Shannyn Moore

EPA answering mayday to protect fish

This time of year I tend to get nostalgic about commercial fishing. I miss the nocturnal calm of wheel watch and still feel lucky to be alive when recalling some of the more harrowing moments.

SHANNYN MOORE

Direct outrage to cleaning up water, air

For a year I've been covering "War on Women" stories. Between Kansas letting pharmacists decide if they want to fill prescriptions, a Mississippi lawmaker saying coat-hanger abortions were part of a value system and Arizona blocking funding for contraceptives for poor women, I wondered what the end goal was.

SHANNYN MOORE

Memories of our moms sharpen over time

My mom liked her schedule. Every day had regular chores, but a few had special tasks. Wednesdays we made bread.

SHANNYN MOORE

We need much more than Parnell slogan

Gov. Sean Parnell is starring in an ad campaign in which he thanks Alaskans for "choosing respect." Hooray! A bumper sticker! Parades! At long last we're raising awareness on an issue too many Alaskans know far too well.

SHANNYN MOORE

City grading itself in integrity of election

Remember standardized testing when you were a kid? You'd fill in those ovals with that Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2 until your eyes bugged out. Schools provided "smart snacks" of carrots and apples on testing days.

SHANNYN MOORE

Ice cream can't make these plans palatable

If you're selling something great, you don't need high-pressure salesmen. People will break down your door to buy it. "You don't have to shove an ice cream cone down a kid's throat," as Pop often noted.

SHANNYN MOORE

ALEC is cloning 'model laws' for Alaska

Have you ever rooted for an underdog -- a team, a cause or an idea -- and then had it, against all odds, start to score, take root or catch fire? That happened to me this week. I know, being a Alaska liberal, I don't get that special feeling often enough.

SHANNYN MOORE

Ballot woes infringe on our sacred right

If democracy were a religion, voting would be the sacrament. I grew up in "The First Free-Range Organic Christian Church of Homer." Sundays brought a message, fellowship and a line of repentant souls taking Communion -- a remembrance of sacrifice.

SHANNYN MOORE

Again, it's time to stand fast against fear

Several years can make a difference. I attended the weeks of Anchorage Assembly testimony in what has been called the "Summer of Hate" over Ordinance 64.

SHANNYN MOORE

Sean Parnell is still working on behalf of oil companies

Sean Parnell is still working on behalf of oil companies at the expense of Alaskans. His oil tax reform bill, HB110, promises billions of dollars more in profit to the most profitable transnational corporations in history, already enjoying record profits.

SHANNYN MOORE

Alaska is being turned into big game farm

Alaska is being turned into a game farm right before our eyes. The Department of Fish and Game and the Board of Game have badly lost their way. The Legislature recently handed $1.3 million to the Alaska Moose Federation to become the moose version of dog catchers.

SHANNYN MOORE

'Recess' won't set GOP-led House back

I remember sitting inside during recess in fourth grade. Mrs. Henwood, my favorite teacher ever, was tough as nails. Her sparkly glasses and no-nonsense teaching made me adore and fear her at the same time. My times-tables were giving me fits. "You don't come to school for recess, Shannyn, you're here to get your work done."

SHANNYN MOORE

Moore: Fighting through losses to work together

Words and ink are precious. So are life's lessons. I try not to waste them. I had all sorts of outrage this week. I know. You're shocked.

SHANNYN MOORE

Moore: Right-wing craziness is now rampant across the country

Someone once said to me, "Shannyn, you expect people to be good and are constantly surprised. I expect people to be bad and am rarely shocked." I'm not a cynic. Not yet, but I am getting outrage fatigue.

SHANNYN MOORE

Republicans escalate war on women

Republican candidates are racing to out-"pro-life" one another while bleating for war on Iran. Long passed is the conversation about legal abortion. Now the front-runner, Rick Santorum, has doubled down on birth control. He says it's harmful to our society.

SHANNYN MOORE

We should demand top dollar for oil

Alaska is not like other states. Our constitution makes all of us the common owners of the state's natural resources. We depend on those resources to pay almost all of our expenses.

SHANNYN MOORE

'Pro-life' means more than 'pro-birth'

When I was 33, Mom and Pop Moore were staying with me. Mom was undergoing radiation and chemotherapy for breast cancer. For those of you who have been around a loved one with cancer, I don't have to explain. For those of you who haven't, nothing can prepare you for it.

SHANNYN MOORE

Seeing past party labels puts Alaska first

I posted two updates on Facebook. They seemed simple. One: My baby-blue beaver fur coat keeps me warm. It was on sale at Second Run and I love it. The other? That I'm furious with the pathetic state of our Board of Game and the dastardly policies of snaring bears, gassing wolf pups and shooting both bears and wolves from airplanes. De-friended with explanations -- so seventh grade.

SHANNYN MOORE

State is playing an unscientific game

The war on science is winning. And I'm not talking about those who confuse weather and climate.

SHANNYN MOORE

If you want to push bigotry, leave God out

I don't know how many hours I've spent in church, but it's a lot. I guess it doesn't matter since they're not counted as frequent flier miles for admission into heaven. Some of my greatest life lessons were learned at the foot of a pulpit. Some I missed, and had to learn the hard way.