George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclomation

NOVEMBER 21, 2009 - 8:54 PM

Although the Continental Congress had issued a Thanksgiving Day Proclomation in 1777, George Washington was the first President (surprise) to issue such a Proclomation. This Proclomation in 1789 called for America's first National Thanksgiving. According to the Congressional Record for September 25 of that year, the first act after the Framers completed the framing of the Bill of Rights was that:

"Mr. [Elias] Boudinot said he could not think of letting the session pass without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining with one voice in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings He had poured down upon them. With this view, therefore, he would move the following resolution:

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Thanksgiving Recipes

NOVEMBER 21, 2009 - 8:16 AM

The Thanksgiving feast at the Clarkson house has become a wonderful Alaskan experience. Being so geographically separated from family in the lower 48, we always have lots of friends over for the meal and most of all the fellowship. For the last 4 or 5 years the Leman clan have been regulars at our house for Thanksgiving. Then we try to find folks in our church who for whatever reason don't have other family or friends here with whom to share the holiday, or who just need a place to celebrate.

I am the chef (self-taught amatuer that I am) and I have a fabulous time cooking for everyone. Eating the meal is great, but I find cooking it to be even better. I wanted to share some of the recipes that I have developed and that friends have raved about over the years. These have now become a tradition in our home.

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Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation Has Special Significance to Alaska

NOVEMBER 20, 2009 - 12:56 PM

As Thanksgiving approaches and we conteplate giving thanks for our blessings, I believe that Abraham Lincoln's National Thanksgiving Day Proclamation is worthy of special recognition -- especially in Alaska. Lincoln has always been one of my favorite Presidents. I find his National Thanksgiving Day Proclamation on October 3, 1863 to be truly remarkable for its timing. That particular year was grim. The Nation was in the depths of the Civil War, and the year had brought some of the war's darkest days. The Union had lost battle after battle throughout the first three years of the conflict and along with those defeats the lives of some 60,000 young men. In July 1863 alone, only 3 months before Lincoln issued his Proclamation, some 48,000 young men had died (Confederate and Union) in a mere 3 days of fighting on the Gettysburg battlefield.

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The History of Thanksgiving

NOVEMBER 19, 2009 - 7:05 AM

This is the Thanksgiving season, not yet the Christmas season, despite what television shows, advertisements and store displays might suggest. So, I thought it might be fun to explore the history of Thanksgiving. The annual recognition of the celebration in North America has a rich history that dates back to as early as 1607 in Cape Henry, Virginia with the Jamestown Settlers, and some believe as far back as 1541 at Palo Duro Canyon, Texas with Coronado and 1,500 of his men. In 1564 a Thanksgiving celebration was held at St. Augustine, Florida with French Huguenot (Protestant) colonists. In 1598 at El Paso, Texas a Thanksgiving celebration was held by Juan de Oñate and his expedition. And, in 1619 a Thanksgiving celebration was held at Berkeley Plantation, Virginia. This list is not exhaustive, but the tradition has persisted and continued over the centuries until now.

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Juvenile Immaturity? How About Being Consistent

NOVEMBER 12, 2009 - 5:42 AM

Whenever juvenilles are charged with serious, sometines henious, crimes and society through our criminal justice system considers imposing substantial punishment on the young offenders, you can rest assured that you will hear the argument that juvenilles are too immature to be held fully responsible for their actions. Now, don't misunderstand me, although I do believe that certain henious actions by youths deserve the exaction of a full measure of adult punishment (determined on a case by case basis), I also tend to sympathize with the argument that juvenilles lack adult judgment and should be handled accordingly. But, I hold this view in all situations, including the medical decision making context of abortion, not just in the criminal justice situation.

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Some Things Are Beyond Parental Consent, Or Don't Mix Apples And Oranges

NOVEMBER 4, 2009 - 8:05 AM

Every time the issue of passing a law requiring parental involvement in a minor girl's abortion decison making comes up, and it has been 12 years now that it has been coming up as folks have been trying to bring Alaska into line with the vast majority of other states that have such a law (40 states), someone raises the argument: "If you don't require parental consent for giving birth and pre-natal care, why would you require parental consent for abortion?" Sigh. Some silly notions just never go away.

Okay, lets think about this one step-by-step. First, which minor teenage girls is it who would either want to get prenatal-care and give birth to their baby, or get an abortion? Answer: those who are pregnant. Alright, so pregnancy is a prerequisite to any teenage girl being in a position to require parental consent for either of these options.

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Whatever Happened To Thanksgiving?

NOVEMBER 3, 2009 - 7:17 AM

I was joyfully watching the Yankees lose last night, and as I started to walk up stairs for another soda during a mid-inning break, I heard something that caught my attention -- music from an advertisement, familiar music, and words that were being sung, words I knew and had heard many times before -- "its beginning to look alot like Christmas." I froze and just stared at the screen. You have got to be kidding I thought, its only the second of November. But no, there it was, according to a national store (one that will remain unnamed), the Christmas season has begun.

Then I remembered something I had just passed off earlier -- when I was out buying that massive stock of Halloween candy for the massive horde of trick-or-treaters, there was an entire section in the store (which will also remain unnamed here) that was filled with Christmas decorations. So I want to ask -- what the heck ever happened to Thanksgiving?

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Do You Feel Capable Of Understanding The Concept Of Parental Notice?

NOVEMBER 1, 2009 - 10:50 AM

Planned Parenthood of Alaska thinks you aren't smart enough to understand the simple concept of requiring a doctor to notify a young minor girl's parents, or to at least receive the permission of a judge to proceed without notice, before performing an abortion on her. Planned Parenthood has asked the superior court to stop the circulation of the Initiative petitions that ask whether Alaskans should be allowed to vote for a law that requires parental notification or judicial approval before a minor girl can obtain an abortion. And, Planned Parenthood argues in part that the petitions should be stopped because the Initiative is confusing and beyond your ability to understand.

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300 Trick-or-Treaters

OCTOBER 31, 2009 - 8:38 PM

Halloween is always fun at our hosue, but it is a very busy evening. I hit Costco this afternoon, bought 6 big bags and boxes of candy, spent about -- well I really don't want to admit exactly how much money I spent on candy -- and had about 300 kids come calling at the house. Lady bugs, bats, dragons, bums, fairys, aliens, monsters, skeletons, ghouls, and ghosts galore.

I hardly had time to go to the bathroom. And I got a second work-out running up and down the stairs from the family room as I tried to watch Oregon demolish USC in football. I'm an OSU Beaver but hey, its USC, so Go Ducks!

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Good for Judge Keith Levy

OCTOBER 23, 2009 - 4:23 PM

I was impressed with Judge Keith Levy's decision to require superior court judge Patrick McKay to personally attend his sentencing for driving while under the influence. That was a corageous decision. I have absolutely nothing against Judge McKay, I have never appeared before him in his courtroom, and I never had a case with him when he was in practice as a lawyer before becoming a judge. I did meet him once casually and I liked him. But, I believe strongly in the notion that judges who transgress the law should be treated exactly the same as everyone else.

Like Judge Levy I have no reason to think that Judge Mckay wanted to avoid appearing in court in a capacity as something other than a judge, namely as a defendant receiving a sentence, but I am glad that Judge Levy rejected the argument that Judge McKay does not need to appear because he is busy tending to the business of the court. Any other citizen who is charged and convicted of DUI would have to appear for their sentencing despite the fact that they would likely also have a job that requires their attention. Just like Judge Mckay it would be inconvenient and embarassing to appear and be sentenced, but they would not be allowed to escape their day of reckoning -- neither should a judge.

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Its a Chili Sort of Day

OCTOBER 3, 2009 - 11:38 AM

I was planning on raking leaves today, but the rain really put a damper on that -- can't even send Joey out to do it cause he's got a cold and its his birthday -- Just kidding, you don't seriously think I'd send the poor little guy out there to rake in the rain, now do you? Not unless I'm there helping him.

So, I'm thinking its a chili sort of day -- meaning a day to make some of my special chili. Nothing like making a nice pot of something warm and tasty on a cold wet day. My recipe has become total memory at this point, nothing written, just stored away in my noggin. Can't take total credit for it, although I have added my own touches, I picked up bits and pieces here and there from Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and that Italian cooking lady (forget her name). Okay, so I've now confessed to subscribing to cooking magazines and watching TV cooking shows (by the way, I love Iron Chef).

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Bon Appetite

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009 - 4:32 PM

One of my passions is cooking. It is very relaxing and therapeutic. Developing and organizing thoughts is always easier while slicing and dicing. I think I would really enjoy just working in a kitchen cooking for folks.

One of my favorite challenges is to go to a restaurant that I love, then order a delicious meal, and later at home try to figure out how to make the dish myself. Some restaurants will even give you a recipe if you ask -- it helps to rave about the dish first. But, it is a fun challenge to just try to guess.

One of my all time favorites is a recipe that I got from Joesph's on the Avenue in Phildelphia. Joseph Tucker is the chef-owner and his gourmet Italian fare is legendary. This dish -- Veal Grand Marnier -- is easy to do and it takes about 20 minutes. I have been making this for years now and have learned to ad-lib a little bit -- feel free to have fun personalizing this for you and your family.

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The Boys

SEPTEMBER 5, 2009 - 9:34 AM

One is big, kind of oafish, but tender, loving, relaxed, and compliant, albeit with an occasional bent to break the rules. The other is small, tiny really, full of energy, excitable to the point of hyperventilation, and he has a "little guy" need to dominate complex. They compete relentlessly for attention, but they gladly share everything with each other. They do everything together, eat, sleep, walk, play. They're good friends, buddies, pals, amigos del corazón.

Max, the gentle big guy, is from Alaska. Abelito, the excitable littlle guy, is from Colombia. But, somehow they have learned to speak each other's languages. I call them "the boys", mostly because it would offend them greatly if I called them "the dogs." Max is our Golden Retriever, and Abelito is our Yorkshire Terrier (a Yorky). Okay, they're just dogs, but to us they're part of the family.

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Father of the Bride

AUGUST 9, 2009 - 8:55 AM

When your children are very young, you always think of how hard it would be to have them grow up and leave home. But, life doesn't work that way, things like growing up don't just happen overnight, so you get to ease your way into them (thank goodness), gradually coming to terms with the differences until eventually you look around and you realize that the differences are already there and have been for some time. It was more a moment of realization than one of loss to walk my little girl down to her husband yesterday. The realization that she is no longer my little girl (or at least only in my heart) but instead a very beautiful and vibrant woman, came easier than I imagined.

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Streaking Through Airports

AUGUST 6, 2009 - 9:13 PM

Air travel has never been more challenging and trying than it is today. I think I'm fully qualified to attest to this fact from personal experience. I have logged -- no exaggeration -- over 50,000 air miles in the last year alone.

In my dozen or so treks it has become unwelcomely common for me to literally have to race a mile or more across an airport, sometimes having to pass through security -- which tends to slow down the race -- in order to -- breathlessly -- catch a connecting flight. I have learned to laugh at the experiences, although it is challenging at times to keep the blood pressure at an even keel.

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Come Have Some Fun At Those Little League Ballfields

JULY 19, 2009 - 8:31 AM

Summer and baseball just go together, don't they. The pop of balls hitting gloves, and the crack of bats (or maybe its a ping now that the younger guys use aluminum). And, then there's the seeds, crackerjacks, popcorn or hotdogs -- whatever fits your taste or your waistline. The cool breeze blowing across the grass. It's just a feel good experience.

When I first came to Alaska I felt baseball deprived. No more weekend drives to Seattle to watch the Mariners and players like Frank Robinson (then a Manager for the Angels) step into the batters box during batting practice to knock a dozen balls over the left field fence. I thought I'd have to squeeze the whole experience into one day of a sumer vacation in the lower-48.

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The Dream: Respect and Friendship Despite Deep Political Differences

JULY 4, 2009 - 11:49 AM

Can bitter political enemies become close friends, sharing mutual respect and admiration? Is it possible to separate political views, and gigantic differences thereon, from personal regard for individuals? In today’s political climate you might laugh at those notions. But, consider for a moment the reconciliation of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, brokered by Benjamin Rush.

Adams and Jefferson had served closely during the Revolution and played significant cooperative parts in the drafting and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Both were members of the Committee of Five charged by the Continental Congress to write the Declaration for presentation to the Congress. And, it was Adams, along with Franklin, that Jefferson had entrusted with his first draft of the important document for comment and editing.

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The Other Paul Revere

JULY 3, 2009 - 5:41 PM

Wentworth Cheswell, sometimes pronounced Chiswell or Cheswill, is a Founding Father that few know much about. But, I thought it important to include Cheswell in this review of the Founders. Cheswell did not help to draft, nor did he sign, either the Declaration or the Constitution. But, he did ride the same night as Paul Revere, making an all-night ride carrying the same message as Revere, to warn citizens of the imminent British invasion. Unfairly, Revere’s ride is memorialized in a famous poem, but Cheswell’s is not.

Cheswell’s service to his community, his state, and to our Nation was great. In April 1776, Cheswell signed a document by which he pledged, “at the risk of . . . live and fortune,” to take up arms to resist the British. Then, Cheswell served in the Continental Army, fighting alongside other Colonists to help win our liberty. Later, in September 1777, Cheswell enlisted in a company of Light Horse Volunteers that were commanded by Colonel John Langdon.

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Temprance in Public Discourse Should Be Considered

JULY 2, 2009 - 4:50 PM

Reading some of the public anti-religious rhetoric that has surfaced in the wake of the debates over the proposed ordinance, AO 64, it occurred to me to try to discern what if anything the Founders might have thought of such discourse. The specific answer to the question varies to some degree from Founder to Founder, based upon their personal views of religion. But, it nonetheless appears to be nearly universally held among the Founders that although private rejection of religion and of faith was considered sacrosanct (a God given right, if you will), public ridicule and rejection of religion was viewed as intemperate if not unwise. Consider the words of Benjamin Franklin in his famous letter to his good friend Thomas Paine.

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The History of The Declaration of Independence

JULY 1, 2009 - 9:47 PM

The following is the history of the Declaration of Independence, as quoted from the National Archives:

"Nations come into being in many ways. Military rebellion, civil strife, acts of heroism, acts of treachery, a thousand greater and lesser clashes between defenders of the old order and supporters of the new--all these occurrences and more have marked the emergences of new nations, large and small. The birth of our own nation included them all. That birth was unique, not only in the immensity of its later impact on the course of world history and the growth of democracy, but also because so many of the threads in our national history run back through time to come together in one place, in one time, and in one document: the Declaration of Independence.

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