Alaska is and isn’t what you think. It is one of the most confounding places on earth. I know of no other location where libertarian-communist could describe someone, but they can be found in Alaska. It is the most and least sexist state in the Union, the most and least patriotic, the most and least liberal or conservative. Understand that I am not talking about shades of difference, grays, I’m talking about a place where most things is black or white, but at the same time.

Maurice Robert “Mike” Gravel is an excellent example. First off, he’s weird, OK? He is apt to do almost anything, but among the those things are some really good things, like including the Pentagon Papers in the Congressional Record while the Nixon administration was blocking their publication.

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The BBC reports Canada primed for snap election

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper may be preparing to call an early general election, reports suggest.

Parliament is due to reconvene after its summer break on 15 September, but correspondents believe Mr Harper will call for an election on Sunday.

His Conservative Party was elected in 2006, but does not have an overall majority and has clashed with the opposition on a number of key issues.

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You know that sinister 527 that Governor Palin was a founding member of and shows her links to Alaska’s corrupt Senator?

According to the IRS filing Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service Inc, question 12. Describe the purpose of the organization:

To increase the number of Republican women in elected offices and in appointed governmental and political positions, including advisory and regulatory commissions through training and education.

How totally underhanded and creepy that a Republican woman politician would be part of a group that trains Republican women to enter politics, just like the Emerge programs for Democratic women in many states as noted by Rutgers in their list of Recruitment and Training Programs for Women Candidates . </sarcasm>

There was a time when liberals did research.

Update: If you think I’m being harsh read Stirling Newberry: The mishandling of Sarah Palin.

Screenshot of the Atlantic Basin on Weather Underground‘s Wundermap with all three storms and their tracks.  Click on the map to go to the site.

Position: 26.5 N 76.3 W. [10 PM CDT]
Movement: Northwest [320°] near 14 mph.
Maximum sustained winds: 65 mph.
Wind Gusts: 75 mph.
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 315 miles.
Minimum central pressure: 987 mb.

It is 540 miles South of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Position: 23.6 N 59.5 W. [10 PM CDT]
Movement: West_Northwest [275°] near 14 mph.
Maximum sustained winds: 135 mph.
Wind Gusts: 160 mph.
Hurricane Wind Radius: 45 miles.
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 140 miles.
Minimum central pressure: 945 mb.

It is about 475 miles North-Northeast of the Leeward Islands.

Note that Ike went from a 70 mph tropical storm to a 135 mph Category 4 hurricane in under 12 hours yesterday. [Hurricane records are recorded in 6-hour increments] and it wasn’t forecast. It would be nice if we had some more satellites over the Atlantic Basin to watch these storms, but some people think that wars and manned missions to the moon are more important.

Position: 15.1 N 33.8 W. [10 PM CDT]
Movement: West-Northwest [290°] near 10 mph.
Maximum sustained winds: 45 mph.
Wind Gusts: 55 mph.
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 175 miles.
Minimum central pressure: 1002 mb.

It is 630 miles West of the Cape Verde Islands.