Fairbanks Critical Mass Bike Ride

It's summertime, and the critical mass bike rides are on again! On the last Friday of the month,

Fairbanks Critical Mass will celebrate the midnight sun while promoting awareness of bicycles and bicycle safety on the road. Critical Mass is a national program where cyclists exercise their right to ride on the road. Cycling is the most efficient, least carbon-emitting form of transportation known to man. Come show your personality by dressing up in this month's midnight sun theme, and show your commitment to a healthy world.

Bring a helmet, and meet at Beaver sports at 5:30 this Friday, or call Garrison at 474-2402 for more information.

The Critical Mass Bike Rides are on:

June 29
July 27
August 31

and go from Beaver Sports east on College Road. Dress up in costume, bring banners, horns, bells, and a smile!

Rules:

Don't just blindly follow the person in front of you--you are responsible for your own actions.
Wear a helmet (Alaska has helmet laws)
Ride in the road and obey all trafffic laws (STOP on YELLOW as well as red!)
Stay in the far right lane (don't take up two lanes)
Be friendly to motorists.

Clean Campaigns

The disgust level has finally risen across the nation to the point that clean campaign initiatives are popping up all over, even here in Alaska. The Publc Campaign Action Fund has an Alaska campaign, Alaska Public Interest Research Group is supporting a clean campaigns initiative, about which the Anchorage Daily News wrote a story in May. Interestingly, in that article, the reporter quoted Randy Reuderich, that paragon of probity and trustworthiness, as saying:

"Equal funding is an incumbent-protection policy," Ruedrich said. Sitting lawmakers have the advantage of name recognition, giving them an edge over challengers even if they are equally funded as clean-election candidates, he said.

"I'm more for a system of no limits to funding and full, immediate disclosure, so voters know right away who is backing a candidate," he said.

Uh, right. So is he claiming that it's not easier right now for incumbents to get oodles of cash for their campaigns? So when big money owns a legislator, they aren't going to back 'em? Naah. I'd say it's a better bet that clean campaign laws will return those incumbents who AREN'T BEHOLDEN TO BIG MONEY, but will throw out the bums who are in the pockets of lobbyists.

Nice try, Randy.

The Green Party of Alaska has long supported clean campaign and election legislation, but I guess preventitive measures didn't sink in. It takes really slimy dealings before everybody else gets on the bandwagon. Anyway, this Green is for endorsing the clean campaign initiatve AkPIRG's supporting.