Enjoy Yoga in the Alaskan Sun (and why it’s good for you)

 
 

Contributed by Theresa Hodgson

Summer allows us to peel the layers of winter off, seeking more adventures outside. One of my favorite summer pastimes is outdoor yoga. That deep inhale to smell the fresh air, the warmth of the sun, the breeze as it brushes my skin; it just instinctively makes me smile.

As a yoga teacher, teaching outsides brings me the joy of simplifying the practice. I don’t worry about the perfect playlist or the need for props. Maybe a yoga mat to avoid the grass tickling me, but one doesn’t even need that. I always start with removing my shoes to wiggle my toes in the grass before I step onto the mat, and then take a few moments to enjoy my surroundings.

Yoga is a perfect coupling with the outdoors. Most yoga poses are named after things in nature: mountain, tree, lotus, and various animals and insects. There are so many additional benefits to moving your practice outside:

Visually stimulating. You have all this “eye candy” to take in, especially with our magical Alaskan scenery. Seriously, we are so fortunate to have a mountain as a focal point during mountain pose or an eagle flying overhead while in eagle pose!

Reduces depression. Numerous studies show that connecting with nature reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Also, the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D, naturally synthesizes as our skin’s response to the sun, reducing depression and boosting our immune system. Avoid burning and enjoy in moderation!

Increases body awareness and heightens senses. Multiple elements of nature are tempting to distract you, like that ant crawling around. You realize it has now moved to the top of your right foot by the sensation on your skin, and the intensifying need to brush it away. 

Challenges balance. You’re never on level ground, so your focus sharpens, and your muscles strengthen to stabilize your body. Want to challenge yourself even more? Try it on a paddleboard and be prepared to get wet!

Increases confidence. If you’re used to practicing solely in a studio, or at home, it’s an opportunity to expand your comfort zone. You still create that safe space with your mind-body-breath connection, and now you get to connect with nature too.

Increases connection with home and community. I’m going to circle back to that Alaskan scenery again because summertime here renews the love for where we live after long winters. And yoga outdoors allows us to be present, rooting ourselves to the earth as we gaze at the sky. It’s taking these precious moments to appreciate our home or support our community in an outdoor class.

I encourage all to give outdoor yoga a try. Then take a moment after your practice to see how you feel. What changed for you? Whether you take your flow to the backyard, try tree pose on top of the mountain you just hiked, or enjoy an outdoor class offered by one of the local studios, you’re going to feel different, maybe even inspired.

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes

 
 

Contributed by Larry Wood

June 6th’s protest in Palmer happened on a very beautiful and hot day.  It was an incredible day.  According to what’s been posted in Facebook, about 1,556 people showed up to check out the event or to participate.  I was there to see for myself how things would go.  Interesting group, a few signs unfit for public display, but, then, controversy is the goal, so extremes in the message should not be unexpected. Yes, there were signs that threatened the personal safety of police officers, but, again, a few signs, nothing more.

Everyone was happy how things turned out, but that does not mean that one closes one’s eyes to the ever present danger.  A predator came to town, a predator that has destroyed lives, caused hundreds of millions in property damage across this country, and defaced memorials.  A wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Just because the recent protests have been nice nice doesn’t mean the next time will be the same.  Violence is the standard, peaceful is the exception.  Look to the riots for your proof.

Interestingly enough, Palmer PD stayed pretty well out of sight for the entire affair.  As a result, there were problems with blocking traffic when the herd of protesters decided to go on a walk-about Palmer, because not everyone was in downtown Palmer to attend this event.  A lot of people work on Saturday or were headed elsewhere.  However, as has been put to me by supporters, any inconvenience was not their problem.

D-Day was eclipsed by the death of one man at the hands of police officers in Minnesota and the destruction, death and misery ongoing that has come out of what started as peaceful protests in Minneapolis.  BLM does not deny, criticize or express regret or apologize for the damage, deaths, and injuries across the country. 

National and state war memorials have been vandalized and heavily damaged, even the Lincoln Memorial has been damaged.

The protest in Palmer was focused at the Pavilion where Friday Flings is centered.  

What was noticeable was that this event was considerably larger than any limits on groups imposed by the governor and his Oracle in a Yurt.  Further, in the two plus hours there, I did not see anyone who appeared to be concerned about “social distancing” or maintaining the 6ft separation recommended.  The tightly packed column of bodies that paraded through Palmer and the crowd at the Pavilion were in violation of the governor’s mandates further bringing into question the quarantine, travel restrictions, and business shutdown. 

So, the next time Dr. Zink, the governor’s Oracle in her Yurt, Commissioner Adam Crum, or a ‘Karen’ tells you to mask up, or to observe ‘social distancing’, tell them you have an exception courtesy of BLM.

I am certain that the video and photos of the event and of the movement of the herd of protesters bunched very closely together must have given Governor Dunleavy’s Dr. Anne Zink, his Oracle in her Yurt, apoplectic fits.

Hey, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, screw the COVID mandates, because 1,556 people did exactly that on Saturday in Palmer, and, prior, Anchorage and Fairbanks, and, in doing so, may have exposed a lot of other people not associated with the protest. (Personally, I don’t care, I believe that herd immunity is necessary.)

Black lives matter, unless it is black American killing black American in drug wars in our major cities.  BLM is silent on that slaughter and black on black crime.

Further, BLM has yet to define any remedy for the killings by police, except defunding of  police departments and calling for the death of police officers.  You would think that by now, BLM would have a viable agenda to that end, which they don’t.

BLM  used young adults to give legitimacy and credibility to their propaganda exercise that was the Palmer protest.  Lenin coined a term for that, “useful idiots”.

You might ask yourselves why there were no churches sponsoring such an event, or why the NAACP was not part and parcel of the sponsorship? And, why the speakers offered sound bites, not solutions?

What needs to be done?  End the 1033 program; end qualified immunity, or suspend its use in police related deaths; end no knock warrants, end overwhelming force policies, end MOUT training by the U.S. military; review and correct training and policies.  Create an investigative unit in the governor’s office at the state level for just such cases independent of state and local law enforcement.  And, remove Democrats from office.

On June 7th, Fox news reported that writer, BLM activist and supporter Shaun King stated that Democrat jurisdictions have the worst police abuse records.

Communism requires a dictatorship of the proletariat–us.  Dictatorship.

Those who attended supported an event sponsored and organized by a communist atheist group that openly calls for the overthrow of the U.S. government, the killing of cops, and designates white Americans as racist, based upon their skin color. So much for the peace, love and fraternity angle.

What is holding a man down?

 
 

Contributed by Robert Lyons

What is holding a man down?

An indiscernible frown?

A certain part of town?

Not hearing the sounds

When one is down?

A wink and a nod

Corruption and fraud?

Eggshells to tread

When walking your dog?

A job lost for your looks?

Burning some books?

Lies from the experts?

Lies from the leaders?

Antagonist media deceivers?

Elitist monopolist corporate

Achievers?

People who wanna make manna from believers?

Opportunistic political moneymakers?

The anarchist fakers

Public service life takers

Prison for minor mistakes

Fear of authority

Being treated deplorably

From grade school to economy

Commonly looked down upon?

What holds a man down?

We do. Again and again.

Can't we all be friends?

The echo remains

It's been there all along

Get it? good.

What Can You Do?

 
 

Contributed by Wes Keller

“My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” JFK, January 20, 1961, this is history I remember as a freshman in high school. Kennedy was elected by a narrow margin in an allegedly tainted election. In that election, the new State of Alaska cast its first three electoral votes for Nixon, Kennedy’s opponent. Consider his message in this inaugural speech. This is a bold alignment of a famous Democrat with a prominent, radical, constitutional value, “the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.” (JFK – from the same speech). This constitutional value is the cornerstone of the Declaration of Independence and was the consensus for supporting the American Revolution. Kennedy’s words confirm it was still standing tall in 1961. Do today’s “far left” issues violate the value? We do seem to be in some kind of “relapse”, but our Constitution still stands supreme and “we the people” still have the option of exercising the sovereignty it grants us. We can reaffirm original intent, if we will. The alternative is unthinkable.

Forget the “red state -v- blue state” labels for a moment and consider whether popular “far left” issues are viable. This consideration is impossible, of course, if you refuse to read the text of the Declaration, Federalist papers, Bill of Rights, and the Constitution to reconfirm what the founding values are. This is more than an academic/educational exercise – it is our American civic duty. You can only declare issues “right” or “wrong” after you have a mature world view with measurement scale ranging from “far right” (constitutional conservative) to “far left” (no official national standard). As I have pointed out before, this is not even possible without getting “religious”. Political party platforms are intended to give you choices on the spectrum of possible conclusions, but they are worthless if you deny the use of a measuring stick.

“What can government do for ME?”, has become THE question driving government! Strengthening the case for a series of unconstitutional “far left” “solutions”! When someone gets hungry, food stamps for all! When jobs are lost, government paycheck protection for everyone! If someone doesn’t earn enough, higher minimum wages for all, while disdaining free enterprise, capitalism, and profits— even defying the right to own property! When someone gets sick, universal government health care, even insisting on free, unlimited, government education and day care systems! Demanding Americans pay to provide for anyone on the globe (open borders) regardless of citizenship and tax contributions. This “far left” bubble of imagination holds the government responsible for natural causes – earthquake, a hurricane, or a COVID 19 plague – as though it were “god” and could prevent or fix anything! This is clearly delusional, at some point, this will be revealed as the nonsense it is; preferably before more undue pain and suffering is caused.

After 10+ years of experience in the Alaska legislative branch, I view Alaska to be in a bad spot. Virtually all legislative energy is spent trying to pay for this “what can government do for me?” mentality. Not just Alaska, the federal government openly and brashly incentivizes far left values and jumping in to be the ultimate “nanny” government liberally bribing with “federal matching funds”, extorting more and more control in exchange for the misplaced trust of citizens. In my opinion, Alaska may be one of the worst, as demonstrated by the Alaska Legislature’s expectation to use Permanent Fund earnings as if they were surplus tax revenue. This action rejects the approved legal system to convert it to private property under a trust model. Alaska’s founding values prevent any legislature from allocating any funds for spending beyond the current budget year, so perennial diligence is required to keep the permanent fund earnings for PFD’s as a trust-model payment. “Emergency government need“ can always be generated (ex: COVID 19 response). Legitimate government revenue is to be generated using only the constitutional use of the power to tax! If the Permanent Fund earnings are merely more government revenue to be fought over in budget politics, we are simply an unconstitutional welfare state. I don’t believe Alaska’s citizens should have to fund the Government’s poor budget emergency. Unless we turn this around, the entire earnings reserve (lots and lots of money) will be pursued with every ounce of lobbying energy to fund too many “far left” programs.

Wes Keller | WesKeller.com

Conservation Easement Tax Incentives

 
 

Contributed by Amy Pettit

There are many reasons why a landowner might choose to place a conservation easement on their property. Perhaps it is about the history and legacy of the land and knowing that it will remain in agricultural production forever. Or maybe it is a financial strategy for both reducing the value of the property and lowering tax burdens. Regardless of the reason, Alaska Farmland Trust is here to help.

Alaska Farmland Trust is a private non-profit dedicated to the permanent protection of Alaska’s limited and incredibly valuable soils. As the interest in, and demand for, local food skyrockets, our Board of Directors is dedicated to preserving the availability of parcels viable for agricultural production.

Alaska Farmland Trust is one of only a handful of qualified IRS qualified, tax exempt organizations that can hold conservation easements. Learn more about the tax incentives associated with conservation easements on our website at https://www.akfarmland.com/donate/donating-conservation-easements/

Palmer Toastmaster Online Meetings

 
 

Contributed by Tim Caraway

Online meetings, going forward, will probably remain as a part of our new normal. Learning to speak and conduct meetings effectively and proficiently online, with its own challenges and decorum, greatly increases your credibility as a professional. Currently, Palmer Toastmasters meet online. This gives members experience in learning a whole host of new skills, along with practical feedback for improvement.

Now is a great time to join Palmer Toastmasters and learn, with us, the following skills...

    utilizing camera space effectively

    use the various functions of Zoom as one participates in different meeting roles

    how to be effective meeting participants

    how to host /co-host a meeting

    how to pin timing flags and speak within time limits

    how to facilitate meetings

    …..  and so much more!

We invite you to join us! We meet online Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm. For info to join us go to https://palmer.toastmastersclubs.org

Miss Mollie’s Community Legacy

 
 

Contributed by Randi Perlman

A pioneering spirit, with a passion deep & true

A thoughtful, always active mind, with the drive to see it thru

A heart so full of caring, she’s there for you in need

Encouraging your sharing, a steadfast friend, indeed

A founder of a movement, for the greater good of all

To help an ailing planet by answering the call

To provide a means for resources to be used once & again

Then keep them out of landfills and into recycling bins

From a tiny seed planted in 1998 –

The movement has sprouted all across our great state

Many partners have joined to show their support, and

more & more people are jumping on board

THEN: a series of one-stops in lots around town

NOW: a LEED Gold Resource Recovery Park where diversity abounds

A place for community, as it states in our name –

Diverting waste from the landfill and recycling’s our game

M o l l i e,

We can’t thank you enough for holding fast to our Mission

For your dogged persistence in pursuit of your Vision

You will always be known for guiding the ship

As it sailed through new waters on a long, winding trip

We wish you the BEST! on life’s next big adventure

You’ll make it count, of that we are quite sure!

As you hit your 67th turn ‘round the sun

Know that you’re much loved, and we all wish you fun

And Good Health, may it hold you close to the Heart…

Congratulations!  Happy Birthday!  Enjoy your new start!!!

Mollie Boyer is a founding member of Valley Community for Recycling Solutions (VCRS), and was its Executive Director from 1998 thru most of 2019, an amazing testament to her persistence, determination, and passionate belief in recycling and all its benefits.  She has gifted our community with a living legacy that will be proudly carried on by the staff and board of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that could…!

A Tough, Thoughtful, Fair Decision

 
 

Contributed by Randi Perlman

All of us have had to make adjustments and tough decisions during these past few months.  Proprietors have had to change the way they do business, or not do business at all for now; parents have had to become teachers, and learn to enjoy family life 24/7, 7 days a week; non-profit organizations have had to get creative with fundraising so they can continue to provide their needed services.

One of the non-profits faced with an extremely difficult decision that would have an enormous impact on not only the Mat-Su Valley, but on the entire state of Alaska and beyond, is the Alaska State Fair (ASF).  Beloved by thousands of locals and visitors from around the world who travel here just to partake in the Fair, the ASF is a deep-rooted tradition begun by the early farming Colonists that settled the Matanuska Valley in 1935.  In its present location since 1967, the Fair has something fun and fabulous for everyone, of any age.  Whether it’s the exhibits, the vendor booths, the entertainment, the events, the gardens, the setting, or of course, the food, the Fair is like a magnet that attracts folks from far and wide, and once you’re drawn in, it becomes an annual addiction!  At least, that’s how it’s been for me.

I experienced the magic of Alaska, and the State Fair, during my first visit here from the east coast in 1990, and I was immediately hooked on both.  I returned every year until I finally made the permanent move in 1998.  The Fair takes place right around my birthday, and has become the gift I give myself each August.  Whether it’s to volunteer at one of the booths, to work at one of the gates selling tickets, or to just meander through the crowds enjoying all the sights, sounds, & smells, I spend as many days as possible at the fairgrounds.  Vendors often ask which booth I’m taking a break from because they see my face there so many times...J

The COVID-19 pandemic we’re living through has changed all of our lives in some way.  Thanks to the quick actions of our governmental and healthcare leaders, and to Alaskans themselves for following the mandates, our great state has seen relatively low numbers of cases and deaths from this fast-spreading virus.  But that’s just it – it is still around, and still spreading.  As we enter the summer season, and people from ‘outside’ continue to enter Alaska, we have seen a noticeable spike in coronavirus cases.  Nobody knows for sure how this will play out as time goes on, or when a vaccine will be available to all.  Due to this continuing uncertainty, and with an overabundance of caution for the wellbeing of all their guests, the Alaska State Fair has been cancelled for the first time since 1942, during World War II.

Aside from the general all-around disappointment felt by young and old alike at not having the Fair to look forward to and close out the summer with, there is a direct financial impact to all involved with the Fair.  Staff, vendors, suppliers, and countless others rely on the income they receive from the Fair, many of whom are already dealing with financial hardships caused by the pandemic.

As was evidenced by the statement released by the ASF on May 22, 2020, the decision to cancel this year’s Fair was thoroughly considered, difficult to make, and fair for all.  The health and welfare of locals and visitors is the utmost responsibility of an organization such as the ASF, and in my humble opinion, I am very pleased, proud and grateful that they made the right decision, based on what is known today, not on how we ALL hope things will be in August.

We will miss the Fair this year, no doubt about it, but we can all look forward to an even bigger, better Fair next year, and be grateful that the right steps were taken to keep us safe so that Alaska can continue to be the state with the fewest cases of coronavirus in the country.  Let’s keep the spirit of the Alaska State Fair ALIVE AND WELL!!!

USED

 
 

By Robert Lyons

Syncretism isn't sacrosanct , neither in science nor civics,

So why services for religions?

delivering misgivings when mixed with systemic lemmings leaping from the cliffs of believing,

oh people what a waste,

to be seeking a taste only to have your faith taken by a tithe to a lie, a chant to a church, lurching the birth of the beast, the ever present economy of God's name, shame, maybe a mocha will stoke the fires of hope?

It all started when an empire collapsed, and a Pope was named, claiming a thing spreading through his ranks, constantly seeing is believing

as Constantine politicized through deceiving

and here you are in a pew basically listening to what's at home on the news, propaganda to get you to hate your neighbor or go to war, or even worse, robbing your purse,  forgetting about the star, the shining son of God on earth,

in the beginning it was his words,

a prognosis

we should seek gnosis, of our relationship, a surging sea beneath our feet, seek not the gospel written by Parliament, Jesus wept, “read the scripture”, and that would be the gnostic texts and the Old Testament plus books of Judea's rebellious religions, the words of man about forgiving and living and organizing by seeking God through knowledge and truth

it would be good if people understood Jesus as a Jew was rebellious to the rule of temples for hire, as he stood on hillside preaching, teaching the words to be good, that the temple behind should just be of wood, since it is about to fall into a pile of wasted human labor. Oh the fables the powerful tell fools, to get them to be economic tools. To pay for uninhabited houses on highways, or elders that meddle with others in adultery, sultry gossip that would turn Satan's ear, I'm sure it does, but it's for the kids that I fear. Seek the truth it leads to the lord, implore you to study, it's more important than your chores, a few minutes more to look for the truth, it might be surprising for you too. It does lead to God, not man's opinion of him,  politicized and turned to sin

quivering in the aisle and reading a mantra

greasing the palms of the authors of dogma.

What I Learned in Grade School Applied to Today’s World

 
 

Contributed by Doug Ferguson

Reading all the recent depressing news about looting and rioting in many of our large cities got me to thinking about basic lessons I learned about human nature when I was a kid of grade school age.

Even though I was an only child, I grew up in a new development in an East Coast city during WWII where in our immediate neighborhood of about 30 houses, there also lived 22 boys within a year or so of my age. There were two girls that lived there also, but one  was a “tomboy” and could hold her own with anyone, and the other we never saw.

We walked the several blocks to school every day, including coming home for lunch and returning after. Adults were a part of our lives only at school and at home. The rest of the time we were on our own to-and-from school or at play in the adjacent woods and it’s yet unpaved and undeveloped street. In this environment we learned a lot of life’s lessons.

One of the most important lessons was about “Bully’s” and “Bullying”. A “Bully” was a kid who, for whatever reasons of his upbringing, had a need to dominate others and had discovered that those who were smaller, weaker or else failed to fight back were the best victims. For those kids who were observant, it was obvious that when a Bully tried to “Bully” a prospective victim who he thought was weak, and that victim fought back and rendered any pain or injury to him, he was unlikely to ever try to “Bully” that kid again. On the other hand, those who didn’t fight back became permanent victims of that Bully and any other Bully’s in our crowd.

The principle of “Bullying” as I learned in my grade school years can be seen at all levels of human behavior during one’s lifetime and at all levels of society. The non-violent protest methods championed by such social reformers as Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King worked by drawing attention to the injustices, while also garnering sympathy for peaceful change from the general public. Many other movements started this way such as the feminist movement and the movement to accept gays.

However, for the past half century or so we have submitted to all forms of “Bullying” by various movement and/or organizations gone rogue. As stated above, many of these started with good intensions to address perceived problems, but eventually “Bully’s” ended up dominating these groups. These leaders saw that their increasingly confrontational and often unlawful, even violent behavior went unpunished and thus saw no reason to modify or back-off of their methods.

To me a seminal moment in this progression was back in the 1960’s when a group of a few dozen armed black militant students took over the office of the president and the administration building of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. and the administration responded by, not only refusing to call law enforcement, but accepted a list of demands by the students. This incident was widely covered by the national press at the time, thus setting off a precedent followed by many colleges thereafter. From the colleges it has been injected into movements everywhere.

Today we can see the results of this principle of caving into “Bullying” in unstable conditions around the world. Today we see it in our large cities.

Is it too late to fight back? One wonders.

Two Sides, Same Coin

 
 

Contributed by Robert Lyons

It displeases me the lack of context

A mess of ideas and theories

What's that term? 30000 feet.

Anthropology, combined with history

Some stats and math , but really?

Skeptic of science we must be,

Its purpose is tied to a search

Its destination unknown

So science is grown, a pretty little plant

Theology must not be overlooked

Much is in the Holy Books

A scientist even must admit

It would be improper to omit

Thousands of years of intellect

The best a man can agreeably get

Is a view that's completely holistic

Beneficial a toolbox that is completely full

Obstruction lies in the minds of fools

Our search here on earth is not to believe

Faith requires your senses to leave

The path to truth is your personal relationship

A dangerous journey, a rolling ship

But as you navigate closer to the gate

You will see, what a huge mistake

Stems from following the wake of untruth

Destruction’s ghouls convincing you

To follow them over the rim

Beginning again a grim dilemma

Which one, a sin or a schema?

The methods sway as statistics say

The coin flip lands either way

Drink Beer, Save Farms

 
 

Contributed by Amy Pettit

Alaska Farmland Trust is pleased to announce that the 5th Annual Drink Beer, Save Farms! Summer Concert featuring The Ken Peltier Band will be held Saturday June 20th, 2020 at Paradise Alaska in Palmer.

This outdoor, family friendly event is the largest fundraiser of the year for Alaska Farmland Trust, and due to limitations brought on by Covid-19 may be our only opportunity in 2020 to raise the resources needed to fulfill our mission of farmland protection.

The social media reach for our 2019 event was over 25,000 people and we anticipate increased engagement this year. Title, Partner and Supporting Sponsors are needed. 

Please contact Amy Pettit at amypettit@akfarmland.com or (907) 355-2706 for more information.

Open Letter to the Matanuska-Susitna School Board Members

 
 

Open Letter to the Matanuska-Susitna School Board Members

Contributed by Bonnie Lembo

1342 West 12th Ave.

Anchorage, Alaska 99501-4253

907-278-2725, lembob@gci.net

May 12, 2020

Thomas Bergey

Sarah Welton

Ryan Ponder

Ole (Richard) Larson

Kelsey Trimmer

Donna Dearman

Ray Michaelson

Dear Members,

I hope you will consider my comments on the banning of certain books from the high school curriculum.  I do not live in the Valley, but your actions have been reported in the national and international press and are therefore of concern and embarrassment to all Alaskans.

Your objections to the banned books are based on themes that some members of the board found harmful to young minds. But those same difficult themes and more, are also found in the Bible:  sexual assault, incest, slavery, war, torture and other forms of violence, drunkenness, hatred and persecution of "the other". For consistency, not only will you have to ban the Bible, but also Shakespeare.  His plays depict disturbing behavior: murder, torture, war, suicide, ghosts, cross-dressing and anti-Semitism. Next on the chopping block will be the great American author, revered throughout the world, Willa Cather.  Her writings have variously described animal torture, murder, infidelity and slavery. If to escape a charge of being "anti-white", any book that depicts some white people at some time acting badly toward others, then you will surely have to ban Cather's masterpiece "Death Comes for The Archbishop".  Set in the 19th century in the Southwestern US, in a small part of the book, with meticulous historical accuracy, Cather portrays the actions of white settlers and the U.S. government engaged in war and genocidal violence against Indians and Mexicans in order to steal their ancestral lands.   

What is left for the young adults to read, analyze and discuss for literary merit and historical accuracy? Perhaps the school board members should submit their own proposed reading list with only books that will not contain any objectionable behavior. But dummying down the curriculum in that way will hinder students from doing well on college entrance examinations and essays and getting into top colleges.  The school board should not be doing such a disservice to bright, ambitious students and their parents.

To say that the books are not being "banned" or "censored" because the students can get them elsewhere is disingenuous.  The purpose of reading books in an educational setting, is for students to gain competence in analyzing a work of literature, writing book reviews, defending their views in essays and discussions among teachers and fellow students. In other words, to learn.

 It seems to me that the school board members have become like the "helicopter parents", who are derided for trying to protect their "snowflake" children from anything that is unpleasant.  Which individual parents can already do by saying they do not want their children to read a particular book. The school board action bans the books from ALL students, even those whose parents do not object to them.  Throughout history, censorship has been a favorite tool of dictatorships. Because as all dictators know, the way to control people is to narrow their minds, and the way to narrow minds is to limit what people are allowed to read and hear and believe, and to erase all history that does not support their favored political ideology and sometimes, its supporting religious dogma.

I have one question for the school board members, which I think you owe it to the public to answer. If you don't love literature, why did you run for school board ?

Yours truly.

Bonnie Lembo

cc: Letters to the Editor, The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

The People's Paper         

Dan! Lisa!

 
 

Dan! Lisa! What are you thinking? Why did you join with 10 other Senators to lobby the President NOT to make ANY changes to the H1-B1 & H1-B2 Visa programs, when FORTY MILLION Americans are unemployed, thanks to the Wuhan Corona Virus? These programs should have ended long ago, perhaps when we were struggling to recover from the market collapse of 2008. Now, along comes the Wuhan Corona Virus, displacing more American & Alaskan workers than even the Great Depression of 1929, and you both think importing labor from other countries is a good idea. I, for one, am concerned. The rest of Alaska, and frankly, the entire country should be too.

Those FORTY MILLION plus workers should be our Senator’s top priority. Instead we get excuses like; those are the jobs Alaskans & Americans don’t want to do. When, in fact, most of the foreign visa jobs are in the tech industry and pay quite well. Then we hear; Well, Alaskans/Americans aren’t trained for those jobs. The facts don’t bear this out either, considering most of the foreign visa workers are being trained by the Americans they are going to be replacing, at a lower wage than themselves.

If training is the issue, then the State of Alaska had better start developing training programs for those jobs that are available. Many will never return to their chosen profession when we do get the Wuhan Corona Virus behind us, the damage to many industries has already been done. Those people need an alternative opportunity to continue to live in, and love Alaska! Not be put behind foreign, non citizens of the U.S., and in particular, The State of Alaska!

Furthermore, why are we importing fishery workers from the lower 48 & Asia, and the Wuhan Corona Virus they’ve been bringing with them, to begin with?  With Alaska’s fisheries poised as the mainstay of our economy for the foreseeable future, why is the State not promoting those jobs and training people for them? With a population of over Seven Hundred Thousand, you can’t tell me there aren’t enough people to fill those jobs, WITHOUT importing workers and the Wuhan Corona Virus. We’ve already seen outbreaks in Bristol Bay, The Kenai Peninsula and Cordova. Importing the Virus has got to stop!

I’ve already written the Governor, again, concerning his travel restriction modification, to begin June 6th. Instead of, “A test within 72 hrs. or we’ll test you here.”, the test within 72 hrs. WILL be required at the departure point AND you WILL be tested again when you arrive in Alaska. A lot can happen in 72 hours and this will help prevent importing the Wuhan Corona Virus back into Alaska through travel, the only way the Virus can spread. Every entry point into Alaska must be equipped with the 5 to 20 minute “Instant Results Testing Machine”. If you test positive upon arrival, you self quarantine for the 14 days, period.

As I’ve said before, it’s time to start thinking outside the box and envision a new normal, one where Alaska and Alaskans come first. President Trump is putting America first on every level. Our Senators should be doing the same for Alaska, but they’re not. Write them and let them know how you feel. Dan will probably respond but don’t expect much from Lisa.

About Races

 
 

We are living in a strange era.  Even before Corona gave its way away, there comes yet another tsunamic wave knocking on our cellphones’ news channel.  And it involves a rather difficult topic to talk about: races.  But let us meet the challenge. 

I was born in America, grew up in South Korea till high school graduation there, then came back to America in 1997.  I lived in Wisconsin, New York, California, Georgia, Texas, and Michigan.  Then I came to Alaska in 2015, May.  I’ve lived in America for more than two decades, more than half of my life.

I went to a law school in Michigan, and passed Alaska Bar exam in 2018.  So perhaps it is fair to say I know a little more about law than average people. 

In criminal law, there are two kinds of illegal homicides: murder and manslaughter.  Murder is intentional, illegal deprivation of a human life.  Manslaughter is, more of a mistake that led to death of a human being.  These are the rough definitions of two crimes.

In Minnesota, a tragic incident happened.  There was an African American gentleman accused of using counterfeit money, if I recall correctly.  So someone called police officers and they came to arrest the gentleman.  There was a use of force by the officers, as some filmed the incident and published it online.  The gentleman passed away.  And we are all sorry.

In law, there is what’s called qualified immunity doctrine.  One application of the doctrine basically states that when a police officer uses force to arrest a person and if that person gets injured, the police officer gets immunity from civil lawsuit.  The rationale behind the doctrine is that we, as a society, do not want to punish police officers for doing their jobs.  In other words, if police officers get punished for injuries that they caused during their official duty of arresting potentially dangerous people, then such policy will have a chilling effect on police officers.  Meaning, police officers will be afraid to do their jobs effectively, for the fear of punishment.  And that may lead to a society where police officers can no longer provide safety to the people.

After the incident in Minnesota, there came protests and demonstrations nationwide.  Many people demanded justice, and decried perceived racism.  Let us defer the race topic for now, as it requires more calming down.

So, many people demanded justice for the gentleman who passed away.  As of writing this article, the police officer who caused his death was charged with murder and manslaughter.  Now, let us be rational and reasonable, as opposed to being emotional and angry.  Can we do that?  Let us try.

The standard for a criminal trial is “beyond reasonable doubt.”  It roughly translates to 90% certainty in the minds of jurors.  With this standard, are we all sure that the police officer intended to deprive the gentleman’s life?  If you ask me, I would find that very difficult a proposition to believe.  Then was it a mistake for the officer, did he use excessive force to arrest the gentleman?  That is more likely.  Because, it is really difficult to imagine that the officer intended to extinguish the gentleman’s life, on a broad daylight, on a busy street, while every pedestrian was watching, even filming the whole incident.

To be objective and fair, let us first admit that most of us were not there, so we have limited information.  For all we know from the filmed footage, pictures, and news articles, the gentleman’s nickname was a gentle giant.  So, perhaps the gentleman was a well-built man with big muscles.  Perhaps the police officers felt it necessary to use more-than-average physical force in arresting him.  Again, I wasn’t there, but I can’t help but exploring a possibility of reasonable doubt.  Why?  It is because the Minnesota incident seems to be causing some group-thinking on a national scale and I am concerned about it.

Now we are ready to discuss the race aspect of this whole issue at hand.  I have lived in America for 20 some years, so I have met many people, been to many places in America.  Some of my best friends are African Americans, European Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Arabs, Jews, Mixed Races, Asian Indians, Natives, all of them.  And from what I have observed, in all honesty, I have not seen that much racism, racial hatred, or racial discrimination.  People talk racial jokes, but they’re jokes, and they’re meant to generate laughter.  My friends and I, we racial jokes to each other and we just laugh it off.  That’s not racism.

In the media, we hear a lot about this “white” police ending the life of a “black” man.  I have to object to such characterization.  I don’t think the original incident was about race at all.  It just happened that the officer is Caucasian and the suspect of a crime is African American.  If it had been some different combination of races, like Asian to Caucasian, etc., I don’t think it would have made into a headline. 

Let us Calm.

As Swimming Programs Close Who Will Teach Kids How to Swim?

 
 

Contributed by Rep. DAVID EASTMAN

The pool where my girls planned to take swim lessons this summer went out of business today.

It wasn’t a new business. This month marks their tenth year in the valley. Nor did it have trouble finding customers. Just pay a visit to their Facebook Page. In March, business was booming. Today its doors are closed, never to reopen.

In my book, learning how to be safe around water isn’t just for some. Here in Alaska, kids need to know how to swim. Alaska has been listed as having the highest drowning rate in the nation. In Alaska, drowning has also been listed as the leading cause of unintentional injury death for children aged 0-9. In short, kids don’t float…unless they’ve been trained to.

Probably like a lot of other parents, we chose Swim Alaska because all the friends we know whose kids have taken swim lessons there absolutely loved it. As a former lifeguard myself, we also wanted a program that works with infants and toddlers (our youngest daughter turns two this fall) as well as our older kids. You can teach kids how to survive falling into a pool at 6-months old now (yes, it’s actually a thing). Swim Alaska works with 6-month-olds and up, so they made the cut.

Plus, the owner of Swim Alaska has absolutely put her heart into the business over the last ten years. Even first time visitors to the Swim Alaska website can get a taste of that.

So you can imagine the sadness of those reading the message the owner sent out announcing that, as of today, Swim Alaska is no longer in business due to the new COVID-19 restrictions.

The new social distancing guidelines mean that instructors can no longer touch kids in the pool.

Now tell me, how are you supposed to teach a child how to swim without touching them?

I’ll let you chew on that one for a minute.

Once again we’re confronted with the reality that government is much better at killing things than it will ever be at giving them life.

This is not a function of power, as though by giving government officials more power, to implement more regulations, government will suddenly stop killing businesses and start creating them. It doesn’t work that way.

The idea of government bureaucracies choosing which businesses are “essential” and therefore worthy of surviving, and which legal businesses are “non-essential”, was bound to end badly from the get-go. And we see that it has.

Fundamentally, it isn’t any better than when the Obama Administration sought to mark gun and ammo shops as undesirable and drive them out of business by pressuring banks to close their accounts, or when the State of Vermont began declaring books and seeds “non-essential” and forbidding big box stores from selling them.

There are some questions government officials should never be empowered to ask. Which legal businesses are worth keeping around, is one of them. As has been pointed out by others, every single business is essential to someone. What of the restaurant owner whose family loses their livelihood when the restaurant closes, or the waitress who gets fired, or the property owner who can no longer afford the mortgage now that the restaurant is no longer paying rent? The business was certainly “essential” to each of their families.

Any attempt on the part of government agencies to mark some businesses essential and others, “optional”, is picking one group of people out to be the winners and another group to be losers.

Yes, I personally would want to put swim schools in the essential category. I will never forget being dispatched to help recover a 5-year-old boy and his mother from the Matanuska River, or the day that one of the soldiers I served with in Afghanistan drowned in a lake on JBER, or the day my little brother had to be rescued from the bottom of a pool after taxing his body to the breaking point. But personal connections to a particular business or industry are no reason for policymakers to drive someone out of business so that someone else can maintain their livelihood.

In a free society, it’s the customer you should be chasing, not a bureaucrat or a politician. In the end, the customer will decide what is essential…and what’s not. And that happens a thousand times every single day. As the customer, you hold the power (or should). Those in government have a duty to honor that relationship.

So, amidst all the economic carnage playing out today, whose responsibility is it if my child doesn’t know how to swim?

As a parent who can teach them, it’s my responsibility. I can either teach them myself or find others who can. And it’s my government’s responsibility to stop asking whether my doing so is essential. That’s not a question I am willing to entrust to either bureaucrats or politicians.

Retro Rockabilly Event at Alaska Raceway Park

 
 

Contributed by Michelle Lackey Maynor

A blast from the past is coming to a racetrack near you. The 11th annual Thunder Valley Flag Drags is gearing up for Saturday, June 27th at Alaska Raceway Park.

Flag Drags is a retro rockabilly event featuring a car show, concert, flag start drag races, tattoo contests and a pin up girl contest. Vehicle entries are restricted to 1974 or older vehicles. Trophies will be awarded for the best in each of 8 categories: Ford, Chevy, Mopar, Rat Rod, Stock, Modified Stock, People’s Choice, and new this year, Motorcycle.

A new twist on this vintage show is the entire festival will be held in the NASCAR oval track. Vendors, food trucks and music will be in the infield, with car show entries lined up around the track. Drags will be 200’ on the back stretch between corner 3 and 2.

The Glacier Blues Band from Eagle River will be performing Rockabilly, Rhythm & Blues and Classic Rock during the event. Cash prizes will be awarded for the Pin-up contest and the Tattoo contests.

Pits open at noon for set up, spectators can arrive at the yellow gate starting at 1:30. Car show entry is free for car and driver, spectators are $10 for adults, Military and Seniors just $5, and kids 10 and under are free.

Vendor space is still available. For more info or tickets check out www.raceak.com or contact Michelle at 907-355-7223.

Photos courtesy Tim Higdon Sr.

Affordable Blood Draw Event at Palmer Depot

 
 

Contributed by Jodie White

Alaska Health Fair is coming to your community! To meet the safety mandates from the CDC and the State of Alaska, this will be a by appointment only event. 

Health education and health screenings are the primary focus of our traditional health fairs. 

Alaska Health Fair, Inc. is a non-profit agency serving all Alaskans since 1980. Alaska Health Fair was founded on the dream of a physician who believed that the road to longevity rests in healthy lifestyles, which develop, in part, through education and screenings.

Health education and health screenings are the primary focus of our health fairs. We also offer affordable blood testing.

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, EVENT, OR FOR MORE INFO PLEASE CALL (907) 278-0234

See Health Fair Schedule at: www.alaskahealthfair.org

Palmer Midsummer Garden & Art Faire 2020

 
 

From the museum’s showcase garden to the Palmer quad, join us Saturday July 11th to celebrate Midsummer in Palmer! In the historic town center, the Palmer Museum Garden and Art Faire brings together master gardeners, dozens of local artisans, food trucks, and live music..

The faire has a thirteen year history, and this year marks the first that the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce will host the event.   While we strive to celebrate our local artists and businesses year round, this Palmer staple offers the chance to expose dozens of artists, musicians, and agricultural geniuses to locals and visitors alike. For the garden enthusiast, we have a day for you! Stop by booths hosted by the Mat-Su Master Gardeners, Aurora Gardens, and Wasilla Lights Farm for all the latest and greatest in valley gardeners. Get your hands dirty with workshops led by the UAF Experiment Farm, the Cook Inlet Bonsai Study Group, and more! Top it off by taking a stroll through Palmer’s showcase garden in full bloom, facilitated by the wonders of gardener Alicia Greene. For the art savant, you will be spoiled for choices! From glass blowing to pottery to watercolor, we have more than twenty art vendors and workshops scattered throughout the faire. Watch live renaissance painting by Palmer’s own Barbara Hunt, and check out the museum’s Artist of the Week in their temporary gallery.

For the family faire goer, face painting, live music, and delicious food vendors are at your disposal. Help us chalk the library sidewalk, explore over fifty vendors worth of fun, and enjoy the beauty of Palmer in the full throes of summer!

As you enjoy our lovely faire, take a moment to enjoy our lovely town as well! Cast an eye to the vibrant businesses of Palmer’s downtown, who welcome visitors and locals alike every day year round.

Take a stroll across the tracks down Alaska Street and soak in the pride and hard work of a vested community. The faire is free to the public, and open from 10a to 6p Saturday July 11th.

For more info, visit our website www.palmergardenandart.org or check

out our Facebook page @ Midsummer

Garden and Art Faire

Adopt Shark

 
 

Shark is a handsome sleek guy about 4 years old. He is a short haired ebony boy with golden eyes. He is always well groomed and neat looking.

Shark is a lovable, purring boy who needs a home of his own with a loving family. He's been through a rough time, from being dropped at the shelter to homes with other animals that didn't do well with him. So he needs to be an only cat and he is sure to fill your every need for love and companionship. He is very affectionate, always purring and happy to see you. He loves to play. Shark hopes that someday someone will take him into their heart and family and be his forever. He is a great buddy to hang out with in the house and outside lounging in the shade, or venturing through the yard to check out all the interesting possibilites of summer. He's ready to make you his forever beloved one.

Please call 980-8898 for more information on Shark.