Category Archives: anchorage anarchy

Anarchism Without Hyphens

By | | ,
Leave a comment

There is only one kind of anarchist.  Not two.  Just one.  An anarchist, the only kind, as defined by the long tradition and literature of the position itself, is a person in opposition to authority imposed through the hierarchical power of the state.  The only expansion of this that seems to me reasonable is to say that an anarchist stands in opposition to any imposed authority.  Continue reading →

Lions and Tigers and Bears (and Swine and Bees), Oh My!

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Like the cowardly lion, people just love to be afraid.  From bear attacks in Anchorage, to “pandemic” swine flu, to famine caused by a mass die-off of bees, to rampant child abuse and abductions, the news media, the government, and experts of various sorts constantly bombard us with warnings about current or imminent disasters.  Continue reading →

Bad Medicine

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

During the recent election campaign, much lip service was given by the candidates to fixing the american health care system.  The politicians, the experts, and the news analysts discussed various methods of reducing the costs, increasing access, and better utilizing information technologies.  But despite all the specific differences in the various plans designed to right all the wrongs of american medicine, there was consensus on three points: the government should control things, Continue reading →

License, Not Freedom

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

It is quite difficult to get people who are used to modern city or suburban life to move into the villages and small towns of bush alaska.  While these places have acquired many of the technological features of the rest of the united states, such as television, phones, indoor heating, and so on, they remain difficult to get into or out of, especially in the winter, and lack many modern conveniences.  It has been especially difficult to attract dentists. Continue reading →

The Inhumane Society

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

On June 8, 2007, the local newspaper carried a telling story.  It was about the experience of a baby moose that was apparently starving to death because it could no longer nurse after its mother had been killed by a bear.  The moose was picked up by a local group dedicated to increasing the alaskan moose population, treated for a couple of days by a vet, then turned over to the zoo which killed it when it appeared not be thriving.

The reason this all was considered newsworthy was because the state’s head wildlife cop wanted charges filed against the folks who “rescued” the moose because they had no permit to do so.  Continue reading →