Farming in the Interior

One of the projects I am working on at my regular job is a history of farming in the Tanana Valley, a book written by Jo Papp and Josie Phillips. One of our original local media stalwarts, William Fendtriss "Wrong Font" Thompson (founder of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner), was a major booster of agriculture in the Interior.

I can relate. It's a wonderful thing to get fresh food that hasn't been shipped halfway around the world. I love buying food from Calypso Farm or the Farmer's Market, knowing that I'm supporting local farmers, that I'm not wasting oil by getting something shipped from who knows where when I can get it here, that the food I get is fresher and better for me. I like to buy my bread from Hearthside Bakery when I can, because even though the flour isn't Alaskan, the bread is, and it's fresh, and really tasty, besides.

The Tanana Valley could almost feed itself back in the twenties, but then, as now, the big obstacle was that food from Outside was often cheaper than local food. But it costs to buy food from far away in ways that we aren't immediately charged for. We subsidize the big agribusinesses and trade treaties that make it harder for small, local, family farmers to make a living.

Reading about these local farmers after whom our streets and schools and buildings and malls are named, I get a deeper appreciation of what they were working for, and what modern-day farmers are continuing to build: independence and good meals and healthy people.

2,000 dead

Today, the official death toll for US troops in Iraq reached 2,000. But that's only the soldiers killed in action. It doesn't include those who died later of wounds received, or of suicides, or of non-combat-related accidents, or illnesses. It doesn't count contractors or mercenaries, nor does it include Iraqis.

According to Iraq Body Count, between 26,690 and 30,051 Iraqi civilians have been reported killed.

According to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, 3,450 Iraqi police and military have been reported killed, and at least 272 contractors. 493 Coalition people have died from non-combat related causes.

For lies. And liars in high office.

This is why one should never vote for a politician who lies.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Shop locally! (a short rant)

So, we have a PetCo opening up. Time to kill the local pet and feed stores, apparently. First we wiped out the local grocery stores (anybody remember Lindy's, or College Inn Grocery?), we're working on wiping out the local hardware stores and lumber yards, and now—look out, Cold Spot, Alaska Feed and Fuel, Pet Stuff! You're next!

Fairbanks is slowly transforming from a northern frontier town, unique and homey and tourist-friendly, to one big box store consumer outlet looking just like all the other Wal-Martized towns around the country. All the money that would have stayed in town, supporting your neighbors (who supported you) is getting whisked out of town, into the multimillion-dollar wallets of people whose obscene profits are getting subsidized by Bush's tax cuts and the municipalities and boroughs that have to deal with increased traffic and gasoline consumption due to sprawl, subsidized housing for impoverished big-box-store full-time workers, emergency room charges for a workforce without health insurance (and who can't pay for preventative medicine which results in emergency medicine which they can't pay for which leaves the hospital stiffed which leaves the state or feds bailing them out, or reduces the staff or equipment the hospital can afford....), increased cost to local police departments (higher crime in box store parking lots, apparently).

As time goes on, more and more of us will be unable to afford to shop anywhere else, because our town is going to be impoverished by these stores. But that's okay, it's cheaper to shop at a chain.

At first.

FGN again

The FGN Direct Action Collective (don't freak out by the use of that word, dear reader) has a regular meeting time now:

Thursday evenings 6 to 9 pm
UAF Campus, 408 Gruening Building
info and action!

Here's their draft manifesto:

Fairbanks Grassroots Network (FGN) is a network of activists and groups who come together to fight for a better future. At the core of grassroots organizing is the belief that people should control their own lives and work together as equals. Many of FGN’s members come from campaigns around specific issues such as environmental justice, social justice, the anti-war movement, community building, women’s issues, housing conflicts, traffic campaigning, anti-racism, pro-choice activism, etc; others got involved in the run-up to the Wal-Mart 2 actions. Some of us are anarchists, feminists, socialists, ecologists etc.; others have no particular affiliation. We meet weekly at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to report news from the frontlines, put our heads together and organize for progressive, powerful social change.

By subjecting the status quo to critical thinking and scrutiny, to revolutionize what appears self-evident, we have the power to transform our world.

listserve notice to follow, as soon as I know what it is...

Party report: KUAC flap

An essential part of the public commons these days is public radio. Greg Petrowich, station manager of KUAC, is in a tight spot due to what I'd say was a REALLY bad decision to whack out a whole bunch of popular programs and replace them with a few others—without checking with the public about it. An uproar ensued. Petrowich made the further error of dismissing those upset as being a "small, vocal group" in an opinion published in the News-Miner in August. Since then there have been all sorts of letters to the editor, editorials, opinions, and whatnot from a pretty large and very vocal group. Petrowich's timing was also terrible: this was done shortly before the pledge drive, and, rumor has it, KUAC is not doing very well this year.

But KUAC did finally start to acknowledge the listeners' concerns recently, and I was heartened to receive an e-mail from them on Friday saying that Luke Hopkins, Torie Foote, Dermott Cole, and John Davies had been recruited to a Community Task Force "to develop better community communication and meaningful partnerships for the future." But then I received another e-mail, from No Nukes North and signed by Foote, Hopkins, and Davies, saying that KUAC used their names without checking with them first. At the party, John told me that when he saw KUAC's note, he "nearly went through the roof," especially since the Community Leadership Council's membership (tentative or no) has been kept tightly secret. So KUAC jumped the gun a bit.

The three of them have since talked with Murray Richmond, the volunteer organizing the task force, and clarified that their participation is tentative and conditional upon the purpose of the group, and that they'd like to hear more. KUAC sent out a correction this morning.

Party report: ANWR and reality

Quite the interesting fundraiser. The party was held at Well Street Art Company, with much interesting art by Don Decker and a show put together by Ron Senungetuk (very beautiful, interesting works by a variety of artists).

Eric Croft was speaking and answering questions as we arrived (we were a bit late). He was talking about the gas line. I didn't catch if he was talking about an all-Alaska line. Mike Musick asked him what he thought about opening the refuge up to oil drilling; Croft's answer was that it was really a side issue, that the state had no control over it anyway, and that he'd rather concentrate on developing resources on state land, such as the gas, which is cleaner. Mike pressed for an answer, and Croft replied, directly, that he thought it should be opened. A woman near the wall said in agreement, "At some point you've got to face reality."

Hans (my husband) nearly walked out.

I pointed out (although not tidily) that the hoopla around ANWR has very little to do with reality, that the numbers have been manipulated and that plain dishonesty and exaggeration have characterized much of the discussion on drilling in the refuge. It seems to me that people need to be told the truth about it, rather than giving in to a mass illusion and saying "Drill it!" as though that will get him elected. Didn't work for Knowles, and it didn't work for Ulmer, as Mike pointed out later at the Golden Eagle.

I asked Croft about renewable energy, and he said he'd push for Fire Island as a test project. Then he went on to something else. Former legislator John Davies asked him to go back to renewable energy, but Croft didn't hear him. (This is a problem with many candidates and elected officials in Alaska.) Then the Q&A format dissolved, and everybody got to mingling. I saw Jim Sykes, who we'd come with, talking with him later.

As we left, Croft shook our hands and said he'd really like to talk more with me; I told him that I might call him up later and interview him. I want to hear more about renewables.

But I seriously doubt at this point that I would vote for him (given no Green alternative); ANWR, I discovered tonight, is a deciding issue for me. And I'm not alone.

Got a call from Eric

I received a phone call today from Eric Croft, who is running for governor, inviting me to a "meet the candidate" party. Problem: he's a Democrat. That's not exactly a big problem at the moment, but it could be. I am a party loyalist, of course, so it depends on whether we run a candidate for governor…

So perhaps later I'll be posting a party report. Interestingly, Jim Sykes is staying with us for a few days.

Some sensible ideas

Brian Yanity's article on wind power in Alaska, "North to the Future: Powering Alaska when the oil runs out", is a sensible examination of our options and how to prepare for a healthy economic future for Alaska. The article was republished on Toward Freedom, and this statement from it seems so obvious that you'd think we would be going full steam ahead on this already:

"The sooner Alaska starts developing innovative renewable energy resources, the more diverse Alaska’s economy will be."

The Greens have been saying this for years, along with pretty much the entire environmental movement, but for some reason Governor Murkowski and company keep harping on oil. Let's get this straight: OIL HAS NO FUTURE. Well, a sharply limited one, anyway. Yup, the prices are nice for our royalties (so long as we have them—because of the ELF and Murky Frank, we don't get royalties on a lot of our oil, and will be getting less next year) but they are hell on our wallets when we have to buy heating oil or gasoline.

Addenda: There's a petition to repeal the ELF, and here's the latest status report on it; the petition needs to be filed by April 20, 2006.

Stevens still trying for torture

According to an article by John Donnelly of the Congressional Quarterly, reprinted at the Newsrack, Ted Stevens wants to exempt certain classified interrogations from Senator McCain's amendment (pdf link), and he is quite possibly in a position to do it. This means that the organizations with the least open public oversight, the intelligence agencies, and in particular the CIA, would, um, be able to operate without being subject to the Geneva Conventions. (Of course, this would break with the treaty we signed.) They could, in other words, torture, stress, and intimidate prisoners. How can anyone in their right mind believe that this is acceptable, or good?

Professor Marty Lederman, on Balkinization, has exposed Stevens as a bounder of the worst kind. (Unfortunately, Stevens is not alone.) Lederman explains clearly why Senator McCain's provision on detainee treatment is important, and not simply a superfluous reiteration of already existing law and treaty.

Well, torture is stereotypically conducted in dungeons, where sunlight doesn't reach. Guess where the sun don't shine, Ted?

The conference committee between the House and Senate (Stevens is leading the Senate's conferees) will be meeting the week of October 17, like, THIS WEEK. Perhaps we should all call Senator "Torture" Ted Stevens and give him an earful.

Here's his web form.
Here's his Washington phone number: 202-224-3004
Here's his office addresses, both in Washington and Alaska.

The Greens are right: Young's bridges hurt Alaska

Diana Campbell's News-Miner story, "Federal highway funds slashed in Interior," is a vindication of the stance of the Green Party of Alaska and other groups who have come out against the Knik Arm and the Ketchikan-Gravina bridges. Sixty percent of the funds for those bridges are coming out of local highway projects. That means we are paying for Don Young's boondoggles, not only for these bridges, but for other porcine and ill-advised projects, with more than half the funds that would have otherwise gone to road repair and other needed projects.

So, does Fairbanks REALLY want to fund Young's pet projects?

Well, if not, there's always America Gives Back.

Pro-torture Ted

Senator Ted Stevens was not only one of the 9 members of the US Senate (Allard (R-CO), Bond (R-MO), Coburn (R-OK), Cochran (R-MS), Cornyn (R-TX), Inhofe (R-OK), Roberts (R-KS), Sessions (R-AL), and Uncle Ted) who voted against Senator John McCain's anti-torture amendment, he actually had the gall to argue FOR the use of torture, although not on the Senate floor. (I heard him on NPR while I still wasn't quite awake. Horrible.) For this, he has rightly been compared with Adolph Eichman. He's entered into Barf City.

This is appalling. When are we gonna throw this man out of office?

"The greatest crimes are committed not for the sake of necessities, but for the sake of superfluities. Men do not become tyrants in order to avoid exposure to the cold." — Aristotle (sent to me by Dan Glass—thanks, Dan)

When ELFs Go Wrong

Ray Metcalfe and Richard Fineberg spoke at a seminar yesterday sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Service and the UAF School of Management (Energy Economics Program) on Alaska's oil taxation. The basic question was, "Could sharing oil windfalls mean larger Permanent Fund dividends?"

The answer, of course, was YES.

I wasn't able to go, unfortunately (nasty sinusy cold laid me out—ick). But the gist is that the Alaska public is only getting half of what we legally should for oil revenue, and that our elected leaders (Frank Murkowski, Ben Stevens, Gary Wilken, Ralph Seekins, among others) are selling us down the river. Ray Metcalfe and the Republican Moderates have information on Ben Stevens' conflict of interest and VECO connections, and Richard Seifert, the moderator, has interesting links on his site to energy and economic information pertaining to Alaska.

Alaska: the new Florida in the world of political corruption (only oilier)…

Wal-Mart and the News-Miner

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner's Sunday editorial was a real doozy. Wal-Mart is planning on building a 37-acre Super store off the Mitchell Expressway. The News-Miner breezily asserted that "there is nothing that can stop the arrival of the second Wal-Mart" and " If Wal-Mart wants to build it, then it will be built."

Oh, yeah? Then how is it that small towns are preventing these megastores from being built in their communities?

Their editorial did point out that there are certain problems with having Wal-Marts in one's town, but went on to quote Sam Walton (hardly a neutral source) as saying that, essentially, Wal-Mart is good for small towns and creates "hundreds of thousands of jobs." And of course, they are cheap. But what are the costs of those cheap jobs and that cheap merchandise?

I've always detested stores like Wal-Mart because of their warehouse architecture, and the fact that they drive small local businesses into the ground. Unions don't like them either. Wal-Mart's purchasing power has driven manufacturing jobs out of the country, and Wal-Mart doesn't like unions--basically because they demand a living wage for their members. And health care.

The welcoming of the first Wal-Mart in town was obscene, a veritable worshipping of Mammon and bargains, with no reflection on the cost to Fairbanks. I don't think the second store will slip in quite so easily as the News-Miner editor thinks.

But I'm sure the News-Miner will welcome the increased advertising revenue a second Wal-Mart could bring them....

Fairbanks Grassroots Network

The group now has a name, per above, and is already planning street theatre and a party/carnival for the 30th (I can do this kind of thing quite happily). Opportune timing, I say. Dan Glass, who acted as chair for the last forum, seems to be a natural organizer. An action planner has already been sent out. Woo-hoo!

The next meeting will be 6-9 pm, Thursday October 13, 303 Gruening Bldg. on the UAF campus, with a forum and possibly a movie on Wal-Mart.

Starting out

Well, The Ester Republic is now venturing into the world of blogs. Here's a bit of info to start things off:

The Sustainable Campus Task Force, of the UAF campus, has gotten political/activist organizing off to a roaring start. Rodney Guritz called a meeting of progressive "activists, visionaries, and advocates" last Thursday evening, and about thirty people showed up. The SCTF showed "Outfoxed", an exposé of Fox News and how it's pretty much a partisan organizing machine for the Republican Party, issuing propaganda and "infotainment" instead of genuine news. (Very good film; I recommend it highly.) The group discussed several issues of local concern, and resolved to set up a website and possibly to start a paper, or at least a newsheet similar to the Recycled Toilet Paper. Most of the group were students, but Representative David Guttenberg, myself, Doug Yates, Jeanne Olson, the director of the Northern Environmental Center, and a several others from the community were there. It was an encouraging and energizing gathering.

The next meeting will be on campus at 6 pm, Thursday Oct. 13.