While composing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson did a radical thing. In defining what rights men possessed by virtue of birth, he added “pursuit of happiness” along with “life” and “liberty.” Previous to the Declaration, Englishmen believed they were naturally entitled to “life, liberty and property.” Jefferson’s editing represented a tectonic shift in the world’s view of a person’s…
Alaskans emerge from winter on their hands and knees. The dark, cold, wind, rain and snow beat down on us until, by spring, we squeeze out from under them and can start to walk upright again. In varying degrees, winter freaks us out. Under its weight, we say and do crazy things we would never say or do in July.…
“How many people do you want at this event? We could bring lots of friends. We have ski races in the Yukon, but nothing like this.” These words, spoken to a local volunteer by a Canadian competitor in Saturday’s Kat to Koot Alpine Adventure Race, should be music to the ears of Haines tourism officials. For decades they’ve bandied…
“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” from “A Few Page of Notes” by H.L. Mencken, 1915 “Schools are still like prisons, because we don’t learn how to live Everybody wants to take, nobody wants give…” from “Presidential Rag” by Arlo Guthrie, 1974 Get…
The media watchers are saying that Pyeongchang will be the least-viewed Olympics ever. That’s discouraging, but understandable. With all that’s on TV in our thousand-channel universe, it’s a wonder people still watch at all. Compared to something like a kid riding a bicycle off the roof of a house, even downhill skiing can seem pretty tame. For that I feel…
I think I’ve exceeded my tolerance level for mass shootings. How about you? There’s only so long that a person can witness madness without trying to stop it before acceptance of the madness become its own form of insanity. Imagine living in a city where each day you saw a person hit by an oncoming bus. After two or three…
For those of us who only occasionally get out of small-town Alaska, a trip to the Lower 48 is like an infant’s first experience of ice cream. We have no resistance. Sunshine. Restaurants. Live music. Bookstores. Universities. Strangers. What a fascinating world. I’ve long held that the only worthy companions for a trip south are friends from Haines. Only they…
In case you didn’t notice, you recently lost a little bit of your voice in this town. Public radio station KHNS has decided that you are not so welcome to the public airwaves the station provides access to. Specifically, the station put new limits on radio commentaries open to all citizens. Commentaries now will be limited to two minutes (reduced…
I spent an hour in Haines Junction a few weeks ago, which made me wonder why I don’t visit more often. The temperature was about 95 degrees F., and a lady shopping at the Little Green Apple grocery store announced she was “heading to the beach.” The Junction has a beach and a lot more if you dig a little…
Alarm about E. coli discovered in Mud Bay spring water may give users pause – for about a day, if that long. Not to diminish the hazard. E. coli is a nasty bacteria. If it gets to you, you’ll have the runs for a week, but you’ll survive it. Most everyone afflicted does. The bottom line is a lot of…