Anchorage Assembly member Karen Bronga was shocked. She said thought that her original resolution calling on the Alaska delegation in Washington D.C. to work cease fire resolution would pass the Assembly unanimously last month. She didn’t think it was controversial. Instead, the majority took a pass and put it in the “postpone indefinitely” basket.
Undeterred, Bronga and other Assembly members — Felix Rivera and George Martinez — brought the resolution back, with some changes. This time it passed 8-4.
Bronga said she had spent time listening to the Jewish community, which was worried about safety, the same thing the Palestinians living in Alaska are worried about. She said she heard about the need to be clear that Hamas is a terrorist organization. “At this point, a cease fire needs to happen. This has to stop,” she said.
Rather than postpone indefinitely, the Assembly was ready to debate and vote on the resolution. While members of the pro-terrorist group Party for Liberation and Socialism, a communist group, yelled at the Assembly from the audience on Tuesday evening, Assembly members expressed their points of discomfort about the resolution.
Assemblyman Daniel Volland said that he was disappointed in the audience members who were clambering for no changes to the original ordinance, and holding up signs that said, “No S Version.” He said the amended version calls for a lasting peace and bilateral cease fire, and the ability to deliver aid. “It also has a ‘whereas’ that says both Jewish and Palestinians have ties to the region and both have been subjected to colonization and oppression.” He also referred to a previous Assembly resolution “that condemned political violence and extremism of all forms.”
Assemblyman Rivera said he opposed changing the original resolution and said this is an instance where “saying a little bit less is actually better. It [the amendment] goes too far for me.” He then said that while he was at a drag show over the weekend, the topic of Gaza was what everyone wanted to talk with him about. He also called it a “sanctity of human life” issue.
Assemblywoman Meg Zaletel said that she spends all of her time working to understand local issues, like the removal of the Eklutna dam and the need for funding for the Port of Alaska. She said that the Gaza situation is out of her lane and she doesn’t feel comfortable weighing in. There are humanitarian crises all over the world, she added, and the Assembly doesn’t insert itself into them.
Assembly Kevin Cross was a hard no. In Anchorage, “our house is on fire, we’re choking on our own smoke, and we’re virtue signaling. There have never been people showing up for anything — rapes and murders … there’s pain in our own streets being ignored while we arrogantly tell people across the globe what they should do.”
Assembly Chairman Chris Constant had to call for the room to come back to order several times as the pro-Hamas crowd shouted their disapproval.
They were angry that the final draft of the resolution acknowledged Israel’s right to exist and defend itself and that Hamas is a known terrorist organization, acknowledged as such by the United Nations.
At the end of the meeting, during public testimony, the pro-Hamas Party for Socialism and Liberation lined up to state their objections to the softened resolution, accusing some members of the Assembly of being condescending. Michael Patterson, one of the leaders of the PSL, said that members of the Assembly had defamed the group and lied about the group’s enthusiastic and joyful response to the killing of a Jewish man who was holding a sign in Los Angeles at a pro-Israel rally, only to be hit in the head by a Palestinian terrorism supporter.
Meg Zaletel makes the reality statement of the day! Cheers to her standing strong.
I will bet every dollar President Biden allows me to keep in my wallet she voted for the resolution anyway.
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If she really wanted the Assembly to focus on Anchorage, she could have done so much more than a meaningless statement.
Well, that fixes everything.
What a bunch of crybullies.
Even when they get their way, they still throw a tantrum.
Anchorage Jew Haters. Democrats. Communists. Shame, Anchorage. Shame!
Agree with you – Thinly veiled antisemitism is all it is.
And in the end, after all the arguing and posturing is over, the whole resolution accomplishes NOTHING. For once Meg Z is correct. the entire issue is out of the lane of the assembly.
One would just hope, she and the rest of them will realize that the Eklutna dam/hydroplant is the state’s bailiwick and out of their lane too…..but that’s probably a bridge too far!
Meg’s statement might be correct, but I will bet she voted in favor of the resolution anyway.
I guess the Party for Socialism & Liberation is too much for even the IBEW to deal with.
Watch out libs, your being attacked from the Left ….. the American Left.
How do guys in the union hall vote for this chaos?
They should be ashamed of themselves.
I used to work for the state and was forced to join ASEA. Even though ASEA supported only DemocRats the vast majority of us voted Republican or for other parties, except for DemocRats. I wouldn’t be surprised if the union members over at IBEW are the same. The teacher unions are the ones who vote solidly for DemocRats. Notice how teachers are the ones who also consistently fail at their job?
I am so glad now that the Anchorage assembly is going to stop the war. Meanwhile, crime in Anchorage is out of control, my property taxes are spent to support cronies of assembly members and otherwise wasted on virtue signaling and worthless welfare programs, infrastructure is crumbling. The assembly spends more time fighting the mayor and power and control issues than anything else. What a bunch of idiots, but Anchorage gets what it elects.
An Assemblyman reported that while attending a Drag Show over the weekend he was surprised to learn that everyone supported the pro-Hamas resolution before the Assembly…
Honestly, nothing surprises me anymore.
YAWN! This is much ado about nothing. Get back to Anchorage’s business and issues and quit grandstanding.
Anchorage gets what it elects.
George Martinez is a liberal New Yorker. Is this the best Anchorage can do?! No wonder our city is turning into a mini Arctic Detroit.
Not fair. You can’t make that comparison until Anchorite Alaskans start supporting their city and state by not being freeloaders and by finally contributing to Alaska’s Treasury via sales and/or income tax. Alaska per capita, gets much more in federal welfare, than do Michiganders. Btw, Detroit homicides in 2023 were the fewest in any year since 1966.
Number 1 I don’t know how you figure we pay no taxes.
I pay taxes as do most working Anchorage citizens.
Every Alaskan pays a state tax called PFD that has been stolen from us by the politicians.
There are pot taxes alcohol, taxes car registration taxes hunting taxes gas taxes and other taxes that we pay so go cry to someone who believes you false information spread.
Lol. I know many that don’t pay federal tax either. Don’t add in their meager pfd income.
Mark. The PFD is not a state tax. It is the OPPOSITE of a tax.
Earth1, you clearly do NOT live here, as you would otherwise know that Anchorage runs largely on the local residents property taxes. So yes we can make all the comparisons we want, as we contribute greatly to the financial health of the city.
When the feds give the state all the land they owe us since statehood and let us build up our infrastructure so just like Michigan every porta potty in the middle of nowhere has a road to it, we can have a discussion about federal funds.
Actually, we contribute federally through income tax withholding. So, Earth1 can pound sand.
Because of our Natives, yes.
Thanks for the racist comment. Reality check: Alaska Native Corporations are keeping our economy afloat and the majority of homeless in Anchorage are NOT Alaska Native. They may be visible but they aren’t the majority.
True, we outranked them crime-wise.
I pay a LOT of taxes to Anchorage. And, the amount is going up every year. Not only do I pay real estate taxes, I pay a ten cent per gallon tax on my gas, I pay a tax on any alcohol I purchase, and the bag ban instituted a tax, even though the city does not get it.
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So, either get a clue or be quiet until you have one.
Every member that voted Yes should immediately go to Gaza and deliver the resolution personally. In drag.
❤️
The gold is always in the comments. As I drink my morning coffee and catch up on the happenings of the week, your comment has allowed me to start the day with a good laugh. I’ll pay their way because all they will need are one-way tickets.
If any of these people actually wanted a ceasefire they’d have called for Hamas to drop their weapons, return the remaining hostages, and surrender. But that’s not what they want at all.
That is not going to happen.
Leftists LOVE muslims. The political system disguised as a religion known as islam is exactly what the leftists strive to be. Intolerant of anyone or anything they do not like, willing to enslave or kill anyone that disagrees with them. Oppressive, and totalitatarian to the core, both leftists and muslims. Birds of a feather.
You’re confused ….leftist as you like to throw around are different that democrats. Not all leftist are democrats, and not all democrats are leftists. You would have us believe that all democrats are against guns, and for abortion. This isn’t the facts. Outside your very small comrade world. They are Americans. Stop hating so much. You’ll live longer.
“Over Shouting of Communists” 4col. Joseph McCarthy hyperbole is clouding some eyes and ears.
What’s clouding yours? Progressive dogma?
“pro-Hamas Party for Socialism and Liberation”
Sorry but that sounds a lot like communism to me.
what a pack of idiots. don’t they have better things to accomplish. there are many things wrong with your city and the elected officials are a real embarrassment. do they really think that it will influence what is happening in the Middle East?
spend your time dealing with the “out of control” homeless issue, plowing your streets, insuring safety for your residents and I could go on and on. are there not some intelligent center line people in Anchorage that would like to run for city Council?? Cheers!
No sane human wants to deal with a long line of crazies shouting for Hamas. Our political system is broken.
It’s the only thing they’ve done in 6 years that I agree with, and it has no bearing on our local lives. Sad.
Did that resolution call for the release of all the hostages? Did it demand the prosecution of every remaining rapist, murderer, and slaughterer who took part in the October 7 attack? Did it call for an accounting of the billions of dollars in aid that has been sent to Gaza that was redirected into tunnel construction and missile launchers? Did it call for hunting down and bringing to justice the leaders of Hamas who’ve committed nearly every war crime on the books, from hiding in schools and hospitals to using citizens as shields?
Of course not.
Anyone calling for a cease fire thinks Israel is wrong, that they deserved the 10/7 attack, and have been occupying muslim land for several millennia before the (so-called) religion existed.
Boy, if we could just come up with a system where we could pick these people…..
Could not agree more.
Too bad, we have mail in voting, no reasonable method of observing the count, and a city clerk that works for the people running for election.
Kinda ironic, come to think of it, that we have the same story with the Lt. Governor also. What a messed up state and to think that these people get away with it.
The general consensus USED TO BE the American public supported our country’s Allie’s not our enemies. We surely wouldn’t had allow our enemies walk all over us.
What a waste of time! I want a bumper sticker that just has “Anchorage Assembly” with line threw it. People were arrested for doing less during the covid mask mandates, a very relevant topic.
Someone pinch me! Did Meg Z. make sense? Stay out of your swim lane, Assembly. Kevin Cross hit the nail on the head – start with our own backyard. Maybe the assembly should use the “strongly worded memo” approach that the White House loves so dearly. We know how well that works!
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