The company that owns Fox News has apparently made a donation of about a million dollars to the some national Republican governor’s group.  And yet somehow we are supposed to think that their coverage is fair and balanced.
Somewhere in heaven, Walter Cronkite is weeping.

On what passes for a news show on Fox, Sarah Palin recently explained her opposition to an Islamic Center being built a few blocks from ground zero this way. She said that the argument for the center was that it could promote understanding and tolerance and counter extremists. If that’s so, said our lovely gal Temporary Sal, then why is it that New York City already has 100 mosques and they didn’t stop the 9/11 terrorists.
Really, Sal? Somehow mosques in NYC were supposed to affect the behavior of young men raised and schooled in the Middle East who didn’t live in NYC ever? Because unless you are privy to secret information that’s been kept from the general public, none of the 9/11 extremists was from America or NYC or anywhere near those 100 mosques.
Hmmm.... you might actually have to say that those mosques did their jobs since they did not produce one terrorist involved in the 9/11 attacks. But then, if you said that you wouldn’t be on Fox (pretend) News because you would actually have brains that you were using to think logically. And as anyone knows who watches some of the more popular fake news shows on Fox, making sense and having a brain are not half as important as using lies and half truths to rouse the rabble.

On what passes for a news show on Fox, Sarah Palin recently explained her opposition to an Islamic Center being built a few blocks from ground zero this way. She said that the argument for the center was that it could promote understanding and tolerance and counter extremists. If that’s so, said our lovely gal Temporary Sal, then why is it that New York City already has 100 mosques and they didn’t stop the 9/11 terrorists.
Really, Sal? Somehow mosques in NYC were supposed to affect the behavior of young men raised and schooled in the Middle East who didn’t live in NYC ever? Because unless you are privy to secret information that’s been kept from the general public, none of the 9/11 extremists was from America or NYC or anywhere near those 100 mosques.
Hmmm.... you might actually have to say that those mosques did their jobs since they did not produce one terrorist involved in the 9/11 attacks. But then, if you said that you wouldn’t be on Fox (pretend) News because you would actually have brains that you were using to think logically. And as anyone knows who watches some of the more popular fake news shows on Fox, making sense and having a brain are not half as important as using lies and half truths to rouse the rabble.

In times of great tragedy, we all need the occasional silliness to relieve the sadness. Because of this fact, I am about to write words I never thought I would – thank god for Levi Johnston and his planned run for (the not yet vacant or available position of) mayor of Wasilla.

As we mourn the man most consider the penultimate politician of Alaska’s 20th Century, the person who may come to personify the politician of the 21st Century confronts us – a boy brought to notoriety by a fertile reproductive system, a very lucky unplanned pregnancy and reality TV. His qualifications for the job he seeks include no high school education, no discernible platform, no indication he has any idea what problems might need solving in Wasilla, and no obvious intelligence to bring to those problems he might discover there.
In this brave new millennium we have just entered, not being qualified for a political position does not stand in the way of seeking it. Nor does it seem to stand in the way of actually getting the job because our culture apparently no longer requires or needs qualified people in politics.
The only real qualification seemingly needed in American politics today is to be a “personality” of some sort.  What you do or accomplish is much less important than the sound bites and video clips you can offer to an ever more voracious 24 hour news cycle where any attempt at taste and discrimination falls victim to the need to fill time between commercials for creams that will enhance your sexual experience.
And so Levi comes to fulfill our greatest dream of a 21st Century politician – completely unqualified and proud of it. No high school diploma? No problem. A high school diploma would just make him one of the elitists who insist on reading books that don’t have animation on every page.
No idea what the job you seek might actually require? No problem. That’s what all those elitists are for – they handle the small stuff while you proudly proclaim your ignorance of any actual details of your platform.
Gee, as I write this I’m starting to realize where Levi might have gotten the idea that you don’t need to be qualified for the job you seek.  His run for mayor of Wasilla makes as much sense as his almost mother-in-law’s run for vice president of the United States. In neither case is the actual ability to handle the job an issue so long as the daily sound bites rouse the rabble.
Whether you liked Ted Stevens or not, the one thing you couldn’t argue was that he was brilliant at what he did. How else do you come from the next to the last state admitted to the union and end up as one of the most powerful men in the US Senate? I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that this is a future Levi will never know.
Most people are assuming that Levi’s run for mayor of Wasilla falls somewhere between a reality show stunt and a slap in the face to one of Wasilla’s previous mayors.  They would be very right.
Despite the insistence of “Team Levi” that the boy plans to make a serious run based on his knowledge of the problems in Wasilla and what he perceives as their solutions, it is hard to take this insistence seriously when the announcement of his run is made simultaneously with the announcement of his reality show. There are some cynics among us who might see that as somehow connected, with the paycheck at the end of the show being more the goal than actual election to office.
I think most of us are laboring under the assumption that Levi does not stand that proverbial snowball’s chance of winning this race. But we should probably not be so complacent in our assumptions.  As Robert Heinlein’s character Lazarus Long once said, “Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.”
Get enough people thinking that it might be fun to vote for Levi as a joke and he could become the joke that is Wasilla’s mayor.
The greatest generation produced Ted Stevens. The UTube generation has produced Levi Johnston. I fear for the future of civilization.

I think it’s time we Anchorites start packing up the essentials and moving to higher grounds. The waters are bound to overcome us soon after what I believe is now going on eleven straight months of rain every day.  I mean, I don’t want to panic but it seems we should plan for the inevitable evacuation orders as the Inlet overtakes us.

Why does it seem as though Americans have become a people who want to hold their constitution sacred only when it’s easy to do?
Religious freedom for all means exactly what it says. Muslims as well as Christians, Buddhists or Hindus have the right to practice their faith without government intervention. And for those horrified at the thought of a mosque near ground zero, I would suggest that given the headlines of the past decade or so, we should be more horrified at the thought of a Catholic Church within a mile of a grade or high school - unless you believe that pedophile priests no more represent the Catholic Church than Muslim extremist represent Islam.

Auntie Kris shares the joy of reading with Aqsiin… and somewhere in heaven, her mother is smiling.

In an attempt to avoid another billion dollar surgery on Blue because she and Blondie got into a fight over the droppings in the bottom of the bird cage, a dear friend Lenny and his wonderful son Ben came to my house and wrapped the bottom sides of the cage so the dogs can’t stick their heads under the cage and get to the food.
At first, my dogs spend a lot of time walking into the wire mesh and then looking confused that they couldn’t get their heads in.  Now they just stand there and stare forlornly at the bottom of the bird cage while Abdul drops all kinds of wonderful tidbits they can’t reach.
Yep, right now life sucks for them. But I’m feeling amazingly chipper and upbeat.

Autumn Wings Festival
Saturday, August 14
Noon to 4:00 pm
15510 Old Seward Hwy (take the Rabbit Creek exit)

Bird TLC presents their annual Autumn Wings Festival.  Join the fun from noon to four, Saturday, August 14, to celebrate autumn, the outdoors and Alaska’s wild birds.  See wild eagles, owls, hawks and ravens up close.  Experience a falconry demonstration, shop the outdoor sculpture at the art show, and get close to a porcupine.  Featuring outdoor and wildlife organizations, presentations, a bird calling contest, art, food, music and fun.  Don’t miss the Eagle release @ 3:30.  Rabbit Creek exit east to 15510 Old Seward Highway.  Call 562-4852 or http://www.birdtlc.net

Schedule
12:00 Autumn Wings Festival Begins
12:00 - 12:50 Peaceful Sounds in Alaska: Native American Flute & the Alaska Flute Circle
12:40 Falconry Demonstration
1:00 - 1:30 Raptor Program
1:00 - 1:50 Annie Reeves: Acoustic Guitar, Children’s Sing-along
1:30 – 2:00 Owl Program
2:00 – 2:30 Songbirds Program
2:00 - 2:50 Denise Martin & Jim Kerr: Acoustic Guitar, Dulcimer and Juggling
2:30 – 3:00 Bird Calling Contest
3:00 – 3:30 Speakers
3:30 Eagle Release (Mayor Dan Sullivan)
4:00 Event Ends

Art Show:
Artists: Michelle Devine, Rick Potter, Isolde Gibson, Amanda Brannon, Vicki Rae Prewitt, Doug Lindstrand, Katie Sevigny, Cheryl Chestnut

Booths:
Bird TLC Education Booth #1, Bird TLC Education Booth #2, Bird TLC Artifacts, Bird TLC Merchandise, Alaska Natural History Museum, Anchorage Audubon Society, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska Botanical Gardens, Chugach State Park, The Alaska Zoo, Alaska Falconers Association, Chugach National Forrest Vantastic Program, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Peaceful Sounds in Alaska, Doug Lindstrand, Vicki Rae Prewitt/Art Show Checkout, Amanda Brannon, Face Painting.

Food and Drink:
Kaladi Brothers Coffee, Tia’s Gourmet Sausage, Terra Bella Bakery.

The recent ruling in California that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional has raised an interesting variety of hues and cries from the general populace. Some concerns raised are clearly heartfelt sentiments by people truly threatened by the prospect of gay marriage. Other concerns raised leave me wondering what constitution people studied in school.

If, in fact, this issue has more to do with a particular religious code than any civil issue, I have to ask why government is involved at all since government really shouldn’t be codifying religious strictures. Isn’t that what happens in places like Iran where Sharia is the law of the land? Do we really want that to happen here?
Let me stress my belief that Christians have every right to not condone gay marriage based on their biblical readings. However, I would be remiss if I did not also point out that in the Bible, slavery is condoned, as is killing your children if they disobey you. So clearly Christianity has a long history of re-interpreting its beliefs and deciding what are really the words of god and what are merely reminders of the morality of a particular place and time.
For those who believe that gay marriage is the death knell of our civilization, remember much the same argument was once used to support the continued ban on miscegenation. Yet removing that ban did not destroy society as much as it allowed consenting adults to love each other without fear of criminal penalty.
Government has a legitimate role in addressing legal issues arising from permanent unions. This can readily be done through the issuing of civil union certificates to any two consenting adults wishing to enter into such a contract. If a couple then wants god’s blessing on that union, they can go to their church and get married.
But the primary issue now before the courts really has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with the constitutional guarantee of equal rights. It is a secular issue that does not, and should not, relate back to the morality of any given set of beliefs.
I studied constitutional history in college and the one thing I remember above all else was that the constitution was not written to enshrine the principle that if the majority votes for it, then it has to be law. It was written to ensure that laws supported by the majority did not discriminate against a minority by taking away any of their basic rights. It was crafted so that laws passed in this country had to be legal under our constitution, with an independent judiciary created to ensure that occurred.
Government’s interest in regulating marriage is about property and legal rights and children’s custody and protection, not about the morality of marriage. Because seriously, if morality is the issue, why would our laws allow Newt Gingrich to tell his wife he was divorcing her as she lay in her hospital bed recuperating from cancer so that he could marry his mistress?  I don’t see how you get more immoral than that.
Two people in love wanting to get married who happen to be gay is downright old fashioned and solid compared to what passes for marriage among some of our more infamous personalities.  Brittany Spears had a marriage that lasted approximately twenty-five hours followed by one that barely lasted long enough for her to push a second child out who then had to be cared for by one parent while the other sat in a psychiatric ward.
Yet Brittany gets to marry again as often as she wants. This is allowed under our constitution. It’s her right. But I would argue it’s hardly moral.
There are those who believe that two gay people who have been in a stable and loving relationship for twenty-five years are going to destroy our country if allowed to marry, but somehow the Brittany’s and Newt’s of this world should be allowed to keep on going until they get it right.
Seems to me we need to rethink what is moral in this country. And maybe we should also do some hard studying on the difference between religious injunctions and constitutionally protected rights. Ours is a country founded on the principle of law, not the unfettered tyranny of any given majority.

I met him only a few times and that was way back when we were both young in the late 70s and early 80s. So there is nothing I can add to all the speeches and remembrances being posted throughout Alaska blogs about him except to say that whether you liked him or not… and believe it or not, there were actually some Alaskans who didn’t… he was a force of nature that changed this state from a backwater in America’s patchwork quilt of states to a state that was still a backwater as far as most of America was concerned but one with more federal dollars than any other state in the nation.
And while Alaskans may bleat and bray about our vaulted independent spirit that wants nothing more than to have government out of our lives, Uncle Ted’s brilliance was knowing that as long as government came with a fist full of bucks, we didn’t care how much government we got.

Turns out that the pus coming from Blue’s eye was not the result of me not noticing an abscess and pain over many weeks. No, it was the result of another little tiff she had with Blondie over the droppings on the bottom of the bird cage.
Blue and Blondie had a snarly moment on Friday that I thought did not involve any contact as much as a lot of growly posturing. But apparently Blondie managed to nip Blue on the inside of her mouth again. This time, possibly due to the fact that the bite was probably mixed with what drops to the bottom of a bird cage, the infection went nuts in just two days leading to the pus coming out of her eye from a channel that apparently goes from the top of her mouth to her eye.
As I handed over my credit card while sobbing softly at the price I was about to pay for the surgery they had to do, I seriously thought about having Blondie defanged because I simply can’t afford to fix the problems she creates every year or so when she snarls at Blue. I would mind as much if she seemed in the slightest bit sorry but she barely registered Blue’s absence while in surgery all day and gave but a brief sniff and nod when Blue returned.
Then I realized I don’t have enough money left to have Blondie defanged. So we will now resort to putting them in two different rooms while the birds eat their evening meal.
I hate to admit it, but every once in a while I get the impression that mine is not a normal household.

Blue’s right eye started putting out copious amounts of stuff that shouldn’t be in her eye approximately 30 seconds after her regular vet’s office closed for the weekend so that - mother guilt being what it is - I ended up at Pet Emergency.... a wonderful group with a wonderful service for which you pay wondrous amounts.

Was watching the Colbert Report and Stephen mentioned that some (I think) Internet channel that carries Catholic programming is trying to connect with the kids by using 3 D technology.
Here’s a thought. How about they update their antiquated attitude towards women and condoms before the buy into 3D?

My sister, who works in group sales for a casino in Atlantic City, was showing the property to a potential client. As she pointed out the wonders of the room they were in, her skirt fell off. Yep, off. Completely down around the ankles moment.
For some reason, I smiled the whole day after I heard that.
I may never be stylish, but the advantage of elastic waistbands is they don’t fall down.