Anchorage Daily News

WELCOME TRAVELERS ... Well, darlings, no one can accuse the Republicans of secretly paying for Outsiders to come here and campaign in the U.S. Senate race. They are doing it right out in the open. Ear got a lovely invitation to a fundraiser benefitting the "2008 Special Teams Committee" set for Sept. 23 in Washington, D.C.

The "Special Teams 2008 Committee" is described as a fundraising group for a bunch of state Republican campaign organizations, including the Alaska Republican Party.

An accompanying letter from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) to "Republican Senate Friends" explains: "As we have done in the past, the NRSC will organize the deployment of a few hundred Washington D.C. staff and supporters to key U.S. Senate battleground states this October/November."

Staff? Do they mean people we pay to work for senators? They'll take leaves of absence, no doubt.

Ear would so love to go, but alors, the freight is too much for a low-rent lobe: Suggested donations start at $1,000 for a regular person and rise through $5,000 from the finance director of a PAC to $25,000 from a campaign manager.

Another piece of paper in the packet states: "The legal maximum that an individual may contribute to The Special Teams 2008 Committee is $65,500."

Bummer.

AND ... Speaking of Senate races, earwigs thinking of betting against Uncle Ted should think again. The guy who counts the money tells Ear that a fundraiser for Stevens Thursday, pulled together in just four days by GCI's Ron Duncan and others, raised an astonishing $102,000.

VERBATIM ... Here's a story promised by the Associated Press last week:

"TORONTO -- Greyhound has scrapped an ad campaign that extolled the relaxing upside of bus travel after one of its passengers was accused of beheading and cannibalizing another traveler."

DO SEND A FONDU ... To John Bitney, former Palin aide, now chief of staff for House Speaker John Harris, and Debbie Marie Ribelin. The wedding is Aug. 23 at Harry Gaines' fishing camp in Soldotna. Harris will officiate.

VIC WHO? ... Earwigs are having trouble figuring out who this Vic Vickers guy is, the stranger dropping a bundle in our Senate race. But it's easy to figure out who his communication director is. As Kyle Hopkins reported last week on the Alaska Politics blog, it's Leon County (Fla.) commissioner Bob Rackleff.

In an Aug. 1 story, the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper reports that Rackleff, who is an elected member of the county Board of Commissioners down there, will be in Alaska through the end of August earning $8,000 a month from the Vickers campaign.

Looks like very very recently former Democrat Vickers, who is running as a Republican, is importing old friends for his silly venture. Rackleff "has been a speech writer for former President Jimmy Carter and active behind the scenes at Democratic party conventions," according to the paper.

It's not a problem. The Republican and Democratic national conventions will be held at different times so he can go to both.

There's something in the story about Rackleff and Vickers preventing a pipeline from getting built, but you'll have to Google it and read it yourself. Ear is bored.

ENCORE FEEDING FRENZY ... The other animal slammer, not the zoo, the one near Portage (properly called the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center) staged a public bear feeding last month. They were a little nervous about public reaction but, not to worry, lots of people showed up. The gorier the better for Real Alaskans, right?

So they're doing it again this afternoon. Here's what the unusually candid press release says:

"AWCC was cautious to the public's reaction to the appalling gorish event as we did not want to pay for some kid's therapy for the rest of his or her's life. None of the crowd estimated to be close to 200 people became nauseous, squeamish or mentally traumatized. AWCC has had request for a repeated performance. ... Three adult brown bears will be fed a recently donated railroad killed moose hind quarter. This demonstration will showcase the bears natural instincts and social behaviors over a fresh meal."

It starts at 2 p.m.

FISHY TALE ... Andy Peterson, a fish and game prosecutor, was fishing on the Kenai a couple weeks ago. He was messing with his fishing rod and put the fly in his mouth for a second, to free his hands.

We've all done it, right? Loose line, hanging down. No big deal.

Aaaggghhh. He steps on the line, which sets the hook in the bottom of his tongue.

Here's the part Ear questions: He keeps fishing for a few minutes before asking someone to pull the hook the rest of the way through.

Not much blood, a friend reports. No stitches needed.

Back at the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals, his colleagues are still knocking themselves out writing appropriate headlines: "Troopers rule Peterson was fair-hooked. Dangerously heavy return of lawyers on Kenai River. Officials lift size and bait restrictions. Wife refuses taxidermy bill; tells Peterson to stuff and mount himself."

Because Ear is a sensitive appendage, the photograph submitted to verify the hook-in-mouth is not being published with this column.

You can thank Ear with chocolate.

Compiled by Sheila Toomey. Find Ear online at adn.com/ear. Contact Sheila Toomey at stoomey@adn.com.

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