Wednesday, December 31, 2025
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Letter: How I could have done better with my words

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Editor:

I recently wrote an open letter advocating for reopening our businesses and refocusing our city’s resources on helping both the employees and employers hurting from the shutdown.

When I first read some of the comments in the ADN, I wondered if the letter I wrote had actually been published, or if it was some other very different one that people were responding to.

So I read it again and yes, the ADN did print my words faithfully and even added a title which, if I had been a better writer, would have chosen for myself. 

I then realized that my letter had, for many readers at least, been a failure. The message had been lost. For nowhere in my writing did I believe there to be hate but instead truly a call to greater, more effective, compassion and cooperation.  

Do I think we should reopen Anchorage? Yes, I do. Do I think it is possible we may close again? Yes, I do.

More importantly though, whichever course we choose, I strongly believe that as a city we must refocus on our neighbors who are hurting.  It is the duty of a government to help all of its citizens, not just the ones in hospitals. 

I also learned that I was ignorant of the importance of shamanism, both past and present, to our indigenous neighbors. No more ignorant, I dare say, than those who assume that any race has a monopoly on shamans.

In fact, every culture, race, and ethnicity has practiced – and in some cases still do practice – shamanism.

When I wrote the line about witch doctors, shamans, and quacks, the faces framed in my mind’s eye were coincidentally white, peering into a cauldron or selling snake oil from a Conestoga wagon, perhaps because I happen to be white.

Just as Europeans have not had a monopoly on violence, imperialism, or any of the other heinous barbarities of history neither have Alaska’s Inuit or Yup’ik enjoyed a monopoly on shamanism. 

In this ignorance I realized that I had given offense in a way that my upbringing makes me particularly sensitive to, as I too am proud of my heritage.

With this understanding in my heart I sincerely say I am sorry.

Finally, I am reminded that when we see something new – a new idea, a new person, anything – we can choose to judge it or be curious about it. It is easier to judge but, by being curious, we can learn something new. For me this time it was new knowledge about a part of Alaska’s Native heritage.

But even more than that, by being curious, I realized that I have an awful lot in common with the folks who have commented on my letter, even the angry ones.

Perhaps if more of us can take a moment to be curious about a new idea, assume the other person is sincere, we can take some small steps to building a better city together.

John Morris, M.D.

Dimond Center says no armed protest allowed on premises

The Dimond Center, Alaska’s biggest mall, says that a planned protest on Jan. 17 may not take place on its premises in Anchorage.

Dimond Center management issued a public statement about a nationwide rally that organizers are planning for that day:

The “Refuse to be Silenced” rally is being billed on social media as an “Armed march on Capitol Hill and all state capitols.” In Alaska, organizers have apparently chosen the Dimond Center as the location for the Alaska rally. However, management of the Dimond Center, asserting its private property rights, insists the event will not be allowed on its premises.

“We’re not making a political statement, but the Dimond Center is a private, family-owned business and is not an appropriate venue for an event such as this,” said Bob Dye, Dimond Center General Manager. “We suggest that a traditional venue like the Park Strip is more appropriate for this rally.”

Dye says the Dimond Center is coordinating with local and federal law enforcement to insure the event does not take place there and that the property is protected. The Dimond Center and its parking lots will be closed to the public on Sunday, January 17 out of an abundance of caution.

Original story:

Media stokes fears with report that armed protests occurring at state capitals

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Using unnamed sources, all mainstream media is reporting the same thing, that the FBI is warning of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.

The media, led by ABC News, says that this is “stoking fears of more bloodshed after last week’s deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol.”

The warning came in what is said an internal FBI memo, read by law enforcement officials to ABC News. The law enforcement officials believe that extremists are involved.

“Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the U.S. Capitol from 17 January through 20 January,” the bulletin reportedly said, according to one official.

The response from several Alaskans has been a sense of incredulity and that the mainstream media is ginning up panic.

A majority of Alaskans are armed and have their firearms on them during the normal course of their business. If they went to a protest, it would not be a different situation than going to the grocery or out on the trail.

Further, to go to Alaska’s Capital, protesters would have to fly to Juneau, and in doing so, would have to alert Alaska Airlines that they were shipping their firearms.

Juneau is the most isolated state capital in the nation.

However, Oregon State Police were preparing for protests at the Capitol in Salem Monday and 750 National Guard members are assigned to protect the Capitol building in Olympia, Wash., joined by local law enforcement.

Washington’s Legislature were meeting on Monday to change the rules so legislators can be fully remote for the 105-day session.

Back in 2018, Democrat protesters went to Wasilla, Alaska and occupied the legal proceedings of the Legislature, including taking over legislators’ chairs, where they were set up in a gymnasium. They also chained themselves to the doors, as shown in photos above and yelled at legislators, preventing them from conducting business, and generally creating an unsafe building.

Today, The Washington Post reported that the radio station that hosts conservative talk shows such as Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro, and Dan Bongino, has ordered the hosts to stop saying the election was stolen or they will have their shows cancelled.

A time for action, and a conservative reawakening

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By:  CRAIG E. CAMPBELL

I had the pleasure of representing the Alaska Republican Party at the 2021 Republican National Committee Winter Meeting last week.  

When I arrived on the evening of Jan. 5, I went to bed pleased to see both Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler leading their radical Leftist opponents in the Georgia Senate runoff.

You can imagine how shocked I was the following morning to see Loeffler had already conceded and the Perdue race was too close to call.  Sen. Perdue conceded defeat two days later.  

The Democrats now control the Presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives.  

Republicans took a beating in this election and that fact can not be swept under the rug with excuses. We lost. We lost big. America is now on the road to institutional socialism.

As we gathered to start the Winter Meeting, word came in that protestors were converging on the U.S. Capitol in advance of the congressional election confirmation vote.

We have all become desensitized to protests, and even riots, these past eight months. After a summer of riots in liberal cities, who would be concerned about a gathering in D.C. as the presidential confirmation vote was about to be held?

Like you, I was saddened to see the protest get violent, storming our Capitol and eventually ending with gunfire and the death of yet more Americans to the civil unrest creeping into our everyday political activities. Please pray for the families and souls of the four victims of this violence: Ashli Babbit, Rosanne Boyland, Kevin Greeson, Benjamin Phillips, and Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick. 

I was very pleased with the swift repudiation of the violence by our congressional delegation and governor. I can tell you that everyone at the RNC also condemned the violence. We immediately issued the following public statement:

WASHINGTON – The members of the Republican National Committee released the following statement:
 
“The members of the Republican National Committee strongly condemn the violence in and around the United States Capitol Building today in Washington, DC.
 
These violent scenes we have witnessed do not represent acts of patriotism, but an attack on our country and its founding principles.


Our Founding Fathers established a nation of laws, not a nation of anarchy. We call for all those involved to listen to law enforcement officials and help restore order in our nation’s capital.”

We know Democrats cheated in this election and we know they outmaneuvered us in controlling the votes through fraudulent mail-in ballots and deliberate ballot harvesting. But these are not grounds for an insurrection.

With this backdrop, the Winter Meeting discussion focused on ways our Party can change to deal with this new reality of bias media coverage, liberal courts undermining the Constitution by politically interpreting the law, in many cases against the Constitution, and a corrupt election process.  

I was inspired by the open and honest postmortem analysis conducted by the RNC to develop solutions to improve the process that guarantees the right to vote for every eligible voter, while protecting against nefarious actions of others.

I was inspired by Gov. Kristi Noem’s uplifting speech about the greatness of our nation and our ability to change in positive ways. She is a future leader not just for South Dakota, but for the United States.

I was inspired by RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel’s positive message of how the Republican Party can unify conservatives, by electing conservative city council and school board seats, state legislative positions, and gaining more seats in the House of Representatives in 2022.

Ambassador Niki Haley called it right when she stated we must implement voter ID laws and eliminate the mail-in system that resulted in this election corruption by Democrats.

If you have to show an ID to fly on commercial aircraft, to cash a check, and to drive a car then it is not unconstitutional to require a voter to provide an ID when casting a ballot.

It will not be easy to change the system if conservatives are divided. Democrats have done a very good job of rigging the system through legislation and courts.

Democrats have mastered the art of deceptive campaigning and skillfully keep opposing views from tubing the end game; winning elections.  Don’t believe me? Ask yourself how Anchorage ended up with nine uber-liberal assembly members.  

Remaining divided ensures further gains for progressives at all levels of government. My past opinion pieces have challenged everyone to get involved, to support conservative candidates both financially and with your vote, and to even run for office if you really want to make a difference.

What we learned from the 2020 elections is that conservatives have to stop shooting inwards at each other and take aim at the real adversary — progressive socialists who are aggressively taking over America.  

Now is the time to be united. Join the Alaska Republican Party. Pick a conservative candidate for the mayor of Anchorage and vote a conservative Anchorage School Board slate of candidates in April.

If we don’t solve our problems through the constitutionally established process, I fear we will be a nation divided at a level not seen since the Civil War.  We don’t need a violent revolution to change America.  Our founding fathers provided us the means to change our nation, but it takes a commitment from every freedom loving American.  

We must treat these next four years as if the future of our democratic republic was at stack, because it is.  

  • Attend assembly and school board meetings, testify, submit written statements, and peacefully protest against tyrannical actions of elected bodies.  
  • Demand a Republican led majority in both the Alaska House and Senate.  No more coalitions controlled by Democrats.  
  • Financially support conservatives running for office. I can tell you from experience, a five dollar donation makes a difference. 
  • Elect a conservative mayor and conservative school board members in Anchorage this April.  
  • Become more active on social media, refuting the lies and gas-lighting by Leftists.  
  • Get your news from conservative new sources like this publication and subscribe to their services to ensure they remain operational and independent.  Stop subscribing to the liberal mainstream media which only feeds you lies and dishonest, biased information.
  • Never let socialism take hold in Alaska, otherwise our nation is toast.  

The protests of Jan. 6 prove that we must use our constitutional system to reverse this rush to socialism/communism, otherwise we may face a violent revolution in the 21st Century. Not my call, but one must not discount that possibility if we cannot bring America back to a nation of freedom, individual liberties, independence and prosperity.

Craig E. Campbell served on the Anchorage Assembly between 1986 and 1995 and later as Alaska’s Tenth Lieutenant Governor.  He was the previous Chief Executive Officer and President for Alaska Aerospace Corporation.  He retired from the Alaska National Guard as Lieutenant General (AKNG) and holds the concurrent retired Federal rank of Major General (USAF).

Alaska Green Party decertified by national over going rogue

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The Green Party’s National Committee on Monday removed accreditation from the Green Party of Alaska, after Alaska’s party went rogue and nominated Jesse Ventura for president and Cynthia McKinney for Vice President in 2020.

The Green Party disaffiliation from Alaska’s Green Party came after “the Green Party of Alaska declined to place the (Green Party of the United States) presidential nominees on its ballot by placing two other individuals on its ballot” for the 2020 presidential election, the party wrote in a release.

Howie Hawkins was nominated for President and Angela Walker was nominated for Vice President by the Green Party’s 2020 Presidential Nominating Convention.

The Green Party of Alaska’s decision to swap out candidates on the state ballot was a violation of requirements for membership with the Green Party of the United States.

Alaska has 1,524 voters registered with the Green Party, which is an environmental-focused political organization. Venture/McKinney received 2,673 votes in Alaska in November, 0.74 percent of the votes cast for the top of the ticket.

State party membership in the Green Party of the United States (criteria available here) requires all states agree to “support national candidates selection by Green convention.” It’s a binding caucus, so to speak.

Efforts to organize a new state Green Party in Alaska “that will hold true to national party membership requirements will proceed with all deliberate speed,” the national organization announced this morning.

The description of the proposal, for which voting closed at 12 am Pacific Time, can be found online at this link.

Listicle: Biden’s cabinet

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The inauguration of Joe Biden will take place Jan. 20, and then he’ll offer his slate of cabinet members to the Senate for approval. The Senate has a 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans, but in case of a tie, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be able to break that tie.

Biden’s incoming chief of staff and deputy chief of staff will not face confirmation hearings, and neither will Biden’s climate czar, Gina McCarthy, but cabinet members will need confirmation.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain: He was chief of staff for Vice President Joe Biden, and was the Obama Administration’s ebola-response coordinator in 2014-2015.

Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed: Longtime aide, he was Biden’s chief of staff, 2011- 2013.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen: She is former Federal Reserve chair.

Attorney General Merrick Garland: His nomination to the Supreme Court was blocked by Republicans in 2015.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin:  Retired four-star general, has served on the board of Raytheon.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken: Longtime aide Antony Blinken, who was Biden’s national security adviser when he was vice-president and was President Obama’s deputy secretary of State, 2015-2017.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan: North Carolina environmental secretary.

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry: Obama’s Secretary of State. Former candidate for president. Former U.S. senator.

White House Climate Czar Gina McCarthy: Obama’s head of the EPA and now president of National Resources Defense Council. No confirmation needed.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland: New Mexico Democratic Representative Deb Haaland; first Native American to run DOI.

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh:  Boston mayor, top union leader.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo: Rhode Island governor, venture capitalist.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas: The deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under Obama, he led the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which Biden has promised to restore.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough: Obama’s White House chief of staff, he has never served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg: Former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, before running for Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm: Former Michigan Governor, former Michigan Attorney General.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield: Foreign Service diplomat. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the United States Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, 2013-2017

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines: Deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, 2013-2015. Former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan: Biden’s national security adviser when he was vice president. Nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Geoeconomics and Strategy Program.

Office of Management and Budget Director Neera Tanden: President of the Center for American Progress, leftist think tank.

White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki: White House communications director in Obama Administration. Former spokesperson for the Department of State.

White House Top Economic Adviser Brian Deese: BlackRock institutional investment executive. Deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget under the Obama Administration, and was the acting director during the summer of 2014.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai: U.S. Trade Office lawyer on China during the Obama Administration. Now, chief trade counsel for the United States House Committee on Ways and Means.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: Former U.S. surgeon general for Obama.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra: California Attorney General.

White House Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice: National security advisor and ambassador to the United Nations under Obama.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack: Department of Agriculture Secretary under Obama.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge: Ohio Democrat congresswoman.

Education Department Secretary Miguel Cardona: Education commissioner of Connecticut.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky: Chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response and Counselor to the President Jeff Zients: He led the HealthCare.gov tech conversion under Obama Administration. No confirmation needed.

Chief Medical Adviser on COVID-19 Dr. Anthony Fauci: Fauci will also continue as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. No confirmation needed.

No Alaskans on list of donors to Biden Inauguration

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They come from California, New York, Texas, and Florida. Also Idaho, Georgia, and Colorado. The list of those donating more than $200 to the inauguration of Joe Biden is long, includes companies like Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Microsoft.

And it includes donors from every state but two — North Dakota and Alaska.

Biden wasn’t Alaska Democrats’ first choice for president, but he did get 153,778 votes after the counting was done in November of 2020. President Trump received 189,951 Alaskan votes.

The Biden Inaugural Committee has also banned energy companies from donating to the inauguration, a sign of things to come under the new Biden Administration. Joe Biden has promised to end all extraction leases on public lands.

“PIC 2021, Inc., does not accept contributions from fossil fuel companies (i.e., companies whose primary business is the extraction, processing, distribution or sale of oil, gas or coal), their executives, or from PACs organized by them,” the inaugural committee stated on its home page.

The Democrats are, in general, opposed to the fossil fuel industry, and this is going to be a cheap inauguration, comparatively, since many are staying away.

The list of Biden Inauguration donors.

The exact amount that each donor gave to the committee will not be disclosed for 90 days.

The Biden-Harris inauguration will follow the official swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20, which will include a Pass in Review by the military on the East Front of the Capitol, which is a long-standing tradition. It will include a presidential escort to the White House, and a “virtual parade” across America.

Anchorage Assembly sets public hearing on govt-to-govt relations with Eklutna Village

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Eklutna is a bit of an enigma in Anchorage. There are believed to be under 50 tribal members who live in the Native Village of Eklutna proper, north of Anchorage.

As many as 150 make up the tribe itself; these are people spread around the state. The group is comprised of only a few families, and the village is run by one family, more or less — the dominant clan.

The Assembly of Anchorage is about to pass an ordinance that will formalize government-to-government relations with the Village, whose actual membership number is closely guarded information.

At the heart of the matter is a long-sought-after casino. In October, the Eklutna sued the Department of Interior, challenging the ruling that the tribe does not hold governmental authority over the land in question, and can’t establish gaming operations there.

The ordinance that is advancing would help establish more government authority for the village.

Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Native tribes can open electronic bingo halls on sovereign land without permission of the state, so long as there are other similar operations legally operating elsewhere in the state. There is one electronic bingo hall in the reservation of Metlakatla.

Eklutna graveyard, a combination of Russian Orthodox tradition and Native American practices, is outside of the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Eklutna.

The land that the Eklutna want to build their gaming hall was granted by the Alaska Native Allotment Act, and the tribe says it has jurisdiction and has provided governmental Services ever since 1906.

For this reason, the word “sovereignty” is inserted in the ordinance and takes on greater importance, as does the government-to-government relationship status.

At a work session last week, the Assembly discussed the ordinance to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Native Village of Eklutna and start including its leader, Aaron Leggett, in negotiations of various sorts. For instance, Leggett told the Assembly, if there was a major development at the Port of Anchorage, the village leaders would need to be consulted.

Listen to the discussion about the ordinance among Assembly members on Jan. 8:

The ordinance is limited to the Native Village of Eklutna, but the sponsor, Assemblyman Chris Constant, says this is just a start to having the municipality create government-to-government relationships with villages and/or tribes all over the state.

And he also wants an office of rural affairs established in the municipality.

The Assembly majority has made it a priority to “decolonize” Anchorage, and this ordinance is a step toward that goal.

View the Anchorage Assembly Jan. 12 agenda at this link.

According to the village’s website, the Eklutna Native Village government office was organized in 1961 by the traditional people of Eklutna Village in order to be recognized for protecting land rights. By then, the 326,000 acre Eklutna Reservation had been reduced over the years to a mere 1,819 acres. The tribe became federally recognized and is recorded under IRS code 83.87, section 7871, the Indian Tribal Governmental Tax Status Act of 1982.

The ordinance at Tuesday’s meeting is at this link.

Cook it out of them? Victory savored by spice company exec, who says cooks can cure conservatives

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In an approach that is open to interpretation, the owner of Penzey’s Spice Company, based in Wisconsin, has penned a letter to his customers telling them that it’s time to heal the Republicans, although he says everyone has a right to be horrified by them.

Bill Penzey is not suggesting reeducation camps, but he’s asking his customers to help Republicans get past their anger and accept the new reality. He advises special unnamed treatment for those who “crafted and told and broadcast the lies that made these last four years happen,” who he says “have to be held accountable.” Here’s what Penzey wrote:

Certainly not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but most likely soon all of us will find ourselves doing our part to help heal Republicans. Seventy million Americans have been lied into voting for the most un-American administration in our lifetimes. As much as we don’t need the approval of those seventy million to get America back to being America, those seventy million are our family, co-workers, neighbors and friends and they need our help.

At this moment after all the cruelty they made possible you may well be thinking: I’m not helping that. I get it, but I also know as a cook your heart is not one that can stay closed for long to anyone in need, even if they brought that need upon themselves. What will your help look like? You have some time to plan that out. From grief there is the path of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. With just how long Republicans have been in denial, I’m guessing the anger stage we are now beginning to enter will be both long and intense. Once they start getting past the anger our chance to help will begin.

As much as we have a lot of Republican anger, and even a fair amount of denial yet, to work through we can still begin planting the seeds for what comes next. Though this administration never did make much of an effort to build the promised wall around our borders, like so many cults they were very successful in building a wall around their followers to block out any voice of reason. Breaching that wall with a simple text or email with something along the lines of: “Saw a clip of that movie we liked, thinking of you” to let them know you have not given up on them might be the first step. You are creative and have good judgement. I trust that you can figure this out.

You certainly have every right to look at the horrors of this week and be horrified by them, but this really has been the first so very needed step in getting our loved ones back. Those who crafted and told and broadcast the lies that made these last four years happen have to be held accountable. But if we can find a space in our hearts for those who believed the lies there is hope that our children and grandchildren will never again have to repeat these last four years.

Everything that has made you a cook has prepared you to heal this world. These next few years will need your healing more than you can possibly imagine.

Penzey takes off from there with his sales pitch for various spices, including cinnamon, pepper, and garlic. Those who shop with Penzey’s and load up enough on herbs and spices will get a free “victory” pin commemorating the election. But he’s warning Democrats:

“…but seriously the Republicans are entering their anger stage of grief big time right now. From the angry responses I’m receiving it’s clear this weekend’s emails will at least temporarily cost us more customers than we’ve lost in quite some time. Please don’t worry, business-wise we are doing better than ever before. But if you wanted to make up for any losses by placing an order at penzeys.com or by forwarding this email to a few possible new customers that would be sweet and greatly appreciated. Thanks!”

And thanks for caring, and thanks for at least considering opening your heart to those who, through their voting, have done such great damage to our country and to so many good people as well. Not everybody has your strength and that’s why everybody needs you so much. Thank you for making us possible, but thanks even more for being you…”