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Alexander Dolitsky: What is freedom?

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October 17, 2022

By ALEXANDER DOLITSKY

Recently, I had a conversation with an American in her late 20s about current events in our country. Let’s call her Rebecca in order to protect her anonymity.

“What is freedom?” Rebecca asked.

“What is it for you, Rebecca?” I responded to her rhetorical question.

“For me, freedom is the ability to exercise my wills, wishes and desires without boundaries, restrictions and limits,” she answered proudly without any pausing.

“Well, what you just described is an anarchy rather than freedom,” I responded. “We live in a complex society, with well-established public institutions, laws, rules, regulations and norms of behavior. Your definition of freedom will, most definitely, collide with the traditional principles and values of contemporary complex societies.”

“Okay, fine, then, would you elaborate on your understanding of freedom?” Rebecca insisted.

“Well, perhaps in the context of my experiences in the former Soviet Union, in order to understand and appreciate what freedom is, let me share with you some instances of a lack of freedom or no personal freedom at all that I encountered in a society with a totalitarian, socialist regime,” I suggested.

Rebecca nodded in her consent and looked at me attentively.

“Many topics of our discussions—especially related to politics, creative writing and dissident literature—were forbidden and harshly punishable by Soviet authorities. Indeed, everyone realized the danger of our involvement in these freedom–spirited activities. A complete compliance to the Marxist-Leninist ideology was firmly seated in all public institutions, including schools, academic and research institutions, military, governments, arts, sports, music, etc. There were no exceptions.”

“So, people could not express their own political and ideological views?” asked Rebecca with obvious curiosity.

“Occasionally they could, but consequences would be very grim for them,” I responded. “For example, one of my classmates at the Kiev Pedagogical Institute wrote an essay required for a class in which he suggested that economically, politically, and socially Ukraine could be better off as an independent and sovereign country, separate from the former Soviet Union. As a result of his writing and open-minded thoughts, he was expelled from the Institute in no time, virtually next day.”

Rebecca’s mouth was open in “O” shape as I shared this story with her.

I continued, “In the 1970s, in my early 20s, I was employed as a research assistant at the Institute of Archaeology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kiev. The Institute was located in the 11th Century Vydubychi Monastery—a remarkable historic monument protected by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

“One of the leading research programs of the Institute was a study of the origin and history of the Slavs (i.e. Russian, Ukrainian and Belarus nations). Researchers at the Institute were directed to follow and comply with the Moscow’s theory on the northern origin of Slavs. According to Moscow’s most common theory, the West Slavs (Poles, Czechs), the South Slavs (Serbs, Bulgarians), and the East Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians), all originated from the vast swamp-lands, called Pripet Marshes, that can be found in current Belarus and Northern Ukraine.

“In the late 1960s, in spite of the directive from Moscow, several courageous archaeologists in Kiev, including Yevgeniy Chernenko, a research fellow at the Institute, and Vasiliy Shevchenko, then a Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kiev, proposed a novel hypothesis (i.e., undefined theory) of possible genetic and cultural links between Scythians, nomads of the Ukrainian steppes, and already settled indigenous population of the same steppes.”

Rebecca was silent and continued to listen attentively.

“The Scythians originated in Central Asia, but evidence of their nomadic lifestyle reached into India and showed a westward path into Armenia, Ukraine, Hungary and even eastern Germany from approximately 1000 BCE to 400 CE, or nearly 1400 years of their existence. Eventually, they ended their nomadic life style and finally settled in the steppes of today’s Ukraine, as evidenced by the large number of Scythian burial mounds (kurgany or mogily) found on this territory. In fact, in the early 1970s, I took a part in several archaeological excavations of the Scythian kurgans in the vicinity of the middle-Dnieper River.

“While no conclusive evidence has been provided to indicate a racial or genetic bond between the ancient Scythians and contemporary Ukrainians, there can be little doubt that the language of the indigenous population of the today’s Ukrainian steppe was affected by contact with the Scythians, and they, most probably, adopted some of the Scythian customs, traditions and ideas.

“This novel hypothesis contradicted the regime’s theory on the origin of Slavs and it was not received well in Moscow. As a result, in 1969 a director of the Institute Vasiliy Shevchenko was dismissed from his position and replaced by the Moscow’s protégé and loyalist, Ivan Artemenko,” I explained.

“I thought that science is about discovering the factual truth and natural laws,” commented Rebecca.

“Yes, of course, you are correct,” I concurred. “But it is only true when the science is not a ‘servant’ of the political and ideological elites or progressive activists; as it is evident in today’s radical far-left and neo-Marxist reality in our country and around the world,” I responded.

“Indeed, freedom of speech was suppressed and dissent was punished in the former Soviet Union,” I declared. “Independent political activities were not tolerated, whether these involved participation in the labor unions, private entities, independent religious institutions, or opposition political groups.

“The Soviet totalitarian government (e.g., KGB—Committee for State Security and MVD—Internal Police) blocked western media and radio broadcasts, employing sophisticated (for its time) electronic devices called ‘zaglushki’ (blockers)—setting up tall antennas designed to intercept and block western radio transmissions unwelcome and ‘offensive’ to the socialist regime. Many courageous people, however, secretly and at a great personal risk for themselves and their families, constructed a self-made radios consisting of an antenna (i.e., long wire) attached to a long-wave radio and connected to a tall tree or building in order to catch forbidden transmissions that were coming from the Voice of America, BBC, and other western news agencies in Russian language for the Russian audience.”

“So, it was a censorship and social environment similar to today’s North Korea, Cuba, or Venezuela,” Rebecca remarked.

“Yes, just about,” I concurred.

“Well, when for the very first time you experienced freedom, a real freedom?” Rebecca asked.

“When I first arrived in the West, my very first day in Vienna, Austria,” I answered without hesitation. “Then, for the first time in my adult life, I observed on the streets so many cars of different colors and models: blue, yellow, red, green, black, white—a complete prism of rainbow. In my former socialist country, that I had left just a day before, the cars were mostly black, white and navy and there were only few domestic models—Volga, Mosckvich, Zhiguli.

“During my first days in the West, I walked the streets of Vienna, enjoying street musicians, freely performing classical, jazz, pop, rhythm and blues music. I also enjoyed street artists, mastering their skills openly and without any fear of being arrested for their artistic expressions. People were polite, smiling and looked friendly and happy. Everything and everyone around me in Vienna, smelled, sound and looked free. Yes, I could smell, see, hear and feel freedom; and, finally, I was free.

“America was my next destination to freedom, liberty and prosperity,” I told her.

When I finished my stories, Rebecca was silent and thoughtful.

I sincerely believe that there is a hope for all Rebecca-like Americans—a hope of striving for freedom with respect to speech and expression, a hope for personal liberty, and a hope for living a life of dignity.

Alexander B. Dolitsky was born and raised in Kiev in the former Soviet Union. He received an M.A. in history from Kiev Pedagogical Institute, Ukraine, in 1976; an M.A. in anthropology and archaeology from Brown University in 1983; and was enroled in the Ph.D. program in Anthropology at Bryn Mawr College from 1983 to 1985, where he was also a lecturer in the Russian Center. In the U.S.S.R., he was a social studies teacher for three years, and an archaeologist for five years for the Ukranian Academy of Sciences. In 1978, he settled in the United States. Dolitsky visited Alaska for the first time in 1981, while conducting field research for graduate school at Brown. He lived first in Sitka in 1985 and then settled in Juneau in 1986. From 1985 to 1987, he was a U.S. Forest Service archaeologist and social scientist. He was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Alaska Southeast from 1985 to 1999; Social Studies Instructor at the Alyeska Central School, Alaska Department of Education from 1988 to 2006; and has been the Director of the Alaska-Siberia Research Center (see www.aksrc.homestead.com) from 1990 to present. He has conducted about 30 field studies in various areas of the former Soviet Union (including Siberia), Central Asia, South America, Eastern Europe and the United States (including Alaska). Dolitsky has been a lecturer on the World Discoverer, Spirit of Oceanus, andClipper Odyssey vessels in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. He was the Project Manager for the WWII Alaska-Siberia Lend Lease Memorial, which was erected in Fairbanks in 2006. He has published extensively in the fields of anthropology, history, archaeology, and ethnography. His more recent publications include Fairy Tales and Myths of the Bering Strait Chukchi, Ancient Tales of Kamchatka; Tales and Legends of the Yupik Eskimos of Siberia; Old Russia in Modern America: Russian Old Believers in Alaska; Allies in Wartime: The Alaska-Siberia Airway During WWII; Spirit of the Siberian Tiger: Folktales of the Russian Far East; Living Wisdom of the Far North: Tales and Legends from Chukotka and Alaska; Pipeline to Russia; The Alaska-Siberia Air Route in WWII; and Old Russia in Modern America: Living Traditions of the Russian Old Believers; Ancient Tales of Chukotka, and Ancient Tales of Kamchatka.

A few of Dolitsky’s past MRAK columns:

Read: Is America losing its mind?

Read: Russian Old Believers in Alaska live lives reflecting bygone centuries

Read: Russian saying: Beat your friends so your enemies fear you

Read: Neo-Marxism and utopian Socialism in America

Read: Old believers preserving faith in the New World

Read: Duke Ellington and the effects of Cold War in Soviet Union on intellectual curiosity

Read: United we stand, divided we fall with race, ethnicity in America

Read: For American schools to succeed, they need this ingredient

Read: Nationalism in America, Alaska, around the world

Read: The case of the ‘delicious salad’

Read: White privilege is a troubling perspective

Read: Beware of activists who manipulate history for their own agenda

Read: Alaska Day remembrance of Russian transfer

Read: American leftism is true picture of true hypocrisy

Read: History does not repeat itself

Read: The only Ford Mustang in Kiev

Read: What is greed? Depends on the generation

Read: Worldwide migration of Old Believers in Alaska

Read: Traditions of Old Believers in Alaska

Read: Language, Education of Old Believers in Alaska

Alex Gimarc: Peltola campaign ads aren’t about freedom, they are about abortion without limits

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR

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October 17, 2022

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Alex Gimarc: Peltola campaign ads aren’t about freedom, they are about abortion without limits

By ALEX GIMARC

Rep. Mary Peltola has been running an ad on airwaves of Anchorage telling voters the actual things that matter to her. The first half of the ad is a voice that extols her virtues, mainly as a mother, grandmother, and fishing boat captain at age 14. She is also held up as a bipartisan member of the Legislative Bush caucus, responsible for resource development.

All that is well and good. But it when Peltola starts talking that we find what she is really interested in, and this is where it gets a bit weird.

For example, she describes herself as a “committed advocate for personal privacy rights.” She then calls out the federal government, noting that the feds “have no business taking away our freedom,” finishing with the call that “we should have the right to make choices.”

What is this all about?

This is all about abortion, all day, all night, and at any stage during pregnancy, the current Democrat party position on abortion, though Peltola is not sufficiently honest to use the actual words.

Like her rather odd position on the Second Amendment (that it only protects hunting), her position on both privacy and abortion have no constitutional basis. Worse, none of the three words show up in the actual constitution or its amendments.

Let’s fish her statements from her campaign ad.

Personal privacy rights are a thinly veiled call for abortion. Indeed, it was the foundation of the judicial house of cards the Warren Court erected in 1973’s Roe v Wade opinion. But the Democrats’ love for personal privacy rights are a mirage. One the one hand, it is the foundation of abortion rights. On the other hand, personal privacy rights were most recently discarded by Democrats for those who refuse the Covid vax or boosters.

A lot of Americans were fired for refusing the vax. Those in the military still are. Nobody gets fired for having an abortion. So much for personal privacy rights to make medical decisions.

Peltola also notes that the federal government has no business taking away our freedom. Yet the only reason governments exist, especially those with Democrats in charge, is to take away our freedoms. It is what they do best, and they glory in it, endlessly limiting freedom all for our own good. And Peltola is a proud member of the party front and center in the freedom-taking process. If you are fan of liberty, it is really difficult to be a Democrat.

In the abortion discussion, seven elderly white men in black robes created a constitutional right out of thin air, invalidating laws of 50 states. Peltola has been quiet about that creation.

With Dobbs, another Supreme Court majority decided their predecessors screwed up, overturned Roe and threw the entire mess back to the many states to decide. They specifically sent it back for the elected representatives in the legislatures and governors to decide. They did not send it back to the states for state courts to decide.

Peltola makes an obvious mistake, but does tell us what informs her thinking. She apparently believes rights come from governments rather than from God, not unlike what the Soviet Union believed. The Soviet constitution had hundreds of specifically detailed rights, none of which meant any more than the paper they were printed on.

The problem is that if rights come from governments on a whim, they can just as easily be removed.

The final thing she calls for is that we should have the right to make choices. I wholeheartedly agree. But which political party is the party that removes the ability of Americans to make choices?

Which party imposed the Covid lockdowns? Which party imposed the vax mandates? Which party shut down the schools? Which party opposes school choice? Which party turned higher education into a simple indoctrination factory for the political left? Which party imposes gun control? Which party is busily emptying prisons, putting criminals on the streets? Which party opened the southern border, inviting millions to enter the US? Which party is pushing the trans panic? Which party sees racial animosity at every turn, making it up where none exists? There is more, but you get the idea.

Hint: At the 90^th percentile, it is Democrats busily eliminating choice, freedom, and liberty every chance they get.

As usual, to a Democrat, the only choice, the only freedom they are interested in is the choice to abort.

Peltola is a smart lady, slyly trying to slip through the campaign to another term in Washington DC. She has demonstrated a typical Democrat view of the U.S. Constitution, liberty, choice, and our rights. We are about to find how many Alaskans agree with her. They shouldn’t.

Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.

Downing: Walker’s gas line deal with China’s Xi Jinping, who is now readying for military showdown with the West

Suzanne Downing

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October 17, 2022

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Downing: Walker’s gas line deal with China’s Xi Jinping, who is now readying for military showdown with the West

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Part 2: What could possibly have gone wrong, other than China controlling Alaska? Read Part 1 here.

China President Xi Jinping is no ordinary communist leader. He is starting an unprecedented third five-year term as the head of the Communist Party, which controls the economy and social order in China. He’s 69, and could have another 10 years at the helm of China.

Sunday is a big day for Xi, as he consolidates his power during the Communist Party’s twice-in-a-decade national congress, which opened its five-day meeting. In his opening speech to delegates, Xi made barely concealed references to war with the United States.

The man to whom former Alaska Gov. Bill Walker had signed a deal to sell 75% of Alaska’s natural gas has today laid out his vision for the People’s Republic of China’s future, and it is to be far more powerful than the United States, and to be prepared to dominate in a war with the West.

If Walker’s 2017 agreement had not expired after he left office, and if Walker had signed permanent agreements with Xi, Alaska’s gas would today be essentially owned by Communist China.

In the speech before 2,296 delegates on Sunday, Xi warned of storms ahead, and “incomparable glory,” as he makes China the premiere global power. He said he would bring free-market Taiwan back under control of the communist People’s Republic — by force if necessary.

President Xi is now the most powerful communist leader of the People’s Republic of China since Mao Tse Tung. It’s no wonder that when Walker saw this alpha male step off the jet in Anchorage in 2017, Walker bowed to him in submission.

Xi is a man on a mission for world dominance.

“The attempt to suppress and contain China’s growth could escalate anytime,” Xi said to delegates.

While Xi did not mention the U.S. by name, he said that in the face of rapidly changing international tensions and “external blackmail, containment, blockade and extreme pressure,” China’s national interests would be defended. Analysts say this is the first time he has used the word “blackmail” to describe a political situation.

The Wall Street Journal predicted as much on Friday, in its story titled, “Xi Jinping’s Endgame: A China Prepared for Conflict With the U.S.”

Xi has unleashed an array of military, economic, and political campaigns to brace the country for the possibility of this confrontation, the Journal said.

“Since rising to power a decade ago, Xi Jinping has unleashed an array of campaigns to help ensure that China would prevail in, or at least withstand, a confrontation with the West. He has bolstered China’s military, reorganized the economy and remade society around a more ideologically committed Communist Party,” the newspaper wrote at this link.

“Mr. Xi has made clear that his overarching goal is to restore China to what he believes is its rightful place as a global player and a peer of the U.S. As a consequence, he has come to see the possibility of a showdown with the West as increasingly likely, according to people familiar with his thinking. Now he stands on the edge of a third five-year term in power at a Communist Party conclave starting Sunday, in a break with a recent precedent of stepping aside after two terms. That will likely ensure that his vision, which is simultaneously assertive and defensive, will guide China for years to come.”

Bill Walker making a new alliance in 2017 with Communist Party Leader Xi Jinping.

Former Gov. Walker didn’t see it coming. Five years ago, Walker was fast-tracking a long-term, multi-faceted contract with Xi. Both men had just risen to power for their respective jurisdictions — Xi in 2013, and Walker in 2014.

As Walker pressed ahead with Xi, the private-sector energy companies such as Exxon, ConocoPhillips, and BP, which had been partners in the AKLNG project, stepped out, and Walker consolidated the project under his control.

From there on out, it would be Walker and Xi.

Bill Walker signs deal with Chinese in 2017.

Walker’s partnership was with the People’s Republic of China, and government-owned Sinopec, Bank of China, and China Investment Corporation. The CIC is China’s sovereign wealth fund, much like the Alaska Permanent Fund — except that CIC is the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund that controls over $1 trillion in assets, including ports, airports, and real estate around the world. It would invest in the gasline project and the Bank of China would loan Alaska the money the state needed to complete the deal.

Reports: Uganda loses its main airport to the Chinese after defaulting on loan

With Walker’s China plan, the communist government would provide 75 percent of the $43 billion in needed funding for the AKLNG project and would have contracts to build the components of the gas line.

It’s not known what collateral Walker would have offered, but the Alaska Permanent Fund would have been an attractive target. Alaskans decided to remove Walker before he could go from just dating to jumping into bed with the communist Chinese, when he didn’t fully comprehend that China could become a master to Alaska and cripple the state by pulling its support for the project at any time. Alaska, even if it was a nation and not a state, would have had no recourse to recover.

This is not theoretical. As an example, in March of 2022, Sinopec Group suspended work on a mega gas marketing venture in Russia, as the Communist Party of China called for reducing risk due to the invasion of Ukraine. China’s most important diplomatic partner is Russia, and yet Xi moved quickly to pull Sinopec out of Russia in order to reduce the nation’s risk due to sanctions from the West against Russia.

In Uganda, where Chinese entities paid for the construction of the nation’s only international airport as part of the hundreds of billions of collars China is lending in African countries under President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative. Last year, the country defaulted on the terms of the loan and it’s unclear today who actually controls the Ugandan Entebbe International Airport.

This year, one of the companies in the now-expired Alaska agreement, Sinopec, has been delisted from both the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange, because the Western requirement for transparent audits is not something Sinopec wants to do.

Downing: The loyalty pledge that Bill Walker made to Communist China in 2017

Xi has already amassed power and placed himself in control of domestic affairs, foreign policy, the military, the economy, and most other key matters through party working groups that he leads, the Wall Street Journal notes.

Alaska, if Bill Walker had remained governor, could have been the extension of Xi’s Belt and Road signature project. What could possibly have gone wrong?

Suzanne Downing is publisher of Must Read Alaska.

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Follow the money: Three people gave Bill Walker campaign $100,000 each, but that’s not all that is in the fundraising report

Document drop: Chain of emails shows lobbyists from Don Young era are now pulling for Mary Peltola, since ‘almost every Democrat vote that turns out is a vote for Lisa’

Suzanne Downing

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October 17, 2022

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Document drop: Chain of emails shows lobbyists from Don Young era are now pulling for Mary Peltola, since ‘almost every Democrat vote that turns out is a vote for Lisa’

A series of back-and-forth emails obtained by Must Read Alaska show that major D.C. lobbyists and operatives associated with the late Congressman Don Young are trying to get all former employees of Young to sign on and support Congresswoman Mary Peltola in November. The Swamp is trying to pull the Democrat over the finish line. And they’re using Peltola to get Sen. Lisa Murkowski reelected.

The emails involve well-known Alaska-focused lobbyists and politicos such as C.J. Zane, Jack Ferguson, Steve Silver, and others, and the messages were copied to dozens of former staffers for Young and a few business leaders from major Alaska corporations. From the emails, it’s clear that former Chief of Staff Alexander Ortiz, who is currently working as chief of staff for Peltola, is one person leading the charge, along with former Don Young Communication Director Zack Brown.

They are attacking Nick Begich, who was the former co-chair of the Young campaign in 2020. Instead,

Curtis J. Zane wrote:

“We’ve had a chance to talk amongst most, but not all of you, about the attached DRAFT event invitation for Rep. Mary Peltola. As you can see from the draft, several of us have agreed to go on the invite as listed participants. Anyone who wants to join the list is welcome, but we want to be very, very clear that this is strictly voluntary and there’s absolutely no harm and no foul if anyone wants to take pass for whatever reason.” C.J. Zane is managing principal at BLANKROME Government Relations LLC and lobbies for many Alaska entities, linked here.

Zane, doing heavy lifting among his lobbyist peers, is trying to get all former Young staffers to get involved in supporting the Democrat.

“And, if joining on a fund raising event is not your cup of tea, there are other ways to help out if you are so inclined. Attached is a draft letter of support, and a memo about three ways you can help, that Alex and Zack have drafted for your consideration. Again, folks can do one, two, all three, or none of these suggestions. Please let us know if you want to add your name to the invite and/or send a letter of support or do a testimonial, and if not, that’s perfectly okay! Thanks very much for your consideration,” Zane says, showing that Ortiz and Brown, Don Young staffers at the time of his death, are key to pushing Peltola.

A response from lobbyist Jack Ferguson shows he’s “all-in,” and so are some of his friends. Ferguson wrote:

“Yes you can put my name all over the place….I held a ‘business round table’ event for Mary at the Petroleum Club this last Wednesday…..Ben Stevens attended…along with 12 other great Republicans . (including Jim Jansen …who ‘Begich claims as his supporter) . I will attend the art gallery event this Sunday, Yesterday I Attended the Chugach event over at Sheri’s 12 floor. I have another event for her on Oct. 27th which they have asked me to arrange….’Republican women who support Pro Choice.’ Joe Ralston and I are making arrangements for her to meet Col.Wilson the new commander of JBER. Working with Anton (her campaign manager) on suggested remarks for her speech at the AFN Convention….just bought a VIP table there.

“Think of it this way,……almost every Democratic vote that turns out is a vote for Lisa …so a High Democratic turn out is good. But Mary can’t win without some certain number of Republicans …so they are mutually reliant on one another…and their supporters….that’s where we come in….hopefully all of the Young team….with the exception of one or two I suspect.

“Tomorrow the last ‘reporting period’ before the election will be posted…..Mary’s fund raiser guy (Jones) was working on the number this morning he thinks it is close to $3m…..Begich will be lucky if he raised 200k…unless he spends his own money which he has been reluctant to do..

“The ‘rank red’ campaign is for very partisan voters…..a good plan but not likely to produce many voters they don’t already have….the other voters for Begich are ‘default votes’…anybody but Palin. Some say Begich has gained on Palin….I am waiting to learn more from some other polls that just came in from the field….before I believe it.

“They are still both fighting each other…..even though Palin has now joined the ‘rank red’ campaign …she used to be ‘vote one or none’ person…she still refers to him as ‘negative Nick’.

“But the new development… Peltola has the momentum and the last poll I saw has her beating both Palin and Begich…..but still hoping that Begich is first person out. Begich just switched his position to support the ‘infrastructure money’….man the guy is slow.

“Oscar, is even taking his Spring Break from Taft to knock on doors for Mary.

“So as you can see I am all in…..as are most of my clients…..the fish guys in Seattle are having problems with her….working with [Stephanie] Moreland to educate Mary…she is a little hard over….but indicates she wants to understand more.

‘This is a good idea to put of our names on a ‘Young Legacy’ event…it sends a message.”

That email, trying to build an effort to show Peltola as Young’s legacy, is signed by Jack Ferguson and copied to dozens of lobbyists, former Young aides, and even a few Alaska business leaders, whose email addresses were all revealed on the thread, including lobbyists Richard A. Agnew of Van Ness Feldman, D. Smith of Smith Advocacy Group, Carl Marrs of Old Harbor Native Corp., Wally Burnett of Crossroad Strategies, Colin Chapman, Alexander Ortiz, Zack Brown, Katie Rachel of BLANKROME, several others at BLANKROME and Van Ness Feldman, Steve Silver, Andrew Lundquist of ConocoPhillips, Jay Sterne of Windward Strategies, Gregg Renkes of Van Ness Feldman, and many more.

The Nov. 8 general election will determine if Alaska, a majority Republican-voting state, will be represented in Congress by a Democrat. Some of the lobbyists on this email chain are ones who were involved with trying to get Josh Revak into the seat, others were working on the Tara Sweeney campaign, but neither made the case to voters during the special primary election in June. Revak came in 10th in June, and Sweeney got 3% in August.

What did the governor buy?

Don’t blame him: Fauci says he had nothing to do with closing the schools during pandemic

Suzanne Downing

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October 16, 2022

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Don’t blame him: Fauci says he had nothing to do with closing the schools during pandemic

In an interview with ABC News, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s chief infectious disease officer, said it was not his fault that schools closed during the Covid pandemic. It’s a message he’s been trying to get out during his last few weeks on the job, as he plans to resign at the end of the year. He did admit, however, that the school closures have had some negative effects on children.

Fauci, who heads up the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and who has been the nation’s top adviser on Covid policy during the Trump and Biden Administrations, was asked by an ABC News reporter if it was a mistake for schools to be closed for as long as they were in 2020 and 2021. A national report shows that since then, reading scores for 9-year-olds fell five points on average, the largest drop in more than 30 years. Math scores fell seven points in 2022, compared to 2020. Average math scores fell seven points in 2022 compared to scores in 2020, the first drop ever recorded by the Department of Education, according to a study released last month.

“I don’t want to use the word ‘mistake,’ … because if I do, it gets taken out of the context that you’re asking me the question on,” Fauci replied. “We should realize, and have realized, that there will be deleterious collateral consequences when you do something like that.”

Fauci went on to say that he never said the schools should close down and that he always advised officials must do “everything we can to keep the schools open. No one plays that clip. They always say ‘Fauci was responsible for closing schools.’ I had nothing to do [with it]. I mean, let’s get down to the facts,” said Fauci.

In July of 2020, Fauci told the American Federation of Teachers union that there could not be a one-size-fits-all solution for schools to reopen.

“What might be good in one county, one region, one city, one state, might not be the same for all …. The default situation should be that we should try— to the best of our ability—to get the children back to school,” he said then, acknowledging the “unintended ripple effects” for families, including how the social isolation caused by school closings had been hard particularly on children.

At the same time, he advised that “paramount among all of this is the safety, the health and the welfare of the children, of the teachers, of the school personnel and … the families of those people.”

Because many young people are asymptomatic, “people will not know they are infected,” said Fauci in 2020, and that schools would need to have the availability of testing for children and contact tracing to respond quickly when someone becomes sick.

School closures were the result of state and local policies, and also union pressure, and were not directed by the White House. However, local officials leaned on the direction and clues given by experts like Fauci and the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield under President Donald J. Trump and Rochelle P. Walensky under President Joe Biden.

Doug Massie: Statements about me are wrong, egregious

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

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October 16, 2022

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Doug Massie: Statements about me are wrong, egregious

To the voters of Senate District O (House District 29 and 30),

One of the greatest dangers in politics is when we put a specific political agenda above the concerns of our neighbors. When we become too political, we begin looking at our neighbors as the enemy.

I have been ignoring the false noise in this campaign, but after reading Must Read Alaska’s Oct. 15, 2022, article “District 29 and 30—Valley-to-Valdez—Republicans are backing Sen. Mike Shower…and saying no to Doug Massie”, I am compelled to respond and set the record straight.

It is concerning to me that Mike Shower’s operative, Carol Carman, feels the need to bring forth these false and slanderous accusations about my character and my career, and that Must Read Alaska is irresponsible enough to print them without further verification.

Carman’s statements are not only wrong, but they are also egregious. I retired from the Alaska State Troopers with a long and stellar record. If there is any question about that, I am willing to request my employment records be opened for public inspection. There are not, and never have been, active litigations in which I interfered as a trooper. Again, Carman’s claims against me are unequivocally false and slanderous.

I have worked diligently in this campaign to keep it positive and do what is best for Alaska, but after being slandered and lied about I feel it is time to state the facts: Mike Shower was absent for 25% of the votes taken during his time in office. This is not an accusation; this is a verifiable, factual statement. I am a lifelong Republican with conservative values, both socially and fiscally. I work well collaborating with others who might have a different viewpoint than my own.

This does not mean I will compromise my own values or beliefs, but that I will come to the table and find solutions that work for both sides. This is a quality we should celebrate in politics. I believe the constituents of Districts 29 and 30 also support these qualities, as indicated by the results of the Primary election, where I was overwhelmingly supported and won by over 700 votes.

If there are questions about my work record or my political platform, I encourage you to reach out to me directly. If I am elected, I look forward to serving the people of Districts 29 and 30. I would be honored to have your vote on November 8th.

Doug Massie is running for Senate Seat O.

District 29 and 30 — Valley-to-Valdez — Republicans are backing Sen. Mike Shower … and saying no to Doug Massie

Rod Arno: Alaska Outdoor Council endorsements for Nov. 8 include Nick Begich III, Kelly Tshibaka, Mike Dunleavy

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

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October 16, 2022

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Rod Arno: Alaska Outdoor Council endorsements for Nov. 8 include Nick Begich III, Kelly Tshibaka, Mike Dunleavy

By ROD ARNO | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALASKA OUTDOOR COUNCIL

Alaskans’ opportunities to enjoy outdoor activities and harvest a wildfood source on public lands/waters for now and well into the future will depend on you getting out to vote.

Listed here are candidates that the Alaska Outdoor Council has experience working with and find worthy of your support at the polls Nov. 8, 2022. These candidates when elected, with your help, will work with the Alaska Outdoor Council to provide greater outdoor opportunities for all Alaskans.

Alaska U.S. House of Representative Seat

Alaska Outdoor Council sticks with Nick. Candidate Sarah Palin would find little support in the U.S. House to further our cause. Candidate Mary Peltola has a long history for advocating for tribal sovereignty over state management of fish and game granted to the State of Alaska at statehood.

The Alaska Outdoor Council endorsed candidate Nick Begich III for the lone U.S. House of Representatives seat from Alaska when Don Young was still in the race for reelection.

It took a lot of intestinal fortitude for Nick Begich to go up against Don Young, none of the other candidates vying to replace Congressman Young had the boldness to do that.

Nick Begich is well aware of Title VIII in the 1980 flawed federal law, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) that divides Alaskans and is hindering resources development on 60% of Alaska controlled by the federal government. Nick will work for all Alaskans to insure subsistence needs are provided for while at the same time opportunities for regulated resource development can occur on federal lands.

Alaska U.S. Senate Seat

Alaska Outdoor Council endorses Kelly Tshibaka to replace Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who has allowed federal law to divide Alaskans based on where they live.

The urban/rural divide caused by Title VIII of ANILCA is not in Alaska’s best interest now or in the future. Kelly Tshibaka understands how the Feds have used Title VIII of ANILCA to takeover Alaska state management authority of fish and game on federal lands and thwart regulated resource development. Kelly Tshibaka will work to give all Alaskans an opportunity to access public federal lands/waters and benefit from the resources Alaska has to offer.

Alaska Governor’s Administration

Alaska Outdoor Council endorses the re-election of Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

Gov. Dunleavy has been true to his word regarding increasing outdoor opportunities for all Alaskans during his first term. Alaska Outdoor Council has witnessed a greater willingness of department commissioners (DNR, ADF&G, DCCED, DEC, DOL) to work together to conserve fish and game and increasing access opportunities on public lands and waters. Alaska Outdoor Council is confident that with another four years of Gov. Dunleavy’s leadership, Alaska’s outdoor folks will reap greater outdoor opportunities for years to come.

Alaska State Senate District D

Alaska Outdoor Council endorsed Tuckerman Babcock for State Senate prior to the May 25th announcement from Sen. Peter Micciche that he would not seek another term.

Alaska Outdoor Council’s position on state management of fisheries conflicted with Sen. Micciche and Alaska Outdoor Council was encouraging new representation from what was then Senate District O. Tuckerman Babcock is an outdoors person who has been very active within Alaska Outdoor Council and politically on the management and allocation of fish and game in Alaska for decades.

Alaska Outdoor Council endorsed Tuckerman early this spring to let Sen. Micciche know his position on federal fisheries management in Cook Inlet was inconsistent with Alaska Outdoor Council’s purpose of supporting state management.

Tuckerman Babcock’s knowledge of and support for Alaska Outdoor Council’s purposes will help give outdoor folks a strong leader in the Senate when legislation is introduced effecting access to public lands/waters and fish/game are up for vote in the State Senate and when negotiating with the State House for passage on to the Governor.

Alaska State House candidates for the 33rd Legislature

Alaska Outdoor Council recommends re-election for the following Alaska State House Representatives:

House District

Sarah Vance 6

Ron Gillham 7

Ben Carpenter 8

Laddie Shaw 9

Tom McKay 15

David Nelson 18

DeLena Johnson 25

Cathy Tilton 26

David Eastman 27

Kevin McCabe 30

Mike Cronk 36

The Alaska Outdoor Council recommends support for the following candidates for Alaska State House who did not serve in the 32nd Legislature.

House District

Craig Johnson 10

Kathy Henslee 13

Liz Vazquez 16

Dan Saddler 24

Rod Arno is the executive director of Alaska Outdoor Council. To see how you can get involved, contact the group here.

District 29 and 30 — Valley-to-Valdez — Republicans are backing Sen. Mike Shower … and saying no to Doug Massie

Suzanne Downing

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October 15, 2022

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District 29 and 30 — Valley-to-Valdez — Republicans are backing Sen. Mike Shower … and saying no to Doug Massie

Sen. Mike Shower, former Air Force pilot and now a state senator for a vast district in the conservative heart of Alaska, has the unqualified endorsement of District 29 and 30 Republican committees.

His opponent, not so much.

The chair of District 29 is putting out the word about candidate Doug Massie, who she describes as, well, a moderate mess.

In an email to her list of hundreds of voters in the District, D-29 Chair Carol Carman, longtime valley political influencer, said phones started ringing off the hook for her when Massie filed for office. And it was troubling. He’s closely associated with a public employee union, and that’s a deal breaker for many, but she heard of incidents that worried her.

Carman points to problems: Massie was first promoted in the Troopers to become the Director of Wildlife Troopers, and he wasn’t qualified. He was demoted by then-commissioner of Public Safety Amanda Price for unprofessional conduct. Massie had an exclusive contract that allowed him to retain his employment at his original rank of sergeant, and was later reappointed to the position of director of AWT with restoration to the rank of colonel after Commissioner Price was fired by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Carman says.

Carman also says Massie was later forced to retire under internal scrutiny for his alleged interference in two Trooper criminal investigations, and that there is active litigation occurring.

“This is very well known among Troopers, and is alluded to in podcast episode #49 below,” Carman said, and she provided podcast links for “Heroes Without Capes,” by former Trooper Luis Nieves, who discussed “good guys and the bad guys in the Trooper workforce. He is a whistle blower greatly respected and sometimes feared by Troopers.

Episode 41: Background of the host of the show.

Episode 43: Start at the 1-hour mark.

Episode 49: Start at 47:50 mark.

The District 29 newsletter is the sixth in a series on Massie, whom the district is strongly opposing even though he is a Republican, and even though his mother is a well-respected Republican, as was his late father. The newsletter can be read at this link.

Alternately, the District 29 Republicans are really happy with their current Senator, Mike Shower.

“Sen Shower brings over 20 years of military experience to the legislature, retiring as a Lt Colonel and Squadron Commander. As a combat veteran he has command, operational, test, training, and joint staff experience around the world including in Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific theaters, as well as various domestic US assignments.

Shower’s educational background includes a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in business, as well as a variety of military command, leadership and education programs, the newsletter notes. Shower has 12 years of private sector experience working for FedEx as a commercial airline pilot and inside the state of Alaska for a small business.

“In addition to these qualifications, he now has 5 years of experience as our state senator. He has the expertise, staff and knowledge to hit the ground running. He is the right person, at the right time, to best serve us in Juneau. His reputation, character, and integrity are beyond reproach. Now is not the time to replace him with a rookie freshmen legislator who brings none of these attributes or experience to the table,” the District Republican chair says.

Senator Shower’s interview with former Trooper, Luis Nieves, on his podcast is at this link.

Sen. Shelley Hughes, a popular conservative in the Valley, gave her endorsement to Shower: “Senator Shower is not only an asset to our Mat-Su Delegation, but he is a consistent, reliable conservative vote in the Senate and a team player in the legislature. He’s a tough guy when he needs to be – and that’s usually the side the public sees – but he also knows how to get down to brass tacks and work through to consensus with House and Senate members in a reasonable way to get sensible items across the finish line. I’m proud to work with him. He’s a great colleague.”

In addition to the praise from Sen. Hughes, Sen. Shower has the endorsement of a long list of conservative leaders in the state, including:

Dave Bronson, Anchorage Mayor
Tuckerman Babcock, Former ARP Chair
Suzanne Downing, Must Read Alaska
Karen Lewis, Pro-Life Alaska
Edna & Noel DeVries, MSB Mayor
George & Dee McKee, MSB Assembly
Mokie Tew, MSB Assembly
Ron Bernier, MSB Assembly
Tom & Kim Bergey, MSB School Board
Pam Melin, Palmer Deputy Mayor
Richard Best, Palmer City Council
Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, Wasilla City Council
Frank Buzby, Sutton Community Council President
Jim Psenak, Alpine Bar Owner
Jill Alford, Pinnacle Peak
Cathy Tilton, House Minority Leader
George Rauscher, State Representative
Kevin McCabe, State Representative
Ben Carpenter, State Representative
Mike Cronk, State Representative
Ron Gilliam, State Representative
Mike Prax, State Representative
Laddie Shaw, State Representative
Sarah Vance, State Representative
Mia Costello, State Senator
Roger Holland, State Senator
Robert Myers, State Senator
Ron & Janet Johnson, ARP Region 2 Representative
Cathy Mosher, Valley Republican Women’s Club President

Doug Massie rebuts the charges in his op-ed here:

Doug Massie: Statements about me are wrong, egregious

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Downing: The loyalty pledge that Bill Walker made to Communist China in 2017

Suzanne Downing

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October 15, 2022

52

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Part 1: Bill Walker signed away 75% of Alaska’s gas to the Chinese in exchange for major control of the gasline

Candidate Bill Walker is trying his hardest to get Democrat Les Gara elected governor. Walker has a slim-to-none chance of winning himself — he has polling numbers he won’t release, since they are incredibly bad for him. Polling by others not connected with his campaign rank him in the “just awful” range.

But Walker is out for blood and going to do all the damage he can to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, in the name of revenge. After all, it’s Dunleavy who stood in Walker’s way, preventing him from building a Chinese-financed gasline from the North Slope that would make Alaska beholden to the communist Chinese government for generations.

For four years and especially in recent campaign days, the Walker team has been jawing about a so-called “loyalty pledge,” which is a term the Walker acolytes coined when Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s chief of staff, in the early days in of transitioning from Walker to the Dunleavy administration, asked the “exempt” workers (those not in unions) if they wanted to continue working for the new governor. It was an innocent question. If they did, they were asked to simply state that they wanted to keep working. With all new political administrations, it’s out with the old, and in with the new appointed people. That’s how new governors roll out their agendas — they get people on board who support that agenda.

Missing from the mainstream narrative is this: The list Gov. Dunleavy sent the “do you want to work for Dunleavy” note to was a list provided to him by Gov. Walker during the transition and before Dunleavy was sworn into office. What a great set-up by Walker.

The ads are misleading but they parrot the mainstream media headlines that also called it a “loyalty pledge.” This is how mainstream media helps out its favorite candidates. It’s all done with a wink and a nod.

So let’s talk about an actual loyalty pledge — the one that Bill Walker made to China.

In 2017, Bill Walker signed massive agreements with three large enterprises owned by the communist Chinese government — Sinopec, the Bank of China, and China Investment Corporation. The agreement would give huge advantages to China to pay for Walker’s gasline from the North Slope, and wire in deals for China for natural gas — deals that would last a lifetime. China would get 75% of the gas from the pipeline in exchange for financing the construction of it and an option to buy in as an owner of the project. China would be given the right to manufacture pipeline components.

Bill Walker once signed MOU for gas contract to China’s Sinopec, which is now delisting from NY stock exchange

Cleverly, the Chinese also had the option to withdraw from the project at any time. The Chinese are not dumb. They knew they were dealing with an unsophisticated governor, and one who was willing to take their cash — in American dollars — and return to the states with it. The cash transfer they executed was a test — and the Walkers passed that test without knowing it. They showed the Chinese government they were willing to take cash.

Donna Walker brought home cash from China in 2017. The question is: Why cash?

Fortunately for Alaska and America, Walker was replaced by voters and was not able to renew the agreement with China, which expired not long after he was unceremoniously removed in 2018. Gov. Dunleavy prevented China from getting a toehold on a project that would enrich the communists by tying up gas contracts for generations.

Walker had spent most of his time as governor involving himself in the matters of the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, which is supposed to, by charter, run as a separate entity. Under Walker, it was like another state department, one that he was commissioner of and that he controlled, although Keith Meyer was the president and CEO. Meyer is an expert in gaslines, but Walker was in charge, and he left the running of state government to his lieutenant governor, Byron Mallott.

Walker courted China President Xi Jinping, who also holds the title of general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Both of them came into power at about the same time — Xi in 2013, and Walker in 2014. By 2018, Walker had signed the agreement and was going into an election cycle promising Alaskans he had met his campaign promise of building a gasline.

Alaska came “this close” to being betrothed to the communist Chinese based on signed agreements that Alaskans never knew about until the ink was dry.

Walker signed a loyalty pledge for the ages.

Walker failed. But he is now trying his next-best option, which is to have Alaska governed by a hardline Democrat in Les Gara, who will take Alaskans’ Permanent Fund dividends to be redistributed to state workers, and who may even put Walker in charge of the gasline to China again as political payback for another of Walker’s loyalty pledges.

Suzanne Downing is publisher at Must Read Alaska.

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