Sean Parnell on Domestic Violence

A lot of media attention has been focusing on Governor Palin's announcement last week, but when it comes to Alaska, it is Sean Parnell that will soon be in charge.

Lt. Governor Sean Parnell is a lawyer from the University of Puget Sound. Before being elected as Lt. Governor in 2006, he was working for the law firm of Patton Boggs in Anchorage and served as a member of the legislature for several years. Last fall, he was one of two Republicans challenging Don Young for Alaska's lone US House seat during the Republican primary. Parnell did not win that primary election, but was very close. The difference was around 300 votes.

When it comes to Parnell's political and economic views, Sean is very Conservative and the media has been covering a lot of that already. So, when it comes to one of Alaska's big elephants in the room, Parnell doesn't hold back when it comes to talking about domestic violence issues. He has given speeches at AWAIC and has never been shy to talk about his family history. In an opinion piece published by the Anchorage Daily News back in 2007, Sean Parnell talked about his family's experience regarding his abusive and alcoholic grandfather and how that abuse negatively affected his parents and other relatives. Given that personal experience, he has recognized the problems and challenges concerning the high rate of domestic violence, child abuse and suicide rates in our state.

Alaska ranks as the top state with the highest number of domestic abuse and child abuse cases per capita.

Sarah Palin to Resign from Governorship

I’m breaking my own rule because I have decided to write about Sarah Palin for the first time.

Governor Palin has announced that she will resign from the governorship in a few weeks. This will leave Lt. Governor Sean Parnell in charge of Alaska. Craig Campbell, head of the state Department of Military Affairs and National Guard, will become Lt. Governor. For Republicans, this means an open season for the governorship. I doubt that Parnell will be let to run without competition if he were to try to retain the seat.

Officially, nobody really knows the reason, but rumors are spreading like wildfire: Palin wants to be a media celebrity; Palin will start to campaign for the presidency right now; Palin couldn’t handle bloggers and the Vanity Fair article that was so highly critical of her, etc. The truth is, nobody outside of her family and inner circle really has a clue.

Don Young Files

According to the Fairbanks News Miner, Congressman Don Young has filed to run for reelection once again. Young faced several opponents last fall, Sean Parnell and Gabrielle LeDoux during the Republican primary, and Ethan Berkowitz (who is likely running for Governor of Alaska this time) during the general election.

So far, there aren't any other challengers for Young's seat. There has been speculation about Diane Benson and Hollis French from the Democratic front, but the same is said about them eyeing the governor's race. There's also a rumor that a well known independent conservative might give it a try.

Have No Fear

Have no fear.

There are many perspectives and rights that have been discussed on the issue of the non-discrimination ordinance for the city of Anchorage. The position I’ve been most vocal about is the rights of the people in the community to express how they feel- however they are doing it. What should be emphasized as important here is not the fact that one could go to hell for “choosing” to be gay, or that one is determined a “hater” because you wear a red shirt. What is important here is that our community recognizes where we are in the evolution of this state, this frontier state, we call Alaska.

In looking for inspiration for this piece, I consulted the Alaska Constitution, which surprised me with this last sentence in the Introduction: “Please read it and understand its continuing dedication to you as the governor, not to be governed.”, signed John B. “Jack” Coghill.

Ah, ha! This blog is to Think Alaska. Lucky for this state, the founders of the constitution were wise enough to understand what it meant to own it. This is where I asked myself: Why do we need to pass any governing document for the people to do the things we should already inherently be doing?

I like to approach differences in an unconventional way. I like to approach differences first with common ground. As a commission based media sales rep, my days are filled with people upping the standard, asking me to jeopardize my morals and ethics, people request I match the actions of my competitors. I am asked every day to differentiate business people from each other. I am asked to stand out above the other 1000 media sales reps in the market and make my clients successful. What I have learned is by focusing on the sameness in clients and within the industry, I can earn the respect needed to elevate any opportunity.

What is the sameness in this situation? People, take off your blinders. This is not a matter of personal choice and discretion. This is a consideration for the quality of life for your neighbors, our community, and our state. Being gay or being Baptist doesn’t make you different from me. It makes you the same because you agree you have the choice to do what moves you- what makes you feel good.

The basic premise of the Prevo movement is religion. Now, religion can open up a can of worms; if you are going to bring God into any argument, you need to kind of know the guy. I was introduced to him long ago from my single mother in the Midwest. God was her man. God was the person that allowed her to put food on the table and dress herself everyday and work for her two young daughters. God gave her the strength to smile and teach her two young daughters that life and people are good. “God is always watching you”, she would say, and I always thought that was a little creepy. Nevertheless, God was a big part of my life, and I still value the lessons I was taught during that time.

I remember a magnet that clung to the refrigerator with two people walking hand in hand on a rustic orange sunset beach with this verse:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . .And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - excerpts from 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

I could continue with numerous other passages from the Bible that reiterate the importance of love and compassion and humanity, but you already know them. Perhaps, God intended for this knowledge to be a part of the physical make-up of our bodies. Perhaps it is simply the energy of being that allow us to exercise the highest level of emotion and compassion.

I’m an obvious supporter of the coined term “live and let live”. I live in Alaska because the people living here are in constant motion to create the quality of life they want. I think it is easy to forget that every right we have in America is a special right. They are all special rights that even in a time where the nation’s reputation can be disputed, people across the globe still seek to be on this land because of the right to freedom we all agree is so important.

So, I ask me this:

If, we as Alaskans agree that we would rather be governors than be governed, AND
If, we as humans agree that love and compassion is what gives purpose to life, AND
If, we as Americans believe that our freedom is a special right, THEN…

What is the big deal?

Our community is filled with interesting, forward thinking, innovative, and highly intelligent people, who do not need an ordinance to tell us what is right and what is not. I believe it is unfortunate and short sighted for people to deny their basic human instinct of love for one another. It is also unfortunate for people to rely on politicians of any kind to enforce what rights are for any individual. As humans, we already understand.

While I would like to see the non-discrimination ordinance be passed to include “sexual orientation” it is not because it is going to change the way I treat people. And the opposite is also true. But I believe our leaders have the power to embrace love for our diverse community and make a statement to other communities that we are in fact, an owner state.

As a woman, as a Caucasian, as an Iowan, as a young person, as a Chevy driver, as a Mac user with a Blackberry, as a spiritual being, I will always encounter someone who has a problem with who I am. And that’s okay. I love you anyway.

Morgan Christen's Installation

I am at the discovery theatre in Anchorage attending then installation of Morgan Christen to the Alaska Supreme Court.

The placed is getting totally packed. I am sitting next to Carol Comeau and one of CIRI's vp's.

Tea-baggers lose in the Valley

This election demonstrates just how weak the tea-bag group is, even in the Valley. Bruce Walden was their candidate. He has the old-school Valley conservative act down: anyone who disagrees with him is a Marxist. Any form of land use planning is the moral equivalent of Stalin's Gulag. This is the stuff that used to win elections here.

Not any more. The last battle they won was when they cowed the Assembly into instituting a tax cap in the face of their voter initiative. That was, I think, in 2002? 2003?

Since then, they've lost every battle: Their so-called 'takings initiative' lost big-time. Over a series of three elections, they lost control of the Matanuska Electric Association.

And now Bruce Walden. If this group was ever going to win, this would have been the time. The 7.5% turnout worked in their favor. You can be sure, after a series of well-attended tea-bag rallies, that this group was motivated to turn out. Granted, Carl Gatto wasn't using state resources to promote the tea-bag candidate. (Think Alaska readers will remember that Gatto helped promote at least one of the rallies here.) But on the whole, the low turnout should have worked in their favor. They had the organization and the motivation to turn out. Even under the best of circumstances, 772 votes is all they could get.

Talis Colberg Elected Mayor

The election results are in and Talis Colberg has won by a huge margin. Turnout was very low, only about 7.50% of registered voters. Here are the results from the Borough's website:

2541 COLBERG, Talis J.
59 FONDAHN, Emil A., "Butch"
42 LEINER, John F.
452 MENARD, Steve
45 SHOR, Frank W.
54 STRAUB, David J.
772 WALDEN, Bruce
31 Write-In

Mat Su residents testifying in Anchorage?

Several people attending the Anchorage Assembly's public testimony today, are reporting that Rev. Prevo and others have brought people from Mat Su to protest the anti-discrimination ordinance.

The young man in this picture (photo by Elstun Lauesen) said that he was brought in from Mat Su.

After hearing from several people, Assemblywoman Harriet Drummond requested that only Anchorage residents be allowed to testify, but Chairwoman Debbie Ossiander did not agree.

Mat Su Borough Special Election Tomorrow

The Mat Su Borough will hold a special election for Mayor tomorrow. The polling places will close at 8:00p.m.

Seven candidates signed up to run for mayor after the passing of Curt Menard. The winner will only serve for a few months, as the regular election will be in October. Leading the list of candidates are Talis Colberg, former Attorney General and Steve Menard, son of Curt Menard and former Wasilla Councilman. Other candidates include Bruce Fondahn, John Leihner, Frank Shor, David Straub and Bruce Walden.

Election results will be available via the Borough's website.

Public Testimony on Sexual Orientation Discrimination Ordinance

Tomorrow evening, the Anchorage Assembly will hear public testimony regarding Anchorage Ordinance 64. The ordinance, as introduced by Assemblyman Pat Flynn, seeks to include language into the municipal code that would make it a crime to discriminate against people with different sexual orientation, or gender identification.

For weeks, interest groups and individuals have been fighting a war of words. There is a lot of misinformation going around. Rev. Jerry Prevo from the Anchorage Baptist Temple is leading a crusade against the ordinance. This will be his third time fighting similar ordinances. His main argument is that, if passed, the ordinance would allow heterosexual men unchecked access to female restrooms. He also claims that men dressed as women will show up to work, or that religious institutions would be required to hire homosexual bus drivers. Municipal Attorney, Jim Reeves, has indicated that the ordinance will not have this effect since other laws are in place.

Fighting in favor of the ordinance is an advocacy group called Equality Works. The people from Equality Works have engaged in a community education campaign that has, so far, infuriated conservatives in Anchorage and beyond.

In Mat-Su, a local baptist pastor, Ron Hamman, followed Prevo's steps and submitted a vitriolic opinion through The Frontiersman. The overwhelming majority of responses in that newspaper have been against Hamman's views.

Public testimony will take place tomorrow at the Loussac Library (36th & Denali) in Anchorage at 5:00 p.m.

Pete Kott and Vic Kohring to be set free

According to the Anchorage Daily News, the US Justice Department is asking for the release of Pete Kott & Vic Kohring. According to the Justice Department, their trial was tainted by the lack of disclosure of evidence that is alleged in their favor.

It's All About Balance: The 'White Guy'Fulcrum Vs A Latina Fulcrum

By Elstun W. Lauesen

Ryan Grim commentator for Huffington Post called Senator Sessions' appearance on Face the Nation a 'walking back' on negative comments flowing from the Right-Wing gasbags on Judge Sotomayor. For those of you living in a cave, Judge Sotomayor made a speech at a diversity gathering years ago on the topic of why it is important to have people with diverse backgrounds on the bench. She basically said that a wise latina woman may bring perspectives that would make her a better judge in some cases than a White Male. And Lordy, the eye rolling and hand-wringing from the Right is enough to cause the ground to quake.

Unfortunately for the Right, whose job it is to defend privilege and corporate primacy, Judge Sotomayor's statement is prima facie true and everyone in America with more than half a wit knows it.

There are times when a judge may have a background or expertise that uniquely qualifies him/her to balance the various factors before a court in a case. It is good to have a judge with a background in economics, for example, to help balance the arguments in a case involving what constitutes reasonable return on investment for a regulated firm. Similarly, since many of the challenges of supreme judicial balance, such as those testing the doctrine of equal protection, arise from circumstances unfamiliar to a "privileged White Guy" it would be helpful to have someone with the capacity to understand the context of a case to be engaged in that judicial balancing act.

Listening to Judge Sotomayor's critics, one would think that an ideal judge would be a supercomputer, balancing 1s and 0s. But the law is, as Justice Holmes said, a difficult, human enterprise.

I would hardly characterize Senator Sessions comments "effusive praise", as Grim does. In fact, Session calls "troubling" Judge Sotomayor's distinction between a "White Male" fulcrum and a "Latina" fulcrum in achieving judicial balance.

Sigh

It is not debatable that a Judge's background has an influence in his/her perspective of a case. "Judicial temperament" is the important issue here and whether the Judge can balance her background with the Rule of Law. There is nothing raised by her critics of Judge Sotomayor's extensive experience on the bench that demonstrates that she lacks 'Judicial Temperament".

The point I gathered from Judge Sotomayor's 2001 speech is that we have a long tradition of judges balancing justice from the fulcrum of white privilege; and balancing justice from a different fulcrum would be important in altering the architecture of judicial balance to more accurately reflect the material and the ground in today's America.

The architecture of a more diverse judiciary would be roomier and better founded than Country Club that currently exists.

Race for governor might get really interesting

As I mentioned before, it looks like Sen. Hollis French is getting more serious about possibly running for Governor. The Democratic primary will be interesting to follow, specially with such well known candidates Ethan Berkowitz and Hollis French. Rumors are also spreading that Les Gara might join the fray.

Bob Poe is also making progress and he recently hired Kay Brown, former Communications Director of the Alaska Democratic Party, to run his campaign.

My theory, and I could be completely wrong, is that Governor Palin will run for reelection as governor. If she wins, and let's not forget that she is extremely popular in Alaska, she could then challenge Sen. Mark Begich with the help from Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens.

As far as I know, the only Republican who has hinted at possibly running for governor has been John Harris.

Then there's the possible Halcro candidacy. No word from him yet, but it wouldn't be surprising if he decided to give it a second try.

What do YOU think?

(Picture of Ethan Berkowitz at the HACA US Candidates Forum in 2007)

The Economic Costs of Discrimination

In 1997, Alaskans voted in support of a marriage-limitation amendment to our state constitution. It was not a close vote, but I'm proud to say that I was one of the 30% who voted against it. I feel even stronger today that this amendment is a black mark on our history comparable to Jim Crow laws in the south.

Clinging to a notion of family as 'one man, one woman' with the potential of some biological children strikes me as just plain bone-headed. Modern, urban families are nothing like the agrarian families of 100 years ago, not to mention the polygamous families of the Old Testament. Families change because the world changes.

But here's something else to think about: Just how much damage to the Alaskan economy did we do 12 years ago?

PROVINCETOWN — All the flowers, cakes, invitations, tuxedos and horse-drawn carriages purchased or rented for same-sex nuptials in Massachusetts has added an estimated $111 million to the state's economy, according to a new report from The Williams Institute at the University of California School of Law.

$111 million in five years in one town!. If Alaskans had voted down the marriage limitation amendment 12 years ago, we would have injected millions more into our economy. Think about it. If we had allowed the court rulings about same sex marriage to stand, Alaska would have been the pioneer state, a premier destination for an enthusiastic new niche market in wedding travel. There are towns in Alaska -- Palmer is one of them -- that are perfect wedding destinations. We have everything we need: hotels and B&Bs close by, a community center, florists, restaurants.

Not only that, but tourism attracts talent: engineers, software designers, economists, musicians, -- what-have-you. And talent creates jobs. Many of the people who live here today, contributing to Alaska's wealth and character, started as tourists.

The sad thing is, the marriage limitation amendment was completely out of character for Alaska. Alaska has always been an open-minded, accepting place, a 'live and let live' kind of state. Bigotry should have no place here.

Now is the time to repeal the family limitation amendment -- and if the folks in the tourist industry have any sense, they'll be the ones to lead the charge.

Unique Parchment Version of the Alaskan Constitution on Display

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of statehood and the Alaska Bar Association Convention in Juneau, the Alaska State Museum has agreed to display the original hand lettered parchment copy of the Alaska Constitution. Judge Tom Stewart commissioned a special copy for display. He had a $10,000 budget to get it done and he hired the White House’s calligrapher to get it done in 1956.

One has to see it in person to appreciate its beauty. The display will end on Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Huh?

About two days ago, an anonymous person posted a rambling about me in here and other blogs. The post talked about all the things I apparently stood for during my legislative campaign last fall.

I generally don't pay attention to anonymous smear campaigns, but this one is intersting because after some research in our statistics and logs, the search terms used to land on the blog were "Carl Gatto Alaska". The visitor landed in one of my older posts that criticized Carl Gatto and then he/she went on to leave the post. The comments made were so absurd that it made the three of us laugh out loud.

So, dear readers, for the record, here's what I proudly stand for:

* Adequate funding for K-12 education and support for more vocational education in our High Schools

* Support the reinstatement of the defined benefits for teachers and public employees

* State funding for renewable and clean energy projects. We need to move away from our addiction to fossil fuels, foreign oil and we need to provide more assistance to rural Alaska

* An all Alaskan gas line that generates jobs and provides our villages and cities with much needed energy

* Equal access to justice for all Alaskans and funding support for programs that assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault

* Healthcare for all Alaskans

* Support for our farms and protection of our farmland

The Mindy O'Nils Show

It all started with a conversation about conversations. How as young Alaskans we wanted a venue for sharing, engaging in dialogue, and conversing, openly and honestly.

Thus, with little fanfare, and not a lot of preparation, the Mindy O'Nils Show was born. Hosted by KUDO 1080AM "Alaska's Progressive Voice," this is an opportunity to talk about anything and everything that has to do with Alaska and young professionals, emerging leaders in Alaska.

Mindy O'Neall and Nils Andreassen co-host the show. Mindy, an Iowan who has always wanted to be on radio, and Nils, a Washington transplant who has a knack for sticking his foot in his mouth, are excited about this new forum.

The theme song of Happy Talk, from South Pacific, sets the tone early. This is a chance to dream and deliberate, maintaining the balance between who we are as professionals and who we are as people. Kokayi Nosakhere provided the voiceover talents for segments.

Segments include At the Table, a review of the opportunities for young Alaskans to engage and build their capacity for leadership; YP of the week, which features up and comers and the great work they are doing; and Libation Liberation, a week in wine. Each show will be based around a conversation, based on who we're talking to or what we want to talk about.

This week's At the Table highlighted Leadership Anchorage's graduation party on the 19th at the Heritage Center, as well as voting on the 5th, a poetry slam on the 7th at Fairview Rec, and Green Bee Studio's opening on Saturday.

The YP of the Week was a tough call. We want to recognize Kristina Bellamy for her appointment to be the new principal at Tudor Elementary. Erick Cordero's appointment to the Mat Su School Board was a close second.

We also want to give a shout out to La Bodega's Wine of the Month and Beer of the Month Clubs. Stop by the store today.

Following each show we'll be meeting at Bernie's Bungalow, which is helping to sponsor the show. Come tell us what you think.

The show will be every Sunday at 4pm, 1080AM. Tune in, call in, drop by Bernie's after the show.

Congrats!

Congratulations to Erick Cordero for being selected to the Mat-Su School Board. Those of us who know him, who appreciate his hard work and dedication in all things, are looking forward to this new chapter in his life.

Young Leadership

As a young professional in Anchorage, I’m slowly developing a network of peers. Some of these I communicate with regularly, most share common interests (public policy and politics, for the most part) and I’d like to know all of them better. They come with a wealth of experience, knowledge, intuition and character. Individually, we are able to accomplish much. I wonder what we could do together.

In talking to people in organizations across the state for the past year, the question of young leadership often comes up. It is a noticeably different discussion today than 10 years ago. For the most part, the state is increasingly retaining our best and brightest youth. The “brain drain” the universities in Alaska had experienced seems to be turning around. Today, we have a groundswell of enthusiastic, intelligent, result-driven, hard-working, energetic, action-oriented young people who care about Alaska. These 20- and 30-year-olds will soon be in positions of leadership, if they aren’t already, faced with decisions that will affect our state, its communities and each other.

We need to recognize the valuable resource these young people represent and invest in them. Investment, in this case, means connecting the next generation of Alaska’s leaders to resources, opportunities, issues and the people those issues affect. We also need to connect them to each other. It doesn’t have to cost a lot. It could be that seasoned leaders act as mentors for emerging leaders. It could be reflected in the number of venues we provide for young adults to gather. Leadership is developed, and demonstrated, among peers. Opportunities for young leaders to participate in new and challenging venues are very likely to result in growing their capacity for leadership.

When we think of sustainability, it comes down to connectivity, particularly in Alaska. Connectivity describes the invisible strands of knowing one another, of relationships and networks. More, connectivity is about face to face interaction that results in meaningful dialogue. It means knowing where someone is coming from, what issues affect them and what they hope to accomplish. We become “sustainable” when we proactively inter-relate to one another.

Connectivity is also about doing something with that relationship, building on it, creating a new dynamic. That’s what makes it appealing to younger generations, the fact that we can meet someone and explore a new realm of possibilities, often resulting in action. Action is especially important for young leaders.

There is every indication that intentional leadership development is beginning to happen in Alaska, as organizations across the state make it one of their priorities, supporting it with some of the resources and the opportunities emerging leaders are looking for. Leadership development is an essential component of sustainability because it cuts across the issues facing the state and the sectors that address them. Leadership bridges culture, space, history; it unites us as Alaskans.

While many groups are working around the issue, in many cases young leaders themselves are spearheading the effort. There is a growing statewide social peer network of young professionals actively working to change the way we do things in Alaska. This network shares information, collaborates on projects and helps to ensure each other’s success by working together for common goals. A demonstration of this network is found in the increasing communication between groups like the Alaska Native Professional Association, Anchorage Urban League Young Professionals, Knowledge Industry Network, Leadership Anchorage, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Arctic Institute for Indigenous Leadership, Beyond Borders, United Way’s Emerging Leaders and many others.

As we celebrate 50 years as a state, emerging leaders in Alaska are looking forward to the next 50 with the same strength and fervor that those who wrote our Constitution did. My guess is, that as we come together and grow as young Alaskans, we will continue to develop the vision that our founders believed in, even as we shape the state to reflect our own.

Governor Berkowitz?

There's a rumor spreading around that former Alaskan Legislator, Ethan Berkowitz, is considering running for governor of Alaska! Lately, he's been busy working on renewable energy projects and consulting.

Ethan served as a representative from Anchorage for ten years. He was House Minority Leader for 7 of those years. Many consider him an expert on renewable energy and he certainly knows Alaska and our needs well. If he decides to run, it's going to be a fascinating race.

Check out his bio at Wikipedia.

We'll keep you updated if we find out more about this.

At the annual meeting of the Matanuska Electric Association

The line of members waiting to register
for ballots and prizes is not the place
for eavesdropping. Too much music here,
too many timbres and pitches interlaced,
a choir in Carharts, jeans, or collared shirts.
Phrases rise and fall: snowmachines
on blocks for the summer, ash in the dirt,
a volcanic gift to the gardens. Sometimes
a song political emerges. “Taxes”
is heard. “Common sense is all it is”
someone bellows -- sharpening axes
for the real debate to come, perhaps.
But mostly it's parents and children keeping time,
the popcorn music of waiting in line.

8th Graders Taunt Moose to its Death

It wasn't too long ago that I listened to Rep. Bob Lynn and Rep. Carl Gatto exchange comments about what the legal definition of an animal is. Gatto wasted no time in making some of his trademarked obscure questions. This time, however, he wasn't so far off.

The conversation between the two legislators was part of a larger conversation by the House Finance Committee about animal cruelty and bestiality. The bill was introduced by Bob Lynn in response to an incident involving a man who got caught having sex with a dog.

Last night, I read an article about a group of 8th graders in Mat Su who taunted a moose to its death. After reading the article I was reminded of one of the arguments used by Bob Lynn and his aides to encourage support of the bill. They said that people who are cruel to animals tend to commit other crimes. Because of privacy concerns, there aren't many details being given about the children, or the action that the school is taking after the incident.

And Another...

Here's another sad story about free expression being squelched.

On Saturday a cartoonist will find himself in court in Cairo, facing a possible two-year prison sentence for writing a graphic novel. It's not just any graphic novel – it happens to be the first graphic novel in Arabic.

You can see an example of the work at the Words without Borders site.

The Week in Free Speech (Updated)

Update: I also dealt with the Afghanistan protest in my "Difficult Snow" poetry blog.

What did it take for a group of 100 or so woman to attend a public protest against a law that sanctions marital rape in Afghanistan? They were in the minority, and they knew it. Remember, the law basically codified current practices. This kind of courage ought to be recognized somehow. And the hundreds of men and women who swarmed the protest and threw rocks at them? Were they brave as well? No, they weren’t. They drew on a level of courage worthy of a trip to the state fair. And about the same level of thought. While it might be worth engaging and examining the assumptions behind the mob with the rocks, there was no moral equivalency here.

One side stood for received wisdom. The other side stood for basic human dignity.

One side has all the power of governance behind it – tradition, the mosque, the means of communication through channels of authority. The other side had only a nagging sense that there’s a better way.

If we were to put this in terms of the United States, the mob was defending social norms recognizable in our country in the 1950s, when many states still had laws on the books defining a wife as property. A great and powerful shift happened then. I wish I had a better understanding of how that shift happened. There must have been thousands of anonymous and forgotten women and men who helped us make that shift. Many of them weren’t polite. On the other hand, there must have been some version of a lingua franca, some shared history, facts, culture for any change to take place.

Behind my revulsion at the 1000s of participants in the “Tea Party” demonstrations around the country is the sense that they are aligned with the mob in Afghanistan, that the real outrage emanating from the Fox News-driven crowd is that they long for the United States of the 1950s.

Did I mention?

Did I mention that a Finance Chair tried to slip language into a bill, at the last minute, that specifically benefits one gas-line proposal over any other?

Early in the session the Governor asked for money to study an in-state line, and to attract a range of possible builders. As I and others asked questions on this item, we realized this one had been written to grant money only to a project build by a “private” company, and only along a route that Enstar is proposing. Well, there had been discussion of private-public partnerships, a project by the state’s gasline authority, and others. And there is dispute about whether to build a line down the Richardson or Parks Highways. Seeing a budget item that seemed geared towards one corporate entity’s proposal – Enstar – caused a bit of a stir. Senator Bert Stedman, who’d been watching the hearing on TV, dashed into the room as I was asking my questions, as did House Speaker Mike Chenault. I said no one had run this new policy call by me. So did Rep. Bill Thomas. And Rep. Harry Crawford. And Rep. Alan Austerman.