Reflections from the road: Driving to Alaska from Oregon

Spectrum, by Paul Maguire

Bend, Ore., to Palmer -- No radio or CDs, no passengers . . . silence for 3,500 miles.

Politics -- I'm in the Fed-Ex hangar for a Special Olympics dance in '99 and my Utah friend shares his theory for assessing one's "integrity and authenticity" -- his measure being the observed, perceived comfort level of "normies" when around people with disabilities. He unknowingly points to Alaska's senior senator's son standing awkwardly in the shadows. Years later, my friend's theory seems valid.

I'm thinking about the New York Times piece on Murkowski nepotism and wondering how a father could do that to his daughter and how a Mat-Su legislator could even begin to defend his obvious conflict of interest, displaying the company logo on his jacket?!

Education -- I'm remembering a No Child Left Behind (NCLB) meeting and asking the commissioner how kids with disabilities will be accommodated. Reply: "Everyone must pass the test." I thought, "Once again, the suits cause chaos in the ranks . . . we'll let the courts decide." I'm wondering why NCLB ignores the health of our youth, leaving a Washington state advocacy group to proclaim "Every Child Left on Their Behind."

UAA -- I'm recalling advocating for two of many sexually abused athletes in the '90s scandal and how their lives changed forever, including one student-victim who departed Anchorage to avoid retribution by fellow athletes while the offender quietly moved on. I'm saddened that I've been ostracized by some since submitting an ADN letter to the editor this past fall noting the lack of transparency. Another victim?

Approximately one week after my ADN letter was published, UA reported its annual campus crime data.

I'm wondering why there's been more enthusiasm for developing parking facilities than "developing" academic programs and why the dorms were built near campus and the administrative offices serving students were moved away from campus.

I'm fascinated that the former chancellor chastised College of Education faculty for low enrollment, not recognizing the impact of seven deans since 1990 (including interims).

I'm humored at being called "too passionate" by a past chair and another seeking my loyalty. Now they're both gone, the "loyalty guy" quitting during the first week of a term. Apparently, I'm still here. Teacher education isn't a priority at UA.

Peace, Social Justice and Human Diversity -- I'm wondering why my Creating Peaceful Schools course is typically well received in the Lower 48, but sections cancel at UAA due to lack of interest, and why school curricula in Alaska fail to address food insecurity (politics and power in the malnutrition continuum, including homelessness) -- a major cross-cultural issue in Alaska?

I'm thinking people with mental retardation are geniuses and wonder why "retard" is used so frequently as a put-down. Does anyone know the history of "IQ" and associated myths?

What about a local radio jock degrading Michael Moore for his body type - because he has a different political view -- bully? Would Mr. Moore's physical characteristics be noteworthy if he experienced quadriplegia, was a person of color or experienced mental retardation?

I'm thinking we can only celebrate human diversity when we love ourselves and being "thin skinned" is OK. Why does "respect" need to be earned, isn't simply "being" good enough? One commandment: love one another.

"You Never Know" and "Wouldn't You Know" -- I'm recalling backstage at The Late Show when David Letterman and Steve Martin lauded my friend as the "hottest" comedian in the country. Later my pal said, "I'm interested in being an artist -- only." He eventually won an Academy Award.

I'm remembering Metallica's graciousness backstage in Melbourne, Tony Bennett in the Auckland airport dressed to a "T" at 5 a.m., receiving a harmonica from Dylan, Johnny Carson's "panache," Henny Youngman backstage at the Montreal Comedy Festival honoring his recently deceased wife and the streets of Dublin crowded with faces of my family.

I'm recalling a family stranded on the Seward Highway one Sunday last summer. All four kids respectful and nicely dressed, the mom kind and granddad proud and loving. They exuded "integrity and authenticity." I offered them a ride. We drove to the entrance of the Seward Correctional Facility.

Paul Maguire, a professor at the College of Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage, lives in Palmer.