Gov. Palin Signing Legislation Today

Governor Sarah Palin will be signing several pieces of important legislation today.

• House Joint Resolution 27 reasserts Alaska's state sovereignty.
• HJR 17 opposes the 'Blair Holt' firearm legislation in Congress.
• Senate Joint Resolution 3 expresses the state’s desire that the federal government allow firearms in national parks.
• SJR 10 supports passage of a federal act establishing a national reciprocity agreement that would allow people with concealed weapons permits greater latitude in crossing state lines.

Gov. Palin will be the guest of Michael Dukes on his Fairbanks 2nd Amendment KFAR radio broadcast at 4 pm ADT (8 pm Eastern). Ted Nugent will be calling in, as well.

You can listen at www.kfar660.com if you've a mind to. Be aware that their website requires an add-on called Abacast to play.

Poll results: Sarah Palin Still Viable Candidate

"Even though the governor of Alaska dropped the bombshell last week that she was leaving her post, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds that her support among Republicans is still strong. In fact, her resignation seems to have even slightly boosted her among GOP constituents.

"According to the nationwide poll, close to 67% of Republicans want Palin to be "a major national political figure" in the future. And 71% of them say they would likely vote for her if she ran for president in 2012.Top Republican consultant Mary Matalin called Palin's move "brilliant," and conservative talk-show host Bill Bennett went on CNN to discuss the surprisingly high number of viewers who called into his show in support of Palin's decision."

Read the rest here.

A New Record, and All Things Sarah

Yesterday, Anchorage officially reached 81 degrees - a record for the 7th of July. Today is the anniversary of the warmest temp ever recorded here: 84 degrees. We're hoping history won't repeat itself.

We haven't been in Alaska so long that I can't remember what real heat feels like, in the Midwest ... those miserable days and weeks of 112 or 113 degrees with high humidity ... visitors from Georgia telling us St. Louis is hotter and/or more humid than "Hotlanta" ...

You walk out of an air-conditioned building, to be met with heat that has a physical presence; you can feel the sun literally pressing down on your chest and shoulders, making it hard to breathe.

Here, it's different in that we're simply not used to it being quite this warm. It's a bit comical to watch long-time residents gasping in 80-degree weather, like fish out of water. For many, it's an opportunity to find out if the air conditioning in their car actually works.

The big-box hardware stores are reporting a run on window A/C units; no surprise, that, except I didn't know they even stocked them, here. We opted for window fans in all the bedrooms, which does the trick ... so far.

*****

The furor over Governor Palin seems to be subsiding. We've had the local news on for 40 minutes, and I haven't heard her name yet. I'm sure something will come up during the day. There's not a liberal around who doesn't want to get in front of a camera to mention her name in connection with some insult or other ... (sigh).

Oops, I spoke too soon. The Daily Noise has photos of Sarah, fishing, along with a discussion of why she resigned, what she's going to do next, whether she hurt her future political ambitions by resigning, and so on. And so on. And so on.

*****

The chillers in my building were operating at capacity, yesterday, and by 2 pm the place was starting to get warmer. The system was never designed for temps in the 80s, and for good reason. AccuHunch is calling for mostly cloudy skies and a high of 79 today, so things won't be much better today.

Y'all have a great day - thanks for stopping by.

Monday & Weekend Observations

It's hot. Okay, it's very warm.

For Anchorage, it's going to be hot today, tomorrow, and Wednesday all week. I don't expect any sympathy from folks in the Lower 48 - and deservedly so. Temps that leave us panting for breath would constitute a cooling trend in Missouri, where I used to live.

Just the same, temps around 80 degrees, with high humidity, are forecast for most of this week. That's quite hot, for us.

To put it in perspective, we usually have highs in the mid-60s, with very low humidity. That's near the upper limit of our tolerance for warmer weather, after seven months of winter with temps as low as minus-20s.

We don't have A/C, except in large commercial buildings. When you live in a place where 75 is considered a hot summer day, A/C is almost unneeded. So the evening hours, when the temp has hit its peak for the day, will result in a bunch of people laying around, tongues lolling, with as many fans blowing as possible. Or we could all throw ourselves into Cook Inlet and refuse to come out of the water until the temperature cools back to normal.

* * * * *

I did a little rifle shopping on Saturday, and found a Savage model 111 in .270 for $420. This includes a 3x-9x scope. Of course, there was no ammo to be had. The ammo shelves at Sportsman's Warehouse were 98 percent bare. I looked over the few boxes that I could find, and saw that they had only .454 Casull. Nice, but not helpful. There were one or two boxes of pistol ammo in strange calibers, but no rifle rounds to be seen.

Taking a deep breath, I asked the clerk if they had any ammo behind the counter, or in the back, to match any of the rifles available. What the heck; something is better than nothing. But no, sorry, they had none.

Wal-Mart had some .223, but it was gone. Both stores had birdshot shells in .22 LR, and some 12 ga. skeet shells.

I'm hoarding my last thousand rounds of .45ACP, which makes me reluctant to go back to the range. I have a problem with paying the $9 fee, only to fire 20 or 25 rounds & go home.

* * * * *

Otherwise, the weekend was strangely quiet. The neighbors had mostly gone camping, and we didn't hear the usual 'banana republic revolution' of fireworks that usually accompanies the holiday. There weren't more than three dozen reports, all Saturday night. Very unusual.

I also noted that the celebrations surrounding Independence Day were more subdued than in years past. It seems the majority of people are waking up to the state of affairs in this country, and it has sobered them. 'Bout time.

* * * * *

Several of my Lower 48 friends have asked for our take on Sarah Palin. Frankly, we're as curious as anyone else. I find her reasoning that the complaints having paralyzed the Governor's office to be quite credible. However, my wife & I also feel like she's abandoning us; it's a difficult thing to accept, because we believe in her ability to get things done. We are being a bit selfish, I admit. In a way, we don't want to share her. But ...

Even given her ability to come back from the political dead (she's done it a couple of times), it's hard to see how this can do anything except feed the Lower 48 perception that she's a political lightweight. Many hardcore conservatives, here, think it's a huge mistake.

A wise friend once told me "if you are following God, truly following, there will come a time in your life when you do His bidding - and EVERYONE will think you're out of your mind." (The Bible teaches that God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are above our thoughts.) If He's to be God, they'd have to be!

This may be such a time, for Sarah.

Governor Palin has made a career of overcoming steep odds and proving the unbelievers to be wrong. Don't count her out. She's not done yet!

Governor Palin's Announcement

Unless you've been hibernating in a cave, you've probably heard that Sarah Palin announced she will not run for reelection. The most surprising part is that she will also resign on July 26, turning over the reigns to the Lt. Governor, Sean Parnell.

The most intriguing clues to her actions were in statements she made after the announcement:

"I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is not the easiest path ... Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional ‘Lame Duck’ status in this particular climate would just be another dose of ‘politics as usual,’ something I campaigned against and will always oppose.

"It is my duty to always protect our great state. With that in mind, my family and I determined that it is best to make a difference this summer, and I am willing to change things, so that this administration, with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future, can continue without interruption ..."

The op ed writers, pundits, commentators, and reporters all began to put their spin on the news. But in the quote above, she said something that seems the clearest, to me: "...I am willing to change things, so that this administration ... can continue without interruption ..."

Sarah Palin has been called many things since last year's run for the V.P. slot. "Quitter" is not one of them.

I believe she has grown tired of the non-stop bickering, partisan name-calling, and continuous complaints from a tiny handful of people in Alaska, and truly believes that Alaska would be better served by her resignation than by continuing to buck the headwinds that have all but stalled the State government from moving forward.
If she decides to run for national office in 2012, that is her decision to make. I believe she has the potential to truly do well.

Is she a little rough around the edges? Sure.

Does she need some coaching to be truly convincing on all the issues? Yes.

Could she make a fine President, turning this nation around from its suicidal and headlong rush toward European socialistic fascism? Probably.

Will she run for President in 2012? That, Detective, is the right question.

Monday Afternoon

It's a beautiful day out there ... sunny, clear blue skies, and 62 degrees. The folks over at AccuHunch were guessing it would cloud up, but the skies cleared around 9:30 this morning.

Odds-and-ends:
My youngest is in the kitchen, having just whomped up a batch of Brigid's Corn Pudding for supper tonight. She wanted me to include this mention, just in case Brigid drops by! (And Brigid? If you do read this, it was good!)

* * * * *

There was a little accident on the highway this afternoon: a guy hauling a front-end loader on a flatbed trailer lost them both! It didn't appear that anyone was hurt, and the scene was north of where I get on to head south, so other than blocking off one lane of the road for about 75 yards, no harm done.

* * * * *

I intend to spend some time talking with old friends, back in the Midwest, this afternoon. The three-hour time difference makes it easy for me, but tougher for them. It seems that just about the time the conversation is getting revved up, they have to think about bed-time. Work in the morning, and all that. That leaves us at 7 pm-ish, with hours of daylight ahead, and no one to share it with (back there, anyway).

* * * * *

I'd like to put together a blogmeet for Anchorage bloggers (and other parts hereabout), but only know a couple of them. Uppy, what do you think? There are a lot of "anonymous" bloggers here, so they may not want to get together.

It may not work out at all, but it would be worth the effort, I think.

* * * * *

I've mentioned before that my wife & I took sabbatical from the church where we worked as associate pastors. That church has since folded, and the flock has scattered. That congregation was a major part of our social lives for several years, and we've not been able to reestablish contact with many of them.

We do miss that social activity with folks of common interests. However, I have "met" several very nice people through this little blog, and their e-mails mean a lot to me. Thank you, to all of you (and you know who you are!)

* * * * *

As an Alaskan, I want to say that David Letterman's apology to Governor Palin and her family - whatever the relative merits or flaws of that apology - should be enough to put the issue to bed. At least, as far as the Governor and her family.

Whether Mr. Letterman remains at, or leaves, CBS is a corporate decision. I'm not going to try to judge whether he should stay or go. There is the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States to consider, and he had the right to say what he said. Whether it should have been said ... well, I would say NO. But it wasn't up to me; and he must deal with whatever fallout may come of the incident.

* * * * *

That's about it, for now. Y'all have a good evening!

RRR: Palin Rocks on Fox

Did you see Governor Palin on Sean Hannity's show last night? Check it out here, courtesy of Reaganite Republican Resistance.

Saturday: New Alternator & Other Stuff

I got the alternator belt on, reassembled the remaining pieces, & had the truck running in five minutes' time this morning. This, only driving to Sears, where I purchased the Serpentine Belt Tool which is specifically designed for the problem I encountered at mid-week, and should have had in the first place (d'oh!).

It's astounding how quickly a problem evaporates once you have the proper tool for the job, like most things in life. At any rate, my thanks go out to my older daughter for helping me with the project, and to Uppy, who provided moral support & much encouragement!

* * * * *

The two moose calves about which I wrote yesterday are being housed temporarily at the Alaska Zoo here in Anchorage ... while their fate is being decided. Apparently it's standard procedure to kill orphaned calves, to keep them from either starving to death or being eaten alive by bears. This time, however, it seems Governor Palin got involved and issued a 'stay of execution'.

* * * * *

It's 46 and cloudy this morning. AccuHunch Weather issued a guess that we'd have sun & 66 today. It could still happen, but right now it looks more like it could rain.

I've spent the last two days agitating because of the unfinished repairs on the truck, and now I'm going to go put my feet up & relax for the rest of the day. Tomorrow? Well, now ... that's another story.

Thursday Thoughts

Good morning!

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It's 58 & breezy, with a passing shower or two. As long as it holds the ash down, we're good.

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The fishing season is upon us; here's a picture from today's paper, showing a halibut catch.

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Two more homeless men have died, apparently not due to any foul play, according to police. That makes six who have died since the beginning of May. Alcohol poisoning and exposure seem to top the list of possible causes.

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The State Personnel Board has dismissed another frivolous ethics complaint against Gov. Palin. This is getting tiresome, folks. Let the woman concentrate on doing her job. Good. Grief. The naysayers complained BITTERLY when she was campaigning for VP, because she wasn't here. Now that she's back, they file serial complaints about every other breath she takes. Shut up already, and back a candidate for next year's election; do something useful for a change.

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The Anchorage Fire Department has been randomly closing various fire stations as part of its cost-cutting efforts. Naturally, they don't particularly want the individual closures made public. The Department is concerned about vandalism at the closed stations; the public is much more concerned about fire protection.

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It seems that the firefighters disagree with the official policy. Some have been posting the station closures on Twitter.

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Speaking of Gov. Palin, it seems there's a growing rift between her office and Senator Mark Begich (D-AK). He's complaining that the natural gas pipeline should already have been moving forward; she says he's "uninformed." You can read the rest here.

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That's about it for now. Enjoy your day, folks, and thanks for stopping by.

State Personnel Board Dismisses 13th Palin Ethics Complaint

The Board says it has spent over $300,000 investigating the numerous complaints filed against Governor Sarah Palin.

From a story in today's Anchorage Daily News: "It was the 13th ethics complaint filed against the governor or her staff that has been resolved with no finding of a violation of the state ethics law, the governor's office said Wednesday."

The story goes on to say, "...the board, following the recommendation of an independent counsel, threw out the complaint for lack of merit."

Read the rest here.

FEC Dismisses Complaint About Palin's Wardrobe

The Federal Election Commission has dismissed a complaint that the Republican National Committee and Gov. Sarah Palin broke election law when the RNC bought all those clothes for Palin and her family during last year's presidential campaign.

The FEC found the clothing purchases were "coordinated party expenditures" the RNC is allowed to make to benefit the campaign.

The complaint was filed by the Washington, D.C., group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. CREW argued the clothing expenditures (which it figured at $144,731) violated the ban on personal use of campaign funds, but the FEC disagreed.

Read the rest here.

Officials Dismiss Claims Against Sarah Palin

State officials have dismissed at least a couple of the recent claims of alleged ethics violations against Governor Palin.

One complaint alleged that she violated election laws by stating her opinion on a ballot issue last fall, just before the general election.

The other claimed that she is violating the law by cooperating with SarahPAC, an organization formed to provide funds for her ongoing legal battles against ... wait for it ... ethics complaints.

This is a victory for free speech, and a slap in the face to those rabid Sarah haters who are participating in the liberals' ongoing campaign to ruin her financially. Such a move would effectively limit her ability to move onward and upward, politically, should she choose to do so.

Score two for common sense and free speech. In case a liberal see this and doesn't understand, let me put it in a simpler context.

The good guys won. Deal with it.

Tuesday, April 28

Good morning!

The day has dawned bright & reasonably clear. It was light enough to see outside when I got up at 5:00, and won't get dark until nearly 11 pm. Have I mentioned I love this time of year?

We've already had more sunny days in April than we had all last summer, combined. The couple of rainy days have knocked most of the dust out of the air, and it's just purty. We'll be seeing some fresh greenery on the trees, any week now.

It seems that summer is coming early, this year, and that's OKAY with me, since we had none last year. It was the 3rd coolest "summer" on record, and just about the coldest July ever - average high was 53.5 degrees.

It's supposed to be 54 today, so that makes April warmer than last July. That's a good thing!

* * * * *

There's not much news to report, up here, other than the ongoing diatribe against Sarah Palin. The left-wing loonies (yeah, we've got some up here, too) continue to rant against everything she says or does.

"Her legal defense fund is illegal." "Her answer to a direct question last fall may have broken the election laws." (Read "She scares the snot out of us, so let's see if we can bankrupt her and make her unable to run for any office, ever again.")

If it's tourist season, how come we can't shoot 'em?

State Legislature Rejects AG Candidate

Wayne Anthony Ross, Governor Palin's nominee for Attorney General and a director of the NRA, was rejected by the Alaska Legislature today.

He has spoken his mind on certain issues over the years, and in this squeaky-clean, politically-correct era, honesty just won't fly.

Governor Palin released this statement after the vote: “I believed I knew what Alaskans wanted when I selected an individual who is a strong backer of 2nd Amendment rights, a staunch supporter of the state Constitution and a defender of life,” Governor Palin said. “Wayne Anthony Ross supports responsible, ethical development of Alaska’s rich resources. I’m surprised that legislators in this case really did not seem to represent their constituents and allowed themselves to be swayed by side issues. Mr. Ross is a fine Alaskan. He is held in high esteem by many Alaskans. I appreciate his willingness to serve the public.”

Read the rest here.

Note: this is the same legislature that made sure to confirm the marmot as the State animal, this session. Lovely. Just lovely.

Thursday Morning

Good morning out there!

It's 28 degrees with a light frost, headed for the mid-40s, or so AccuHunch Weather is guessing.

The most highly-watched TV station in Anchorage reported briefly on the tea parties here & in Wasilla, this morning. They got it mostly right, but the anchor introduced the segment by stating the rallies were part of a "nationally-organized movement." (sigh)

They just don't get it. Like all the others who are hearing these comments, I defy the newspeople to point to a "national organizer." Go ahead; I'll wait.

No, I won't. Life's too short to wait for oblivious people to stumble over the truth.

The protesters get it: the Daily News article says, in part, "Protesters ... say the federal government ought to let the free market save the crumbling economy rather than going deeper in debt through bailouts or stimulus spending to spur recovery.
"Anchorage sign wavers wore tea bags tied to their jacket zippers or eyeglasses, sometimes chanting or singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." Drivers leaned on their horns as they rolled past signs that said things like: "We are not your ATM." "

Read the rest here.

Moving on ... I enjoyed the clever signs and slogans that people brought to yesterday's gathering. One younger kid was holding a sign reading, "Print me a trillion while you're at it." Maybe he wants a loaf of bread ...

* * * * *

Alaska stuff: the Governor and the legislature continue to wrassle over the nomination of a replacement for the representative from the Juneau area. Gov. Palin continues to submit names, albeit several of the same ones, and the Democratic reps continue to reject them. Now that antagonism is spilling over into the confirmation process for her Attorney General nominee.
... Come on, folks, we have budget issues to solve, and only a few days left before the mandatory adjournment of this session. Get back to work, please?

The Municipality of Anchorage faces a $17 million shortfall, and the acting mayor has submitted a "leaner budget" ... but guess what it includes? Come on, guess! Anyone?

Yep, that's right: a five percent hike in property taxes.

The Muni also says that the new "wildlife cop" (read bear control officer) is to "focus on protecting people." What a concept, huh? Now if only they can figure out how to pay the salary for this new position while slashing the police and fire department budgets ...

Mt. Redoubt continues its now-nonstop emission of steam and ash, with a plume varying between 15,000 to 20,000 feet (the crater is at about 10,000 feet above sea level). The Volcano Observatory's website says "The potential for renewed explosive activity is high and may resume with little warning, likely generating an ash plume ..." Winds are blowing SSW, so there's no ash danger for the populated areas today, if an eruption should occur.

That's all I have - thanks for stopping by.

Much Undue Fuss about Sarah Palin

Have you wondered why all the coverage on every breath taken by the Palins - and none about Biden or the Democrats in general?

"Elements of an elitist, leftist, mostly Eastern-based MSM fear and loathe Governor Sarah Palin — all 5' 7, 125 pounds of her traditional values, anathema to them."

Read the rest here.

Governor Palin names NRA official as Atty General

Gov. Palin has named Wayne Anthony Ross, Anchorage attorney and current director of the NRA, as Attorney General. Read about it here. He's also anti-abortion & founder of the Alaska Right to Life chapter.

Did I mention we don't have any anti-gun nonsense, here?

Gov. Palin Rejects Part of Stimulus Funds

Gov. Palin announced today that she's accepting 55% of the proffered funds, but refuses monies intended to grow the government.

The governor said that she will accept only about $514 million of the $930 million headed to the state. She said, in part, "...In essence we say 'no' to operating funds for more positions in government."

UPDATE: Palin first told news media that she's turning down nearly half the federal stimulus money -- but conceded that does not count the Medicaid money she is accepting. That brings down what she's refusing to 31 percent.

Read the details here.

Another Politician Who Didn't Report Income

The guy who spearheaded the so-called "Troopergate" investigation of Governor Sarah Palin has been fined for not reporting certain campaign contributions.

This is another 'we-must-have-transparency' character who couldn't stay away from TV cameras last year. He also predicted that the Governor would be found guilty of misbehavior (she wasn't) and said he was counting on "an October surprise."

And he claimed there was nothing political about the probe.

In a related story, the legislator who helped the guy, above, was the one recently named as Alaska Liason to the Interior Dept. by the president.

Gee. Go figure.

Friday in the A.M.

Good morning!

Personal: My niece is taking her dad's passing very hard - please remember Abbie in your prayers. Her dad was a guard at a federal penitentiary, and owned a gun store. I didn't know him well, and he & I only spoke from time to time. It seemed he was always either working or sleeping when I spoke with my sister. I hadn't seen him since we moved to Alaska, some six years ago.

Alaska news: Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak) has proposed angle drilling under ANWR, from positions outside its borders. Predictably, Outsiders like the Wilderness Society are already crying foul. I think it's fair to assume that none of them have ever visited the area in question. It's a barren, swampy place with little wildlife, other than an occasional migrating herd.
* They are already claiming that "most of the Arctic area is already open to exploration" and that we should drill there. How big of them to give us their permission to drill ... but that's not necessarily where the oil is, you see. That's probably the point, to the tree-huggers, and therefore irrelevant, but on the other hand, who cares what they want? It's Alaska's land, and we don't need Outsiders to tell us where we can or can't drill for our own oil.

A commuter plane from Brevig Mission to Nome went down yesterday. After several hours of searching, the wreckage was spotted - and all aboard had survived! God is indeed merciful.

Gov. Palin, Lt. Gov. Parnell, and Rev. Franklin Graham will be delivering tons of food and supplies to some western villages today. Rev. Graham's organization, "Samaritan's Purse," is behind the effort. The Bush villages are really struggling this winter with extreme cold, $10/gallon fuel oil, and little money.

Weather: It's still warmer than usual this morning - 28 at my place. AccuHunch is unapologetic about missing its forecast of 10" of snow - by ten inches. They point out today that rain would have been "even worse." Their proposed removal back to someplace in Kansas will be a welcome relief, I think. I don't see how they could be any less accurate.

For-What-It's-Worth Dept.: a baby Tibetan yak was born at the (Anchorage) Alaska zoo. Here's a pic from the local paper for you.