By PAT MARTIN
An unattributed quote on the Alaska Family Council website extols the critical service they provide in keeping “us informed and engaged in the political process.”
Jim Minnery’s slanderous attack on David Eastman, Alaska Right to Life, and me may bring the relevance of that quote – and several others – into question.
Jim accused me of maligning every conservative in the Alaska Legislature, but before a line of politicians expecting reparations forms, I think it’s fair to ask what all those conservatives are conserving, because so far, I haven’t seen much effort to protect babies, children, families, or family values.
Take abortion and abortion funding for example. Minnery’s Values Voter’s Guide cites this as an important criteria for endorsement and David Eastman offered a budget amendment that would have reduced abortion spending to $0.00, prohibiting the State from paying a single Planned Parenthood’s invoice.
Eight Republicans in the House voted with the abortion lobby to kill Amendment 131 to CSHB 268 and pay Planned Parenthood for more than 500 babies to be killed in 2024/2025.
Three more Republicans joined pro-life champion turned abortion advocate Cathy Giessel, in killing a similar amendment in the Senate, bringing us to 12 Republicans that voted to pay for babies to be killed.
Minnery’s Voter’s Guide also highlights protecting children from gender transition ideologies, cross-sex hormone poisoning, and irreversibly damaging surgeries. Eastman offered several bills that align with Minnery’s endorsement criteria in addition to Amendment 80 to this year’s budget (CSHB 268) that would have prohibited the State from spending a penny to poison children with cross-sex hormones or permanently disfigure them with transgender surgeries. Nineteen Republicans joined Planned Parenthood endorsed Democrat CJ McCormick in killing that amendment. McCormick is also a member of the House Majority Coalition.
Everybody knows that contraceptives are Planned Parenthood’s lucrative abortion gateway drug. Eastman opposed HB 17 along with a majority of Republicans, and in line with several of Minnery’s voter guide values, while 9 Republicans voted with Planned Parenthood (they wrote the bill) to send HB 17 to the Governor’s desk.
In just three issues, 19 Republicans ran afoul of Family Council’s agenda and endorsement criteria, but it’s Eastman that Jim tars and feathers in Planned Parenthood pink while Jim endorses the 13 of those Republicans running for reelection.
This isn’t just inconsistent; Jim is deliberately misleading his followers.
It’s telling that Minnery’s attack follows a familiar pattern: isolate a target, personalize the criticism, and attempt to separate David from his supporters by suggesting they’re in a ‘cult.’
These are textbook political pressure tactics – the very kind that Minnery privately accuses others of using.
And it’s not the first time Jim has used these tactics. If you remember Family Council’s 2020 attack on David, Jim tried to falsely link Eastman to the 2020 Portland BLM riots. At the same time, he was using Alaska Right to Life ministry and activism images in his fundraising presentations – taking credit for our work while trying to discredit us. It’s not just misleading – it’s a calculated strategy to manipulate supporters and donors.
A question Minnery’s followers should ask isn’t whether Eastman and Alaska Right to Life are effective advocates, but rather why their leader needs to falsely link an Alaska legislator with Portland riots while using a competing organization’s work to raise money.
If Jim weren’t suffering from EDS – Eastman Derangement Syndrome, he’d have a real problem. On one hand, Eastman is the only legislator whose voting record is in line with Jim’s published agenda, while 13 of the 14 incumbent legislators he’s endorsed for reelection vote against Family Council time and again.
On the other hand, now we know why Jim left Cathy Giessel’s quote unattributed on his website. When a discredited pro-life champion turned abortion advocate is your standard for ‘keeping us informed and engaged politically,’ then attacking the one consistently pro-life legislator while endorsing those who repeatedly fund abortions starts to make perfect sense.
Pat Martin is president of Alaska Right to Life.
The problem with Eastman is he is principled. He has no place in politics.
Withering fire…
I was hoping someone out there understood.
Eastman is an ineffective legislator. End of story.
I’ve been following the Eastman crucifixion for some time. As this time has passed, I grown more and more favorable with reading between the lines attempting to paint him as a “Boogyman”.
This article cements my approval of Eastman. This from an adopted child that could well have been an “Option” given the mentality of the current liberal female mentality.
Cheers.
Yup. It’s the Right-to-Life issue that separates the conservatives from the RINOs, and it will end up being the issue that tears the party apart. Over the years, the party platform has changed. Dobbs has brought about new changes. The 2024 platform on abortion reads:
“4. Republicans Will Protect and Defend a Vote of the People, from within the States, on the Issue of Life
We proudly stand for families and Life. We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process, and that the States are, therefore, free to pass Laws protecting those Rights. After 51 years, because of us, that power has been given to the States and to a vote of the People. We will oppose Late Term Abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments).”
There is a whole bunch more on that platform, including some important tidbits like references to WWIII. I suggest folks read it and realize that there is a big, ugly world out there, and it doesn’t spin around your individual attitudes and priorities:
‘https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-republican-party-platform
Thank you to the author for truthfully putting the real life work in the bills and legislative votes out to the public. Please do another article and put the names of the legislators that voted on the bills. We need to know the true person’s intent with the votes. Minnery has been at it so long, he is convoluting his thinking and distorting the facts in articles.
Alaska’s weird threesome of “conscience” voters. Isn’t it noble and good to vote in accordance with your conscience? I suppose it is. But the arguments that prevent conservative candidates from winning at the ballot box ultimately produce the OPPOSITE effect: rewarding those leftist politicians who will enact policies like local or state pro-abortion laws, with a win. When you say something like, “Donald Trump isn’t conservative enough so I’ll just not vote… or write in a candidate… or…” those choices benefit the opposite team. Your actions directly benefit them.
Eastman is one of these types. Martin too. Bird, thought provoking though he is, is too.
If Alaskan conservatives don’t start thinking strategically, they’ll keep losing. Alaskan conservative voters need to do some serious soul searching about that. It was 15,000 conservative Alaskan voters who put Peltola in Congress. Her win is directly attributable to them. If you ever want to see an end to abortion, you must stop scuttling the progress toward that goal with stupid, arcane, in-fighting.
Dee Cee, I concur with your point regarding politics and absolute principals and the resulting unfortunate fracture of the Republican party. A fellow named Reagan might be remembered as one who would take “half a loaf” today and fight for the rest tomorrow. Sadly some in politics lose sight of incrementalism…
That said, I have supported Mr. Eastman’s legal bills in the past when he was faced with despicable lawfare suits and believe that it is the duty of all freedom loving people to do the same.
Love him or hate him, Eastman is a barometer of our political demise in this country.
Rank Choice Voting put Peltola in!
Worth saying again:
Minnery and AFC have shown gross lack of conscience and/or morality in nearly every interaction I’ve had with them. They’ve sided with some of the most villainous people and actively heckled those who fight valliantly for truth. We’ll be better without them, if they’ll ever go away.
If you want to look at policies and practices which divide Alaska, look no further than the author of this article. Pat Martin has consistently attacked good conservative legislators simply because they do not buy his radical position regarding abortion. Whether we like it or not, this issue is not as black and white as Pat likes you to think, but he is overt in his methods to shove his overt stance down the throat of any legislator who only suggests a tempered stance. As a consequence, he renders himself and his organization ineffective in their ability to move pro life legislation.
“tempered stance” between a woman, her doctor, and a pair of scissors.
Here’s a bit from everyone’s favorite IRS about 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations, of which Alaska Family Council is one:
(‘https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/651263366/201733189349300603/full)
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“Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are —absolutely prohibited— from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.
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Contributions to political campaign funds —or public statements of position (verbal or written)— made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity.
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Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.”
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…voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, —will constitute prohibited participation or intervention—.
(;https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/restriction-of-political-campaign-intervention-by-section-501c3-tax-exempt-organizations)
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Maybe a quick word, Pat, to IRS about what seems like Alaska Family Council’s tax-exempt organization scam, using their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization for a political platform, would solve the problem?
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Miracle cure for Eastman Derangement Syndrome? Could happen, no?
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Guidance on reporting tax-exempt organization scams appears at: ‘https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/report-a-tax-scam-or-fraud.
JM – Engage reactive torpedo defense protocol…
Seems like people agreeing on pro-life policy and theology should be supporting that, not attacking each other. Remember, people are not perfect, they are not God and that in the end, forgiveness is through God.
Scenario: A two room day care building with 25 children begins to crumble during an earthquake. You are the only person there able to take action. You have only seconds to choose between evacuating room #1 with 23 children in it or room #2 with 2 children in it. There is no time to evacuate both rooms and save all 25 children. What is the most appropriate course of action? I know what I’d do, which is the imperfect thing and choose room #1……No person is going to succeed in writing law that will be followed in all cases! That may be a very sad pathetic fact, but it is fact.
David is one of Alaska’s most principled conservative legislators, to a fault. He helped elect Click Bishop when he divided the vote between three republicans, when he ran against Ralph Seekins. He also threw a prolife, fine man, Wes Keller under the bus.
Pat Martin is why I stopped supporting RTL Ak. If you don’t bow to him, and his doctrine, he will attack you and your integrity. Eastman is sadly the most ineffective legislator, because his strident positions alienate virtually everyone on both sides of the isle. His record of passing anything is dismal. (Zero). Liberals cheer the division, believe me.
You eat an elephant one bite at a time. Something the left has strategically deployed in their long game. Who would have thought Drag Queens would openly be allowed near children, let alone do story hour for them. They have come a long way, one bite at a time.