It is often difficult to explain Alaska to outsiders. The flap over the bridges to nowhere was an excellent example. People in the lower 48 usually perceive Alaska as vast, which it certainly is. But when they read of Alaska in the news, much of the interest is directed toward a few small but important areas within the state: Prudhoe Bay, Juneau, Anchorage, or Barrow, for instance. When the bridge issue hit national news, I read at blog after blog - mostly left-wing ones - about how absurd it would have been to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on two bridges between a small town or a small city and "nowhere."Several times I pointed out that most new bridges built here are very close to "nowhere." We have less road mileage in Alaska than exists in Rhode Island. Less new road miles have been added to our system here in the 35 years I've been in Alaska, than are added to the greater Chicago road systems every three or four months.
Not only can outsiders' ignorance of Alaska and Alaskans be profound, so can be the memes about our selfishness, greed and insularity. Last night our family watched The Simpsons Movie. The scene where the border guard hands Homer $1,000.00 for showing up is funny, but many outsiders' views of Alaska and of what is good for Alaskans is at least that simplistic.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Markos Moulitsas' ridiculous statement accompanying his United 2000 poll on the AK-AL U.S. House race, and some of the web ramifications of Markos' inaccuracy. Some of the comments my essay got were hilarious. I enjoyed this one:
"....Kos clearly knows who is the best candidate for Alaska...."
This from somebody signing off as Bill D in SF, defending Kos, who lives in the Bay area himself. A Minnesota commenter, bringing up Alaska's Patron Saint, Ted Stevens, shared the following:
"Saw a high school friend last summer who's lived in Anchorage for the last fifteen years. She's still left of center but her husband isn't. They have business with the gov't, and surprised me by saying that while she wouldn't be sorry to see Young get kicked to the curb, she still saw a lot of support for Uncle Ted, and that even an indictment would not be enough to get many to not vote for him, herself included."
In today's Anchorage Daily News Newsreader, Terry Carr linked to a National Review Online article by John J. Miller, a National Political Correspondent there, where Miller says pretty much the same thing:
"If 84-year-old Republican senator Ted Stevens is indicted in a corruption probe — FBI and IRS agents searched his home last year — then the reign of the longest-serving GOP senator could share the fate of his ballyhooed “bridge to nowhere.” But Stevens is brassy enough to keep on running no matter what, and Alaskans probably like their pork enough to elect him anyway."
Alaskan and outside writers have pointed to the November 2006 re-election of GOP Rep. Vic Kohring of Wasilla to the Alaska House, after his office had been targeted for a search by the FBI, in the summer of 2006 as an example backing contentions such as Miller's. Kohring beat a highly respected ex-legislator, the iconic Katie Hurley. And he beat her soundly, even after the search should have sent red flags to Kohring's constituents.
At the conclusion of Kohring's trial, I bumped into John Davies, my business law professor from over 20 years ago. Davies is now Chief of Staff for GOP Rep. Wes Keller, who was appointed to Kohring's house seat after Kohring's July, 2007 resignation. Davies, was emphatic that the Feds should have given Kohring a pass, citing the tremendous resources that had been brought to bear against "this one, fine man."
I disagreed with Davies, who was an excellent business law prof, but seemed to be missing something important. "They weren't after Vic, they just trolled him up as bycatch," I said. "They've taken oaths to uphold the constitution. Do you think they should have ignored their oaths?"
John replied with that day's version of IOKIYAR (It's OK if you're a Republican), again citing the costs. I said, "Well, if the Feds can blow $50,000,000 investigating a hummer under the oval office desk, don't you think they can spend $1,000,000 investigating corrupt legislation?"
Davies had no answer that would satisfy me. "Clinton lied under oath," he replied. John wasn't the only person dissatisfied with the Kohring verdict. That same day, in the comments to an ADN article about the trial, here were three:
The Only Honest Politician Destroyed
Vic Kohring is the only fully honest politician I have met, but his very lack of guile and simple, trusting character has made him an easy mark for unscrupulous thugs -- on both sides of the law.
no real proof....
I dont see any real proof of bribes. I see a man asking someone for a loan, but not a bribe. Who says that you should ask family before anyone else for a loan? In the recording I saw and is on this ADN site, Allen clearly states/asks.....is this a loan? Vic answers "yes"......
honestly dumb
Kohring knew he wasn't supposed to be taking money--even for gifts for his child. But that's all crap anyway. How many times have you had someone offer you hundreds for an easter egg hunt. Honest to goodness if this jury comes out with a not guilty verdict I'm going to be sick.
Examples like those of Davies, the woman from Minnesota's Anchorage friend, the three ADN commenters, the article in NRO, and other such things I've read and heard, make me wonder. So I've decided to create the first Progressive Alaska Poll.
I'll also post it at DailyKos. Here it is:
Will Alaskans Return Ted Stevens to the U.S. Senate if he's indicted before November?
The poll is up near the top of the right-hand margin of the blog.
Son of the North - Fred Machetanz
7 comments:
Just had to put up a quick comment about the Machetanz. Love it, love his work. For the longest time his colors overwhelmed me -- and not in a good way. I found them too saturated and reminiscent of cheesy 1950s and 60s palettes in bad advertising. But I helped curate an exhibit once that contained a half-dozen originals, and I was swayed.
I got to meet Fred a few times after we moved out to the Mat-Su Valley. He wasn't very public, quite shy. He was very progressive - even more than you and me, Ish. His Polar bears are the best, and his genuine affection for Alaska Natives is outdone by the differing ways he respectfully treats different Alaska Native peoples throughout his art.
My post over at Kos has riled a bunch of people up!
hay Phil another great blog, you just get better, and yes no matter what UNCLE Ted does he will be elected by the rep. party ,even more now. They know how much it will cost to buy his vote... and they think that's just great....The Rep Party WANTS THE MONEY VOTE.
Journalists from outside usually fail to understand the degree to which the Stevens power structure permeates Alaska life. Ted Stevens is at the top of a power structure which permeates contracts to private enterpise, and both grant-based and direct funding streams to nonprofits, churches, and governments at all levels in Alaska.
In the Anchorage area, consider the Ted Stevens - Rasmuson Foundation - Foraker Group - CIRI Foundation - Southcentral Foundation - Denali Commmission complex. If a nonprofit service organization wants federal dollars for operations or a project, then they need non-federal match, which usually translates to one of the foundations above. The applicants are vetted for Stevens by Rasmuson and the rest. If you go to Stevens for funding, somehow you always end up at the Rasmuson Foundation. To obtain the non-federal matching funds, you will grant Rasmuson unprecedented control of your project, including its mission, personnel policies and oversight of hiring, else Stevens will not provide the federal funding. Nobody likes to talk about it in public because the conversations are so dangerous.
Most service providers, artists, public broadcasters, every small nonprofit, every scientist, and every ambitious manager and aspiring executive have all learned through practical experience to navigate cautiously and deferentially around the Stevens crowd, else your career in Alaska is over.
The corruption has been going on so long, it has become part of accepted Alaska behavior here. If Ted Stevens goes down to defeat, it will be an earthquake through the power structure of Alaska.
polarbear,
Strange you should bring that stuff up on the same day I'm filling out the paper work for my first ever Rasmuson Foundation project application...
Mr. Munger:
In one of our previous conversations, you mentioned a Valley Republican commented you were idea-oriented, not power-oriented. With respect, if his comment had an element of truth, then that is how you are perceived in other venues. Get some assistance of the right kind and lay down the right groundwork before submission. Ideally, a trusted associate would have some deep knowledge of public broadcasting funding and its relationship to Rasmuson. The power relationship between your project and public broadcasting will be examined. If your idea has merit, impinges on public broadcasting, and is not adequately protected, then you may find KNBA magically implementing your idea next year, with copyright held by CIRI.
Frankly, if I had known you were applying, I would not have posted. Accordingly, I request you delete my previous message and this message upon receipt. I will not be offended in the least. Best of luck.
polarbear,
I write music. That's what I'll be applying for - an artist's grant. If you click on "my complete profile," it sends you to my profile page. If you click on the "my web page" link there, it sends you to my garage band site, where you can listen to some of my music and download anything you like for free.
I hadn't even thought of Rasmuson in the context you brought it up in. Interesting, and thanks for the advice.
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