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Mayor Bronson says no more federal mask mandate on city buses in Anchorage, school district makes them optional

Suzanne Downing
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Mayor Bronson says no more federal mask mandate on city buses in Anchorage, school district makes them optional

Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson announced on Tuesday that with the lifting of the federal mandate, the Municipality of Anchorage no longer requires face masks on any public transportation including People Mover, AnchorRIDES, and RideShare.

“I am pleased to see the federal court decision reject this mandate that kept Alaskans from making their own health decisions for themselves and their families,” Bronson said.

Riders may still choose to wear a mask if they would like. “We still encourage riders to stay home when they are sick and will maintain our cleaning practices,” he said in a statement.

On Monday, a federal judge ruled the Biden Administration mask mandate for transportation to be an illegal action, and several airlines quickly lifted the mask requirement in response. The Transportation Security Administration is not enforcing the mask mandate in airports and train stations. The Biden Administration is appealing the judge’s ruling.

The Anchorage School District says masks, which were mandated on school buses, are now optional.

Uber has lifted its company mask mandate as of 9 am Tuesday but Lyft, a competing ride-sharing company, had not made an announcement.

Alaska Airlines, United, Delta drop mask mandate

Bob Bird: Alaskan Independence Party convention, a chance to learn about unique political movement

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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Bob Bird: Alaskan Independence Party convention, a chance to learn about unique political movement

By BOB BIRD

            In Alaska’s political history, the Alaskan Independence Party holds a unique place. Founded by the embittered genius Joe Vogler in the early 80s in reaction to the federal land grab engineered not only by President Jimmy Carter but also in cooperation with Sen. Ted Stevens, it soldiers on today as a bastion of states’ rights, constitutionalism and the persistent effort to hold a proper re-vote on the Alaska Statehood Act.

            Despite what mainstream journalists say, the AIP is not a “secessionist party,” if secession is defined as a belligerent and unilateral withdrawal from a parent nation. This was something that the American colonies did in 1776 and the southern Confederacy tried in 1860. Rather, through Vogler’s persistent research in the days before the internet, the party claims that Alaska (and Hawaii) were denied the four options that all “non-self-governing territories” were entitled to by the United Nations Treaty of 1945.

The options were to continue as a colony or territory, opt to amalgamate with the parent nation (statehood), free-trade independence or “commonwealth,” and finally independence.

            Thus, The Philippines did not secede, but merely exercised its treaty rights when it voted for independence in 1946. Puerto Rico still exercises these rights, as does Guam. The colonies of England, France, Netherlands, and other Euro-imperial powers all have done the same. The Alaskan Independence Party promotes the idea that Alaska and Hawaii have fewer rights than these other countries. Our statehood vote gave us only two options: remain a territory or become a state.

            Our economic destiny has long been controlled by corporate and federal interests and explains why we cannot develop our petroleum and other natural resources without an act of Congress. If the state legislature were to reclaim the denied treaty obligations, the AIP believes that it would awaken national and international consciences, force the respect of a runaway federal bureaucracy, corner the Green Lobby to mitigate its stranglehold on the state and get fellow citizens in the Lower 48 to rethink just what the term “sovereign state” ought to mean.

            This is, of course, dangerous to the status quo, where constitutional and treaty violations are selectively cited only when it serves the purposes of Deep State power.

Conservatives in Alaska need to get around the mainstream propaganda machine and learn that the AIP has steadfastly held to its purposes. The time may be ripe, as events unfold, for a resurgence of authentic Alaskan values and true patriotism. It is a pro-gun, pro-family, pro-constitution and pro-life voice, not a caricature of disgruntled Interior miners and trappers, trying to lead the state into a hopeless secession against a leviathan.

            The statewide convention is in Soldotna on April 23 and details are found at www.aipliberty.com and www.akip.org.

Bob Bird is chair of the Alaskan Independence Party and the host of a talk show, the Bird’s Eye View on KSRM radio, Kenai.

Bob Bird: Fear-mongering about constitutional convention comes out of Left field

Palmer voters head to the polls to decide whether to recall three council members of ‘MatSu Moms for Social Justice’

Suzanne Downing
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Palmer voters head to the polls to decide whether to recall three council members of ‘MatSu Moms for Social Justice’

Three members of the Palmer City Council who violated the Open Meetings Act will face their fate with voters in Palmer today, in a recall election that took a bizarre turn last week, when one of the council members showed up at a Palmer City Council meeting apparently while under the influence of a behavior-changing substance. The strange actions of Councilman Brian Daniels during was caught by video, and after the council took a break, he was driven home.

The three facing recall are Brian Daniels, Sabrena Combs, and Jill Valerius, who were part of a secret Facebook group run by a radical group called “Moms for Social Justice” that discussed city business and planned agenda items for the council, without legally notifying the public. Their group included one other council member, Julie Berberich, who has since been replaced via the election process. That four were meeting in a private chat group constituted a quorum and made their meetings illegal.

Many Palmer residents have participated in the election already in early voting. The clerk reports over 400 people have voted either early or absentee, a record.

History shows it’s challenging to recall sitting elected officials, and even those who disapprove of the actions of the three remaining offenders on the Palmer City Council don’t necessarily agree with recalling them because the election process is a form of recall, and recalls are expensive and disruptive. Recent recall efforts in Anchorage have failed, even though the offenses of the members being recalled involved misuse of millions of dollars in federal CARES Act monies.

Polls opened at 7 am and close at 8 pm at the Mat-Su Borough Assembly Chambers and the Mat-Su Borough Gym, both located at 350 Dahlia Avenue in Palmer.

Pam Melin: The recall of the Palmer Three and the meltdown of Councilman Brian Daniels
Keyboard Cabal: Palmer recall election is now under way

Charlie Pierce: Poorly managed bycatch is an Alaska tragedy

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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Charlie Pierce: Poorly managed bycatch is an Alaska tragedy

By CHARLIE PIERCE

During my visits with communities throughout Alaska a number of concerns are discussed.  One major concern, common to many communities is the effect of lax and dismissed enforcement of commercial fishing “Bycatch” rules by our current administration.

Before going further, let me tell you the truth about  that cute term “Bycatch.” 

Around the world it is called  “discarded and killed fish.”  “Bycatch” is a NOAA-created, feel-good phrase embraced by the Alaska Administration to make it sound like it’s no big deal.  Politicians playing games with words.

The effect of poorly managed and loose regulations regarding fishing “Bycatch” has ramifications around the whole State of Alaska:  from the sport fisherman hoping to catch that prized king salmon, to the halibut fisherman simply trying to bring home a tasty meal, to the commercial salmon boat trying to earn a living, to the commercial crabber bringing up an empty pot and to the commercial halibut boat trying to harvest one of Alaska’s food resources.  

Alaskan fishermen from Nome to Bristol Bay, to the Cook Inlet to Kodiak, to Cordova to Ketchikan, to the Yukon-Kuskowim  subsistence  and all coastal communities suffer the effects of “Bycatch” policy failures.

What do they all have in common?  Simply put, catcher vessels and  factory trawlers disposing of Alaska’s natural resource, our seafood. Why?  Because of old and lax laws regarding the “Unintended Bycatch” and killing of a treasured resource, our Alaska fish.

As your Governor, I will stand behind our sport, subsistence and directed commercial fisheries ( species-specific fishing) and the Alaska businesses they support.  My administration will use all state resources available, legal and regulatory to stop this travesty and anti-Alaska fishing ByCatch industry.

Did you know?  Halibut reproduce when they grow to around 8 pounds, yet the bottom trawlers kill and discard them at about 5 pounds. Killing the babies before they can reproduce is tantamount to genocide of the Halibut fish species. All sanctioned by the current State Administration and done in the name of increasing the financial bottom line of  the Mostly Seattle based industrial trawl fleet. 

Yes, the current administration has started a “committee” to review this problem. Do you know what the most used words in the committee are?

How about “should” “underway” “exploring” “evaluate” “monitor” “continue to explore” “discuss”

Not once was there a mention of  “DO”, “NOW” or just plain “FIX IT.”

There are ways to stop the destruction of the Alaska fishing industry.  Sound management and a Governor that cares.  A Pierce administration will not accept rhetoric, I will demand results.  

So who are those holding back and destroying our precious resource?  The Alaskan public-NO?

Politicians receiving money to turn a blind eye? YES,  And YES, mostly out of state companies with off shore trawler processing vessels, provide that money while they prioritize short term profit over protecting our fishing resource.

What can we do immediately?

  • A Pierce Administration: will require the use of electronic surveillance monitoring on a 24/7 basis.
  • A Pierce Administration: will impose taxes on out-of-state operations equal to the full value of the “Bycatch” of all species and use that to support Alaska based fishery enterprises.
  • A Pierce Administration: will work with Congress and demand a 9-mile state water limit with no bottom trawling. 
  • A Pierce Administration: will create a stepped-down approach which reduces bycatch year to year; until bycatch reaches a level which allows Alaskans to once again enjoy full and historical sport, subsistence, and directed commercial fisheries limits.

Plus, we will deploy other methods available, on a priority basis using today’s data and action now.

These actions, with the appointment of individuals to the NPFMC who understand their one and only job is “Alaskans First” will make a difference.

Ask your politicians, ask the candidates, ask the governor. 

Have you taken money from mostly Out of state seafood processor groups?  What have you done to help Alaska?  Not words, but results.

Charlie Pierce has not and will not accept the tainted donations from parties that seek to destroy our Alaska fishing resource.  

I will work to reduce trawl “bycatch” and save Alaska’s sport and commercial industries.  My administration will not talk about saving Alaska’s fish resources, we will take action to protect Alaska.

Results not Rhetoric will put “Alaskans First” and restore our right to fish the waters of Alaska without the destructive interference of outside “predators” while retaining the integrity and livelihood of our fishing fleets and their on-deck workers.

You can count on me, Charlie Pierce and a Governor Pierce administration to put “Alaskans First.”

Occupy Anchorage: George Martinez states he’ll run for Eastside Assembly seat in 2023

Suzanne Downing
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Occupy Anchorage: George Martinez states he’ll run for Eastside Assembly seat in 2023

The Anchorage Assembly could shift further to the left next year: Anchorage’s George Martinez, who worked in the administration of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and once was a well-known figure in Occupy Wall Street protest movement in New York City, has announced he is running for the East Anchorage Assembly seat now occupied by Pete Petersen, who hits his term limit in 2023.

Martinez is a Brooklyn-raised rapper, emcee, rabid anti-capitalist, community organizer, and was once an avowed Occupy Wall Street-themed candidate for U.S. Congress in New York.

Martinez ran for Anchorage Mayor in 2021, receiving 3.5 percent of the vote. It was a warm-up for his 2023 cycle. He filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission in March, and is raising money now for his campaign.

Martinez is also a program director for the Alaska Humanities Forum, where he works for far-left Assemblyman Kameron Perez-Verdia. Martinez served as special assistant to Berkowitz for economic development, youth development, education and diversity for four of the five and a half years that Berkowitz was in office.

The actual filing for the Assembly seat takes place next January, and the election is April 3, 2023. Other seats will also be up for election, depending on the result of local redistricting.

When Martinez ran for Congress, New York Magazine wrote, “But while OWS [Occupy Wall Street] has generally shunned electoral politics, considering the system flush with corporate cash and beyond repair for now, Brooklyn’s George Martinez, a cultural ambassador for the State Department, former district leader, and self-described ‘hip-hop diplomat,’ is giving it a real go, running under the Occupy banner for a seat in Congress. He promised Daily Intel: ‘We are absolutely in this to win this.'”

The publication reported, “That’s probably a bit of an oversell. But the 38-year-old, who also works as an adjunct political science professor at Pace University, really has been spending every day ‘street canvasing, flyering, and postering’ across the new 7th congressional district around Sunset Park to prep for the June 26 Democratic primary. After at least one would-be candidate’s false start, Martinez claims to be the first Occupy-affiliated candidate to make a congressional ballot without third party assistance, on a budget of just $5,000.”

Occupy Wall Street describes itself as “a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.”

Alaska Airlines, United, Delta drop mask mandate

Suzanne Downing
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Alaska Airlines, United, Delta drop mask mandate

Alaska Airlines announced today that face coverings on its flights are now optional.

“Face masks have been like boarding passes for nearly two years — you couldn’t fly without one. But, as of today, masks are optional in airports and onboard aircraft, effective immediately,” the airlines announced. United and Delta also dropped their mask requirements.

Earlier Monday, a federal judge ruled the Biden Administration’s face mask mandate in transportation facilities and aircraft, trains, and buses is an illegal action by the federal government. The Transportation Security Administration immediately announced it is no longer enforcing the federal government’s mask mandate.

The airlines noted that while TSA is no longer enforcing the Biden mandate, it may take time for individual airports to be responsive. Also, those traveling to Canada on Alaska Airlines flights will need to wear masks, the company said.

Alaska said that guests who were banned for not following the previous mask policy may remain banned if their behavior was “particularly egregious.” The airline did not provide guidance for how those decisions would be made or when people on the no-fly list, such as Sen. Lora Reinbold, might be permitted to use the airlines once again.

Sen. Reinbold has insisted from the beginning of the pandemic that the mask mandate was an unlawful overreach of power of the federal government, and today’s court ruling proved she was correct. She was banned from Alaska Airlines last year for not complying to the company’s satisfaction when it came to donning a face mask in the airports and on its jets.

Breaking: Federal judge strikes down Biden mask mandate for travelers

Polling: Alan Gross quickly tested his popularity before filing for Congress at end of March

Suzanne Downing
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Polling: Alan Gross quickly tested his popularity before filing for Congress at end of March

Change Research, a San Francisco polling firm, helped candidate Alan Gross test his mettle before he filed for office for the Alaska congressional seat now vacant upon the March 18 death of Congressman Don Young.

In a poll conducted for Democratic Party in late March, Gross’ name was tested against others to see if he could be successful. Gross didn’t show any interest in the congressional race until Young’s death, but then had a poll in the field right away, March 25-29, asking 755 Alaskans their views on his candidacy, as well as others.

In a race that had Gross vs. the D.C. lobbyists’ favorite Josh Revak, Gross pulled 35% and Revak pulled 34%. When it was Gross vs. Sarah Palin, it was nearly split, at Gross 40% and Palin 42%.

When Gross’ name was pitted against Palin, Revak and State Sen. Lora Reinbold, the result was Gross 33%, Palin 30%, Revak 9% and Reinbold 8%.

In a Must Read Alaska poll commissioned in April found that, among 955 likely voters, the result would be:

  • Sarah Palin-R – 31%
  • Al Gross-D – 26%
  • Nick Begich-R – 21%
  • Chris Constant-D – 7%
  • Josh Revak-R – 3%
  • Tara Sweeney-R – 2%
  • Other candidate 4%
  • Undecided 6%

Remington Research Group typically polls for Republicans, while Change Research polls for Democrats. Al Gross flies under the “independent” label but is a nominal independent, who aligns with Democrats on all issues.

New Must Read Alaska poll: Sarah Palin, Nick Begich are top two Republicans on the ballot for Congress

Change Research’s poll was for 314 Action, a political action committee for the Democratic Party and reached 728 likely voters. The breakdown of demographics for that poll are not known. The company is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, formed in July 2017 by Mike Greenfield, a former data expert at PayPal and LinkedIn, and Pat Reilly, a Democratic Party campaign operative. Change Research is the official pollster of Crooked Media’s Pod Save America and KQED, the most-listened-to public radio station in the US, according to the company website.

The special election primary will occur on June 11, 2022. Ballots will be in the mail from the Division of Election on April 27, and there are 48 names on the ballot, making polling extremely challenging for this race. The special general election Aug. 16, 2022, and the winner will be the temporary congressional representative for Alaska until the regular election process is completed in November and the new representative is sworn in in January.

Gross, fresh off the campaign trail from 2020 has evidently caught campaign fever. After he lost his race against Sen. Dan Sullivan in 2020, the Democrats contracted with Change Research and tested Gross’ chances against Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Kelly Tshibaka, with the idea that he might jump into that race in 2022. But the numbers were not favorable. In a three-way race with Murkowski and Tshibaka, Gross drew the last straw with 25% of the vote, handing the win to Tshibaka at 39% and leaving Murkowski with just 19% of the vote. That’s not something the Democrats could support, and Gross demurred from signing up as a spoiler.

He distinguished himself as a true liberal in 2020 with support from major progressive organizations such as the anti-Republican Lincoln Project, which may hold off getting involved in the 2022 special election for the temporary congressional seat until it sees which of the 48 candidates on the ballot are moving forward. If Gross moves to the special general election ballot, the Lincoln Project will likely be the attack dog that goes after Sarah Palin, just as the group went after President Donald Trump, Sen. Dan Sullivan, and other Republicans in 2020.

Ballot roulette: What will your special election ballot look like for the congressional race?
Gross makes it official that he’s running for Congress, and Coghill signs up for the race at Division of Elections

Does a Trump endorsement help or hurt this year?

Suzanne Downing
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Does a Trump endorsement help or hurt this year?

With former President Donald Trump endorsing three different statewide races in Alaska this year, some political analysts wonder if it will help or hurt the Alaska candidates he has chosen to back: Gov. Mike Dunleavy, senatorial candidate Kelly Tshibaka, and congressional candidate Sarah Palin.

A Trump endorsement may hurt some, and may help others in the Alaska races.

“My audience worships Trump and they are expressing disappointment in him now, because they are not happy about this (Palin endorsement),” said Dan Fagan, host of the morning radio show on News Radio 650 KENI. Other political observers in Alaska echoed that sentiment — as much as they like Trump, this was not a good move.

Trump was an early fan of Gov. Dunleavy, who was elected in 2018 after former Gov. Bill Walker’s campaign cratered in spectacular fashion during the last few weeks.

Dunleavy came into office during the aftershocks of a major earthquake — a magnitude 7.1 that wrecked homes and roads in Southcentral Alaska on Nov. 30, 2018. Wildfires raged across 2.9 million acres of the state in 2019, and then in 2020, the Made-in-China virus reached the USA. The first case in Alaska was diagnosed in March of 2020. Dunleavy also faced a recall effort put together by some of Walker’s top surrogates, including Scott Kendall, who is also one of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s top insiders and campaign advisers.

Trump stood by Dunleavy through thick and thin and supported Alaska-friendly policies to help the state recover from the Walker-Obama debacles, such as approving a road from King Cove to the Cold Bay air strip, and opening up limited logging in the Tongass National Forest and more leases for oil on Alaska’s North Slope. While Murkowski’s top advisers back in Alaska tried to destroy Dunleavy, he had the ear of the president, who met with Alaska’s governor on several occasions. In fact, Dunleavy met with Trump more times than any sitting governor.

In a state that voted 53 percent for Trump in 2020, an endorsement from Trump seemed like a sure bet for Dunleavy.

Then came Trump’s endorsement for Kelly Tshibaka, the upstart candidate who is taking on one of the most powerful people in the U.S. Senate — Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski is unloved by her own Alaska Republican Party, which has asked her to not run as a Republican. The party has endorsed Tshibaka. Murkowski’s approval rating among conservatives in Alaska is lower than Joe Biden’s ratings, and Trump’s approval by conservatives is still pretty strong. He won Alaska by 53 percent of the vote in 2020. A Trump endorsement of Tshibaka gave her the needed name recognition to rocket to national attention and get on Fox News more than a few times.

“Trump’s support of Alaska Republican Kelly Tshibaka, who is challenging Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in an open primary, doesn’t look promising either,” wrote Alexander Bolton in The Hill on Monday. “Murkowski has more than six times as much cash on hand as her rival and felt comfortable enough about her reelection to vote for President Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court.”

Suddenly, Trump did something odd — he qualified his support for Gov. Dunleavy, saying he would only back him if Dunleavy did not back Murkowski.

Bolton notes that Trump’s backing of candidates is having a less-than-stellar record across the country. Trump backed former Sen. David Perdue, a Republican, in the Georgia governor’s race, yet incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, also a Republican, is far ahead in the polls and may be in landslide territory for the May 24 primary.

Trump’s endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell in Pennsylvania (no relation to Alaska’s former governor) was a bust when Parnell dropped out after being accused of domestic violence.

Trump’s endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama went sideways when Brooks started tanking in the polls, causing Trump to take back his endorsement.

And Trump has now endorsed J.D. Vance, author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” causing heartburn with Republicans in Ohio, where the Senate seat is in play. Conservatives prefer former Ohio state Treasurer Josh Mandel, who currently leads in the polls for the Republican primary.

“The basic problem is he has a bad record empirically,” said Justin Buchler, a professor of political science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, according to The Hill. “The people that he endorses don’t have a particularly great winning record.”  

In Alaska, Trump endorsed Sarah Palin for Congress, an endorsement that is already having the effect of fracturing the Republican Party. Trump has a way of getting Republicans to fight with each other, and both he and Palin run hard against what they see as the party establishment. Ironically, it was that party establishment that boosted her candidacy in 2006, when she won the primary for governor against Gov. Frank Murkowski. That Republican establishment also supported Trump in 2016 and 2020.

“He is divisive. He incites Republicans to fight with each other instead of the Left. He’s not trying to make peace with the party,” said one Republican Party leader.

Palin, who has just a 31 percent approval rating from Alaskans, polls even lower than President Joe Biden.

If Trump does come to Alaska this summer for a rally — and he has promised to do so for candidate Tshibaka — he would demand one big event that includes Tshibaka, Palin, and Dunleavy. With Palin and Trump on the stage, Dunleavy and Tshibaka could be overshadowed by the star power of the former president and Palin, the most famous person in Alaska history. The media would focus all of its attention on Palin, with news reporters flying in from across the country to cover the spectacle of Trump-Palin.

For campaigns, this will be the trickiest of situations to pull off for the other Republican candidates, who rightfully don’t want to be in another campaign’s shadow.

Alaska political observers say that Trump’s endorsement of Palin actually hurts Tshibaka the most, because it has taken away some of the focus on what was the most watched race in the country — Murkowski vs. Tshibaka. If that is true, then Trump’s backing of Palin, who only has a 31 percent approval rating among Alaskans, would weaken his attack on the person he most wants to see gone from the Senate — Murkowski.

As for Trump’s own goals to return to the White House in 2024, these endorsements and the outcomes may provide some of the most important data of all to his team: Is Trump still viable as presidential material?

Breaking: Federal judge strikes down Biden mask mandate for travelers

Suzanne Downing
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17
Breaking: Federal judge strikes down Biden mask mandate for travelers

A federal judge in Florida has declared the Biden Administration’s mask mandate for airplanes and other public transportation to be illegal.

The case was brought by the Health Freedom Defense Fund and two lead plaintiffs in July of 2021. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle agreed the mandate is unlawful, as it exceeds the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its implementation through agency rule making was also illegal.

The Biden Administration is likely to appeal, making it unclear how its agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration, will proceed. This is a developing story.

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