Alaska House of Representative Republicans and one Independent reacted with dismay today to the news that the Biden Administration’s Department of the Interior has suspended land transfers to Alaska – including land transfers long promised to Alaska Native veterans of the Vietnam War.
Interior Department Order No. 3395 suspends authorizations for the department’s bureaus and offices to “grant rights of way, easements, or any conveyances of property or interests in property, including land sales or exchanges”. This may include federal allotments to Alaska under the Alaska Statehood Act and the Alaska Native Allotment Act of 1906.
“I am very concerned that our new federal administration is delaying keeping its promises to some who served honorably,” said Rep. David Nelson (R – Anchorage, who serves as an officer in the Alaska Army National Guard). “If the new administration can drag its feet on its promises to veterans, it can do the same to our current servicemen and servicewomen.”
“I have heard of servicemembers who served at the time – some who received their allotment and some who have not – and I know how important land is to our cultural identity as Alaska Natives,” said Rep. Josiah Patkotak (N – Utqiaġvik). “In their service they have missed their rightful claim to land and that isn’t right. The time for resolving this is overdue and shouldn’t be delayed for any reason.”
“No one who serves in our armed forces honorably should be penalized for serving – but to our dismay, that’s exactly what we did to my Alaska Native comrades-in-arms in Vietnam,” said Rep. Laddie Shaw (R – Anchorage), a retired US Navy SEAL and Vietnam War veteran. “Whether for the Alaska Territorial Guard during World War II or Alaska Native servicemembers in the Vietnam War, the federal government has a pattern of giving short-shrift to the contributions of my Alaska Native brother and sister veterans. It’s time to break that pattern and acknowledge them for the heroes they all are.”
“For my entire career, I have fought for our veterans to get all of the benefits they so richly deserve” continued Rep. Shaw, who also previously served as Director of Veterans Affairs under Gov. Tony Knowles. “I’m glad to stand with my caucus as we continue to do so.”
Jerry Ward, of Alaska Native Veterans Council, said the BLM is still accepting applications, but the that Biden Administration has frozen the BLM land. Some have already filed for land on the BLM land, and that Sen. Dan Sullivan is working on the issue.
“It takes legislation to take away the rights of Vietnam-era veterans to apply for it, but this is an administrative action that does not supersede law,” he said.
Thirty Alaska Native veterans met last night in Anchorage to learn more about the problem, and half of them had already filed for their lands. Ward is advising the rest to file for “federal unallocated land.”
Biden can delay it, but he cannot stop it, unless Biden gets the law changed, Ward said. About 200 Alaska Native Vietnam veterans have still not selected their 160 acres.
Many of my brothers have already died, and many more will die from affects of our 46 year old democrats war. They are still screwing the ones that served honorably. Sad times!
More land in the hands of private citizens and NOT in the hands of the Feds… is a GREAT thing!
The Alaska Republicans better start by keeping a list of the issues they fought for, even if they couldn’t attain it, or they found victory, so when the Republican Governor Dunleavy addresses AFN and Native gatherings he can remind these descendents: “Republicans do fight to help and work with them.” Democrats like telling their Native contact leaders Republican leaders do nothing for them. Haha. Lies only isolate and alienate peoples from others and keeping them from seeing truth.
The Alaska Republicans better start by keeping a list of the issues they fought for, even if they couldn’t attain it, or they found victory, so when the Republican Governor Dunleavy addresses AFN and Native gatherings he can remind these descendents: “Republicans do fight to help and work with them and here is the list.” Democrats like telling their Native contact leaders Republican leaders do nothing for them. Haha. Lies only isolate and alienate peoples from others and keeping them from seeing truth.
Seems like a public-relations stunt in really, really bad taste…
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Veterans of any ethnic persuasion should believe the legislator half of their House lobbyist-legislator team gives two hoots and a damn about them
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… while trying to shake veterans down for income and sales taxes, while working so hard to wreck veterans’ lives and livelihoods under the guise of China flu hysteria?
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Reality is that members of the Peoples House of Representatives, can’t, and won’t, do anything to fix the problem because advocating for veterans in a post-Trump regime carries a very high risk of annoying sponsors or, more dangerously, the Newly-Woke.
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So, may we respectfully suggest, go back to doing whatever your lot do in the Holy City of Juneau, fighting over political scraps, Getting Money, Getting More Money, impeaching the governor.
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Don’t mean nothin’.
Metlakatla wasn’t in on ANCSA because they already had reservation status, but they have Alaska Native Vietnam Vets.
Land ownership in Alaska is not unlike the old phrase,” Water everywhere and not a drop to drink”.
Our Founders clearly understood the importance of landownership, the part of American Scripture ( Declaration of 1776) that defines basic rights, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, happiness including PROPERTY. These same Founders were breaking off from an old world feudal system where everything belonged to the King. Ownership of property is the severed link defining the two systems, one built from the ground up, the other top down. Today, I suggest that we have been quietly put back under the feudal system. Give these Vets their land ! And start conveying land to the State!
Biden is a Chinese Puppet, he is the Pedophile Head of a vassal Traitorous Vichy Government. The Current Congress (which rubber stamped the stolen election) and this President are illegitimate. Nothing they pass or decree is legal, and US Citizens are morally obliged to ignore and undermine wherever and whenever possible.
Here you are again spouting off mumbo-jumbo about a stolen election. I suspect that you also don’t pay taxes because you think govt. cannot force you (a sovereign citizen) to pay. Heheh! Keep em coming as they are getting more outrageous by the day. That was a tough election on you fascists, I know, but “tough noogies.”
Mongo, I was thinking after reading your comment, what if we do a lampoon on Biden, based on that trendy Grocery Store Chain with over 400 outlets nation wide, “Traitor Joe’s”. The demographic that T.J. reaches out to would be Tech Titans, Loony Tune Socialist Greenies, think AOC, Warren Buffet, (Keystone Pipeline, say didn’t he get lots of campaign moolah from the oracle of Omaha and I think Buffet owns a railroad that moves oil?) foreign despots from China and Iran, you get it, the usual suspects. The above would provide a great platform to display how Traitor Joe makes good to those that bought him! Come on Joe!
Good story. More here: vietnamveterannews . com/episode-1959/
Why aren’t they including ALL Vietnam Vets? If the Alaskan native people got their land allotments during ANSCA, then why the additional land for the Vets? Why not open it up to all Alaskan Vets who served during that time. It shouldn’t be too hard to go back and figure out who the Alaskan non-native Vets were who served. This native special stuff slays me. Make it equitable and quit with the freebies.
During the original ANCSA many Alaskans that qualified did not get the opportunity to apply because they were serving over seas during the war.
I just received a call from Dan Sullivan’s office in DC about the Dingle Act on native Vietnam veterans land allotments. They said the program is proceeding ahead. It was not blocked.
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