Saturday, October 25, 2014

The USDA plans to bring indoor plumbing to Alaska villages. Yeah, kind of a big deal.

Alaska honey bucket. No, there is nothing sweet about this.
Courtesy of ABC News:

A remote Alaska Native village where only half the homes have indoor plumbing is among rural communities nationwide that will receive upgrades to rural water and wastewater systems with $352 million in grants and loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is scheduled to announce the funding Thursday at a convention of Alaska Natives in Anchorage. 

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Vilsack told The Associated Press that ultimately, the future goal is to bring the entire nation into the modern world. 

"It's really designed to make sure people live in communities and in areas that provide the basic protections and the guarantee of basic protections that we all, as Americans, ought to have," he said. "It's an adequate supply of quality water. It's the ability to treat sewage properly so that it doesn't to harm or damage to the environment."

This may seem almost impossible to believe for those living in the lower 48, and actually those of us in Alaska cities often forget about ti as well, but there are thousands of residents who have to carry their own waste to a dump site for disposal, rather than simply pulling a lever like most people in the modern world.

Not too long ago I worked with a client from a very small village in Western Alaska who had never been out of his community before.

He was taken from his village after an incident and transported to a mental health facility in Anchorage. It was the first time he had flown on a plane, or ridden in a car, but those two things did not freak him out as much as indoor plumbing did.

After check in one of the doctors noticed that he was hopping around and realized that boy, who did not yet speak hardly any English, had to use the facilities.

He was taken into a room, which completely confused him as his family went out of doors to relieve themselves, and was encourage by male staff to pee into the toilet bowl.

Finally unable to hold it, he did just that. However when the toilet was flushed he became terrified and ran out of the room and almost out the front door of the building in terror.

So yes, this would be an incredibly huge deal for rural Alaskans.

Oh and by the way. These are the kinds of things that happen under Democratic administrations. And the kinds of things facilitated by Democratic Senators.

16 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:34 AM

    Hoohah got what hundreds of millions in earnark dollars from the feds while GINO and spent it on oil companies instead of the people she was supposed to serve.

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    1. Anonymous6:31 AM

      THE USDA? THE *GASP* FEDS? Why doesn't the state charge income tax? That is what usually pays for these sorts or things? Or cut the PDF and use the $ for the Native community?
      Hooo nooo we will get the $ from DC.
      Unfucking real. And we the rest of the country are subsidizing AK and other red states....
      I've long wondered how Alaskan gov can let the Natives live with Honey pots and no running water.
      B/c they are a bunch of greedy SOB's that's why.
      Look at the palins.
      In the lower 48 we have people coming from other countries & stand on public toilets. (that's how they do in in other countries a pee hole) How do I know? shoemarks on the toilet.
      Anyway if we had "hole in the floor" plumbing here in the states, would be a lot less fat people roaming the USA b/c squatting keeps you fit.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous4:52 AM

    Seeing the photo of Bristles standing over a puddle of her own pee, I wonder if SHE is trained to use indoor plumbing??Maybe she reverts to her Native roots when she is mind numbingly DRUNK??

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    1. Anonymous7:31 AM

      Anonymous4:52 AM
      PissyBrissy!!!
      Whiny ass titty baby. I hope Korey gets so mad at the backlash he gets the video released! Or asks granny for moar money!!!

      Delete
  3. Anonymous5:02 AM

    Is that a GAS can sitting beside the bucket? How toxic IS moose meat, that a simple match lit will not diffuse the smell? You mean they have to light up a can of GAS?? Just kidding.

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  4. Anonymous5:18 AM

    "These are the kinds of things that happen under Democratic administrations. And the kinds of things facilitated by Democratic Senators." The kinds of things that rethugs consider "waste" (see what I did there?) that should be cut to make way for more trickle down tax cuts.

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    1. Anonymous6:20 AM

      5:18 "trickle down"? Careful, $carah will accuse you of making fun of Bristles who was SO scared, she wet herself after being sexually abused. At TPM they are saying a guy is starting a drive to prosecute Klingenmeyer for sexually assulting Bristles!! We should all agree, make it happen. THEN the videos will come out.

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    2. Anonymous10:30 AM

      In Palin-world, because they 'live by the media' and make their living by the media, this entire event must be erased in order for future revenues to not stop. Thus, Korey is, in the Palins' minds, standing between them and their future income. And yes, Korey will be scarified in order to ensure future Palin income, even though Korey is totally innocent, and the true victim in this situation. Can't imagine the stress in his life at this time, and wonder whether he is aware of the movement that is afoot.


      Delete
  5. Anonymous5:40 AM

    O/T - Speaking of toxicity, Palin compared to cancelled Honey Boo Boo in new Guardian oped: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/oct/24/honey-boo-boo-bristol-palin-reality-tv-gets-too-real?

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    1. I just saw the best, very best comment on that story....Some were calling Sarah "Money Booboo" Priceless, and I am going to steal that line, like somebody stole my "Palin/Honey Booboo 2016 line which I use quite often on wingnut sites to whip the witless into a Sarah frenzy

      Delete
  6. Anonymous6:16 AM

    If they did this right, they could use the methane from composting the waste to cook with, cutting fuel costs. .

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  7. Fascist Democrat Socialists making people use toilets, stealing their freedom to poop in the wild. That money would be better spent building bridges and drilling holes

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    1. Suzy Q7:21 AM

      Maybe they don't want to poop in the wild but have no choice due to Republican leadership that doesn't care because the natives have nothing of value, so they think.

      Delete
  8. Anita Winecooler5:43 PM

    This really IS a big deal. It's environmentally sound, can help stop infection and contamination of clean water sources.
    When are they going to bring more beds to Alaska to stop all that bed hopping, especially in the Wasilla area (wink)... It'll save lawns and stop scaring the wildlife.

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  9. Anonymous11:58 AM

    Bristles has her own tent, doncha know? That, plus wine coolers is what is known as a "date" to Bristles.

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  10. Reading this article kind of reminds me of my hometown from a few years ago, the only difference, we knew what plumbing was but weren't bothered to use it. Basic things like sewage and plumbing as we know them are still considered exotic in many nations. A lot of people have seen and used modern toilets, but some cannot be bothered to get them since they are to expensive, and they would rather rely on older tech.

    Eric | http://www.countrysidepro.com

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