Just a Dad from AK

[USA TODAY @USATODAY]

Mikaela Shiffrin was asked how she feels representing the United States at the Olympics despite the political tensions in the country. The two-time gold medalist quoted Nelson Mandela as part of her answer.

[Democratic Wins Media @DemocraticWins]

BREAKING: American figure skater Amber Glenn just powerfully spoke about how she is using her platform to support LGBTQ+ Americans under the Trump Administration. This is amazing.

[Be A King @BerniceKing]

Sharing this beautiful interaction again. We need more compassion and love here.

#SesameStreet #AndrewGarfield #Elmo

[MarshFamilySongs @MarshSongs]

We hope the good people of #SanFrancisco will forgive us for adapting a song about their city in 1967 to address the shocking and tragic events in #Minnesota in recent weeks. This is dedicated to Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and in solidarity. Our version is called "Minnesota" ❤️

[Sen. Elissa Slotkin @SenatorSlotkin]

Last week, the U.S. Attorney for D.C. asked to interview me because of a 90-second video that President Trump didn't like.

The intimidation *is the point*. And it’s not going to work.

Watch my full response.

[Sophia Bush @SophiaBush]

What’s so sad about the number of people coming to shitpost versions of the “nO OnE wAS LiSteNiNG tO NPR” comment, is that estimates are over 70% of CPB funding goes to local stations through grants — both community service grants and Next Generation Warning System grants — so CPB funding is actually vital for the operation of a lot of rural AM stations.

This isn’t just about NPR, though I know the right really wants everyone to think NPR is some sort of boogeyman and to stop reading after it’s mentioned.

It’s also sad that so many people think that because THEY don’t use a resource, others don’t either. This is a big country, and it requires a diverse offering of services to help people. We should be increasing tools that help protect people, not taking them away. They’re proposing cutting another 25% from the NOAA budget. And meteorologists have issued dire warnings about what the cuts to these services mean, including warnings last month out of Florida (see below). From floods, to hurricanes, tornados and fires, we don’t need to be trying to do LESS to keep people safe.

[James Tate @JamesTate121]

Shared today by Bev Perry in the Expand Dem Values in the House and Senate Facebook group.

I need to say something that's been bothering me for a while, and I'm saying it as a Marine Corps veteran who leans center-right.
This isn't partisan. This is observation.
We've slow-faded into accepting militarized police as normal, and nobody seems to notice or care.
Even as a USMC pilot, I went through six months of infantry training as an officer before flight school. I've worn the gear. The helmet, the tactical vest, the whole kit. And I can tell you from experience, it changes you.
There's a psychological shift that happens when you strap that stuff on. You feel different. You carry yourself different. You start seeing the environment differently. In the Marine Corps, that shift was appropriate because it's a combat culture and organization.
But these are American streets. American citizens. And we've got law enforcement dressed like they're kicking down doors in Fallujah to serve warrants in suburbia.
What happend to high standards and real policing tactics? Think Adam-12...Officers Reed and Malloy. Crisp uniforms. A revolver. A baton. High standards and professionalism. They looked like public servants because they were public servants. They de-escalated. They talked to people. They were part of the community.
Now? Tactical gear, beards, ball caps, Oakley sunglasses, sleeve tattoos, and a tactical kit that would make special operators jealous. And we've turned it into a fetish. We celebrate it. We assume that because someone looks hard, they must be a professional.
They're not.
I loved the Marine Corps. But I'll be honest, I was also blinded by it for a while. Mission first. Unit over everything. And that mentality made sense in that context.
But law enforcement doesn't get that critical examination. "Back the Blue" has become a shield against accountability. A blanket assumption that a badge plus gun equals hero. That tactical gear equals competence.
It doesn't.
Most people who join law enforcement aren't special operators. They're average people who desperately want to belong to something bigger than themselves. I understand that impulse deeply, it's why I joined the Marines. But wanting to belong doesn't make you qualified. Looking the part doesn't mean you can perform under pressure. And wrapping yourself in warrior aesthetics doesn't make you a warrior.
Old school law enforcement represented something. Standards. Bearing. Discipline. Professionalism that was demonstrated, not costumed. A revolver and a baton meant you had to rely on your training, your words, your judgment, not overwhelming firepower.
What I see now in law enforcement is the costume without the culture. The gear without the training. The authority without the accountability.
Are there good people in law enforcement? Of course. I know some personally. But this reflexive "law enforcement can do no wrong" mentality is lazy, dangerous, and intellectually dishonest.
A woman is dead. And before we sort ourselves into teams and start assigning blame, maybe we should ask harder questions:
Why do we accept a militarized police force as normal?
Why do we assume tactical gear equals tactical competence?
Why have we let "Back the Blue" become a substitute for actual standards?
I wore the uniform. I went through the training. I know what that gear does to your head.
It shouldn't be normalized on American streets against American citizens.
And we shouldn't pretend everyone wearing it is qualified to carry it. The fact that he called her a “fucking bitch” after he shot her three times should be a huge red flag for all of us.

[Mr.Ineffable @MisterIneffable]

Sky King | Ultimate Tribute to Richard
Beebo Russell.

We spend our lifetime inching towards our last breath and Richard chose to spend his last moments flying high like no one was watching and doing a barrel role.

Context matters: There is something beautiful that can be found in the broken.

The name "Sky King" is a reference to Richard "Beebo" Russell, the man who stole a Horizon Air plane in 2018. The 28-year-old ground agent, with no piloting experience, took off from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport and radioed air traffic control, identifying himself as "Sky King" after performing stunts in the aircraft before intentionally crashing it on Ketron Island. The nickname was a nod to the 1940s/50s radio and TV show character, an aircraft-flying rancher. 

•The theft and hijacking: On August 10, 2018, Richard Russell stole a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 passenger plane from Sea–Tac airport.

•The "Sky King" alias: Russell, who worked as a ground service agent for Horizon Air, took the plane and identified himself as "Sky King" during radio communications with air traffic control.

•The flight: Russell, the sole occupant of the plane, performed aerobatic maneuvers, including a barrel roll, for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

•The crash: He intentionally crashed the aircraft into Ketron Island, resulting in his own death and no other fatalities.

•The nickname: The name "Sky King" is a reference to the popular radio and television series about a rancher and pilot named Schuyler "Sky" King who used his plane to catch criminals and find lost people.

https://t.co/JFafDYctUZ

[debidiamonds🌻 @debidiamonds]

@Acyn

[Just a Dad from AK @PaulCornils]

@teslaownersSV @elonmusk 😅🤣🤣🤣

[Jo @JoJoFromJerz]

So let me see if I have this right -
According to MAGA, immigrants who come here, work hard, pay taxes, and keep to themselves because they just wanna live their lives need to go because they’re “taking away” our who the fuck knows what, but an immigrant who comes here, benefits from huge tax breaks and gobs of government handouts, not only gets to stay, he gets to take stuff he doesn’t need and didn’t pay for away from the rest of us?

Do I have that about right?

[Krazy Thee Alaskan™️ @gomer2323]

MatSu heads up! Stay safe up there, yall!
#AlaskaTwitter

[Just a Dad from AK @PaulCornils]

@spurnagain That about sums up the situation perfectly, and at least 50% of the other "problems" the government wastes our resources "fixing."

[Just a Dad from AK @PaulCornils]

@RandomAlaskan hello 😀

[Just a Dad from AK @PaulCornils]

@washingtonpost Hate is hate. Whenever we give into it in any form for any reason we all lose. Love loses.

[United Nations @UN]

LGBTIQ+ rights are HUMAN rights.

#StandUp4HumanRights on Wednesday’s International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia and every day.

https://t.co/Ljui9GqDYQ #IDAHOBIT via UN @free_equal

[Alaska Raptor Center @RaptorOrg]

#DidYouKnow Bald Eagles have over 7,000 feathers? When Spirit molts a feather, it is collected, then sent to the National Bald Eagle Repository. From there, the feathers are sent to Native Tribes or to Centers like our own, to be used for educational purposes. #naturelover #birds

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Harry Belafonte was a barrier-breaking legend who used his platform to lift others up. He lived a good life – transforming the arts while also standing up for civil rights. And he did it all with his signature smile and style. Michelle and I send our love to his wife, kids, and fans.

[Matt Acuña Buxton @mattbuxton]

Rep. Gray on Dunleavy's Don't Say Gay bill and attacks on the LGBTQ rights during today's floor, to the kids: "This is America, you are free. ... You are no one's shame. You are not your parent's property. You are your own person. You are perfect the way you are."

#akleg #akgov

[Anchorage Daily News @adndotcom]

The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued an urgent weather update warning of up to 11 inches of snow in Anchorage as well as parts of the Kenai Peninsula by Wednesday afternoon.
https://t.co/XfeY3q8TON