Friday Morning

So the Massachusetts Senatorial race is a squeaker. Good. I find it appropriate that this battle takes place in the state where Lexington had such an impact on that other little skirmish in 1775. Teresa mentioned in her comments to my previous post that her heavily-Democratic neighborhood, normally a veritable orchard of pro-Dem signs, is virtually bare of visible support for Coakley.

She also bemoans the incessant attack ads on the airwaves; I understand that.

The elections here in Alaska, where memories of the frontier days are still alive (and only 50 years old, so relatively fresh), tend to be rough-and-tumble affairs. On the other hand, crowds of supporters for the candidates will stand at street-corners & wave to passing motorists. Often, supporters for competing candidates will stand elbow to elbow, laughing & chatting while waving signs for their opposing favorites.

The locally-produced commercials can be amusing, too, although the last election saw the introduction of some of the nastier attacks that so frequently infest political contests in the Lower 48.

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The Daily News reports that the police officer who was ambushed & shot five times, last weekend, has been moved out of critical care. Doctors are trying to repair the damage to his arms, but expect him to recover.

An interesting note:

After undergoing surgery, Allen is doing better and is out of intensive care, police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said today. Asked if Allen had any words for the public, Parker quoted him as saying, "Be safe, watch your six and expect the unexpected."

Exactly why we carry personal firearms. Not to spray the countryside with a hail of bullets, but to protect ourselves if "the unexpected" comes our way. I can't imagine a more poignant endorsement of our God-given rights which the Founders so carefully guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.

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Getting-Bombed-Really-Means-It Dept: Kodiak Konfidential reports

So you remember that old artillery shell or bomb that was bolted down outside Diamond Jim's bar up on Mill Bay Road? Was there for years, apparently.

Well guess what? Turns out all these years it was live.

Yep. Filled with high explosives. To the brim.

A few years ago when they tore down the original little bar, they moved the shell (turns out to be a deck-busting bomb, meant to sink Japanese Navy ships from the air) to a "junk yard" up near the corner of Selief and Von Sheele. Where it sat not far from a gas station, Blockbuster, Safeway, recycling center and the softball fields. For a few years.

Until the owner decided that maybe the Kodiak Military History Museum might be interested in it. At which point the proprietors of said fine establishment examined it and said, "Hey, this is a live bomb. Full of high explosives. To the brim."

Read the rest here.