Craig Bieber

Let me get this out there first thing: I’m a flaming patriot, and in spite of my pretense at being a tough guy, I’m a big squish. I love acts of bravery, whether they are in support of our country or to save some one’s life.

Like millions of others, my in-box was flooded with patriotic pieces about soldiers during the recent Memorial Day weekend. One of them stood out for me, not so much for the poignant singing and the historical photos that were featured, but because of the fact that it was made more significant by the man who introduced the singers.

USMC Lieutenant, Andrew Kinard, is a marine who was wounded in Iraq. He lost both of his legs, and he made the introduction from his wheelchair after an extended standing ovation from the huge audience at the Academy of Country Music Awards. He concluded his introduction of Trace Adkins and the West Point Glee Club, who were singing to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, by saying, “Remember, it’s not about the war…it’s about the warrior.”

His statement may have been some time-honored tribute to soldiers, but it was new to me, and it hit close to home.

The star-studded audience was transfixed and emotional as Trace and the Glee Club sang and accompanying photos were flashed upon a large screen.

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In this, its 50th year as a state, Alaska is getting more national attention than ever before.

Lately, Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Ted Stevens have become the primary culprits in this new era of awareness and not always for reasons that are flattering to the state.

Just One Opinion is a national website; I’ve written two pieces here about Alaska since last December. In my defense, both pieces were about subjects with national implications: Sarah Palin and oil exploration in ANWR. I hadn’t intended to do another Alaska story right away, but this latest bit of news is just too good to pass up and it’s a national story with surprising Alaska connections.

You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up

Springtime in cold weather country is a time of discovery. During this time of the year Alaskans are spring cleaning – and there are always some things you can count on that will pop up when the snow melts.

Like the four bodies that were discovered in various places around Anchorage in recent weeks as residents clean up local parks and creeks in preparation for summer. The citizens of the city are not shocked because they know that this is a normal rite of spring in Alaska.

Another item of national interest with an Alaska connection has also popped up in the last couple of weeks and it is just too bizarre to ignore.

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Thirty-nine years ago I dragged the California woman I met in the San Francisco Bay Area to Alaska. We joined the adventurous and independent people who preceded us to one of the most fascinating places on earth, and we maintain our primary home there to this day.

Alaska is a land of mystery, and a state that is the subject of as many misconceptions as there are people who have not spent a considerable amount of time there. Now people know something about Alaska’s governor, and a little about the oil industry in Alaska, because of the current focus on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, better known as ANWR.

In the last few years, I’ve spent several months of every year outside of Alaska. The things I hear from people I’ve encountered convince me that very few of them know the truth about either its governor or ANWR. Whether you are interested or not, both issues are, or may be, of national significance.

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