Articles written by J. P. Tangen
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 151
Is America a Republic or a Democracy?
With the recent rash of opinions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court this spring, there has been a great deal of conversation about whether the 'democracy' is at risk. Whether we are a... — Updated 8/4/2022 Full story
Sen. Murkowski puts shoulder to the wheel
Those of us who watch such things are well aware that Senator Murkowski has been the strong vocal lead in the Senate when it comes to sounding the alarm that the country is at... — Updated 6/30/2022 Full story
Alaskans are being greenwashed - again
When I first heard the term "greenwashed," I naturally assumed that it referred to the endless stream of misrepresentations that the American Environmental Industry dumps on a gullible pu... — Updated 5/12/2022 Full story
AMA plans Mining Day fete in Fairbanks
On April 12, 2013, Governor Sean Parnell signed into law Senate Bill 1, "An Act establishing May 10 of each year as Alaska Mining Day; and providing for an effective date" (Chapter 6,... — Updated 5/5/2022
Biden demonstrates mining ignorance
This past week the Biden Administration released a document ineptly entitled "Fundamental Principles for Domestic Mining Reform." It would have been more accurately called "Eleven Ways... — Updated 3/10/2022 Full story
Imagine a jigsaw puzzle without edges
In today's topsy-turvy world, perhaps the question we all should be asking is, in the unforgettable opening words of Admiral James Stockdale during the 1992 Vice Presidential debate,... — Updated 3/4/2022 Full story
Gray Lady serves Tesla a sucker punch
In 1951, Life Magazine (remember "Life"?) dubbed the New York Times the "Old Gray Lady" "by way of acknowledging its special marks: starch conservatism and circumspection." How things hav... — Updated 2/3/2022 Full story
Miners must thread the eye of a needle
If global warming and the associated risk of climate change is due, at least in part, to anthropomorphic causes, it stands to reason that there are too many anthropoids (specifically,... — Updated 12/16/2021 Full story
Our mining industry confronts threats
If there is one thing that most Americans can probably agree on, I think, it is that Joe Biden is the worst President we have had since Donald Trump. Since they both had a lot of things... — Updated 10/28/2021 Full story
Do we want a constitutional convention?
Decennially, the question of whether Alaska shall have a constitutional convention must appear on the ballot. Alaskans have voted on this issue five times since 1972 and defeated it... — Updated 10/28/2021 Full story
It is not often wise to set a president
Following the model set by other successful generals such as George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight Eisenhower, after having essentially won the War in Europe,... — Updated 9/30/2021 Full story
Youth, Youth, for the honor of truth
Over the past quadrennial, there has been a great deal of conversation about "truth." Especially in the political arena. Ostensibly, the number of "lies" that have emanated from the... — Updated 7/29/2021 Full story
The COVID elephant has left the state
Although new cases of COVID-19 are still appearing throughout the nation in general and Alaska in particular, at the moment they are hovering at the 40-per-day level apparently. The vacci... — Updated 6/24/2021 Full story
For Alaskans, it is a wonderful world
I always tend to look at the world through the wrong end of the telescope. For instance, many people regard the so-called political divisions in our country as being a problem, but for... — Updated 5/27/2021 Full story
Reports contrast role of fishing, mining
In February, the Alaska Miners Association (AMA) released its annual report on the Economic Benefits of Alaska's Mining Industry. That report highlighted the fact that 4,700 direct and 9,... — Updated 4/1/2021 Full story
Wanted: A pandemic-era silver lining
Without a doubt, 2020 was somewhat less than a perfect year. If you didn't like the way it started out, with an impeachment and a pandemic dominating the news, you might not have liked... — Updated 2/25/2021 Full story
Why can't we placer mine tidal wetlands?
It has often been said that one should never watch sausages or laws being made. There are good reasons for saying that, especially in our quasi-democratic environment. For just cause we... — Updated 2/11/2021 Full story
Pandemic skews traditional calendar
The fourth quarter in any given year, actually the period between Columbus Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, is always an interesting period. Every eighth year (more frequently with... — Updated 11/25/2020 Full story
Appointment takes court over the hump
The successful appointment of Justice Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court has possibly put an end for the time being to the national drift to the political left. Without disparaging any... — Updated 10/29/2020 Full story
Quadrennial silly season starts again
Every four years Americans get the delicious treat of a Presidential campaign during which contenders for leadership of the free world get to stand before the electorate and pontificate... — Updated 8/27/2020 Full story
Modern mines must absorb social costs
Each July for the past four decades I have traveled to the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation’s Annual Institute for the purpose of maintaining my credentials as a lawyer and to... — Updated 7/30/2020 Full story
The times keep getting more interesting
Political differences, public demonstrations, a mortal pandemic, climate evolution, economic rebalancing plus a flood of other disasters have welled up over the past score of years to... — Updated 7/10/2020 Full story
Alaska's miners need to go back to work
If I were to write a letter to the President of the United States, it would probably go something like this: Dear Mr. President – Notwithstanding the aggressive Executive Orders that... — Updated 5/28/2020 Full story
Mining is Alaska's workhorse industry
Since statehood at least and, to a certain extent, since the earliest territorial days, Alaska has depended on the development of its resources for its prosperity. Fishing and mining... — Updated 4/30/2020 Full story
The future of mining in a changing world
In the current environment, it is difficult to avoid discussing the elephant in the room. Essentially, we need to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect mining activities in... — Updated 3/26/2020 Full story