Fifty People

   When I learned that the many super-pacs in our country were more or less controlled by the same fifty familial names we recognize, it came as no shock. Money runs politics. Certainly in my state of Alaska you are more likely to get your legislative updates from a member of the business and commerce sector. Besides, I had long been aware of how individual politicians were overly invested in what they consider to be the industrial complex that is our lives, be it our healthcare or the corrections system.
   As we see the disparity growing between how those that are 'with' are well treated and how those that are 'without' are continuously left without, it should come as no surprise to those super-pac fifty that Mr. Trump is doing so well as he is among the common man. Here is a man who has everything they have going for them, but unlike the fifty, rather than throw his money at the problem and attempt to hire others to do his will, this man uses his own money to get himself hired for the job. Some people look at him and think thats how they would aspire to be if they had his money. He really sets quite the example for others looking to make their world better, not just grow their own wealth.

People Know

   It was with great sadness that I received the recent news that there would be no federal agreement to prosecute Bill Allen for his part in the past sex trafficking that allegedly happened both here in the state of Alaska and elsewhere. I agree with the state that there is a case to be made, both in evidence and solid witness testimony. Our news reports in recent months have shown us that sex trafficking is a crime that is rampant today throughout our state, despite current law enforcement's best efforts. I believe that it is so rampant because nothing seems to have been done about it for decades. There has been little to no fear in the perpetrators mind because most good Alaskans don't recognize this crime in their midst. Most of our society doesn't recognize drug trafficking when it is conducted in front of them and they don't see this either.

   You may have noticed that this week was declared Crime Victims Rights Week in Alaska by Gov. Bill Walker,  even as our legislature struggles to find the right balance between the rights of victims and those of our incarcerated citizens. When it comes to sex trafficking, the most common victim that I have witnessed in this state has been female and she seldom, if ever, sees her evildoer (usually male) brought to justice. When I hear the statistics about how the growth in the female population of Alaska's correctional industry has surpassed the male population by leaps and bounds, I am not surprised by the fact. 

   In balancing the weight of individuals rights, one against the other, please remember that many criminals were first victims of crime themselves who saw no justice in their own life. Often times their rights were first tread upon and the people who knew did nothing.u

Dangerous Times

   There has been much upheaval in the construct of corruption in our society these past few years, and with that has come an unsettling amongst those who were impacted the most. I refer mainly to changes that have come about with both internet sophistication and awareness by the FCC, as well as to the internet savvy which the IRS apppeared to implement a couple years ago. These two forces alone have the ability to bring most of the ongoing criminal enterprise to a halt, but especially when it came to online gaming conducted under guise of non-profit websites. The monies interrupted there are committed to better purposes and deserve the respect these agencies provide.
   There are many criminal minds who depend on making their lucre regardless of the laws of either FCC or IRS, and no doubt these same minds will adapt soon enough, but for a period of time now there has had to be more cutthroat competition for the lucre which exists within our state. You may have noticed, as I did, that many of your gaming friends have moved out of state in the recent years. They can't manage to hide here any longer and the competition for lucre is now too great for them.
   What this does mean for the rest of us? Our money may be a bit safer for the moment, however our personal safety may be at risk even more, for now there are a lot more broke and irritated persons of criminal mindset in our midst.

"licensed premises"

   For those of you not familiar with the concept of "licensed premises" as it pertains to alcohol in the state of Alaska, let me give you some basics here. Licensed premise means any or all designated portions of a building or structure, rooms or enclosures in the building or structure, or real estate leased, used, controlled, or operated by a licensee in the conduct of business for which the licensee is licensed by the board at the specific address for which the license is issued. 

   In this state, where laws against public intoxication are practically non-existant, it is illegal to be intoxicated on a licensed premise. Tricky, right? You can see that the burden is placed on proprietors to serve responsibly, for there is no burden on the public to drink responsibly. The business owner has chosen this burden because it is lucrative. However, there is now the burden of a possibly intoxicated person being placed on the unsuspecting; be it another guest at the time, a driver on the road, or as we have seen too often, a family waiting at home. This unsuspecting public never chooses the burden that is so often thrust on them when things go wrong with alcohol.

   The public knows that a license is in place because it is posted prominently (along with all the other licenses, permits, and public notices that are required to be posted) where the business is conducted with the public. That is the little assurance provided to the general walk-in public of who is conducting the business at that premise. It assures us that the governing bodies are aware of and endorse the operation of that business at that site by that entity.

Big Brother

   My peers and I have spent many moments of our youth in great wonder and worry over the future of Big Brother and just what that would look like in our communities. Here's a glimpse of what it looks like in my neck of the woods.
   It was not many years ago that a prominent business person in my community was the victim of a lying in wait assault on a commercial property I owned at the time. There was an investigator assigned to the case and in speaking with him I advised that I had cameras both inside and outside the building, but he never made any attempt to view the footage. I had installed the cameras for reasons of safety and security of both employees and patrons. Since this was outside of any city limits, law enforcement was and is nonexistent. We can put cameras up all day long, and of course that is good for the economy, but we can't force anyone to pay attention.
   However, I did see in the news that our Mat-Su Borough has taken the initiative to install cameras on some local contractor's worksite. This occurred only after they had both been cited by OSHA.
   Who's afraid of Big Brother now?

Conservative Irony

   The irony of some people calling themselves conservative is laughable to a truly conservative person like myself. In my decades as a bartender in Alaska I have often been the most conservative one in the room, you can imagine. But my conservativism made it easier for me to apply the rules of liquor service in a beverage dispensary setting. I've often wondered why it was that, throughout my career, I was told, after I had discontinued service to an individual, that I was the only bartender who had ever cut them off. I had heard it from so many guests, sometimes quite elderly, that I was left with one nagging question. Am I the only one that ever refuses to sell someone a drink?
   That question was practically answered for me a few years ago, by the offspring of a guest of mine from the past. This adult child explained that their parent had finally ended up sober, in prison for vehicular manslaughter. At that point, they began to identify me to their family as the only friend they ever had, for I was the only one in their life that had ever refused to sell them a drink.
   Now, I am just one conservative person with my own conservative thoughts, but it would seem to me that if there had been one good conservative lawyer in the business of alcohol representation, I might not have had this experience. Bartenders all over this state would have been refusing service to many guests. I imagine, also, that the people of my great state would not be nearly as oppressed, as so many are, by their life experiences with this legal drug.
   The biggest irony is that the lawyer who had had the most input, dare I say the "go to" lawyer in our alcohol industry, now claims to be a conservative running for mayor of Anchorage, complete with the endorsements of both current and past mayors support. I haven't checked the records, but I'm pretty certain some of those endorsers have a stake in a liquor license here and there.

Confidence Games

   Many people alive today are not familiar with the fact that much of our personal security measures mandated in federal law were in part based on the existence of 'con men' as they were called then, short for confidence men. The reference relates to the actions of gaining a persons confidence long enough to gather the information they require to operate their game. In the last century of American culture they had begun to make 'marks' out of much of the disabled and disadvantaged of our society, because their friendship and confidence were so easily gained. Progressive people have sought ways, through law and legislation, to protect those whom needed it the most. These con's operate a criminal life on the backs of some of the neediest of our neighbors and loved ones and they continue today.

   However, there is a side to the con game that some are not aware of that affects our culture as much or sometimes even more, in this information age. That is the withholding of information from the general public who could benefit, while making sure that those they want to have the information are provided it in a timely manner. The information is now the confidence that is kept. We complain, at times, about lousy news reporting, for we know that there are always lots of things going on, but no media reports all the information for delivery to the public. More and more information is being held close to the vest, as they say. Confidence games are alive and well, especially with some of our politicians.