End of Another Week: Randomosity

Here are some things bouncing around my cerebrum in no particular order:

Our weather continues to hover just above freezing during the day, and just below at night. Yesterday, it rained or drizzled, and things were a bit icy this morning. Scraping a thin layer of ice off of both cars each morning has become the new routine. Believe me, I'm ready for snow; it's a lot easier to clear.

* * * * *
From time to time, I've alluded to a nascent secessionist movement up here. Yesterday, a friend mentioned that several of her acquaintances have also heard others discussing it. The level of frustration with federal "oversight" here is staggering: with imposition of layers of regulation, non-stop environmental challenges to every decision made, and imposition of fees/licenses/etc., it is nigh impossible to conduct business of any kind in Alaska. And then the Chamber of Commerce reports that Alaska is at the bottom of the list for "business-friendly" states.  Well, duh!

I know the CEO of a local health facility; they've been audited 16 times this year, each time by a different agency - mostly federal. He is suffering from analysis paralysis, and nears the point at which his full-time job is to respond to federal audits, rather than administering the facility itself.

* * * * *
The local press is practically orgasmic in its attempts to defame or otherwise smear Joe Miller. My family has stopped reading the paper altogether.

* * * * *
I mentioned a couple of days ago that a State judge had ordered the Division of  Elections to not issue lists of authorized write-in candidates to voters, which he believes violates election law. Yesterday, the State Supreme Court put a stay on that order, until they rule on its constitutionality.

In the meantime, Alaska politics takes on an old-tyme flavor. Check this out, from the Daily News' website:

In a movement one pro-Sarah Palin website is calling “Operation Alaska Chaos,” at least 100 people filed paperwork Thursday to register as write-in candidates in the U.S. Senate election, according to the Division of Elections.

A stream of would-be senators filtered through the elections office in Midtown Anchorage late in the day, many saying the effort is meant to protest an order by the Alaska Supreme Court on Wednesday allowing a list of write-in candidates to be shown to voters who ask for assistance.

The court action is expected to aid Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s write-in bid and amounts to electioneering by the state, say supporters of Republican nominee Joe Miller. The idea of a mass registration is to create a long list of potential write-in choices and make it harder for voters to find Murkowski’s name.

It's hilarious, and proves that actions have consequences. This comes as a shock - a shock, I say - to our Progressive friends in the Murkowski camp.

* * * * *
That's about it for this morning. Have a great Friday!