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On eve of second impeachment, Anchorage Assembly condemns Trump supporters for violence

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A resolution condemning violence in the nation’s capital on Jan. 6 was vigorously debated during the Anchorage Assembly meeting on Tuesday, after conservatives in the room took issue with the way it blames Trump supporters, and won’t acknowledge that Alaskans who went to Washington, D.C. for the Save America protest were not part of the violence.

One member of the public who went to D.C. spoke during the public comment part of the proceedings and said the resolution was shameful.

“I think it is absolutely outrageous and unfair to assume that everybody was invading the Capitol. There were tens of thousands of Americans that were peacefully protesting,” said Eagle River resident Kristine Schuster. Some 73 million voted for Trump, and crowd estimates at the Jan. 6 Save America rally put the size at over one million.

Although it turned violent at the front of the protest, violent riots across the country during the summer and fall of 2020 included many attacks against police, and yet the Assembly never issued a message of condemnation, noted Assemblywoman Jamie Allard.

In fact, 25 people were killed across the country in 2020 during riots that involved Black Lives Matter and Antifa. Five of them were Dallas police officers who were ambushed by left-wing urban terrorists in payback for the Floyd George killing at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

The draft resolution is at this link.

“These are simply the facts,” said Suzanne LaFrance, referring to Trump supporters’ involvement in violence at the U.S. Capitol.

Assemblyman Forrest Dunbar wanted the resolution to state that Joe Biden won the election fairly, but his amendment was voted down. It was just getting too partisan. Dunbar, who has been mainly appearing at meetings telephonically, is running for mayor and is a hard partisan Democrat.

Assemblyman Chris Constant said he had no proof that Alaskans who went to DC were not engaged in violence.

Without evidence, the Assembly’s resolution inaccurately states a police officer was “bludgeoned” to death by a fire extinguisher. Social media video shows a fire extinguisher being tossed into a crowd of police by one person, hitting one or more of the officers in the head, but the weapon was not used as a bludgeon. An officer subsequently died a few hours later.

The resolution is also inaccurate in blaming rioters — plural — for the “bludgeoning” of a police officer with a fire extinguisher. It was the act of one person, if the video is correct, rather than more than one. However, other video shows group violence against other officers trying to barricade the Capitol from the onslaught.

“Our city is dying, and this is what you’re spending time on?” said Schuster, a military veteran who made it to the podium to comment, only to be interrupted by Assemblywoman Meg Zalatel, who said “point of order.” It was Schuster’s first Assembly meeting.

The resolution said that it is, in part, to ensure that the “bounties of freedom are equitably shared among us,” a nod to the collectivist principles of communism.

The resolution also snubbed Sen. Dan Sullivan, saying, that it wanted “To thank those elected officials who have condemned the violence at the U.S. Capitol, especially Senator Lisa Murkowski and Representative Don Young, who have called for bipartisan cooperation as we move forward as a nation.”

Assemblywoman Allard asked for an amendment to include thanks to Sen. Sullivan and Gov. Mike Dunleavy. That amendment passed.

What did you do in the war that China just won?

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By ART CHANCE

I spent a lot of the 1980s and 1990s riding airplanes and sleeping on floors or in hotel rooms for federal and state governments.   

I read a lot of what I styled “airplane riding books.” I have every Tom Clancy book, the actual Tom Clancy in 1st edition hardback.

It feels like we’ve spent the last year in a Tom Clancy novel except that unlike a Clancy novel, we can’t be sure that our side wins in the end.

Donald Trump, private citizen, was critical of US policy towards communist China as far back as the 1980s. He was equally critical of the MBAs and “captains of industry” and financial moguls who couldn’t abandon the U.S. quickly enough so they could take advantage of Chinese slave labor.

Funny how these left-leaning crony capitalists are all-in on American taxpayers who never owned slaves paying “slavery reparations” to people who never were slaves.  But then if the Left didn’t have double standards, they’d have no standards at all.

Fast forward to 2015, and Donald Trump arrived uninvited at the crony capitalist and political insiders’ party to choose a U.S. president.  His appearance was met with derision by those who were “supposed to be there,” but ultimately he won the Republican nomination and with the help of Steve Bannon and Cambridge Analytics, he defeated the Clinton/Soros voter fraud scheme for the swing states. That’s why Bannon retreated to a monastery in Europe and lived under a heavy guard for years. 

On Jan. 20, 2016, the very worst nightmare of all the political cool kids in America came true: Donald Trump became president of the U.S., which was then in decay from the hegemonic power it had possessed since the collapse of the Soviet Union after 16 years of misrule under the inept George Bush and Comrade Barack Obama.  

In addition to having arrived uninvited, President Trump was a populist/nationalist who was openly opposed to the globalist agenda of the cool kids with participation certificates from the social clubs at Hahvud and Yale.   

By the way, President Trump has a degree from Wharton Business, also an Ivy, if we’re counting coup on snobbery.  

Unlike every politician I’ve observed since Richard Nixon, President Trump did what he said he was going to do. Imagine that, an honest politician.

Trump went after communist China’s nuclear proxy, North Korea. The PRNK has caused every U.S. President since Jimmy Carter to grasp their pearls. The PRNK has obsolete Chinese nuclear technology that they can’t build reliably. The Chinese have obsolete Soviet technology that they can’t build very well.   

The Soviets have stolen American technology that they can’t build very well.  That said, a near miss is good enough with a nuclear weapon and Slick Willie improved the accuracy of Chinese weapons by giving them U.S. guidance technology in exchange for campaign contributions.

Then President Trump did something unthinkable to the cool kids; he started a trade war with China and engaged U.S. allies to also participate.   China first questioned his resolve and entered into a basically nothing trade agreement just to make the upstart president do a victory lap and go away.   That ploy didn’t work and the U.S. imposed sanctions and tariffs. We don’t know much about the details but it is likely that the U.S. challenged the value of the Chinese currency.   

It didn’t take long before U.S. policy was taking a serious toll on the Chinese economy. China declared a “People’s War” on the U.S., an event that garnered little notice in the US.

As the Trumpian Knot tightened on China, there was either a fortuitous accident at one of China’s notoriously sloppy bio-labs or a willful action by the CCP. The U.S. was willing to accept the accident explanation because the alternative was war. The U.S. could turn China into a sheet of glass, but they have enough nuclear weapons to cost us several of our major cities and military installations.   

We decided to fight the war with money and technology. Rather than hitting the Red Button we pulled out the debit card, or more correctly the credit card, and launched operation “Warp Speed” to develop a vaccine to the Chinese bug.

Come now the U.S. Democrats; you know the people who never let a crisis go to waste. The Democrats have close ties with China going back to at least Slick Willie’s time. I don’t know enough to know if they were co-conspirators with the Chinese or just saw the opportunity and jumped on allying with them. When the Chinese bug attacked America, the Democrats attacked America. 

Democrat governors assassinated huge numbers of America’s elderly population by putting COVID patients in nursing homes; it is only coincidental that their Medicare/Medicaid liabilities were reduced.   When the government subsidized COVID patients, everyone became a COVID patient.   COVID is actually a miracle cure for influenza and pneumonia because it has removed both of those as major causes of death.

The federal public health bureaucracy and the Democrat governors have placed most of America under house arrest. They and their media lackeys have instilled an irrational panic over a bug that is no more than a seasonal influenza, and, yes, I’ve had it.  They used the panic, or indifference, to justify the ultimate voter fraud device, the mail ballot. They spent most of the year before the election using feckless or corrupt government officials to modify the provisions of constitutionally established statutes to impose dictates by judges and bureaucrats. 

Anyone who doesn’t believe that the Biden victory was the result of massive voter fraud is either a morally or intellectually bankrupt leftist shill or simply pig ignorant.

Now we have the Chinese Communist Party’s quisling government, the Democrats. If you don’t know who Viktun Quisling is, you should have learned more Western history. 

The Chinese won the war and we now have an occupation government that serves their will.   What did you do in the war?

Art Chance is a retired Director of Labor Relations for the State of Alaska, formerly of Juneau and now living in Anchorage. He is the author of the book, “Red on Blue, Establishing a Republican Governance,” available at Amazon. 

RIP Anchorage: List of dead businesses read aloud at Assembly meeting as emergency orders extended

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Citizens testifying at the Anchorage Assembly meeting read aloud the list of businesses in Anchorage that have died due to the shutdown orders that have continued for the better part of a year.

In protest of extending the emergency authority of the mayor, members of the audience also help aloft cardboard tombstones, each with the name of a business that failed after the municipality shut down the city repeatedly.

Three police officers were stationed inside the Assembly chambers, in an unusual move by Chairman Felix Rivera.

The Assembly did not listen to the public, and instead extended the emergency powers of the mayor into April, unmoved by the stories of those who have flocked to the podium week after week, pleading for relief from the anti-business policies.

The final decision on Tuesday means the Office of the Mayor of Anchorage will have emergency powers for over a year. For now, that authority rests with an acting mayor who took over after the disgraced Ethan Berkowitz resigned from office in October.

Under the current emergency orders, restaurants and bars may open at 25 percent capacity, while indoor gatherings are subject to a six-person limit, and outdoor gatherings are restricted to n more than 10 people. The emergency orders make exceptions for religious and political gatherings, day cares, classrooms, and “indoor special shopping events.”

Originally, the purpose of the order was to flatten the curve. Now, the city health officers say it’s to ensure that 70 percent of the public is vaccinated.

The list of businesses that have been crushed in Anchorage was also posted on various Facebook groups’ pages, such as Save Anchorage, Taking Back Anchorage, and Open Alaska.

Anchorage Police chief says department has no specific threats

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Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said there are no specific threats known in Anchorage relating to protests or demonstrations expected in upcoming days, but that his department is vigilant.

“Considering recent events and community concerns, I wanted you to know the Anchorage Police Department (APD) is taking proactive steps to monitor events and information sources involving hate-based threats that may lead to violence. It’s a coordinated effort with our federal and state law enforcement partners.
 
“Although there are no specific threats in Anchorage at this time, you may see an increased police presence in the areas of government buildings and planned events during the next several weeks. This is to ensure the normal operation of government and the safety of our community.
 

“We fully support every Alaskan’s ability to exercise their constitutional rights, and our community has a history of acting responsibly and safely when making their voices heard. However, we will not tolerate violence of any kind.
 
As always, if you see or hear anything suspicious, please call us. If it’s a direct and imminent emergency, call 911. If not, call 311.
 

“I fervently hope that the coming weeks grace the country and our own community with a sense of calm, and that cooler heads prevail in reducing the spread of violent rhetoric. I have great faith in the ability of Alaskans to act responsibly, and fully believe that our community will exercise restraint and good judgement,” Doll wrote.

ARP Chairman: Republicans will never give up or give in

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By GLENN CLARY

Republicans will never give up or give in. Although we suffered a couple of election losses in 2020, our political spirits remain steadfast and resolute to our fundamental principles.

We are the party of the Constitution, of the rule of law, and of family values. Republicans stand for what is good and righteous — liberty, self-determination, personal responsibility, strong national defense, and public safety.

These are important pillars of our republic. We must unite to preserve, protect, and promote these values. As we reflect on what that means to each of us personally, let us take the high road, and proceed through this trying time by locking arms, as allies, to make our country and state strong enough to survive. The next generation is depending on our actions.

We are dedicated to electing Republicans and remain unwavering to that mission. We view our present defeats as stepping stones to future victories.  These setbacks will only last as long as we persist in splitting our ranks.  That is why our focus will be on the future, not the past. 

Trials, troubles, tribulations, failures and problems in life and politics teach us diligence, determination, and character. The problems we are going through right now are a test of our faith in each other and our unity to our cause.

We must continue to serve the Republican Party even when the political landscape gets tough.  That is why Republicans will never give up or give in. We remain engaged, determined, diligent, and persistent. We don’t know how to quit. Now is the time for Republicans to unite with each other. We live to fight for future victories because we are faithful stewards of the Republican Party as we rise together to make a difference.

As we move to the next election, we need to work together, work smarter, and focus on the right things, however, we must do this together.  I am proud to lead this organization, and I call on all Alaska Republicans to join me in working  to correct the fundamental flaws of this past election. We must not become weary in the political process. Our future will reap victories and success if we do not give up and we continue to work together.

Glenn Clary is the chairman of the Alaska Republican Party.

What happened to the Thanksgiving COVID surge?

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WILL MAYOR’S EMERGENCY POWERS BE EXTENDED?

The experts agreed: After Thanksgiving and Christmas-New Year, a huge spike in COVID-19 cases would swarm across the land, similar to the rises of the known cases that occurred after Memorial Day and July 4. Hospitals would be overwhelmed and deaths would soar.

In Alaska, that didn’t happen.

The virus count was indeed highest from about Nov. 9-30 in Alaska. Thanksgiving was on Nov. 26, the day when many gather and dine together in close quarters. Another spike between two and five days after Thanksgiving was all but certain. The public was warned repeatedly that Thanksgiving was a super-spreader event and the best plan was to shelter in place.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, warned in November that the nation could see a “surge upon a surge” of COVID-19 in the weeks after Thanksgiving.

Behaviors did change, to a degree.

But then Americans stopped fretting, and wanted to see their families. Airports over the Thanksgiving holiday experienced their busiest times since March, 2020, with an average of 900,000 people traveling every day for seven consecutive days around Thanksgiving Day, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

The TSA airport travel comparisons are at this link.

In some places, such as California, that hasn’t worked out so well. Cases are surging.

But in Alaska, the cases kept going down in Alaska, and by Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2021, the prediction chart above has Alaska’s viral case numbers back down to where they were in September, about 145 cases a day.

That doesn’t take into account the hundreds of vaccines being administered in Alaska every day. Every person who is vaccinated is also protecting the pod of people around them, including those more vulnerable to serious effects of COVID, such as elders and those with weak underlying health conditions.

The effect can be quite rapid, if the vaccine gets into the right arms. Already, over 29,000 Alaskans, many of them older than 65, have had their first vaccination dose, and another 49,000 have had a bout with the virus, and are protected to varying degrees because of their antibodies.

Experts might attribute the drop in cases to draconian Anchorage policies that shut down some local businesses during the holiday season, but the State of Alaska’s own data shows that the downward trend had already begun by the time those job-crushing closures in Anchorage took place, an order made by Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson.

At Tuesday’s Anchorage Assembly meeting, the Assembly will consider a resolution to end the mayor’s emergency powers and return businesses to full capacity. It will also consider another opposing resolution to extend them until April. The liberal Assembly is likely to support the extension of the mayor’s powers until after the municipal election on April 6.

The meeting starts at 5 pm at the Loussac Library at about 5 pm. The agenda and details are at this link.

Seven apply for Alaska Supreme Court vacancy

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The Alaska Judicial Council has released the names of the seven applicants for the vacancy on the Alaska Supreme Court. Interviews of the applicants will take place in May, 2021 by the council’s seven-member body, made up of the Chief Justice, who is the one being replaced, three lawyers, and three members of the public. The council will send two or more names to the governor, and by law, he must choose from those names within 45 days of receiving them.

The applicants are:

Dani Crosby, a Superior Court judge in Anchorage and Alaska resident for over 24 years.

Jennifer Stuart Henderson, a Superior Court judge in Anchorage and Alaska resident for over 17 years.

Yvonne Lamoureux, a Superior Court judge in Anchorage and Alaska resident for over 17 years.

Margaret Paton-Walsh: An attorney with the Department of Law and Alaska resident for over 16 years.

Paul Roetman, a Superior Court judge in Kotzebue and resident of Alaska for over 48 years.

Ben Whipple, a private practice lawyer in Palmer and resident of Alaska for over 27 years.

Jonathan Woodman, a Superior Court judge in Palmer and resident of Alaska for over 21 years.

The vacancy has arisen with the announced retirement of Chief Justice Joel Bolger on June 30, 2021. Bolger’s replacement will be Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s second nominee to the five-member Alaska Supreme Court, but in reality, he has limited say, since the Judicial Council controls the process.

Who’s who: Anchorage Assembly to vote on 3 lobbyist contracts

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The Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday will vote on lobbying contracts for three lobbying companies, which will represent Anchorage to the Alaska State Legislature during the upcoming session, which starts Jan. 19 and lasts between 90-120 days typically.

The lobbyists are Sonia Henrick, Reggie Joule, and Jordan Marshall.

The three are expected to be awarded $60,0000, $55,000, and $50,000, respectively. All have represented the municipality in the past.

The contracts for the lobbyists are on the Assembly’s regular meeting agenda.

Anchorage Assembly to vote Thursday on more taxes for area homeowners

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Editor’s note: The Assembly did not get to the bond package during its Tuesday meeting and will take it up again on Thursday.

The Anchorage Assembly will be voting on a package of bonds on Tuesday Thursday that will be placed on the April 6 ballot. The bonds total approximately $60 million and come with a mechanism to bypass the tax cap, because if approved, then associated operating costs are also approved, driving up the cost of government.

A municipal bond is a bond allows the government to borrow money, paid back through taxes, generally used to finance public projects such as roads, schools, airports and seaports, and infrastructure-related repairs.

Every year the Anchorage voters vote yes on almost all the bonds. One reason is because government workers and unions make up the lion’s share of the voters in a municipal election.

The Anchorage Assembly begins at 6 pm. Thursday at the Loussac Library, 3600 Denali, Room 108. Limited seating is available, and there is overflow seating. The proceedings may also be watched online at  http://www.muni.org/watchnow

Must Read Alaska has learned that quite a few residents will be attending the meeting to voice their opinions.

The bonds being voted on at Thursday’s meeting include:

Ordinance No. AO 2021-3, an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified voters of the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, the question of the issuance of not to exceed $3,950,000 of General Obligation Bonds of the Municipality of Anchorage to pay the costs of constructing, renovating and equipping park, trail and recreational facilities capital improvements and related capital improvements in the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Service Area, and the question of an increase in the Municipal Tax Cap Limitation to pay associated operations and maintenance costs in the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Service Area, without cost to Chugiak, Eagle River, Girdwood and other taxpayers outside the service area, at the election to be held in the Municipality on April 6, 2021, Finance Department. P.H. 1-26-2021.

Ordinance No. AO 2021-4, an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified voters of the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, the question of the issuance of not to exceed $1,950,000 of General Obligation Bonds of the Municipality of Anchorage to pay the costs of fire protection capital improvements and related capital improvements in the Anchorage Fire Service Area at the election to be held in the Municipality on April 6, 2021, Finance Department. P.H. 1-26-2021.

Ordinance No. AO 2021-5, an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified voters of the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, the question of the issuance of not to exceed $5,300,000 of General Obligation Bonds of the Municipality of Anchorage to pay the costs of Areawide Public Safety and Transit Improvements and related capital improvements, andthe question of an increase in the Municipal Tax Cap Limitation to pay associated operations and maintenance costs, at the election to be held in the Municipality on April 6, 2021 and amending the 2021 General Government Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) and the 2021-2026 General Government Capital Improvement Program (CIP), Finance Department. P.H. 1-26-2021.

Ordinance No. AO 2021-6, an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified voters of the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, the question of the issuance of not to exceed $8,055,000 of General Obligation Bonds of the Municipality of Anchorage to pay the costs of Areawide Facilities Capital Improvement Projects, and the question of an increase in the Municipal Tax Cap Limitation to pay associated operations and maintenance costs, at the election to be held in the Municipality on April 6, 2021 and amending the 2021 General Government Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) and the 2021-2026 General Government Capital Improvement Program (CIP), Finance Department. P.H. 1-26-2021.

Ordinance No. AO 2021-8, an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified voters of the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, the question of the issuance of not to exceed $36,425,000 of General Obligation Bonds of the Municipality of Anchorage to pay the costs of road and storm drainage capital improvements in the Anchorage Roads and Drainage Service Area and related capital improvements, and the question of an increase in the Municipal Tax Cap Limitation to pay associated operations and maintenance costs in the Anchorage Roads and Drainage Service Area, at the election to be held in the Municipality on April 6, 2021 and amending the 2021 General Government Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) and the 2021-2026 General Government Capital Improvement Program (CIP), Finance Department. P.H. 1-26-2021.

Ordinance No. AO 2021-9, an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified voters of the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, the question of the issuance of not to exceed $3,900,000 of General Obligation Bonds of the Municipality of Anchorage to pay the costs of Public Safety Improvements (Police) and related capital improvements at the election to be held in the Municipality on April 6, 2021 and amending the 2021 General Government Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) and the 2021-2026 General Government Capital Improvement Program (CIP), Finance Department. P.H. 1-26-2021.