mean girl fashion, to all of the "cool kid" supporters (her Palin-bots) as the dork.
No wonder that on "Moore up North" Bitney made the following statement. "The rules of engagement have changed. We are not friends anymore. I did not make that call, she did! I am tired of it, and I have had it!" Hmm methinks we may have another budding author on our hands.
I am going to stop there for now. Next up is Walt Monegan and that is going to require a little more detail to really explain the whole kerfuffle appropriately.
Before we finally take our leave of chapter three we will be visiting the mythology she creates around Track's military career (He was not running from the law! He is a patriot, darn you!), and of course the amazing and constantly changing story behind the birth of Trig Paxson Van Palin (this time with MORE contraction, but no amniotic fluids!)
The theme is people Sarah Palin has thrown under the bus with her book "Going Rogue" and as you can see from the picture above, the panel for today's program is made up of several people with tread marks on their bodies.
From left to right we have John Bitney, Anne Kilkenny, Andrew Halcro, and of course in the middle the lovely Shannyn Moore.
Personally I can't imagine how this program would NOT be extremely entertaining.
Just tune into channel 5, KYES at 4:00 and see for yourselves.
Afterward you can catch Shannyn's radio show on 700 KBYR at five. Click here for livestreaming.
Don Young, one of the last members of the Corrupt Bastards Club to still be in office, and honorary Alaskan Republican dinosaur.
The man has been in office longer then we have had dirt, and he is just about as clean.
Other members of Congress to make the list include:
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA) Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN) Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
Don't be fooled by the fact that Young is last on the list, it is alphabetical. Trust me if they were listed according to who was the MOST corrupt he would be right at the top.
So far the only challenges to Congressman Young's re-election are fellow blogger and Republican Andrew Halcro and Democrat Harry Crawford. In my opinion either one would be much more effective and honest than Rep. Young, who has spent his tenure in Congress lining his own pockets and gaming the system.
Just an update - a couple of weeks ago, we pointed out that Mark Dent of the Alaska Newsreader, a product of the Anchorage Daily News, was providing links to screwball blogs that espouse loony Trig Truther conspiracy theories and engage in vile personal attacks on the Palin children.
At that time, I put together a complaint to Pat Dougherty, executive editor of the ADN, pointing out the problems at the Newsreader and providing evidence of this behavior for two blogs in particular - "Palingates" and "Immoral Minority". I also pointed out the propensity of the Newsreader to provide links to primarily anti-Palin sites, with little balance in the way of pro-Palin commentary.
I heard back from Mr. Dougherty today - he told me that the complaint had been discussed internally and that he agreed with its substance. So it appears there will be no more ADN link-love for the fringe tinfoil-hat wearers, and hopefully a little more balance at the Newsreader.
It looks like our local liberal blogs have hit a little close to home and Sarah Palin's minions are tired of not having the ability to control the information or the message. So of course it is time to use the favorite fall back of the conservatives, censorship.
I am ashamed of Mr. Dougherty for allowing himself to be bullied (If indeed that is the case, we only have this blurb from this wacko Palin blog to go on so far), but I certainly hope he does not lump all of our local blogs together.
Out of all of my fellow bloggers I can more honestly be described as dancing on the fringe. I was the one who kept bringing up "babygate". I am the one who is reading the book "Trailblazer: An Intimate Biography of Sarah Palin", posting portions from the book, and then adding snarky comments. I am the one who constantly refers to Governor Palin as "Caribou Barbie". I admit it I am not exactly a member of the Palin fan club.
So rather than depriving the online ADN readers the opportunity to be exposed to the amazing writing of AKM, or the pithy commentary of Shannyn Moore, or the intellectually powerful in depth reporting of Andrew Halcro, just announce that you are turning away from the more inflammatory blogs for input and cut me loose.
Because let's face it, I am not going to stop doing what I do, regardless of whether I get an ADN link or not. And besides I did not get that much extra traffic from you guys anyhow.
(Oh by the way my title links to the site where this little tidbit originated. If you don't want to increase their traffic don't click it. But if you would like to visit and perhaps leave a comment for them I would not discourage it. After all I am certainly not one to advocate censorship.)
