Anthony Henry v MOA - Former Alaska National Guard Boss Katkus Testifies [UPDATED] [2nd UPDATE with Complete Brown Report]

The ADN article Tuesday about the police trial that began Monday had me confused.  The Kyle Hopkins piece Thursday added more confusion.   There was a connection to the police discrimination case of two years ago when two black officers won a  million dollars each for discrimination.  That trial included the judge making extraordinary condemnation of the APD (Anchorage Police Department).

But it also seemed to relate to the Alaska National Guard scandal that helped defeat Gov. Sean Parnell in 2014.  It took him way to long to figure out what was going on and to fire Katkus.

But who exactly was Anthony Henry, why was he fired, and what all was this trial going to reveal to the public about the APD?  The ADN reported that Henry inappropriately shared confidential information about an investigation with the Alaska National Guard.  So, was he part of the web of corruption between the APD and the Guard?  Was he tipping them off?  If so, that would seem good grounds for terminating him.

So I decided that I'd attend the trial to see if I could get a better handle on this.  I missed the first 15 minutes or so.  When I walked in a striking looking man with a shiny bald head sat in the witness chair being questioned about his career and experience.  He was being called General by the attorney. Katkus has had a similar bald pate.  But this guy seemed a much better speaker than I remembered.

Some Background 

I blogged the Alaska legislature in 2010.  At one State Affairs committee meeting I observed the confirmation hearing of Thomas Katkus to be the Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard.  I sat behind him.  He had a completely bald head and I wasn't impressed by how he handled the session.  Lots of jargon and self importance was my impression.  Looking back at the old post, perhaps this is what turned me off somewhat.  He was talking about quitting the APD to be in the Guard full time (he was already part time), and the note I wrote in the post was "bigger, better toys." I understand that could be a joke, but he clearly meant it.  That's not a good reason in my mind. 

That post got me an email from a spouse of a former Alaska national guardsman who quit because of the corruption in the Guard with Katkus mentioned as part of the problem.

And, like everyone else, I read the newspaper stories about the guard and Sean Parnell's firing of Katkus.  Here's a post on that with lots of the details, including a link to the investigation Parnell used to justify the firing.


Back To The Trial

So it's slowly becoming clear to me that, yes, this is Katkus.  But as the plaintiff's attorney questions him, there's a lot of cognitive dissonance for me.

There were questions and answers about the relationship among the APD, the National Guard, the State Troopers, the FBI.  They all worked together to fight drugs.  It was common for them to share information.  (The argument developing, I assumed, that it was normal for Henry to share the kind of information he was fired for sharing.) There was also discussion about Posse Comitatus - a federal law that limits the army (including the Guard) from being involved in local law enforcement.  Katkus talked about how they have to be careful not to be involved in drug busts, but that they have technical equipment the APD needs and that they have a very close relationship.

Katkus during a break in the trial

The guy being questioned is coming out looking like a victim of a smear campaign by Ken Blaylock, a disgruntled National Guardsman who constantly complained about sex, guns, and drugs abused by the Alaska National Guard.  Katkus, according to this testimony took sexual harassment seriously.  But given the chain of command, those things should have been handled much lower than his level and he shouldn't have heard about it.  (I'd heard about Blaylock in the past too.  He was the guy who had been finally vindicated by all the investigations and the sacking of Katkus.  Now he was being portrayed as a crazy conspiracy theorist.)

When Henry's attorney, Ray Brown, had finished with Katkus, the Guard was now a highly efficient and well run organization.  No one had ever been convicted of any crimes.  Katkus had been a strong leader who'd done nothing wrong.  His firing was based on sensational media reports, not truth.  There were some loose ends - something was fishy with the recruiters, but we never heard resolution about the charges of them having sex parties with high school age recruits.

Are you seeing where my cognitive dissonance is coming from?

When the defense attorney for the Municipality, Doug Parker, questioned Katkus, he pointed out parts of the reports that Ray Brown had skipped over. [Note:  Ray Brown is part of a team of attorneys  representing Anthony Henry.  The Brown Report mentioned in this post was written by a Rick Brown, no relationship.]   Like the survey that found people in the Guard very distrusting of their superiors.  Of severe problems in the department that took sexual harassment complaints from 2007-2011.  The department got a new person who fixed a lot of that, but apparently the distrust continued.  The investigator who looked into Blaylock's charges, apparently didn't look too hard because he found them unbelievable.  And why did Katkus promote Blaylock if he was so problematic?

Katkus' memory got much worse when he was questioned by Parker.

I was also struck by his use - three times I think - of the term "There was no visibility on that"  which, I understood in the context to mean, I never saw that.  Maybe that's their jargon, but it's pretty bizarre sounding to me.

There was also an FBI agent involved in some meetings.  Three times Katkus referred to her as "the lady FBI agent" as though her gender were the most important factor.  We did know her name so he could have said Agent Kirkland without emphasis she wasn't a man. 

Katkus had been an APD officer and knew lots of the APD, but he said there were 4000 people in the Guard and he couldn't keep track of them all.  Yet, at another point he said that in a small organization like the Guard there were lots of rumors.   But as Adjutant General he was many levels above what happened and didn't need to know about details.  Too large for him to know people, so small there was lots of rumors, which, presumably, at the top of the hierarchy, he shouldn't have known about.  Rumors are a symptom of an organization that isn't transparent, where communication is closed. 

Katkus was on the stand from 8:30am until around 2pm.  There were three 15 minute breaks.  Katkus and a juror both needed to catch planes, so they skipped lunch to get out early.

By the end of the day's testimony, my mind was all twisted up.  I think it's important to consider whether what you believe is really true.  Keep an open mind.  This was only my first day at the trial.  I didn't hear the opening arguments or the earlier testimony.  Apparently there is a long, long list of witnesses yet to come.  Including Ken Blaylock.

I went to the Clerk of the Court's office afterward and looked at some of the documents on their computer.  There were several studies mentioned in the trial.  The Brown (Rick Brown) Report that was done for the APD, which had been keep secret until this trial.  The OCI (National Guard Bureau  Office of Complex Investigations)  report that Sean Parnell asked for in 2014.  An Inspector General (IG) report.  There's a report that Lisa Murkowski requested, and various 15-6's which are what some sort of internal Guard reports are called.

I found the Brown Report in the list of documents on the computer in the Clerk's office.  You can't download it or save it to a thumb drive or email it.  So I took pictures of the Cover Page, Reasons for Investigation, Synopsis of Investigation, Time Line of Significant Events, Conclusions, and Recommendations.  Pages 1-21 of 97.  This report was the basis for the two week suspension of then Police Chief Mark Mew and Anthony Brown's termination.  You can see these 21 pages right below.

[UPDATE Oct 21, 2018 10:30pm  - I managed to get an official copy of the Brown Report, so I have deleted my original photos of the computer screen version I posted originally.  It's in two parts.

Brown Report Pt 1 by SteveAK1 on Scribd

Here's Part 2:

Brown Report Part 2 by on Scribd

end of Oct 21, 2018 10:30pm  UPDATE0


When I got home home I checked the old post I did when Katkus was fired.  It should help people unfamiliar with all this understand why today was like being Alice in Wonderland.  But at the recommendation of a reader, I copied the OCI report and posted it at Scribd where you can still see it.

It almost felt like this was a trial to exonerate Katkus and to find Blaylock guilty.  This is supposed to be a couple week long trial.  Don't hold your breath.

[UPDATE Oct 21, 2018:  Devin Kelly's article in today's ADN does a much better job of conveying the details of the Friday trial.  I was having a lot of trouble figuring out what all the details were leading to, so I just gave some broad background.  Devin gives more details.  Also I've corrected the spelling of Blaylock.  It has a y.]

Walker's Statement About Why He's Ending His Campaign For Governor

I spent all day in US District Courtroom #2 - Henry v. MOA.  I got out at 2pm, with my head spinning and my stomach protesting the lack of a lunch break.  Stopped at the Court Clerk's office to see what I could find about the case on their computer.  I ended up taking images of the Summary, Main Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations from the Brown Study that was released the other day to the public.  Then I biked home along Chester Creek.  There, my wife asked if I'd heard the news.  I hadn't.

So here's the Governor's announcement and explanation.  I could have lived reasonably comfortably with Bill Walker getting another four years.  I voted for him last time and he's an honorable man, intelligent, and appears always to have the best for Alaska in mind.  I don't agree with all his positions, but that's true about most elected officials.  As of today, it's (sort of) a two way race between Mark Begich and Mike Dunleavy.  Walker's name will still be on the ballot and I'm sure some people will vote for him (please don't unless you were planning to vote for Dunleavy.)  And the Division of Elections has said 1000 absentee votes are already in, and surely some of those folks voted for Walker.

I'll try to get something up about the trial later tonight or tomorrow.  Meanwhile, here's the email the Governor sent out.

Dear Alaskans,
I ran for re-election because I still believe that, more than anything else, Alaska deserves integrity, honesty, and courage.
Alaska First is, and cannot only be, a campaign slogan. When I said I ran for governor to do the job, not make the decisions to keep the job, I meant exactly what I said.  Every decision I have made as your governor, I have made on the basis of what I believe is best for Alaska.
With that said, effective today, I am suspending my campaign for re-election as Governor. With more time, I am confident that Val and I could deliver a message and a campaign that could earn a victory in this election.
But there are only 18 days remaining before election day. Absentee ballots have already been mailed, and Alaskans are already voting. In the time remaining, I believe we cannot win a three-way race.
This week I have talked to many Alaskans to determine whether I or Mark Begich had a better chance of running a competitive race against Mike Dunleavy. The determination was made that, at this point, Begich has the better odds.
Alaskans deserve a competitive race. Alaskans deserve a choice other than Mike Dunleavy, whose record and campaign rhetoric indicate he will:

• eliminate Medicaid Expansion that has provided healthcare access to 44,000 Alaskans, created jobs and brought $1 billion federal dollars into the Alaskan economy while decreasing State healthcare expenditures by $16 million, kept hospitals from closing, and saved lives;
• defund the Alaska LNG Gasline project that has made historic progress, will create 12,000 high paying construction jobs, 88,000 direct and indirect jobs and deliver low cost energy to our homes and businesses;
• undo the bipartisan approved sustainable fiscal plan that has resulted in fiscal stability, significantly reduced the deficit, improved our credit rating and preserved the PFD program into perpetuity;
• cause our most vulnerable to suffer the brunt of the additional $1 billion in budget cuts he vows to make to education, rural Alaska and those receiving healthcare.

Moreover, my administration has worked tirelessly to improve the relationship between Tribes and State and restore respect for Alaska's First Peoples in state government. Yesterday, I apologized on behalf of the State of Alaska for the wrongs committed against the Alaska Native people throughout our history, because I believed that was best for Alaska. My expectation is that this work critical to the healing of historical trauma and unifying all Alaskans will be undone in a Dunleavy administration.
On balance, it is my belief that despite my many differences with Mark Begich, his stance on the important issues I have listed above more closely align with my priorities for Alaska.
This is not the first difficult decision I have made this week, but it is one I know I must make. There simply are no words to express my deepest gratitude to the incomparable, dedicated team of outstanding Alaskans who have served in my administration and to the thousands of supporters, donors, volunteers and campaign staff who have been passionately committed to my re-election. And above all, I want to say thank you to my family and to Donna, my first lady for life.
As I said earlier this week, ultimately, it's not how long my team and I serve, it's how well we served the people and the state we love while the opportunity was ours. We have served with integrity, courage, devotion, and compassion, never asking ourselves whether a decision is politically correct but always asking if it is right for Alaska. I am proud of the work we have done in the most challenging fiscal crisis in state history and it is the honor of my life to have served as the governor of this great state.
Thank you, God bless you all, and may God continue to bless Alaska.
Bill Walker

In this age of cynicism about politics, I thank Governor Walker for what he's done in the last four years and for taking this difficult step.  

Pamyua At Stand For Salmon

There was a party - well that seems the best word - for the Yes on 1 Stand for Salmon folks.  Some talk about the 400 pages that regulate fishing versus the relatively little that regulates those who develop around fish habitat.  I know there are more regulations in other places for the developers, but really, this is about corporate interests wanting to be able to do what they want in Alaska without pesky citizens raising issues at public hearings.  This is one of the world wide battles between indigenous peoples and corporations over protecting the land that allows indigenous peoples to keep their cultural heritage.

I did talk about the history of this recurring battle in the post Vampire History of Alaska.

But tonight was great music by an Alaska band that combines Native and Western music.  At Out North's newish downtown location.

And vote yes on proposition 1.

Some Things To Chew On: "angry mob;" '[if] you admit to using pot in the past, you can be banned;” "“'I didn’t do anything illegal."

Trump and the November Elections

An LA Times piece on Trump has this sentence:

"He has taken to describing Democrats as “an angry mob,” “wacko” and “unhinged” and has said they seek to drive the country “maybe into poverty and ultimately into chaos.”

This is Trump's way, apparently, of firing up 'his base' to go out and vote.  Demonize the 'enemy.'   I can't comprehend how Republicans blaming Democrats for the level of conflict in DC these days can keep a straight face when they manufacture and then repeat inflammatory lies like this constantly.

An essay by Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stigletz

"Will the US electorate declare that Trump is not what America is about? Will voters renounce his racism, misogyny, nativism, and protectionism? Will they say that his “America First” rejection of the international rule of law is not what the US stands for? Or will they make it clear that Trump’s win was not a historical accident resulting from a Republican primary process that produced a flawed nominee and a Democratic primary process that produced Trump’s ideal opponent?"

He talks about the importance of turnout.  But lets also remember that in many states, the districts have been gerrymandered so they give Republicans a big majority of Congressional seats even though they get just a slight the majority in total statewide vote. And there's the voter suppression campaigns in many states  (which he does mention.)  And the massive disinformation campaigns which the president contributes so heavily to.   But given the vast number of people who don't vote, getting them to vote IS the best antidote for the Republican schemes to thwart majority rule.

And here's a Vox interview on the contradictions in people's views of government and voting:

"In the book, you cite Mitt Romney’s famous “47 percent” comment from 2013, in which he claimed that 47 percent of the population are dependent upon the government and will vote for the Democratic candidate no matter what. But data shows that it’s the so-called “red states” that contribute the least to the federal coffers and rely the most on federal services — and of course, nearly all of those states voted for Romney. What the hell is going on here?
Suzanne Mettler:  Yeah, this is quite frustrating. I spent a lot of time looking at the state of Kentucky to try to make sense of this. Kentucky is a very poor state. And when you look at congressional districts there, you find a bunch of them where the average person gets more than 30 or 40 or 50 percent of their income from federal social benefits.
Yet those same districts are electing very conservative members of Congress who promise to introduce work requirements for food stamps and repeal the Affordable Care Act and so forth. It’s really puzzling.
I think there are a couple of things that might explain this. One is that I found that people who benefit from more visible social programs, like food stamps, are much less likely to vote."

Honesty About Marijuana With Border Officials Leads To Being Banned

US Border Patrol Banning Canadians Who Admit To Having Smoked Marijuana, Ever“If you’re a Canadian tourist in Seattle and you’re over the age of 21, you can buy marijuana. But if on your next trip to the U.S., you’re questioned by border agents and you admit to using pot in the past, you can be banned,” he said. “It’s totally backwards and doesn’t make sense.”
Last year, more than a dozen members of Congress wrote to U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, as well as to U.S. border officials, to express concerns about Canadians and other noncitizens being targeted at U.S. ports of entry.
“We ask that your respective agencies develop policies that ban penalizing noncitizens based on their use or possession of marijuana if they are visiting or residing in states that have enacted marijuana use laws,” the lawmakers wrote."

OK, Rep. Young, why is your party administration doing this sort of stuff.  Does this happen when Canadians cross the border into Alaska?


Hunting Ethics Breach With Appropriate Results

A member of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission resigned after posting pictures of himself and a family of baboons he had killed.  He was at first surprised at the protests against his actions and said,

“'I didn’t do anything illegal. I didn’t do anything unethical. I didn’t do anything immoral,' Fischer said.
'I look at the way Idaho’s Fish and Game statute says we’re supposed to manage all animals for Idaho, and any surplus of animals we have we manage through hunting, fishing and trapping. Africa does the same thing.'
But Steve Alder, executive director of the pro-hunting group Idaho for Wildlife, said he was glad — though not surprised — the governor had called for the resignation and suggested that this would be “a milestone” in how future commissioners might be selected.

It's good to see in a big hunting state like Idaho, that the reaction was swift and that Fischer, rather than deny any wrong doing and fight back, like so many are doing these days, wrote a letter that took responsibility and apologized.  

"In his letter of resignation, dated Oct. 15, Fischer apologized for sending the photos and said he hoped his actions “would not harm the integrity and ethic” of the Fish and Game Department.
“I recently made some poor judgments that resulted in sharing photos of a hunt in which I did not display an appropriate level of sportsmanship and respect for the animals I harvested,” Fischer wrote. 'While these actions were out of character for me, I fully accept responsibility and feel it is best for the citizens of Idaho and sportsmen and women that I resign my post.'”

I'd hope this would be the results of a similar incident in Alaska, but with our forever member of Congress' office wall full of animal heads, I doubt it.  But maybe forever will end Nov 6.  [Later in the day I saw this was reprinted in the Anchorage Daily News (ADN).]

Sexual Assault 

I’m a sexual assault survivor. And a conservative. The Kavanaugh hearings were excruciating.

The text of this story is worth reading, but more striking even is the picture that accompanied the story.

There's Kavanaugh testifying and behind him the men's legs are covered in long trousers and the women's legs are bare.  This may say more about our sexualized culture and the roles of men and women in it, than most articles I've read.  How many Senators' offices require women to wear dresses and heels?  Or if not require, let it be known they are preferred? 

Gubernatorial Debate - Walker, Begich, Toien, But No Dunleavy [UPDATE - Walker's Lt. Gov Resigns] [2nd UPDATE]

UAA, the ADN, and a few others sponsored a debate at UAA's Wendy Williamson Auditorium, Monday evening from 5;30pm to 7pm.


It was a pretty low-key affair with each candidate showing courtesy and significant agreement with each other.  My quick crowd estimate (counting people in a few rows and then counting how many rows) gave me a 200-300 estimate.  

Current Governor Bill Walker, Independent, was sincere, practical, sounding a bit frustrated that the legislature wouldn't do the responsible thing and create an overall fiscal plan including new revenues.  He was critical of the fact that they had used up, I believe he said, 80% of the budget reserves in the last four years.

Former US Senator and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, Democrat, had similar themes though he also argued strongly that the Permanent Fund needs Constitutional protections or politicians will use it up.  He also called for new revenues.

Libertarian candidate Billy Toien's take was a little different.  He pointed to stacks of documents - 30 years of budget data he claimed - and said there is no crisis.  He argued that there were various special funds - I think he said about 50 - that should all be put into the general budget and the deficit would go away.  Some were mentioned - like the Alaska Aerospace Corporation and the Alaska Railroad.  I'm skeptical that moving them all into the general budget would solve our fiscal problems, but it raises the issue of whether these units get considered for cuts during budget time in the same way that regular government agencies do.

Toien, unlike Walker and Begich, was opposed to all new taxes and existing taxes and seemed to believe that the additional revenues generated by putting the independent units' funds into the general budget should be distributed to the people of Alaska.

Republican Mike Dunleavy, we were told, had a conflicting engagement and wasn't there.  His presence probably would have added some lively debate.  And he was criticized by the other three - they said he was making short term promises with no eye on the future and that all the things he promised - maintaining the permanent fund and current services, plus cutting the budget, and no new revenues - were impossible to achieve.


I thought Begich and Walker treated Toien with the sort of condescending respect one would use for a little kid who participates in an adult activity.   But everyone was very cordial.

There were three ADN journalist who were given a chance to ask question.

Tegan Hanlon.

Annie Zak and Tom Hewitt.  I wasn't taking notes, but all the questions were pretty routine.  Things like, what is on the top of your list of things to cut?

I was waiting for one of the candidates to mention KABATA (the Knik Arm Bridge And Toll Authority), but no one did.

Toien came across to me as the kind of guy who has latched on to a couple of ideas that may, by themselves, have some merit.  But that they were utterly untethered from the bigger picture.

Walker is sincere and has 'the adult in the room' sort of tone.  He takes his job seriously but it seemed all process - we have to do things reasonably, take the revenues seriously - and little content, and he didn't spell out why he would be more successful with the next legislature than he has been so far.

Begich was able, as he always has been, to talk fluently about facts on all sorts of issues and tie things together.  He has the enviable ability to smile and respond with humor to anyone, even those whose ideas he is totally opposed to.  I would have like to see how he interacted with Dunleavy.

Dunleavy appears to believe, as do many Alaskans, that he has the election in the bag because Begich and Walker will cut into each others' vote count.  So he can just skip forums like this one.  If that's true, Alaska is in for a rough next four years.  Begich's strategy on entering the race - that he or Walker would drop out after the primary when it was clear which had the better chance against Dunleavy - hasn't worked out.

[UPDATE Oct 16, 2018 4pm:  Walker's Lt. Gov Byron Mallott resigned last night, apparently due to comments made about women or to a women.  The Governor has replaced him with Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson, Director of Rural and Native Affairs.  See ADN for more details.  It's amazing how quickly many Democratic men step down after an incident like this compared to Republican men.]

[UPDATE Oct. 16, 2018 5pm:  A FaceBook post 15 minutes ago::
Kate Laird: This is the most interesting bit: Asked whether Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Begich could replace Mallott on the lieutenant governor ticket, akin to the formation of the 2014 “unity ticket” between Mallott and Walker, Heckendorn [Walker's campaign manager] said, “We have been in conversations with Begich about the best way to move forward for Alaska, and those conversations will continue. We’ve been in conversations before we had any idea of what had happened with Byron. We’ve been in conversations with Begich for a few days about how to move forward in a way that’s best for Alaska.” <nevermind my minor question about why they couldn't have had that chat before ballots were printed ...>]

Today is Día De La Raza In Much Of Latin America

From what I can tell, various forms of Columbus Day have become - or in some cases always were - broader than just celebrating Columbus and also celebrate the indigenous peoples of the Americas.  I'd note that traditionally Columbus Day in the US was celebrated on October 12.  But in the name of efficiency and three day weekends, it has been moved to the second Monday in October in the US.  Like Presidents' Day and Memorial Day have been moved to Mondays.  But this year, October 12 is closest to the 3rd Monday of October which is why it's today in Chile and other Latin American countries.

From Viva Cuernavaca:  

"In Mexico, since 1928, we have officially noted Día de la Raza (Day of the Race, or Day of the People). However, rather than a celebration of discovery, the day originally referred to the Hispanic influence in the Americas. Día de la Raza has come to be seen by indigenous activists throughout Latin America as a counter to Columbus Day; a celebration of the native races and cultures and of the resistance against the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. In the U.S.A. Día de la Raza has served as a time of mobilization for pan-ethnic Latino activists, particularly in the 1960s. Since then, La Raza has served as a periodic rallying cry for Hispanic activists. The first Hispanic March on Washington (U.S.A.) occurred on Columbus Day in 1996. The name has remained in the largest Hispanic social justice organization, by the National Council of La Raza.
During the four hundredth anniversary in 1892, in the U.S.A., teachers, preachers, poets and politicians erroneously used Columbus Day rituals to teach ideals of patriotism. These patriotic rituals were framed around themes such as citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation, and celebrating social progress. Columbus was from Italy, but gave his allegiance to Spain. As we shall see in the following paragraphs, Columbus did little to bring about social progress to the New World.
However, most do not celebrate the day as a joyous one, but as a day of resistance, of sorrow and in respectful memory of the millions who were killed by the Europeans or died from the infectious diseases brought upon the Americas. Today, most know that Columbus did not discover the Americas, he invaded them. Should we continue to pay homage to Christopher Columbus in light of the many atrocities that he instigated on those who had greeted him with kindness and gifts, a man who was responsible for the mass decimation of millions of individuals, all in the name of greed by a foreign government?"

It's hard for most US Americans to accept this perspective, because it means their prosperity is based on what European settlers took from the original inhabitants here.  It's easier to try to block this out than to consider the implications - like giving something, anything, back.

Here's a blog post about Dia de la Raza in Santiago, Chile in 2015.  Pictures and some short video as well as words.

Following Seth Abramson on Trump, Russia, And Now Khashoggi And the Saudi Ties

I was reading enough retweets of Seth Abramson on Twitter, that I decided I should follow him as well.  He has been tweeting prolifically about Trump, particularly about the Russia scandals.  He knows a lot about this because he's been writing a book on the topic which comes out in November - Prood of Collusion:  How Trump Betrayed America.

He seems to know a lot.  He seems particularly good at putting all the pieces together, at picking up any new bit of news and showing how it fits into the larger picture.  We don't get a lot of that in the media.  Mostly, it's a lot of jumping from one thing (which then disappears) to the next, without all the pieces being fit together.

Anyone who knows the Trump-Russia case knows Trump's inaction on Khashoggi is tied to a 6-nation "grand bargain." More proof—Khashoggi was banned from Saudi TV, newspapers and conferences for criticizing the Saudi Crown Prince's involvement in the bargain: https://t.co/Gfnxpoqy6s

— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) October 14, 2018

You can read the whole thread here.  (While each tweet is limited to 280 characters, Twitter now lets its users set up threads of tweets that you can read consecutively.  There are 25 tweets in this thread, then comments.)


I also checked on Wikipedia about Abramson.  He's a got degrees from Dartmouth, Harvard Law, Iowa Writers Workshop, and a doctorate in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Related to this thread on Trump-Russia and Saudi Arabia, here's a some of what Wikipedia has on Abramson and which seems to confirm my sense that what he's writing is important.:

After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Abramson received widespread attention for his tweets alleging collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. By synthesizing reporting from major news outlets, Abramson has documented repeated contacts between multiple members of the Trump campaign and the political network surrounding Russian President Vladimir Putin.[19] Based on the timing, publicly known content, and personnel involved in those meetings, Abramson suggests that, through intermediaries, Trump and Putin came to an understanding in 2013 that Trump would run for president and push for an end to U.S. sanctions against Russia, and that Putin would in return greenlight a multibillion dollar Trump Tower Moscow deal and other potential Trump ventures in Russia while using Russian capabilities to aid the Trump campaign.[20] 

Writers at several media publications – including The New Republic,[21] The Atlantic,[22] and Deadspin[23] – have described Abramson as a conspiracy theorist. While Ben Mathis-Lilley of Slate argues that Abramson is "not making things up, per se; he's just recycling information you could find on any news site and adding sinister what-if hypotheticals to create conclusions that he refers to, quite seriously, as 'investigatory analyses.'"[24] The Chronicle of Higher Education also contests the moniker, noting that Abramson "feuds with anti-Trump conspiracy theorists whom he sees linking to dubious sources and making claims without evidence."[25] 

Meanwhile, Virginia Heffernan writes in Politico that Abramson's "theory-testing" is "urgently important."[26] Der Spiegel calls Abramson "a quintessential American figure: an underdog who became an involuntary hero."[27] The New York Observer writes that "events like Trump's 2013 trip to Russia for Miss Universe were covered extensively on Abramson's feed prior to the mainstream media catching on, a fact that has given him a reputation for being early to connect events within the broader Russia story."[28]

[This link tells how to create a twitter thread.  There's also something Twitter calls  a moment.  From what I can tell, the difference is that threads are one person's tweets collected, but in a moment you can add other tweets in.  But if someone knows this better, please enlighten us.]

Back To Anchorage - Realizing Our Wetlands Abundance

The Kealia Pond National Wildlife Reserve was near where we stayed in Maui and we had the chance to explore it while we were there.  It's about 700 acres if I recall right.

But as we flew into Anchorage yesterday, I was reminded of yet another reason why I live here -We have wetlands, bogs, etc. that seem to go on forever.  That's not an invitation on my part for developers and manufacturers to destroy them.  It's partly a prayer of thanks that the predominant image of Alaska around the world is 'a giant icebox.'

Here's a view as our plane flew around across the inlet waiting for a time to land.

It was a very grey day, but it was in the 50's (F) - continuing a warm spell since September.

At Kealia Pond, they say that only 10% of  Hawaiian wetlands are left.  Probably this picture shows more than all the wetlands Hawaii ever had.

What if Alaska were the same size as Hawaii?  Would our habitat destruction be similar?

My first visit to Hawaii was ia quick overnight in Honolulu in 1969, followed by nine weeks in Hilo working at a Peace Corps training program in 1970.  The first trip to Maui was a couple years later.  The changes are staggering - the development everywhere, the traffic.  And who gets the benefits?  People raised in Hawaii often can no longer afford to live there.  Hawaii, once a tropical paradise, is now 'an investment opportunity."

Alaska is big enough and the biggest development is remote enough that most people don't see the impacts.  But in Hawaii it's obvious.  And tourism is probably now the biggest culprit.

Another view just before landing.

And here we were on the tarmac headed to the gate.

Intergoernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) Report

Amidst all the serious issues the Trump administration is causing, the really big issue facing everyone is global warming.  But the IPCC report that just came out is not a page turner for most people.  I challenge Netscape, Disney, Prime, and all the other producers of blockbusters to take on the issues of climate change that in a way that is both entertaining and educational.  In the meantime. . .

This is NOT easy stuff to understand.  But people should know this report was done (it's the continuation of work from the Paris Climate Change Agreement, agreed on by basically most every country except Trumpia. (This Mother Jones article gives more nuance)

It looks like the Press Release is the most understandable part of the report, and it's still work to get through.  Here's some key excerpts.

“One of the key messages that comes out very strongly from this report is that we are already seeing the consequences of 1°C of global warming through more extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic sea ice, among other changes,” said Panmao Zhai, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I.
For instance, by 2100, global sea level rise would be 10 cm lower with global warming of 1.5°C compared with 2°C. The likelihood of an Arctic Ocean free of sea ice in summer would be once per century with global warming of 1.5°C, compared with at least once per decade with 2°C. Coral reefs would decline by 70-90 percent with global warming of 1.5°C, whereas virtually all (> 99 percent) would be lost with 2oC.
“Every extra bit of warming matters, especially since warming of 1.5oC or higher increases the risk associated with long-lasting or irreversible changes, such as the loss of some ecosystems,” said Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II.
Limiting global warming would also give people and ecosystems more room to adapt and remain below relevant risk thresholds, added Pörtner. The report also examines pathways available to limit warming to 1.5oC, what it would take to achieve them and what the consequences could be.

From what I can tell, the report  is basically is comparing what will happen under the goals of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5˚C or to 2.5˚C, the feasibility of both these goals, and the impacts on the earth and life for each.

I tried to skim the main headings of the summary of findings, but they are pretty dense reading, so I've picked the list of terms listed at the end.  If people learn these terms, that would be a good start.  Then they look at the parts of the report.

Box SPM 1: Core Concepts Central to this Special Report
Global mean surface temperature (GMST): Estimated global average of near-surface air temperatures over land and sea-ice, and sea surface temperatures over ice-free ocean regions, with changes normally expressed as departures from a value over a specified reference period.
When estimating changes in GMST, near-surface air temperature over both land and oceans are also used.19{1.2.1.1}
Pre-industrial: The multi-century period prior to the onset of large-scale industrial activity around 1750. The reference period 1850–1900 is used to approximate pre-industrial GMST. {1.2.1.2}
Global warming: The estimated increase in GMST averaged over a 30-year period, or the 30-year period centered on a particular year or decade, expressed relative to pre-industrial levels unless otherwise specified. For 30-year periods that span past and future years, the current multi-decadal warming trend is assumed to continue. {1.2.1}
Net zero CO2 emissions: Net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are achieved when anthropogenic CO2 emissions are balanced globally by anthropogenic CO2 removals over a specified period.
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR): Anthropogenic activities removing CO2 from the atmosphere and durably storing it in geological, terrestrial, or ocean reservoirs, or in products. It includes existing and potential anthropogenic enhancement of biological or geochemical sinks and direct air capture and storage, but excludes natural CO2 uptake not directly caused by human activities.
Total carbon budget: Estimated cumulative net global anthropogenic CO2 emissions from the preindustrial period to the time that anthropogenic CO2 emissions reach net zero that would result, at some probability, in limiting global warming to a given level, accounting for the impact of other anthropogenic emissions. {2.2.2}
Remaining carbon budget: Estimated cumulative net global anthropogenic CO2 emissions from a given start date to the time that anthropogenic CO2 emissions reach net zero that would result, at some probability, in limiting global warming to a given level, accounting for the impact of other anthropogenic emissions. {2.2.2}
Temperature overshoot: The temporary exceedance of a specified level of global warming.
Emission pathways: In this Summary for Policymakers, the modelled trajectories of global anthropogenic emissions over the 21st century are termed emission pathways. Emission pathways are classified by their temperature trajectory over the 21st century: pathways giving at least 50% probability based on current knowledge of limiting global warming to below 1.5°C are classified as ‘no overshoot’; those limiting warming to below 1.6°C and returning to 1.5°C by 2100 are classified as ‘1.5°C limited-overshoot’; while those exceeding 1.6°C but still returning to 1.5°C by 2100 are classified as ‘higher-overshoot’.

Impacts: Effects of climate change on human and natural systems. Impacts can have beneficial or adverse outcomes for livelihoods, health and well-being, ecosystems and species, services, infrastructure, and economic, social and cultural assets.
Risk: The potential for adverse consequences from a climate-related hazard for human and
natural systems, resulting from the interactions between the hazard and the vulnerability and exposure of the affected system. Risk integrates the likelihood of exposure to a hazard and the magnitude of its impact. Risk also can describe the potential for adverse consequences of adaptation or mitigation responses to climate change.
Climate-resilient development pathways (CRDPs): Trajectories that strengthen sustainable development at multiple scales and efforts to eradicate poverty through equitable societal and systems transitions and transformations while reducing the threat of climate change through ambitious mitigation, adaptation, and climate resilience.

Why People In Anchorage Don't See Much Of Alaska

Alaska Airlines extended its Permanent Fund Dividend sale.  I've just copied the first six destinations from Anchorage that were listed.

From Anchorage (ANC) to

Adak Island (ADK)

Purchase by October 15, 2018.

Restrictions apply*

$449 

one way

VIEW DATES

From Anchorage (ANC) to

Albuquerque (ABQ)

Purchase by October 15, 2018.

Restrictions apply*

$179 

one way

VIEW DATES

From Anchorage (ANC) to

Atlanta (ATL)

Purchase by October 15, 2018.

Restrictions apply*

$249 

one way

VIEW DATES

From Anchorage (ANC) to

Austin (AUS)

Purchase by October 15, 2018.

Restrictions apply*

$199 

one way

VIEW DATES

From Anchorage (ANC) to

Baltimore (BWI)

Purchase by October 15, 2018.

Restrictions apply*

$229 

one way

VIEW DATES

From Anchorage (ANC) to

Barrow (BRW)

Purchase by October 15, 2018.

Restrictions apply*

$149 

one way

[The out-of-state distances come from convert it]

So let's see how much that comes to when converted to cost per mile;

From Anchorage to Adak = 1,192 miles  or $.38 per mile
From Anchorage to Albuquerque = 2578 miles  or $.07 per mile
From Anchorage to Atlanta = 3365 or $.07 per mile
From Anchorage to Austin =  3125 or $.06 per mile
From Anchorage to Baltimore = 3317 or $.07 per mile
From Anchorage to Barrow =  725 miles or $.21 per mile

[UPDATE Oct 10, 2018  8pm- here are some more Alaska destinations (miles from air miles calculator)
Anchorage to Bethel = 399 miles (at $99) = $.25 per mile
Anchorage to Cordova = 160 miles (at $99) = $.62 per mile
Anchorage to Dutch Harbor = 792 miles (at $349) =  $.44 per mile
Anchorage to Fairbanks - 261 miles (at $77) = $.30 per mile
Anchorage to Juneau =  571 miles (at $137) = $.24 per mile
Anchorage to Ketchikan = 775 miles  (@ $169) = $.22 per mile
Anchorage to Kodiak = 253 miles (@ $109) = $.43 per mile
Anchorage to Kotzebue =  548 miles  (@ $129) = $.24  per mile
Anchorage to Nome =  539 miles  (@ $129) = $.24  per mile
Anchorage to Petersburg =  671 miles  (@ $149) = $.22  per mile
Anchorage to Sitka =  592 miles  (@ $148) = $.25  per mile
Anchorage to Yakutat =  373 miles  (@ $149) = $.40  per mile]


I understand that airline prices are related to prices offered by competitors and that Alaska Airlines has little to no competition when flying around Alaska.  But what it means is that:

• Unless someone's job requires Alaska travel paid by the  employer, most Alaskans can fly out of state for much less than they can fly in state
• Rural Alaskans, whose income is below the state average, are a big part of Alaska Airlines' profits
• If they aren't (if Alaska Air is making plenty with out of state flights) then why not give rural Alaskans a break here?

And I got a notice today from the Alaska Permanent Fund that they deposited my $1600 into my checking account.  And Alaska Airlines, like every other business, wants their cut of every Alaskans PFD.