The Ingracious Senator Lisa Murkowski

You've got to hand it to the Murkowskis. Not only are they able to get others to donate time, money - land - to them for little or nothing, they then go on to trash the people who did that. Yesterday, in Juneau, Sen. Murkowski was interviewed by Associated Press reporter, Steve Quinn. Sen. Murkowski, when asked about the guilty plea to Federal charges by her father's former chief-of-staff, Jim Clark, stated, "I'm angry; I'm upset. Jim broke the public trust, and that was wrong.

"He was a man he's known for years and trusted. [Clark] let him down, he let the state down in a very, very big way."

What Clark did, that upset Sen. Murkowski so much, was to use almost $70,000 the former had solicited from Veco, to commission polls on her father's chances for re-election in 2006. Unlike other figures in the GOP corruption scandals of the past two years, Clark didn't pocket any money.

In fact, Clark gave up a lucrative personal practice in late 2002, to work for Frank Murkowski, just before Lisa was appointed to her father's job - by her father. Clark probably gave up about $800,000 in personal income to work for Murkowski, a man in whom Clark erroneously and foolishly, placed his trust.

I have friends who were guests at the Clark residence in Juneau or lived down the street from the family, during Clark's tenure as chief-of-staff. They've described how Clark would often work until 11:00 p.m. and get back up at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. to attend to the Governor's affairs.

This is not to excuse Jim Clark. But, by bringing this up in such a self-serving way, Sen. Lisa Murkowski begs some comparisons:

• Former Rep. Tom Anderson - around $10,000 taken from Veco

• Former Rep. Pete Koch - less than $10,000 taken from Veco

• Former Rep. Vic Kohring - the price of a used riding lawnmower and about 250 cheeseburgers taken from Veco

• Sen. Lisa Murkowski - between $70,000 and $170,000 taken from Anchorage slum landlord Bob Penney in a shady real estate deal.

I know, I know, Sen. Murkowski sold the property back to Penney, once the word got out on the deal. But she initially tried to keep it, stating, "I bought the property from a friend that I think I have known since I was probably 5. It was before elementary school, let's put it that way. My husband knew him before he knew me. So we go back a long way."

It was only after a firestorm of criticism and probable ethics investigations - at the very least - came hammering down on Lisa, that she did the right thing. But her pattern of actions then help to explain her ingratitude toward Clark now.

What Sen. Murkowksi should have done, what her father should have done, in the time since Clark's plea, is to ask themselves, "Have we possibly asked too much of people like Clark and Penney?"

Privatize the Profits - Socialize the Risks

That's essentially what the bailout of Bear-Stearns does. A bunch of ruthless investors create a lax regulatory environment through their bribes, uh - contributions - to Congress. They lend sub-prime money to millions - mostly minorities and people who otherwise couldn't get large loans. Real estate prices go down at the same time the interest rates on these loans goes up. Hundreds of thousands of the ignorant people who were encouraged by predatory companies to get the poorly secured loans start to go belly up. Phony fix-ups for them are floated by politicians, with plans for implementation in the hazy future.

Then a few sleazy hedge funds go where they inevitably were going to head - way, way south. A major investment firm is endangered because of their borderline criminality. Within hours the Fed and the Executive branch of our government are there with a bailout that would keep the Iraq war going for two months.

Wall Street welfare - Main Street bankruptcy. Only, these days, the victimized can't even declare a decent bankruptcy, because Congress changed the rules, making them continually vulnerable for retribution for the rest of their lives.

Privatize the profits - socialize the risks.

erin makes the same point in her new entry at Journey on the Wild Coast Blog. She and hig have gotten to the Pebble Mine site, one of the major goals of their 4,000-mile non-motorized trek from Seattle to the Aleutians. Noting how a mine like Pebble's legacy fits into our collective future, long after the gold has been extracted, the profits removed from Alaska, she writes:

They’re still exploring out there. Still finding more gold and copper, still expanding the already enormous size of this proposal. And with that enormous size comes an enormous amount of toxic waste - chemicals, tailings and waste rock that needs to be carefully contained - carefully kept separate from the groundwater and streams that feed Bristol Bay’s extraordinary fish resources. “Modern mining” has a shaky track record in protecting waters even for a few decades. And we would have to trust them for thousands of years. Through earthquakes, storms, and changes in climate… Through changes in corporations, generations, and even entire civilizations… Alaska gives permits to mines (like Red Dog Mine), that will require water treatment “in perpetuity”. But forever is impossible. And in hundreds or thousands of years, after the political and economic structures that keep the mine’s remains safe have shifted or dissolved, there may still be people there who need the fish in the streams and the animals along their banks.


photo by erin of prospecting rigs at the Pebble site.

ComFish Alaska U.S. House Debate to be Broadcast Statewide

I found out this afternoon from KMXT Kodiak Public Radio's News Director Jay Barrett, that Thursday evening's debate at ComFish Alaska 2008, featuring the candidates vying for Rep. Don Young's seat in the U.S. Congress will be broadcast statewide on the Alaska Public Radio Network.

The debate, to be held in the Kodiak High School Auditorium, will be the first forum at which candidates from both the Republican Party and Democratic Party will appear together at the same forum.

The time of the debate's broadcast will be from 7 to 9 p.m. KMXT will stream it on the internet, as will APRN. ComFish's web site lists Don Young, AK Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, Diane Benson, Ethan Berkowitz, and Jake Metcalfe as participants, but the program was printed before Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell announced his candidacy for the seat last Friday morning.

At the Mat-Su Democrats' Egan Dinner last Friday, I gave a report on my attendance of that day's events at the Alaska GOP Convention in Anchorage. I pointed out that with Sean Parnell's entry into the race, national interest in the contest is already growing. I predicted more money will be spent in the 2008 U.S. House primary contest than was spent in the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial final. Around $2,500,000 was spent on that race.

I love Kodiak! I wish I could be there for the debate.

Hate Speech? What Do You Think?

On Friday afternoon, at about 4:54 p.m, KFQD radio host and Anchorage Daily News columnist made the following statements:

Fagan: You don't know who Louis Farrakhan is?

Girl on show: No I don't...

Fagan: He's the head of the Nation of Islam of the United States, he's a big, uh...y'know - hates Jews. But all Muslims are supposed to hate Jews. To be a good Muslim.

Girl on show: See, I'm not a Jew, so I didn't know that.

Fagan: You don't have to be Muslim to know that Muslims are supposed to hate Jews.

I transcribed that from the podcast available at KFQD. Friday's hour three section, which should still be up there, puts this segment at 49:18 to 49:35.

Although the rest of the show is filled with more examples of Fagan's and his sidekick's ignorant drivel, none of it quite rises to this level of what I regard as hate speech. My wife says she regards it as "borderline" hate speech, but the other people I've run this by feel it rises to the level of hate speech.

I'm writing to the publisher of the Anchorage Daily News and the Manager of KFQD. An apology to Anchorage's Muslim community is the least I'll be pushing for:

Pat Dougherty, Publisher
Anchorage Daily News
PO Box 149001
Anchorage, AK 99514-9001
(907) 257-4200
pdougherty@adn.com

KFQD
301 Arctic Slope Avenue
Anchorage, AK
(907) 344-9622

On the Fifth Anniversary of Rachel Corrie's Death

Rachel Corrie was the first American casualty in the current phase of the Iraq War. The war was hatched before George Bush was elected president, by a group called The Project for a New American Century, which foolishly, ineptly and inhumanely tied the future security of the United States and Israel hand in hand, in a way that brought no security to either country and has ruined four so far - Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and the United States.

Since Rachel Corrie died this day five years ago, over 86 Israelis, 1,290 Palestinians, 1,300 or more Lebanese, 3,988 Americans and 1,189,000 Iraqis have also died in pursuit of a folly that has destroyed the hopes of well over a billion people for a generation.

Rachel Corrie protested the Iraq War before it started, in a demonstration in Gaza City, shortly before she was killed. Like her, I was against the war before it took off. I discovered her death as I was seeking anti-war poems for a song cycle.

The resulting music, finished in early 2004, was condemned in Alaska as anti-Semitic. I was denounced at a joint session of the Alaska Legislature for having written the commemorative work. Those claims were total falsehoods. After cancellations of projected performances in Anchorage, New York City and Toronto in 2004, the work was finally performed on November 1, 2005 in London.

I've been reluctant to post the entire performance at my music web site, because of the incredible volume of hate mail I've received in the past whenever I assert my beliefs on what Rachel Corrie meant, and because people continue to misunderstand what the work means.

But I'm convinced the work resonates now more than ever, and is as fitting a tribute to this young woman and what she believed as exists. So, I've put the entire work up at my music site and my protest music site.

I hate this Goddamn Fucking War and every evil it has created, extended, warped and exacerbated.

The Skies Are Weeping

The April 8, 2004 speech explaining the music's premise

Rachel Corrie's memorial site
Update: This blog lists some of the commemorations of Corrie's death five years ago, that have occured on the web.

Governor Palin's Speech at the Opening of the 2008 Alaska GOP Convention

As is typical when a political party's top figure is the sitting governor, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin opened the Alaska Republican Party's 2008 convention. The speech was a dousing with cold water to the party's old guard, an offering of a drink of fresh water to insurgents her sometimes astounding success here has nurtured.

The Governor relentlessly brought up the image of "Change." Beyond that, she asked for anyone attending who is willing, to call for a "Declaration of Independence" from the GOP in Alaska as it is currently constituted. Her appeal to "clean up politics" was directed at a political organization which has done everything in its power to thwart her fairly progressive agenda. And still does.

Younger people in the audience applauded loudly as she asked, "Why should we wait for others to manifest that commitment for change? Let it be us, cultivating new leaders."

Older people were looking more and more glum, as she then quoted President Bush, in his 2008 State of the Union message, when Bush declared war on the earmark process, that has gone out of control during his presidency. Acknowledging Alaska's dependancy on earmarks in the past, she said, "It is time to embark on a new era in Alaska. It IS time for change."

Young people clapped harder, some rose to applaud and cheer. Palin kept using the term "change," almost as if she were auditioning to be Barack Obama's running mate. But she isn't.

Palin sees the continuing rule of GOP Party Chair Randy Ruedrich as an obstacle to the separation of her new paradigm from the statewide and increasingly important national highly negative image of Republican Party politics in Alaska. She next called the Party's Central Committee on their decision late Thursday night, to keep a vote on a rule change that would allow a vote against Ruedrich's tenure to come to the floor a questionable decision. Her request for vocal and physical support from the floor was indelibly recorded by Alaska Report's David Zaki.

I wanted to write about this Friday morning, but my other laptop started acting up. It is going into the shop tomorrow. I thought through the day, as I went from an interview with Diane Benson before she embarks on a trip, at a rehearsal at UAA, and at the Mat-Su Democrats dinner tonight, that some other news source would pick up on the chutzpa of Palin's call for change. None seems to. The Parnell announcement overshadowed Palin's appeal, but I thought her speech to be the most interesting by an Alaska politician I've ever witnessed.

I heard at the Mat-Su Democrats dinner that some news outlet announced a time for a vote Saturday on the motion to suspend the rules and consider Ruedrich's termination, but I haven't seen any further information.

As I left the convention site, I overheard one of the young Fairbanks Republicans who was handing out "Vote for Change" buttons say to another kid, "The reason Young is so much against change is because he knows that when his lawyers are done with him, that's all he'll have left - CHANGE."

Sean Parnel Ann0unces His Run Against D0n Y0ung

G0vern0r Sarah Palin's speech t0 the Alaska G0P C0nventi0n was very feisty but the Lieutenant G0vern0r's speech which f0ll0wed c0ntained a s0mewhat startling ann0uncement - "I intend 0 file t0day f0r the 0ffice 0f U.S. Representative f0r the State 0f Alaska." A l0t 0f pe0ple st00d up and cheered - including D0n Y0ung.

S0mething has happened t0 my lapt0p - the letter "0" and s0me 0ther features have st0pped w0rking. It is under warranty and I have an0ther lapt0p at h0me but I'm g0ing t0 have t0 wrap this up and take it 0ver t0 the Mac St0re.

Live Blogging the First Full Day of the Alaska GOP Convention

The first full day of the 2008 Republican Party of Alaska Convention at the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage.

Rabbi Yosef Greenberg of the Lubavitch Center of Alaska gave an invocation and prayer, and then introduced State Representative Gabrielle LeDoux of Kodiak, who has filed to run in the GOP primary against Don Young.

LeDoux was wanly received, as she began a fairly short speech that emphasized her concerns about corruption and cronyism within the Alaskan Republican Party. Her address had a feeble joke about attorneys - she is a lawyer - comparing them to lobbyists. She didn't bring up anything along the issues line, which was disappointing.

Mat-Su Valley GOP activist Bert Hall introduced Rep. Young, who was quite animated, pulling one gag line after another out of his schtick bag, as the audience warmed to him.

Young brought up his million dollars in legal fees, by stating, " What price freedom? What price justice?

"I've made an agreeement with my lawyers and I've made an agreement with the Department of Justice, not to comment."

After the opening session here - called "Breakfast with U.S. House Candidates - people have broken up into small district groups, figuring out what to do during the General Session I, which begins in a few minutes.

I had an opportunity to chat with Rabbi Greenburg for the first time in almost four years, before he left. Then Bert Hall came over, and we discussed the Central Committee meeting that was held yesterday evening. He wasn't in it, but he stated that it went far longer than the hour that had been alloted to it, and a decision was made not to bring the issue of Randy Ruedrich's continuing chairmanship of the party up in front of the main body of delegates. Just how it is to be handled will be decided later today.

Update: Dennis Zaki and Stefan Taufen have a good article up on yesterday evening's Central Committee meeting at the Alaska Report.

Progressive Alaskan Writers Wanted

From the beginning of this blog back in early November, 2007, I've hoped that writers on progressive issues from around the state would be able to contribute essays. Progressive Alaska has printed or reprinted several essays by contributors now, but I'm looking for more. A lot more.

The site had over 2,000 unique visitors last week. Readership is growing at 7% per week. Less than half are from out of state, and Alaskans from all over read articles at Progressive Alaska.

There's no way for one person or a small group of people to know, let alone write about in authoritative and picturesque ways, all the issues facing Alaskans.

I can't thank the people enough, who have brought articles here, written helpful comments, e-mailed me links and quotes, and so on! If you want to write here, know somebody who might, or have other ideas along those lines, let Progressive Alaska know.

Niche Journalism With a Vengeance

That's the term I used to describe the Voice of the Times, when they began the current version of their web page. The once-proud Anchorage Times is withering away in a kind of cyberspace, where over half their readership is probably composed of people who have been told to go read the page, so their old school Republican boss doesn't have to.

I wrote here about my feelings on the political positioning of the VOT last November. Essentially, I view the stalwarts there as living in some kind of a fantasy world. A place less dangerous than World of Warcraft, but less real, too.

Brendan Joel Kelley, who is helping resurrect the Anchorage Press, has written a choice piece on his efforts to find out who funds the VOT, now that their former publisher, Bill Allen, is about to lose all his subscriptions and go out of circulation for the rest of his life.

Kelley got not very close to an answer as to who funds the operation from an attorney named David Bundy - possibly no relation to Ted - who is listed as the VOT's agent, with this gem:

“I don’t know why I should be telling you anything, even if I knew it,” Bundy says. “Even if I did, I’m not authorized to discuss it with you.”

Not authorized to discuss what’s public record? C’mon David, there’s no reason to be a douchebag.

So Bundy seems to think he's some kind of secret agent, rather than a plain old business agent? I hope Joel keeps on this story. The ADN can't, 'cause they want to distance themselves from these clowns.

I don't. That's why the Voice of the Times is proudly listed here as a humor site.