Alaskan Senate Candidate recruits GIs to act as guards and arrest reporter covering his rally

 You know, members of the armed forces are not supposed to be acting as civilian police, as per the Posse Comitatus Act. But that doesn't keep underpaid GIs from making fools of themselves and of the Army.

Guards at Alaska Miller event included active-duty soldiers
"...Was Joe Miller required to bring a security detail to his town hall meeting Sunday at Central Middle School in Alaska?  That's what Miller, the Republican Senate candidate, told two national cable news networks Monday in the wake of the arrest by his security squad of an online journalist at his public event.

But the school district said there was no such requirement made of Miller -- he only had to provide a hall and parking lot monitor, and advise participants of school district courtesy and food rules.
Meanwhile, the Army says that two of the guards who assisted in the arrest of the journalist and who tried to prevent two other reporters from filming the detention were active-duty soldiers moonlighting for Miller's security contractor, the Drop Zone, a Spenard surplus store and protection service..."

Elections vs. Investigations

Carol Clark's article about the "stalled" investigation of County Administrator Tony Mortillaro just adds to the frustration many of us are probably feeling about government. We are accustomed to believe the worst about elected and appointed officials and are all too often rewarded by being right. But investigations can also result in vindications.

The current headlines, occurring just weeks before election day, can't be helping any of the incumbents.

The citizens/taxpayers of this county deserve to know whether their government is behaving itself. Tony Mortillaro deserves vindication from these innuendos if these charges are groundless.

Council needs to light a fire under this thing and get it done. Get Tony back from California and get on the stick, guys.

Bob Edwards: Children Without Papers

If you ever doubted that we need to reform the mess called our immigration laws, read Bob Edwards' compelling story about Isabelle Castillo. Brought over illegally by her parents when she was six, she graduated H.S. with a 4.0 and college, sans financial aid, magna cum laude. Now working as a waitress due to her lack of papers, but going public with her call to reform the system.

Frankly, I'd trade half a dozen lazy native sons for every one illegal with an intellect and work ethic like Isabelle's. We would be a better nation for it.

The Senate: Of Witchcraft and Weapons of Mass Turbation

you just can't make shit like this up.....

Thomas Friedman: Are we the new Rome?

Sure looks that way...go read the whole thing.

"...A friend in the U.S. military sent me an e-mail last week with a quote from the historian Lewis Mumford’s book, “The Condition of Man,” about the development of civilization. Mumford was describing Rome’s decline: “Everyone aimed at security: no one accepted responsibility. What was plainly lacking, long before the barbarian invasions had done their work, long before economic dislocations became serious, was an inner go. Rome’s life was now an imitation of life: a mere holding on. Security was the watchword — as if life knew any other stability than through constant change, or any form of security except through a constant willingness to take risks.”..."