"Come on people, now -

smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now".

I've been playing this song since 1967. I may be old, but I still believe.

anigbrowl, I own exactly 2 guns.

A shotgun, and one rifle. Both are over 20 years old, and kept in shape. The rifle goes with me back country, and up here, you'd better have something more than a bear bell or spray. The shotgun's last use was being fired in the air to scare a mama moose and her twins out of a neighbor's yard. My neighbor's children were in that yard and mama moose perceived a threat. By a 5 and 3 year old.

Not everyone who owns guns, legally, licensed, is a "gun humper".

I am a strong supporter of gun control, but some outright prejudice is just as bad as any other bigotry. And yeah, I'd gladly fire my shotgun to be sure your kids were safe. Mama moose and twins ran off. Kids got scolded by mom for being too curious (in a fenced yard).

I'm 62 years old and have never fired a weapon, except when I was in the Air Force and required to do so, at so much as a human paper target.

I don't start many of these, and am not quite sure how to do it -

BUT! Solid RW Senior Senator Lisa Murkowski on the RepbliCON convention? Lisa can be pretty cool on some stuff, not much, but some - and for this one I give her credit for a damn good excuse (she didn't use it with McCain) and wanting to distance herself from the Clown Car.

In certain circumstances, you can NOT let party politics be your guide.

Common courtesy is one circumstance. Naturally, it's usually the Republicans who fall short, but we all have at one time or another, we're human.

"On the day after Veteran's Day in 2009, Gov. Sean Parnell declined the opportunity to travel to Elmendorf Air Force Base and attend a 15-minute speech by President Barack Obama.

Parnell was in Anchorage that day, but he said he skipped the ceremonies because he wasn’t granted a tete-a-tete with Obama during the president's two-hour refueling stop."

http://www.adn.com/article/20150809/welcoming-president-matter-courtesy-not-party-politics

Please at least give me a direction! I saw this saying - WHO wrote it?

"We exist to bear witness.
We had to.
The infinite us to see it.
Without the perceiver,
The perceived does not exist.

That gives us leverage.
Don't look until
you get what you want."

From the Daily News-Miner: Record warm temperatures expected in Interior Alaska

WHAT A SLED DOG RACE!!!!!!!!!!!

The Quest!

As usual, California is ahead of the game - this time on mandatory vaccinations.

California Bill Would Make It Harder For Parents To Say No To Vaccines
The Huffington Post | By Lydia O'Connor

Two California lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday morning that would eliminate parents' ability to opt out of school-mandated vaccines because of personal beliefs.

The bill from state Sens. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), a pediatrician, and Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), an educator, comes amid the worst measles outbreak in 20 years with more than 100 cases recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The flare-up is anchored in California, where many affluent communities have dangerously low vaccination rates and around 13,000 current kindergarten students are not vaccinated, according to an analysis by the San Jose Mercury News.

(snip) If the bill is passed as filed, parents may only skip having their children vaccinated in cases where it is prevented by physical or medical conditions.

"Immunization of a person shall be required for admission to a school or institution ... unless the child has a physical condition or medical circumstances that contraindicate vaccination as prescribed in Section 120370," the measure reads.

It's bad enough endangering your own children; it's unconscionable endangering the children of others.

Happy Marmot Day, fellow Alaskans!

Heck with groundhogs, we ALWAYS have 6 more weeks of winter after February 2nd! Marmots rock!

http://www.newsminer.com/features/sundays/community_features/on-feb-alaskans-celebrate-marmot-day/article_aedd77f6-a9a2-11e4-a7d2-f71cd40d51ce.html