Either, Or, Both

It's not like I'm an anonymous blogger, or anything.

So I'm wandering around the new Denai'na Center in Anchorage earlier this week (Tuesday, to be precise) and I got the impression there was a social worker convention going on - everybody had on these big buttons reading OCS Yes!
Well, once I realized that most of the people wearing the buttons were old white men (and yes, I suppose I am one, too) it dawned on me that it WASN'T a social worker convention.
As me and my com padre were driving up we saw a sea of hardhats gathered outside the convention center, chanting "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho" this and "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho" that, to nobody in particular (to nobody, actually) cheered on by a Ursus Maritimus riding in a horse-drawn coach (no methane worries there, eh?) who looked for all the world like Kusko the Kapeq Dog.
"Watch this," I told Norman as I rolled down my window and went into drive-by gear...
"Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Why Don't You Hire Some Eskimos" I yelled. The crowd quieted, looking confused. "The Governor keeps telling our kids to get jobs on the Slope," I continued. "How do they do that?"
Finally a woman piped back, "Join the Union and go to work."
Never one to leave the last word up for grabs, I finished with "Yeah, if you give them more than 5 minutes to sign up for an Apprentice Program!"
See, in the "Good Old Days" when the "Good Old Boys" ran things the apprenticeship ads in the papers said you had to have all completed paperwork in hand and present yourself at the union hall between 2:37 pm and 2:53 pm or you would not even be considered for entry. Things obviously have changed, but there is always room for improvement, particularly in getting more Alaskans into jobs on the Slope.
But I digress.
The social worker convention seemed like the early morning social event of the year. Luminaries filled the hall and the lobby. I saw Governor Bill; wanted to be (still does?) Governor Johnne; wants to be Governor Bob; the current Governor (well, I didn't SEE her, but I think I heard her voice through the open doors as she gave the Secretary of Interior a Piece of Her Mind); Lisa, Mark and Don (and Lu, who was looking very good, I hasten to add); Ethan Berkowitz; Emil Notti; Mead Treadwell (hey Mead, call me!); gosh, and a LOT of people I never recognize but I am sure are important.
Or not.
Anyway, half the crowd was wearing these OCS Yes! buttons. Big, round, garish creations that signified support for exploration and ultimate development of offshore gas and oil resources in Alaskan federal waters.
Then the other half was wearing slap-on stickers reading "Protect Alaska's Oceans."
So I'm standing in the line for free coffee compliments of Alaska's oil industry when the lady behind me, well dressed with her back turned, catches my attention.
"So the thing I don't understand," I tell the back of her well-coiffed head, "is why half the people here are wearing OCS Yes buttons, half are wearing Protect Alaska's Oceans stickers, but noone is wearing BOTH!"
She turns and says, "Excuse me?"
So we chatted, I asked if she was in the "petroleum industry" and she said "OCS, Yes" (I jokes, she had on a button but she only said "Yes") and I asked what part and she said "oil and gas" and I thought, "well, duh!" She said that one of her colleagues was wearing both a button and a sticker, and I asked if her colleague was a scientist. She owned up that he pretty much was.She, on the other hand, was a "negotiator."
Well, I asked that question to almost everyone I spoke to, oil n gasser, environmentalist, politician. They all were taken aback at the concept that one could wear BOTH hearts on their sleeves.
We hung out with a few of the locals, catching up with friends and relatives....
Then we saw Randy.
My com padre on this trip was none other than Our Yup'ik Republican, Norman (recent candidate for the Alaska State Senate).
"Hey Norman, lets go talk to Randy," I said and off we went, chasing him down the escalator until we got his attention. After I muttered the secret masonic recognition phrase he cordially greeted us as brothers in arms.

A disgusted Vic Fisher races upstairs to the world of free hats and coffee.

He spoke warmly to Norman, even as he endorsed Norman's successful opponent in the race as a fine conservative in his own right.
I took a few snaps for posterity and then got down to business.
"Mr. Ruderich," I said, "Half the people here are wearing OCS Yes buttons, half are wearing Protect Alaska's Oceans buttons, but noone is wearing both."
Randy didn't miss a beat.
"Well," he began, "Those are a bunch of code words. The ones wearing the stickers are really anti fishing."
WTF?
He started onto a fine rant (Your erstwhile correspondent didn't think to press play on the recorder :( ) about how all we have to do is "eliminate" the Democrats and everything will be OK.
Norman and I looked at each other..."eliminate the Democrats," eh? Talk about your monotheistic point of view!
Well, Norman suggested that most of the people who voted for him were more of a Libertarian bent and Randy agreed with the veracity of that observation ("People in Rural Alaska just want to be left alone" - editors note: No shit, Sherlock)and then he started off again about polls and statistics about Rural support for Unions or some such truck.
Sheesh.
Me and Norman tossed back a couple of lifesavers hoping for a crucial sugar rush, shook Randy's hand once more, then headed back to whatever dreamworld we had been so (no pun intended) Ruderich'ly awakened from.
Oh yeah, I got lots of hats, too.

Transparency? What transparency?

from the Electronic Frontiers Foundation:

In Warrantless Wiretapping Case, Obama DOJ's New Arguments Are Worse Than Bush's
Commentary by Tim Jones

We had hoped this would go differently.

Friday evening, in a motion to dismiss Jewel v. NSA, EFF's litigation against the National Security Agency for the warrantless wiretapping of countless Americans, the Obama Administration's made two deeply troubling arguments.

First, they argued, exactly as the Bush Administration did on countless occasions, that the state secrets privilege requires the court to dismiss the issue out of hand. They argue that simply allowing the case to continue "would cause exceptionally grave harm to national security." As in the past, this is a blatant ploy to dismiss the litigation without allowing the courts to consider the evidence.

It's an especially disappointing argument to hear from the Obama Administration. As a candidate, Senator Obama lamented that the Bush Administration "invoked a legal tool known as the 'state secrets' privilege more than any other previous administration to get cases thrown out of civil court." He was right then, and we're dismayed that he and his team seem to have forgotten.

Sad as that is, it's the Department Of Justice's second argument that is the most pernicious. The DOJ claims that the U.S. Government is completely immune from litigation for illegal spying — that the Government can never be sued for surveillance that violates federal privacy statutes.

This is a radical assertion that is utterly unprecedented. No one — not the White House, not the Justice Department, not any member of Congress, and not the Bush Administration — has ever interpreted the law this way. (more...)

Some GREAT News!

ALL RIGHT, TOKYO! It's Official!
CHEAP TRICK TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM

Good a time as any to reprint MY ALASKAN CHEAP TRICK ADVENTURE (originally posted on the Cheap Trick message board in 2007)

“I hope you don’t mind that we brought some sunshine,” Rick Nielsen told a roaring crowd in the Alaska State Fair’s Borealis Theatre on Friday night (August 23, 2007). Cheap Trick had indeed brought the Midwest heat wave to Alaska…

My Alaskan Cheap Trick Adventure began earlier Friday morning as fog lifted from the Bethel Airport and my wife and I boarded Alaska Airlines Flight 42 to Anchorage where we would pick up a car, and my daughter and her boyfriend, and drive north to Palmer. It was the usual hour long, 500 mile run from Western Alaska to the state’s largest city, with clear weather all the way, giving us beautiful views of the Alaska Range as we flew over.

Now, the place I live, Bethel, is a community of a little over 6,000 people. I drive 5 miles to work every day. The plan of the day for Friday was to make the 40 mile run to the Fair up the Glenn Highway, a trip I hadn’t made in years. I was fully expecting to feel a little asphalt culture shock.
We set out and after years of considering 50 miles per hour FAST, I rediscovered the fact that on Alaskan highways the posted speed limit is a suggested minimum. 65 really means 80…We got to Palmer, in the heart of the state’s Matanuska Valley in no time at all.
Once we got into the Fairgrounds (our reserved seats included Fair admission) the first place I looked for was the Borealis Theatre, venue for the day’s long awaited event. You see, Cheap Trick was supposed to play at the Fair in 2005 but cancelled much to my disappointment. Today was making up for it!
I had emailed Trick Int’l about the possibility of a Meet and Greet, but they said it wasn’t happening, so as soon as I could I started scoping out the route to backstage.
Let me tell you, this venue is GREAT for a fan. The visual access is wonderful. I was able to see through the fence to the stage as it was set up, and even watch the full-bore soundcheck performed by the crew.

As I walked around the fairgrounds I could hear one of the crew saying “two, two, yuup” to test the mikes, and later, although I wasn’t there, it sounded like the Boys Themselves were warming up.
The backstage area is very nice, very Alaskan. This cabin first had a sign that said “Cheap Trick Dining Hall” and later it simply read “BC.” Once more, a view of the back stage.
The show was scheduled to start at 7:30, gate at 6:30 so I was getting ready to skulk around the back entrance when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a but a familiar face in a bright blue jacket. I said “Hi Rick” as he walked past and he replied with a “How’s it going,” or somesuch. I was stunned. I pulled my camera out and grabbed my wife and started down the midway. As we went, a fellow concertgoer I had spoken with earlier (he admired my Rockford t-shirt) said “Your lead guitarist is right in front of you.” I spotted the bright blue at a distance and began to make tracks.
Soon enough we caught up with the greatest songwriter of all time who was gracious enough to share a few words and let me get a couple of pictures with my wife.
“This is a pretty wild place,” he observed, and I of course blurted out what a big fan I was and how I was glad they made it after their cancellation (ho hum) and then I told him I was from Western Alaska and he asked me what I did there and I said I had lived there for nearly 30 years and he said “You didn’t answer my question!” So I told. Then I told him my wife is Yup’ik Eskimo and he, very classily replies “Oh, you pick pretty!” Then he said he was part Sioux, a small part. By then the manager ( I think, you’ll see the back of his head soon) came back and handed Rick a pork chop on a stick, and we left him to munch out and head to the show.
But first I had to take one last look backstage to see if anyone else interesting was there. Whoa! There was Tom on his cell phone.
Well, time to go in the gate before the rush.
The Borealis Theatre is a very intimate setting with some great seats, some sucky seats and a gorgeous grass amphitheatre for festival seating. Julie and I were in Row E, just below Stage Right.

There was plenty of behind the scenes activity on the stage for us to watch. This gentleman gave all appearances of being the manager; he’s the one that got Rick his pork chop.
I don’t know how well, on a BIG stage, you are able to see stuff like this, and for obvious reasons I titled this photo Second Best Job in the World.
Well, here’s Bun E.’s kit, and a shot of Stage Left.
One last check of things and We Were Ready!
Much to the delight of the Alaskan crowd Rick paid us tribute by walking out at the opening with a fur hat on. I of course was too slow on the shutter to catch his fashion debut!
Bun E. punched in, Robin strutted,singing Hello There, Rick took the band into Big Eyes which was a real workout for Robin and Tom. And here’s Rick finishing it off.
Yes, it was the now standard concert playlist and we loved every second of it!

One of my favorites and a CT classic, Oh Candy was a reason for Rick to bring out the Checkerboard. By now Robin has unbuttoned his leather jacket and will soon lose it completely. Here’s Tom playing Oh Candy. After the song Rick handed his axe to a lady in the front row, then after a minute or so he said “Oh, I thought you were my cousin” as he took it back.
Rick’s birthday present to his son, Welcome to the World was next (Robin had a lyrics sheet for it at his feet).
After If You Want My Love they whipped out a fine rendition of Come On Come On Come On and Robin finally gave in to the Alaska heat! “>Tom never took off HIS jacket!
A couple of lucky ladies got to hold some of Rick’s guitars. He told this one to keep it. I remember some of the audience chanting “Run, Run” as one lady wondered what to do. Rick says “There are only two ways to get a guitar. One is to BE me. The other is…I’m thinking…”
Rick intro’d Tom and I Know What I Want with his yellow plexi. It was a real treat seeing Tom belt it out. Here are Robin and Rick backing Tom as Bun E. laughs at something… And here is one more of Tom singing.
Rick waved his ’88 with Bun E.’s picture on it, made a little patter and then HUNG IT FROM THE LIGHT BAR! Luckily, Ricks tech rescued Bun E.
Lucky fans, these. Rick saw their shirts and, suggesting they were newlyweds, invited them up on stage to “consummate your marriage.” And up they went.
Here’s a little something for the ladies out there…
And here’s a little something else…
"Mother told me, Yes she told me I’d meet girls like you, She also told me Stay Away, You never know what you’ll catch..."
Oh man, here’s Robin saying Good Night! Is this the end of the show? Then I saw Rick’s technician re-loading the semi-automatic mic stand with more picks! So I knew better!
This time I didn’t miss! The malaqi (Yup’ik word for fur hat) looked great on Rick, even if it was a little warm! But he wore it through the first half of Dream Police. Here he is. Ladies and Gentlemen, Alaska’s Finest (at least on August 24th!) Could this guy be Rick’s biggest fan?
Except for the shots with my wife and daughter, this is one of my favorite pictures as Cheap Trick sings Goodnight... And here’s the finale’.
‘Bye, Rick.
Like I said, the back stage is really accessible, and so is Cheap Trick! I saw my wife and daughter and her boyfriend and a couple of other people down past the gate and there was Bun E. shaking hands through the chain link. I stuck my hand through the barbed wire and Bun E. shook it and warned me, “Don’t cut your hand!” Then he apologized for having nothing to sign or sign with. I then whipped out a Sharpie pen and a stack of notecards and he generously moved down to the gate to sign and smile! He told us he would “send over the rest of the guys.” Thanks, Bun E.!
Lo and behold who should stroll up but Robin in his Greek fisherman hat (pulled down way to low). He signed my wife’s t-shirt and a couple of notecards, made some small talk and headed back in.
During the concert my wife said “I should have given him (Rick) my necklace.” She makes a lot of Alaska native handicrafts, including Yup’ik dance necklaces, so when he came out to say Hi she took off her beaded necklace and gave it to him.
You can see it under the strings of his hat here as he signs her shirt. Rick also singed a few autographs, including an old Dream Police 45 dust cover, which really caught his attention. He asked the guy, “Where did you get this?”
Tom didn’t make it out, but he did spend some time talking to a small boy and his dad who got backstage, and I don’t know how many people leave a concert with all 4 autographs LOL.
All in all it was a great trip. Final score- Picks: 5 for me, 5 or 6 for my wife, a new black hat for me, a t shirt for her, 3 autographs and great pics.
Rick told the crowd at the end, “Maybe we’ll see you next year.” We all sure hope so.
The next day I felt like all the air had been let out of me!
When I got back to work on Monday a coworker, bobbing her head asked if I “rocked out?”
I replied, simply, “I sang myself hoarse.”
As we say out here, Quyana Tailuuten (Thank you for coming), and thanks for being so gracious to your fans!
All pics @2007 by Mark E. Springer, ask if you want to use them for something.

"shocking display of fealty to a foreign potentate"

EDITORIAL: Barack takes a bow
The president shows fealty to a Muslim king

In a shocking display of fealty to a foreign potentate, President Obama bowed to Saudi King Abdullah at the Group of 20 summit in London last week.

Mr. Obama later said in Strasbourg, France, "We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect." Symbolism is important in world affairs. By bending over to show greater respect to Islam, the U.S. president belittled the power and independence of the United States. (more)

White House: No bow to Saudi

"The White House is denying that the president bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at a G-20 meeting in London, a scene that drew criticism on the right and praise from some Arab outlets.

"It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah," said an Obama aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity." (more)

What The F**K???

Anonymity Outed

Here's the basic story line. Someone in Anchorage (I guess) has been writing a blog called The Mudflats and has been using the nom de plume "Ak Muckraker."
Said Ak Muckraker is a fine writer, and since the Republican Convention this summer has ammassed quite a following.
Obviously an unassuming individual, the affectionately abbreviated AKM has preferred not to let loose with a public persona, and as I suggested in a previous post that may be for good reason, reasons AKM has also noted on occasion.
So, popular Alaska blogger pisses off not only the Governor but, somehow, Representative Mike Doogan (D-Spenard) who, a retired journalist himself (I have always known him as a columnist and honestly don't recall ever reading a hard news piece written by him, although one supposes he did do a little honest scribbling in his youth) has his own experience with anonymity. Speculation fluriates like Redoubt ash in a snowstorm and suddenly, mystery writer Doogan does a little "sleuthing" on his own (time paid for by the Alaska Treasury...?) and identifies AKM to the "public", or at least people interested enough in his point of view to subscribe to his email newsletter.
Once again, I must defer to the also anonymous Writing Raven and this mornings entry on Alaska Real, Mudflats, meet Publius, Junius and Boz.

Committees of Jurisdiction

I noted a couple of comments during President Obama's recent press conference on March 24.. 

" I’ve said that we’ve got to have a serious energy policy that frees ourselves from dependence on foreign oil and makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy."
and
"And what we have to do is invest in those things that will allow the American people’s capacity for ingenuity and innovation, their ability to take risks but make sure that those risks are grounded in good products and good services that they believe they can market to the rest of the country, that those models of economic growth are what we’re promoting"

So it should be clear from the Presidents comments that he continues to encourage "Yankee Ingenuity," as well he should. The shining city on the hill should offer everyone the highest quality of life possible, at the least cost to the overall environment. Yes, there will always be shipbreakers in India, Pakistan and China, but fewer and fewer of those hulks should be VLCC's and ULCC's. Energy independence and the efficient utilization of renewable energy, and the increasingly efficient utilization of non-renewable energy is not a new idea.

With this in mind I would respectfully suggest that Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Mark Begich, pose questions like this to the Secretaries of Defense, Energy and Commerce, in their respective Committes of jurisdiction.They might also want to ask the Presient himself. After all, he is promising a new openess and transpaarency to government.

"In line with the goals and objectives of the Obama Administration, the Congress and the American people, will you (Mr. Secretary) commit to a thorough declassification review of technical intelligence, classified patent applications, government funded research and development and archival matter relating to any and all topics regarding the use of energy in all its forms (excluding of course properly classified Restricted Data and Formerly Restricted Data and munitions information) in a manner that permits the public to view and use it to promote inventiveness and innovation?"

Or something like that. The point is that the US Government has an incredible amount of information on energy utilization (think fuel cells instead of litium batteries for cars, for example) locked up that if turned loose on an unsuspecting world could result in an economic and technical revolution rivalling the microcomputer and internet!

Look at how long we've been screwing around with laser ignition. Lets see what the governemnt has, let people do their own messing around in university labs, basements and garages. One can only imagine the sorts of breakthroughs we might see ove the course of the next 10 or 15 years!

Kinda gives you a sense of perspective, doesn't it?

This is a satellite image of Mt. Redoubt puffing away. Now, anyone who doubts that volcanoes add to the introduced gas load in the atmosphere and above it really ought to think again. Likewise huge forest fires and, yes, LA freeways!

Hey - At least he's anti-death penalty...

Since I can't say any of this better, I'll just link to an excellent post on the subject of yesterdays nomination (is it in writing yet?) of Wayne Anthony Ross as Alaska Attorney General.
The always amazing Writing Raven posts at Alaska Real with the killer (and true) headline: Palin says final farewell to the myth that she cares about Native people.

Wayne Ross has been a thorn in the side of Rural Alaska and has never been able, or it appears, willing, to defend his positions in any forum requiring honest debate that I have ever seen. He has cut a fat egotistical hog as the mouthpiece for the professional hunting industry in Alaska. I won't begrudge him as a 2nd Amendment supporter, since I am one as well, and I was at least slightly heartened to read in the ADN this morning that he is anti death penalty (and yes, as a staunch Catholic, anti abortion as well, so he is consistent in THAT regard).

What bothered me most listening to the wind whistle past the microphones yesterday was the absolute lack of mention (if indeed unreported) of the Governors marching orders to Ross on, umm, ENFORCING THE LAW!
Well, actually I might (when I find some time) be able to shed a little light on the lack of interest by the Palin administration on things like violence against women. She is on record as saying some, to my mind, pretty provocative things on the subject...so stay tuned.

"Dependency Creep"

Just found the above phrase in an editorial on New Scientist. Got there via a piece on a recent (January) National Academies report on severe space weather.
Now, the idea that Ol' Sol, our 93 million mile distant friend could turn on us in a fury is most emphatically NOT the stuff of science fiction fantasy. In fact, a sudden, severe solar eruption in the direction of Earth represents the greatest threat mankind faces, barring a cataclysmic space body collision.
Severe Space Weather Events--Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts
Workshop Report is described thusly:
The adverse effects of extreme space weather on modern technology--power grid outages, high-frequency communication blackouts, spacecraft anomalies--are well known and well documented, and the physical processes underlying space weather are also generally well understood. Less well documented and understood, however, are the potential economic and societal impacts of the disruption of critical technological systems by severe space weather.

As a first step toward determining the socioeconomic impacts of extreme space weather events and addressing the questions of space weather risk assessment and management, a public workshop was held in May 2008. The workshop brought together representatives of industry, the government, and academia to consider both direct and collateral effects of severe space weather events, the current state of the space weather services infrastructure in the United States, the needs of users of space weather data and services, and the ramifications of future technological developments for contemporary society's vulnerability to space weather. The workshop concluded with a discussion of un- or underexplored topics that would yield the greatest benefits in space weather risk management.
Space weather risk management: to a ham radio operator like me, that means buying a nice tube radio!
But back to "Dependency Creep." The Coast Guard recently announced the demise of LORAN-C. Now, as an old Coastie who helped build USCG LORAN Station Tok, I am kinda bummed. The fact is that when we start getting sunspots again, (which I personally hope come back with a vengeance since I would like to work some DX before I die,) and GPS satellites start having problems, LORAN-C will represent the best game in town.
Since it's a Departmental (DHS) budget decision, maybe Congress can take a good, hard look at the significant historic investment in LORAN-C and keep this fine system alive for another decade.

Red Sky at Morning

Sailors Take Warning...
The sky was pink here in Bethel this AM, perhaps because of the volcano, perhaps in anniversary of the worst shipwreck in Alaska history.

It was dark when the Exxon Valdez set sail that fateful evening from the oil dock in the town of it's namesake. Captain Joseph Hazelwood, an experienced and respected mariner couldn't have dream t in his worst nightmares what was to transpire over the next hours, days and decades.
I wrote then and I'll write again that although he holds responsibility as Master of the ship for what happened, he was completely justified in leaving the deck and the conn to the mate who, for whatever reason neglected to keep the supertanker on course.
But the taciturn voice of Captain Hazelwood will always stick in my mind, as I heard it on the radio that early morning 20 years ago, just waking up, in Hooper Bay...
"We've fetched up hard on Bligh Reef...and we're leaking some oil."

Bring it on, Big Boy!

Stratovolcano! Has a real ring to it, doesn't it?
Well, the much predicted (and, I must say, vaunted) eruption of veteran Alaskan stratovolcano Mt. Redoubt is underway. A "thin film" of ash was reported to me from Willow this morning, but so far no major complications seem to have arisen from the high ash cloud.
Of course, real concern exists for the safety of the Drift River Oil Loading Facility which sits, for all intents and purposes, at the base of the mountain. The Anchorage Daily News reports:
"The AVO staff also warned authorities at the Drift River Oil Terminal -- on the western shore of Cook Inlet downriver from the volcano -- that mud flows and flooding from melting glaciers might be headed their way.
Cook Inlet Pipe Line Co., which operates the terminal, said early this morning that it had begun shutting the facility down.
At a 3 a.m. press conference today, John Powers of AVO said given the hot material landing on snow, mud and snow slides could be expected and staff would check the Drift River area at first light today.
Protective dikes have been constructed at the terminal since Redoubt last erupted nearly 20 years ago..
Powers also said -- looking at the history of Redoubt eruptions -- that this event could be expected to go on for some time, even months."

Vets win on insurance, for now...

American Legion praises White House change in plan

President Obama has dropped a plan to bill private insurance companies for the treatment of veterans with service-connected disabilities and injuries. American Legion National Commander David K. Rehbein applauded the move.

"We are glad that President Obama listened to the strong objections raised by The American Legion and veterans everywhere about this unfair plan," Rehbein said. "We thank the administration for its proposed increase in the VA budget. We are always available to assist, by providing guidance to ensure a veterans health-care system that is worthy of the heroes that use it."

After a March 18 meeting with the Legion and other veterans groups, the White House announced it would no longer consider billing insurance companies or veterans for treatment of their service-connected disabilities.

"Although we disagreed with the proposal, additional revenue streams are needed by VA," Rehbein said. "I strongly encourage Congress and the administration to allow VA to begin billing Medicare for the treatment of veterans who qualify for the program. They paid into Medicare for their entire working careers, and should be able to use it in the medical system that was built specifically for them."

The White House plan to bill private insurance companies for veterans' service-connected health care led to a fire storm of opposition. Rehbein's editorial opposing the move appeared in the March 18 Wall Street Journal.

The same day, Legion spokesman Peter Gaytan appeared on Fox News and explained why the plan would not serve veterans' best interests.

Link 'O the Day

Trina Landlord's Eskimo to the World blog, live from New York!
Great job, Trina, and its nice to see my old boss strap hanging in the Big Apple.
Manhattan has a special place in my heart. I attended Electronics Technician School at the US Coast Guard Training Center on Governors Island back in 1975-76.
The last time I was in New York City, several years ago, I came to the insight that although I could never live in a big city (not even Anchorage), living in Manhattan would be just like living in a village! I COULD live there :)

Obama to Vets: Pay for Your Own Care

Contact: Craig Roberts of The American Legion, +1-202-263-2982 Office, +1-202-406-0887 Cell

WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization says he is "deeply disappointed and concerned" after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."

The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"

Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group's early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month. The letter, co-signed by Commander Rehbein and the heads of ten colleague organizations, read, in part, " There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran's personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable."

Commander Rehbein reiterated points made last week in testimony to both House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees. It was stated then that The American Legion believes that the reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate that VA treat service-connected injuries and disabilities given that the United States government sends members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. The proposed requirement for these companies to reimburse the VA would not only be unfair, says the Legion, but would have an adverse impact on service-connected disabled veterans and their families. The Legion argues that, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone. That would leave the rest of the family without health care benefits. The Legion also points out that many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered. Additionally, the Legion is concerned that private insurance premiums would be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing. The American Legion also believes that some employers, especially small businesses, would be reluctant to hire veterans with service-connected disabilities due to the negative impact their employment might have on obtaining and financing company health care benefits.

"I got the distinct impression that the only hope of this plan not being enacted," said Commander Rehbein, "is for an alternative plan to be developed that would generate the desired $540-million in revenue. The American Legion has long advocated for Medicare reimbursement to VA for the treatment of veterans. This, we believe, would more easily meet the President's financial goal. We will present that idea in an anticipated conference call with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel in the near future.

"I only hope the administration will really listen to us then. This matter has far more serious ramifications than the President is imagining," concluded the Commander.

SOURCE The American Legion

I'll sign!

Ray Metcalfe has sent the following email, which we have come across:

The difficulty in prosecuting politicians like Cowdery is that much of what you would think is illegal is not. Politicians have exempted themselves from punishment through loopholes. Prosecutors find themselves relying on statutes made intentionally flimsy by the politicians they prosecute. To remedy this, I am collecting signatures to put the following proposition on the ballot.
 

     “Anyone found using their public office to enrich themselves, their relatives, close friends, business associates; past, present, or anticipated employers or contributors, is guilty of a class A felony. Anyone found securing enrichment by inducing public officials to violate this statute is guilty of bribery, a class A felony.” ––


Believe it or not, what you just read is not illegal. If you’re willing, I need 100 sponsors to submit my proposal to the Lieutenant Governor’s office. I will be at Café del Mundo 341 East Benson Blvd at noon Monday the 16th. PS: Class A felonies = 20 years in jail. 
 
Alternatively, print out one or more copies of the attached petition, get a few signatures and mail them to: Ray Metcalfe, PO Box 233809, Anchorage Alaska, 99523.
 
Ray Metcalfe. [ mailto:RayinAK@aol.com ]RayinAK@aol.com 907-344-4514

Did anybody (from Alaska) go

to the 23rd Annual Reservation Economic Summit (RES 2009)
& American Indian Business Trade Fair put on by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development?

Nick Tucker, John Moller

Nick Tucker of Emmonak writes in Alaska Newspapers (amongst other places):


First off. I am outraged.

Think of this: Did Martin Moore and I have to go meet Gov. Sarah Palin there in Russian Mission and Marshall? Why did she not come here to Emmonak?

It took away the most precious time of my life to have to be absent from my granddaughter's and nephew's first Yup'ik dance in Alakanuk that evening.

We returned late and Dorothy, my wife, had to go down. By the time I got home, I was already over a half-hour late and would have been over an hour late if I had been able to go - my oldest son's snowmachine had no gas.

I don't have the latest figures, but Martin had told me that there are over 20,000 people in our region, the Wade Hampton district. If at least 50 percent are employable and are not working, where are these 10,000 young and older men and women going to exodus in trying to find jobs; who has 10,000 jobs available?

I felt like Governor Palin treated Emmonak with most disregard and disrespect by not coming here where it all started. Instead, we had to go up to Russian Mission to meet her and followed her to Marshall.

I was there. About whom and to whom was she referring that top leadership in what village(s) should be changed? This is a blow to all rural villages telling each one of us that our past and current leadership isn't worth being there!

Why and on what basis? This message is dismal, not of hope. How do I take things?

Here, I had a person whom I voted for and who turns around and stabs us? I tell you, I want things done for Emmonak. And now, for all rural villages. We deserve better than that - respect.

In my original letter, I stated that we do not have time for debates - attention was needed then and it will not disappear overnight. Usually, I refrain from this type of outrage, but I am hurt to the core of my heart and spirit.

Let's see some things get done - talk and PR are cheap until you have solid accomplishments to back them up. Our villages need that now. That is why I mentioned to our governor, "Who else do we have to look up to?"

Emmonak leadership has always been superb, otherwise we would not have our present infrastructure as it is. It has advanced from a tiny village of about four houses 80 or so years ago to some 220 houses.

Considering the harsh, remote challenges, it has paved its way to what it is now. Yes, we have a very long way to go in terms of matching up with Bethel, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.

I have faith in my fellow rural villages and their leadership. They have brought their villages to where and what they are today with challenges greater than most in our vast state. Is it not embarrassing enough to have to cry out, let alone be put down by our state leadership? I think all rural Alaska deserves an apology and never to be treated like this again. We are unique to the state, contribute our rich resources into the state and urban cities and barely have anything in return to improve ourselves.

How about a 50-50 split between the state and the region where resources are extracted from; then each region can split its 50 percent similar to the 7(i) distribution.

I doubt if anyone will hear me cry out again. I believe our region stands to have one of the richest gas deposits right beneath my house!

Will I still cry out? I am an open man, but I feel insulted myself and on behalf of our rural native villages

And here is John Moller's complete statement in response to Nick Tucker:

I was a member of the fourth team of state officials to visit Emmonak since January 14, and was on the ground in Emmonak when the aid mission operated by Samaritan's Purse was delivering food aid to Marshall and Russian Mission.

I spoke to Mr. Tucker three times while in Emmonak, including just before he left for Marshall. At that time, Emmonak had already received thousands of pounds of food from both state and private resources. Samaritan's Purse made the right decision to deliver aid to Marshall and Russian Mission. The governor and lieutenant governor were guests and not in control of the destinations. Both had also previously made an attempt to fly to Emmonak but were weathered out.

I spoke with many citizens while I was there and the main issue is jobs and increased earnings from fishing. On the issue of jobs in rural Alaska, several state agencies, including the Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, have been, and will continue, working on several fronts to improve the opportunities in rural Alaska.

Alaska Department of Labor representatives have already signed up more than 100 residents in the area to receive employment information and assistance, and are working with local leaders from four communities (Alakanuk, Kotlik, Nunam Iqua and Emmonak) on a mid-April career fair in Emmonak. Employers could include Native corporations, the Department of Public Safety, tribal organizations, the CDQ group, Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association, and other seafood employers.

ADF&G managers are currently working with stakeholders on plans for the next fishing season to allow maximum sustainable use of available fish. A budget amendment has been proposed for ADF&G to conduct in-season salmon research efforts that should lead to additional harvest of chum salmon.

The state's efforts will continue.

A Fair Wind and Following Seas

North America's 1st female ship captain dies at 93
The Associated Press
BANGOR, Maine - Molly K. Carney, who as Molly Kool was the first woman in North America to become a licensed ship captain, has died at her home at the age of 93.

I don't blame Nick Tucker for being pissed!

Letter: Nick Tucker angered by governor's "disrespect"

Johnny on the Spot

John Moller interview with Alex DeMarban at The Tundra Drums

Blog response of the week!

from Businessinsider.com
Uh Oh, White House Seeks Economic Advice From Twitter

Twitter cofounder and CEO Ev Williams is headed to the White House today.
The administration invited him to join a “young business leaders" summit to discuss the economic crises.
As Ev himself puts it -- in a Twitter message, of course -- "[this] must mean they're *really* out of ideas."
A reminder: With 6 million members and 700% plus growth, Twitter makes no money in the US. (It sells some ads in Japan).


Tom Genin said:
Mar. 06, 9:16 AM
Tell them that they should look at the brilliant marketing ideas of Home Depot. For the first time ever, I saw Home Depot selling gun safes. Where are they being sold...next to portable electric generators. We are so screwed.

Blessed Be the Peacemakers

Black Christian News reports:
Franklin Graham says Arrest of Omar al-Bashir Threatens Chaos in Sudan

"In a shocking statement Tuesday, American evangelist and relief organization head Franklin Graham said he prefers the Sudanese president - who is facing an international arrest for crimes against humanity - to remain in power.
Despite his egregious and inexcusable involvement in the Darfur genocide and attacks on Southern Sudanese, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has displayed some willingness to cooperate and work towards peace, Graham argues in his opinion piece posted in the New York Times on Tuesday."

"I can't say anybody's starving, but people are doing without."

Here's a link to yesterdays Alaska News Nightly story Rural Alaska seeks long term solutions to economic challenges featuring Ann Strongheart and Victoria Briggs.

I told you I like high speed rail

Here's a socialist euro nation to emulate in that regard:
Spain's High Speed Trains Faster Than Planes
NPR's Jerome Socolovsky explains how the Spaniards are doing it right!

With my oldest son about to deploy to Afghanistan with his Marine Corps unit, I found this NPR Morning Edition story interesting:
'Gamble' Author: Iraq War Only Halfway Over

This just in

from our own Correspondent

Looking for all the world like the sweating floor manager on the late afternoon shift at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in an unbuttoned shiny black shirt and undersized sport coat, Rush Limbaugh leaned his meaty hands on the lectern at the CPAC conference and slipped a greasy dollar bill into the G-string of the writhing conservative dead-enders packed into the garishly lit Omni Shoreham in Washington DC.

Jowls rolling like thunder from the right via CNN's unfortunate high-definition feed, Limbaugh took control of the sad and tattered remnants of the mainstream conservative movement, and urged continued allegiance to the noble Lost Cause of Reagan, metaphorically carrying his rebel-yelling followers into the hills like modern-day Quantrill's Raiders standing firm against change.

If there's any doubt that the GOP's own Paulie Walnuts  is now firmly in command of the Party of Lincoln, the "breaking news" style coverage of Limbaugh's bellow-cose rant dispelled the notion. CNN, for one, went wide - with the kind of uninterrupted live footage usually reserved for Presidents and Popes, followed by a panel of analysts to weigh and consider the import of the speech to this republic of ours. There were other dancers on the stage, to be sure - including Ward Connerly, Ann Coulter, Phyllis Schlafly and Karl Rove - but only Limbaugh's hour-long ramble (he went over by 30 minutes) garnered opposition leader status. "As the movement searches for a front-and-center spokesman to provide inspiration and direction, Limbaugh's refusal to tilt toward the center may place him out front in a Republican Party already suffering from a disappearing moderate wing," wrote Tom Schaller in Salon.

Limbaugh is a showbiz talent, and he is taking full advantage of this moment of rudderless, thoughtless spinning in circles by Republicans to seize the stage in full-throated opposition to the overwhelmingly popular new President - and virtually everything he stands for. In rooting publicly for Barack Obama's failure, Limbaugh may be leading the conservative movement to a smaller, fringe-like existence in the halls of power - but it will be an existence that he can easily dominate.

Leading gullible Republicans into the hills of guerrilla ideological resistance during the nation's toughest economic crisis in 80 years constitutes a gift of incredible political proportions for the Obama Administration. Instead of principled point-by-point opposition by a chastened party of experienced professionals ready for tough dealings at the bargaining table, President Obama is blessed with clownish truculence and pure rejectionism - embodied in the Republican response to the President's forceful Congressional address by Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a moment of excruciatingly tone-deaf ideology rescued only by the attention lavished on its shockingly poor delivery.

President Obama, of course, is aware of this lumbering and clumsy gift from the right - so much so that he sent chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to Bob Schieffer's CBS studio this morning to declare Limbaugh "the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party."

And it's that blustery intellectual force that convinces Republicans like Jindal and Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi that their political futures are enlarged and brightened by a nihilistic refusal of Federal funds to their own communities. "White kids on dope," jibed conservative Rod Dreher, one of a small cadre of right-wing commentators to take on the Limbaugh lemming movement, the willful ignorance of the current crisis and the nation's ultimate rejection of a failed a humiliated party leadership. "No need to return to first principles and recalibrate policies to account for new realities," wrote Dreher. "Just find a better messenger for the same old same old. You begin to see why nobody inside that bubble could grasp what a flop Bobby Jindal's reheated Republican mush of a speech was going to be ahead of time."

Rush Limbaugh is right about one thing: President Obama is indeed on a mission of reinvention. That much was clear from his speech on Capitol Hill last week - and even clearer in his budget proposal. And, as Limbaugh undoubtedly knows, the President holds the whip hand for the foreseeable future. So Limbaugh plays to that loss of power in his audience, and in a speech that referred bizarrely to "slave blood" and a defense of John Thain (who seems to literally be asking for a set of numbered orange duds from Andrew Coumo) and the spending habits of bail-out bankers, he laid on some false concern for Obama:

"President Obama is one of the most gifted politicians, one of the most gifted men that I have ever witnessed. He has extraordinary talents. He has communication skills that hardly anyone can surpass. No, seriously. No, no, I'm being very serious about this. It just breaks my heart that he does not use these extraordinary talents and gifts to motivate and inspire the American people to be the best they can be. He's doing just the opposite. And it's a shame. [Applause] President Obama has the ability -- he has the ability to inspire excellence in people's pursuits. He has the ability to do all this, yet he pursues a path, seeks a path that punishes achievement, that punishes earners and punishes -- and he speaks negatively of the country. Ronald Reagan used to speak of a shining city on a hill. Barack Obama portrays America as a soup kitchen in some dark night in a corner of America that's very obscure. He's constantly telling the American people that bad times are ahead, worst times are ahead. And it's troubling, because this is the United States of America."

Yes, Rush this is the United States of America. And your timely and spectacular gift to the President is much appreciated indeed.

(editors note: This is what I get for telling m2k I thought Limbaugh's speech was "invigorating" LOL)

Discuss quietly amongst yourselves

I kick myself every time I see what originated as a sci fi plotline inside my tiny head years ago makes the headlines:

Russian general says U.S. may have planned satellite collision

The concept of autonomous robotic orbital (and suborbital) vehicles is by no means far fetched. Ever wonder what all those USAF-sponsored classified shuttle missions were all about? Yeah, me too.

Statement of Sen. Murkowski responding to Gov. Jindal’s Republican address:

It is absolutely appropriate for our federal government to spend money on volcano monitoring. A current example is Mount Redoubt. This active volcano, which is on the flight path into Anchorage International Airport, the third busiest cargo airport in the world, and Elmendorf Air Force Base, has been smoldering since the end of January. The Alaska Volcano Observatory has been on 24 hour watch since then.

A volcanic eruption at Mount Redoubt has the potential to bring down a jumbo aircraft flying over Southcentral Alaska. Alaskans vividly remember that volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Redoubt nearly brought down a KLM Boeing 747 as it was completing its flight from Amsterdam to Anchorage in December 1989. The volcanic ash caused the failure of all four engines on the jumbo jet.

It is understandable that citizens in the Lower 48 may not be familiar with our many active volcanoes in Alaska and how devastating they can be to our state and its citizens. In many ways, it is the same kind of danger caused from Mother Nature that the Gulf states face from hurricanes or all coastal communities face from a tsunami.

However, Governor Jindal raised a legitimate question last evening about whether it is appropriate to fund volcano monitoring in legislation that purported to stimulate the economy and create jobs for unemployed Americans. One of my key criticisms of the economic stimulus bill is that it turned into a supplemental appropriations bill, rather than a targeted approach to stimulate the economy.

 

And it's really USGS money!

Bobby Jindal and volcano monitoring: What was he talking about?

Fact Checking the Republican Response: No, there's not $140 million in the stim for volcano monitoring

Don't Pisstak

As reported around the blogosphere, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made at least one faux pas in his GOP response to President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress when he said
"But Democratic leaders in Congress -- they rejected this approach. Instead of trusting us to make wise decisions with our own money, they passed the largest government spending bill in history, with a price tag of more than $1 trillion with interest. While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending. It includes $300 million to buy new cars for the government, $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a "magnetic levitation" line from Las Vegas to Disneyland, and $140 million for something called "volcano monitoring." Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington, D.C."
Obviously he neglected to vett (popular word these days, isn't it?) his zinger with people like, oh, say, Senator Murkowski or Governor Palin.
A look at the State of Louisiana website prominently displays another liberal democrat initiative, the National Hurricane Center.
Personally, I am also a fan of high speed rail, but that's another issue.
Here's the email I just sent to him:

Governor, great speech last night except for one small thing: Volcano Research is as important to the people of Alaska and Washington State and trans-Pacific air commerce as the National Hurricane Center is to the Gulf.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (www.avo.alaska.edu) is critical preparedness infrastructure to us, as is the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.
You are no stranger to natural disasters, and neither are Alaskans.
While it got you a great line about the "eruption of spending" in Washington, a sudden eruption of one of our many active volcanoes could have a devastating effect on life here in the Last Frontier and cripple the northern air trade routes that are so important to our Nation's economy.
Personally, I would like to hear you state that you misspoke last evening, and recognize the similarities of importance in Federal warning systems for natural disasters between the Gulf States and the Pacific Northwest.
Sincerely and with best regards from Alaska,
Mark E. Springer

Bethel, Alaska 99559

cc: Senator Murkowski

Y'all Come Back, Now

Let me say this about that. If you are from Alaska, listen to the Governor carefully.
As to Franklin Graham, I have to say that being from Hooper Bay I have to respect the man for what he did for my Alaska home village. When the school burned a couple of years ago he was there that day pledging to rebuild homes. And he and his organization, Samaritans Purse did just that (with a lot of help from the community!)


Video courtesy of Anchorage Daily News.

Anonymity

The "Anonymous Blogger," bane of politicians from Wasilla to, well, Wasilla, is a creature not even of modern times, but a graffiti artist from the prehistoric, drawing animal pictures on the ceilings of caves and carving hearts into oak trees and asking, politely, that their name be "withheld by request."
Of course, in our modern age an authors name can be "withheld by choice" allowing, one would infer, greater intellectual latitude.
What is ironic, of course, is the pithiness with which some anonymous commentators comment on public and attributed statements by anyone, with no opportunity (barring a blog reply) for retort, not that many bloggers would welcome such response in the first place.
The policy here at Both Barrels has always been to be up front about who we are, partly through ego and partly because that is the way we have always operated, with a byline and letting the chips fall as they may.
This is not to say that we don't hold the work of some of the Anonymous Bloggers in high regard. Some are remarkable writers and we will be linking to their work as time allows.
Whether our willingness to attach a name to the words functions as a restraint only time - and I - can tell.

We May Be Back

Shocked? Don't be! After a more or less self-imposed hiatus form the public square, your Both Barrels editorial board is giving careful consideration to the implications of a reappearance. Certainly the times call for a voice from the wilderness (not that there aren't one or two now, but what the hey) too add to the roil.
As some would say, stayed tuned.
MS

Calling it for Tommorrow:

Well, heres MY vote-
       Norman (Our Yup'ik Republican) Ayagalria for Senate Seat S
       Diane Benson for US House
       Andrew Halcro for Governor

This is a little more like it

Not sure if I like the color scheme, bit at least I have the page looking decent.
Now all I have to do is pump out some content.

Where the hell have I been?

Man, if it isn't blog season in Alaska! What with the exciting governor race and all hahahahaha.
One supposes I should get back on the ball and type a line or two, which is exactly my intent.
I'm in fine company, considering a few of the other Alaskan bloggers out there, to who I really don't, nor won't hold a candle. I'll run them up the flagpole for you in a little bit.
Right out of the gate, I like Diane Benson - she's got my vote. I'll tell you why soon enough.
The enigmatic Sarah Palin, while piquing my interest early on is fading fast and well she should. Her recent "Open Letter" is going to be a hot topic on this page.
I havent used this thing for a while, so bear with me as we "get our blog (back) on."

Exhortations to the Oblivious

Exhortations to the Oblivious

Alaska's VPSO Program safe for another year

Well it seems the Village Public Safety Officer Program dodges a bullet, no pun intended, as the State of Alaska announced its readiness to renew contracts with several Regional Non-Profits.
The issue at hand is, and quite correctly, the indirect rates charged by the non-profits.
Public Safety Commissioner Bill Tandeske said today that the State is looking for an across the board rate that will allow the State to save some money, and put more VPSO's to work.

Good riddance to Arafat

YAHOO Censors Mailing List over DNC Security Concerns

Kill 'em all- Let God sort 'em out!

No Skeeters, No Problem? Not So Fast
By JAMES GORMAN

Published: June 22, 2004
The New York Times

Elizabeth Willott is the kind of professor who gives the ivory tower a good name.

She is an entomologist and environmental ethicist at the University of Arizona, and I called her to ask a simple question: What good are mosquitoes?

Dr. Willott seemed like a good person to call because she has spent some time thinking about these issues. She has an article in the current issue of Restoration Ecology titled "Restoring Nature, Without Mosquitoes?"

In it she notes that in planning wetland restoration, people sometimes fail to give enough thought to one inevitable consequence - more mosquitoes. In the bad old days, not all wetlands were drained to build hotels. Another motivation was the real fear of death and disease, as spread by mosquitoes.

So, I asked, what about mosquitoes? Would everything really collapse if we got rid of them? Well, she said, no. The web of life is not that fragile. "If you take a snip, it won't unravel."
<
In fact, she said, there is "quite a bit of ecological research now showing that removal of a species doesn't make a huge difference." If the species of mosquitoes that are intimately connected with human beings were made to disappear, there might be some ecological disturbance, but "you probably could remove them without catastrophe."

Do they do anything of value, then? That depends on your point of view, she said. The philosophical arguments about intrinsic value versus instrumental value can get quite complicated. In essence they ask whether a mosquito, or a tree, or anything, has a value in and of itself, apart from what human beings think.

This is the sort of discussion that may be intriguing in an air-conditioned classroom, but seems absolutely incomprehensible at dusk near a marsh. If there's a chance that our children might get encephalitis, then we're ready to wipe mosquitoes off the face of the earth.

One small step beyond this "me, me, me" approach is to think about the value of any given organism to environmental balance. This is still not intrinsic value, since environmental balance is useful to people, but it is a bit less self-centered. Step outside the anthropocentric view of life and one possible value of mosquitoes is population control. Mosquitoes have historically kept human populations down worldwide, and still do in much of the third world. The problem is that they do this by facilitating pestilence and death, so this is not going to enhance their status, among human beings at least.

Mosquitoes may also keep some other animal populations down by spreading disease - something we might be able to see the value of. And other creatures - some fish, frogs birds and bats - eat them. It's possible that if we were able to wipe out mosquitoes, some other species might either suffer from lack of food, or explode in numbers because the burden of disease was lifted.

Another value of mosquitoes, perverse to some, obvious to others, is that they "keep out the riffraff," meaning human beings. Concentrations of pests offer protection to wilderness areas. The tsetse fly, which causes livestock disease as well as human sleeping sickness, has kept humans away from some wildlife refuges and has been called "Africa's best conservationist." Of course, this view has been described by others as ecological imperialism.

In any case, the reality, said Dr. Willott, is that "we're not going to get rid of the mosquitoes." It's just impossible, particularly if we want to use methods that don't kill off everything else. DDT is very effective at mosquito control, but it can be disastrous for birds of prey.

When I asked Dr. Willott if she thought it was immoral to try to make a species go extinct, assuming you could do it without hurting other organisms, she thought the question was significant enough to require a formal statement. "Striving for the unachievable is not an appropriate use of resources," she said. "If one acknowledges that eradication is highly unlikely to work or might have serious side effects, the moral thing to do would be to find another way." In other words, don't be stupid.

What she suggests is that we take the middle ground and try to kill some of the mosquitoes some of the time.

I mentioned to her at the end of our conversation that although mosquitoes were not that much fun to be around in reality, I shared her fascination with them. As a subject to talk and write about, they are irresistible.

Yes, she said, "and they find us the same."

Alaskans Fighting CAPPS II - Count Me In

Planes Are For Flying, Not Spying.
This isn't communist Russia: we have no 'papers' to show. We walk through metal detectors and put up with TSA security rifling though our stuff, shouldn't that be enough? As long as we don't have anything on us that can cause harm to the plane or our fellow passengers, we should be left alone.

ACLU Was Forced to Revise Release on Patriot Act Suit

Justice Dept. Cited Secrecy Rules

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 13, 2004; Page A27

When a federal judge ruled two weeks ago that the American Civil Liberties Union could finally reveal the existence of a lawsuit challenging the USA Patriot Act, the group issued a news release.

But the next day, according to new documents released yesterday, the ACLU was forced to remove two paragraphs from the release posted on its Web site, after the Justice Department complained that the group had violated court secrecy rules.

One paragraph described the type of information that FBI agents could request under the law, while another merely listed the briefing schedule in the case, according to court documents and the original news release.

The dispute set off a furious round of court filings in a case that serves as both a challenge to, and an illustration of, the far-reaching power of the Patriot Act. Approved by Congress in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the law gives the government greater latitude and secrecy in counterterrorism investigations and includes a provision allowing the FBI to secretly demand customer records from Internet providers and other businesses without a court order.

The ACLU first filed its lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of such demands, known as national security letters, on April 6, but the secrecy rules of the Patriot Act required the challenge to be filed under seal. A ruling April 28 allowed the release of a heavily censored version of the complaint, but the ACLU is still forbidden from revealing many details of the case, including the identity of another plaintiff who has joined in the lawsuit. The law forbids targets of national security letters to disclose that they have received one.

ACLU lawyer Ann Beeson said the court order also means that she "cannot confirm or deny" whether the ACLU is representing the second plaintiff. The group is the only counsel listed in court documents.

The dispute over the ACLU's April 28 news release centered on two paragraphs. The first laid out the court's schedule for receiving legal briefs and noted the name of the New York-based judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero.

The second paragraph read: "The provision under challenge allows an FBI agent to write a letter demanding the disclosure of the name, screen names, addresses, e-mail header information, and other sensitive information held by 'electronic communication service providers.' "

Justice lawyers said that both paragraphs violated a secrecy order and that the ACLU should be required to seek an exemption to publicize the information, court records show. Justice spokesman Charles Miller declined to comment yesterday.

"It simply never occurred to us that this information would be covered by the sealing order, because it's completely non-sensitive, generic information," Beeson said.

The dispute was partly resolved yesterday. Marrero ruled that the briefing schedule could be publicized, along with edited versions of other court filings. But the paragraph describing the information that can be sought remains absent.

© 2004 The Washington Post Company

What the FBI can ask for in a National Security Letter

"The provision under challenge allows an FBI agent to write a letter demanding the disclosure of the name, screen names, addresses, e-mail header information, and other sensitive information held by 'electronic communication service providers.' "

This paragraph was removed from filings by the American Civil Liberties Union against the FBI's powers under the USA PATRIOT Act.

Islamic Militants Murder Tower Professional

Nicholas Berg killed and videotaped for the world to see

(Baghdad, Iraq) - May 12, 2004 - Nicholas Berg, a 26-year-old tower and infrastructure professional from Philadelphia, PA was brutally murdered by Islamic fundamentalists this week in a revenge killing that was seen and reported throughout the world.

Mr. Berg, a member of the Tower Pro List Serve and last employed by Prometheus Towers, left the United States for Iraq as an independent contractor. His parents said he was an entrepreneur who left home to jump start his career by taking advantage of the opportunities offered by Iraq's massive reconstruction - although he did not have contract work already lined up. He was also supportive of the administration's mission in Iraq and believed he could help with the reconstruction.

His mother told reporters that all he wanted to do was help rebuild the communications towers and upgrade the communications systems throughout Iraq. That goal ultimately cost Mr. Berg his life.

Islamic militants, with ties al-Qaida network, murdered Mr. Berg and videotaped the gruesome killing. The tape was published and promoted on a website and the murder was said to be in retaliation for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers in Abu Ghraib prison.

The five killers, covered in shrouds and dressed in black, forced Mr. Berg to state his name, tell where he was from and name his family members shortly before they brutally murdered him. The tape was shown on every major U.S. news network and was edited to end right before Mr. Berg's slaying.

In a final show of humiliation, Mr. Berg's killers put his body on the side of a road in Baghdad where it was discovered by the U.S. military.

Mr. Berg's parents lost contact with their son on March 24, 2004 and did not hear from him again until April 11. He was detained by U.S. officials while he tried to find tower work. It appears that he was captured by his killers shortly after his release from U.S. custody.

The White House immediately condemned the killing of Berg by saying that "it shows the true nature of the enemies of freedom. They have no regard for the lives of innocent men, women and children."

The Berg family was devastated when they received official news and said that their son had visions of building and servicing cell phone towers throughout Iraq.

Wireless Infrastructure News Service

Slaughter

I just watched the video of the beheading of American free-lance technologist Nicholas Berg.
It is horrifying to watch as his executors read, in sing-song Arabic, and he rocks on his ankles, surely unaware that these moments are his last.

Poor Ben Stevens

They giggled at him on the Senate Floor tonight and he had to take a point of personal privelege to complain.
Hey Benny-boy, news flash- everyone is tired of your self-serving whining. You ain't your old man and never will be.
So, get over it.

Anchorage Daily News Letter 'O the Day

"Mike Miller is no true conservative; he's a true 'knee-jerk reactionary'

Now that Mike Miller has drawn his reserves into his fight for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, a clear picture has emerged. With Sarah Palin and Tom Fink having publicly endorsed him, Miller is plainly the chosen instrument of the extreme right of the GOP.

His mailings tout him as a "trusted conservative," and dismiss incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski as "too liberal" and "not sufficiently conservative." It is more accurate to describe Mike Miller as a "knee-jerk reactionary" on every issue discussed in his mailings.

He stands firm against enacting a state income tax, and for lowering federal taxes, without uttering a word on ways to meet our deficits. He stands firmly in defense of "Second Amendment rights," suggesting that Lisa Murkowski opposes these rights. He chafes at "federal restrictions on using public lands," without a word about protecting the environment from despoliation. He argues for parents having "the greatest number of choices" in educating their children, saying nothing about strengthening our public schools.

This man is not a true conservative, a guardian of the best from our past. He is simply a reactionary who cannot stand others who show some independence and flexibility."

-- Alden Todd

Anchorage

The Northern Center perspective on Pogo

The Northern Center perspective on Pogo
By Dan Adams
Apr 28, 2004, 11:30 PST

For every story that is reported by the media, several stories go untold. Here's one story that hasn't made headlines: The Northern Alaska Environmental Center says let's go ahead and build the Pogo mine. Yes, this from the nonprofit organization perhaps best known for campaigns to conserve Alaska's incomparable natural areas.

The NAEC recognizes the need for jobs and a viable economy in Interior Alaska. Any implication that NAEC wants to shut down the Pogo mine is false. Just build it in compliance with the law. That is the very least Alaskans ought to demand from Teck-Cominco, a foreign company that will profit so richly from our gold.

In that light, NAEC has accepted an invitation from Gov. Murkowski to work with state, federal and Teck-Cominco officials to find a solution to the wastewater pollution issues raised in the permit appeal.

The Clean Water Act was enacted more than 30 years ago, for good reasons. We believe that Alaskans, as people everywhere, prefer their rivers and streams free of arsenic and other toxic chemicals--especially those deposited by foreign financial interests who are paying back little or nothing for the privilege of extracting the state's resources. It is simply unacceptable that a mining company is allowed to use a stream as its unregulated private toxic waste dump.

In a recent op-ed piece, an official of the Department of Natural Resources missed the point when he stated, "The project cannot simply be redesigned to address NAEC's concerns. ... A four-year process, in which NAEC was a participant, determined that the current location was environmentally preferred." Our appeal addresses how wastewater from the mine is managed to ensure that the state's rivers are not contaminated, not the location of the mine or its waste-rock facilities.

As the state of Alaska and Teck-Cominco know full well, it is entirely possible to redirect Pogo Mine pollution away from rivers. It is standard mining industry practice to control and regulate the pollution runoff and seepage from mine waste dumps. It is done throughout the western United States, and it can be done here.

From the beginning, NAEC has tried to make sure its appeal would not raise a legal barrier to continued work on the project. When EPA informed us that sewage treatment for construction workers might be affected, we started working with EPA to resolve that problem and allow construction to proceed during the appeal. Why Teck-Cominco stopped all work on the mine while we were in the middle of addressing this problem is puzzling. Teck-Cominco has been operating without a permit (but in anticipation of getting one) since January. All indications are that necessary modifications can be made in the mine design to resolve the appeal. The NAEC is glad now to have the opportunity to discuss with the company and the agencies how we can resolve the wastewater issues and put the disputes behind us.

Properly managing discharges probably will cost money. But let us put things into perspective. Teck-Cominco is a foreign company that plans to extract 5.5 million ounces of gold worth more than $2 billion from the Goodpaster River drainage. Do you know who owns that gold? You do. It's on state land. Do you know how much of that $2 billion will go to help the state of Alaska with its budget troubles? Probably nothing, if past accounting practices from other large mines are any indication.

People get it when it comes to oil: We don't give that stuff away for free. The oil companies have to make a deal with us for our oil. And the state's interests are part of the deal. That's why income from oil accounts for 80 percent of the state's operating budget. And that's why you get a permanent fund dividend check. But somehow, when we talk about mineral extraction, we do not stand firm and demand our share. Instead, all of the proceeds will go directly to Teck-Cominco and its investors.

We at the Northern Alaska Environmental Center can't do much about how the state gives away the public's wealth. But we can keep an eye on the mining companies to make sure that they use some of the profits from developing our resources to comply with our laws. We hope that Teck-Cominco will use this opportunity to make this site a model for environmentally responsible mining.

Dan Adams is president of the board of directors of the Northern Alaska Environmental Center.

© Copyright 2002 by Northern.org

It's Just No Fun being a Kid Anymore

I wonder if they showed him their guns?

Secret Service Questions Washington State Student About Anti-War Drawings
The Associated Press
Published: Apr 26, 2004

PROSSER, Wash. (AP) - Secret Service agents questioned a high school student about anti-war drawings he did for an art class, one of which depicted President Bush's head on a stick.

Another pencil-and-ink drawing portrayed Bush as a devil launching a missile, with a caption reading "End the war - on terrorism."

The 15-year-old boy's art teacher at Prosser High School turned the drawings over to school administrators, who notified police, who called the Secret Service.

"We involve the police anytime we have a concern," Prosser Superintendent Ray Tolcacher told the Tri-City Herald newspaper.

Secret Service agents interviewed the boy last Friday. The student, who was not arrested, has not been identified.

The school district disciplined him, but district officials refused to say what the punishment was. Tolcacher said the boy was not suspended.

The artwork was apparently part of an assignment to keep a notebook of drawings, according to Kevin Cravens, a friend of the boy's family.

The drawing that drew the most notice showed a man in what appeared to be Middle Eastern-style clothing, holding a rifle. He was also holding a stick with an oversize head of the president on it.

The student said the head was enlarged because it was intended to be an effigy, Cravens said. The caption called for an end to the war in Iraq.

A message left by The Associated Press with an after-hours duty officer with the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., was not immediately returned on Monday.

"If this 15-year-old kid in Prosser is perceived as a threat to the president, then we are living in '1984'," Cravens said.

Tolcacher insisted it was not a freedom of speech issue, but a concern over the depiction of violence.

"From what I saw, (school officials) were right to be concerned," Prosser Police Chief Win Taylor said.

AP-ES-04-26-04 2348EDT

Now, THIS Is a Bear Story!

Young man fights off brown bear

By MARY PEMBERTON, Associated Press Writer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (April 26, 6:20 pm ADT) - A 15-year-old boy on a wilderness expedition for emotionally troubled youths woke up to find a 400-pound brown bear with a bad attitude sitting at his feet.

The Barrow boy thought at first it was a camp counselor rustling around at the foot of his tent Saturday morning on Deer Island in Southeast Alaska. But when he figured out it was a bear, the young man - keeping his wits about him - tried to quietly slip away.

The bear would have none of it.

"It seems that pretty calmly he wriggled his way backward out of the back of the tent as the bear was going over the top of the tent," Alaska State Trooper Adam Benson said Monday. "They kind of met up at the back of the tent. The bear came down, mouth open, toward him."

Benson said the boy put up his right arm to fend off the sow, and she bit his forearm, leaving two puncture wounds.

The boy decided to fight back, a risky approach to take particularly with a brown bear, the trooper said.

"He told me he punched the bear half a dozen times with his left hand," and the bear let him go, Benson said.

When the teenager got up and tried to run, the bear bit him again on the right side of his torso, right below his ribs, this time leaving a half-dozen puncture wounds on his back, Benson said.

The boy punched the bear again a couple of times, and again she let him go.

"He jumped behind a little cluster of trees and kind of played keep away with the bear," Benson said.

During one of the turns around the trees, the young man remembered that he had an air horn in his gear and grabbed it on the run. He blew the horn in the bear's face. The sound woke up the other counselors and boys in the camp, said Steve Prysunka, director of the six-week "Crossing Wilderness Expeditions for Youth" program.

Prysunka asked that the boy not be identified in news reports.

Prysunka said counselor Willy Hollett stepped between the boy and the bear and hit her with some pepper spray. The bear reared up and he sprayed the bear again, and the bear reared up again. In the meantime, another counselor fired a flare at the bear's feet, causing her to finally turn and run.

The boy was taken to the program's floating camp - a barge with a lodge anchored about one-eighth of a mile away. An emergency medical crew arrived by float plane about 30 minutes later to take him to Ketchikan General Hospital where he was treated and released a few hours later, Prysunka said.

Benson said he was at the hospital when the teen was brought in on a stretcher. He was sitting up and looked relaxed.

"He told me it didn't hurt. I would attribute that to a pretty good shot of adrenaline," Benson said.

Late Saturday afternoon, another trooper and a couple of U.S. Forest Service employees returned to the campsite area, found the sow and killed her. There were no signs she had any cubs with her.

Benson said the counselors the evening before had checked on the campers to make sure there was no food left out to attract bears.

The boy had some Rice-A-Roni he wanted to keep.

"He said, 'No, don't take this. I'm going to eat this in a little while.' Apparently he fell asleep before he got it done. There was some food left at the foot of his tent," Benson said.

The boy was being sent home to give his wounds time to heal, Prysunka said.

"I think he is the biggest, baddest thing in the woods. He punched the bear," Prysunka said.

The Tripod Falls, Again

Ice Moves in the Nenana Ice Classic

By Rachel D'oro Associated Press Writer
Published: Apr 24, 2004

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Mother Nature picked the winning numbers for the 88th Nenana Ice Classic on Saturday, melting the ice on the Tanana River enough to move it downstream.

Organizers of the popular yearly game of chance said there were six correct guesses for the winning time of 2:16 p.m. Each $2.50 ticket is worth a sixth of $301,000 jackpot - $50,166.66, or $36,120 once federal taxes are taken out.

A tripod erected on the ice is connected by wire to a clock on shore to detect the ice movement in Nenana, a community of 500 about 55 miles south of Fairbanks.

Organizers did not release the names of winners, but said they bought tickets in Anchorage, Juneau, North Pole and the Fairbanks area.

The jackpot, determined by the number of tickets sold, has reached $300,000 for the last several years. At least 50 percent of gross ticket sales is placed in the jackpot, with the rest going to expenses and to charities or nonprofit organizations in Nenana.

Last year, a pool of 19 winners shared a $301,000 jackpot when the ice went out at 6:22 p.m. on April 29.

The earliest the ice has gone out is April 20, in 1940 and 1998. The latest is May 20, 1964.

AP-ES-04-24-04 2215EDT

Ummm...Wouldn't this be characterized as torture?

"Only after such time as Padilla has perceived that help is not on the way can the United States reasonably expect to obtain all possible intelligence information from Padilla," from a declaration by the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Vice Adm. Lowell E. Jacoby, stating that Mr. Padilla was unlikely to cooperate if he thought a lawyer was trying to free him.
Read the New York Times story on Jose Padilla (remember him? The "dirty bomb" guy?)American Terror Suspect's Path From Streets to Pentagon Brig and form your own conclusions.

Mystery of Marshall crucifix is an article of faith

By Jeffrey Hope
KTUU-TV
Updated: 4:46 a.m. ET April 23, 2004

April 21 - Some say it's a spiritual awakening. Others are calling it a miracle. Ever since an Easter vigil service, things haven't been quite the same in the small Yup'ik village of Marshall. Whatever happened, a statue of the crucified Christ is changing lives.

Marshall, a village of a few hundred year-round residents, sits on a quiet slough of the Yukon River. There are no roads to get to it. The few trucks in town came here by barge. One store serves the entire village, and there are two churches -- a Russian Orthodox church and a Catholic church. That's where things haven't been quite the same since Easter.

"Some people think this is a miracle, which is good," says Angelina Coffee, a Eucharistic minister.

Miracle or not, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church has become as busy as a post office. A crucifix of Jesus has always been respected, but now it's the talk of the village.

Church members say it started during an Easter vigil service. Someone thought they saw the painted blood on the statue turn to real blood. Most missed it, but, after the service, church members crowded around the crucifix. Even longtime members agreed it looked different.(more)

The Marshall, Alaska Crucifix

Photo courtesy of Sophie Jacob. It was taken on a Sony MVC-CD400 on April 21, 2004 in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Marshall, Alaska.

I've got GMail

Suckers.