Making Their Case

Thankfully, it happens just once every four years -- the first debate between presidential candidates.  Like many Americans, I am looking forward to this election season being over -- and with just 42 days to go, Election Day can't get here quickly enough.

This evening, my good friend Richard and I co-hosted a viewing party of what turned out to be a rousing debate (no surprise there) between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.  Richard invited his friends, I invited mine, and it was a wonderful inter-mingling of folks from different backgrounds, everyone eager to listen to our next Commander in Chief (whoever that may be).  

We reserved the "Owner's Box," a big private room at McGivney's Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Juneau.  Hats off to McGivney's staff for their attentive service, especially with my insistence that televisions were all set to different channels, so we could see the variety of coverage.  And, oh, was there a variety of coverage amongst CNN, FOX News, and Free Speech TV!

It was so much fun having a secluded space to broadcast the debate on the multiple big screens.  The reclining theater-style seats were a big hit, too.  Richard's friend, Bev, organized entertaining bingo cards, fortunately taking the place of any drinking game that could have been disastrous.  About 30 people came out for the festivities, and I'm happy to say there was no fighting or bad temperament!

But the best part of the evening here in Juneau?  On the block for the winner of the bingo game: a 1992 vintage Ross Perot sweatshirt, donated from Richard's personal collection.  At the end of the 90-minute debate, I didn't win, but I sure had fun trying.

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Never Forget

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It's impossible for me to not have a heavy heart on a gut-wrenching anniversary such as today. So much has happened since September 11, 2001. It feels unreal to recognize that it has already been 15 years. Fifteen years. Surreal.

I was a freshman at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and was in the midst of an 8:00am German 101 class when the first tower was hit. The liberal arts dean came into the classroom and made the announcement. We all left the room quickly and gathered in the lobby of Morton Hall. This was before the days of social media, before Facebook Live and Snapchat. We all stood there, staring at an old TV atop an even older rolling cart, watching in horror as the news unfolded.

To be completely and ashamedly honest, some of us thought the plane hitting the North Tower was some kind of freak accident, perhaps an inexperienced pilot flying too low. Boy were we wrong. The South Tower was hit by the second plane as we all watched that grainy pixelated television. Then came the news of the Pentagon attack. Many of us wondered if Redstone Arsenal, the large military base near campus, was next.

So much has changed since that fateful day 15 years ago. The world is a different place now. The United States is an altered nation. 9/11 taught us unequivocally that the future is unpredictable and moreso that life is short. The tragedy also taught us that we must always remember. We must never forget.

There are some poignant words I've heard over the years which are fitting for the present day turmoil faced by this world. War creates 1,000 bin Ladens. And only the dead have seen an end to war.

Peace and mercy and blessings be upon you and yours. May God protect us all. 

Historic Words

President Barack Obama arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, on Monday.  He got straight down to business and delivered valuable, long-awaited remarks at the Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience (GLACIER for short). 

His speech was peppered with insightful, astounding facts and an aching of urgency.  His words were a call to action, hopefully inspiring concrete, lasting change throughout the Arctic. 

Referencing climate change deniers, he stated a favorite quote of the evening: "Those who want to ignore the science, they are increasingly alone. They’re on their own shrinking island."  Read the full transcript at the Alaska Dispatch News.

Aerial photo from Southeast Alaska near Admiralty Island, home to one of the world's largest concentrations of brown bears.