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George Washington’s Letter to the Newport Jewish Congregation

Suzanne Downing
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George Washington’s Letter to the Newport Jewish Congregation

President George Washington wrote a letter to Moses Seixas and the Hebrew congregation of Newport, R.I. on Aug. 21, 1790. He was responding to a letter from Seixas, who was hoping that the new United States would respect and tolerate the religious beliefs of all. It is reprinted here as a timely reflection on values of the Founding Fathers:

August 21, 1790

While I received with much satisfaction your address replete with expressions of esteem, I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you that I shall always retain grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced on my visit to Newport from all classes of citizens.

The reflection on the days of difficulty and danger which are past is rendered the more sweet from a consciousness that they are succeeded by days of uncommon prosperity and security.

If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just administration of a good government, to become a great and happy people.

The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy — a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.

It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my administration and fervent wishes for my felicity.

May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants — while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.

May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.

G. Washington

Source: George Washington: A Collection, ed. W.B. Allen (Liberty Fund: Indianapolis, 1988)

Former Walker-Mallott group doles cash to chameleon candidates

Suzanne Downing
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Former Walker-Mallott group doles cash to chameleon candidates

OUTSIDE MONEY UNITES FOR GRENN, DIMOND, ORTIZ, SEATON

The Unite Alaska for Walker-Mallott group has given $25,000 to a Florida group that was on contract with the Unite Alaska group.

The new group is called “Alaskans for Grenn, Dimond, Ortiz, and Seaton,” and it’s based out of Gainesville, Fla. But the money is traced back to Unite America, which supports political chameleons — those who change allegiances depending on convenience and whose votes can be purchased for a price by a group trying to create a majority caucus.

Reps. Jason Grenn of South Anchorage District 22, Chris Dimond of Juneau District 33, Rep. Daniel Ortiz of Ketchikan District , and Rep. Paul Seaton, who ran in the Democrats’ primary for Homer District 31, are all considered, like Walker, to be political chameleons who won’t say what they stand for.

Grenn, Dimond, Ortiz, Seaton, all candidates without a political home.

Sycamore Lane is the same company that was associated with Unite Alaska’s horrific ad campaign that used the death of Bree Moore to blame gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy for not being supportive enough of “Bree’s Law.”

The attack ad backfired on Unite Alaska, which disbanded shortly thereafter after receiving intense public condemnation. But the group had leftover money, so they’ve created the new group to support the remaining no-party candidates.

[Read: Walker group weaponizes Bree’s death]

The Alaska Public Offices Commission expenditure report shows that Sycamore Lane is not the only Outside group that is involved supporting the Grenn, Dimond, Ortiz, and Seaton ads.

“1716 Strategy” of Canton, Ohio has received a large transfer of the Walker-Mallott money to push digital ads. The group is not exactly transparent, but appears to be a small and secretive group that was behind the Unite Alaska for Walker-Mallott digital advertising strategy.

UNITE AMERICA IS THE HOME FOR THE POLITICALLY HOMELESS

The Ohio company 1716 Strategy contracts with Unite America, which is pushing no-party candidates across the country and which had invested heavily in the re-election of Alaska Gov. Bill Walker until his spectacular fall from grace.

Here’s how Unite America describes its support for four Alaska no-party candidates:

A Cross-Partisan Coalition (AK): In 2016, two independents elected helped flip control of the State House from thirty years of Republican rule to a new “bipartisan governing majority” of Democrats, Republicans, and independents. They succeeded in passing bipartisan fiscal reform. Those two independents, along with a Republican member who became an independent, are running for re-election. Unite America is supporting them alongside a first time candidate to defend and grow this cross-partisan coalition in Alaska.

Flag not lowered?

Suzanne Downing
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Flag not lowered?

After the horrific shooting deaths in Pittsburgh on Saturday morning, President Donald Trump issued an immediate order to lower the U.S. flag out of respect for the 11 who died and the many others wounded during worship services at The Tree of Life Synagogue.

It was the deadliest attack on Jews in the nation’s history.

The flags are to be flown half-staff on all public buildings and grounds, military posts, and other sites until sunset on Oct. 31.

Twenty-four hours after the order was given, it appears no one in the State of Alaska has gotten the memo.

According to the state’s website, flags are still at full staff. A tour of flags around Anchorage in the middle of the day on Sunday revealed all flags are indeed full-staff — at Federal buildings, State buildings and the Municipality of Anchorage.

While the Alaska Department of Administration is supposed to immediately have the U.S. flags lowered, Commissioner Leslie Ridle has hit the campaign trail for Mark Begich for governor, leaving the details of her department to others. And since the governor has issued no order, those others are either oblivious or are in a quandary — do they follow Trump’s orders or wait until Gov. Bill Walker issues an order of his own?

 

Update: Must Read Alaska did another survey of public buildings at 5 pm and found that the flags on the Atwood Building, which is a state office building, had been lowered, shown in the photo below. The Municipality flags remained at full staff, however.

Subtle media bias showed in coverage on Young-Galvin race

Suzanne Downing
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Subtle media bias showed in coverage on Young-Galvin race

The Alaska Public Media-KTUU “Debate for the State” on Friday demonstrated the policy and position differences between Congressman Don Young and his challenger Alyse Galvin.

Galvin didn’t know the difference between a Coast Guard cutter and an ice breaker, and stuck to her attack points. During much of the debate she seemed on the verge of tears, her emotions close to the surface. Don Young stayed above the fray and didn’t insult her for her lack of preparation, and also didn’t respond to her attacks and insults, although he did call out reporter Rich Mauer for having been politically motivated in his coverage.

But what the debate also demonstrated is the subtle media bias that few but the trained eye can detect. It was a demonstration of tricks of the trade in television.

On Friday night, it happened in the control room of KAKM public broadcasting studios.

KAKM ran the “chroma” very hot on Young to make him look red, and on HD TV, he was nearly a posterized red during three quarters of the debate. The color adjustments on Galvin and the panel of reporters was normal. The image comparison below is from a computer screen and doesn’t show the dramatic difference that was evident on an HD Sony television.

 

Must Read Alaska asked the Young campaign if the congressman was unusually red, and was told he was not, although the studio was warm.

In campaign ads, video image is everything as campaigns use cinematic techniques to favor their candidates and discredit others. Lighting, image quality, color, and angle are all considered tools in the toolbox of persuasion. Such techniques when used to show a candidate badly are not considered fair play for public broadcasting, which receives government funds and is supposed to demonstrate impartiality.

Further bias was present in the studio itself on Friday night. Galvin was allowed to have her large campaign staff “in studio,” while the two people who accompanied Don Young — his wife, Ann and his state director Chad Padgett — were asked to leave the studio. They watched the debate from a conference room upstairs.

[Correction 10-28-2018: Alaska Public Media representative said Galvin’s staff was not allowed in the studio during the debate and if Young wanted to look better on camera he should have worn makeup. It appears Young mistook the panel of reporters for Galvin supporters. Don Young has never worn makeup, however.]

Over at KTVA, reporters are employing the same types of technology tricks to create an impression among readers:

In the story about the two campaigns, the station used an image of Congressman Young with his eyes closed and mouth open, while the image of Galvin showed her bright-eyed and smiling.

The station could have chosen any number of images in its story about the congressional race and has the technology to change the images. But most online viewers will not click on the video and watch it. They’ll just see the image, read the story, and move on. And the impression they might take from this photo is that Young is not very alert, while Galvin is.

Subtle media bias is shown in the KTVA image of Congressman Don Young, which is unflattering to the congressman, while the station uses a photo that is flattering of Alyse Galvin.

Murkowski issues endorsement: Dunleavy

Suzanne Downing
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Murkowski issues endorsement: Dunleavy

Sen. Lisa Murkowski visited rural Alaska this week, including Quinagak and Bethel. She has also visited Seward in her swing through the state.

Sen. Murkowski used a trip to Bethel today to say she endorses Mike Dunleavy for governor, and that Dunleavy’s stance on Ballot Measure 1 was a big factor in her decision. It’s a statement that has a lot of meaning for Western Alaska, where many rely on salmon for subsistence

Neither Murkowski or Dunleavy support the controversial salmon initiative that threatens to lock up other resources in the state and would make even a small project like a home driveway subject to extensive regulation and mitigation measures. Mark Begich, the Democrat running for governor, supports the measure, as do most Democrats.

“I have looked at the language of this initiative and as a former state legislator, and one who was responsible we get legislation and laws right, I’m very concerned that the ways this initiative is drafted.” Murkowski said to KYUK radio. “It would bring about unintended consequences that will limit our opportunity and ability as individuals and communities to really move forward with even the most simple development project.”

KYUK radio has been an organizational hub for the support for Ballot Measure 1, although it is publicly funded radio.

Earlier this week, Calista Corp. endorsed Dunleavy. The Native corporation owns land and a western Alaska mining project that could be impacted by Ballot Measure 1.

Sen. Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young have also endorsed Dunleavy in a joint statement. Murkowski has, to date, not issued a formal written endorsement, but her remarks in Bethel are the strongest yet that she has on record.

 

Dunleavy picks up Arctic Slope Regional Corp endorsement

Suzanne Downing
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Dunleavy picks up Arctic Slope Regional Corp endorsement

Mike Dunleavy today received the endorsement of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, a major Native corporation doing business in and outside of Alaska.

At a special meeting of the board of directors in Utqiagvik (Barrow), today, the corporation sealed the endorsement after incumbent Bill Walker dropped out of the race.

When it came down to considering the policies and priorities of each of the two remaining top candidates, the choice became clear, said Rex Rock Sr. ASRC president and CEO.

“As a state, we must continue our progress toward advancing opportunities for safe and responsible resource development, as well as a push toward more sustainable state spending. We believe Mike Dunleavy is closely aligned with our values, which will create additional stability in our communities as well as opportunities for our shareholders,” he said.

The group met with Dunleavy in Barrow earlier this week said Crawford Patkotak, ASRC board chairman. “We need his strong leadership now more than ever in Juneau.”

Earlier in the week, Dunleavy had also won the endorsement of Calista Corp., another major Native corporation.

With ASRC on board, that means two of the 12 Alaska-based Regional Native Corporations have thrown their support to the Republican nominee.

ASRC has returned over $1 billion in dividends to shareholders since its inception, and has distributed over $90 million to support socioeconomic opportunities in the North Slope region, including scholarships and training programs to Iñupiat.

The company is one of the largest private landowners in Alaska, with ownership of 5 million acres of land, much of which has a high potential for development of petroleum, timber, fish, game, and tourist development. Among its land holdings is the Alpine Oil Field.

Televised debate take-away: Begich drifts on P-Fund dividend

Suzanne Downing
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Televised debate take-away: Begich drifts on P-Fund dividend

AS ELECTION GETS CLOSER, HIS DIVIDEND PROMISE GETS BIGGER

The televised “Debate for the State” had no fireworks on Thursday, but there were a few gems worth noting:

The first is that few in the news media knows how to pronounce Mike Dunleavy’s last name.

The proper pronunciation is Dun-lavy, which rhymes with “navy.”

Newscaster Mike Ross got it right — most of the time.

“I don’t care how people pronounce it, so long as they vote for him,” said Brett Huber, Dunleavy’s campaign manager.

Secondly, candidate Mark Begich exposed his soft and pliable position on the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend.

“The earnings reserve has about $18 billion in it right now which the Legislature can access with a simple majority vote. I would put a chunk of that in the corpus, keep it away from these politicians,” Begich said.

“The next thing I would do is a percent of market value. Making sure we have a formula, so 50 percent as that formula lays out, would go right into the Permanent fund dividend. And constitutionally protect it. [I’m the] only one in this race that has talked about constitutionally protecting it, keeping it in your hands. The value of that would be about $2,100 this year.”

Earlier this year, Begich described his plan for the dividend calculation completely differently, saying Alaskans “would be a guaranteed a PFD between $1,500 and $1,800 each year.”

As the election gets closer, his math has changed substantially. And any change would have to be passed by the Legislature.

“That’s one of the differences — the steadfast positions of Mike Dunleavy and the flavor of the moment with Begich,” said Tuckerman Babcock, chairman of the Alaska Republican Party.

In March, Begich wrote that 40 percent of annual earnings would go to education, which would allow the money being used there now to go to other programs. Last night, however, he increased that education spending to 50 percent of the earnings of Alaska’s Permanent Fund.

Rich Mauer asked a question of Dunleavy meant to challenge him on climate change: Shouldn’t we do our part for climate change, like Brazil does, Mauer asked.

Dunleavy said “I beg to differ.” He pointed out that Alaska has less than one tenth of one percent of the population of the world, whereas Brazil has a population of hundreds of millions.

On the question of switching to a mail-in election, Begich would implement vote-by-mail for the state elections, and said he doesn’t consider voter fraud a problem.  He heralded the Anchorage mail-in election as a success.

Dunleavy said he received a ballot at his home in Wasilla to vote in the Anchorage vote-by-mail election, and said that gave him concerns about voter fraud. He also pointed out the voter fraud identified in District 15 during the 2018 Primary election as an example of why he’d take a cautious approach to switching to mail-in elections.

Both candidates headed to Southeast Alaska today — Dunleavy is in Ketchikan and Begich is in Juneau.

Mike Dunleavy will do what’s right for Alaska

Suzanne Downing
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Mike Dunleavy will do what’s right for Alaska

HIS WORK WITH RURAL SCHOOLS WAS STELLAR

By KENNY GALLAHORN

Mike Dunleavy is hard-working, honest, intelligent, trustworthy and the man we need as Governor of Alaska.

I met Mike at a friend’s house in Kotzebue in the early-90s while serving on the regional school board of the Northwest Arctic School District. Mike had recently been hired as superintendent, and I was excited to meet the towering 6’7” man who I had high hopes would bring positive change to our school district (he didn’t disappoint).

I already knew his wife, Rose, and heard the story of how Mike drove from Koyuk to meet her in Noorvik, which greatly impressed me, as that’s no simple task.

My initial impression of Mike was that he’s not a guy who beats around the bush. He’s a straight shooter who tells it like it is – a trait that might not serve him well as a politician. Nonetheless, it’s why I know that when he says he’ll do something, such as protect the PFD, I believe him because that’s who he is – a man of his word.

Right off the bat as the new superintendent, it was clear Mike was a hard worker. He was always in the office working late into the night when everyone else had gone home and the first one there in the morning before anyone else had shown up. He always made sure he got the job done and done right, leading by example.

You won’t find a stronger or more informed advocate for public education, or someone who understands the different challenges faced by both urban and rural students, parents and educators. He’s done it all as a teacher, principal and superintendent, with experience in both environments.

That’s why I know when his opponent tries to hurt his reputation with wild accusations that he will be bad for rural schools – I know there’s no truth to it. He understands the problems kids face in Noorvik under a completely different set of circumstances than Anchorage, and he knows that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t make sense for every student.

He and I have worked together for years trying to give kids in rural Alaska more options. And so, I know first-hand his advocacy for making sure kids in rural Alaska have access to the same educational opportunities as kids in urban Alaska.

Mike is someone who understands – truly understands – what it’s like for folks living in rural Alaska because he lived there for almost 20 years. His family is from rural Alaska and he’s lived in a village of 600 people. In rural Alaska, they tend to judge strangers right away. If you don’t personify trust and prove that you’re a genuine person, they won’t like you, and people loved Mike. He treated everyone with kindness and respect and adapted to the new lifestyle; people accepted him. During his time in Kotzebue, he also earned a reputation of being a strong family man; he and Rose have done an outstanding job raising their three daughters, Maggie, Catherine, and Ceil.

We need Mike Dunleavy in there as governor to fight for what’s right. He’s the only guy running for governor who understands and lived through the problems we face every day. To me, it comes down to a choice between a career politician and Mike – a genuine person who tells the truth. I choose Mike.

Kenny Gallahorn, born and raised in Kotzebue, is a registered undeclared voter and served on the Northwest Arctic Borough School Board during Mike Dunleavy’s tenure as Superintendent of the Northwest Arctic Borough School District. Gallahorn also later served on the State Board of Education.

Breaking: Donald Trump endorses Mike Dunleavy

Suzanne Downing
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Breaking: Donald Trump endorses Mike Dunleavy

DUNLEAVY RESPONSE: I WELCOME THE SUPPORT

President Donald Trump took to Twitter and endorsed Mike Dunleavy for governor of Alaska today. Within the first 20 minutes, the Twitter message went like wildfire across the Alaska political landscape.

Dunleavy, the Republican nominee, wasted no time in acknowledging the endorsement.

“Trump’s administration has been good for Alaska, and I welcome the President’s support, along with that of Alaska’s congressional delegation,” Dunleavy said in a statement. “Our team in D.C., working with the President, has opened ANWR for responsible resource development, cut taxes, and repealed job-killing regulations. With the stars finally aligned on the federal level, it’s time to bring change to Juneau and unleash Alaska’s true potential.”

Trump won Alaska by a margin of 15 points over Hillary Clinton in 2016, with 51.28 percent of the vote. He is still largely popular among the conservative stronghold state that has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968, Alaska last voted in the majority for a Democrat when President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ran for election in 1964, after he took office subsequent to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

 

 

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