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GoFundMe page started by District 9 GOP chair to tamp down online harassment

Suzanne Downing
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GoFundMe page started by District 9 GOP chair to tamp down online harassment

The Chair of District 9 Republicans says she is taking legal action against a Facebook personality known as “Politidick.”

Carol Carman, a conservative in D-9, has been Chair of the distict since 2016, reelected in 2018 and 2020. But this year, Politidick decided to try to force her out of her chair. She says has been accused on Facebook of illegal activity and that Politidick has been running a harassment campaign against her and her family.

Carman has asked Politidick to cease harassing her multiple times but the response has been threats, she said.

Carman started a GoFundMe page to help her with legal fees. She would not reveal all the problems she has had with the harassment, but says that the original harassment page on Facebook that was started against her was removed, evidently by Facebook, but that other harassment has continued, including personal messages.

Cops who are kicked to the curb won’t vote for Biden

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Cops who are kicked to the curb won’t vote for Biden

There is a fable of unknown origin about a scorpion and a frog. The scorpion wants to cross a stream but cannot swim; the scorpion asks the frog for a ride a ride across the stream. The frog is doubtful because he fears that the scorpion will sting him. The scorpion assures the frog that he won’t sting him because if he did, they’d both die. 

Of course, the frog accepts the scorpion’s assurances and allows the scorpion to ride on his back across the stream. Before reach the opposite shore, the scorpion stings the frog, and as he is dying, the frog asks the scorpion “why?”  The scorpion replies that it is in his character, and they both die.

Police unions all over America, including here in Anchorage, are living out this fable, but with the Democratic Party.

The Alaska State Troopers’ union, from its formation in 1979, used the State’s management like the cabin boys on a Greek freighter. 

By the late 1980s, we at the State of Alaska were tired of it, resolved to effectively confront them, and were pretty successful at it. 

Anchorage, on the other hand, kowtowed to the police unions.   

In my last years with the State, the Troopers would flop down the Anchorage cop contract and say, “We want what they have,” and we’d say, “Well, go to work for them.”   

That’s changed a bit in the last decade or so since there is nobody left working for the State who knows what they’re doing.

I think it is accurate to say that the cop and firefighter unions own the MOA government. The brazen stupidity of Anchorage’s AO-37 gave Alaska’s unions power and influence they didn’t even have in their glory days during the pipeline construction days. Mayor Ethan Berkowitz is their boy; they own him.

But now, in mid-stream, the Berkowitz administration is threatening to sting the cop union. Berkowitz and his Assembly lackeys want to rein in the cops and limit their “use of force.” Berkowitz and his liberal allies want to turn us into Portland or Seattle, where the police are just bystanders to mob violence.

In urban America, the communists, excuse me, Democrats have repudiated their previous alliance with the cop unions. In my working days, I always assumed that if I could get the cops, the supervisors, and the guys who drove the orange trucks under contract I could handle the rest of them. I think the Democrats are going to get a lesson about that.

There is no way that cops are going to support Joe Biden and that is going to trickle down into down-ticket offices. The Democrats have made their bed with the Antifa and BLM crowd, and the cop unions aren’t in that club.

Bill Evans is the prominent conservative/Republican opposition to the Leftist/unionist contenders for mayor. Evans is widely thought to be the architect of AO-37. Now the unions/lefties have a tough choice. They hate Evans, but they now have to confront the fact that the lefties will throw them under the bus.

Cop unions all over America have to confront this conundrum; they’ve been kicked to the curb by every Democrat governor and mayor in the country.  I wrote the section in my book (see below) about cop and correctional officer unions about 15 years ago, and I said all a Republican had to do was promise them that they wouldn’t put a criminal justice professor or a lesbian social worker in charge of them; I don’t think that has changed.

The Democrats have managed to turn every cop in America into a Trump supporter. Their unions will stay in the Democrat fold at least publicly, but they’re gone too. 

My rule in dealing with lefties in my working days was, “Let them be themselves.”  I think it was a good “frog and the scorpion” rule.

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. 

Sen. Giessel’s pick for redistricting board is Johne Binkley

Suzanne Downing
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13
Sen. Giessel’s pick for redistricting board is Johne Binkley

Senate President Cathy Giessel today appointed Johne Binkley to serve on the Alaska Redistricting Board. 

“I am pleased to announce that John Binkley has agreed to serve on the Redistricting Board,” she said. “John loves Alaska and Alaskans. He brings a wealth of statewide experience to the table and, most importantly for me, John is an excellent listener. Alaskans will have many concerns about redistricting, and they deserve to have their voices heard. I am confident that John is committed to a fair process and will listen well.”

Binkley was a state senator and representative, and has run for governor in the past, losing the primary to Sarah Palin. He is a successful Fairbanks businessman who also bailed out the bankrupt Anchorage Daily News, buying for the Binkley Company. His son Ryan runs the newspaper.

Binkley is involved in tourism from Ketchikan to Fairbanks. He is a riverboat pilot, a helicopter and fixed-wing pilot, hockey coach, and has lived in rural Alaska. He is a household name in Alaska tourism and politics.

He joins Bethany Marcum and E. Budd Simpson, the governor’s picks for the board that redraws the political boundaries after the 2020 Census. Giessel is in a tough primary race against Roger Holland. On Tuesday evening, Sen. Shelley Hughes said she was leaving the Republican caucus because of Giessel’s leadership.

Next to choose a member to the Redistricting Board is House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, who has a signed agreement that his choice must be approved by the majority of the Committee on Committees. He is on record saying he prefers to name an Alaska Native to the board.

Governor appoints two to redistricting board
Sen. Hughes steps away from Senate Majority

Black cops matter? Officer indicted for 2019 incident

Suzanne Downing
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14
Black cops matter? Officer indicted for 2019 incident

In September of 2019, Anchorage Officer Cornelius Pettus responded to a call to an Anchorage address to serve a simple citation for bike equipment, and things went downhill from there.

Now, a grand jury has indicted him for beating up the bike owner, and another officer for falsifying a police report.

According to Pettus, the man had approached the officer with his fists balled up and in a fighting stance. That is what the police report shows, but the Grand Jury has said evidence shows otherwise.

Pettus has already pleaded not guilty in an Anchorage courtroom to the fourth-degree assault charge for beating then-49-year-old Samuel Allen.

Allen has a history of strong dislike of police and has made threats against police officers on YouTube. He is known to members of the police force, but it’s unknown if Pettus was familiar with him.

Today the Office of Special Prosecutions indicted Pettus and Officer Doerman Stout on obstruction charges resulting from their actions that day.

Chief Justin Doll sent out press release in which he convicted the two men in advance of their due process court date, saying, “In violating the law, these individuals not only disappointed the employees they work with, they also failed the community they swore to serve.”

In an usual statement for the force’s commanding officer, Doll said the two men had failed the community and disappointed their fellow officers.

There had been no charges against Stout, but the Grand Jury indicted him for his incident report that said the man took a fighting stance, based on evidence they saw, perhaps on the patrol car camera.

At a time when there is a national movement among Democrats and Black Lives Matter supporters to defund the police departments of America, the racial composition of all police-related incidences are of interest to the public. In this case, Officer Pettus is black, Stout is white, and Allen is Alaska Native.

“It is important to remember that neither officer has been found guilty of violating any laws. It is also important to remember that Officer Aaron Pettus and Officer Levi Stout are fathers, sons, friends, and comm?nity?? membe???rs,” said Jeremy Conkling of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association.

“Unfortunately, it appears these officers have been caught in the crosswinds of an incredibly divided nation and a politicized criminal justice system. When politics are injected into the criminal justice system, justice is lost,” Conkling said.

“The APDEA supports our two officers. Tomorrow Aaron and Levi will stop receiving paychecks from the Municipality of Anchorage and will face a long, difficult road in proving their innocence,” Conkling said. “I ask all of our citizens and members to be patient while this process unfolds. Wait for all the facts before passing judgment on two dedicated public servants. We trust in the criminal justice system, especially when the system fairly and objectively applies the rule of law. Once the full picture is ?rev?ealed? once ?we lea?rn of ?he officers’??? t?rue intentions, I am convinced that justice will prevail, and the officers will be exonerated of all charges.”

Allen had used his cellphone to record his interaction with Pettus earlier that evening when Pettus had stopped him for riding a bike without lights or reflectors. But earlier that day, Allen had also recorded another Anchorage officer dragging a K-9 out of police headquarters by its leash, a piece of video footage that went viral.

Eastman supporters go after Jesse Sumner in recall effort

Suzanne Downing
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Eastman supporters go after Jesse Sumner in recall effort

REVENGE, PUBLICITY IN A CLOSE RACE FOR HOUSE DISTRICT 10

Jesse Sumner, a candidate for House District 10-Mat-Su, is getting a taste of dirty politics. The supporters of Rep. David Eastman started a campaign to recall him from the Mat-Su Borough Assembly. Sumner is arguably the most conservative member of the Assembly.

Filed today with the Borough Clerk, the application for a recall petition was sponsored by John Nelson, who is running for Congress against Congressman Don Young. Justin Giles is also a sponsor.

Eastman is mentioned in the recall application. The claim is that Sumner has said Eastman took the most per-diem of any House member during the Special Session in Wasilla in 2019. The group says Eastman took no per diem during that special session.

“Knowingly publishing false information designed to damage a candidate’s reputation for honesty or integrity constitutes campaign misconduct, a class B misdemeanor…”

The claims also say that Sumner has a criminal record relating to events on a Halloween night in California in 2004. Sumer was 19 at the time. He was in college and didn’t have his California drivers license, because he wanted to keep his Alaska driver’s license. Other than that, Sumner has speeding tickets and a DUI, both of which he has disclosed.

Sumner was last elected to the Assembly in 2018 for a three-year term. Formerly, he worked on the campaign of David Eastman. He was endorsed by Region 2 Council of the Alaska Republican Party, District 7-12, in 2018 for Assembly.

Sen. Hughes steps away from Senate Majority

Suzanne Downing
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29
Sen. Hughes steps away from Senate Majority

Senator Shelley Hughes told a group at the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce that the Senate President Cathy Giessel has said so many falsehoods, that Hughes can no longer be associated with her leadership. Hughes is leaving the majority.

Hughes said she has not left the Majority caucus so much as the presiding officer left her. She made the announcement toward the end of the meeting on Tuesday.

“The Senate majority has walked away from me. The presiding officer is making false claims,” Hughes told Must Read Alaska.

“I’m a candidate, and I am true to my principles. Hearing claims by Sen. Giessel — I’m just not in agreement with them,” she said.

She cited that Giessel has claimed she worked with the governor to restrain spending when, in fact, she tried to force lawmakers to Juneau last summer to expand spending. The governor had called a special session in Wasilla, but Giessel and House Speaker Bryce Edgmon refused to attend it.

Hughes also said that Giessel has taken credit for the repeal of Senate Bill 91, the soft-on-crime bill, and that she claims to fight for a full Permanent Fund dividend, when she has not done so as Senate president.

Giessel’s term as Senate president is likely to end in January, when a new organization will emerge after the November elections.

“I don’t want to alienate myself from others, and I want to maintain good working relationships,” Hughes said.

The Senate Majority is made up of 13 Republicans and one Democrat, but the more conservative Republicans have been punished by Giessel for voting their conscience on items such as the Permanent Fund dividend and the operating budget.

Her press release tonight explains further:

Tuesday, July 28, 2020 – This evening at a Chamber of Commerce event in Wasilla, Alaska, Senator Hughes announced that she is officially leaving the Alaska Senator Majority Caucus.

“When I and my Senate Majority colleagues came together nearly two years ago to organize and set our priorities for the 31st Alaska State Legislature, I was full of optimism. We sat together as a team at a location in Wasilla and set what we believed at the time were attainable goals for Alaskans. Those goals included repealing Senate Bill 91, reducing Alaska’s operating budget spending, and settling the PFD issue.”

“While there is still opportunity for the legislature to come together and work the two remaining issues, it appears only one of those priorities will have been accomplished in this legislature: the full repeal of SB 91. I am so very proud to have led the Senate’s team and effort in that work. I, my Judiciary Committee colleagues, Senator Costello and my staff worked exhaustively with the Governor’s team to present a bill that fixed the SB 91 mistake. I was very proud of the final product which was not watered down in the negotiations I chaired, but instead was a strong repeal bill.”

“I am, however, perplexed on how the presiding officer in the Senate, Senator Giessel, can now take credit for that work, when she kicked the very team who did the work to the curb. She now is also making false claims about working with the Governor and reducing the budget after she insisted that I, and others, come to Juneau last summer for a veto override session. On top of that Senator Giessel is making claims that she supported a full dividend before she was against it. Her votes and comments over the past two years have indicated her true preference to direct PFD dollars to government spending and special interests, rather than private sector spending by the people.”

“In good conscience, as a candidate accountable to the people, I can no longer stand by and say nothing when I hear such false statements from a person in a position of leadership. To be true to my principles I must walk away from a leader who has abandoned the core values around which the caucus was originally formed.”

“Having felt the accumulative weight of all the decisions the Senate President has made in the last seven months, I find it obvious that it is not I who left the Senate Majority, it is the Senate President who has left me. I am acknowledging that fact today and I will no longer be associated with her through membership in the Alaska Senate Majority.”

Both Giessel and Hughes are running for reelection but Giessel is considered to be in a tight race with newcomer Roger Holland of South Anchorage. Both are Republicans.

Fueled with hate for Trump, Lincoln Project backs Gross with big bucks for Senate

Suzanne Downing
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24
Fueled with hate for Trump, Lincoln Project backs Gross with big bucks for Senate

HERE COMES THE OUTSIDE MONEY; NEARLY HALF MILLION FOR GROSS

The Lincoln Project, a partisan group that has been called a group of “grifters” dedicated to defeating Republicans, has suddenly decided to back Al Gross for Senate. Gross is running on the Democrats’ ticket against Sen. Dan Sullivan, who has served as one of Alaska’s senators for the past six years.

The group has signaled its intent to play in Alaska’s Senate race by making its initial advertising buy to start running TV ads this week on Gross’ behalf. The Lincoln Project intends to spend $482,000 for TV in Alaska in campaigning on behalf of Gross; it is not allowed to coordinate with his campaign, however.

Gross’s actual campaign has also made a TV buy, to spend more than $800,000 on television ads that will start in September. He is already running ads that refer to Gross as a “renowned orthopedic surgeon.”

This Gross ad buy signals to the national Democrat groups to let them know where he is spending his money — which is mostly in the Fairbanks TV market. And that means the Lincoln Project and other Democrat surrogate groups will take the clue, and run with their efforts in the Anchorage television market, where most of the votes are.

What it all adds up to is that National Democrat groups are here in Alaska now. They’re aiding a candidate who has gained no real ground here. But the media markets are cheap, at least, and they will have an impact down the ballot for the Senate and House races.

The group formed up originally to defeat President Donald Trump but has since branched out to defeat supporters of the president in the U.S. Senate and other Republicans they see as vulnerable.

The group has raised more than $16.8 million and has about 30 employees, according to the Washington Post.

Last week, the Lincoln Project tweeted out Gross’ name and drew tens of thousands of new national followers to Gross’ Twitter account. Presumably that will lead to fundraising for Gross, who has already raised significant funds from national Democrats through the Democrats’ online tool, ActBlue.

Senator Sullivan has a $2 million cash-in-hand advantage and runs on a strong record of success on Alaska priorities. Even Democrat-favored pollster Ivan Moore has Sullivan leading Gross by 13 points. 70 percent of respondents said they don’t know who Gross is.

In another signal to national Democrat groups, Gross loaded stock footage video of himself to YouTube, which will now be lifted by these support groups as they come to his aid. It’s a classic campaign tactic to share information with a third party, when coordination is prohibited by law.

The Lincoln Project has a reputation for being acerbic and at times petty. It likes to ridicule President Trump and get into his head.

But there’s an element of political spite: One of the cofounders of the Lincoln Project was turned down for a role in the 2016 Donald Trump campaign and seems to go where the money is.

“Steve Schmidt, a co-founders of anti-Trump political action group the Lincoln Project, met with then-candidate Donald Trump and tried to join his campaign during a 2016 Manhattan meeting,” according to the Washington Post.

“But the Republican operative — best known for his work on John McCain’s failed presidential bid before becoming one of the faces of the ‘Never Trump’ movement — failed to get the gig because Trump thought he was a ‘total idiot,’ one of the sources said.”

Alaskans recall that Schmidt was responsible for the choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for McCain’s running mate, another failed campaign move.

Last month, he took credit for a caper in which his daughter and her friends swamped the RSVPs portal for a Trump rally, and blocked actual would-be attendees from going. That, at least, was a success.

Man who picked Palin for VP connects himself to caper that sabotaged Trump rally

The Lincoln Project has been characterized as a group of political grifters who are skimming money to stay in lavish hotels and pay themselves handsomely, but whose main deliverables appear to be a barrage of Twitter messages.

Governor appoints two to redistricting board

Suzanne Downing
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0
Governor appoints two to redistricting board

Bethany Marcum and E. Budd Simpson were named by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to the Alaska Redistricting Board today.

Marcum is the executive director of the Alaska Policy Forum in Anchorage, and Simpson is a Juneau attorney who represents Native Corporation Sealaska.

The redistricting board takes U.S. Census data to reapportion the state’s political boundaries. In areas where population has declined, representatives and senators boundaries get bigger. In places like the Mat-Su Valley, more representatives and senators will be assigned, since the population has grown.

It’s a highly political process and the redistricting board guides the effort, which almost always ends up in court in Alaska. Redistricting takes place every 10 years. In 2011, it took two years for the entire matter to be settled after several court challenges.

Now, Speaker Bryce Edgmon, Senate President Cathy Giessel, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Joel Bolger each will make one pick for the board.

The board must be seated by Sept. 1. Sen. Cathy Giessel goes next, then Rep. Bryce Edgmon, and finally the judge.

The picks have to be sensitive to judicial districts — one from each judicial districts. But there are four judicial districts and a five-member board.

Will Speaker Edgmon honor the signed caucus agreement on redistricting? If not, are there any consequences?

Anchorage gay politicos abuse power by taking choice away from parents

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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19
Anchorage gay politicos abuse power by taking choice away from parents

Hypothetical: A teenager is raised as a born-again Christian. He has doubts about his faith and would like to see a counselor to help wean him off his religious beliefs. But there’s a problem. Three openly and unapologetic born-again Christians on the Anchorage Assembly passed an ordinance prohibiting any counselors from discouraging teenagers from leaving their Christian faith. If said counselors violated the law, they’d face a $500 fine and be liable for legal action.  

Might that be a problem? Of course. Politicians should never use their power to force their own personal beliefs on minors. That’s a decision for parents alone. 

But three openly gay Assembly members, Christopher Constant, Felix Rivera and Austin Quinn-Davidson are pushing a ban prohibiting counselors from helping teenagers with unwanted same-sex desires.

The ordinance describes this type of counseling as relying on “outdated views of gender roles and identities as well as the negative stereotype that being a sexual or gender minority or identifying as LGBTQ is an abnormal aspect of human development.” 

The ordinance does not carve out an exemption for clergy meaning a pastor would be prohibited from helping a teenager in their congregation wanting help from unwanted same-sex attraction.  

“The use of sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts, also known as ‘conversion therapy,’ is harmful and too often youth are subjected to it and have no say in the decision for its use” the ordinance reads in part. 

The ordinance backers must believe one of two things; There’s no such thing as unwanted same-sex attraction or if there is, such a person should not be allowed to get the help they desire. 

“The Anchorage Press published a three-part series on persons who are homosexual and the difficulties and impression they face growing up in Alaska, “reads the ordinance. 

That’s right, ordinance sponsors are admitting the far-left publication, The Anchorage Press, is influencing public policy. 

Eagle River Assembly member Jamie Allard opposes the ordinance.

“I cannot fathom my child being denied medical help. This goes beyond parental religious or LBGTQ rights. This speaks to the heart of our children looking for guidance from those they trust. If our children seek help for depression, suicide, or bullying, and the topic of sexual orientation comes up, the counseling must stop immediately. Why would we turn our backs on our children who are reaching out?” said Allard. 

Allard says the Assembly is set to vote on the ordinance Tuesday night. She hopes members will at the very least delay the vote and first allow input from the public. 

This type of legislation is typical of the Left. It’s similar to laws allowing children to get an abortion without their parent’s knowledge. It makes you wonder how far hard-core Leftists like Rivera, Constant, and Quinn-Davidson would go in stripping away parental rights if they knew they could get away with it politically.  

It’s reasonable to wonder if Rivera, Constant, and Quinn-Davidson are pushing such radical legislation as an attempt to seek validation and approval for their own lifestyles. Everyone wants to be accepted and nobody likes to be judged or looked down upon. It’s the same idea behind the “Drag Queen Story Hour” held on occasion at the Loussac Library in Anchorage. 

Homosexuality and gender confusion have become more accepted in recent years. But what Rivera, Constant, and Quinn-Davidson must understand is they have no right to demand others condone their lifestyle choices. Just as Christians shouldn’t demand those in the gay community accept their beliefs. 

Truth is some will never condone homosexuality or transgenderism as a healthy lifestyle. This is especially true for Christians. The Bible, the foundation of the Christian faith, could not be any clearer about teaching homosexuality is sin. Just as scriptures are clear about adultery, lying, murder, envy, jealousy, and other destructive behaviors.  

In a free society, Bible-believing Christians and those practicing homosexuality and transgenderism should be able to live at peace with each other. But that’s clearly not what Rivera, Constant, and Quinn-Davidson desire. As sponsors of this ordinance, they’re demanding Christians abandon their faith, values, and parental rights. It’s an obvious abuse of the power voters entrusted to them.  

Dan Fagan hosts a radio show weekday mornings on Newsradio 650 KENI.

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