Juneau Independent

In a letter sent to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last week, attorneys for Jack Smith said they were “compelled to correct inaccurate assertions made by you and others concerning the issuance of a grand jury subpoena for the toll records of eight Senators and one Member of the House of Representatives.” 

“I told the president, it’s like Christmas every morning,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said at last week’s staged event in Washington, D.C., where the Department of Interior secretary signed off on federal approvals to expand oil drilling, mining and road building in Alaska.

The day after seven million Americans attended "No Kings" demonstrations, House Speaker Mike Johnson argued that if “President Trump was a king,” the demonstrators “would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise.”

Approximately 7% of Juneau residents — or roughly 2,200 people — receive SNAP benefits, in the form of a debit card used at grocery stores. It’s loaded with the monthly allowance on the first of each month. Without a resolution to the Congressional budget standoff, that won’t happen on the first of November.

Scientists use the seemingly benign term “tonic immobility” to describe the temporary paralysis that various species of animals experience when they spy a predator. This fear-based response is a survival instinct intended to last until the predator loses interest.

There’s a difference between a slogan and a standard. When a city calls itself a “Human Rights City,” it may sound like branding, but it’s something much deeper.

On Oct. 7, Juneau voters sent a clear message. They voted to eliminate sales tax on essential groceries and residential utilities. They voted to cap property tax for general government. And they voted to reject a new seasonal sales tax. In short, voters said: Stop balancing the city budget on the backs of working families. Live within your means. Focus on essentials. Right-size government.

Years ago, while Juneau friends were house hunting in Washington state, they left their middle school son with me for the weekend. The instructions were easy: Only one bowl of sugared cereal and pay attention to homework.

The United States is a rich tapestry of cultures, beliefs, and perspectives. Our diversity is our strength — it fuels creativity, innovation, and compassion. Yet today, we find ourselves in crisis, driven by a collective forgetting of that truth.

I think within the next year many CBJ residents will be feeling buyer’s remorse as municipal services get cut and the $944/household that they have saved doesn’t even register in their budget.

Many of those who profess that they are Christion are Christian In Name Only (CINO). This is evidenced by their not following the tenets of Jesus. Those inside and outside of government who say they are Christian and want to have a Christian government but also want to end or reduce Obamacare are CINO. Many of these are also Trump's toadies. Jesus healed the sick without charging for it and felt compassion for the poor. He commanded in John 15:12 to love each other as He love

This column is for people who remember — or who heard stories from their parents or grandparents — that staticky, buzzing melody of beeps when someone would dial in for a connection to the internet, and an equally static-sounding machine at the other end would answer.