Anti-Oil populist? Not me!

Anyone who listens to talk radio up here, has probably heard 750KFQD in the afternoons, hosted by Dan Fagan. This guy used to be a reporter on the local NBC affiliate, KTUU. Now he has two hours a day to use as his own personal bully pulpit.

He has had a number of "co-hosts" over the past year, since Sharon Leighow was tapped to become Gov. Sarah Palin's spokesperson in Juneau. Now he has some bimbo called Sanjuanita Valdez, whose only qualification I can figure out is that she is attractive and is a bartender in a popular night spot in Anchorage. Someone is making sure she gets more airtime by having her do some news reporting on air. She should stick to mixology because she's too young, and too ignorant to have an interesting point of view, never mind the experience to be the foil of Dan Fagan.

At least the station owners figured out that Dan needed to have someone in the co-pilots chair there in the afternoons. It's really too bad they couldn't have replaced Dan with someone with actual civility, an education, and a knowledge base, such as Jeff Lowenfels. But Dan is nothing if not controversial, and he is convinced his opinions and positions are defensible, period. The entire world is black and white to hear him tell it, and if you don't agree then surely you are misinformed, an idiot, or both. He proudly calls himself a conservative, and some of his positions I can agree with wholeheartedly.

But when he calls anyone who does not agree with his position on the development of our natural resources "Anti Oil Populist", his brush is way too broad and very offensive. He seems to think there is no middle ground when it comes to the PPT, or ACES, or anything related to the oil patch. And he literally will not hear other views, suggestions, or ideas that are more representative of the public. He is a staunch supporter of the Big Three and seems to think we should hand over the states' wealth on bended knees, paying homage to the shareholders that drive the investment these companies make here. I have heard him go on such venomous rants that it would lead nearly anyone to conclude that he's in the pocket of Big Oil, period. But after listening to him (casually, not every day) I can only assume that he personally knows people he considers key players in the situation, and he is serving well as their shill.