August 19: Cross and crosshairs, sentimental journey and thanks for a great race

The Church's actions during hunting season are deplorable, offering prayers of support to those who slaughter animals for enjoyment.

Instead of protecting animals, Christians openly take part in their butchery, turning their religion of love and compassion into an obscene mockery. Christians have no idea of what it means to be a Christian.

Rather than physical evolution, Christians need to focus on spiritual evolution, the evolution of the soul. Christians have evolved beyond using scripture to justify massacring "pagans", enslaving other cultures, and racial discrimination (more or less).

They now need to evolve beyond killing animals for fun. True religion suffers and sacrifices itself for the sake of protecting innocent sentient beings.

Anchorage

Golden anniversary in Anchorage

I was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base from April 1957 to March of 1959. During that time I met the lady I was to marry in December of l959. I worked in the Headquarters building, know then as the "Kremlin." She was a civilian who was secetary to the Colonel over the division we both worked in. It was during this time, also that Alaska became a State, and it was a great privilege for us to have been there at that time. Our kids and grandkids all wanted to see where we met -"return to the scene of the crime", so to speak.

So, for a year my kids planned our trip to Alaska. It was also to be a 50th Wedding Aniversary celebration. There are nine of us, and coordinating everyone's schedule was a nightmare, but we finally got it worked out. On July 22, we sailed out of Vancouver aboard Carnival Spirit, arriving at Whittier on July 29. We rented cars and drove to Anchorage.

My wife and I had been back on a previous cruise about seven years ago, so we had already seen the wonderful transformation Anchorage had undergone since the earthquake. There was not much about the city that we remembered. My wife worked at the Federal Building before transferring to the base. And the park where I played softball and where the bonfire was held celebrating Alaska's statehood, were about the only places we remembered. We all marvelled at the beauty and cleanliness of the city.

One thing we all really wanted to do was get on Elmendorf AFB to see the changes that had taken place. We brought some pictures we had taken while I was stationed there to compare. We thought we had managed to arrange getting on base. We met an Airman who seemed moved by our story and said he would meet us at the gate and escort us on base. But he never showed up. The next idea I had was to call a local Church of Christ, since we are members of the Church of Christ in Athens, Texas, to see if there was a military person willing to escort us on a brief visit to the base. I talked to a retired Airman, who agreed to meet us the next morning. But that also did not pan out. He called back the next morning to say that he could not in good conscience do it, because he would have to attest that he knew us personally, which, while disappointed, we understood.

We were also in Juneau on Sarah Palin's last day in office. We love her and wish we could have met her. Over all, it was a great trip, my family loved visiting your beautiful state.

- Gene Fulford

Athens, Texas

Thanks for a great race

I would like to thank all those who have worked so hard to support the Big Wild Life Runs. Mike Halko, race director, does an awesome job making sure every last detail is complete. To the Anchorage Running Club board, numerous volunteers performing many tasks, sponsors both large and small - we appreciate you, your valuable time, and generous donations. Runners, like me, could not do it without you!

Humpy's is about community spirit. It is awesome to see so many new participants coming together supporting each other. Parents, teachers, children, business owners and college students, all striving to meet their goals and/or just coming out to cheer others in. Great job!

Anchorage