Alaska
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Thanks to infighting between traditional Republicans and Tea Party/Ron Paul factions, the concluding session of the Alaska Republican Party convention held in Anchorage today was unable to conduct any party business as they could not muster a quorum. Biggest reason people didn't show up? The outgoing party chairman had been urging delegates to stay away to avoid the Paul/TP supporters taking ove...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Sat 4:24 p.m. - 13 clicks 
Hard to believe that there may be racists in Alaska, but I think there is? This is a ballot initiative filed by a Gordon Epperly in Alaska. He has a web site called USA The Republic also where he spouts his hatred. Amazing stuff. I am not surprised by this, it has been going on a long time, and especially since President Obama has been elected. Not sure if this has ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Jun 3 - 5 clicks
The United States bought Alaska from the Russians in 1867. The Russians had never attempted to force the Alaska natives to recognize Russian ownership, nor had they made any treaties with the natives, nor had they purchased any land from the natives. The Russians had never had any effective control over the natives and the total Russian population in Alaska was less than 800, living in four very...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Jun 3 - 3 clicks
As I write this I am still regaining the feeling in my fingertips and and toes. It's been cold here in Anchorage. It feels like it's been hovering around 0 since winter started. As I was taking out the trash after returning from a Thanksgiving weekend away, I saw what first looked like a pile of rags. Instead it was one of the many homeless people who inhabit our city, wi...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Jun 3 - 4 clicks
This is the question that ' Protect Your Rights -- Vote No On Five ' thinks will win them a majority Tuesday, April 3rd, in Anchorage Alaska on a ballot initiative that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. There's another, even more outrageous ad which I haven't located ((update: see comments)), but is described by the Wall Street Journal thusly: ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Jun 3 - 6 clicks
The Tea Party in Alaska is thrilled. There seems to have been a bit of turmoil at Alaska's Republican Convention in Anchorage this Saturday. Party Chair Randy Reudrich is out. (He had already announced his resignation.) The news, however, is who ended up being elected--two Ron Paul supporters. Russ Millette was elected as Party Chair. And Debbie Brown as Vice-Chai...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Jun 3 - 6 clicks
This morning's article in the Anchorage Daily News refers to redistricting as an "insider's game" and seems to imply, almost mournfully, that an insider settlement may not be in the works prior to upcoming court hearings on May 21st. http://www.adn.com/... One of the most important and complicated insider games in politics moves back to the Alaska Supreme Court this week with an appeal by...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Jun 3 - 6 clicks
The Alaska Supreme Court, in a split 3-2 decision, voted to adopt an "interim" redistricting plan it had already ruled unconstitutional for the 2012 election year. The plan has now been sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for their approval. Some entities are asking the Alaska Supreme Court to reconsider its decision. Other entities are asking the Court to "stay" its decision pendi...
DailyKos (Alaska) - May 28 - 2 clicks
The Alaska Redistricting Board, after well over a year, has failed to adopt either a map or a process that conforms to the requirements of the Alaska Constitution. The Alaska Constitution requires that House and Senate district boundaries in Alaska be drawn so that Alaskans are fairly represented across the State. This means that districts must as compact and contiguous as possible a...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Apr 25
From Anchorage Daily News Ted Nugent admits illegal bear kill in federal plea deal By CASEY GROVE Anchorage Daily News Published: April 20th, 2012 01:57 PM Last Modified: April 20th, 2012 01:57 PM Activist and musician Ted Nugent has signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors admitting he took an illegally shot black bear in Southeast Alaska two years ago, according to the agre...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Apr 20 - 2 clicks
Shell Oil is on its way right now to a location less than 15 miles from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. "Shell has proposed drilling up to four shallow water exploration wells in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea this summer, beginning on July 1," Subsea World News reported last month. " The potential harm from a BP-scale spill is almost beyond comprehension ," David Yarnold, president ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Apr 18
On April 3rd, 2012, Anchorage residents opted to re-elect Mayoral incumbent Dan Sullivan, over challenger Paul Honeman, in what has quickly become one of the most controversial Alaskan elections to arise since the Begich/Stevens fiasco of 2008. How did this happen? Was it election tampering? Someone cooking the books, or in this case, cooking the processors … Continue reading » ...
The Back Porch - Apr 18
I think I need the click to reduce option It's the end of another legislative session and there's another showdown between the Alaska Senate and the House on ACES reform. House Speaker, Mike Chenault, had the bill his branch of the legislature passed, re-worked by the senate. The house bill was the $2 billion/year giveaway to the major oil companies; the senat...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Apr 15 - 2 clicks
AP photo So, Alaska Citizens' Militias second-in-command, Ray Southwell, and sworn enemy of Big Government and anything not in the Constitution, got his ass fired a while ago from CPGH. He was a constant cry-baby according to SOLdotnans working there. What's a whacked conspiracy nut to do? Well, go to the National Labor Relations Board, a branch of the despised Big Government th...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Apr 10
On April 3, Anchorage, Alaska appeared to vote down Proposition 5, an LGBT rights bill, that would extend non-discrimination protection to sexual orientation and gender expression. It was expected to pass, the latest polling suggesting passage of 51-40. Instead it failed, 58-42. The race for the mayor's office closely tracked polls. While Republicans seem obsessed with the idea of voter fr...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Apr 9 - 2 clicks
Making their state a place where LGBT's are not welcome to have the right to work or find housing. Alaskans apparently have not ratified a ballot measure in their largest city to protect Gays and Lesbians. Fearmiongering commercials probably helped the haters prevent civil rights from being enacted It has been more than 35 years since George M. Sullivan, the former mayor of Anchorage, vet...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Apr 4 - 2 clicks
As part of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's ongoing efforts to secure nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people in Anchorage, Alaska, we hosted a phone bank last night in Washington, D.C., to help turn out "yes" votes on Proposition 5. We are working with One Anchorage to extend nondiscrimination protections to LGBT people in Anchorage, and voters in that city will decide ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Mar 30
By Trina Olson, Task Force Senior Training Manager In November, I had the privilege of supporting the OneAnchorage campaign as it was preparing for its major kickoff. While there, I fell in love with the people in Anchorage — they are my kind of people. I was born and raised in a town called Eden Prairie, Minnesota. So I know cold. I know cold and I know snow. I know skiing and sledding ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Mar 23
The ship that defined a disaster is finally heading where she belongs. The once-clean-and-proud Exxon Valdez , renamed several times to avoid the stigma of that name, is heading to the scrap heap . Perhaps at some point we'll shave with razor blades made from her steel, or ride on bikes, cars, or trains that use her metals. It couldn't happen to a more deserving vessel. ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Mar 21 - 2 clicks
I think it might be cheaper if we sent all of the legislatures out of state during the short 90 day session. Especially the 3 that represent the north central Kenai Peninsula. The more they are away, the less damage they will do. Tom is in DC now, preaching to the Drill, Baby Drill crowd. No new converts. The few hundred thousand we spend sending these guys to far away places, mean...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Mar 10 - 2 clicks
Hi. This is a very short diary. So I've noticed this story EVERYWHERE on the internet in the last week or two, and some people I know, who are not right wing wackaloons, are falling for it. ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Mar 7
Sign up here to have the Daily Kos Elections Digest emailed to you every weekday morning Results : AK , GA , ID , MA , ND , OH , OK , TN , VT , VA 5:27 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Sarah Palin, at a caucus location in Alaska, speaks live to CNN and says she won't close the door to being a candidate if there is an open convention. So she's willing to be the nominee if she ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Mar 6
In case you haven't figured it out, there's a slight left-of-center bent to the ramblings on this blog. Yep, I'm a do-good, bleedin'-heart, tree-huggin' liberal. Treating others like you want to be treated and cleaning up your mess are the basic philosophies that guide what I say and do. What's so funny about peace, love and understanding? And here I am smack in middle of the land of ...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Feb 13
By law, the legislative session is just 90 days long and once again, Mike Chenault has scheduled another golf trip, oh, I mean lobbying trip to DC during a week of that already short session. You might remember that last year, just before the crucial vote on oil taxes, Mike skipped out to play golf in Atlanta, saying he was attending some country-wide state leadership conference. Um, there...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Feb 12
That's right. I've driven around with an Obama 2008 bumper sticker on the back of my vehicle for the better part of four years. After all that time, weathering four Alaska winters, it was starting to crack and peel. You could see the Kerry 2004 sticker in a few spots, a different shade of blue was barely noticeable underneath. Both of them are gone now, carefully scraped away with a ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Feb 12
Hidden away here in Juneau, Alaska, we have one of America's finest songwriters. Alaskans and others who attended the Alaska Folk Festival over the past 35 years eagerly awaited Buddy's performance, because he always had a new song or two that would grab you in some way. Now we're about to lose him, and you need to send him a card. Why after the squiggle. ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Feb 6
Putting major policy issues like air quality regulation by the EPA and promotion of the Keystone pipeline into the spending bill is a tactic I expect from the Republicans. That Senator Begich, Democrat from Alaska, agreed to both of these provisions is a huge disappointment. These kinds of issues need stand-alone discussion so the people's voices can be heard. That President Obama may sign...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Feb 6 - 2 clicks
Topics: BP’s Top U.S. Officer Called to Testify at Gulf Oil Spill Trial, Judge rules BP's 2009 oil spill in Alaska was accidental, BP Staff May Face U.S. Criminal Charges After Spill, WSJ Says, In a first, gas and other fuels are top US export, Deep Gulf drilling thrives 18 months after BP's oil spill, In a first, gas and other fuels are top US export, Shrimp season worst in recent history, A Gu...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Feb 6
For any who may be reading this series for the first time : this is a thought experiment where I try to see what would happen if the size of the House of Representatives were doubled to 870 members from 435. And yes , I know Republicans have the trifecta. This entire series is theoretical to begin with, gimme a break. Ohhhhhhhhhhhk! La-homa where the wind comes sweeping down the plain! And t...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Feb 6 - 9 clicks
This is great news . Yesterday the Obama administration took another step in helping us break the shackles of foreign oil by offering up more areas for oil and gas drilling, including in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Alaska coast . The only bad part about it is that the sale of the 15 leases will be stretched out over 5 years from 2012-2017 with the Alaskan leases coming up towards...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Feb 6
Congressman Don Young [R-AK] was appointed by the Governor of Alaska to the state's single US House seat in 1972, after losing the election to Nick Begich [D], father of current US Senator Mark Begich [D]. The senior Begich was lost in a plane crash near Juneau two weeks before the 1972 election. Young has been re-elected to the seat every two years since then. Young always seems u...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Jan 25 - 4 clicks
Oh, the crazy world of Alaskan politics. We elect republicans because they are fiscal conservatives and scorn democrats because they love to spend. There are a series of bills before the new legislative session and included are several, all sponsored by democrats, that would force the state to save a sizable chunk of the state's growing wealth. Included in the bills is SB142 sponsored...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Jan 17
Back in November, I wrote about Bob Ermold's opinion piece in the PC about predator control. Bob got all slobbery about the wisdom of Corey Rossi, the unqualified director of the State of Alaska's Division of Wildlife Conservation . Corey was originally selected by then Gov Sarah Palin to run the AK Dep't of Fish and Game, but he was not appointed after a near-revolution in the department...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Jan 12
New Year's Day, 2012: a time to appreciate the place where I live. Please add your comments about the good things Soldotna has going for it..Here's my start: 1) Tsalteshi Trails - this winter cross-country ski/summer running and biking trail system is a gem not only for Soldotna, but for Alaska. Get out there and get fit! 2) Maybe it's just me, but I love the bridge and the lights ...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Jan 1 - 2 clicks
If you picked up the PC today, the lead story is a fluff piece praising the glories of Mike Chenault, the speaker of the AK House of Reps. "I was the best fit for the job" explained the not-too-humble north-roader. Jumping in with the alleluias was Kurt Olson, SOLdotna's representative to the state house. Mike is proud to have brought home the bacon to the Kenai as the peninsula rec...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Dec 29
OK, if you are a regular reader of SOL, you know that my take on things is a bit left of center. As such there's not too many Rs that my conscience will let me support. But there are a few. I've become a big fan of the Alaskan Senate President, Gary Stevens, who represents Kodiak, Homer and Seward. He's not in anyone's pocket, he's practical, and his reasons for supporting ...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Dec 15 - 13 clicks
This just in - KPBSD Superintendent Steve Atwater is one of the two finalists for Carol Comeau's position in Anchorage. Read the ADN story here . By most all accounts, Steve has done a good job here on the Kenai, and after years of the previous superintendent's divisive school leadership, one can only hope that if he does get the Anchorage job, his replacement will be as competent and profession...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Dec 15 - 13 clicks
Topics: BP spill may lead to criminal charges: Prudhoe Bay Spill, Did BP violate its Alaska probation? Federal trial begins in Anchorage, BP Pipeline Rupture May Force It to Pay More for 2006 Spill, BP faces revoked criminal probation in Alaska, BP Alaska Probation Hearing: Was Worker Fired for Calling Company Unsafe?, BP manager's email listing safety concerns debated at spill trial, BP to Secu...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Dec 5
Topics: Chevron Brazil oil spill may be bigger than thought, Brazil federal police official says Chevron unprepared to deal with oil leak, Major Oil Leak At Offshore Chevron Site In Brazil, Chevron takes blame for Brazil oil spill, Prosecutors aim to revoke BP probation: Prudhoe Bay Spill, Prosecutors seek to revoke BP's Alaska probation, BP leak causes big stink in Texas City, BP Can’t Use Tran...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Nov 21
I'm not a religious person. This video was sent to me today and it made me feel better. I hope it makes you feel better. If not, flame on. There seems to be plenty of that to go around. This video from the small Yupiq Eskimo Village of Quinhagak, Alaska, was a school computer project intended for the other Yupiq villages in the area. ...
DailyKos (Alaska) - Nov 17
Just what is happening here? The Peninsula Clarion poll has Fred and Mike running neck-to-neck. Considering the Clarion doesn't have much readership outside of the Central Peninsula, and that Fred probably has his strongest support in Sterling, Nikiski, Kasilof and Ninilchik areas, I'm not too sure how accurate the poll is. Again and again, I have to come back to the fact that Joe Mil...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Oct 15
All along, the borough mayor's race pit Mike Navarre vs the other candidates, but who would have guessed that Fred Sturman would have been the top of those five? I guess I'm not really surprised by voters on the Kenai - just how many were snookered by Joe Miller after all? The run-off will tell a lot about who we are here on the Kenai Peninsula as the two surviving candidates offer completely di...
SOL in Soldotna, Alaska - Oct 5
Yay! What could make me happy to read a list of banned books Alaska Dispatch posted? A book I've been wanting to read by an author I love is on there - "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. Each year during Banned Books Week I try to read at least one of the "most banned" books of the moment. Though honestly, it's not much of a challenge. EVERY good book ...
Alaska Real - Sep 28
I thought this article by Timothy Aqukkasuk Argetsinger in Alaska Dispatch was great - "Uqaġupta naalaġniuruksraurusi: When we talk, you listen." It's about the recent issue regarding legal action taken against parents for truant students. While I think there is risk to then excuse some of the parental action (or inaction) regarding ensuring kids are at school, where they might actually be jus...
Alaska Real - Sep 14 - 2 clicks
A few weeks ago, I was waiting in my car for my sister to come out of a grocery store, window down, and two young men, both white, were having a loud discussion about race. I tried (not very hard) to not listen, but as I was in the middle of the unnerving project I’ll describe in a bit, bad manners took over. They discussed different racial problems, whether minorities should be “blaming” eve...
Alaska Real - Sep 8 - 3 clicks
The threat of extinction for many (nearly all) Alaska Native languages has received some attention lately , much do to the release of an updates Alaska Native languages map . I'll leave some others (here, Talking Alaska ) to talk about the why and what is going on. What I get concerned with, whenever this topic comes up and the inevitable backlash of negative commentary, is the idea tha...
Alaska Real - Jul 14 - 4 clicks
Mudflats had an excellent post about the EPA's involvement in Pebble Mine, and the federal government's involvement with Alaska in general. It's always amazed me how much Alaskans (and especially Alaskan politicians) can rail against the federal government, yet many, MANY times the involvement of the federal government was neccessary to stop the overreaching of the state and state politicians....
Alaska Real - Feb 8 - 3 clicks
Saw this story in the Frontiersman, pretty cool. Palmer man leads fight against depression There's a very powerful message here, and it's still amazng to me when I hear this kind of thing: Pagaran admits that, “I myself was ashamed to say I was Alaska Native until I was 25 years old, and I grew up in Alaska,” he said. “I would tell people I was oriental, Mexican — anything but Native. I...
Alaska Real - Feb 4 - 4 clicks
I've been wondering how this show I've been hearing about has been going, Flying Wild Alaska, about the Tweto family. Anonymous Bloggers has a great little summary . I must admit to being a bit hooked on Ax Men, though, on the History Channel. Especially after their cliffhanger episodes with the missing logger from the town I was born in (I kept looking for my auntie's house.) Though, really, th...
Alaska Real - Jan 26 - 4 clicks
Last night I "vocalized some frustration" about not recognizing the good things in and coming from the Alaskan villages - including encouraging the youth toward leadership and building the communities up. With serendipitous timing, I was forwarded this (also from the Tundra Drums) about a great opportunity some smart, hard-working kids have to go to New York City, and win huge resources...
Alaska Real - Jan 21 - 3 clicks
I read this opinion piece in the Tundra Drums today, and it was frustrating from the outset. Not because a lot of it isn't true, but because it's the least original thing to say about villages. "We've entered the Native Dark Age. Everything that used to be good, strong, and healthy about Alaska Native villages is gone or fading." It's the same perspective and complaint I've heard again and a...
Alaska Real - Jan 21 - 2 clicks
A few topics/stories I've seen making the online rounds: A Yup'ik Swan Lake Too cool! The Alaska Dance Theatre, Alaska Dance Theatre School, Alaska Native Heritage Center and Eugene Ballet Company are collaborating on a revision of the classic Swan Lake ballet with Yup'ik storytelling and dance. I used to be skeptical of these kind of attempts, but several years ago I went to the Anchorage ...
Alaska Real - Jan 17 - 3 clicks
I came across this article that I thought was an excellent summary of the Arizona shooting communication situation - "Who Is Winning the Tucson Murderer PR Blame Game." Clearly, right, left and center are talking about it, and many people I've talked to have had strong opinions - usually strongly pro-Sarah, or strongly anti-Sarah (we ARE in Alaska.) Not many undecideds in this one. But the arti...
Alaska Real - Jan 15 - 3 clicks
"At what point in our growing population do we draw a line that would further disenfranchise our descendents from benefiting from ANCSA? This very important issue needs a well thought out process by all Alaska Natives so that our descendents can benefit from ANCSA in perpetuity." I thought this was a pretty relevant issue brought up in the Cordova Times . As an "after born" myself - an Alaska Na...
Alaska Real - Jan 14 - 3 clicks
I liked this little bit in the ADN I just read , as it is part of, what I hope, are some moves in the right direction. I don't know if I even need to repeat the dismal statistics regarding Alaska Native people and suicide. The news has been out there about the bad numbers for years. Suffice it to say, there are far, far too many Alaska Native people dying each year in a 100% preventable way. I ...
Alaska Real - Jan 13 - 3 clicks
