| Alaskan in Exile
by Neil Zawicki It’s been just about a year since I’ve stood on Greatland soil, and by now the acrid smell of dog feces must be filling the crisp Spring air; dormant turds sweating to life while wide-eyed Alaskans emerge similar from flannel sheets. Here comes the Sun. And anyway, I’ve been having dreams lately. Bland images of 4th Avenue in Anchorage, or brutal nights spent lit with friends in a remote cabin. Not that my exile hasn’t been interesting. I’ve had nautical adventures and heat-soaked road trips and settled in with a new and dynamic group here in my undisclosed Lower 48 outpost, but the specific pull of Alaska is a smudge that stays on the true heart. Someday soon I’d like to bring my new daughter up, and let her dig the sights. But for now my trip is here, in exile, plodding and planning for a future my daughter deserves. Had enough? Not me. During the Presidential debates, we sat in Suki’s – a charming little dive attached to a Travel Lodge that resembles a bar from The Rockford Files, starring James Garner – and shouted and laughed across the billiard table as John Kerry made sense, and George Bush did not. We made every debate in that bar, and on election night sat stunned as the nation pecked at the button and got the pellet, and toddled off to be spoon fed a puree of fear and re-assurance for another four years. Christ. And, wait a minute, Alaska went Red in that election. What’s the matter up there? Y’all get news as quick as down here these days, so how is it you voted for an administration that left a four-year slug trail of un-resolved blunders, questionable motives and contemptible disregard for the Constitution? Oh, right, the news. You get it as quick as down here. Well, mainstream news has been soundly hijacked by the Right Wing, and anyone who watches is not being informed, but plied. When I watch Fox News (and I do it as research) I am amazed, and even a little impressed at the language in their “newscasts.” To the passive viewer, the message seeps in like fog, staining the recesses of the mind with subtle suggestions. This condition is troubling, because the majority of Americans get their information from this manipulative medium. For example, in a recent story about the events in Lebanon and democratic reform in Egypt, and how the world community dismisses the notion that the war in Iraq brought about these events, Fox News lead with: “Why won’t the world give credit where credit is due?” There’s a documentary called “Out Fox’d.” I recommend it. In the meantime, enjoy the sunshine, and try your best to turn off that goddamn TV. Neil Zawicki, exiled Alaskan, is Editor at Large for Insurgent49, a former reporter for the Alaska Star, and winner of the Alaska Press Club's 'Best Columnist' award. He is now living out the rest of his days in an undisclosed location in Oregon. He can be contacted at - neil@insurgent49.com |
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| Copyright 2005
Insurgent Media. All Rights
Reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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