Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Kristian Kommonwealth RepubliK of Alaska


Do you sometimes get the feeling that we are already living in a post Democratic World? The proto- state has already started to evolve and has already makes quite a credible example as Alaska, which seems to regard itself as an entity already able to shed the bonds and stricture of American Constitutional Law. Of course, this line of thinking only applies and is valid if you are a radical enough Republican.
Consider the treatment of the editor of the Alaska Dispatch, Tony Hopfinger.
The editor of the Alaska Dispatch website was arrested by U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller's private security guards Sunday as the editor attempted to interview Miller at the end of a public event in an Anchorage school.
Tony Hopfinger was handcuffed by the guards and detained in a hallway at Central Middle School until Anchorage police came and told the guards to release Hopfinger.
Hopfinger has not been charged but the owner of the Drop Zone, the private security firm that's been providing Miller's security, accused Hopfinger of trespassing at the public event, a town hall sponsored by the Miller campaign. The owner, William Fulton, also said Hopfinger assaulted a man by shoving him.
Anchorage Police who responded to the call said they would leave it to the District Attorney's office to decide whether to prosecute. They spent more than an hour taking statements, then left.
Dave N.: Gee, one can only imagine what the anguished screams would be sounding like if, say, this were a Democrat at a public event at a public school using thugs to rough up an accredited journalist -- which Hopfinger is: "the Dispatch is a for-profit start-up news website that employees four reporters, two of whom have won Pulitzer Prizes for their reporting)". Indeed, Hopfinger is scheduled to be a host at the next senatorial debate featuring Miller. Wonder how well that's gonna work now.
The must-read on this: Shannyn Moore at Mudflats. Does it not surprise anyone that Blackwater and far-right extremism figure into this?

1 comment:

mud_rake said...

Here's the saddest aspect of this unbelievable scenario: Miller's support among the Tea Party crowd has probably grown stronger after this cuffing incident. That's the kind of stupidity that we are fighting over here with the ignorant masses.