Content by Achance
Posted at 3:28pm on Jul. 10, 2008 Alaska Corruption Investigation: Another One Bites the Dust UPDATE
By Achance
The Public Integrity Section dropped another indictment today. This time they reached into the State Senate. The story is here: http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/story/460986.html
Sen. Cowdry is an old and sick man with a family, so he's probably "cooperating" with the FBI. The indictment is linked and is a good example of something you never want your name on or mentioned in. "Senator A" is probably Nome Senator Donnie Olson, a physician who also owns an air taxi company. I put that together on the mention in the indictment that Sen. A has airplanes and the co-conspirators see that as a way to get money to him. I know Olsen's records were subpoenaed. He's probably next. The question on everyone's lips is "Who is Senator B?," and most speculate that it is Ben Stevens, Ted's son. Judging by the very politically timed way this investigation has been run, we'll probably find that out just in time for it to have the maximum effect on the General Election.
Posted in Republicans — Comments (3) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 12:14pm on Jun. 30, 2008 Alaska's 50th Birthday Today.
By Achance
On June 30, 1958, the US Senate by a vote of 64 yeas and 20 nays enacted the Alaska Statehood Act, which was signed into law a few days later by President Eisenhower. Thus ended an almost century long battle to achieve some measure of self-determination for the sparsely populated but fabulously resource rich territory acquired from the Russians in 1867.
From the 1840s, Alaska had been the province of New England's otter fur traders and whalers. The Russians could barely maintain their colony and the Chinese, the primary market for sea otter fur, then the most valuable produce of Alaska, would only trade with the Russians at one port far up the Amur River. The Americans, who enjoyed good relations with the Chinese, filled the void trading with both the coastal Indians and the Russians for the valuable sea otter fur which in turn they traded with the Chinese for tea, porcelain, textiles, and other products desired by the burgeoning European and American markets. Voyages were typically four years or more and profits were often over 4000%!
Posted in History — Comments (9) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 2:37pm on Jun. 26, 2008 Exxon Valdez Damages: Judicial Activism?
By Achance
Barely noticed here, but widely noticed in Alaska and, no doubt, among the environmentalists, the USSC handed down its decsion in the nearly twenty year old damages suit against Exxon for the 1989 spill of some 11 million gallons of crude oil in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
First, even though I'm an Alaskan, I'm not very sympathetic to the plaintiffs in this case; Exxon poured money into this State for the clean up, did little to avoid or minimize its responsibility for both the cleanup and the actual damages, and in typical oil company fashion willing paid $10 for lots of things that were hardly worth $1. The plaintiffs have already received over $500 Million in "actual" damages from the spill. The original jury award for punitive damages was over $5 Billion dollars. This was reduced by the 9th Circuit to about $2.5 Billion. Even at the reduced level, all too many Alaskans, as is their wont, were looking at the award like it was a winning lottery ticket or the mailing receipt for their permanent fund application.
Posted in Law — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 11:26am on Jun. 13, 2008 ANWR and the Chukchi Sea: 101
By Achance
As gas prices go ever higher and the talking points fly thicker and thicker, I thought it would be well to set out the facts about these two potential oil provinces that are getting so much attention, much of it deliberately misinformed.
Despite all the talk about Wilderness Crown Jewels and statements like "it would be like drilling in the Grand Canyon," (please tell me McCain didn't actually say that), there's nothing special about the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. In fact, even the name is a contrivance. A little history:
Posted in Energy — Comments (22) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 12:03am on Jun. 11, 2008 It's a Wonderful Life
By Achance
OK, I've been more than a little curmudgeonly lately. I think the Country has gone to Hell in a handbasket and we're about to elect somebody pretty close to a Manchurian Candidate. Even if we don't, I'm no great fan of "our" alternative, though I think I understand and have more in common with him than many of you, since despite my Southern roots, I'm very much a Westerner. I just really don't like much of anything or most anyone I'm dealing with these days here, at home in Alaska, or on the National or World scene. I thought I'd be much older before I became a complete dinosaur.
Posted in Culture — Comments (38) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 11:45am on Jun. 2, 2008 Governor Sarah Palin: The First Real Test
By Achance
Life, liberty, and property in Alaska once again become unsafe as the Legislature convenes for a special session beginning tomorrow. The sole item on the agenda is the Palin Administration's "deal" with TransCanada to build a pipeline to transport North Slope natural gas to the Canadian pipeline system and into the interior US. By almost any standard, this will be the biggest, most expensive single construction project ever. Part of the "deal" is the State fronting up $500 million to the project. TransCanada is the outsider in this; the majors wouldn't propose under Palin's scheme and have their own proposal out, though it is not formally up for consideration. TransCanada has no gas and whether the majors would really ship the gas they hold on TC's line is an open question. The State owns some of the gas as royalty in kind, but it isn't enough to support such a huge project. So, before the TC deal can come to fruition, some accommodation must be reached with the major producers who hold the leases on NS gas. One treads very carefully here, well, anywhere really, when one goes against Exxon, BP, and Conoco-Phillips, and Gov. Palin has positioned herself as essentially anti-Big Oil. This plays well with the electorate in the current scandal ridden environment. It remains to be seen how it will play in the realpolitik of the Alaska Legislature where Gov. Palin has gone out of her way to antagonize some powerful Members, particularly Senate President Lyda Green who heads an unlikely coalition of Republicans and Democrats after she wrested control of the Senate away from those who most would consider the "old guard" Republicans. At minimum, there will be a very entertaining clash of two very powerful and strong-willed women. I've worked with and for Sen. Green, and I know I wouldn't go out of my way to antagonize her. My assessment is that Gov. Palin has the People at her side but Sen. Green has the inside game. Gov. Palin has gone so far as to openly endorse one of her adherents to oppose Green in this Fall's election, so there is no love lost.
Posted in Republicans — Comments (17) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 1:22pm on May 21, 2008 "Black Culture:" By Popular Demand
By Achance
This is posted elsewhere as a comment in response to ZootSuit. Some requested that I post it as a diary so here it is with a few afterthoughts added. There's little original thinking here. For those interested in sources or further study, I'd recommend "The Strange Career of Jim Crow," C. Vann Woodward's magisterial though deeply flawed history of racial policy in The South, a work many consider to have been the greatest influence on the Brown Court in setting aside de jure segregation. See also, Woodward's "The Burden of Southern History," Genovese's "Time on the Cross," and if you'd like to go further, Cash's "The Mind of the South" and Twelve Southerner's "I'll Take My Stand." Southern intellectual history really isn't an oxymoron.
Posted in Culture — Comments (71) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 10:16am on May 14, 2008 So, you like that $4.00/gal. gas, huh?
By Achance
Well, once again the Senate has refused to sanction opening ANWR, story here: http://www.adn.com/anwr/story/405342.html
I love the irony of the Dems and even a few Rs, claiming they're doing something about fuel prices by stopping a few thousand barrels a day from going to the Strategic Reserve but refusing to take an action that would put 1 MM/bbl./dy. into the US supply in a year or two if the enabling legislation also limited the litigation. Guess Greenie money and votes are more important to the Honorable Gentlemen and Ladies.
Posted in Energy — Comments (195) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 8:21am on Apr. 25, 2008 Energy Costs Get Personal - And Expensive! UPDATED 6/19
By Achance
I can't say that I've much cared about higher gas prices; my state was making money, I was making money, and I don't use much gas except on my boat, and using it is discretionary. I heat and make domestic hot water with oil and the price has gone up, but I bought a new boiler last year that is much more efficient than the '64 vintage one it replaces, so even at higher prices I really wasn't paying any more. And then Mother Nature intervened.
Posted in Energy — Comments (13) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 10:58am on Apr. 19, 2008 Gov. Palin: It's A Boy. UPDATE 4/22
By Achance
Named "Trig." Born at 6:30 am ADT yesterday, 6 lb. 10 oz. and about a month premature. The Anchorage Daily News story is here: http://www.adn.com/politics/story/380560.html
Her release refers to the child having special challenges and the word is that he has Down's Syndrome, but the rumor and conspiracy mill is full of all sorts of stuff ranging all the way to alleging that she has faked her own pregnancy in order to cover for her daughter's pregnancy. There is also all sorts of stuff flying around the blogosphere questioning her choice of flying all the way back to Alaska from a conference in Texas after she began labor. Take from it all what you will; there's a certain amount of Palin Derangement Syndrome here made more virulent by the fact that she remains very popular.