Elise Patkotak

ELISE PATKOTAK

Rugged week for Alaskans, big and little

When I saw the story, I felt such an overwhelming sense of sadness. Little tykes shouldn't be lying in a hospital bed or morgue from a beating. But that's exactly what two little kids from Barrow were doing.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Airline did right by its prayer cards

Since some segments of our community are already sure I'm from the dark side, or heading there soon after my demise, I might as well explain my take on the Alaska Airlines' prayer card issue.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Prevo, Gingrich cross the 'sleaze' line

Whether or not Jerry Prevo broke the law with his church's property tax exemptions is perhaps not as important as the fact that it all just feels sleazy. Churches shouldn't feel sleazy. Given what most churches preach, they should be so far from the line separating legal from illegal that there is no doubt whatsoever that they are upright and honorable.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Age has a way of making cold feel colder

I love snow and cold more than I ever loved sun and sand. This makes me a bit of an oddball in a family where temperatures dipping below 60 are considered a sign of the apocalypse.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Wealthy taking over our government

The House of Representatives is traditionally considered the people's house. If our representatives have incomes most of us can only dream about, while our own incomes continue to stagnate or fall, the question must invariably arise as to how much they are really looking out for us and not just themselves and their wealthy sponsors.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Damage occurs long before the end

While this 14-year-old lay in a bed dying of a heroin overdose, why weren't her parents concerned with where she was all night? Maybe they weren't part of her life or, if they were, they were not a terribly positive part.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Here's to those deserving 'Hall of Infamy'

And so we come to that special time of the year when we say goodbye to the old and welcome in the new. Before we do, let me announce the nominees for my 2011 Hall of Infamy. Who will get to join such permanent inductees as Tom Cruise and that thing on Donald Trump's head?

ELISE PATKOTAK

Pause and give some time to silence

The real war being fought in America today is against peace and quiet. It's a war being won by the forces of noise and distraction. Contemplation and quiet come in a distant second to Angry Bird apps and texts from friends about how wrinkly their body got in the shower this morning.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Nobody inviting emerges from GOP mess

According to Donald Trump, his greatest anger over his debate debacle is that Michele Bachman declined to attend. Trump claims Bachman called him frequently for advice and even indicated that if she won the nomination, she'd consider him for vice president.

ELISE PATKOTAK

We sent in clowns; this is the result

Mark Twain once wrote, "It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress." This proves, as if it needed proving, that contempt of Congress is not a new phenomenon.

ELISE PATKOTAK

We want leaders, not religious gurus

Let's see if I have this straight. President Obama offers his Thanksgiving address and in it neglects to thank God. This leads to a cacophony of screeches from right-wing conservative pundits who are apparently pretty sure that this omission means that Obama plans to lead us down a godless path to defeat, destruction and total world domination by (pick one) Muslims or communists.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Make a donation -- make a difference

The reality in Anchorage is there are people of every size, shape, color and age who know the only meal they can count on is at Bean's Café. Beyond that, getting regular meals is a bit of a crap shoot. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you don't.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Penn State students aren't learning much

Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno don't horrify me as much as do the students at Penn State -- the students who rioted in the streets and overturned trucks in their anger that the university had the gall to fire Paterno for something they apparently consider so trivial. In a world in which football is king, Joe is God and these acolytes apparently felt that those young boys were merely making the needed sacrifice to keep the football program going.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Music brings rare beauty to prison

I am going to break my vow to never mention Sarah Palin's name in one of my columns again in order to tell a story that has nothing to do with her political career.

ELISE PATKOTAK

We've lost balance that made us great

Many people who read my column last week felt that I was selectively picking the revolutions that fit my preconceived notion of the problems America faces today.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Protests grow from visions of a dim future

It's said that those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it. I think of this while watching the Occupy Wall Street protests. My mind goes back to the French Revolution.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Treatment programs can pay off for all

Back in the day when Alaska was flush with oil money, programs for treating substance abuse, sex abuse and domestic violence flourished. You could find state funded programs from Barrow to Ketchikan and all places in between. So what happened?

ELISE PATKOTAK

'Class warfare' in the eye of the beholder

Try to have any reasonable discussion of our financial troubles, huge federal deficit and sinking middle class that includes asking the rich to kick in a few more bucks and you are accused of class warfare.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Looking back over 39 years in Alaska

Oct. 1 marked the 39th anniversary of the day I arrived in Alaska. Oct. 3 marked the 39th anniversary of the day I arrived in Barrow. Looking back, it strikes me that the old saying "The more things change, the more they remain the same" is true.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Anchorage drivers: Try to slow down

What is it about drivers here that causes them to think that each new snowfall may finally be THAT snowfall? You know, the one where the snow is sticky instead of slick so they can speed up, slam on the breaks, take curves on two wheels and tailgate so closely they could reach out and change your radio channel for you, without any danger.

ELISE PATKOTAK

Christian virtues serve in good times and in bad

For those who bothered to watch last week's debate among Republican presidential contenders, there was a moment that seemed to define what is happening in America and its political life today.