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COMPASS: RICK WEBB
Not long ago I swerved to avoid running into a man who stepped in front of me as we crossed Fifth Avenue in Anchorage from opposite directions. His response was to berate me, accusing me of being the perfect example of fraud -- taking advantage of the system.
EDITORIAL
Simply being gay shouldn't be cause for discharge from the military.
COMPASS: DOUGLAS ABBOTT
Freezing wages of those tipped is cold act
Here we go again. CHARR has managed to rope in the Legislature on the latest pursuit of its longstanding dream of rifling through the pockets of tipped Alaska employees.
JUDITH KLEINFELD
A dog's nose is a many-splendored thing
Try entering the mental world of a dog. Pick up a newspaper or book. Bury your nose up against the page and smell every odor. Smell deeply and repetitively.
PAUL JENKINS
Gay soldiers fight to keep us free; let them be free
Let's get this out of the way. I'm not gay. Never have been. Don't want to be. You can, however, count me among those -- gay and straight -- utterly mystified by the ridiculous "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the military.
COMPASS: JEFF PANTAGES
Holmes' caution applies to warming issue
There is great line in the new Sherlock Holmes movie, but first, an old joke.
EDITORIAL
Alaska lawmakers should make sure campaign disclosure laws are on the books well before the next election.
STEVE HAYCOX
Books remain popular but deeply flawed
To aging lefties, especially, but to many others as well, the deaths of J.D. Salinger and Howard Zinn on the same day last week seem a stark silencing of needed critiques of American culture. Both writers schooled their readers on a pessimistic view of society and power, distorted and corrupt in its assumptions of the right to rule.
EDITORIAL
Gas line challenge now is to cover the distance between dream and reality.
ALASKA NOTEBOOK
The line on Saturday stretched up one aisle and down another, twisting from one end of Anchorage's Artique Ltd. art gallery to the other. Eventually, perhaps 500 people stood in it.
COMPASS: MARVIN YODER
US has reasons to spend a lot in Alaska
Julia O'Malley in her column ("Dear feds: We loathe you. Please send money," Jan. 22) implies it is hypocritical for conservatives to complain about federal spending when Alaska receives so many federal dollars. Well, let's examine those dollars.
EDITORIAL
Panic makes bad policy; current and future Alaskans count on lawmakers to keep their cool.
ELISE PATKOTAK
Try to harness power of community
Sometime, amidst all the noise and clamor of recessions, lost jobs and rancorous political fighting, we forget what's really important. We forget those things that get us from here to there, from today to tomorrow. We forget the people and actions that make life happen with some modicum of peace and comfort.
COMPASS: FRANK BAKER
Lighten up, Alaska -- the sun is coming
Soaring health care costs, an astronomical federal deficit, double-digit unemployment, insidious global terrorism, high energy costs... These and other critical issues pervade our consciousness day in and day out. They claim prime real estate in this newspaper and other news media. They seem to rule our lives.
EDITORIAL
Our view: How long for good law
Need more time to learn and legislate? Take it -- on the condition that the people's business isn't finished in a sleep-deprived poker game in the last hours.
EDITORIAL
Our view: Take care of the vets
Make sure the Anchorage VA office has the means to keep our promises to Alaska veterans.
GREGG ERICKSON
Japan's view of kamikaze pilots has lesson for rest of us
A couple of years ago I paid an emotional and disturbing visit to an old air base near the southern tip of Japan. Kamikaze pilots received training here and many were launched from here for their one-way attacks on American ships.
COMPASS: JOANNE KENEN
Integrated teams here lead way to comprehensive care
The buzzwords of health reform can sound abstract and confusing. Yet ideas like patient-centered medical homes, integrated care teams and chronic disease management are already reality in Alaska, at Southcentral Foundation, a nonprofit health provider owned by, led by, and serving Alaska Natives.
OPINION
Follow the ongoing debate in this collection of columns and editorial written on health care.
READER-SUBMITTED
We receive far more letters than we can publish in the newspaper. Some of the extras appear here.
READER-SUBMITTED
We receive far more guest commentaries (also known as "Compasses") than we can publish in the newspaper. Some of the extras appear here.
Submit a Compass (guest commentary)
Post a 'Good, bad, and ugly' photo
Obama's speech full of switcheroos and sleight of hand
Supreme Court bucks Bill of Rights
Advisory vote is first step to tax relief
Endowment may help well-off kids most
Wall Street needs a talk with grandparents
Court took away last of individual power
Our view: Election power shift
Our view: Court opens floodgates
Merkley amendment a good thing overall
Alaska's natural gas can run vehicles too
PFD checks aren't worth the price we pay
Both parties should learn from Brown's Senate win
First year focused on honoring promises
Democracy makes for periodic shifts
To cut abortion, prevent unintended pregnancy
Womb has become deadliest place on Earth
Murkowski EPA attack raises questions
UAA Seawolves debate team earns world recognition