What an incredible week of spectacular weather. This already makes up for last year’s non-summer. But, like all Juneauites, I want more. So I don’t want to jinx this year’s ‘sum..m’ by talking about and wishing for it too much. This is because I can remember exactly where I was a year ago to the date. All I wanted for my birthday celebration was a sucker hole. I was denied by the persistent grey weather.

However, this summer is not to be denied!

This editorial first appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner:

Air Force officials should be commended for delaying public hearings on the proposed move of Eielson Air Force Base’s F-16 squadron to the Anchorage area.

The meetings, previously scheduled for next week, will now occur in mid-July.

The original schedule, announced on May 31 with release of the draft environmental impact statement on the proposed move, left Alaskans with just 10 working days to develop comments to present at the hearings.

It’s bad enough the federal government spies on us. Must it insult our intelligence too?

The government’s response to Edward Snowden’s leaks about the National Security Agency’s secret monitoring of the Internet and collection of our telephone logs is a mass of contradictions. Officials have said the disclosures are (1) old news, (2) grossly inaccurate, and (3) a blow to national security. It’s hard to see how any two of these can be true, much less all three.

Recent news about cell phone giant Verizon is a bit disconcerting. Every phone record of every Verizon customer is now an open book to our government. Can we not call mom without it being the government’s business? Is there no such thing as “personal” anymore? Alarmingly the answer is no.

No one wants a terrorist living next door. We do not want people roaming our country looking for lives and buildings to destroy.

Our FBI, CIA and military intelligence must be commended and praised for their efforts to prevent heinous acts from happening in our country.