I. Health care reform efforts and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's health care reform town hall meeting at Dimond High School were the subjects of articles this past week. Linda Kellen at Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis, posted a number of articles by Jeanette, about both the ongoing debate itself (most recently, comparing comparing House Resolution 3200 to HR 676), two essays (perhaps the best yet by Jeanette) about the Murkowski town hall event, and about how health insurance company stocks have gone up and down recently, based on perceptions and manipulations.
Although AK Muckraker from The Mudflats has been traveling, several Mudpups attended the town hall, and commented at a thread at the blog.
PA was there, and left the forum impressed with how smoothly the Murkowski ground team had both handled the event, and with how smoothly they appeared to have insinuated Murkowski supporters and donors into the public testimony.
At least Murkowski has articulated her stand on this issue. She is firmly against the public option. Her web site includes detailed, updated information on her views, including slides from the town hall at Dimond.
Sen. Begich's office hasn't issued any statements on this issue since his Anchorage Chamber of Commerce appearance on August 10th. His health care issues niche at his official web page has not been updated in months. He has not committed to supporting any option under consideration, let alone the public option supported by the vast majority of Democrats nationwide and in Alaska.
I chaired the Mat-Su Democrats' monthly Egan Dinner yesterday in Wasilla. Jonathan Teeters, from Organizing for America gave us a thorough update and analysis of the health care debate. The consensus among the many people attending - we had a FULL house - was that we should all call Sen. Begich's office this week, and let them know our preference. Almost everybody at the Egan Dinner favors the public option alternative to any solution that falls short of that.
II. The passing Tuesday of Segundo Strongheart touched Alaska's progressive blogging community like no other personal tragedy experienced by one of our team. The most eloquent, heart-rending post was by Segundo's wife, Ann, at Anonymous Bloggers. Among the other tributes:
The Mudflats
Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis
Progressive Alaska
I dedicated my public testimony at Friday's Oceans Task Force hearing to Segundo.
III. Yesterday, readers from Bent Alaska and Henkimaa helped with a sort of impromptu protest outside of McGinley's Pub, where homophobic Anchorage Mayor, Dan Sullivan is a 10% owner. And some of Alaska's progressive blogs covered Sullivan's veto at the beginning of the week, of Anchorage Ordinance 64, which would have banned discrimination against that city's LBGTQ community.
image - Suzanne McCausland, Katie Hurley and Sally Hitchcock, from Friday's Egan Dinner, with a message for Sen. Begich