Well It Did What It Was Designed To Do!

Alternate title: Rinse and Repeat!

Alaska Democrats ask judge to remove imprisoned out-of-state U.S. House candidate from November ballot

September 5, 2024 by Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media – Juneau

The Alaska Democratic Party is asking a judge to kick a convicted felon serving a 20-year sentence in a New York federal prison off this November’s general election ballot. Eric Hafner is challenging Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola for Alaska’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hafner placed sixth in the top-four primary. He advanced to the general election ballot after the third- and fourth-place candidates dropped out in an apparent effort to consolidate the Republican vote.

Hafner is currently in federal prison for threatening public officials in New Jersey and has never lived in Alaska. He’s running as a Democrat but does not have the backing of the state party. Any candidate can run under whatever party banner they like under Alaska’s open primary system. The Alaska Democratic Party’s executive director did not respond to an interview request.

Yep… the Republicans did it in the last election too! What is the difference between the two?

The party says that means he never should have been certified as a candidate in the first place. They also argue that Alaska’s election laws don’t allow the sixth-place candidate to advance to the general election under any circumstances. The Democrats say his presence on the ballot could also siphon voters from Peltola.

Oh gee, where have we heard that before?

The courts allowed him to stay on the ballot just like they ruled now! Newsweek wrote about him here…

Who Is Eric Hafner? Democrat on Alaska Ballot Accused of Being GOP Ploy

By Steve Mollman and Joshua Rhett Miller

Oct 29, 2026 

A Democrat serving a 20-year federal prison sentence has advanced to Alaska's general-election ballot for a second time, renewing scrutiny of an unusual candidate whom the state's Republican Party went to court to help keep on the ballot.

Eric Hafner, who has never lived in Alaska, advanced from the state's 2026 U.S. House primary after also making the general-election ballot in 2024. His candidacy is drawing fresh attention amid the explosive controversy over Alaska's two Dan Sullivans.

Why isn’t this all over the evening news?

Why isn’t the FBI investigating him and the Republicans? Huh?

I want to repeat… under Alaskan law, all it takes is $100 to get on the ballot! That allows anyone to get on the ballot… if anything needs to be changed, it’s their law.

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Updated: 3:20PM

The judge has ruled on the case...

Judge tosses Trump's attempt to block Alaska Senate results if GOP incumbent loses

November 1, 20262

NPR News

Hansi Lo Wang

A federal judge has thrown out the Trump administration's highly unusual attempt to block the certification of results from a key U.S. Senate race in Alaska if the Republican incumbent loses.

In a ruling released Sunday, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason found the federal government does not have the ability to bring this lawsuit, which cited the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act.

It asked the judge to stop state officials from certifying election results to allow for an investigation into whether voters were confused by having two similarly named Senate candidates appear on Alaska's ranked-choice ballot.

But Judge Gleason concluded that such a court order would likely violate Alaskan voters' right to a secret ballot.

"The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling," wrote Gleason, a nominee of former President Barack Obama.

Of course Trump's team is going to appeal!

For The First Time!

[Editorial]

We have been on the ballot before. They wanted to ban us, but voters in the past voted for us in referendums. However, this election appears to be different! For the first time, referendums might take away our rights guaranteed under Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment!

In his famous 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. critiqued people who sit back, watch the political landscape, and stay silent while their rights are rolled back. We are in a similar situation now!

King famously wrote about the danger of people who prefer "order" over justice:

"I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice…"

It is not just the Trumps and the MAGAs of the world; it is the ordinary person who votes to take away

the rights that every other citizen has, people who know nothing about trans people but are willing to deny us of our rights!

In the South, laws were passed banning Black people from playing sports and banning them from using White bathrooms. Why? Because it made White people uncomfortable to sit at a lunch counter with a Black person. They used religion to justify it… they quoted the Bible to show that it was alright to discriminate.

They normalize bigotry. White people said they were not racist, but they kept Black people in menial jobs… because "that’s just the way it is." Children growing up in school thought nothing of the fact that there were Black and White schools—it was perfectly normal to them. That is what the Republicans are doing to LGBTQ+ people… making it seem okay to discriminate against us. Making it seem okay to refuse to sell us a cake because your religion says it's okay. The Republicans are hoping for another generation of bigots.

White people voted for racist candidates because of their economic policies or because they brought new factories to town… totally ignoring their bigotry and discrimination!

In two days, we go to the polls… how are you going to vote? Are you going to take away a person's rights because you believe the Republican lies about us? You believe that a child gets a “sex change” at school. You hear them say, “Well, I’ve always voted Republican,” as they put their blinders on to what ICE is doing, to the corruption, to Trump being cozy with Putin, to the war, and to the lunacy of Trump. They turn a blind eye and hold onto fantasy visions of the era of Father Knows Best.

Vote to end the craziness of the Republican party. Vote for sanity! Don't take away our right to be ourselves.

[/Editorial]

No Body Wants Him.

Sniff, sniff.

The Alaskan Republicans told Trump to stay out of it!

The Republican candidates said... "You're not welcome!"

Alaska officials ask judge to deny Trump administration’s ‘impossible’ demand to set aside Senate ballots

The Republican-led state government urged the judge to dismiss the “unwarranted federal interference” in the Alaska Senate race.

NBC News

Oct. 31, 2026

By Kyla Guilfoil

The Republican-led state government in Alaska implored a federal judge on Saturday to permanently dismiss the Trump administration’s lawsuit that seeks to block the certification of the Alaska Senate race if GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses.

“The United States’ opposition provides no reason for this Court to entertain this meritless lawsuit any longer,” the filing said, adding that “the relief demanded is inappropriate and not even possible given Alaskan voters’ vital right to ballot secrecy.”

Wah, wah... they don't want me!

Some Republicans want Trump to stay away from their midterm campaigns: ‘We’ve told them he cannot come’

President told battleground lawmakers at a Rose Garden dinner Wednesday that he will be heavily involved in the final 30 days

The Independent

Andrew Feinberg

Friday 04 September 2026

Republicans in some of the most competitive races in the country have told President Donald Trump's political operation that they do not want him campaigning in their districts this fall — including in seats he won by double digits two years ago.

"We've told them he cannot come," a senior Republican working on a competitive House race in such a district told Politico, which reported the account Friday. "Candidly, he would not be helpful here."

Wah! Nobody wants me!

The crowds are dwindling, and he is looking more and more like an "old man" on stage. They are booking him into smaller venues so the empty seats don't show!

The British Mirror is telling it like it is...

Donald Trump humiliated as Ohio rally held in 'tiny' venue as crowd size dwindles

President Donald Trump appears to be getting humbled with the turnout for his recent campaign rallies as the president seems to be struggling to get more attendees

Angelica Cheyenne

28 Oct 2026

President Donald Trump doesn't appear to have the same turnout for his campaign rallies for the upcoming midterm elections as he did for his 2024 presidential election — and it's showing.

While the 80-year-old POTUS continues to brag about how many people are either attending his recent rallies or who want to, the venues where his events are being held tell a different story. For example, Trump's Mississippi rally on Monday took place in a venue that only held 1,400 people despite claiming that 22,000 people were outside watching in a town with only 14,000 residents.

Despite much of Trump's MAGA base believing there to be a phantom crowd of thousands, there hasn't been any video evidence this far to support the commander-in-chief's claim of 22,000 attendees.

Wah! Nobody is coming anymore! Sniff, sniff!

Saturday 9: I've Written a Letter to Daddy

Saturday 9: I've Written a Letter to Daddy (1962)
On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…

Unfamiliar with this week's featured song? Hear it here.
 
1) This song is from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, which was released on Halloween Day, 1962. Do you like scary movies?
I did when I was knee high to a grasshopper but not now.

2) The "Baby Jane" of the title is Baby Jane Hudson. Jane was a child star, singing and dancing in vaudeville. She was so popular that Baby Jane dolls sold well at her shows. Tell us about one of your favorite childhood toys.
I used to have a teddy bear… which my brother took gleeful delight in hiding from me.
 
3) Baby Jane's career hit the skids when she hit her teens and audiences no longer found her cute. Adolescence can be a tough time for many of us. Did you ever go through an awkward phase? 
Yes, my whole childhood looking back I probably have been diagnosed with a learning disorder now a days.

4) Meanwhile, Jane's older sister Blanche blossomed into a beauty and became a major movie actress. Her career was cut short when, at the height of her popularity, her back is broken in a car accident involving a drunken Jane. Most of the movie takes place in the mansion Blanche bought back when she was a star. Blanche is confined to a wheelchair and completely dependent on Jane, who is bitter, jealous, and well, bonkers. Very bad things happen. Can you think of another movie where scary things happen in a big old house?
Naw. Like I said I don’t watch scary movies. Now, a nice SiFi movie...

5) As a (crazy) older woman, Jane convinces herself she can relaunch her career and recapture the love of the public. She dresses like she did as a little girl and makes up her face to look like those Baby Jane dolls that were sold long ago at her childhood performances. Then she rehearses this week's song. The result is so memorable that now, more than 60 years later, you can still find "Baby Jane" Halloween costumes online. Tell us about a Halloween costume you really enjoyed wearing.
I just dressed in standard homemade costumes… a pirate, a solider, a doctors… etc.

 

When I was growing up we made our own costumes, an old eye patch, a bandana, and burnt cork for a mustache... but now they are all store bought! 

6) Which kind of spooky movie villain do you find scarier: supernatural monsters (Dracula, Wolfman, ghosts, etc.) or human monsters (Baby Jane, Michael Meyers from the Halloween franchise, etc.)?
Bikini Beach (1964) caused a rash of "Teenage Werewolf" costumes at the high school Halloween Dance. [Do they still have high school dances?] 

Questions inspired by Halloween ....

7) Orange and black are the traditional Halloween colors, with orange representing the autumn harvest and black symbolizing all things scary and mysterious. Are you wearing either color as you answer these questions?
Nope… just my pj… it is 4:30AM!

8) Jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland, though instead of pumpkins, they carved gourds. When Irish immigrants arrived in the US, they used pumpkins because they were more readily available. Did you decorate your home with a jack-o-lantern, or anything else, for Halloween?
Nope.
But my neighbor did!
When I went out at night it took a half hour to get in and out of my house. I had to get in line just to pull out of my driveway.

9) Think back to your trick-or-treating days. Which candy were you happiest to find your bag?
Well if it had any chocolate… it met the criteria. Candy Corn… never even made it out of the driveway.

“The U.S. economy is booming"

Quote Trump.

So why, according to Trump & Company? Because of cuts to regulations! You know, like gutting the EPA, OSHA, and the whole alphabet soup. Not because of skyrocketing energy prices! Not because of Trump’s war with Iran. No, it’s all because, according to Trump, he’s polluting the planet, cutting workplace safety protections, and slashing programs for people with disabilities.

The Washington Times writes;

Mr. Trump says the U.S. is in a “golden age” of economic production and contends that prices will come down once he settles the war after the midterms. He also says new factories from foreign investments will spark a job boom.

Investment in new equipment increased by 21% for the quarter, according to the Commerce Department. 

Mr. Trump attributed the surge to tax credits in GOP legislation and his tariffs, which forced some foreign companies to set up shop in America to avoid the levies.

“All these companies are coming in. They’re flooding America,” Mr. Trump said.

Dream on, dream on!

We know that economic growth, corporate investment, and prosperity for ordinary Americans are not the same thing. And the lies just make us even angrier. Does Trump think we're stupid?

Something Big Is Coming Our Way!

Connect the dots!

Item #1: Automatic military draft registration starts this year: What to know.

Item #2: US Army Starts Practicing Digging Mass Battlefield Graves

Item #3: Iran War Updates: Trump says war "going to end soon" as Qatar pushes for a U.S.-Iran deal

Item #4: Putin fires warning that Russia stands ‘ready for war’ with Europe and ‘there will be no winners’

Item #5: Taiwan demands that China end its military activity in nearby waters

Item #6: What Is FORTRESS? Pentagon’s 90-Day Plan to Keep US Military Bases Running

Item #7: ‘Their Plan Is Insane’: Senator Issues Grave Warning About Post-Election Assault on Iran

I don’t like the way the dots connect! There is a lot of “Saber Rattling” going on. There is a lot of instability going on around the world right now...

I asked ChatGPT about this;

That perspective gets right to the heart of **why historical parallels feel so intense**.

The fear today isn't usually that a single leader *wants* to press a button to start World War III; it’s the fear of a **1914-style diplomatic domino effect**—a situation where separate crises in different regions overlap, create miscalculations, and spiral out of control before anyone can step back.

### The Parallel to 1914

When people look at current events through the lens of WWI, they notice three main structural similarities:

1. **Multiple Flashpoints Active at Once:** In 1914, it was the Balkans, Franco-German border friction, and naval rivalries in the North Sea. Today, news streams jump between the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Taiwan Strait.

2. **Shift to "Peer Competition" Doctrine:** For 20 years after 9/11, Western militaries focused on counterterrorism and asymmetric warfare. Today, military exercises like the U.S. Army testing temporary battlefield interment procedures during *Operation Dragon Covenant Phase II* reflect a shift back to planning for high-intensity, peer-vs-peer conflict.

3. **Rigid Postures & Deterrence Traps:** In 1914, mobilization schedules were so strict that once troops started moving, leaders felt they couldn't stop without risking defeat. Today, massive regional deployments, red lines, and public declarations can make backing down politically difficult for any country involved.

---

### Key Differences from 1914

While the structural pressures feel familiar, historians and strategic analysts point out several critical safeguards that exist today that were entirely absent in 1914:

* **Nuclear Deterrence (MAD):** In 1914, European leaders genuinely believed a modern war would be "over by Christmas." Today, direct conflict between major nuclear powers carries an undeniable threat of total devastation, which forces high-level caution even during intense posturing.

* **Instant Direct Communication:** World War I escalated partly because leaders communicated via slow, formal telegrams, misinterpreting intent at every turn. Today, hotline communications, direct military-to-military channels, and third-party diplomatic intermediaries (like Qatar or regional partners) allow rapid de-escalation dialog.

* **Economic Interdependence:** While supply chains are shifting, major world economies remain deeply intertwined, creating massive financial disincentives against full-scale war.

---

### Summary

Comparing today's atmosphere to 1914 is understandable—it highlights how dangerous "saber-rattling" can be when multiple regional conflicts exist simultaneously. But while the *preparations* look alarming, the fundamental objective of modern military posturing and diplomacy remains **deterrence**: demonstrating capability so that a major conflict never actually begins.

---

Updated: @ 2:30PM: Added item #6.

Updated: @ 2:45PM: Added item #7.

Alaska!

That is all I have to say, and you know exactly what I mean.

There are two Dan Sullivans on the ballot:

Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent

Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.

Can you tell the difference? Can you pick out which Sullivan is the Republican? Can you tell who is the Independent?

That is what the battle is about! The Republicans are hopping up and down, pointing fingers! "SEE! SEE! See what they did!"

Okay, how did he get on the ballot? For that, we have to look at how you get on the ballot in Alaska. In most states, you have to collect "X" number of signatures from voters, but not in Alaska.

In Alaska, all you have to do is pay $100 and... voilà, you are on the ballot!

The Alaska Supreme Court has put in its 2¢!

In June, CBS News reported that…

The battle of the Dan Sullivans is on. 

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Republican candidate with the same name as GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan can challenge the sitting lawmaker in the state's Senate primary in August. The high court upheld a ruling from a lower court judge that cleared the way for Daniel J. Sullivan to appear on the primary ballot, reversing a decision by state officials earlier this month that he was ineligible because he was allegedly trying to confuse voters.

The state Supreme Court directed Alaska's Division of Elections to decide how Daniel J. Sullivan should be listed on the ballot "within the confines of existing Alaska ballot design law."

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled on whether the state could keep the second Sullivan off the ballot. The court said no. The feds have zero jurisdiction over Alaska!

Verdict writes:

Yet the fact that there is a genuine reason for concern does not mean that there is a legal basis for the DOJ’s lawsuit. There is not, as should be apparent to anyone with even a rudimentary legal education who reads the DOJ complaint. It cites no provision of federal law obligating states to mitigate any confusing effect of candidates with similar names. That’s because there is no applicable federal law.

But you know darn well this is going to the Supreme Court!

However, I don’t think that it will end in the courts; I think that it will end on January 3rd, when Congress begins the new term and swears in members as mandated by the Twentieth Amendment.

The question will be… "Will Congress vote for the party or the voters?"

If there is a problem, then it is with Alaska state law. Here in Connecticut, you need 1% of voters to sign a petition for you to get on the ballot in Alaska the is simply too low. But that is a state decision to make, not a federal one!

Then we have this...

[/Political Analysis]