A Correction to the National News

Regardless of what you may have heard, Joe Miller has NOT given up his legal challenge - for better or worse. He will not stand in the way of the certification process, meaning that Lisa Murkowski can be sworn in for her second full term as U.S. Senator.

What he's doing now is continuing to challenge the State's process of counting the write-in ballots, insisting that Alaska follow the rule of law (no misspelled ballots) rather than counting everything that any election judge thinks is close enough.

It's not about "fairness", you see - it's about complying with the State statute. Years of activist judges ruling in favor of fairness, and not disenfranchising voters, have weakened the law to the point that there's no practical limit to what can be counted for (or against) a write-in candidate.

Put another way, when "fairness" is your guide, there's no actual standard against which a ballot can be measured.

* * * * *

It's 5 degrees this morning, but still no new snow. AccuHunch told us that there was a 60 percent chance of snow all day yesterday, so naturally we had clear skies & sunshine.

We do feel sorry for those who received the ice & snow from the winter storm in the Midwest, South, and East Coast. Y'all aren't as well-equipped to handle such things as we are.

Here's an idea: why don't you send it all back here? Everybody would be happier.

AK Supreme Court Dismisses Miller's Claims

In a copyright story at the Daily News' website:

JUNEAU, Alaska – The Alaska Supreme Court delivered another stinging setback to Republican Joe Miller, refusing to overturn election results that favored his GOP rival, Lisa Murkowski, in the state's U.S. Senate race.

The high court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's ruling dismissing Miller's claims of impropriety in the state's handling of the election and ballots for Murkowski, who waged a longshot write-in campaign after losing her primary to Miller. It found "no remaining issues raised by Miller that prevent this election from being certified."

A Bit o' This ... And Some o' That

4 p.m., out my kitchen window. 14 degrees, winds of 20 mph, gusting to 28. Could be worse, though; it could be snowing, and the temp is still above zero.  Check back in a month.


* * * * *

Layers-of-editorial-oversight Dept: an exercise in multiple grammatical errors.

A sixth-grader told police today that an SUV ran over her foot after the driver first trying to abduct her while she walked to school the darkness this morning, Anchorage police said.  

The story is of something bad, which could have been much worse, and I'm glad the girl is safe. But does anyone even bother to read these snippets before they appear on-line?


It's-All-About-Her Dept:  

Alaska should have a U.S. senator in place by the time Congress convenes in early January, even if all of the legal wrangling between the two rivals contesting the seat isn’t resolved by then, a federal judge said today.

Sen. Murkowski was aghast - aghast, I say - at the possibility of Alaska only having one Senator when the new Congress is sworn in on January 3. It's bad for the state, she insisted. We wouldn't have the representation to get our fair share. Why, some of that pork might be diverted elsewhere ... to others less richly deserving of it, apparently.


Sigh.


I think we've had more than our "fair share" (one of Sen. Murkowski's favorite phrases - it must be, since she keeps using it) and it's time we took some fiscal responsibility and tried doing things for ourselves.  Perhaps we could have, say, a few less square miles of federally-restricted "park" and pave a road or two. I'm just saying.




You're-Kidding-Right?-Right? Dept:

Alaska's Mark Begich is preparing to take a committee assignment that will make him the fifth-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate. Will that force him to become more partisan?

Is that even possible?


* * * * *
That's probably enough for now. Y'all have a great evening.

Unconstitutional

That's what the federal judge in Virginia judge ruled, regarding the key provision in the new healthcare law mandating the purchase of health insurance. This one is expected to go straight to the U.S. Supreme Court.


In Alaska news: if Joe Miller has decided to file an appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court, no one's talking about it. Since it's early in the day, stay tuned.  UPDATE: Joe Miller filed his appeal today - arguments are set for Friday.

It was 2 degrees at my place this morning. AccuHunch is predicting some snow for tonight, and then cold air will move in. They're talking lows in the negative double-digits by mid-week.

What the hey ... it is that time of year. Have a great day!

This and That

It's 4 degrees at my place ... but it's only 6 degrees at yours, and that's a lot bigger deal for you.

* * * * *

The local paper (written mainly by leftists, of course) is opining how Friday's court ruling was a good one, and that Joe Miller should be a good little boy & head on back to Fairbanks. He has until Monday to file an appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court.

They're also covering Sarah Palin's trip to Haiti, and their take on it is clearly telegraphed by the opening sentence, saying she "began a tightly stage-managed visit..."  The poor tykes at the paper are apparently distraught that the former governor is visiting clinics and the Haitian people, but staying away from reporters and press conferences.

So let me get this straight: they lambast Sarah for being a glory-hound ... they decry her series on television ... they hate her guts ... they proclaim that she's doing it all to set up a 2012 campaign ...

And now they're crying because she's maintaining a low profile in Haiti, and won't talk to them.

That's what I thought.

* * * * *

Y'all have some digging out to do, so we'll just put on another pot of coffee & await the sunrise. Later, folks.

Alaska News Digest

The judge who heard arguments in Joe Miller's challenge of the vote count has promised a ruling by tomorrow.

"A decision for Miller could result in thousands of challenged write-in ballots for Sen. Lisa Murkowski being reviewed and lead to a recount"...

Read more at the link.

* * * * *

The 2011 Anchorage Fur Rendezvous (the "Rondy") will feature a new event: yukigassen, the Japanese snow battle sport which is becoming a big deal in North America.

* * * * *
There's an editorial in today's paper (I'm sure they'd appreciate yet another link) asserting that opening ANWR to drilling would "feed America's addiction" and pose the potential for another accident like the Gulf of Mexico or the Exxon Valdez.  I'm also sure they'd want to be reminded that both of those accidents happened at sea, and ANWR is a land-based platform.

But don't confuse them with facts; their mind's made up with fantasy and whimsy.

* * * * *
So how many of you are fed up with Democrats, mostly those defeated in last month's election, crying HUGE crocodile tears about the upcoming "tax cut for the richest Americans"?

Once more, for the record: extending the current tax rate across the board is NOT a "cut" ... it's not a "tax break" ... and it WILL NOT create more debt nor add to the deficit.

You know, that deficit that those self-same Dimocrits have quadrupled over the last 23 months. Just saying.

* * * * *
A local man who was accused of murdering his friend, then dismembering the body & stuffing the assorted parts in a freezer, was found guilty of murder yesterday

Ya think?

* * * * *
State wildlife officials have approved a plan for aerial hunting of the wolf packs which have been terrorizing the Alaska Peninsula village of Port Heiden.  'Bout time.

* * * * *
That's about it for this morning. Thanks for stopping by.

Sen. Begich (D-AK) to Joe Miller: You're "Certain to Fail"

From today's Daily News website:

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, on Monday called on Republican Joe Miller to drop his legal challenge to the Senate election, saying a drawn-out court suit is "certain to fail." Begich also said he's concerned Miller's continued legal challenge could deny Alaska full representation in the U.S. Senate when the new Congress resumes in January.

...

Begich, though, said it's time for Miller "to put Alaska interests ahead of personal ambition and allow the State of Alaska to certify Lisa Murkowski as the winner."

"Failure to certify the election could prevent Senator Murkowski from being sworn into office in early January when other new senators officially take office," Begich said.

 

I'm so impressed by the Democratic senator fighting for the Republican senator, in such a, ahem, display of bi-partisanship. And assuming that the judge says she won. She probably did .. but then, why the full-court press to discourage the Republican nominee from pursuing his goal?

 

You probably already know the answer to that question.

Read the rest by clicking on the link.

Another Cold Morning: Election 2010, Unemployment, and QOTD

We managed to stay above zero, but only just: it's 3.4 degrees at my place.

* * * * *

The Beat-Goes-On Dept:

JUNEAU-- A judge on Wednesday set an expedited schedule for arguments in the legal challenge to Alaska's U.S. Senate race, saying it was important to resolve the case at the state court level as soon as possible.

Judge William Carey, in setting arguments for next Wednesday, also urged attorneys to file any legal actions they felt necessary -- such as discovery requests -- as quickly as they could.

Republican Joe Miller has questioned the legitimacy of election returns showing that Sen. Lisa Murkowski won. He contends the system used by the state in tallying write-in votes for Murkowski wasn't in line with the law, that the rules for conducting the election were changed in midstream and favored her.

Click the link to read the whole story; stay tuned, folks.

* * * * *

The Too-Many-Competing-For-Too-Little Dept.: The Anchorage Daily News reports that record numbers of homeless folk are turning up at local shelters. The director of the largest shelter said "he's never seen anything like the most recent numbers in his 12 years on the job."

Add another voice:

Susan Bomalaski, executive director of Catholic Social Services, which oversees the shelter, told me it's the economy. People's budgets are tight, she said, and that's why they aren't donating as much. The economy has also driven people from Outside to Alaska for seasonal work. Now the season is over, and they don't have the money to move on. And it's single-digits cold. People used to camping out are coming in.

Harris said many among the new homeless are working. But many are under-employed, working part time or less. They can't get enough hours to get a place.

You can click the link to read the whole story, but note that the increase is due in part to people who came here for work. I wrote this past summer that the article on Yahoo! Business saying we were hiring was wrong. The article was irresponsible, and people who spent their saving to get here discovered that there were no monthly checks, few support services for the down & out, and fewer jobs.  The seasonal hiring (commercial fishing, tourism) dries up in October. Now those folks can't afford to go back to the Lower 48, and it's likely there's nothing to go back to. Our economy is better than most, and yet Robert Heinlein's admonition holds true: there's no such thing as a free lunch.

To put it another way, if you have a skill that we need, something will make itself available - but you'd better be financially able to support yourself while waiting for that opportunity to take off. Find out what Alaska needs before leaving home. Unskilled labor, we've got. Can you keep a power plant running? Repair appliances? Have mad computer skillz? Repair automobiles & drive-trains? Store clerks, burger flippers, wait staff ... we don't need. It's not enough to be an HR specialist; here you'll need to be an accountant, too. Be prepared to multi-task.

One fellow mentioned the other day that the increase is 60,000 people, this year alone. That's an almost 10% increase in the state's population. You do the math, but be prepared to assume we cannot assimilate that kind of increase. There simply aren't enough jobs to go around, and the cost of living is a bit higher here than in, say, the Midwest. One example: gas is $3.34/gallon this morning.A three-bedroom apartment rents for anywhere from $1300 to $2300 per month, depending on location in Anchorage. If you can afford this, then you may be the one we need.

If not? Please don't come here looking for work unless you've verified that jobs in your field of expertise are available.

I'm not saying you shouldn't come to Alaska. I'm saying don't come expecting a wide safety net of support services for the under- or unemployed. We simply don't have it. You need to pull your own weight.

It's an old-fashioned concept, making one's own way, but I'm hoping it catches on.

* * * * *

Chanukah-Quote-of-the-Day Dept.:  ""Perhaps we are not as lost as our enemies would have us believe. I rejoice in the Macabees' success, though it is long past...It pleases me to think that miracles still happen."   ~ George Washington

Mid-Week Report

The State of Alaska has asked the Juneau judge to expedite the decision about the disputed U.S. Senate election, in hopes of getting a decision by next week. Miller insists that write-in ballots which were ineligible due to misspelling and other issues, by statute, were counted for Murkowski.  Murkowski, for her part, insists that Alaska will suffer harm if she's not sworn in on Jan. 3 for the next term.

I think Thomas Jefferson got it right when he said, "That government governs best which governs least." Since Sen. Murkowski voted with the majority (Dems) to continue earmarks, it's hard to see how we could be harmed by her inability to continue standing with those who are now out of favor. But maybe that's just me.

By the way, she is on record as having said that earmarks are the only way to make sure Alaska receives its "fair share" of federal funds. Are you kidding me?  It's pretty well documented that Alaska has received more of those funds per capita than most other states. A friend of mine wrote yesterday that he didn't want to hear any more about how some states get more money than others; it's just that, he said, it isn't in the form of gold. It's that it comes with whips, chains, and more task-masters.

* * * * *

It's -1 at my house this morning. Nice to know that the weather gurus can occasionally get a forecast right.

Said forecasters are calling for a high in the low 'teens today, and predicting more snow for the weekend. That's okay by me. The more harsh it gets, the more likely the recently-arrived nanny-staters will go back to the Left Coast where they came from.

It's only December, folks - if you think it's cold now, wait a month.

Judge Moves Miller Lawsuit to Juneau

From the Anchorage Daily News website:

JUNEAU -- A state court judge has moved a lawsuit over Alaska's still-disputed U.S. Senate race from Fairbanks to the state capital, Juneau.

Judge Douglas Blankenship said the case brought by Republican nominee Joe Miller raises statewide issues and that he believes it's inconvenient for the state to be involved in a case in Fairbanks, about 620 miles from Juneau.

He said it may be necessary for a recount or for disputed ballots to be inspected and that he did not want to do anything that might "further risk the integrity of the election" -- like moving the ballots from Juneau to Fairbanks.

Blankenship told attorneys a status hearing would be held Wednesday.

He did not rule on whether Sen. Lisa Murkowski could intervene in the case, saying he'd leave that to the next judge.

Read the rest at the link.

This & That: Weather, TSA, Joe Miller Edition

It was 8 degrees when I awoke this morning, but that's risen to 13 degrees in less than 90 minutes. AccuHunch predicts we'll get into the upper 20s today. Of course, this is the same outfit which predicted we'd have single-digit lows yesterday, when the actual number was in the high teens. Some places in town are hovering around 2 above, so 13 sounds pretty good in comparison ... and if that's the only thing to complain about, then I'm having a good day.

* * * * *

The Alaska Republican Party is now calling for Joe Miller to step aside graciously, and it does seem to be time for that. If only the winner weren't so proud of her "moderate" title ... as if it were something to be proud about.

* * * * *

I read where a Connecticut gentleman passing through Indianapolis had all he could stand from TSA ("The Sexual Assault"?) yesterday, and punched an agent during the so-called security screening. I only wonder why it took this long for someone to decide they'd had enough.

There's a very well-reasoned piece at Eternity Road about the call for an air-travel boycott. You should read it. It was posted on Tuesday; you'll need to scroll down a bit to find it, so look for this:

Found at Eternity Road

* * * * *

One of the F-22s stationed in Anchorage crashed Tuesday night - the wreckage has been found near Denali National Park, but there's no sign of the pilot. It's hoped he bailed out and is merely unable to get a radio signal out due to the mountainous terrain. Stay tuned, folks.

* * * * *

There's not much else going on this morning; I'm sure the national news will reveal all sorts of shenanigans ... a review of which usually makes me glad I'm way up here.

Another Day; Election Dispute Continues

Our friends at AccuHunch assured us it would be bitterly cold overnight, with the east side of town - along the mountains - going well below zero.

Just before sunrise this morning, about 9:00 a.m.

It's 17 degrees, or about 1 degree colder than yesterday. We're not impressed.

Regarding the Miller vs. Murkowski issue, it's all over but the shouting ... or so it seems. Lisa appears to have a significant lead exclusive of the challenged ballots. Of course, it's not over until the lawyers decide it is. Sigh. The consensus around the coffee pot this a.m. is that Joe should step aside. We know he doesn't want to ... and the final tally* appears to be 92,715 for Murkowski vs. 90,468 for Miller. Close, but no cigar.

However (you just knew there was going to be a "however", didn't you?), the Miller campaign - backed by the Republican National Committee - is now insisting that the Miller votes should be hand-counted, just as hers were. The Election Commissioner says standard procedure includes re-scanning many of the ballots in any recount. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Let's get it over with.




* Again, that's not counting the over 8,200± challenged write-in votes.

Miller vs. Murkowski: the Count Goes On

From the Anchorage Daily News:

JUNEAU -- GOP nominee Joe Miller won't spend a lot of time, energy and effort fighting over ballots in Alaska's still-undecided U.S. Senate race if the math doesn't add up in his favor, he said Saturday.

 

But Miller said he won't make any announcements until after absentee ballots come in next week from military voters, a constituency that the Army veteran believes could go heavily for him.

"I think to call the race, to say that their vote doesn't matter, to forget about counting their votes, I think that's an inappropriate approach," he said Saturday.

This coming Wednesday is the deadline for receiving ballots from overseas, along with those from the military. Stay tuned, folks.

Read more at the link.

Joe Miller: "The race is far from over"

From the Anchorage Daily News:

The Alaska U.S. Senate race hasn't been decided, Republican Joe Miller said this morning. His campaign issued a statement saying he "remains optimistic" that he'll be "the next U.S. senator from the state of Alaska."

~ snip ~

The state mailed more than 30,000 absentee ballots but won't begin counting them until next Tuesday. Until those are counted, it's premature for the race to be considered a Murkowski victory, the Miller campaign said.

~ snip ~

"With tens of thousands of absentee votes yet to be counted, and the disposition of the write-in ballots cast unknown, who will be Alaska's next United States Senator is yet to be determined," said Miller's spokesman, Randy DeSoto. "We will all have to have some patience as we allow the Division of Elections to complete the ballot counting process."

Follow the link to read the whole article.

Fear Ruled the Day

and Sen. Murkowski apparently won re-election based on a write-in campaign which consisted primarily of smearing the Republican nominee ("He's too extreme for Alaska"). Granted, those ballots will have to be hand-tallied, but it's unlikely that 13,000+ folks wrote in some other name.

It seems that enough nanny-staters from the Left Coast have moved here to sway the elections in favor of the Rino/Statist.

The worst part is that we won't get the initial results of the write-in tally until the 18th. Update: the State will begin counting the write-in votes next week, so as to make results known even sooner. That's a good thing.

* * * * *
In other results, the loser in the gubernatorial race was asked for his thoughts, last night: "I was amazed at how many people selected the wrong candidate." Unfortunately, he wasn't kidding.

"Everybody's out of step but Johnny." Yeah, right. Way to keep it classy, Mr. B.

* * * * *
Yesterday's snow will probably melt in today's predicted rains, but then the temps are to drop again. It always seems to snow right before we go on vacation.

Consider that a hint.

Public Policy Polling: Miller Leads in Alaska

Joe Miller is favored heading into the final two days of the US Senate campaign in Alaska. 37% of voters say they'll pick him while 30% plan to vote for Scott McAdams and another 30% plan to write in Lisa Murkowski.

~snip~

... It's because 92% of the small group of voters that does like Miller is planning to vote for him. But only 56% of the voters with a positive opinion of McAdams are intending to cast their ballots for him, while 31% of them are going for Lisa Murkowski.

The high number of voters who like McAdams, dislike Miller, and are voting for Murkowski place the race in a whole different light than has been thought of the last few months. Murkowski's campaign, rather than propping herself up at the expense of Miller, may actually end up propping Miller up at the expense of McAdams. You never know how things would have unfolded in a two way race but Murkowski seems to be taking a lot more voters away from McAdams than she is from Miller.

It appears that Murkowski will lose this race ...

Click the link to read the whole thing. Overall, this is a good thing for Alaska.


h/t Left Coast Rebel

Remember in November

Joe Miller: "Change D.C." Event

From the Anchorage 2nd Amendment Task Force:
 

Thursday, OCTOBER 28th, 7-9PM
Dena'ina Center, Anchorage
Hosted by Republican Nominee,  Joe Miller for US Senate

Special Guests:

• Janine Turner (Star of TV's Northern Exposure, founder of Constituting America)
• Governor Sarah Palin and Todd Palin

Via Video:

• Governor Mike Huckabee
• Congresswoman Michele Bachmann
• Senator Jim DeMint
• Senator James Inhofe
• Talk Radio Hosts Lars Larson and Glen Biegle

And YOU!

This is a free event - donations are welcome.
Doors open at 6pm

Alaska Judge Blocks Hand-outs at Polling Places

From the Anchorage Daily News website: "An Alaska judge has granted a temporary restraining order stopping elections officials from handing out names of write-in candidates at polling places."

This is a major blow against current Senator Lisa Murkowski, who continues her campaign against both the Tea Party's Joe Miller (R) and Sitka mayor Scott McAdams (D). It remains to be seen how much it will benefit Miller, but it's worth noting that write-in candidates have traditionally done poorly here.

Counting Ballots

The Alaska Division of Elections (I didn't know the results needed to be divided ... but I digress) will perform the first of three counts of absentee and disputed ballots for last week's primary election. Most eyes are on the Republican senatorial campaign, of course, where challenger Joe Miller currently leads incumbent Lisa Murkowski by just over 1,600 votes. Stay tuned for further fireworks as the observers tattle on each other while simultaneously pointing fingers in all directions.

Ain't politics fun?

For periodic updates on the counting, go here.

* * * * *

Regarding the Miller campaign's request for State Troopers to monitor the count, the Lt. Governor says it's unnecessary. However, he will send a State attorney to monitor the process ... so apparently some oversight is considered a good idea.

If nothing else, it may prevent the losing candidate from an extended bout of foot-stomping and pouting. Wait ... what am I saying?

Ain't politics fun?

* * * * *

Regarding the ballot count, it's not just the senatorial race that's in question. A primary race between three candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Alaska House District 12 has come down to eight votes in the latest tally. (That's in the Fairbanks area.)

* * * * *

It's clear that the interest in last week's election, post-election, exceeds that prior. Perhaps if more than 27.5 percent of the electorate had exercised their right to participate ... either way, they will have no right to grouse if the results aren't to their liking.

I didn't say they won't gripe - just that they have no valid right to engage in yet another round of thumb-sucking, extended-lower-lip sulking. Ain't politics fun?


Perhaps they should heed the words of Patrick Henry:

"For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst and provide for it."