The Ice Breaks Up on Neklason Lake

The view from our front deck this afternoon. The lake ice changed a lot today in the heat and sun. I've got to get going on my replacement dock.

Saradise Lost - Book 5 - Chapter 52: Troubling Palin Image(s?)

A series of blog articles are homing in on this picture of Sarah Palin, taken on March 14th, 2008:

Laura Novak

The Immoral Minority

Palingates

All of these blog entries are a direct challenge to Julia O'Malley's April 14th Anchorage Daily News op-ed, Make. It. Stop. In the three weeks since O'Malley wrote her opinion piece, several other articles have challenged her assertions, but the top photo seems to counter her claim, using a rather vague image of Palin from the side (with the misleading caption "Here is Sarah Palin, obviously pregnant, in March 2008" [she isn't], that we need to put this matter to rest.

The image at the top of this post, coupled with this one from April 8th, 2008
suggest that O'Malley's contention that photographic evidence is definitive needs further consideration from O'Malley herself.

Looking at the March 14th photo reminded me that former political blogger Robert Dillon took a number of photos of Palin in Washington DC, on February 26th, 2008. I ran one of them at PA in the first week of March, 2008. It fooled me at first glance, and I wrote then, ".....pretty much pegs it, eh?"

On further consideration, Dillon's photo pegged nothing. This morning, I commented at Jesse Griffin's post on Novak's article:

Robert Dillon took some photos on February 26,2008 (less than three weeks earlier than the image at the top of this post) of Palin in Washington DC, while she was there during the Supreme Court's hearing of the EVOS case. I believe he took several of Palin next to Cordova Eyak artist Mike Webber's Shame Pole, which had been brought from Cordova to DC by Cordova fishers to support their public presence there during the USSC hearing.

I published one of the photos at Progressive Alaska back then, but Dillon took several.

He now works for Lisa Murkowski. When he got his job with Lisa, he took down his site. Possibly somebody knows Dillon and could persuade him to release all the images he took of Palin on February 26 2008 in DC. Maybe Lisa herself could encourage Robert - who is an excellent photographer - to come forward with the images Dillon has of Joe Miller's BFF.

Maybe somebody should encourage Dillon to revisit his February 26th 2008 photos of Palin. What do you think?

Until I see better evidence that Palin actually was pregnant on March 14th, 2008, I remain, once again adapting Joe McGinniss' term, "TriGnostic."

Upcoming Mat-Su Valley Coal Awareness Events

The image at top left is of West Virginia kids playing in coal dust. If Usibelli has its way, kids from Sutton all the way to Pt. McKenzie will soon have their opportunity to play the same games the same way. Listening to Wishbone Hill Mine spokesperson propagandist Lorali Carter on the new radio ads airing on right-wing talk programs in the Anchorage area, at first, one thinks they are a spoof. They are not. They do beg creation of a parody, though. We'll see.


Meanwhile, there are important upcoming events in Palmer that people should be aware of:

I. Breathe Free:

Protecting Our Community From Toxic Coal Dust

Bring a friend to this free community health event!

Monday, May 9th, 6pm – 8pm, (free Mercury hair testing begins at 5pm)
Palmer Depot

Pollution from the proposed Wishbone Hill coal strip mine will be harmful to public health in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Come to this public forum to learn about the true costs of this coal mine and the impacts it could have on our health. Local doctors, public health professionals and business owners will share their knowledge and experience dealing with the impacts of coal mining.

Come by the Palmer Depot at 5:00pm to get your hair tested for mercury.
Snacks and coffee will be provided.

610 South Valley Way, Palmer, AK 99645

Sponsored by: Mat Valley Coalition and Alaska Community Action on Toxics

II. Chickaloon Coalition Call to Action on Proposed Chickaloon Area Coal Mining:

1. Rally & Public Comment at Board of Trustees meeting in Anchorage May 10, 3pm.

2. Submit your personal Comments to the Board of Trustees with the online Form

3. Public Comments by teleconference May 10, 3:45 pm.

The Alaska Mental Health Land Trust is once again planning to lease lands in and around Chickaloon for coal development. According to the Trust Land Office, they have received unsolicited inquiries from multiple mining companies about the lands in Chickaloon. They are considering conducting a competitive lease offering for 11,486.68 acres. On Tuesday, May 10, the Trust Authority Board of Trustees will meet in Anchorage, and decide whether to proceed with this lease offering.

Join us for a rally & public comments in Anchorage at 3 pm, Tuesday May 10th.

Carpool from Vagabond Blues in Palmer leaves at 2pm. Call 746-0128 to coordinate.

In Anchorage meet 3 pm at: The Trust Authority Building 3745 Community Park Loop Anchorage, AK 99508

If you can not join us in Anchorage, please participate via teleconference or webex.

The May 10th meeting begins at 9am,

Resources committee reports on Chickaloon Coal Leases at 9:45 am,
public comment period is at 3:45 pm.

The Board meeting is two days. They may vote on the Chickaloon leases on Tuesday or Wed. May 11th.

Mark Begich's Alaska Gas Price Facebook Niche - Updated

Sen. Mark Begich is soliciting pictures from around the state of high fuel prices in Alaska communities. He's asking facebook members to send them to this page.

Judy took the one at top left on Monday in Akiak, and sent it in.

Update: Kelly Walters notes at Begich's facebook page:

The high price of gasoline has infinitely more to do with speculators driving up the price of oil and the devaluation of the dollar. This has LITTLE to do with supply. I fear you are trying to use our high gas prices to justify drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas as opposed to, say, SPONSORING LEGISLATION TO PREVENT SPECULATORS FROM BUYING OIL FUTURES-FORCE THEM TO TAKE DELIVERY!

Long-Term Effects of Fukushima Radiation Discussed Cooly and Intelligently

Palin Fires Releases Scheunemann, Hires Breitbart BFF Peter Schweizer to Replace Him

It was announced this morning that Sarah Palin has let Randy Scheunemann go. He had been working with or for Palin periodically, since the McCain campaign. In his place, SarahPAC has hired Hoover Institute fellow, Andrew Breitbart associate and Reagan worshipper, Peter Schweizer, to run her foreign policy shop:

Sarah Palin has a new foreign policy adviser. Out is Randy Scheunemann, one of the few remaining links to her time on the McCain/Palin ticket, and in is Peter Schweizer, a fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Scheunemann was a key foreign policy adviser to the campaign of Senator John McCain, and a played a huge role advising Palin during her debate prep. He stuck with her after the election. But now, Tim Crawford, the Treasurer for SarahPac, tells ABC News, “Randy couldn't give us the time that the Governor required.”

Scheunemann is the President of the “Committee for the Liberation of Iraq,” and is seen as something of a NeoConservative, supportive of a far-reaching American foreign policy. He worked for Palin along with Michael Goldfarb, a former writer at the Weekly Standard.

Incoming adviser Peter Schweizer is seen to view the United States with a more limited role in world affairs.

The shift in adviser might have been reflected in a foreign policy speech Palin delivered last night in Colorado. She called on American foreign policy to have “clearly defined objectives.” In recent weeks she has been critical of U.S. policy in Libya for its “lack of clarity.”

Here's the speech referred to in the article. It drew a crowd of about 350 people, and was laden with conspiracy theory fluff:


Schweizer recently joined prominent Islamophobe Frank Gaffney, to become a part of Andrew Breitbart's Big PEACE web page. Here's Gaffney and Schweizer talking about the "roll-out" of BigPEACE.com:


It is probably too early to tell if the hire of Schweizer will change Palin's positions on foreign policy. Other than her often-repeated simplistic mantras, she really doesn't have an articulated foreign policy platform per se. Beyond American and Israeli exceptionalism and a fascist-oriented view on what our military can be allowed to do, she has ben fairly inconsistent, not to mention shallow.

You Can Help Shannyn Moore Get to Netroots Nation 2011 - Vote!

Netroots Nation is the country's largest annual gathering of progressive bloggers, journalists, techies, writers, videographers and politicians. Begun in 2006, as YearlyKos, 2011 will mark its sixth year.

I've been invited to attend by one group or another each of the years, but have never attended. The only major Alaska politicians to attend, as far as I can tell, have been Mike Gravel and Scott McAdams.

In 2009, Alaska independent commentator, Shannyn Moore was awarded the second annual Steve Gilliard Award there (image at top left, taken by Jeanne Devon, who was there).

She had been helped financially to get to the conference by winning a scholarship offered by Netroots Nation on a competitive basis. She is running for that scholarship again right now.

Since winning her 2009 scholarship to the event, Moore has gone on to returning to her daily program on KUDO AM (until they folded last year), begun what has become Alaska's premiere weekly television political interview show on KYES TV, made numerous national radio appearances, including substitute hosting for progressive media icon and author, Thom Hartmann, and now has a daily radio program on KOAN AM (Anchorage), and KXLJ AM (Juneau). Recently, she has begun writing a weekly op-ed column for the Anchorage Daily News.

You can vote for Shannyn, to help her get the 2011 Netroots Nation Scholarship, by going to this page.

She's currently in 3rd place out of 235 applicants.

Must Have Been a Slow News Day for O'Reilly

New PA Poll: Should the White House Release Images of the Dead Osama?

The image at the top left has been shown at several media outlets, especially in India, Pakistan and in the Arab world, since late last night. It was reported as being a photo of the head of Osama bin Laden, after he was shot by U.S. forces inside his cult compound in Abbottobad. So far, there has been no photo released of the body by the American government.

The American web site that is most heavily involved in looking at people looking at this image, is Michael Rivero's Hawaii-based site, What Really Happened. The site got so busy yesterday evening, around the time of the president's speech, that it crashed, on and off, through the night and into the morning.

Here's a short video, posted at WRH and elsewhere, that looks at the above image, and others:


The image is not genuine. It has been around for at least a year or so. I've seen it posted before. With the announcement by the American government that bin Laden's body has already been buried at sea, some are calling for the release of real images of the slain criminal:

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Monday said the Obama administration should publicly release photos of Osama bin Laden's body.

The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee said he has no doubt that U.S. forces killed the former al Qaeda leader on Sunday, but said that such a move might be necessary "to quell any doubts" that the operation was somehow a "ruse."

The White House is considering it:

The Obama administration has photographs of Osama bin Laden’s dead body and officials are debating what to do with them and whether they should be released to the public, officials tell ABC News.

“There’s no doubt it’s him,” says a US official who has seen the pictures and also reminds us that OBL was 6’4”.

The argument for releasing them: to ensure that the public knows and can appreciate that he's dead. There is of course skepticism throughout the world that the US government claim that it killed bin Laden is true.

The argument against releasing the pictures: they’re gruesome. He has a massive head wound above his left eye where he took bullet, with brains and blood visible.

What do you think. Progressive Alaska has a new poll posted:

Should the White House Release Images of the Dead Osama?

I'm pretty sure that pressure for more viable information on this will force the White House to make a decision to release visual imagery on this quite soon, so the poll will go down if this happens.

Thoughts on Osama Bin Laden's Death

Shannyn Moore linked on twitter to this photo of NYC firefighters tonight, near ground zero, as crowds - thousands - gathered upon hearing the news from the White House that Osama bin Laden was killed, either yesterday or today, in Pakistan. Here are some quick impressions:

1. I'm glad he's dead. I thought he already was.

2. Listening to FOX radio on KENI AM on the way home from today's UAA commencement, three times the FOX announcers or guests misspoke and said that Obama had been killed.

3. If Osama was killed yesterday, as some are saying, it was the 66th anniversary of Adolf Hitler's suicide.

4. If he was killed today, it was the eighth anniversary of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech off the California coast.

5. President Obama did not allude to that speech. Rather, he called Bush before it, to let him know that Osama had been killed.

6. Had they taken him alive, maybe they might have gotten him to explain how he put this damned thing on the bottom of United Airlines Flight #175:7: Can I keep my shoes on at the airport now?

8. Can we bring our troops home from Afghanistan and Pakistan now?