Secretary Speculation

Okay, I’ve seen a new “short list” (who knows how these things are actually playing out) and I must say, my mind is askew now on the potential Secretary of the Interior selections.

I’ve seen a lot of comments on how the Secretary of State, Defense, etc. are the “real selections,” the big ones to try and get, or Commerce for that matter, but the other ones aren’t just placeholders! For most Native people, the Department of the Interior is a shadow over you from birth. It holds the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and can have a great sway in Native life.

I first mentioned this when it looked as if one of the Secretary of the Interior short listed people could be Alaska former Gov. Tony Knowles. Nothing like our current governor, I promise. Has been quite involved in Native issues, not to mention major land management issues. Although he disappointed many Native people at the end of his second term, he has a strong history of supporting Native issues and Native people.

But now I’ve heard another hat thrown in the ring for Secretary of the Interior, and that’s Gov. Bill Richardson. Although I’m not as familiar with him as our former governor, he’s well known around the “Native nations” for his strong support of Native issues in his own state. He’s impressed me quite a bit this past year with his common sense approach to many issues, and the many, many, many occasions on which he appeared to campaign for Obama. He's een mentioned for both Secretary of State and Secretary of the Interior.

Now, I must admit there’s a Tony Knowles home state bias here – I’ve met the guy! (along with half of Alaska). But I would call it victory if Gov. Richardson got in, too.

After listening to the news about Hillary on the short list as well, I wonder that she’s not on the short list for Secretary of Health and Human Services? I KNOW, I know – it’s not the prestigious one, but really! Hillary’s baby is her health care plan – why not let her go for what she’s passionate about?

Of course, that’s not the way politics works… but hey. One can dream.

And John McCain a possibility? Really? This is sounding more and more like a TV show I love...

Palin's blogger comment

I was annoyed at Palin's comment (I heard it last night - believe it aired the day before?) about bloggers, but this post on Open Salon was pretty good about it.

The clip (below) was basically a comment discrediting (all?) "false allegations" against her (which seems to be her new favorite phrase now that the terrorists, Ayers and lipstick words have gone the way of her vice-presidential candidacy.) These false allegations are to be discredited because the media probably got it from some blogger sitting in their parent's basement in their pajamas.



This reminded me a bit of the community organizer comment she made (useless and mean-spirited) but a bit dumber. She might be reminded of that quote:

"Don't pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel."

She's taking on "the media," "journalism," and now bloggers too? What's funny if you watch parts of the Matt Lauer interview, she goes between blaming the media for the loss and (no kidding) talking about how she wished she could have done more interviews because the media is how you get your message out there.

From the Open Salon post:

And the irony is that her worst moment with the media in the campaign just concluded came not from a blogger in pajamas, but from well-dressed Katie Couric on mainstream CBS, who asked Sarah Palin what newspapers she read, and she couldn't name a single one.

Maybe she was getting her news from some blog...

I really don't think she understands that when you take a huge bunch of people, lump them all into one and dismiss them - or mock them, as she seems to like - it doesn't help your case any.

I Voted, I Volunteered, Now I'm Going Stir Crazy

I went to the voting booth today excited, but didn't expect to get quite as emotional as I did.

It was similar to being in Denver, waiting for Obama to make his acceptance of the nomination speech. Exactly 45 years, to the day, of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech.

I related this in a post months ago, but I was remembering it as I entered the booth. That morning, one of the Alaska delegates, Cal, had surprised me when he was introduced as one of two in the Alaska democratic delegation who had been present during Dr King's speech.

When I asked him, as we boarded the plane back to Alaska, if he thought that he believed back then, listening to the speech, that there could be a black president in his lifetime. After some thought, he said that no, back then, and originally from the south, he guessed he didn't really think of that as a possibility. They hoped, back then, to be able to elect someone who could be an advocate for black rights, for civil rights.

I watched this morning on television as the news covered many people getting overcome with emotion as they voted, or even just before they voted. I am not black, but as a minority - or more importantly, simply as an American - it is moving to me that we are truly staring Dr. King's dream in the face.

Dr. King did not dream of a black president. I think that is too simplistic. He dreamed that "one day" his children would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of the character.

Is this not what we have achieved today?

I was so proud of everyone I saw in those lines today. Here in Alaska, long lines just aren't ever a problem. But I watched the coverage of state after state of people willing to get up to go to the polls at 3am, and wait until they opened. Or people waiting for five, six, seven hours to vote. They showed some states had over half the state's voter population vote - by yesterday! The black population is voting in unprecedented numbers - and yet still all of America is voting in unprecedented numbers. The next president, if nothing else, will be decided by a true majority of the people.

A moment of humor at polling place, as well. My family all live within about a mile and a half of each other (I know, we didn't spread our wings well) and have the same precinct to report to. The tradition has been that the first one to vote begins the phone tree - because they know everyone who hasn't voted yet. Within a few hours, we all trek the quarter mile to go vote. We have, in times past, been called the "viting family." Not catchy, but a little bit of pride.

Today, there were different volunteers than usual. I was about midway in the family line of voters, and they commented that there were already several of us in (we all have the same last name.) The last to vote, my sister just an hour ago - the lady exclaimed, "Wow - there are a bunch of you!"

I'm proud to have voted today, and proud of a country that is coming out in full force to demand a change for the country. Even if the vote goes for McCain (at which point you won't be hearing from me for several days,) it has been truly a historic day in which the country was able to vote for a black president.

I leave you with the full text of Dr. King's speech:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.

Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of injustice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the
heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every
mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

The polls are open...

Okay, they're not really open up here for another six hours. But my election day insomnia has kept me awake long enough to watch the polls open in ten states, including a bunch of battleground states. By the way, if you are in one of those states and you waited in one of those horrendously long lines, the next time you make it to Alaska, I would like to buy you a drink!

I don't understand why there are still undecideds, but there seem to be. So I will both cast my (public) vote, and make a last ditch effort for both Alaskans and non-Alaskans alike.

President:

Barack Obama

For me personally, his Native American plans are pretty key, but if you're really wondeirng where he wants to take the country, his website is a big help. Early childhood education, the war in Iraq, health care and the environment - there are many, many issues that I agree with Obama about. I've previously covered some endorsements by major Native American leaders and organizations, and it really is because they see their future as best in the hands of Obama.

Senator:

Mark Begich

Much has been made of this election, as one of the senate seats that could very well switch parties. But outside of paty politics, I wish people could really take a look at Anchorage before Mark, and Anchorage after. It wasn't a cesspool before, so I think people don't get the contrast as much. But we're much improved, we have so much development, yet unprecedented measures taken for the environment. My household is now able to do curbside recycling! Add to this a great candidate to advocate for Native issues, education and early childhood plans that make sense, and finally someone who is looking at the social problems as problems to fix.

Congressman:

Ethan Berkowitz

To this, I hope I do not do a disservice to Berkowitz in acknowledging I don't know much about him except for his stated issues, and a few public appearances. I agree with most of the stands he takes on the issues, but hope to see him take some strong stands, and get work done, in the future for Rural Alaska and Alaska Native people, energy (not just oil, but real energy reform) and education. Everything I've seen points to a smart, energized candidate, and that is enough for me to give him a chance for the the next few years.


Now if you haven't voted yet - stop reading. Go vote.

What's keeping me awake at night

My bigger mistake today was purchasing the new Times magazine, with the cover article entitled, "7 Things That Could Go Wrong On Election Day." Only read it if you have serious concerns, and are in a position to do something about it. Otherwise you'll be a lone voter in Alaska with our three electorals, somehow trying to mind-transfer the will-power to battleground state voters to go vote.

Seriously, I am having nightmares of 2000 happening all over again, of not knowing who our next president will be until December, and, worse yet, that McCain will be our next president. I've been wishing the election was here already, but now that it is looming before us, I'm not so sure I want to know.

But I think I'm seeing something to trump it all. I mean, we've seen that Alaska is in a lose-lose situation. Win this election or not, we get Palin as VP or back as our governor. But Celtic Diva recently posted something that I thought was far-reaching, which we now see as a frightening ambition in reality. Celtic Diva supposed that Palin was vying for Ted Steven's spot. I mean, I thought it was pretty shocking how quickly she was willing to throw him under the bus. But she now seems to be doing just that. Palin in 2012. Shudder.

If anyone else is suffering from Election Insomnia, I can only give a few suggestions:

1. Go vote. Now. Yesterday. The early voting booths are open. Just do it.

2. Consider taking some time off to help a campaign this weekend, or Monday, Tuesday. Although I'm doing this to help, it also has a pleasant side effect of getting me out of any area I could possibly be plastered to a screen all day.

3. If in any way you are denied the right to vote - DO NOT LEAVE UNTIL YOU CAN VOTE. There are very few exceptions to every citizen being able to vote, so if you are not a convicted felon who is still under parole, and you are registered to vote, do not let anyone deny you this right.
The Time's article - and I've seen this on some news broadcasts - suggest at the bare minimum that you vote on a provisional ballot, but that is supremely the last ditch effort. A provisional ballot stands a good chance of not getting counted. In any case, don't be afraid to make a nuisance of yourself if you are told you cannot vote, for whatever reason. There are generations of people behind you who fought for you to have the right to vote. Don't let their efforts go wasted.

4. If you can avoid it, just don't watch TV. Really. I'm not sure what I think the next news program is going to tell me that the last one didn't, but if you've made up your mind, there's a possibility you can just be drven crazy by this. This election has been so up and down, it's hard to tear away, but at least get out for a few minutes. I was surprised to find that it is winter, and apparently it has been for several weeks now. Most of my views of outside are of Lower 48 stadiums, so I'm surprised when it's not sunny and 70 degrees instead of cloudy and 15 degrees. Let me tell you, that's a disappointment.

And the winner of the debate is...

Bob Schieffer!

Yes, I think the real winner here was the moderator. Someone finally got the candidates to talk about some of the issues going on and on in the media. They may not be "issue" issues, but I've certainly met more voters talking about Ayers and the VP's attacks than the candidate's health care plans. Maybe a sad commentary on American politics (I'm not totally sure of that) but I do believe most of the people who would be swayed by "real issues" have been swayed.

Meaning that anyone who is concerned enough about health care to vote based on the candidate's stand on it has gone to the trouble of looking it up. Anyone concerned enough by what the candidate's are going to do for education has looked it up. The people who are going to be swayed now are going to be swayed by "non-issue" issues, issues of character and personality, who can keep their cool, who comes off like a jerk or a hero.

A real good example of this is the economy. When the economic apocalypse started, neither candidate was actually saying exactly what they would do. But a combination of knowing Obama's stand anyways (and McCain's stand on deregulation,) as well as the bizarre behavior of John McCain made so many wavering voters run towards Obama.

The previous three debates (including the one between the VP's) had moderators who seemed so concerned about sticking to "serious" topics. I honestly do believe voters have all those serious topics covered now - if they really do care about them.

When you see interviews of undecideds, they are "unsure" about McCain or "don't know if they can trust" Obama. Although the news focus groups interview voters before, and they all talk about wanting to hear more about this issue or that, afterward, you can tell they already know what they stand for. They liked McCain talking about this issue, "but we know how he stands on that, and he wasn't credible."

Because of this, the moderator wins for getting the candidates to talk about attacks in the campaigns, their vice presidents (despite what history has told us, VP's ARE making a difference in this campaign,) and even Roe. v. Wade/ supreme court justices.

I don't mean to say he dumbed down the debate - there was plenty of policy stuff there. But the previous debates have been exercises in how to get the candidates to speak their issue statements out loud.

Some of the credit for making this more of a real back and forth had to go to John McCain - he was out for blood tonight! He didn't get any, but the effort was noticeable and made the debate interesting. I will say, that bit about, "I'm not George Bush" was pretty good. He must have wanted to say that for a while, and it barely came off as pre-prepared.

It would have worked even better had he been directly responding to something Obama had said, instead of "you know that thing you said back there, here's what I got to that." Obama was bound to bring it up again. Clinton was way better at getting the timing for snappy comebacks down.

In any case, I'm glad the debates are over. I don't know that the last one made any difference, except to solidify the character and temperament of the candidates though. I think one moderator had it right, with a description of, first a strong McCain, then slipping into "Cranky McNasty."

So, final score, unruffled, kinda boring guy beats erratic Cranky McNasty... again, but Schieffer steals the win by getting them to talk about what voters are talking about.

Though Joe the Plumber gets an honorable mention.

Palin "Troopergate" report released

The Branchflower (Troopergate) report was UNANIMOUSLY voted to be released today, finding Palin did abuse her power. Alaskans were shocked.

Okay, not really.

It was actually kind of an interesting reaction I saw. Relief that the report was released and not squashed, but also like, "Well... yeah. The report pretty much confirms what we know about her now." I think people were so caught up in the "officialness" of what it would say that we (okay, maybe just I) didn't realize that the fact that she and her administration heavily pressured Monegan, and others, to get Wooten fired is out there and... well, FACT. Todd Palin confirmed it in writing, Palin held a press conference admitting she "discovered" some members of her administration "may have" pressured Monegan. And the recorded tape confirming that.

I only skimmed the 200 and something page report though, so I'm going to hunker down this weekend and actually read the whole of it. The link above will take you to the ADN story on it, and they have a pdf copy for the interested.

Some other places to go for more on the release of the report and Troopergate in general:

Progressive Alaska

Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis

Alaska Report

Mudflats

Meet Sarah!

Mudflats has a really good account of actually waiting outside the council's door all day (yeesh). A bit from the blog:

Stoltze (one of the legislators): He had some differences with the report, but thought the process was thorough. Felt the release of the report was a “no brainer.” It utilized public funds, and is a public document. He said he had received hundreds of emails from all over the country urging him to vote to release the report, and was hoping if the report was released he’d be able to get through his inbox again...

...When Stoltze talked about all the emails he received, you could see the knowing looks on the faces of all those who were there. They knew they had an important decision to make, and they knew that people across the world were watching...

...It isn’t often that good people resist political pressure and do the right thing. I’ve seen things like this go the wrong way, time and time again. Today renewed my faith in the political process. I think I’m going to send out one more set of 12 emails saying, “Thank you."

Some other news of interest:

The angry McCain/Palin rally people have gotten the McCain camp some bad press lately, and in McCain finally addressed it. Of course, he was booed for saying we should treat Obama with respect.

Though I do like the part where he says you don't need to be "scared" of an Obama presidency (their basic campaign strategy at this point.) But even in an interview with McCain and Palin on Fox (and I can't BELIEVE I'm quoting this from Fox) when talking about the withdrawal from Iraq, Hannity mentions that Palin has "used the word dangerous" about Obama in the debate. Palin, "Yes."

HANNITY: Beyond naive, beyond irresponsible. Dangerous for the American people.

PALIN: Yes.

One of McCain's most smear-worthy ads out (in which he seems to create the image that Obama is bad-talking our troops when the speech he took the comment out of is ironically trying to get the troops more resources) the woman ominously says of Obama - "How dangerous..."

So he's dangerous... but we shouldn't be scared?

McCain can only play on the fears of Americans now, and it's pretty blatant now - it's just a bit funny that he's now forced to correct some of the fervor he's stirred up. Will Palin now be forced to say something to her crowds when they yell things like, "Kill him!" or shout racial slurs at members of the attending media? So far she hasn't, but the polls certainly haven't improved for them since they started the outright fear campiagn (instead of just the undercurrent one.)

Big rally, Alaskans demand truth, and two Tlingit moms

Alaskans demanding justice!

Today at least 1200 (don't have the final count yet) fellow Alaskans gathered for the Hold Palin Accountable Rally, hosted by Alaskans for Truth. The gathered to demand that the state government be taken out of the McCain campaign's hands and be put back in the hands of Alaskans.


And just who was a surprise guest?

Walt Monegan's mom!

Yes, the same Walt Monegan that was fired by Gov. Palin, and was the reason this whole Troopergate investigation began. The crowd rippled when it was announced who was speaking, and many got quite emotional. She began by saying she didn't realize her son "had so many friends."










After Betty (Walt's mom) spoke, she was flooded with people that wanted to speak with her.

One of them was this woman hugging her, who said that she worked for APD in the 80's, where Walt started. Walt had supported her in sexual harrassment claims she had made against other officers, and gone beyond what liability meant. He made sure she was okay, made sure she got professional help, counseling. She wanted Betty to know she supported Walt.



There were quite a few speakers, talking about anything from personal experiences with Gov. Palin to demanding that Talis Colberg resign or be fired, to support for Walt Monegan.

The recent taking over of the state government by the McCain campaign got the most response from the crowd, as well as the smearing of Walt Monegan by Palin's administration.





There was a petition available for all to sign, demanding justice through the removal of Talis Colberg.











I see Celtic Diva speaking! Do you?

Okay, neither do I, but here she was. She talked about a response that many people here in Alaska had. When she first met her, she thought, "All right, she's pretty good." Palin is pretty personable.

But she also talked about the more recent revelations we've had about Palin, beginning before the VP thing, about Palin's vy for power, and cover-ups. Much of what was said was about not knowing much of Sarah except her personality, and now that we know... well...


Lots of dog owners in attendance, including this one who joked about her "pit bull against Palin."

















But the Palin supporters were out too!

Or... well, it was pretty much this one guy, who kept shouting "Support Palin!" at intermittent times. the 1200 other voices shouting something much different did not allow for much else.

I did hear (but not see) that there was someone with a sign down lower in the road, that said, "Bitter women ahead."

Maybe the same person who asserts that any questioning of Sarah Palin is sexist?



The rock star of the day though really was Walt's mom. She spoke only briefly, and was really surprised by all the attention, but she carried both a sense of humor and an emotional support of her son through it all. Even while being surrounded by media and Walt Monegan supporters, she carried herself very well, and joked about what her son might say once he found out about all this. She also spoke eloquently about how proud she is to be Tlingit, and that her son is proud also. I will post later about some of the many Alaska Native overtones that took place throughout the rally.

Note: Did you know Walt Monegan's dad was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor?



Two awesome Tlingit moms!

My own mother, and Walt Monegan's mom! The next governor and Lt. Gov., you think?

This is actually right after they hugged, and my mom said, "When I heard who you were, I just had to come over and meet you."

Betty's response,

"Because I'm Tlingit?"

:) Well, Tlingit people DO like meeting other Tlingit people... :)


Short clip of the main protest.

Will you be at the rally tomorrow?

"Hold Palin Accountable Rally"

Saturday, September 27th, noon - 2:00 pm

Downtown Park Strip; between I & L streets and 9th & 10th.

Main stage at the VA Memorial, east end of the park near L street.

Join your Alaskan neighbors in demanding that:

-- Gov. Palin uphold her promise to us for an "open, honest & transparent" government.

-- Gov. Palin uphold her promise to us to cooperate fully with the independent investigation as initiated by the bi-partisan Legislative Council.

We, the People of Alaska, also:

-- Demand the immediate resignation of Attorney General Talis Colberg.

-- Demand the McCain Campaign immediately remove itself and its influence from our state and local government.
-- Demand the McCain Campaign ends its attorney, Ed O'Callaghan's unlawful intrusion into our Department of Law.

Palin and Sexual Abuse Policies.

I've been posting about Sarah Palin's policies (or lack of them) on Alaska Native and American Indian issues, both here and on Alaska Real. Although I have mentioned this before, it's becoming more and more apparent to me the most serious "Native" issue that Mayor or Governor Palin has has a negative impact on is the one surrounding sexual abuse here in Alaska.

Some of it's seriousness is in just how drastic the rate of abuse is for Native women in this state. But then, the rate of rape and abuse is pretty astronomical no matter what race you are. If you are a woman in Alaska, the chances are pretty high that you have been abused.

For those that have not heard by now, Alaska has the highest rate of sexual abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, etc. etc. Pick out any three women in Alaska - one of them will have "experienced sexual abuse" in her lifetime. Some facts from STAR:

Alaska is the number one state in the country for rape, and has been for 23 out of the last 30 years.Alaska’s reported rate of rape per capita is 2.6 times the national average.

Anchorage has the ninth highest sexual assault rate of any city in the United States, and Fairbanks is ranked first. (Not the best top ten list to be on.) Fairbanks’ rape rate is 4.7 times the national average.

AK’s Child abuse rate is six times higher than the national average.

The stats get even grimmer if you look at how Alaska Native women fare. If you really don't want to sleep at night, take a look at Amnesty International's report, "Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA".

I thought that the seriousness of her treatment of the sexual abuse issue was limited to the firing of her (Alaska Native) commissioner, who was really getting at this issue. I cannot emphasize enough how well-known Monegan was for fighting against abuse. Palin even commended him publicly on his work with domestic violence at a conference, just months before she fired him. She said the "indication of our committment" to the issue was his participation and work.

What does it say when she fires the "indication of her committment?"

If you do half a search on Monegan and fighting sexual and child abuse in Alaska, you will pull up a lot of information about so many ways he was active and fighting for this cause. In an extreme amount of sad irony, Palin is now saying (months after the fact) that the "last straw" before he was fired was his "insubordination" at trying to lobby for a major sexual assault bill - traveling to Washington without permission, in fact, when Palin hadn't signed off on the bill.

Of course, about two seconds after this was announced, ABC released the travel authorization, signed by Palin's chief of staff, authorizing the travel. Palin's staff responded by saying they signed off "as a matter of routine." Wish I had a boss like that.

With all that aside, I now find myself longing for the time when "all she had done" to make the effort to fight sexual assault in this state harder was fire the guy doing the best job of fighting it than any guy in years. But then the news about Wasilla's charging for rape kits came out.

This really did make me ill, and I was pretty ready not to believe it. I didn't realize numerous cities around the state and nation charged the victims for rape kits, much less Wasilla, about a 45 minute drive away, and that the city (while Palin was mayor) had to be forced to stop this practice by the passing of a state law.

Alaska Rep. Croft: "It was one of those things everyone could agree on except Wasilla," Croft told CNN. "We couldn't convince the chief of police to stop charging them."

Palin has not addressed this charge herself, but her supporters are trying to say she didn't neccessarily support it, and she may not have known about it. Really? There was 6,000 people in the town, and the mayor and chief of police don't talk much about something the state had to impose on them to stop doing? At the very least, she didn't read the local paper.

"I find it hard to believe that for six months a small town, a police chief, would lead the fight against a statewide piece of legislation receiving unanimous support and the mayor not know about it," Croft said.

It's one of many situations surrounding Palin that supporters have cried, "But she probably didn't know about it!" If she did know, and she let it happen, it's a nightmarish thing to do to women. If she didn't know what her police chief and the state were fighting about - my word, get that woman out of office!

To really seal the deal for her attitudes and negligence of the sexual assault issue in Alaska, she's lately been under fire from agencies in the state that work with abused women, as shown in this ABC report:

"She's really done a lot of work on oil and gas, but when it comes to violence against women and children. . . we haven't been on her radar as a priority," said Peggy Brown, executive director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

and

"I don't believe Gov. Palin has made this a priority," said Geran Tarr, co-chair of the Alaska Women's Lobby. "We have not seen Gov. Palin do anything that would indicate this is a priority."

There is an agency that seemed to support her, but they are similar to the Native (not Alaskan) organizations I've heard support her - it's all the "PR" type "support" from Palin. Tarr, the AWAIC lady in the ABC story above says she's publicly spoken out against domestic violence (because so many speak for it...) - and that, despite the promised fast track law that was supposed to have been completed and is apparently in lala land - she did raise the funding by 2% to cover abuse treatment after the fact. And she proclaimed the month sexual assault awareness month. No prevention funding, but we've named a month...

The irony is, Tarr, the AWAIC lady who spoke to ABC saying Palin was supportive was negated by her boss who later said Tarr "did not speak for the organization." They were staying out of the politics.

If you are a woman in America, I would truly be frightened at the idea of this woman getting the keys of influence and power. She will not do anything to protect you. For that matter, if you are a parent, I would be even more scared. She will not go out of her way to protect the third of the women in her state against what seems pretty gauranteed to happen to them.

An article in the Juneau Empire last January cited a state trooper, in regards to new studies about the prevalence of the violence, as saying:

"Time is critical," he said. "We need to give troopers more time. We need to refocus them."

The trooper said he hoped the study would lead to increased staffing and resources. Did he know Palin was trying to cut the trooper budget by $2.5 million then, despite the state swimming in billions of dollars of surplus?

People are surprised when they see Palin's reported "support" rating, and then anyone from Alaska who speaks out. Some of them will be actual supporters, come hell or high water. For some of them, it is the novelty factor, a "hot" female governor who is getting all this attention (she got national attention before this, and Alaskan's took note - Vogue magazine, the Craig Ferguson show.) For some, they approve of her governing the state, but NOT as VP.

I still can't believe I haven't heard much about WHY she had such a high approval rating right off the bat! Everyone knew coming in she was following the unseating of an incredibly unpopular governor. Gov. Murkowski had the worst rating of any governor in the country. All she had to do for the first year was not be Murkowski - her approval rating was literally in the 90's before she had done anything at all.

And for Alaskans, everything is about oil. She made big hay about getting that "pipeline for Alaska"... that will be made by Canada. And, oh yeah, might not be built despite the hundreds of millions she's giving them. But people now associate her with oil. Even democrats run on a "drill now" platform, if they want to consider getting votes.

And by the way, she gave each and every Alaskan $1200 a few weeks ago. You think that doesn't inspire "approval?"

When it comes down to it, Gov. Palin hasn't made a difference in any of the real issues of the state, and her stand on sexual abuse is turning back the clock. We can't afford to go back - we've been the bottom rung state in this area for nearly half of our existence as a state. We may be number one for wealth, but the poverty of solutions for the worst problems is becoming more and more apparent.

A few endorsements for a day off

I'm taking something of a day off from the blog - but not leaving you totally empty handed! some of this is old news, but you may not have heard it. These are mostly Alaska Native or American Indian endorsements of Obama, a few Alaskan endorsements, and Obama's letter to Alaska Native leaders. Sort of letting all these people talk for me today.

I haven't heard of any tribal endorsements for John McCain, so please let me know if you hear of any.

Question I have been asking myself - how effective are endorsements? Any endorsements?

Obama gets strong endorsements from New Mexico tribes (most recent endorsements)


100 tribal leader endorsements

...including...
· Andy Ebona, Councilman Douglas Village, Tlingit Tribe, Alaska
· Ian Erlich (Native Village of Kotzebue) – Vice Chairman, Alaska Inter-Tribal Council



Former Alaska Governor Tony Knowles has endorsed Barack Obama



REPUBLICAN MAYOR OF FAIRBANKS-NORTH STAR BOROUGH ENDORSES OBAMA

Jim Whitaker has served as mayor since 2003 FAIRBANKS, AK – The Barack Obama campaign in Alaska today announced the endorsement of Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker. Whitaker is a registered Republican.

Whitaker said, “Barack Obama has the unique ability to bring people together from all political backgrounds—Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Partisan business-as-usual has crippled Washington. It’s time for a president who will work to unite our country and bring about the change we need.“Barack Obama will stand up for Alaska’s families. As president, he’ll support the Alaska natural gas pipeline and work to lower the skyrocketing fuel prices that have caused an energy crisis here in Fairbanks. He has a plan to move this country forward and will be a president who is as independent as Alaskans are.”

Barack Obama said, “I’m grateful for Mayor Whitaker’s support. Fairbanks residents are paying some of the highest energy prices in the country. Mayor Whitaker knows firsthand the importance of solving our energy crisis. He believes as I do that we need to bring people together in order to solve the many challenges our country is facing right now, from energy to the economy.”

Jim Whitaker was elected mayor of the Fairbanks-North Star Borough in 2003. He served as a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003. From 1999 to 2000, Whitaker served as Chair of the Special Committee on Oil and Gas.

Sen. Obama endorsed by Great Plains Tribes


A look at Barack Obama - Indian Country Today

(Tribal endorsements include the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, Crow Nation (Montana), Salish and Kootenai tribes chairman, Oglala Sioux tribe president)

Fifty tribal leaders have endorsed Obama, Harper said, as have all Indian Democratic superdelegates who have announced how they'll vote at the Democratic National Convention. In Montana recently, the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck and the Crow Nation endorsed Obama, Fort Peck by a unanimous council vote. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Chairman James Steele had previously endorsed Obama. In South Dakota, Obama has secured the endorsement of Oglala Sioux Tribe President John Yellow Bird Steele.

Obama adopted by Crow Nation

Obama's letter to Alaska Native leaders

Alaska's AFL-CIO endorses Obama

To Clear Up the Todd Palin post

What a difference a day makes. Today, my post on Todd Palin's heritage was highlighed in a few places, including the Anchorage Daily News Newsreader. Most of you that visit here will not have read this, but for those that do, I hope you will hear this part. In the e-mail in which the Newsreader goes out, it was said I was "questioning" Todd Palin's "Nativeness," and I believe it led readers to believe I was saying Todd's level of Native blood should be questioned.

I assure you, I am not.

This is something I would never do - question how Native someone is - and I did not say it. My post was a reaction to the sheer number of people that are still asserting Sarah Palin will be open to a better Alaska Native and American Indian policy simply because she is married to an Alaska Native man.

I was the recipient today of numerous e-mails, as well as several comments, about how horrible is it that I'm "questioning how Native he is" or measuring his blood as to see if he's a "real Native." It is with a sad irony I had to stop responding with a refrain that I have argued against using blood quantum as any kind of measurement to someone's "Nativeness." In fact, there is no measure of someone's Nativeness.

I made it very clear in the post that I do not believe blood quantum is a factor in determining whether he is a "real" Native - my past posts have argued against trying to nail down how "Native" someone is. My post was pretty clear, in multiple parts, about what I was trying to clear up, and why, but especially that he does not support Native issues. People are still confused as to which tribe he belongs to, why his blood quantum would even be brought up in the first place, whether or not he is a member of a Native corporation, etc.

There are still many people, especially those who vote on Native issues, who are announcing Todd's background as a reason to believe he - or his wife - will support Native issues, causes, legislation. My post was not about questioning his heritage or "Nativeness" - and again, the post is pretty clear about how I feel when people "prove" this person is a real Native or not based on their blood quantum. A common argument, for instance:

(From Indian Country Today) ''If she and Sen. McCain are elected, it would provide a basis for a stronger Indian policy,'' said W. Ron Allen, a member of the American Indians for McCain Coalition and chairman of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.
''McCain has a strong background in Indian country and understands it quite well. ... and she has familial and Alaska Native insights that I think enhance the ticket's commitment to tribes.''
Palin, the first female Republican vice presidential candidate is married to Todd Palin, who is of Yup'ik Eskimo descent. Their five children are also of Alaska Native heritage.

As shown above, Sarah's proof of "committment" to Native issues has almost exclusively been that her husband is Native. It is being used, even by Native leaders, to show that the McCain/Palin ticket will have committment to tribes. What my post was about was the assertion that he is a Native leader of any kind, a champion for Native issues. He is not.

I strongly disagree with the "introduction" to my post in the e-mail sent out, and much of the commentary that went along with the post. I don't question his Nativeness, and although I tried to clear up for people why blood quantum is (unfortunately) a factor in knowing whether he is tribal member, corporate shareholder, etc., I was strong in my message that people should not use it as determination of his view. That is much of the point.

I do not know Todd, and only know what he has publicly done. It is not a personal attack to say he is not someone who supports Native issues. That is simple fact.

My point is actually highlighted by one of the comments in support of Todd left today, "I've known Todd for almost 2o years... I've never heard him discuss his ethnic identity and I've never asked him about it because I don't care and I don't think he does, either."

If, in 20 years, Todd has not even discussed his Native heritage with his friend, but his heritage is now being used as a pull for votes, a play to voters who WILL vote on Native issues, I will do my best to dispel the myth that he is a leader, spokesperson or supporter of issues so many Native people care for and fight for.

I am certainly not the only one. From "New America Media":

There was the ever so fleeting moment during her speech at the Republican National Convention when Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin paid tribute to hubby Todd. She lightly mentioned that he's of Yup'ik Eskimo background. Todd Palin beamed with pride at the acknowledgement in front of the packed convention crowd and in front one of the largest TV audiences to ever watch a candidate's convention speech. But the cheering convention participants and millions of viewers won't see the same smiles on scores of other of Palin's Yup'ik Eskimos and many other Native Alaskans.

I appreciate what ADN has done in giving the public a voice that does not ordinarily get out there. I will continue to read the ADN Newsreader. But in this case, "Writing Raven" was given a viewpoint that I do not hold. I stand by what I say and have posted. But I do believe the commentary skewed the point I was trying to make, and in fact proclaims a viewpoint that I fight against.

I welcome any and all comments, postive or negative, of those who have read what I said in its entirety. If you disagree with my assertion that Todd's heritage should not be used as "proof" he will stand up for Native issues, much less his wife, that is a valid disagreement. But if you disagree with "me" that nobody should use blood quantum or what you do every day to determine how "Native" someone is, well, I agree with you in the first place. I am not arguing at all that Todd Palin is not "Native enough," and detest the assertion as much as I detest the assertion that Obama is not "black enough," or that myself or any of my relatives are not "Native enough," or "White enough." My past postings, and the one this is centered around, will show you that.

Honestly, there are very few people that will be swayed by whether or not Todd Palin will influence Sarah Palin on Native issues. This post was geared towards those that will care, and hold Native issues dear, or those that want a fuller picture of how Palin has treated the indigenous people in her own state. For those of us that are swayed by a candidate's stand on Native issues, I only ask that you look at all the facts before deciding whether or not any of these candidates should hold enormous decision-making power over the Native people of America.

Todd Palin and his heritage, the "Series of Tubes" looks at both the Palins

I'm Palin'd out. Again. Or still. The freudian slip she posed today by calling it the "Palin and McCain" was chillingly unshocking, not to mention the refusal by Todd to speak, despite the subpeonas.

I paused today to Google Palin with some keywords to see what was being said about her and Native issues. The last time I did this was a bit horrifying. There was a lot of "Her husband is Native, so she must support Native issues" kind of information, a flash-back to her gubernatorial campaign here in Alaska.

Now, the bulk of the information on Palin and Native issues, though still relatively tiny, is fairly accurate. The pdf document Sarah Palin's Record on Alaska Native and Tribal Issues is, by far, the most dominant document/article in regards to her stand on.... well, obviously Alaska Native and Tribal issues.

Some myths, and questions, persist about Todd Palin's Yup'ik ancestry. A few:

For starters, the PC terms (I know, I know, but we Alaskans have a set of our own terms, too) would be Yup'ik or (groan) Yup'ik Eskimo if the person is okay with it. Eskimo is not the most popular term to be used by non-"Eskimo" people in reference to them. Yup'ik is best.

NOT Inuit. NOT Native American. NOT American Indian. Alaska Native is acceptable. (I have a big ol' post about this, and the confusion of it, but just trust me on this. You'll make more Native friends this way.) Some of these terms are not even because of PC, but government distinctions.

As for the "ancestry," the numbers of his blood quantum I've heard range anywhere from 1/4 to 1/16. I've seen a few comments of "why does this matter?" Ah... the long raging politics of blood quantum!

We, as Native people, must show proof of Native blood for most things regarding Native services, organizations, or (in my case) jobs. To me, it sounds as though Todd must be 1/8 or less at least. Although he is a shareholder of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, all you need to be a shareholder is to inherit the shares (which he could have gotten from his grandmother or mother.)

What hasn't been mentioned is whether he is an enrolled member of a tribe. There are more stringent blood quantum requirements for some tribes. That they haven't said, "And a member of X tribe... or X village tribal organization..." is pretty telling.

What keeps being mentioned is that he is a descendant of a Yup'ik woman (his mother.) I didn't connect with why this kept coming up in American Indian (Lower 48) commentary until I realized that, as Alaska Native people, this is a very common term because of the corporations. For many services or memberships, you can either be an "original shareholder" or a "descendant." If you were not 1/4 blood quantum Alaska Native in December of 1971 or before, you could not be an original shareholder - which is why, though I have more than the required blood quantum, because I was not born earlier, I am not an original shareholder. I am a "descendant." The frequent mention of his mother and of his being a descendant tells me that he is used to signing on as a descendant, not an original enrollee, which means that, despite him being born before 1971, he was not 1/4 or more Yup'ik.

To be very clear - I absolutely do not believe that blood quantum defines how "Native" you are. The frequent mention of it as a disqualifying factor is wrong. For that matter, there are countless ways to be a proud member of the Native community, and none of it has to do with that extra 1/16 more Native blood you have than the next guy over. What defines you as a Native leader, and a Native example is much easier to nail down, and in this case, Todd would not be the definition of either.

He has also never been part of the Southcentral Alaska Native culture, nor have his children, despite being raised here. To me, this says he is either disinterested, or because he is limited in a few of the organizations (namely tribal) he is rejecting the whole. In any case, both the Palins have a dismal record on Native issues, so please, do not look to Todd's heritage to help with them. That he hasn't done anything because of it so far is a good indicator that he won't be encouraging his wife on anything in the future.

Here are just a few of what I am finding now around the "series of tubes" (just one more Alaskan nod for ya'...:

From Indian Country Today, the examination of John McCain and Sarah Palin on some Native issues and legislation.

Presidential snakes on the Indian plane

From the Washington Independant, more on Alaska sexual assault than purely Alaska Native women, but it makes the connection well.

Palin and Alaska Native Women

From Green Party Watch, focused on (you guessed it!) more Green Party concerns than strictly Native issues, but these issues often coincide.

Sarah Palin and Alaska Natives, Part 1

Sarah Palin and Alaska Natives, Part 2

From Native American Netroots, an unabashed Biden supporter stacks the two VP candidates up (I know, she said the Palin/McCain administration, but she really is still technically going for the VP slot)

Biden vs. Palin on Indigenous issues

From Daily Yonder, it would almost be funny, if it weren't so frustrating. Democratic Convention Native Delegates = 143. Republican Convention Native Delegates? 1. No, that's not a typo. ONE. His name is Bobby, he's a Bible cover manufacturer, and he used to be a Democrat.

Searching for signs of Native American life at the Republican Convention

From New American Media, a more broad look at what Palin has done on... well, the title sort of says it all...

Palin has no record on diversity or civil rights

Sarah, stop the slander

I honestly am just so frustrated with what Gov. Palin has been doing and saying, I cannot write what I was going to write. What she is attempting to do with Walt Monegan - shift the blame and public disgust to him, rather than be "open" and "welcome the investigation" as she has repeatedly promised in the past - is just beyond digust to me.

For those of you that do not know, Walt Monegan is the central figure in the Troopergate situation. His firing was a shock to many, and gained attention it specifically BECAUSE OF THIS MAN'S EXCELLENT REPUTATION and propensity to fight for those who needed it the most. Nobody saw the firing coming. Palin has fired many people before, and it did not gain a quarter of the attention that firing such a stand-up guy did.

I was dismayed to read in comments from around the nation, that this smear is working, at least for some people. I urge you, please look at all the facts, from the beginning of this whole mess, before you pass judgement on a man who did nothing but do his job, and do it well.

A few facts:

- People who don't know the situation are criticizing Monegan for not firing Wooten - but Walt Monegan was not Wooten's boss at the time of the incidents Palin describes, or at the time of the Wooten investigation. Nobody is defending Wooten except the union - everyone pretty much agrees he's a creep. But the actions he committed were investigated for quite a while, and diciplinary actions taken against him. It wasn't enough, but that wasn't Monegan's call.

Monegan was not Wooten's "boss" until Palin took office - WELL after everything she described happened. On her urging, he did look at the file, but I would be alarmed if anyone tried to repunish anyone for a crime they already committed. He found NO new evidence - and Palin has never presented any past what happened when her sister and brother-in-law were going through a divorce. PLEASE, take in the phrase "double jeopardy." Monegan acted with utmost integrity for his badge by following exactly what justice dictates. I do not agree with half of the sentences given out for crimes - but then where is our justice if a judge, years after the criminal has been convicted, sentenced, and completed it, decides that wasn't really enough time after all, and he should do more? We would be outraged, and justice crumbles.

- This investigation started well before anyone thought Palin was even half a factor in the VP bid. It was not something cooked up by Obama's campaign - Palin did this all by herself.

- Monegan was offered another job by Palin, instead of getting fired. She now claims that one of her problems with him was that he wasn't going aggressively enough after the high alcoholism rates in Alaska. The job she offered him? Executive Director of the State Alcohol Beverage Control Board.

-On the subject of offering him a new job, Palin now claims she offered it to him because of the esteem the "public" held for him, instead of just firing him outright (she's right about the esteem we hold for him anyways.) But really, he was showing "rogue mentality," "outright insubordination" and "escalating patterns of insubordination"... so she offered him another job? Even if he was showing all these horrifing traits, my word, I would hope I could have governor who wouldn't keep such a guy on because other people liked him!

-Another of the reasons Palin came up with, after the fact, for firing Monegan- he wasn't doing enough to hire more troopers. Yet his budgetary plan for the troopers was focused on recruitment efforts, more funding to get them, more funding to keep them. Meanwhile, Palin is trying to lop off $2.5 million from the trooper budget, even now.

- She says, only since Monday, that he showed a "rogue mentality" and "outright insurbordination." But where is the progressive action? Where are the warnings, the meetings with him to discuss his actions? She claims there was an "escalating pattern of insubordination" - but she cannot provide the evidence to show her own pattern of corrective action against him. Wasn't he warned? The "evidence" she provided this week show a selective handful of e-mails from other people that complain about Monegan or his department. Like every single high-level department head of any state government doesn't have a slew of complaints about how they should be doing things differently. NOTHING on where Palin corrected Monegan, told him to stop, NOTHING on where Monegan was told his actions were wrong, nothing, that is, except the numerous phone calls, e-mails and reminders about Palin's ex-brother in law.

- At first Palin welcomed the investigation - said there was nothing to hide. Now? She is "unlikely to cooperate." The first was said before evidence was found, and before she was selected to run as McCain's running mate. The second was said after the evidence was found, and after she was selected.


Even Republican friends I have are shocked at this new treatment - not at what has been "discovered" now about Monegan, but about the ruthless way Palin is willing to claw at a good man's reputation so she won't sink. The nation hasn't had Monegan around forever, they don't know all the good he's done, and the honest and open way he's done it. It is horrifying to me what we are witnessing now on a national stage. It is clear that the McCain's camp is running the show - all questions are being routed to them, and the investigation took a crazy spin the second she was announced.

Whatever you believe about Sarah Palin and this investigation, I just ask you to not believe what is being said about Walt Monegan now. There is a surge of support for this man, and not from paid lawyers and political colleagues who might benefit or lose, depending on the outcome. People from all around the state are behind him, democrats, republicans, independendants. We hope the nation will hear what his supporters have to say - not just the opposition, who have much to gain by thiis man's destruction.

An Alaska Native man about his governor

I was e-mailed this essay by a fellow Alaska Native. I don't agree completely with some of his assertions - namely social - but the facts are all there. What made me sure I should post it is a line near the end, which summed up what I know and feel as well:

As an Alaska Native, I see that she doesn’t support our way of life, as a Gwich’in I see that she is willing to end my culture and people for only six more months of oil, and as a Global citizen I see that she is impulsive and inexperienced.

Words struck home so much, especially as I ponder how on earth she can just let a village in her state die. Adak cannot afford their gas, and so everyone is being told to leave the village. Where is Sarah?

An Alaska Native’s take on his Governor
By Matt Gilbert

Hello. My name is Matt Gilbert. I am originally from Arctic Village, Alaska. I am Alaska Native: Gwich’in Athabascan. I visited Sarah’s campaign office and spoke with her before she became Governor. We talked about the hunting & fishing rights of Alaska Natives. We didn’t get anywhere. She sided with sport & commercial interests, so I walked out on her and never looked back.

In general, I believe Sarah Palin is another version of Bush, just as inexperienced, but more impulsive. She is very dangerous and scary. People are continuing to support her because she’s beautiful, and this should be a Red Alert for the world. Her purposed policies is to include Georgia into NATO and that would mean all the European countries with all their armed forces will have to go to war with Russia. So she’s willing to ruffle the feathers of a country right next door to her home. Is this who you want as President?

You know the scene in the movies when a car or stage coach is about to go over a cliff and you see yourself sliding over? Scary image isn’t it? That’s’ what I’m seeing if Palin gets elected Vice President. Wake up America! Send her back to Alaska. She has plenty of un-finished work here. She hasn’t even gotten funding to move the town of Shishmeraf. It’s falling into the ocean from an eroding coast due to Global Warming, which she wants to fuel more by encourage more coal and oil development. She fuels the fire, and now they want her to do it on a national level.
Palin has done a lot of irrational things up here as Governor.

In the summer of 07’, she Line Item Vetoed a lot of infrastructure projects in rural Alaska. The small town of Eagle spent years trying to get a community center built when they finally got funding, Palin shut it down by her Veto. Even Lawmakers are baffled by her Vetoes. They’ve had Bills well-debated on both sides of the aisle, yet she cuts, cuts, cuts. She supported $15 million to Anchorage’s University’s Sport Complex and cut $1.5 million to an expansion of the runaway teen center. How do you justify that?

She supports drilling Off-Shore which would utterly destroy the livelihood of the Inupiaq people on the North Slope. They rely on Whale for subsistence and the development would detrimentally impact those whales. She supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. My people, the Gwich’in have kept this area closed from development for 30 years. No other American Indian tribe has ever accomplished such a feat. If she drills in the Arctic Refuge, it’ll be the end of my culture. We rely on the Porcupine Caribou Herd and if drilling takes place in the Arctic Refuge, our caribou goes and so does our culture. We Gwich’in Athabascans are the last American Indian Tribe in the US that hasn’t been majorly disturbed, heavily impacted, and assimilated. We are the last pure Native American tribe left. We are the last stand for Indian Country. We are the last chapter in American Indian/Anglo American relations. The prior chapters were bad, so make this last chapter a good one and vote for Obama.

Alaska Natives in general are the last group of Native Americans in the United States still depended on a hunting & fishing-based lifestyle where kids and grown-ups go out to fish and hunt to supplement their western diets. It’s crucial we have food off our land because the western foods, processed foods, give us diabetes if we eat them alone. The subsistence foods not only feed our bodies, but our culture, spirit, social lives, and minds. The Western World calls it Subsistence, but we call it our Way of Life. I’m using the word against my well. It gives our lives meaning and keeps us busy. With God’s help, hopefully everyone can understand. Our way of life off the land is everything to us. If we don’t have that we’re nobody, just another group living off the grid, consuming McDonalds, and buying Brand-Named items. We add diversity and richness to the world.

Sarah Palin doesn’t care about this. She wouldn’t care if our culture eroded before her eyes. She’s like Nero, sitting in Juneau putting on lip-gloss as Alaskan villages suffer. We’re suffering from fuel costs. We’re suffering from strangulating Fish & wildlife regulations that keep us from surviving off the already scarce wildlife. She has done some things, but not enough. She can ease the Fish & wildlife regulations in order to improve food security in the villages. She can subsidize the villages with the rising fuel costs. The US Government has a Trust Responsibility with its First Americans, the TR requires the Federal/State Governments to ensure we, Alaska Natives, have everything we need to survive. Mrs. Palin has failed miserably at this task. She has a lot more work to do back home.

Her hometown Wasillia, has been a hot-bed for racist and Anti-Native attitudes. Anchorage is worse. Alaska Natives fight discrimination on a daily basis there. Palin isn’t there for them. I read in the Anchorage papers once that a homeless native man froze to death in downtown and some man called it in sounding all casual about it. It’s like the South before the 60s up here. It’s bad. This is the Alaska Sarah Palin maintains and waters for growth. She’s never bothered to change anything because she thinks nothing is broken.

As Mayor, she didn’t think anything was wrong with an atmosphere where a native woman had beer bottles thrown at her as she walked down Wasillia. So you have to ask yourself, if she’s willing to ignore the plights and issues of an ethnic group within her town and state, than how much more horrible do you think it’s going to be when she ignores the issues of the same ethnic group or another on a national level?

I believe her popularity comes from her beauty. This society has got to shift itself away from a National Inquirer-based lifestyle to an NPR or New York Times-based lifestyle. Our very world may depend on it. Our hurricanes and disasters are getting worse due to Global Warming, our Stock Market is dangerously shaky, our healthcare is getting so bad it may cause a revolution soon, and the War in Iraq is draining our resources and working families to depression-levels.

We need a Change! We need Barack Obama. Not somebody whose reputation is based mainly on image and charm. As an Alaska Native, I see that she doesn’t support our way of life, as a Gwich’in I see that she is willing to end my culture and people for only six more months of oil, and as a Global citizen I see that she is impulsive and inexperienced. Do you want someone like that in charge of a nuclear arsenal? It’s probably already going to take our lifetimes to recover from Bush, if you elect Palin, the consequence are too scary for me to even think about. Please vote for change. Vote for Obama. Vote for Obama.

Some other reactions to Palin and Native issues:
Opinion piece from RezNet
News from Indian Country

Exodus from an Alaskan village

Everyone in Adak is leaving. The village cannot afford to pay its gas bill, and they have been cut off. Their numbers have already been cut in half in recent years, but gas prices will force them all to leave.

The mayor/chief of police resigned.

I cannot imagine where 130+ people go to start over, and from something that is not a natural disaster. A hurricane did not hit these people - high gas prices did.

I am still stunned at the lack of attention this is getting, from the local media, the state, our Governor, Sarah Palin. I posted this on Saturday night, and figured it would be headline news by the next afternoon (and no, not because of me - because a town in American cannot afford gas and is shutting down!) I posted again on Sunday night, happy to see it, at least, on the ADN.

The Anchorage Daily News reported on it Sunday night/Monday morning (and props to them for getting it on the front page of the Web site - if not the paper copy). A radio station in the region Adak is in mentioned it. No local TV news - or non-local, for that matter. I noticed a paper in South Carolina grabbed it from the ADN. But nothing else? Really?

Palin had a message today for Alaska that the local TV media did pick up - her message was to attack the man she fired and reverse her previous opinions and reasons. Her only message for Alaska today, the day Adak residents met, found out they no longer have a mayor and started planning how to restart their entire lives - her message was of defense of herself and an attack on a former employee.

In some wierd bit of irony, one of the news stations visited a different village to report on how many people were having to leave Rural Alaska because of the costs. No mention of entire town being told to leave that day.

This is not the first Alaskan village to have to leave the land, and it won't be the last. How many residents will be forced into the city this winter? How many villages will be facing extinction?

I have heard suggestions that the villagers go to stay in the governor's mansion. Why not? Even if she were not running for VP, she doesn't use it much. They will need a home, and jobs, and schooling. And they will need to get off the island - it will cost the individuals of Adak their entire energy rebate - $1200 - just to get them off the island. Will Governor Palin lend them her private jet?

I have also heard some terribly cold comments - so what, it's only 130 people? So what, it's a "newly incorporated" village - they should have known better? Palin shouldn't be responsible for their "irresponsibility."

I ask these people to look at the history of Adak - the real history. Aleut/Unungax people have lived there for thousands of years. They have prevailed through enslavement, relocation and disease during the Russian "discovery." They have prevailed during the further massive deaths after Alaska was bought by America. The Aleut people of the Aleutian chain were forcibly removed from their homes during World War II by the American government when the Japanese invaded and occupied two of the islands. They came back. They stayed after the military base shut down in the 90's, incorporated as a village to be able to stay, and they stayed through a winter of frequent blackouts.

They are finally undone by energy costs.

Big processing ships have outmanned them on the water, so they had little money to work with in the first place.

I cannot tell you what this does to me, to hear that another village is being emptied, that these people will not be able to stay, and it is entirely preventable. This is not a hurricane to prepare for and rebuild after - but nothing to do but wait in between. The gas is literally in the town - but they can't afford to buy it.

And our governor dares to run on the platform of being an "energy expert?"

Please, look at the exodus from the villages, look at this town that is vacating the island - then look me in the eye and telling me she's doing everything she can?

She is doing nothing at all.

UPDATE!: Thank goodness!

This is happening in Sarah Palin's backyard

The town will have no power. Residents are being asked to leave. One man has already suffered medical problems because he could not get power to his respiratory equipment. Teachers are trying to have classes in their homes with small generators.

This is not some third world country. This is not even Texas or Louisiana, where thousands are facing the aftereffects of a hurricane.

This is a small village in Alaska.

Adak cannot pay its gas bill. They've been struggling with this problem for some time, but they were finally cut off. A combination of problems - as the Anchorage Daily News reports, were the cause, but the obvious - rising fuel prices - is one of the main culprits.

The other is the fishing industry. This tiny village of less than 150 people has been hit hard by the prices. It's a village that has been hit before with so much, historically - first the Russian invasion and "relocation", World War II invasion and forced relocation, and more recently the shut down of the military base.

A quote in the Anchorage Daily News, from an Adak medic:

"It is beyond my comprehension that such a situation like this can occur in an American city," Adams said.

Ironically, the ADN reported on a Senate hearing in August about Rural energy in the paper on the same say. Sen. Murkowski was urging Rural residents to stay in the villages, and a panel of Native leaders and energy experts talked over solutions to the energy crisis in the villages.

I applaud all those at this hearing for working towards solutions. I was not much of a fan of Murkowski, but in things like this, and others, she's on the right track. But mere weeks after she urges villagers to stay in the village for the sake of culture and the connection to the land, residents are asked to leave Adak.

But where is our governor?

I asked this last night, and today I see she's campaigning in Colorado.

Even the Republican delegates took a half day to look after the Hurricane crisis. Why can't she come take a look at this? I don't know that she would do anything - check my earlier post for her veto on another small Rural community that went over on their energy costs last year. They were looking for state funding to help in their costs. Palin line-item vetoed it. Is this what she meants by "reform?"

She only just left - this would have been a good issue to address while she was here in Alaska to take care of ... well, giving interviews about how little she knows about foreign policy I suppose. And rallies. Several rallies.

Palin recently pushed through giving every eligible Alaska resident a $1200 check as an energy rebate - which began distribution this weekend. You can imagine the popularity of that for the public (for any doubters, you need only have gone by Best Buy this weekend and counted the game systems going out the door.)

The ADN reported on lawmakers that were opposed to this plan (you can imagine the cahones it took to oppose giving out free money!) before it was passed, and just WHY they were opposed:
"They said the House plan to simply pay Alaskans a $1,200 rebate and to suspend the state's 8-cent tax on each gallon of gasoline isn't broad enough to cover needs statewide, especially in the costly Bush (Rural Alaska) where $1,200 just won't go as far."

Looks like it only took until the very weekend the checks were being distributed to be proven right.

I have been increasingly frustrated with the coverage - or lack of coverage - on this situation. I posted on this last night (Saturday.) A few hours ago the Anchorage Daily News finally reported on it. There was nothing in the local television news, much less national reports.

WHY IS THIS NOT NEWS?

An entire community of people is without power and being asked to leave their homes because they cannot afford the fuel! The State of Alaska has a MULTI BILLION DOLLAR SURPLUS!

THIS IS PREVENTABLE!

Alaskan village facing a winter with no power - UPDATE ON BOTTOM

As Alaskans all over the state are spending their $1,200 energy relief money on everything from actual energy relief to big screen tv's, Adak will be in the dark.

It's not a hurricane or some natural disaster.

Adak can't pay their oil bills, so the oil company that delivers out there is cutting them off.

My cousin is doing research in Adak, a largely Native community, formerly a military station, and was told she would probably be going home early. The city and state have not found solutions, a problem that's been on the radar, and the power will be shut off this weekend.

Adak was in the high 40's yesterday. Winter is coming, and the residents will be figuring out what to do with no power.

My question - where is Sarah Palin? Where was she before this, when they were trying to work out the problem, and had to shut off the power at night on a few occasions to conserve? Where is she now as Adak faces a dark week, and a cold winter? Will she be showing up at next week's Rural Energy Conference?

She has disappointed lawmakers and residents alike with her previous Rural vetoes. And energy vetoes (except the oil ones, of course.) Yes, this is how she runs our state, this is what's happening under her watch.

I don't know that she'd be that sympathetic anyways - she already vetoed funding for some Rural energy relief - she line-item vetoed funding for the Yupiit School District's energy costs when they were more then the district could handle.

I wonder if Adak will similarily be left to just deal with it?

UPDATE: "nomad toes" left this link, from a few weeks ago.

LATEST UPDATE: The Anchorage Daily News finally reported on it! Sept. 15 ADN

STRANGE... The article also in the Daily News, same day, specifically targeting RURAL ENERGY didn't mention it...

Alaskans show up in huge numbers to protest Palin

Wow - the "Anti-Palin" protest at the Anchorage Loussac Library today was IMPRESSIVE. I kept trying to get a wide shot, but there were just too many people!

I was running late and was worried I'd missed the whole thing, but this thing was huge!

And by the way, thanks Eddie Burke!

I talked to five people in a row as they left who said they heard about it from "that news story" about Burke's calling the anti-Palin organizers "socialist maggots" on his radio show, and giving out their phone numbers to have his listeners call them. Many callers threatened the organizers, and KTUU at least ran a story on the local news about it.

I was also worried not many people would show up - Alaska rallies no matter what the cause just are never that big. If you get a few dozen people, it's a good showing. Outside on a kind of dreary day, I was hoping there would be at least a hundred.

I've heard early reports that it could have been 1,000, very easy to believe.

Having just been down in Denver for the Dem. Convention, where we witnessed some somewhat disorganized protests, it was pretty neat to see so many Alaskans coming together to voice their opposition in an impacting - and peaceful - way. Though APD had a presence, their biggest problem was making sure there wasn't any jaywalking going on.

You could hear them a few blocks down, and saw the crowd before you even saw the flashing police lights.

I was also expecting a lot more "pro-Palin" protestors. There were a handful, but not that many. Burke had said he was organizing a "pro-Palin" rally for the same time and place, but they were much less evident than those opposing Ms. Palin as a VP - or simply supporting Obama.

I had to run and do a bunch of errands before the banks closed, and drove by over an hour later. Although much smaller, there was still a good hundred or more holding signs and garnering lots and lots of car horns.

There's a whole lot of Anchorage folks who are very against the McCain/Palin ticket.