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American Rescue Plan Act grant goes to one nonprofit that discriminates against straight youth in Anchorage

Suzanne Downing
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27
American Rescue Plan Act grant goes to one nonprofit that discriminates against straight youth in Anchorage

Housing discrimination is woven into in the fabric of the American Rescue Plan Act grants approved last year by the Anchorage Assembly.

During the administration unelected Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson, noncompetitive federally sourced American Rescue Plan Act grants were awarded to several nonprofits by the Assembly and the mayor. The grants were supposed to respond to hardship conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

One of those grants was a $500,000 award to Choosing Our Roots, a new nonprofit based in Mountainview that helps homeless youth, ages 13-24, who are self-declared to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.

This particular nonprofit is a pet project of openly gay members of the Assembly, including former Mayor Quinn-Davidson, Assemblyman Chris Constant, and Assemblyman Felix Rivera.

With the $500,000 already in hand, Choosing Our Roots will purchase a residential building that will house up to 10 LGBTQ young people at a time. The building has not yet been purchased as of this writing, but the grant says it must be bought by December of 2022, and a copy of the deed must be provided to the Anchorage Health Department as proof that the organization fulfilled the grant requirement.

Choosing Our Roots is an organization that, in its mission statement, discriminates against straight youth, or may be reasonably seen as pressuring vulnerable, homeless youth in crisis into declaring themselves gay in order to receive services.

“The Choosing Our Roots (COR) Core Mission: To ensure that all queer Alaskan youth and young adults have access to safe homes, supportive communities, and opportunities to thrive,” the group’s grant application said.

COR is dedicated to housing “homeless and marginally housed Alaskan youth (ages 13-24) who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer.” Non-queer youth need not apply.

The nonprofit organized in 2017 and became operational in 2019. That year it received $201,000 in grants. It gave out $40,000 in grants, had $90,000 in payroll, and had over $50,000 in other expenses, according to its IRS form 990 filing. The organization is run by like-minded LGBTQ people, some of whom identify as intersex, polygamous, Indigiqueer, genderfluid, and queer transman, among others.

COR uses a host home model — finding safe host homes for homeless LGBTQ youth. That model has been challenging with Covid, as host homes became more difficult to find, the group wrote in its grant application.

“As a result, COR maintains a substantial waitlist, and those young people are often waiting in congregate shelters, couch-surfing in crowded settings, and generally living with high risk for COVID-19 and other dangers,” the group said.

The answer was to buy a place to house youth ages 18-24 who are awaiting home placement. Each participant would have his or her own housing unit, and access to the group’s case management and support services.

“COR estimates the project will serve at least 10 unique individuals per calendar year for the duration of the grant term,” COR says.

The federal money for the grant came from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, also known as American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA funds, approved by the Anchorage Assembly in Assembly Resolution 2021-167. That resolution, passed in May of 2021, allocated more than $51 million of $100 million in Anchorage ARPA money, and it passed 7-3, with Eagle River Assemblywomen Jamie Allard and Crystal Kennedy, and Assemblyman John Weddleton voting no.

The Assembly was criticized at the time by those who said that it rushed through the grants before the new mayor, Dave Bronson, could take office and veto any of the expenditures.

The windfall of billions of dollars of federal pandemic aid created a climate of waste, fraud, and abuse, with little oversight as to how billions of dollars will be spent across the country. The parameters are broad, and local communities shape their own grant sideboards. The Municipality, under the unelected Mayor Quinn-Davidson, stated that “Part of the funding in this category was used to support the rapid rehousing of homeless youth transitioning out of shelters, and to provide temporary housing awaiting host home placement. Also used for providing housing, addiction treatment, vocational training for the homeless, and transitional housing for homeless young adults 16-24 years.”

But nearly a year later, the money didn’t provide for any immediate need or rapid rehousing of youth. It’s still in an account owned by Choosing Our Roots, waiting to be spent on a building.

Choosing Our Roots shares the same business address as The Business Boutique, a black-owned enterprise associated with Black Lives Matter that received a noncompetitive $2.5-million grant from the city to help residents in various ways through management of a gift card program.

According to the Department of the Treasury, recipients may use SLFRF funds to:

  • Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services up to the amount of revenue lost due to the pandemic.
  • Respond to the far-reaching public health and negative economic impacts of the pandemic, by supporting the health of communities, and helping households, small businesses, impacted industries, nonprofits, and the public sector recover from economic impacts.
  • Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical sectors.
  • Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, to support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand affordable access to broadband internet

“The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds provide substantial flexibility for each jurisdiction to meet local needs within these four separate eligible use categories,” the Treasury Department says on it website.

How much flexibility? Organizations receiving federal money are not allowed to violate any federal law in the use of funds. But Choosing Our Roots’ very mission puts it in direct violation of the Fair Housing Act, which says it is illegal to discriminate in housing due to race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual harassment), familial status, and disability.

In the grant agreement with Choosing Our Roots, discrimination is specified as an unallowable activity:

“The Grantee shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status or who is a ‘qualified individual with a disability.'” And the grantee also has to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws that prohibit discrimination, the agreement says.

Kelly Tshibaka: Lisa Murkowski and Elvi Gray-Jackson make two Biden Democrats to choose from on the ballot

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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25
Kelly Tshibaka: Lisa Murkowski and Elvi Gray-Jackson make two Biden Democrats to choose from on the ballot

By KELLY TSHIBAKA

With the entrance of State Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson into the Alaska U.S. Senate race, there are now effectively two prominent Democrats for voters to consider in the August primary election. Gray-Jackson’s record shows that she is reliably progressive, while incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski is a dependable vote for President Joe Biden and Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Democrats in the Senate.

On issue after issue, Gray-Jackson and Murkowski are in alignment, and together they are out of step with most Alaskans.

There should be no question that Gray-Jackson would be a rubber stamp for every radical nominee that Biden sends to the Senate. The extremists who already have been confirmed have enacted numerous policies that directly target Alaska, our economy, and our workers.

Murkowski, meanwhile, has voted to confirm more than 90 percent of Biden’s nominees, including casting the tie-breaking vote to advance the nomination of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is spearheading the Biden plan to gut Alaska’s energy industries. Haaland’s policies line up perfectly with Gray-Jackson, who last year co-sponsored legislation that would increase taxes on Alaska employers and oil producers.

For her part, Murkowski also voted for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who blocked all access to the Tongass National Forest for timber production and tourism.

The two are also disastrous on public safety, siding with radicals who call for defunding police and weakening law enforcement officers in our communities. Gray-Jackson has sponsored a number of bills in the state legislature that can fairly be described as anti-police, and which would make it more difficult for officers to do their jobs to protect our communities.

Murkowski was the only “Republican” to vote for the confirmation of Vanita Gupta as a Biden nominee at the Department of Justice, even though Gupta previously testified in the Senate in support of the “Defund the Police” movement. Gupta now oversees the allocation of federal funds (or lack thereof) to local police departments.

Perhaps the most impactful votes a senator will ever cast are those on nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court. Again, Gray-Jackson would be expected to toe the line for Biden and Schumer, while Murkowski has already shown that she opposes originalist, constitutionalist judges.

Murkowski opposed the nominations of Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, after being bullied by Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein into doing so. Yet, Murkowski voted to confirm federal Judge Sharon Gleason, a judicial activist and radical environmentalist who went on to kill both the life-saving King Cove Road and the multi-billion-dollar Willow oil and gas project.

On immigration, Gray-Jackson could be counted on to back liberals’ plans to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants and excuse Biden’s failure to enforce our southern border. Murkowski actually voted for legislation that allows millions of illegal immigrants to remain in this country, even if they commit multiple crimes against U.S. citizens .

And on abortion, there is no daylight whatsoever between Gray-Jackson and Murkowski. The former has been endorsed in the past by abortion provider Planned Parenthood, which promotes abortion up to the moment of birth, while Murkowski is famously and undeniably pro-abortion – even boasting on social media, “I have long supported Planned Parenthood.”

It’s clear that Murkowski believes that she and Gray-Jackson are playing on the same field, as she has begun to accumulate endorsements from national and Alaska Democrats.

This makes sense because incredibly, since Biden has been President, Murkowski has voted with self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders more than half of the time and with Biden’s position nearly three-quarters of the time.

The Alaska Republican Party has censured Murkowski and gone as far as instructing her not to refer to herself as a Republican in Alaska anymore. She no longer has a home in the party in Alaska and clearly is looking to Democrats to rescue her.

Indeed, Murkowski’s own campaign manager issued a statement warmly embracing Gray-Jackson’s entry in the race, when he claimed “there are now two candidates, Sen. Murkowski and Elvi Gray-Jackson, in this race with decades of public service to Alaska.”

This shows that Murkowski believes that she and Gray-Jackson are competing for the same Democratic voters.

Alaskans want a leader who represents our values and will fight for them in Washington, D.C. We want a Senator who understands this is about serving the public, not being a career politician. I have two decades of public service experience in making government work for the people. And I will always fight for Alaska and our shared principles when I am the next U.S. senator.Kelly Tshibaka is a born-and-raised Alaskan, and a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alaska who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump and the Alaska Republican Party.

Anchorage School District’s fiscal cliff grows ever closer

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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22
Anchorage School District’s fiscal cliff grows ever closer

By DAVID BOYLE

The Anchorage School District is headed off the fiscal cliff, led by the majority of the school board.  

At the Feb. 22 board meeting, the board majority acknowledged the $40 million gap in the 2022-23 budget, a gap that somehow needs to be filled. They also acknowledged no cuts were possible. Despite this grim warning, all except member Dave Donley voted to pass the budget, hoping the State of Alaska will come to the rescue.

The ASD budget is $841.3 million and next year it is expected to go to $850.5 million, not an especially massive year-over-year increase.

But look back at the actual expenses for FY2020/21– $743.4 million. The increase spending over the two-year period is a staggering $107 million increase.

This increase is in the grants fund, a one-time influx of federal money due to Covid-19.  These Elementary Secondary School Emergency Relief funds expire in fiscal year 2024. This is the fiscal cliff the district is being led over by the school board.

Here is the chart for FY2018-19 through FY2022-23:

The ASD board could not even cut a measly $62,000 from an $851 million budget. Board member Donley offered an amendment to cut $30,000 from support to the Alaska Association of School Boards. He reasoned that ASD is not represented adequately in relation to the other districts. He also added that the AASB does not even agree that a minimum of 10 students should be required to maintain a school in Alaska.

The AASB  also does not want parental involvement in student surveys. It also opposes a district cost study, which may provide ASD more State funding.  

Donley’s amendment failed on a vote of 4 to 1, with 2 abstentions.

Member Donley then offered an amendment to cut funding to the Coalition for Education Equity by $32,000. The CEE is an organization that supports more funding for rural schools, usually through its business model of litigation and settlements. The Anchorage School District is the only one of the five largest school districts in Alaska that even contributes to the CEE.

The CEE is primarily focused on getting more funding for public education. ASD Superintendent Bishop is on the board as a member-at-large. The executive director of NEA-Alaska, Glenn Bafia, is also a member-at-large.  And State Sen. Tom Begich’s spouse is the executive director of the CEE. 

The district hopes to get more funding from the State by increasing the Base Student Allocation. This is stated in its preliminary budget document. The CEE and the AASB are tools that can lobby for this increased funding.

As the ASD budget grows, the student population has decreased. 

 Here is the Average Daily Membership from 2020 through 2022.  The district expects no increases in enrollment for next year.

Year 2019-20               45,466 students

Year 2020-21               41,265 students

Year 2021-22               42,887 students

The district could have reduced costs during the Covid years, but it continued to treat all costs as fixed costs. For example, transportation costs were paid to both contractor and ASD transportation personnel even though no students were transported in the 2020-21 school year.

School Board member Pat Higgins moved an amendment to defund the police in schools, also known as the School Resource Officer program. This effort to remove $2.3 million did not even receive a second.

The district is faced with the difficult decision to economize but it is hoping the State and Municipality bail it out.  

School board members are elected to make the hard decisions, but this school board majority, with the exception of Donley, is pushing this budget decision down the road.

Taxing anything that moves: Rep. Adam Wool bill would fleece personal car rentals through Turo

Suzanne Downing
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27
Taxing anything that moves: Rep. Adam Wool bill would fleece personal car rentals through Turo

A bill authored by Fairbanks Democrat Rep. Adam Wool would tax the gig economy, such as those who rent their personal vehicles through car-sharing companies like Turo.

Turo will probably stop allowing people to use its platform in Alaska if the HB 90 passes, because if people have to collect the tax for Turo, federal tax laws govern the company differently and treat these car owners more like employees.. For those who make a little money on the side by renting their personal cars out, it could be the end of a good side gig.

Communities like Juneau and Anchorage have seen a lot of person-to-person rental vehicles available, especially over the past two years when car rental companies were selling off their fleets due to not enough demand during the Covid pandemic economy. When the fleets were sold off, the prices for existing rental cars skyrocketed. Meanwhile, the car rental companies received tens of millions of dollars from the federal government as pandemic aid to their businesses.

In 2021, it was nearly impossible to find a standard car rental on the road system in Alaska during the tourist season. Prices were typically over $300 a day.

At the same time, Alaskans who were being laid off due to the pandemic and who needed some extra cash filled in the gap, so that tourists coming to Alaska on vacation could find affordable vehicles to rent. To cover themselves with insurance and the vetting of renters, people renting their cars to others use companies like Turo, which has a big legal infrastructure to protect both parties in a rental arrangement.

The Wool bill could impact over 1,200 people in Alaska who have rented or shared their vehicles through Turo or a similar company.

Today, a rental of a used personal vehicle in Anchorage through Turo could cost someone about $70-$100 a day, depending on the make and model, with similar prices found in Juneau. In Fairbanks, current Turo-listed cars are starting at $179 a day and can be as high as over $300 a day.

According to Wool, “HB 90 adds a definition for the new service of providing private vehicle rental programs, including these services into existing statutes that regulate car rental providers to reflect changes in how people secure transport in Alaska. It also extends the same laws and regulations which apply to rental car companies to private vehicle rental networks, including the payment of the State’s Vehicle Rental Tax. Therefore, HB 90 brings equity to the rental industry for motor vehicles, and will generate additional income for the State’s general fund as the private vehicle rental network industry continues to grow and diversify in the Alaskan economy.”

Day 42 of Legislature: House takes up resolution to ask Biden to ask Russia to end Alaska seafood embargo

Suzanne Downing
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18
Day 42 of Legislature: House takes up resolution to ask Biden to ask Russia to end Alaska seafood embargo

Monday doesn’t appear to be an unusually productive day in Alaska’s Capitol. The Senate has a technical session planned for the day, which means it gavels in and out in a few seconds, while over in the House, just two items are on the Senate floor for consideration: An anti-gig economy bill that will start the taxing car rentals like Turo, and Senate Joint Resolution 16, which asks President Joe Biden to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Russian embargo on Alaska seafood. If Putin doesn’t, the resolution requests an embargo on Russian seafood.

SJR 16, passed by the Senate unanimously in January, comes to the House at a time when Biden is imposing few sanctions on Russia, as Russia attacks neighboring Ukraine and threatens to start an all-out world war.

Biden has put modest sanctions on certain Russians and financial institutions close to the Kremlin, Russian technology, Russian banks and “corrupt billionaires.” But he has not sanctioned Russian oil, and many are quick to point out that the 700,000 barrels of Russian oil that is imported to the United States daily is the U.S. equivalent of funding Russians war on Ukraine. Biden knows America needs Russian oil as he shuts down domestic production.

The seafood bill summary says “Calling on President Biden to immediately seek and secure an end to the embargo imposed by Russia on seafood imports from abroad, or place a reciprocal embargo on Russian seafood entering the United States, until a reasonable trade agreement restoring Alaska seafood producers’ full access to Russia’s domestic seafood market is secured.” It may be the kind of bill that is sent back to the Rules committee for work, considering the global crisis over Ukraine.

In Washington, it appears Sen. Dan Sullivan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski are considering introducing a bill to place sanctions on Russia seafood imports.

Several committees will also meet on Monday:

HOUSE EDUCATION 8 am, Presentation on understanding culturally responsive education, by Lance (X_’unei) A Twitchell, M.F.A., Ph.D., University of Alaska Southeast. Schedule   

SENATE EDUCATION 9 am, Update on teacher recruitment Schedule    Documents

SENATE FINANCE 9 am, SB 81, Village Public Safety Officer grants, and governor’s appointment of Kevin Fimon to Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees. Schedule    Documents

HOUSE JUDICIARY 1 pm, HB 372, eliminating minimum wage exemptions for disabled working in nonprofits. Schedule   

HOUSE GOVERNOR FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE 1:30 pm, Governor’s office budget closeout. Schedule   

SENATE JUDICIARY 1:30 pm, SB 31, prohibiting binding caucus. Schedule    Documents

SENATE LABOR & COMMERCE 1:30 pm, no prohibition allowed against natural black hair styles, Schedule    Documents

HOUSE LEGISLATURE 2 pm, Legislature’s budget closeout. Schedule   

HOUSE FINANCE 2:30 pm, HB 64 and HB 30. Schedule   

HOUSE LABOR & COMMERCE 3:15 pm, HB 58, contraception coverage by insurance. Schedule   

HOUSE REVENUE 3:30 pm, budget amendments. Schedule   

SENATE RESOURCES 3:30 pm, mining industry updates. Schedule

Important business in the Alaska Legislature: Anchorage Democrat advances an ‘outdoor equity’ bill

Suzanne Downing
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66
Important business in the Alaska Legislature: Anchorage Democrat advances an ‘outdoor equity’ bill

Democrat Rep. Geran Tarr of Anchorage is getting a hearing on her “equity” legislation aimed at marketing and paying for the great outdoors experiences to minorities in Alaska. House Concurrent Resolution 4 would have the governor establish an Office of Outdoor Equity, housed in the Department of Natural Resources.

Under Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and the Anchorage Assembly, an Equity Officer was established as a position in 2020 in Anchorage. It’s part of a growing national trend to move from “equal opportunity” to pushing minorities into whatever aspect of life is valued by the Left.

“HCR 4 reflects a nationwide desire to establish specific government initiatives to ensure that our public outdoor recreation areas are accessible, affordable, and safe for all Alaskans regardless of their backgrounds or income levels,” Tarr wrote in her summary. “However, despite an increasingly diverse population, minorities are still underrepresented in national forest visitation statistics. Research shows that this is not due to an inherent disinterest in the outdoors, but rather disparities in factors such as information distribution, perception of safety, and affordability.”

She believes minorities cannot afford kayaks, skis, and tents, for instance. Not to mention fat-tire bikes.

Tarr’s presentation to the House Resources Committee explains it here.

Tarr said that Alaska should formally examine the disparities in its outdoor outreach efforts by creating this new position, “to make accessibility to our parks, trails, ski slopes, cabins, and waters more equitable.”

Equity is one of the key components of Critical Race Theory. It’s a different concept than equal opportunity. With equity, there is a recognition that people don’t all start in the same place, so government must provide some people with more opportunity than others. In the Tarr outdoor equity bill, there would be grant funds made available for to achieve an undefined equity goal for Alaska’s park experiences.

Last year in California, nearly $58 million in taxpayer funds for outdoor equity were redistributed by the government under a program established by similar legislation in 2019. Read more here.

The Tarr bill was introduced in 2021 and referred to just one committee, the Natural Resources Committee, which set a hearing for 1 pm on Friday, March 4. Even though it calls for spending, it has no fiscal note and was not referred to House Finance. Supporting documents can be found at this link.

Republicans in two Valley districts vote to censure former Senate President Cathy Giessel for siding with Democrats

Suzanne Downing
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22
Republicans in two Valley districts vote to censure former Senate President Cathy Giessel for siding with Democrats

Republicans in the newly named Districts 29 and 30 in the Mat-Su Valley voted unanimously at their convention to censure former Sen. Cathy Giessel, who is a registered Republican now running to regain the South Anchorage Senate seat she lost to Sen. Roger Holland in 2020. Holland must run again due to redistricting.

Giessel was censured by the conservative Valley districts because she supports no-party candidate Bill Walker for governor against a sitting Republican governor, and because when she was Senate President she was more helpful to Democrats than she was to Republicans.

“Whereas, Cathy Giessel, as State Senate President, punished Republicans and rejected their proposed legislation and elevated Democrats and their policies, Be it resolved that District 30 moves to censure Cathy Giessel as a Republican in her run against Senator Roger Holland in her race for the Alaska State Senate,” the resolution from District 30 reads.

Other districts are considering similar action against Giessel. Sen. Holland, now serving Senate Seat N, has been redistricted into Senate Seat E, which represents South Anchorage from West Dimond Blvd. south to the Klatt Road neighborhoods, and Huffman Road south on the eastern side of New Seward Highway.

Rep. Don Young says U.S. must seize all Russian-owned boats, and sell their assets with BOATS Act

Suzanne Downing
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59
Rep. Don Young says U.S. must seize all Russian-owned boats, and sell their assets with BOATS Act

In a bill reminiscent of events that occurred before World War II, Congressman Don Young is offering legislation that would have the United States seize all Russian boats in U.S. waters and have them sold off to help deliver more aid to the people of Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

In the days leading up to the U.S. entering World War II, the U.S. Coast Guard seized a small Norwegian-owned sealing vessel, the Busko, in East Greenland in September, 1941, which created an uproar in the U.S. media, as the Coast Guard towed the Busko into Boston Harbor, where it was heralded as the capture of an enemy vessel.

Young announced that he is drafting legislation to authorize the seizure of Russian yachts and commercial vessels currently within the waters of the United States.

He is calling his legislation, “Bringing Oligarch Accountability Through Seizure (BOATS) Act.” The bill would also authorize the seizure of Russian-owned vessels flying flags of convenience from other nations.

“This legislative effort comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s violent all-out war on Ukraine and its sovereignty continues,” Young said in his press release.

“America and the rest of the freedom-loving world continue to stand with the Ukrainian people in this time of needless violence and infringement on sovereignty. This is a very difficult moment for Europe, and our solidarity with Ukraine must be backed with urgent action against rich Russian oligarchs who continue living lavish lifestyles on mega-yachts, all while their thuggish friend Vladimir Putin reigns terror upon innocent, peaceful Ukrainians. Putin and his elite enablers must be driven from all areas of global commerce and public life. I continue supporting severe sanctions to devastate Putin’s ability to use Russia’s economy as a piggybank to commit global atrocities, but we must do more,” Young said.

“Over the last few days, I have begun drafting legislation to authorize the seizure of any Russian yachts and commercial vessels currently within U.S. waters. When the House of Representatives reconvenes, I intend to formally introduce the Bringing Oligarch Accountability Through Seizure (BOATS) Act. Given the vast humanitarian crisis created by Putin’s greed and aggression, my BOATS Act will permit the U.S. federal government to auction these vessels and all contents inside, with proceeds going toward humanitarian aid efforts offered by NATO member states. We must send a message of zero tolerance for Russian aggression, which requires us to make life as difficult as possible for Putin’s sycophants. Taking action against Putin and standing with Ukraine has united our country. There is broad bipartisan consensus that Putin’s violence must be met with action, therefore I call on my friends in both parties to join me in this vital effort.”

The U.S. House of Representatives takes up business again on Tuesday.

Ukraine, Russia, and the war of misinformation

Ukraine, Russia, and the war of misinformation

Suzanne Downing
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97
Ukraine, Russia, and the war of misinformation

“The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, turning down an offer from the United States to be evacuated from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

In an instant, Zelensky became the superstar symbol of courage around the world — the man who would face the tyrant rather than cut and run, like President Joe Biden was suggesting that he do.

Was it true? Was it war legend? Will it stand the test of time?

This writer was asked this week why coverage of Urkaine-Russia fighting was not front-and-center at Must Read Alaska. The question deserves an answer.

The invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign and struggling nation since the breakup of the Soviet Union, has been coming for decades. Thousands have died in skirmishes along the border over the past many years, and Russian President Vladimir Putin could see that now is the time to strike. He’s doing it while America has a weak and demented leader who spends his weekends recuperating from his short work weeks.

But Must Read Alaska doesn’t have a war correspondent, nor the expertise to wade into war reportage from Eastern Europe.

This author hosted a Ukrainian exchange student for a school year in Anchorage and learned a lot.

“America doesn’t care about Ukraine. The world doesn’t are about Ukraine and never has,” were her words that have stuck with me all these years. “We are on our own.”

But that year is hardly enough to paddle the raging river of current events in Ukraine, Russia, and now in Poland, Romania, the Black Sea, and Turkey. Our reporting would be just an assemblage of what others are seeing in the news and social media.

On social media, all kinds of things are being said by people who know, people who copy, and people who are inflicting bad information on the world for a reason. All of a sudden, everyone on social media is an angry expert on Ukraine-Russia geopolitics and history, and everyone loves Zelensky, a former actor and comedian who has been serving as president of Ukraine since 2019, and who is someone who few Americans could identify on the world stage the week prior.

That the same mainstream media that fed Americans bad information on the Covid pandemic is the media that is now crafting the narrative in Eastern Europe, and they are no more intellectually honest now than they were last year with their election reporting or their choice to not fairly report the truck convoys in Canada.

Our advice: Read widely but consume and discern news carefully. Those who have resources to send people to war zones are the same bad media actors who led America into voting in the Biden Administration. Some reporting on TikTok and Twitter is authentic, but some of it may be manufactured by CIA, Russia, Ukraine, or another group. Some Twitter handles may be Russian, even if they seem American. Be cautious about repeating news items that may not be true.

This author is also watching what’s going on with China and Taiwan, as the world’s attention is focused elsewhere. Alaskans should be very concerned about the signals that China is getting from the Biden response to Russia.

If you know of a good, fair, and hardworking reporter with experience in Eastern Europe, send them our way. But we at Must Read Alaska are not going to become the sudden experts — there are plenty of those out there — or pretend this writer has the time to do war reporting justice. Same goes for a reporter who is a specialist in China.

Thus, there is little chance this small-but-mighty little news agency will be able to, without additional resources, adequately report the war news of the day and still stay in our lane with Alaska news and national news that impacts Alaska.

Where we will weigh in, however, is where we see blatant media bias and when the media (and it is only a matter of time) willfully ignores the facts and reports a false White House narrative.

Keeping the mainstream media on their toes — that is definitely in our lane. Let us know how we’re doing, send us tips, and thank you for your support.

Analysis: Ukraine, Russia, and Alaska’s both strategic and fragile position
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