Carey Nation: T2ATF's Carry Day - Goin' Postal?

Was it a warning or an announcement?

Yesterday, Carisa Rodriguez, the mayor's admin assistant, alerted KPB employees that the 2nd Amendment Task Force(T2ATF) was mobilizing in the borough parking lot to 'visit'.

If you remember back a few weeks ago, T2ATF met at the SOLdotna Sports Center to insist that they be able to stick loaded pistols in their pants (see related blog posting). Or maybe they were happy to see Mayor Dave Carey and Senator Tom Wagoner join their panel. Your guess is as good as mine.

Mayor Dave welcomed the gun-waving activists that gathered yesterday in the borough's parking lot and he said a lot of patriotic words. Maybe he forgot when T2ATF's main organizer at the Sports Center, Schaeffer Cox, refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance and didn't remove his hat when others did so. And I wonder if Dave has read the group's manifesto of armed rebellion they would mount if another gun-control law was passed? No matter, guns and God ruled the day.

But it kinda made some local businesses and governmental offices a bit nervous. The sign pictured in this posting was from the post office located across the street from the borough building and it reminded patrons that guns weren't allowed inside. It's a reasonable stance for an agency that has been notorious for disgruntled gun-toting employees going postal in the past (but not in SOLdotna!).

I'm just glad some local punk didn't set off some firecrackers behind the T2ATFers as they were flashing their firearms...

I do wonder about the group's motives. With no pending gun-control legislation being proposed in Alaska, and with nothing really shaking on the national level except removing the law that President Reagan signed that outlawed loaded weapons in national parks, I wonder just what point the group is really making...

Answering to the Truth - Is Carey Capable?

I couldn't help but be more than a little skeptical when I read Mayor Carey’s opinion piece in last week’s PC (see the blog posting below). Irked by the borough assembly’s recent actions to propose an ordinance to let voters decide if the borough should have a professional manager, Dave let a few loose cannonballs fly. He accused the assembly president, Milli Martin, of arrogantly closing the borough building to TOPS, the weight-loss support group, because they didn't live in her district. He cited Milli's supposed callousness as an example of the need for an elected official who represents the entire borough population, rather than a borough manager, a position he feels would be answerable to only the assembly.

But is Mayor Dave answerable to the truth?

After the shooting incident at the hospital, the borough examined some safety concerns that might exist. Carey was adamant that the borough building only be used for governmental purposes and he was very uncomfortable with the practice of leaving these buildings - especially the white house on Binkley which contains all sort of records and equipment - unlocked after business hours.

But his memory conveniently became selective and in his self-aggrandizing posting in the Clarion, he slammed Ms. Martin to score political points.

Is it any wonder that there is growing grass-roots desire to check Mr Carey's ego? The assembly passed two ordinances at last week's meeting that would create job descriptions for mid-management positions in the borough and to give personnel that have been dismissed an appeals process.

Carey sees these measures as a challenge to his authority. But maybe it's just a way to keep checks and balances in government and to keep crony politics out of the borough's daily operation.

I imagine Mayor Carey envisions himself as a man of honor. I think Ms. Martin deserves a very public apology. Dave, are you man enough?

Palin: Obama Closes Soldotna GM Dealership

I've been laying off of our governor since the election - there are plenty of other Alaskan bloggers who have fun with Sarah, and Lord knows, she gives them plenty of material.

And she just keeps on giving. I'll jump in because she mentions Soldotna in her most recent press release.

According to Governor Palin, "Today, we learned that Obama’s decisions continue to impact Alaskans; while we as taxpayers now own General Motors, Obama closes another dealership – this time in Soldotna as more of Alaskans’ hard-earned money and jobs are lost to big government."

I got to thinking. Didn't the Peninsula Clarion run a story about Hutchings GM just a few days ago? Yep, May 10 in fact. It seems the Governor's statement isn't quite accurate. While Hutchings lost its franchise, it isn't closing. The dealership did employ around 75 workers back in the fall, 10 days before today's statement, its workforce was down to 28.

GM has been having difficulty since way before Obama became president as their last profitable year was in 2004. Since then they have lost $82 billion dollars. Any company bleeding that much red ink might just cut back their workforce - especially those franchises that aren't as profitable as others. The auto industry has lost some 400,000 this past year - some of that was bound to trickle down to the Kenai.

So, despite Palin's rhetoric, the dealership isn't closing, and the local layoffs occurred because of financial difficulty GM has been having for 5 years. Layoffs are a natural part of what happens when there is a downturn in the economy or if a company like GM makes bad business decisions.

So just how is that Obama's fault?

The debate whether the US Government should be bailing out a business won't be addressed here - there are plenty of pundits who can provide you with that entertainment.

But if the US doesn't bail out GM, wouldn't that mean that the company would go bankrupt and close ALL of their dealerships? And is that a better choice? What would Sarah say then - that Obama's inactions continue to impact Alaskans?

If she had offered an alternative suggestion on what should be done, that would have been helpful, but of course she provided nothing of the sort. I've yet to hear any thanks to Obama from her as Alaska has accepted millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds to create jobs here.

The GM rescue is not strictly Democrat/Republican thing, here's a statement in support of GM's bailout from Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the ranking member on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and maybe with a bit more understanding of the problem than Sarah. "We all recognize the role these companies play in the overall composition of our economy and we want them to succeed. It has become abundantly clear that in order to remain viable and competitive, these companies must re-organize, revamp and restructure."

Mayor Murders Milli: A Character Assassination

It might just be the most over the top bit of writing a local politician has ever produced. Borough Mayor (and self-proclaimed CEO)Dave Carey's Voices of the Peninsula article in Tuesday's PC blasted the Borough Assembly President, Milli Martin, for denying the local chapter of TOPS, the weight loss support group, the use of the borough building for their meetings. TOPS had previously been using the building for a good long time.

Dave has divined Milli's motivation for not responding to TOPS request for reconsideration and for not permitting the group the use of the white house:

"The TOPS chapter was denied use of the people's building because the assembly president was not elected by anyone in their areas of Nikiski-Kenai-Soldotna-Sterling-Kalifornsky Beach-Kasilof. She knew it was unlikely she would ever see them and they could not hold her politically accountable. The other eight assembly members must make up their own answers for not responding to the TOPS women."

Wow - Dave, just where did you get that insight from? Did Milli tell you that? Or might there have been some jumping involved to reach your conclusion?

Ms. Martin doesn't represent SOLdotna, but she's been on the assembly for a while and she's like your favorite grandmother - mostly kind and nice and willing to listen to anyone with something to say.

I think I would like to hear what Milli has to say about this. I can't imagine that she arbitrarily and capriciously denied TOPS access. Non-profit groups have always been able to use borough meeting rooms as long as the room is not scheduled for government purposes. Could it be that some committee is now meeting at the time TOPS had scheduled their meeting?

And did the mayor really command the other eight assembly members to "make up their own answers"!?! Do we want to encourage politicians to spin any more than they already do? Dave, you're a retired teacher. Are you encouraging cheating or are you assuming that no matter what they say, their answers will be "made up"? I know that one of the assembly members was preparing for and then attempting to climb Denali during the time frame of the TOPS email request.

And are you saying that you "made up" Milli's answer for her? Now that seems plausible.

Dave has his licorice in a twist because the assembly has introduced legislation that would relegate the borough mayor to a figurehead position and hire a professional manager to oversee the daily operations. But Gary Knopp and Pete Sprague - not Milli - introduced the legislation.

There was a borough assembly meeting Tuesday night and unfortunately my work schedule has me out of town for what will undoubtedly be interesting interactions between hizonner and the assembly.

More to follow...

Whole Lot of Compromise

The SOLdotna Creek Park development plan has been formally changed to include a compromise to the 120 car parking lot that had been proposed last week. The new plan calls for two lots - one that could accommodate 60 cars and an overflow lot with space for about 25. The redesigned proposal would also eliminate an existing smaller lot located by the playground.

It's not a bad thing to live in a place where the two major issues are parking lots and a cemetery location. Look how easy it was to affect sensible change in SOLdotna Creek Park.

The cemetery will be much tougher to figure out. Well technically, it's been decided that the city will purchase the Knight Drive property. I don't think those whom favor the Redoubt site, and that would be the majority of those who voted on the issue back in the fall, are done.

There is something that could be done to convince SOLdotnans why we should pony up and buy the Knight Drive property and that's some legitimate reasons why the Redoubt site is not appropriate. From what I've seen and heard, there isn't one good reason. No, it won't cause more pollution, the traffic impact would be minimal, property values won't go down (but aren't those same folks complaining that their property assessments are too high?), vandalism is unlikely to be a major concern, and of course, the whole 500' from a school issue has nothing to do with anything.

So Mayor Pete and all who voted to spend more money and buy the Knight Drive property, please do give us the truth.

The Burial Plot Thickens

Small town politics and cemeteries - it's like finding buried treasure as it gives this hack writer the opportunity to try to bury the reader alive with dead-end puns and cliches!

It's dead certain that you're still SOL in SOLdotna if you want a place to RIP.

Councilman Scott McLane had previously abstained from voting on the Unified Community Memorial Park Committee's most recent site proposal on Knight Drive, citing some grave concerns. Scott had deeded one of the parcels in the proposed site to a local church, but had included a clause that would have given him a percentage of the take if the property was sold for non-church use: a dead ringer for a conflict of interest.

Declaring that he has since divested his interest in the property, Scott cast the vote that deadlocked the council in a 3-3 tie this past Wednesday.

Mayor Pete Micciche, who has been dead-set against the Redoubt site, was able to drive the final nail in the coffin and break the dead-even vote, thus approving the Knight Drive site.

But you shouldn't think the issue is now dead and buried. The Redoubt location just might be resurrected.

While the SOLdotnans that favor the Redoubt site might now have one foot in the grave, some promised a legal challenge to Scott's decision to vote. A cemetery task force member claimed to have checked with the state recorder's office and found no evidence that Scott had actually divested himself.

And then there's the small detail of finances. SOLdotnans already own the Redoubt property, but would have to buy the Knight Drive properties. Estimates for the purchase of those properties range from $300,000- $500,000.

Then there is the advisory vote where SOLdotnas recently favored the Redoubt site 531-310. With a simple twist of logic (or perhaps some dead reckoning), Mayor Pete interpreted the vote as being against a previously considered site at the SOLdotna airport. Although the city council had at one time favored the airport, an independent consultant concluded that the airport had too much clay and contamination to be a contender. Other problems, including a high concentration of bears and airplane traffic noise also doomed the airport location.

The need for a cemetery for SOLdotnans became official back in 2001 when the SOLdotna Historical Society approached then city mayor Dave Carey. Since then, there has been has been a series of controversies involving land swap proposals with the borough and NIMBY attitudes of rich and powerful residents of the Mooring on the River (MOR) subdivision that borders the Redoubt property (which is drop dead gorgeous, by the way). Wasn't it a hoot when one of the the major concerns the MORons' had with the Redoubt property was that it was within 500' of a school (as if that really matters), then it turns out that the Knight Drive property they favored is also that close to a school. Whoops!

I do have a way to make everyone happy. Let's charge the MORons and anyone else who is in favor of spending money on the Knight Drive properties a special tax to pay for it. Hmmm...so if the final cost is $300,000, than each of the 300 or so folks who voted against the Redoubt site would be charged $1000.

I wonder how many would still put their money where their mouth is?

If you're not dead tired of this whole matter, do read some previous postings in SOL (4/9/09 and 1/24/08)

Parkin' That Lot

Ahhh...the power of righteous indignation.

Good news for us SOLdotnans. At last night's meeting, the city council did not approve the latest plan to turn 1/2 of the Soldotna Creek Park's green space into a parking lot (see the blog report below).

The entire park plan is going to re-evaluated.

Thanks to all of the SOLdotnans who let the mayor and councilmen know that there are limits to being SOL in SOLdotna!

SOLdotna's Proposed Park for Cars

All right, I am fan of parks, and a community can't have enough places for kids to play and others to walk and relax. Have a few barbecue grills set up for people to have a family gathering, maybe a gazebo and band shell for outdoor concerts or plays. Landscape it with lots of trees and flowers. It just makes a town more livable.

SOLdotna has some sweet property right in town and behind Don Jose's. Bordering the Kenai River, the former site of a DOT station was converted into a park area a few years ago. It's mostly lawn and it's played host to the annual Kenai River Festival and a bi-weekly farmers' market and craft booths. It's a great place to fly a kite or play ultimate Frisbee.

Nancy Casey has been the principal designer and the plans have evolved over the past two years. From a relatively simple proposal, the plans have grown to include a veterans memorial (although that was a bit controversial), a pavilion, a plaza square, a refurbished playground, and the possibility of an ice-skating rink.

What's there not to like?

Nancy's first couple of designs also included a small parking lot on the west end of the property; a sensible accommodation for the relaxed use the park has for most of the year.

But the latest plan calls for 1/2 of the existing green space to be turned into 120 parking spaces complete with a center aisle and parking access road.

Huh?!?

That's right, take one of one the few free public access points to the Kenai River in the SOLdotna city limits and make a car lot out of half of it so there would be enough parking for those who want to enjoy it.

And if each car had three people in it, that would be 360 folks plus those of us who would walk or bike to the park. It could essentially squeeze 500 or more folks into a fraction of the existing space.

There are access issues for the Soldotna Creek Park. As it is now, you have to cross the five-lane Sterling Hwy from the residential part of town. Because we are SOL in this town, you know how bad summer traffic is right there. Many parents have a legitimate concern about their children biking or walking across the intersection there. Heck, I'm concerned about my own safety when I bike over there. A lot of SOLdotnans still think you get points for clipping a cyclist.

So we will give cars more access and we will destroy 1/2 of the park in the process for the one or two events a year that there might be a need for parking? It's not clear if the city of SOLdotna intends to pave the parking area, but isn't it a bad idea to pave so much area so close to the river? Doesn't the river's health depend on the ground absorbing and filtering run-off before it drains into the river?

I've got a better idea. Keep the original plan for a small parking lot and build a pedestrian bridge across the highway or a culvert tunnel under (like Anchorage's coastal trail access by the lagoon). For those big events, limit parking to the handicapped and elderly. There's plenty of weekend parking across the street and couldn't most SOLdotnan's use a bit of exercise?

Joni M got it right a few years ago, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

(Numb)Nutz for Guns

The Second Amendment Task Force (T2ATF), a group determined to fight any laws that they perceive would violate the second amendment, met at the SOLdotna Sports Center this past Tuesday (see the PC story). Bob Bird, one of the local organizers, stated, "This is not the National Rifle Association..."

OK, let's stop right there. It IS the NRA - here's the link to the NRA website that promotes T2ATF.

Bob, if you can't be honest, everything you have to say is immediately suspect. But we already knew that about you.

Anyway, they met and in attendance was a who's who of losers and incompetents: Bob B, who was resoundingly defeated twice for US Senate; Wayne A Ross, S. Palin's Attorney General selection who was overwhelming rejected for the job by a bipartisan vote; Schaeffer Cox, the 25 year-old who lost a bid to represent Fairbanks in the state house; Tom Wagoner, the current state senator for the central peninsula who for the 3rd session in a row, sat on the sidelines and did nothing but complain (see the posting on him below); and Davey Carey, the current KPBSD mayor, who is determined to pander to every winger group on the peninsula.

Cox, the main organizer, is worried about all the gun control laws and restrictions that are coming our way. Which ones? Who knows, but the government, especially the Obama administration, is out to get our guns.

While there is a grass-roots feel to the Alaskan group, the T2ATF was founded by U.S. Congressman Dan Boren, (D-OK) and U.S. Congressman Paul Broun, (R-GA), both recipients of considerable NRA funding.

T2ATF seems to gathering strength as a push back to the resounding election of President Obama. They are convinced that the president is out to get their guns. (read KSRM's view).

The Obama administration is proposing re-instating the ban on assault weapons. Um, that's about it.

There is more to the Alaskan T2ATF. Check out their agenda. Here are some of their tenets:

1) If any new gun laws are enacted, they will "alter or abolish them and institute new government."
2) That self defense is a God-given right. (Hmm, what about turn the other cheek, blessed are the peacemakers [not a nod to S. Colt's famous .45 revolver], and thou shalt not kill?)
3)Abolish the Federal Reserve because they print money.
4)To use force against the government if they don't get their way.
5)If selected to be on a jury, not to convict someone on a firearms offense. (I guess they would have freed Harold Pence of Kasilof who was just convicted for assaulting his wife and others during a drunken escapade involving rifle fire last summer)

Does this group bring Timothy McVie to mind?

Of course we Alaskans own guns and hunt and target shoot and no one has ever has proposed restricting that sort of ownership. But what is unreasonable about banning assault weapons? And if we don't draw the line with assault weapons, should we be allowed to own RPGs? Heat seeking missiles? Dirty bombs? IEDs?

I'm concerned that groups like this are all paranoid about the Obama administration, but had nothing to say about Bush and his cronies and their policies of torture, stripping our civil liberties, conducting an illegal war...Oh, that list goes on and on.

It seems it's all good to groups like T2ATF until there is a perception that their weapons of mass destruction might be taken away.

Shane Says So Long

SOLdotna City Council member Shane Horan has announced his resignation from his post.

Shane has been a consistently reasonable member of the council. Most of his decisions have been based on logic and integrity and we'll all be a bit more SOL in SOLdotna without his voice.

Shane's resignation comes shortly after his bill to ban smoking in public places failed to be considered for the lack of a second when the motion was introduced. Curiously, the bill was introduced by Scott McLane and Shane could have seconded the motion - but sat as silently as the other council members.

Shane's replacement will be made by the SOLdotna City Council. Those interested in filling his seat until the October municipal election should monitor the City of SOLdotna web site for details (and what's up with that yellow text on a yellow background?)

Sneering From The Sidelines

The central Kenai Peninsula's state Senator, Tom Wagoner, was interviewed by the PC the other day. Tom had nothing good to say about the 26th Legislative Session - the budget was too high, the Dems will probably raise taxes, a legislative pay raise was passed without a vote, and Feb 2 is now Marmot Day.

What Tom fails to mention is that he chose to sit out any active participation in the session by refusing to join the across-the-aisle collation that all but four senators became part of. So all Tom got to do was vote. This is the third session in a row that Tom has doodled while most everyone else at least attempted to debate, compromise, figure things out, or whatever they do down in Juneau.

Tom had his to say about the collation: ""They won't take on any hard philosophical issues, both left and right, so you have a middle of the road Legislature doing middle of the road things."

Um, Tom - isn't that what the voters wanted? After years and years of failed right-wing policies and corruption scandals, maybe the voters wanted some sanity. I believe you were elected to represent us. Sitting on your ass and letting the other senators hash things out and then complaining that you didn't like what they did seems a bit whiny.

To his credit, Wagoner did vote against Palin's choice for AG, Wayne Ross. But why? Only because Ross supported Tom's opponent in the last election. Oh, I see. Tom thinks that being vindictive is one of those hard philosophical things.

I've got to give him props for voting against Marmot Day. But then again, maybe that's the best we can expect of the folks we send down there. At least that law is fairly innocuous and made some 5th graders happy.

Tom closed the interview saying he is going to attend a state legislature's conference in DC and promote opening ANWR and make sure that east coasters don't keep the refuge closed.

That's it Tom, sit out the entire AK legislative session and then go on a free junket to DC. There needs to be some sort of eligibility for senators like there is for high school athletes. If you don't do your work, then you don't get to travel with the team.

And just how are you going to keep those east coasties from keeping ANWR closed? If you haven't been paying attention, the lefties overwhelmingly won the last election. Maybe if you promise to return all of the subsidies that Alaska gets from the taxpayers in all those blue states, you might get some traction with that. Otherwise you're asking those east coasters to pay to help run our state without giving them any say. Hmmm...taxation without representation is tyranny.

Or maybe you really don't want to take on any real hard philosophical issues.

Meet the Kellers - SOLdotna's Tax Protest organizers

Bill and Carol Keller were two of the organizers of the April 15 tax protesters at the SOLdotna Y this past Wednesday.

Bill's a disabled veteran with a prosthetic leg and he never fails to mention his disability at any given opportunity. He did so at the Kenai/SOLdotna Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday that featured Mark Begich.

What Bill doesn't mention is that his missing leg is the result of falling off of his roof. It has nothing to do with his time in the service. Word is that he was poaching a cable TV feed when he fell off.

Anyway, Bill moans and groans a lot about paying taxes - that fits with the tax protest thing. A while back he wrote a letter to the editor complaining about a 37 cent monthly SOLdotna City tax on his phone that he felt was unfair because he lives outside of SOLdonta, but has a city POB.

But Bill likes to leave out details. Like that he has a river-front home and property on the K-Beach side worth over $1,700,000 and just downriver from SOLdotna. Man, aren't you glad there's a sewage treatment plant in SOLdotna - you would literally be SOL otherwise. And don't you drive SOLdotna streets when you pick up your mail? 37 cents a month is a small price to pay for those services.

But I digress.

At the chamber meeting, one man told Sen. Mark that he wished he could get his veteran medical treatments in Anchorage, rather than fly down to Seattle -it would cost the government less and make it more convenient. Then Keller told Mark that he was happy that the VA flew him to Seattle for treatment - a chance to have a bit of a vacation on the gov't tab.

What a scam Keller is - wanting more of our tax dollars to treat something caused by his own activities.

And then he has the nerve to protest taxes.

He has nearly 2 million dollars of untaxed property value on the Kenai and the guy is screaming as if he is a pauper.

Soak the bastard is what I say.

Bill went on to accuse Senator Mark of voting for the stimulus without reading the bill. Senator Mark responded that he actually DID read the bill and the revision, made notes on both and then could even explain the difference between the two. And then Mark explained that there's a good chance the stimulus bill could even generate a 6% rate of return.

And Bill and Carol shut up and sat down.

As one SOLdotnan said - It was bee-yoo-tee-ful

The Big Tax Protest of '09: Tea Time for Twits

Alrighty - all of you big bad tax protesters. How about walking the walk. Stay off the roads (paid for by taxes), don't call the fire dep't when your house burns down (paid for by taxes), don't call the cops when there is trouble (paid for by taxes), forget about the military keeping you safe (paid for by taxes), send back the PFD and any medicare/medicaid/ss benefits (paid for by taxes), close the schools (paid for by taxes), stop treating sewage in Soldotna and Kenai and pump it right in the Kenai River (paid for by taxes)...get the point?

No one likes paying taxes, but as Oliver Wendel Holmes said - It's the price of having civilization. Get a grip on reality. We Alaskans live in a tax-gain state (PFD v no state income or sales tax),and get subsidized by the tax payers of the east coast and California (now THEY might have something to protest: Stop sending my tax dollars to Alaska). Oh, yeah - the KPB has one of the lowest tax rates in the country.

Can you imagine what it would be like if all that federal tax money went away or the state oil taxes went away? Imagine if you had to actually pay for all that we get here? We get off cheap.

And you know that you are the first ones whining when your road needs grading or plowed (paid for by taxes).

Just Saying No to W.A.R.

A quickie update that I am sure everyone has heard about already - but Wayne A. Ross has just been resoundingly rejected as Alaska's Attorney General.

Every Democrat in the Legislature voted against Ross as well as nine Republicans, including the Senate president and House speaker.

"I think he is too controversial for the state of Alaska. We've got in some people's mind a controversial governor and I think that he just has too many controversies out there," said House Speaker Mike Chenault, a Nikiski Republican.

W.A.R. is SOL in Alaska!

W.A.R. What is He Good For? (Absolutely Nada!)

Wayne Anthony Ross, Sarah Palin's pick to be the Attorney General of Alaska has some solid SOLdotna credentials. He's the lawyer who represented Jeff Webster, the super-soaker clown who doused 80-year-old women with buckets of water in below freezing temperatures on two separate occasions as they were protesting the invasion of Iraq at the Soldotna Y back in 2003.

Back then, Ross said that Webster was harmlessly expressing his free speech and that it was dangerous for folks to protest the war. Ross went on to say that he couldn't understand why the state would prosecute someone whose son was fighting for the country.

Harmlessly expressing his free speech? What about the old ladies - weren't they harmlessly expressing themselves when they were assaulted not once, but TWICE by Webster? And yes, as long as you make excuses for physical assaults on free speech, it will continue to be dangerous for folks to protest. Kinda like it's dangerous to protest in countries were there are few freedoms. Now, if W.A.R. was to be appointed AG of North Korea, China, or Iran - well, that would be a nice fit.

Ross, in his confirmation hearings this week, now says as AG he wouldn't be OK with pressing charges in the Webster case, but would do it anyway. Yeah, Right.

We Americans are entitled to legal representations, but shouldn't our lawyers advise us to suck it up when we do something boneheaded? So, Mr. Ross - was it your legal advice to Webster to plead innocent and not to apologize?!?

And you want to be AG for the State of Alaska?

I wonder what would happen if someone were to douse W.A.R. (or his hummer) with a few bucketfuls of water on a winter's day as a protest to his selection as AK's AG?

Cemetery Update

Souldotna wishes to point out his maturity as evidenced by the lack of a bad pun in the title of this blog concerning SOLdotna's controversial Cemetery. Can you dig it? (Ooops)

But a potential new site off of Knight Drive has been proposed by the Unified Community Memorial Park Committee.

For a well-written synposis of the cemetery location problem, read this PC story from last year and this one from 2005

For an opinionated, but hopefully much more fun synopsis, read on.

SOLdotna doesn't have a cemetery. In the last election, voters recommended the Redoubt site. Many (wealthy and influential) residents of the Mooring by the River Subdivision opposed the site. However, no discernible reason was ever presented except NIMBY. One resident, who happens to drive a hummer, argued that the corpses would pollute the river (not as much as you car, Gary). See his post and this brilliant rebuttal. SOLdotna Mayor Petey M. a Redoubt doubter and early supporter of the airport site, has stated that the 10-acre Redoubt site didn't have the needed 10 acres to meet the needs of the soon-to-be-dead. WTF?!? The airport site, pushed by certain members of the council, proved to have the wrong type of soils and less-than-desireable peaceful setting wanted by those who wished to rest in peace.

Isn't this fun? You should see the vitriolic comments made to the most recent PC article. How come the only name-calling is done by the folks against the Redoubt site, who then accuse the CZ (Cemetery Zealots) of name calling?!?!

So now, the UCMPC has come up with the Knight Drive site. It seems to be more than adequate.

But we SOLdotnans OWN the Redoubt site. We have to BUY the Knight Drive sites - and there are up to six parcels we will have to pony-up for.

I say we charge it to the Mooring on the River Subdivision folks.

Mayor Davey: Do as I say, Not as I Do

Mayor Davey and outgoing Sup't of Schools, Donna P have been in a slap down of sorts lately as Dave is considering not funding Kenai Schools to the cap. Carey has accused the schools of being reluctant to share information about any budget surplus they might have. Here's an exchange reported in the PC.

"They give us a budget, they say that we need this, we give them everything they ask for right to the cap because they say that's what they need. Now to find out, and its been greatly increasing the last few years, there's $9 million more that they've been holding on to," Carey said.

Melody Douglas, chief financial officer for the district, said that presently the district has $19 million in its general fund fund balance. She explained that $9 million of that is in reserves per state statute...She also noted that information on district's budget is all available for public viewing on the district Web site.

Donna Peterson said the amount in savings could easily be wiped out by any of the unforeseen circumstances it is being set aside for.

"The way I look at it is, the amount of money we have in savings is minimal in our budget. It's more than we've had in the past, but far les than any business should have in savings," she said.

"It would take only a few things to wipe that out, like a couple months on increased healthcare costs, a rise in energy costs or if we miss the enrollment projections for next year. If we miss it, there goes the fund balance. Gone. It is not prudent to not have funds set aside."

Now, in Mayor Davey's own 90 Transition Report, the Kenai Borough has a $22 million unreserved fund balance.

Wait a minute - Davey doesn't want the district to have a reserve fund, but it's OK for the borough to have a reserve fund?

Might this be a little grandstanding by hizzoner? Gotta look like you're the little man with a plan to get spending under control. But it could be that his puppet strings are being pulled by ACT.

Mayor Davey's Pimpin' Ride

Davey Carey, the Kenai Borough Mayor, has traded in his old, gas-sippin beater for a new ride - a Lincoln Continental. As former average-joe teacher, the old car was just fine, but apparently not good enough for BOROUGH MAYOR.

Word is that Davey uses the new pimp-mobile to commute to work everyday to his office in the white house on Marydale.

Is this a problem? I dunno, but Davey lives right across the street. By the times he get the beast warmed up, backs out of the driveway, motors to the corner, turns into the parking lot, and then pulls into his reserved spot...well, he could have walked.

A Not-So-Modest Proposal: Aerial Hunting of Commercial Fishermen

Overview of Relationships Between Commercial Fishermen, The Sport Fishing Industry, Dip-Netters, Mat-Su Politicians, and Salmon in Cook Inlet, Alaska

Relationships between large predators and their prey in Alaska are complex; it is possible to generalize about some situations, particularly in Cook Inlet. This information on the biology of salmon and the impact of commercial fishermen and the sport fishing industry represents highlights from 25 years of research and management programs. The recent introduction of dip-netters and politicians from the Mat-Su borough now is beginning to play a major role in allocation decisions.

In the coastal fisheries of Canada and Alaska, where commercial fishermen (either set netters or the drift fleet) are major predators of salmon, salmon returns typically remain well below levels that wealthy and influential individuals and wasteful personal use dip-netters would like to see. This occurs primarily because, together, set and drift fishermen, are efficient predators on salmon stocks, and kill many of the returning fish.

Commercial fishermen have been found to be very adaptable and within a few years, they recover from times of low fish returns. Despite relatively heavy regulation and operating costs over the last century in Alaska, commercial fishermen occur in nearly their entire traditional habitat throughout Cook Inlet.

Commercial fishermen are social animals that often live in large family groups. Depending upon the relationship of adult males and females, multiple births of potential commercial fishermen may occur. Most children born into a commercial fishing family themselves become commercial fishermen – especially in areas where salmon returns are abundant.

A solution to this problem can be found in Game Management Unit 20A where wolf control has been shown to be effective at maintaining high numbers of moose and high long-term harvests of moose. In Unit 20A, reduction of wolves by the introduction of aerial hunting has increased moose population density.

Based on this data, biologists expect that significant reductions in commercial fishermen (either drift or set net or both) will also lead to higher numbers of salmon for harvest.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, with the full support of Governor Sarah Palin has announced the introduction of aerial hunting of Cook Inlet commercial fisherman.

State officials stand by their scientific findings on predator control. "Several times over the past several years, our science has been challenged in court," says Bruce Bartley, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "In every instance it has prevailed. If shooting wolves from airplanes works, we expect similar results with shooting commercial fishermen.”

In 2007, Palin approved $400,000 to educate the public about the ecological success of shooting wolves and bears from the air. Some of the money went to create a pamphlet distributed in local newspapers, three weeks before the public was to vote on an initiative that would have curtailed aerial killing of wolves by private citizens. In her current fiscal-year budget, Palin included another $400,000 for a similar pamphlet defending the culling of commercial fishermen. Last year she introduced state legislation that would transfer authority over the program from the state Department of Fish and Game to Alaska's Board of Game, whose members are appointed by Palin.

Palin defended her actions: "Well, let's see. There's ― of course in the great history of Alaska there have been rulings that there's never going to be absolute consensus by every Alaskan, and there are those issues, again, the aerial hunting of commercial fishermen, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So, you know, going through the history of Alaska, there would be others. But our next-door neighbor is Cook Inlet. As commercial fishermen rear their nets into the water space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right there. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on these very powerful predators. I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open airplane window for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the shot. Show me where the open shot is. Even if it's just cracked open a little bit, maybe I'll shoot through that and maybe prematurely pull the trigger through it, but don't let me miss a shot."

Bob Penney, co-founder and a current board member of the nonprofit Kenai River Sport Fishing Association has pledged part of the $4.7 million Congressional earmark his organization received from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (Thanks Uncle Ted!) to promote aerial commercial fishermen hunting. He has proposed expanding the annual Kenai River Classic, a yearly sport fishing event comprising of some the most influential politicians, lobbyists and policy-makers to include a chance to participate in the aerial hunting.

Penny explained his position: “We tried to get the state to buy back commercial fishing permits, but the program would have been expensive and there was no guarantee that commercial fishermen would go along with it. Aerial hunting of commercial fishermen wouldn’t cost the state much money. Plenty of my rich friends would gladly pay for the opportunity to gun down these fish-killing predators. In fact, I’d be happy to offer a bounty for each commercial fisherman shot.

Mat-Su Assembly member Tom Kluberton chairs the Mat-Su Mayor's Blue Ribbon Sportsmen's Committee. "If this is not addressed before fishing season, the commercial fleet may reduce the number of fish escaping into the Susitna drainage to a level that will be devastating to Mat-Su families who rely on salmon for their table and to the guiding and fishing-related tourism industries in the area as well," Kluberton said.

Mat-Su Borough Manager John Duffy is making a plea for relief to state officials.

"We believe that any time the drift fleet is allowed to fish south of the Blanchard Line, the fish bound for the northern district get intercepted," Duffy said. "It would be more prudent to first allow the northern district residents to reach its escapement goals by shooting commercial fishermen."

Ricky Gease, executive director of KRSA, in an e-mail to the fish board claimed that security was an issue and that the board should consider meeting in Anchorage instead of Soldotna when they consider approving aerial hunting of commercial fishermen.

Mr. Gease stated, "At the 2000 meeting in Soldotna, members of the BOF, employees of ADF&G, and numerous members of the general public were threatened with acts of violence, some stretching to death threats ... the fact that the physical security of the public became an issue at this meeting shows that security was not adequately factored into the decision making process prior to the meeting ... Several members of our organization who live outside Soldotna question whether or not their physical security can be guaranteed if the meeting once again happens in Soldotna. We’d better pass this policy and get them before they get us."

Jerry Ward - Alaska's sleasiest politician?

Ahhh, remember Jerry? - we were really SOL when he represented us in the state senate. Let's see - he claimed he lived in a trailer in Nikiski instead of his $500,000 house in Anchorage. Then there was some hush-hush business involving Jerry and private prisons that cost Delta Junction a cool million bucks. Jerry was all about private prisons, well, until he was against them. (wonder where he got a lot of his 'funding' from?) He also managed to piss off fellow republicans when he claimed the Republican Party of Alaska endorsed him in the primary of 2000 - they didn't of course. Oh, let's not forget the pull-tab money and the Kenai Native Association that he threw his wife under the bus about. And just what was the deal with that sexual harassment issue back in Juneau?

Well, Jerry is back in the news - and in good company - with Uncle Ted. Seems Jerry convinced Dave Anderson, a witness in Steven's corruption trial to claim that Anderson's testemony was a lie. Seems that Jerry was out to save his own skin - as Ward is being investigated by the FBI for being on the receiving end of funds from Bill Weimar. Remember the private prisons? Anyway, you can't make this shit up. Anderson is living with Ward's daughter who used to date Bill Allen who bribed Stevens. Read it here for yourself (if you haven't already).