By BOB BIRD
Jim Minnery has just penned an essay saying that it is time for Rep. David Eastman to be retired … because he is too much of a constitutionalist. He claims that Eastman’s votes are counter-productive. Why? Because (and Minnery agrees with him!) there is absolutely no need for a constitutional amendment because there is NOTHING in the state constitution wherein the right to abortion can be found, unless people rely on the “tea-leaves” and palm readings of the Supreme Court.
Actually, it is Jim Minnery and the Alaska Family Council that needs to be retired, or at least re-tooled. When I ran against Ted Stevens in 2008, I also failed to get the AFC endorsement, even though, unlike Minnery, I have been arrested five times for organizing or participating in the blockade of abortion clinics.
He was so terribly concerned about keeping Ted Stevens’ supposedly more moderate vote in the US Senate, he would not allow me to explain to the AFC the constitutional reasoning as to why neither a federal nor state amendment is necessary to protect the unborn. He admitted to me, months later, that he intentionally refused to return my calls. This is the man that so many Christians put their trust and judgment in.
Minnery falls into the trap that liberals love: the belief that once the supreme court makes a decision, it must be followed. As long as he uses that logic, the liberals will continue to use him, and not David Eastman, to keep the status quo.
Now hear this, fellow prolife Christians. We do not have “three co-equal branches of government”. The legislature is supreme, and the constitutional tools are already in place to thwart the judiciary. Are you ready?
- The governor need not enforce the decisions of the court. In Article 3, Sec. 16 we read: He may, by appropriate court action or proceeding brought in the name of the State, enforce compliance with any constitutional or legislative mandate, or restrain violation of any constitutional or legislative power, duty, or right by any officer, department, or agency of the State or any of its political subdivisions. This authority shall not be construed to authorize any action or proceeding against the legislature. Notice it does not give an exception for the judiciary, only the legislative, demonstrating that the three branches are not equal. And it also assumes that the courts might very well be the ones who “violate a constitutional power”.
- The legislature has the power, in Article 4, Sec. 1, to keep the courts out of “judicial review”. It says, “The jurisdiction of the courts shall be prescribed by law.” All they need to do, when passing a prolife law, is to add, “This statute shall not be reviewable by the judiciary.” And even if a court ruling is exercised, is merely an opinion, not a law. The governor is the final filter with his enforcement powers. In a properly functioning system, he would most likely follow the court’s advice in most matters, for he is not a judge. But his oath does not call him to defend the court rulings, but to defend the constitution. It’s a big difference.
- Lastly, there is impeachment. Let me count the ways that the Supreme Court has overthrown the state constitution. Dunleavy is too sluggish to figure this out, and Minnery himself does not understand constitutions properly. In 1997’s Valley Hospital case, the courts overthrew the people’s and the legislature’s power to amend the constitution; in the Sen-Tan case in the late 90s, it seized the power of the right to privacy being defined by the legislature. Then in a follow up, seized the power of the purse by ordering state funding of abortion. Then, more recently, it overthrew the governor’s line-item veto power, when he docked the court’s administrative budget the exact amount that the state had been paying for abortion. And they don’t stop at abortion, either: they just seized the control of Grand Juries from the people.
Imagine if Minnery had used his influence to explain all this to his Christian supporters! By this time, we might have had enough sincere prolifers and conservatives come over to Eastman’s side and begin educating the public. What you think the constitution says, and what it actually says, are two different things. Maybe this election cycle will drive home the point.
Instead, he has found nit-picky ways to always put down his rival in prolife fund-raising, Alaska Right to Life, and now doesn’t like Eastman — even though he agrees that Eastman’s line of thinking is correct!
If you want to know why the status quo on abortion and all other freedom issues continues the way it does, look no further to the constitutional ignorance of the Alaska Family Council. If they are not “controlled opposition”, they sure are filling the bill.
Bob Bird is former chair of the Alaskan Independence Party and the host of a talk show on KSRM radio, Kenai.
Get rid of both.
Most sensible thing you’ve said yet
Thank you for posting this Bob! I removed my name from their email list when the attacks started happening. Shame on Jim Minnery for professing to be one thing, but siding with the pretend republicans and the demonrats. So, he is going to lose something also if Eastman gets in? What? Do they have something big that they want to push? Or, has he been involved in something not-so-good-for-Alaskans that he will be exposed for? This push to get rid of Eastman is just like the evil’s push to get rid of President Trump. Eastman is in the way of something that the evil wants. Eastman is willing to fight for Alaskans. Keep Eastman in office!
I believe we have a system in place to handle this, it’s the districts choice and everyone else is just blowing wind out their …It’s a local matter.
Love Republican infighting lmao
Minnery sounds ike the typical “lose gracefully” politico
Minnery and AFC have shown gross lack of conscience and/or morality in nearly every interaction I’ve had with them. They’ve sided with some of the most villainous people and actively heckled those who fight valliantly for truth. We’ll be better without them, if they’ll ever go away.
Bob Bird I know and trust. Eastman I don’t know but he sounds like a strong leader. Minnery? I don’t know, but if he thought Stevens was a “moderate”, that makes Minnery “squishy” in my book. I’d like to know Art Mathias’s take on the Eastman issue. That’s the view from Fairbanks.
It’s the Alaska Family Council that needs to be retired, not David Eastman
The two are not mutually exclusive.
Bob Bird, well that sure is saying a lot when your candidacy was in fact the one, who split enough votes away from Ted Steven, lost to Democrat Mark Begich. Ted Steven lost by just over 1% and you got over 4% of the vote – Great accomplishment there Bob.
Yeah, so attack Jim Minery for not supporting you in the general election to have helped Mark Begich win the election even more – that’s ridiculous and your group knows it.
Another example, David Eastman blocking Dave from become Speaker and where did it go to Louis Stutes and the Democrats control.
There are only two options, either you guys are electorally idiotic, which I highly doubt and garuntee is not the case; or second option, which I know based upon what I have been told by those in that group over arguments – that you guys would rather help democrats win races and positions, over republicans even in purple districts, who you do not consider “conservative” or “conservative enough”
Spend time bashing Jim Minery – the results speak for themselves.
100%- Nailed It !!!
I have heard about the s.w.a.t. team that the rinos have to attack anything good said about Eastman. Shame on the Republican party groups and the individuals that will not respect district 27’s choice of who they want for their representative. I am tired of these groups that believe they are the ones that run politics here in Alaska. People are waking up and don’t want the AK GOP or the republican women’s clubs calling the shots on all the races.
Some of us who are pro-life would rather see a Planned Parenthood lab rat like Ted Stevens voted out for so many past sins against the unborn, but Repubs were way too weak to do that. They preferred RINO’s back then. Now I’m no Repub anyway, but in my mind Bob did us a great favor as the Giant-Slayer in that race.
As Bluto (John Belushi) so eloquently put it in Animal House: “Food fight!”
Very good article! A lot of insight into Eastman’s votes and ideas, and into our legislature in general, can be found in his interview with Joel Davidson on Alaska Watchman.
Who cares what Bob Bird says? He’s never held an office in his life and doesn’t know how to interact with anyone who disagrees with anything he espouses to. What Minnery says makes a lot more sense than what Bird says. It’s true that Eastman hasn’t accomplished much of anything as a legislator and with Bird for a cheerleader he will probably accomplish little ever! A fresh start with Jubilee Underwood would be a plus for the majority of the people in that district. Eastman, like Bird, can keep giving his eloquent speeches to his faithful followers and Underwood can do the job that needs doing in Juneau! She probably even knows how to work well with others! After seeing how Alaska Right To Life has been operating I wouldn’t give them a red cent in support either. There are those who talk and those who get things done. Time for new blood instead of these old has beens.
At least you got your “name” right. ha. Eastman knows the constitutions, Eastman knows about the energy issues here in Alaska, Eastman knows who the Rinos are in the House and Senate. It is too late to be starting out “fresh” with someone who has been endorsed and brought into this political world by Rinos. If we want to have a chance to save Alaska, we need someone who knows what has been going on. District 27, vote for Rep. David Eastman. Alaskans, stand behind District 27’s right to elect who they want in office. Vote for Rep. David Eastman.
You’re one of his greatest fans–but no, don’t vote for him– VOTE JUBILEE UNDERWOOD! Tarring and feathering members of your own party for imagined and trumped up hateful accusations against them is not pretty or effective! The floor of the house is not the place to give long drawn out speeches while doing nothing to change things for the better. JUBILEE UNDERWOOD–a fresh new voice!
Both of these articles are reasons why I no longer choose to be involved in “organized” religion. All of them (Eastman, Minnery, Bird) are conservative men of faith who discount others actions because those actions aren’t in accordance with their personal views. Shame on each of you.
In a nutshell:
Eastman has a very rigid view. He has reasoned that if it isn’t 100 percent the way he believes it should be, he will vote against it.
Minnery has a larger view and feels if it moves the needle in the right direction, it’s a good thing.
Bird has another very rigid view, but his is tinged with narcissism. As a former teacher he is used to his audience taking his words as gospel.
I’m not a Minnery acolyte, but Bird and Eastman are two “birds” of a feather. Both are so filled with their own correctness that they are unable to see the failure of that perspective. In Birds case, he blatantly brings up his running in the 2008 US Senate election. Like or hate Ted Stevens, he was committed to Alaska. Looking up the votes for that election, it is apparent that Bird’s naivete in eschewing Alaska Independence Party extremes and creating a third party candidate amongst the ensuing legal attacks on Stevens resulted in Begich winning the election. Results? Begich was a deciding vote in Obama Care among other actions. AIP? Still a waste of a vote.
Interesting opinions, but the simple fact remains: Republicans hold a majority, but Alaska keeps moving to the left, exactly as if democrats were in the majority. We need more David Eastmans, not more go-along-to-get-along rinos.
Ted Stevens sponsored a bill with Bob Packwood — in 1990 — that would have made Roe v. Wade the force-fed statutory federal law in all fifty states. That made Uncle Ted decades ahead of his time regarding what the Democrats want to do now. He also failed to fight ANILCA in 1980, abandoning Alaska and tried to keep us afloat with massive federal contracts and dole-outs. He kept Alaska’s greatest attorney, Wayne Anthony Ross, from becoming NRA President, all because of a personal vendetta because Ross won the McDowell Case and humiliated Stevens. It was Ted which mandated “rural subsistence priority” in the ANILCA legislation. If you think the man was any different from Mark Begich, you are entitled to your opinion, but Ted was not even a fiscal conservative. He was a RINO from the start.
US Constitution remains the foundational law of creation of the United States of America land, air and water. All legislative and municipal corporate creations are pursuant to Marbury v Madison is still the settled law. Any documents created in the public must be compliant with the US Constitution or is void for effect. The process for voiding bylaws is not well explicated due to substandard public educations heretofore. The fourth graders in the 1800 were carefully taught this now fallen away process in the 1800 as demonstrated by time capsule curriculums showing materials taught to American fourth graders. Unfortunately everyone has been taught incomplete civics information with saliant facts omitted.
If you want an anarchist and disrupter in Juneau, then Eastman is your man. His record is less than stellar regarding conservative values. His vote against senate concurrence helped to rob every Alaska of $2,000 regarding the PFD. He fully knew that his vote would help send the Senate budget back to the conference committee where the PFD would be carved up like a turkey on Thanksgiving day! His vote against the PFD allowed the crooks to continue the theft. His vote against giving charter schools options for approval, his vote against increasing the funding for homeschool children and his vote against allowing businesses a tax deduction for supporting K-12 education is not the values you would expect from a so called “conservative.” He has consistently voted with Democrats to kill effective legislation.
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