The People's Paper July 2020

REBECCA RATHBUN, RN, FROM THE OBSTETRICS UNIT RECEIVES THE DAISY AWARD ON MAY 28 AT MAT-SU REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER.

Photos Courtesy of Deena Straub Contributed by Katie Stark Mat-Su Regional Medical Center celebrated two extraordinary nurses who were nominated for the Daisy Award for the exceptional care they provided patients and their patients’ families.

Kayla James, RN, from the Intensive Care Unit, and Rebecca Rathbun, RN, from the Family Birthing Center, were both honored May 28. James was nominated for her work in caring for an organ donor patient and family, and Rathbun for how she cared for a patient during her first moments as a mother.

The Daisy Foundation has been recognizing extraordinary nurses all over the world since 1999 when the award was established by the family of Patrick Barnes, who spent eight weeks in hospitalization before passing away from the autoimmune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.

“Our goal was to ensure that nurses know how deserving they are of our society’s profound respect for the education, training, brainpower, and skill they put into their work, and especially for the caring with which they deliver their care” said Mark Barnes, father of Patrick Barnes.

Rathbun has been working at MatSu Regional for six and a half years.

Her journey into nursing began when her sister, who was a Type 1 Diabetic, received subpar care at the

KAYLA JAMES, RN, FROM THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT RECEIVES THE DAISY AWARD ON MAY 28 AT MAT-SU REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER.

hospital she was being treated at. The experience was enough for Rathbun to change her major from Criminal Justice to Nursing. “I kind of looked at that and thought ‘I can do better,’” she said.

She was nominated for the Daisy Award by the mother of an obstetrics patient who was impressed by the compassion Rathbun gave her daughter.

“As a first-time mother, my daughter was confused, scared, unsettled, and uncertain. Scared to sleep, not sure how to breastfeed and certainly unfamiliar to motherhood,” the nomination letter read. “As I watched this nurse interact with my daughter and grandson I began to weep. A light of assurance washed over my daughter that was unbreakable.”

Rathbun enjoys her job for the help she can provide mothers and their families. She especially loves working with new mothers and being an advocate for them during labor.

“I like seeing families being born, especially when it’s the first time,” she said.

James, a lifelong Alaskan and a Mustang from Chugiak High School, has been working at Mat-Su Regional since she became a nurse five years ago. She compared her early days before nursing to the Adam Sandler movie “Water Boy” when she was the manager of her high school football team. Most of her job involved providing first aid to the players, which combined her two loves:

football and caring for people.

James was instrumental in helping her donor patient’s family through the process of saying goodbye to their loved one. She believes the Honor Walk is a vital part of giving the patient respect and the family closure.

“They’ve lost their loved one, but at the same time it’s such a giving act,” James said. “I work really hard to make sure the Honor Walks are as big and as important as they are.” James was nominated for the Daisy Award by Life Center Northwest, a nonprofit organ procurement organization who operates throughout Alaska, Washington, Montana and North Idaho.

Life Center Northwest’s nomination letter read: “As a direct patient care RN, Kayla showed extraordinary compassion and patience to the family of our organ donor. She went out of her way to ensure they understood the process and every step of the way she made sure they were cared for.

She was tender with their loved one and made changes to the room to make the family more comfortable.

She supported them in their grief and laughed with them to ease their pain.”

Rathbun and James are among a handful of Mat-Su Regional nurses who have been nominated for the Daisy Award since it was implemented at the hospital in 2019. If you are a patient or a patient family member who would like to nominate a nurse for the care you have received, visit www.matsuregional.com/daisy-awardnominations for more information.

Pets: Summer Care Tips For Your Dog

MORE ON PAGE 14 OF THE PEOPLE’S PAPER

Pets: Adopt Tove The Cat

MORE ON PAGE 13 OF THE PEOPLE’S PAPER

Color & Win: New Coloring Pages for July

MORE ON PAGE 3 OF MAKE A SCENE MAGAZINE

COMMUNITY

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Contributed by David Ley Alaska Bible College is pleased to announce the launching of a new degree program in Elementary Education starting the fall 2020 semester. This is in keeping with our desire to train servant leaders with Christ like character to minister to the educationally underserved people of Alaska and elsewhere.

For more information, visit our webpage www.akbible.edu or call us at 907-745-320

may be tax-deductible. To make a contribution, visit unitedwaymatsu. org, click “Donate”, and be sure to check the box that designates your gift toward McKinley Fire Relief.

Virtual is Our New Reality While we continue to work largely from home, your United Way of MatSu staff may be busier than ever!

• Bi-weekly work group sessions addressing topics ranging from COVID-19 recovery for small businesses, nonprofits and individuals; access to PPE; food security in the Valley; transportation; affordable housing, and more.

• Providing administration and guidance for additional grant funds provided through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

• Assisting local agencies engaged in programs and services vital to healthy, positive life change for individuals and families, including Beacon Hill/Safe Families for Children, Mat-Su Borough School District, and others.

• Convening area coalitions for virtual work sessions and coffeeand-chat style collaboration, including the Alaska Wellness Coalition and Thrive Mat-Su. • Attending community and local advisory board meetings virtually or by call-in to advocate for Education, Financial Stability and Health for all.

• Creating, printing and distributing resources, such as a one-page COVID-19 Resource Guide, and the full Mat-Su Valley Resource Guide.

• Monitoring local disaster mass care around the state (potential flooding, wildfire danger and COVID-19 response), offering support where we are able.

Contributed by Michele Harmeling, Outreach Coordinator The McKinley Fire Long Term Recovery Group, whose fiscal agency and coordination is overseen by UWMS, is preparing for a busy summer and fall as it assist families in returning to their pre-disaster status. While some families have made progress, there is still much to be done before these houses can become homes.

Throughout the winter and early spring, MFLTRG supported families by working with them to prepare building plans and budgets; regularly checking in to provide emotional and grief support; providing heating and utilities assistance, and engaging in spring clean-up ahead of the building season.

Now, we are helping families to prepare driveways, approaches and pads while they finalize plans to rebuild. The help of the whole community is needed to ensure that homes are weatherized before the snow flies. Families have need of assistance with a variety of tasks, including further clean-up, yard and lawn landscaping, finish

work, and that most Alaskan of projects: building new outhouses.

Interested volunteers may register at unitedwaymatsu.org/volunteer.

Our Donations Warehouse is OPEN, every Friday from noon-4pm! Our rebuild crews are currently in need of building materials, including: • Pre-hung exterior doors and windows for six-inch walls • Flooring materials and lumber • OSB plywood • T111 siding • Ice and water shield • Electrical wiring and receptacle boxes • R19 and R30 insulation • Other items, on an individual basis The Donations Warehouse is located at 28468 Talkeetna Spur Rd., across from the float plane docks. For safety reasons, you MUST be willing to load and unload items yourself, as well as follow any posted COVID-19 guidelines. Questions? Call 907-2321890.

As always, financial donations allow the MFLTRG to purchase exactly what each family needs, when it’s most needed. All donations will be used to benefit fire survivors by meeting specific requests, and

Early Childhood Partnership Supports Local Childcare Providers Through the generous partnership of Mat-Su Health Foundation, the Early Childhood Partnership has been able to award grants to local childcare providers for Center Repairs and Improvements. These grants are designed to assist daycares in making their facilities safer and more appealing.

Our FY2020 grant recipients are: • Tree of Life Child Development Center, Palmer • Profiles of Excellence, Palmer • A Touch of Home Daycare, Wasilla • Ray’s Childcare and Learning, Palmer-Wasilla Highway • Palmer LifeWays, Palmer Congratulations to all grant recipients and thank you for all you do for Valley little ones!

ECP has been pleased to offer reimbursements to many Valley childcare facilities during the COVID-19 crisis.

These reimbursements were issued to centers for qualified expenses such as food for meal programs, cleaning, personal hygiene and sanitation supplies, and PPE such as fabric masks for staff. We hope to be able to provide similar assistance in the near future.

COMMUNITY Contributed by Robb Robbert Are you unchurched but would like to know if God has some good words for you before marriage? Are you unchurched and would like to know if God has some good words for you

and your spouse to strengthen or even save your marriage?

Call or text today (907) 315-3851 and sign up for a FREE three hour class.

You can choose to be the only couple or with two other couples. This is

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

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not a bait and switch where you will be pressured to become a member of the church but rather unchurched couples are being targeted because King of kings wants churched people to go to their own church for this service when possible.

article each month. Gold is my trade now, but I also realized that I have been dealing in gold since I was in grade school trading my classmates for jewelry.

Contributed by Dawn Daily Green of “Treasures Of The North” With the new normal that we find ourselves in today, I decided to focus this month’s article on the real treasures found in Alaska… her people. My business may be called “Treasures Of The North”.

But the people of Alaska are the true treasures of the north.

For a number of years I and my daughter had a brick and mortar storefront. As any other business owner, we opened the business to make a living. But as time went on I realized that the true value for me, was more about people that I

met along the way and less about the gold that came through my door. During those years I had the privilege of meeting a wide range of Alaskan people. I’ve met native people from the villages.

I’ve met people who were for many different reasons building a life here in Alaska. I’ve met those in government who work in Juneau and a number of our great veterans who make this wonderful state their home.

When the People’s Paper first suggested that I start writing a monthly article, I didn’t know that I had enough information to write an

But thinking back on it, even then, I found greater joy in the interactions with my classmates (inviting them to Church or trying to help them with their problems) than I did trading them for their jewelry.

When the going gets tough, turning to other Alaskans for encouragement and even simply sharing a smile with someone you don’t know, keeps us all looking forward to better days and brighter times ahead. We ARE all in this together and should ALL pull together for a better future.

Every one of us is a treasure in his or her own way. Each and every person has a story to tell. Yes, I invest in gold, but mostly I invest in people… the true treasures of the north.

to help members think on their feet, Toastmasters is a great place to grow and expand your skills at your own pace.

Contributed by Kianna Wilson In rise to the pandemic sweeping the nations of the world many organizations have taken to meeting virtually in order to keep exposure rates to a minimum. As such, we have all had to adjust our daily and professional lives to fit a new way of communicating, connecting and meeting. That is why my club, The Palmer Toastmasters club, has taken to meeting on an online platform known as Zoom in order to conduct a safe meeting space for all who wish to attend.

Toastmasters is an organization dedicated to helping its members advance and improve upon the

Contributed by Adelina Rodriquiez The University of Alaska moved to Phase B of its COVID-19 response plan in June and determined that classes will be offered through an alternate course delivery method for Fall 2020 semester.

Most, but not all, face-to-face classes will now move to an online format.

All UA students are highly advised to check their class schedule through UAOnline to identify the alternative

skills necessary to be a good communicator and an influential leader. Along with helping individual members get out of their comfort zones, Toastmasters and the structure of our meetings help each member develop confidence, skill and poise in communication.

Toastmasters helps each of us grow by expanding our repertoire of abilities. This happens through a self-paced, affordable education program called Pathways, in which each project builds and enhances our communication skills.

With chances to prepare personalized speeches and present them before the club, to quick impromptu speaking roles offered

delivery method their instructor has selected to use. We recognize that the change to an alternate delivery method will present some challenges. Know that campus resources and staff are available to support students and that faculty will be working with them to help adapt to this change.

Get started by visiting UA Virtual Campus to learn about the widelyused applications the University of Alaska has to offer for online

The Palmer Toastmasters Club encourages members to hear and voice feedback about speeches, body language, and voice inflection and how to improve down the road.

With mentorship and protégé roles available for new and old members alike the club offers a close network of support and guidance with new opportunities presented every day the Palmer Toastmasters club is a place where people come to grow and develop leadership skills. If this sounds great to you, please come check out our club.

We meet every Tuesday evening at 6:00 PM (AKDT). Our club website is www.palmer.toastmasters.org Our Zoom meeting ID is 976 1675 8970. Call or text 907-539-7111 for the meeting password.

learning, including Blackboard to access courses, Google Apps @UA for email, and productivity tools such as Microsoft Office 365. By the start of fall semester, we want all our students to yell out, “BINGO”!

Any questions or concerns can be directed to Students Services 907.745.9746.

To learn more about UA’s Covid-19 response plan, visit the UA coronavirus site.

POLITICS / OPINION Contributed by Wes Keller Consider: If you were born in America circa 1750, would you have been a loyalist to King George or would you have been a revolutionary rebel?

Would you have been appalled by the vandals who dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor, or would you have been one of the protesters? If you were a Christian you would have had to deal with, among other things, a rather specific Biblical directive (Romans 13): “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The existing authorities have been appointed by God…”. Because you would have been born under the King of England, he would be the “governing authority” you would have technically needed to obey. However, there is still good reason for you to ponder. T two prominent Christian Apostles (Peter and John) who explicitly demonstrated a Biblical duty to disobey government if when obedience to government is in tension with obedience to God (Acts 4). There is good reason to ruminate before declaring you would have been a “left wing” or a “right wing” colonist.

It is even interesting to mull over why either side would be left or right and why….

Contributed by Stephen Wright Due to COVID-19 pandemic instead of receiving a full PFD of $3160 the 1st of October, Alaskans received an early watered down PFD of $992 on July 1st. During the recent session the Federal Cares act afforded the state an extra $1.5 Billion or ($2141 per Alaskan). Under this Act the bloated state governments received on April 25th funding to mitigate the Alaska’s financial burdens from canceling everything and receiving funds with little effort unlike the private economy. Since this money has several strings attached like an expanded optional Medicaid programs it has become difficult if not impossible to get the money into the hands of Alaskans for the harm caused by a complete shutdown of the private sector based on fear alone.

The corresponding socialistic approach by the medical community has emboldened the left, and the cares money has become a tool to advance the Socialists’ distribution of money to various government programs which means more rules and regulations and only a small percentage Alaskans can benefit from it. The problem with the Socialists’ controlled legislature is that they refuse to give maximum benefit to the people. Now they falsely claim that

Contributed by Lance Roberts We’ve had many interesting legislative sessions in Alaska this last decade, but these last two years have really highlighted a unique situation we’re in. When I say unique, I mean that no other state has a binding caucus in their legislature, and in fact, some have laws against the concept. So what is a binding caucus? A caucus is just a group of legislators that agree on one or more issues who want to work together to help advance those issues. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. The best legislation comes through cooperation. There is usually one large caucus that determines leadership and the direction of each body of the legislature.

However Alaska’s type of binding caucus controls the whole body with a built-in commitment that says every member must vote for the capital and operating budget. They must also vote with leadership on every single technical process motion. The caucus is joined because of ‘quid pro quo’.

The legislators joining the caucus get

We face similar human dynamics and passions in Twitter and Facebook feeds, email, and mainstream TV/radio news.

A rebellious attitude toward the American government seems vogue right now. Is it a case of, “what goes around, comes around…” or just ignorant irony?

We have openly socialist Congress members, a socialist candidate for President, a recent presidential apologizing for America, and now rioting, tearing down statues, protesting the police, resentments by self-centered, far left, and minority identity groups… The Boston Tea Party seems tame by comparison.

It is not necessary to explain the shock and confusion modern “right wing” conservatives are feeling. The fear I have is, many Americans are indeed choosing whether they are “rebels” or “patriots” in modern America, without acknowledging historical American roots. Our founding fathers were also rebels, but with a very big difference!

It doesn’t seem to even occur to the new “rebels” most of us were born into a democratic republic instead of under a king!

The human “sovereignty” of authority and power that once belonged to a monarch, now belongs to us … (“We the People”)! America transformed the

there would be no more PFD for the people of Alaska in the future which is desperate news for many Alaskans, because they rely on PFD and it works like a Golden Goose producing dividends year after year. In Reality, we currently have $65 Billion in our PFD account and growing.

Now the big government Socialists want Alaskans to forget about their PFDs and Governor Hammond’s 50/50 formula, and its five year average earning tradition. In fact, on July 1st, Bert Stedman boasted that they (the big Government folks), wielded 5 Billion away from the earnings reserve for investment in future years ie. bigger government, while simultaneously cutting off the Statutory law because of the Binding Caucus of which David Wilson my primary opponent subscribes to and feels that a shorthanded dividend is okay and an early full dividend would not work for these government Socialist folks.

Today’s Socialists seek to control you in every fashion even by not allowing for the responsible development of our shared resources by holding the keys of bloated government they minimize our opportunity through their inefficient and wasteful approach. In fact, government nonprofits seek our dividend

the benefits of powerful committee positions and extra staff. So what does this all mean?

First, the elected official must agree to vote for bills and motions up-front, up to two years in advance. This is before they’ve read the bill or heard the motion. Second, they have to vote that way even if it hurts their district and constituents. Third, they must vote that way even if it violates their conscience.

Finally, there is punishment for those who don’t vote as they are told. They can be thrown out of the caucus, or as we saw this last session, lose most of their staff and their committee positions, which happened to three different Senators.

The main purpose for the binding caucus is to concentrate power in the hands of the leadership. Those who are accepted into leadership have the power to do anything they want. That’s how they were able to strip out the COVID stimulus that was voted into the budget. It’s how they were able to steal two-thirds of your PFD this year even though the votes were against

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

“divine right of kings” to the “divine right of the electorate”. This means; if you are an American citizen, you inherit the right and responsibility to use your power to govern like it or not!

No amount of ignorance or stupidity can remove your responsibility to be “political”. Being political looks like voting, knowing your political candidates and representative, running for office yourself, engaging personally in Constitutional efforts to amend the highest law of the land, and keeping yourself informed. You are stuck with the task BECAUSE of your American citizenship.

If your sovereignty is overthrown, history will put you down as irresponsible or worse. Sovereigns (kings) of old were graded as “evil” or “good” based on failure to provide “justice” – a very big word. We will be judged evil or good based on whether we governed to maintain inherent human freedom, something only accomplished by political action.

Relate this to my original question. If you were “free” in 1750, did you have any justifiable thing to rebel against?

Can any free human have a rebellious attitude? By definition, if there is no authority over you, there is nothing to rebel against! When our forefathers ratified the Constitution, they enthroned, as best they could, a representation of the majority of informed citizens, which is not the same as a “pure” democracy.

There simply was no precedent or simple way without a complex system,

funds to grow more and more government while we seek greater dividends at the expense of smaller government to grow a stronger private economy.

They, David Wilson and Bert Stedman and 80% of the legislators want to start this new tradition against the state statutes by spending 50% for government programs moving what they consider excess earnings while taking our 50% and leaving us little or none in a budget battle our dividends now compete with, based on its ours and not yours.

When it is actually our shared resources and we need to develop them not deplete the private economy of further investment opportunities.

This binding caucus which can amend budget bills, while requiring the legislatures to vote yes procedurally or lose their chairmanships. For example David Wilson held one chair his first legislative session sitting on three committees now holds four chairmanships a vice chair and a alternate chair and sits on four additional committees. His counterparts the valley Conservatives lost all chairmanships. This binding technique to raid the fund has continued to work for the big government legislatures. So what is really happening to our shared resources like our PFD in recent years. Instead

them. The entire budget in the Senate was determined by the six members of leadership, so most districts had no say in the budget.

Alaska’s binding caucus is so much worse than that. The legislative leaders have decided that statute no longer applies to them. So when the Governor called a session in Wasilla in accordance with Alaska statute and Constitution, the Legislative leadership decided that they were above statute and they refused to meet anywhere but Juneau (where all their perks and lobbyists were). What’s “funny” is that that was the same statute that they had used a few years before to not meet in Juneau when Governor Walker called a special session and they voted to meet in Anchorage. So yeah, they obey the law when it works for them.

After the governor changed his mind and everyone was in Juneau they punished the Senate Majority Leader for obeying the law and stripped her of her position. Remember, every time they choose to go over a 90-day session they are breaking statute, since the people voted in a 90-day session

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which divided the rule making, rule enforcement, and the judiciary into three separate branches. The catch may turn out to be simply: totally free humans tend to deny the need to put checks on fallen human tendencies.

The “rule of law” is meaningless if the law is polluted.

America truly is the greatest experiment ever, related to human governing authority. History records our stunning prosperity. Will America be recorded as resilient against the cognitive dissidence of the electorate rebelling against itself?

In the context of deciding if you are a “rebel” or a nationalist, reflect on the words of Declaration of Independence, adopted 244 years ago: “When in the course of Human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the posers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them…” This is the very act I am calling “rebellion” in this editorial.

Whatever the religious/moral elements of your contemplation, “We the People” are in charge and will be judged harshly if we allow the misguided “Antifa” madness to prevail! Only fools presume America is a fascist nation.

Wes Keller WesKeller.com

of receiving $3160 this year based on 50/50 formula, 5 year average, we only receive $992 which is only 1/3 of the real PFD amount. Thanks to Governor Walker and AKLEG binding agreements on budgets and procedural changes to budgets, we only got 1/2 or 1/3 of our PFD dividends reduced over 5 years so they have ripped us off close to $8867 per Alaskan. Under the judge’s rule and SB26, they now have been granted the right to determine the amount of your PFD arbitrarily so they keep growing the government regardless of the earnings or the investments in our resources and at the same time harming the private economy which is what I called, “Socialism on Steroids” and things will only get worse because the bigger the government get, the more costly they are which will only create more burden for us which means we might end up sacrifice all our PFD to feed the Socialists’ Golden Cow. This future of PFD will be dark if we screw up this election especially the Primary when most pro PFD candidates run against RINO incumbents so do your research before you vote and make sure you vote for the fiscal conservative candidate like me to stop the socialism on our dividends. Alaskans, make no mistake, our Golden Goose is at stake now.

limit that hasn’t been revoked. When I was on the Assembly, if we needed to do something different than what was in code; like waiving Title 16, then we brought forth an ordinance that said that, took public testimony on it, and voted on it publicly. In our Legislature, the leadership of the binding caucus just makes up rules as they go along, being completely unaccountable to the people and even breaking their own uniform rules of conduct.

This whole situation these last two years has really brought the integrity issues of the binding caucus to light, and so many of the Republican primaries around the State are happening because of the dissatisfaction with how our Legislators have been acting or how they have been cowed into inaction. For those in districts with these kind of primaries this is the critical issue that you need to ask your candidates about.

It’s time to free our legislators to vote with integrity as representatives of the people in their districts. Please hold their feet to the fire.

POLITICS / OPINION

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stating the president never held dual citizenships when he did until 1983.

Contributed by Tom Lamb Having grown up in a suburb just outside of Detroit and having a mother who was a Democrat involved in the civil rights movement during the early sixties, I was exposed to politics early on.

Our family received phone calls from people who would call us “ni**er lovers”. One day while we were in the kitchen, I answered a phone call and was called the derogatory term used against blacks. My father became incensed and told my mother by being in the civil rights movement, she was putting our family at risk.

My mother eventually left the civil rights movement because it became radicalized with members of the New Left which were members of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Michigan was the birthplace of the SDS and the manifesto of the movement was published in 1962 under the Port Huron Statement. Detroit became home to radical Bill Ayers and was

Contributed by Bee Rupright There has been a lot of discussion about our diminishing Permanent Fund Dividend, and not much about the Principle Fund. Of course, we should all be outraged at the taking of our PFD to support an unsustainable State Operations Budget, but the entirety of the current PFD and the Fund Balance and how they work has not been addressed. Right now and since its inception, the state has had access to freely spend. The only exception is the 25 % of the Mineral royalty revenues to be deposited into the Fund Principle.

Traditionally, the legislature had deposited more than 25% to increase the Fund. This year, the legislature only put in the required 25%. Yes, that’s right; the free spending goes on as even the Constitutional Budget Reserve is stripped from unpaid “draws”. Of course there are statutes for all that, as there are statutes for our PFD. Statutes are no guarantee.

I’m going to support a Spending Cap and preferably within the constitution.

I support the POMV model as it is to be used as a Spending Cap with the end result - to run our operations off that percentage. The percentage to be determined after a sustainable budget plan is adopted. (I believe

allied with the Black Panther Party.

Later, Ayers founded the Weather Underground Organization in Ann Arbor Michigan and the radical ideas and intimidation of the faction of the SDS started to filter in on college campuses in Michigan.

In 1968, my mother was going to Macomb County Community College and was working for the campus newspaper Sporadic and wrote an Op-ed titled: Speaker Lashes U.S.; Students Just Laugh. The piece was how her political science professor who was a member of the SDS, invited a revolutionary to talk to the students.

The article struck a nerve with the extremists of the SDS: they gathered all of the campus newspapers and burned them, made death threats against my mother and moved her Volkswagen and chained it so she couldn’t get in.

The extremist element of Bill Ayers’ group was moving through the college campuses in Michigan.

From my mother’s life stories, I carry a dream of her and decided to run for political office in 2020. I originally was

more budgeting can be done than our current legislative caucus!). The Permeant Fund Dividend will be separate and out of legislative control.

I am perplexed that the currently caucus legislature only deposited 25% into the Fund Principle. It is apparent that the growth of government is the only concern, not growing the Principle Balance that their own current statutory POMV and our PFD are tied to.

Our Constitutional Budget Reserve should not be easily accessed or borrowed from unless certain emergent conditions existed along with ¾ majority vote with the emergent condition being a substantial drop in the market. This is a strategy to eliminate the up and down fluctuations of the oil and gas industry and create a stable economy. I don’t believe that anyone could say we’ve seen much from the largess of the oil price boom and now - it’s gone. To believe that we can budget within the current parameters of our cash availability is ridiculous. We’ve seen where that leads. We cannot rely on another (oil) pie in the sky to come save us!

The PFD needs to be out of the hands of the legislature. The Permanent Fund Dividend should be made into a trust:

running as a Nonpartisan candidate for congress but switched to the House District 7 race. When Lynn Gattis decided to enter the race, I pulled out because I believe she is a good fit for the district and I entered the Senate D race as a Nonpartisan on the Democratic Party ticket.

Because of Covid-19 and the risks of gathering signatures for the senate race, I had to take into account that my mother who is 86 is a high health risk, so I had to minimize my exposure to the virus.

So the decision was made.

When my candidacy was certified, Anchorage Daily News Juneau reporter James Brooks quickly pointed out that I had sued President Barack Obama. This is true.

What James didn’t know is the underlying background of the lawsuit. The lawsuit was directed at an act of fraud on the court that had been committed when attorneys for President Obama filed a motion in a “birther” lawsuit in federal court,

The Alaska Permanent Trust. Also, a certain percentage of the Principle earnings will go into the fund and it will grow quickly. This, I believe, would be the best approach. Another idea would be to just put the percentage of the dividend into the constitution.

Pretty easy, but the sitting legislatures can’t seem to address this. Remember the PFD is yours- period! It was instituted for the tradeoff of giving up the property rights under your feet and I am adamant about preserving it. To say we just go back to the original and still standing PFD statute is not enough to protect it as it is by statute only and open to interpretation.

Your current legislature only wants to hand you a pittance and has named their plan through statute – a plan that has diminished the PFD greatly and grows an unsustainable operations budget... I foresee unaccountable spending to the max – with no forethought to the future. Haven’t we been here before? Are we not here now? So then what –income tax? Sales tax? Yes, most assuredly and it’s already on the table.

In conclusion, moving to the POMV as the sole source of Operations Income (As a Spending Cap) or any way to set a constitutional limit on operations

It was known that Bill Ayers was involved with Barack during his college days and influenced Barack, the same Bill Ayers who was a radical and part of a violent movement and group that made death threats against my mother.

The Alaska Supreme Court punted its decision by publishing a Memorandum of Judgment. Having lived Outside and in the political environment my mother created, I bring a broad view with many life experiences to the Senate D race.

I know how the Democrat Party was before it became a party of the Left and I was part of the Republican Party when Reagan was in office. Both parties have fallen away from the good that each brought.

As such, even though I am the only candidate in the Democatic primary as a Nonpartisan my focus will be working with both Democrats and Republicans on issues that I feel will benefit the people in Senate D and Alaskans.

I have a long political history in Alaska and I haven’t had to deviate from positions developed over the years.

Presently, I am working on a campaign website and it will list how I stand on issues so you can view them. The campaign website address is www. lamb4senate.com

spending, along with a process to curb free spending and borrowing from cash accounts is curtailed, is a good thing, as long as the PFD is separated from that equation . Then we can begin to invest in our state. This is what needs to happen. Business is what will bring our State up out of this mess, not overgrown government.

But this current caucus legislature’s only proposal to increase income is to tax and take the lion’s share of our PFD’s while awaiting the pie in the sky.

I am certain that the current legislature wants Ballot Proposition 1 to pass.

This is the way to ensure incredible governmental growth and a cash influx of which we will see nothing again (can anyone say studies?). But we can ensure another crash. This is how 60 billion dollars turns into Zero.

Please vote NO ON BALLOT 1, as it leads to a false bottom.

And do VOTE IN THE PRIMARY August 18th Thank You, Bee Rupright Candidate, State Senate Seat D, Wasilla and Big Lake

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POLITICS / OPINION

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

ment operations spending to live within our means. We have simply slashed dividends to close our budget deficits. The PFD problem has not been our oil tax policy; the PFD problem has been a lack of spending restraint.

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Contributed by Sen. Shelley Hughes, Sen. Mia Costello, Rep. Mike Prax We stand together with Alaskans who support a full Permanent Fund dividend based on the law. For years, we have worked and fought for following the PFD statute, no matter how intense the pushback. We now stand in strong opposition to Ballot Measure One, which would raise state oil taxes, because the initiative threatens the dividend in the long-term.

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How does Ballot Measure One jeopardize the PFD, and not “save and protect” it, not ensure “larger PFDs” as the ballot measure promoters claim?

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Economics 101. If dollars used as upfront capital to develop fields are

sucked up in taxes, the fields will not be developed. If taxes are lower elsewhere, businesses will shift their focus elsewhere.

Based on this knowledge, if Ballot Measure One were to pass, how would things unfold in Alaska? Initially, oil revenues collected by the state would increase, but in a mere few years, oil revenues would drastically drop. Therefore, Alaskans, Ballot Measure One puts your PFD at tremendous risk.

If we want full PFDs into the future, we must oppose Ballot Measure One. Anyone who pays attention knows oil prices have cratered and state revenues have slumped, but they also know we have not reduced govern-

Case in point? Most of the ballot measure proponents went along with reducing the PFD with barely a peep the last few years, but hollered loudly and fought against any spending reductions. Most have never been and never will be true defenders of the PFD. They are not interested in collecting more oil revenues for PFDs. What is so incredibly ironic is that their tax initiative not only puts the PFD at risk in a few years, but it also jeopardizes the revenues needed for state operational and capital expenses.

Based on recent actions, any money the legislature gets its hands on will go to more government spending, not for PFDs. So, if we pass Ballot Measure One, we get less investment in the private sector, less oil, less revenue, and smaller PFDs. Join us in voting NO on Ballot Measure One in November.

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Contributed by Joshua Fryfogle After an enlightening conversation with Libertarian presidential candidate Dr. Jo Jorgensen, I had a lot to think about...

I struggle with words, trying to describe what I am communicating.

I’m not a journalist, unless by journalist you mean someone who keeps a journal. I am a writer, primarily of essays, but people these days don’t always know the difference between an essayist and a reporter. We, the People, tend to think of journalism as a profession, not a heartfelt, human confession.

I struggle with the idea of a Libertarian Party, too. I am a libertarian, if by libertarian you mean someone who believes in individual liberty, but I haven’t always been registered with the party. We tend to think of Libertarian as only a collective party, not an individual perspective. I struggle with these words, too.

Dr. Jo Jorgensen offers something unique to Alaskans. At a time when many voters in Alaska - a State with a well-known libertarian streak - are finally fed up with the lesser evil ethos, Dr. Jorgensen offers an opportunity to embrace the profound significance of our right to vote.

The vote is sacred, both to the law, and your own conscience. It’s your word, your commitment, your conscientious concern, made public. We, the rest of us People, are counting on the outcome of the vote, to lead to the manifestation of the true consensus of the People. If we don’t vote our consciences, if we’re always voting for the lesser evil, then we will always be disappointed with the fallout that

follows. Jo Jorgensen is a longtime libertarian, both in party-affiliation and personal acumen. Professionally, she has a B.S. in Psychology, and a Master’s Degree in Administration. She worked with IBM, and Digitech corporations.

She received a doctorate in Industrial Organizational Psychology. These credentials ought to qualify anyone to lead large groups of people. She is not nutty, like so many Libertarian candidates, but more like the polar opposite. She’s sane, well-spoken, and intellectually consistent.

She understands the need to communicate a message that doesn’t get hijacked by hyperbole, and is willing to do the intellectual work to increase liberty for all. This struggle with words, it’s harder when you’re really trying to be honest.

Honesty is boring. Honesty is, oftentimes, not exciting at all. The media corporations know this. Their legacy is sensationalism, and that’s why trust in media is at an all time low. They don’t do the hard work, they don’t struggle with words, they aren’t striving constantly to get closer to the truth. Instead, they just ignore almost everything, and feed us a constant stream of over-simplified reporting, with headline after headline crafted to create reader interest.

That’s also why they have yet to give Dr. Jorgensen any substantial coverage. That’s why it’s likely that haven’t heard of her, or her candidacy, until now. The media has failed, again, to keep us informed. They’ve succeeded in distracting us, and extracting from us the attention that they need to sell advertising.

With the televised world in turmoil, and most of America at peace, we

live in interesting times. Jorgensen’s policies on policing, on law, on the justice system - which would have a profound impact on police brutality - these are policies that the libertarians and the Libertarian party have proffered for decades. Many of the things that modern, progressive activists are finally talking about, like qualified immunity, or victimless crime laws, these have been the clarion call of libertarians for a long time. If you really want to understand the issues underlying police brutality in America, why not listen to the folks who have worked out the words to do so.

Libertarians have already done that work. They’ve struggled with these words for a while.

Dr. Jo Jorgensen, and libertarians like her, have been having this conversation all along. They’ve been trying to describe something so fundamental, so honest, that it’s honestly a little boring. It’s not a sensational, hyperbolic, emotionally commanding thing, to simply and strongly affirm our individual right to be free. It’s not part of the mainstream back and forth of the two-party establishment, but isn’t that a good thing? The tension between these twoparty-people is palpable.

We’re at a breaking point, and each individual has to realize that the violence we’ve seen with police brutality has only been replaced by the violence of the mob. We’ve seen countless videos of an even greater, more overt violence, a physical struggle in the streets. We must not forget that when the talking stops, the violence starts. We have a long tradition of civil discourse and civic response-ability.

We do not struggle with each other we struggle with words.

I won’t endorse Dr. Jo Jorgensen. I will vote for her. I don’t think it’s right that I would endorse a candidate, telling you that you ought to vote for her, because I think so. No, I think you should vote your conscience. I would hope that you would first inform your conscience by doing the work that the media won’t.

Start here: JoJ2020.com

POLITICS / OPINION

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Number 4: Fabricate some fake videos or still pictures. Everyone knows how to “photoshop”, and most people don’t know the difference. So be creative!

Contributed by Carmen Summerfield Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the free exchange of accurate information. A democracy thrives when its citizens are informed, and will wither when they are misled, deceived, or kept in the dark.

Number 1: Make sure you say something that works on people’s emotions. Humankind’s relationship to information is more emotional than rational. So tug at their heartstrings and trigger an emotional reaction. Fear, outrage, or hope overrides our rational defenses.

So, as a bad joke, I’ll help you learn how to deceive someone. Take my quick course on hyperbole and misinformation.

Number 2: You don’t have time, or the inclination, to thoroughly read and understand all the many articles available. Just read the headlines and

Contributed by Alex Fetta “I, however, place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared.”

-Thomas Jefferson “All the perplexities, confusion, and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation.”

-John Adams Americans are about to face the greatest financial event of our lifetime.

Alaska is not immune to the effects and will experience its own specific challenges. We are entering into a global recession with the potential for a depression if we do not act responsibly. The world has too much debt and can no longer service it.

Similar to the 1930s, it appears that, at least in the near term, we are going to experience a bout of deflation. For this reason, it is critical that we get our spending under control. We must make difficult choices and it will be painful, but we can no longer sacrifice the future of our children to fund the excesses of government.

Our nation was founded with two competing viewpoints on centralization. Thomas Jefferson, an anti-Federalist, advocated for states’ rights instead of centralized power.

John Adams, a Federalist, wanted a

Contributed by Doug Ferguson In the intellectual world for the past half century or so there has been a lot of debate about “Postmodernism.”

Some may have noticed It in arts and architecture discussions, but it turns out it is an elite intellectual philosophy about life and the human existence in general. Today it seems it has filtered down to our educated young people as the basis for arguing almost any view you wish to believe. It seems to be the basis for all the chaotic national insanity we see around us.

The Encyclopedia Britannica says: Postmodernism also spelled post-modernism, in Western philosophy, a late 20th-century movement characterized by broad skepticism, subjectivism, or relativism; a general suspicion of reason; and an acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power.

strong central government. However, both parties understood the nature of coin and credit and the dangers of public debt. Our ignorance to the same has put our state in a precarious situation.

We are in the early stages of what will likely be a severe recession. The U.S. economy began slowing in late 2019 and the COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated the initial stages of a liquidity crisis. We experienced a supply and demand shock as supply chains were interrupted and consumer behavior changed in response to the virus and government mandates. This stopped money from flowing through our economy, which is why the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury have taken unprecedented action to increase the monetary base.

The “hope” phase began as the lockdowns were eased and businesses were allowed to reopen, but the true impacts on our economy are yet to be realized. The velocity of money has not increased, and businesses are operating on life support. Consumer behavior has not returned to normal, so money is still stagnant within the economy.

We are now entering the solvency phase of the crisis, but it will take some time to play out. Businesses and government will soon realize that they do not have enough income to pay for their expenses. We are already beginning to see large companies file Chapter 11 bankruptcies and

relate observations on its actual “trickle down” effect in the general population of our social, economic and political life today. To do that I would put forth this simple definition of Postmodernism as it is now being practiced in our country: Based on your feelings, life experiences and your desires, anything you want to believe is actually true, providing there are enough other people to agree with you regardless of what has been established in the past by either science or society.

A prime example follows: If you were determined to be a male at birth based on your sexual organs (and in some rare cases, a chromosome test), but as you aged you feel you are a woman and many people are there to support your decision, then you are, in fact, a woman. Or vice versa if you were born as a female!

https://www.britannica.com/topic/ postmodernism-philosophy

This dismissal and distrust of the long history of discovery in the fields of biology, medicine and genetics is typical at the heart of postmodern thinking at the extremes of the movement. “Truth” is more determined by ideology and belief than science or history in the eyes of the current postmodernist.

However, I don’t intend to debate or describe the very complex intellectual side of this movement, but rather

We can see this “wishful” relativism for new truths in many other areas of our society. To replace the need for a

This definition proceeds a long article on the origins, thinking and history of the movement that is worth reading.

The web site is given below:

then “like” or “forward” those that sound good. The more you send, the more you can amplify unreliable and divisive content.

Number 3: Confuse ‘em so they can’t spot misinformation patterns. A misinformation pattern is overuse of certain words or phrases, such as “long lines”, “voter fraud”, or “over testing”, in all the articles. Switch things up. Most people will get so confused that they’ll believe anything you say.

small businesses close their doors for good. With over 40 million Americans unemployed, the impacts on state budgets will be pronounced as funds begin to dry up. Federal compensation for unemployed Alaskans is slated expire at the end of July and that will have an impact on the state’s economy.

This will not be a “v-shaped” recovery and it is important that Alaskans understand this as it will drive policy decisions.

We now face some of the most critical choices in the history of our state and the actions we take will affect future generations. We must drastically cut state spending. There is no other choice. We are out of money and the current expenditures are not sustainable, despite arguments to the contrary.

To increase taxes in the midst of a recession is irresponsible and would destroy the trust of Alaskans who voluntarily complied with the recent COVID health mandates and shuttered their businesses. It would further undermine the economy of Alaska and would result in more business failures and layoffs.

In order to lessen the impact on our economy, we must get money moving in the private sector again.

Government services must take a back seat in order to keep individual Alaskans solvent. WE must return to the statutory PFD calculations and pay Alaskans the money that was unlawfully seized from them.

purpose and structure in life previously provided by the rapidly disappearing Judeo-Christian values that once formed the basis for our Western culture, several new wide-spread religions have emerged.

For instance, one is based on the postmodern concept that our development of affordable, widely available energy over the past industrial age has NOT improved the lot of mankind. Adherents don’t believe that it has facilitated reliable heat in cold climates, clean water and sanitary waste facilities, increased production of food and the means to get it to those needing it, and many other things to raise living standards around the world. In fact, they believe it has made it worse and will eventually cause our planet to burn up in our lifetime if we don’t stop it immediately and replace it with so-called “sustainable” sources and eliminate many of the power consuming activities altogether. Many are dedicated to this new religious “purpose” while ignoring the actual very negative consequences of their extreme actions to stop current sources of energy that affect these benefits to civilization.

I could go on with many other even more controversial examples that involve the current “woke” concept of “social justice” to the point where now there are young people ashamed of the color of their skin and are willing to

Number 5: Make people think that the “other guy” or “other product” can’t be trusted. If you say something enough times, people will believe it. Eventually they’ll become cynical. And when they hear the same bad thing said about your product or idea, they won’t believe that either.

Remember, people who have an impassioned viewpoint about something do not want to hear an opposing viewpoint.

All joking aside, credible information doesn’t ask for your trust, it EARNS it by being transparent, fair, and accurate. If you see something that is fake, false, or misleading, DO SOMETHING!

In order to this, state spending must be cut across the board. It is not up to government how Alaskans spend their money. The legislature chose special interests over the people and that must be remedied. Regulations that hinder entrepreneurship must be rolled back so the tens of thousands of unemployed Alaskans can get to work. Otherwise, we face a prolonged economic downturn with a great deal of unnecessary suffering.

Regardless of our actions, this will not be easy, and Alaskans will need to work together. Reduced government services will mean that individuals must take it upon themselves to assist their communities. We all have our owns strengths and weaknesses and will need to rely on each other more so than in the past.

Freedom is not perfect, but we must do all we can to preserve the liberties we enjoy. Some will be impacted more than others and we must look out for them to the degree that we are able. In every prior difficult situation, our communities have stepped up and done what was required to get through it. This is no different, though the stakes are higher. Freedom works best when we work together.

Live Free -Alex My name is Alex Fetta and I am running for Alaska State House District 11.

If you live in Palmer and trust me to represent you in Juneau, I’d appreciate your vote on August 18th. I will stand for personal freedom, limited government, fiscal responsibility, and a full PFD for Alaskans. We can weather the approaching storm if we unleash the innovation of our private sector and generate new streams of revenue through development of our state resources. Alaska must become selfsufficient and we must embrace the changes necessary to create a new and vibrant economy.

riot, topple statues and burn buildings to prove it. This despite the fact that everyone in the country, including our poorest, have been living in the most affluent and color-blind society the world has ever known, but I think you get the picture.

Today’s postmodernists are skeptical of history and science itself so that they can ignore them to justify their beliefs.

All of us would agree that reason, science and investigation are not the entire story about human existence.

However, history has shown these to be very effective paths to real “truths”.

Viewing today’s actual “on the ground” postmodernism, it seems we are regressing back to a more primitive time in mankind’s history. Then uncivilized tribes believed things they really didn’t understand to be true. Many of those beliefs were little more than wishful thinking based on the very limited and generalized observations of the world around them, not to mention selfish interests, especially those of their leaders.

Is this the long term result of our higher education system “Postmodernising” our young adults and getting the message amplified by our mainstream media? If we continue to tread on this insane path to anarchy, we will be surely entering a new “Dark Age”.

Doug Ferguson is a retired engineer living in Palmer, Alaska who has had a life-long interest in science, math, earth sciences, astronomy, and, of course human behavior.

POLITICS / OPINION also. I was tasked with helping 5-yearold Billy on with his snow pants while Mom got 2-year-old Stevie ready to go.

Meanwhile Dick went upstairs to get a quilt to put in the wagon as we knew both Billy and Stevie would be tired of walking by the time we headed for home.

Contributed by Marilyn Bennett Mom was not a Scandinavian, but since Dad was Norwegian she thought that now that I was eight and my brother Dick was ten, we should learn something of our heritage. The year was 1949 and the governor was going to unveil a bronze statue of Leif Erikson at the capital in St Paul.

We felt it was about time, as there had been a statue of Christopher Columbus at the capital since Columbus Day Oct. 12, 1931. In 1949 St. Paul was made up somewhat equally of Italians and Scandinavians, so it did seem right that we should have a statue and a holiday

Contributed by Huhnkie Lee Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Lee in the Valley, who is running for Alaska State Senate in Greater Wasilla area.

Let us take a break from politics. How about we talk about religion instead?

Well, they’re the two taboo topics but hey, we are Alaskans in Matsu, which is a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone. We’re all friends and families, so we can talk about anything, right?

So, where do we start in this religion discussion? Perhaps the definition of religion would be a good starter.

A religion can be defined as a set of beliefs. Such beliefs may be unscientific, non-factual, imaginary.

For instance, some Tibetan Buddhists believe in reincarnation, a concept where a person has previous life before one was born and that previous life can be that of an animal. That is why some Buddhist tradition prescribes vegetarianism to its priests, as animals can one day reincarnate into humans in later life cycles.

Similarly, Christians believe in unscientific concepts such as miracles of Jesus walking on water, raising the dead, etc. Now, how about the LGBT-ism? LGBT advocates believe that a man can marry another man, a woman can marry another woman, a man can become a woman, a woman

We walked the three blocks to Rice Street where we took the street car that day because it was chilly out and we knew it would be a long day. The conductor on the street car was very nice to Mom and helped her get the wagon into the street car. We arrived at the capital twenty minutes early which was a good thing as we all had to go to the bathroom. (That was back when ordinary people could walk into the capital building, not go through a scanner and go straight to the bathroom.)

There were a lot of important people at the unveiling of the statue so we couldn’t get very close until the speeches were over. But once all the guys were finished talking, we got close to the statue and Mom told us of how proud we should be of our Norwegian heritage. The statue was pretty impressive. The inscription on the statue said: LEIF ERIKSON discoverer of America 1000 a.d. - authors note: (very questionable history) erected through popular subscription sponsored by

can become a man, some people are born to be homosexual, there is such a thing as homosexuality gene, etc.

Such beliefs are not exactly scientific, but they are more of unscientific belief system. In that way, yes, LGBT-ism is a religion.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with creating a brand-new religion.

American Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. But the problem arises when a religion becomes a mandatory one. If people start to lose their jobs or are forced to close down their businesses, just because they refuse to believe in the new religion of LGBT-ism, then the religion becomes a state-sponsored religion. And that’s, of course, very unconstitutional.

Now let us examine the Black Lives Matter movement (“BLM”). BLM advocates for African Americans who lost lives during police arrests. It also points out the statistical fact that African Americans are overrepresented in prison population. Meaning, African Americans are 5 times more likely to be in jail than Caucasian Americans. Let us examine why that is the case.

Some ancestors of African Americans came to America involuntarily in 1700s.

I hesitate to use the word, “slaves”, because it is a disrespectful term to characterize people. Back in the days in anywhere in the world, the class system was inheritable and fixed. If you were born a noble, then you’re a noble, your kids will be nobles. If you

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

the Minnesota Leif Erikson Monument Association Inc. presented to the state of Minnesota during its territorial centennial October 9, 1949 designed & executed by John Karl Daniels (A Norwegian-American Sculptor).

I was glad we got to see the unveiling, but we were getting pretty cold and Stevie was starting to cry. He never really acted like a tough Norwegian.

Dick was running around with some older boys, they all had sticks and were pretending to be Vikings having sword fights with the Swedes. All in all it was an interesting day.

Fast forward to June 10, 2020 my hometown of St Paul, MN. Protesters pull down the statue of Christopher Columbus. They put a rope around the 10 ft bronze statue and pulled it off its stone pedestal and then celebrated with singing and drumming. The State Patrol troopers stood by at a distance but did not try to stop the vandals.

When the deed was done the troopers formed a line to protect the toppled statue and no one was arrested or charged for this crime. I have always felt that being a nation of laws was what kept us free from chaos. Being able to ignore laws with impunity and not be punished is the sure road to unpleasant consequences.

The Italians during the depression raised enough money to have an Italian-American immigrant artist by the name of Carlo Brioschi create the statue of Columbus. It was a gift from the Italian Americans of Minnesota

were born in a servant class, you will be a servant and your kids will be servants too. That is how it was in Asia, Africa, Europe, Middle East, Israel, everywhere.

There was no upward class mobility back in 1700s.

So African American laborers in 1700s were underpaid and their next generation inherited such poverty.

When a community is impoverished, some start to steal. Crimes often accompany poverty. When crimes happen, police officers come and arrest the accused, and put them in jail.

Now, when newspapers write about BLM-related incidents, they always mention Mr. George Floyd’s name at the end of their reports. I can’t help noticing the similarity between such journalistic practice and Christian prayers where prayers always end with “In Jesus’s name, Amen.”

BLM is designed to empower African Americans and something good came out of it. Big business corporations are investing in African American communities and hiring more African Americans, which is great and that can lead to crime reduction.

If the power of African race in America is less than those of other races in America, then yes, empowering African Americans is a good advocacy. The problem arises when BLM doesn’t stop at the point where African Americans have equal rights as other races in

PAGE 8

to the city of St Paul. This statue was dedicated in front of a crowd of proud Italians and other citizens in 1931. I was told that many Italians fasted one day a week for several months to be able to have the extra money to donate to build this statue.

To have the rich entitled and feeling oppressed citizens of 2020 tear it down is such a sad commentary on where our country is today. This is not a good time in America as there seems to be an ongoing effort to rewrite history. Just because our founders and explorers were not perfect people is no reason to destroy our history and tear down works of art. I may be old fashioned, but really feel that if someone is unhappy about how a statue is represented, he/she is free to petition to have it removed or have a plaque installed to correct any historical errors or problems with the inscription on the statue.

It has been a long time since I have thought of Americans as ItalianAmericans or Norwegian-Americans.

That is why I have a hard time with the current way of breaking Americans into hyphenated Americans.

I much preferred the Melting Pot rather than this divisive Multiculturalism.

Be that as it may, it would be nice to get back to respecting each other whatever our color, creed or sexual orientation and be able to speak freely without fear of being un-platformed or heaven forbid losing our jobs.

Just some food for thought.

America. If BLM continues to empower African Americans such that African Americans are over-empowered, then it would result in over-power-ment of African Americans, a situation where African Americans have rights superior to those of other races in America.

In history of humanity, we saw that the concentration of power often results in corruption. What we see in BLM is something similar. What happens when a king becomes a tyrant?

Dictators commit crimes but they don’t get punished, because they are the kings. Emperors like Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Alexander the Great, the reason that they are famous is that they committed murders and thefts and kidnaps in massive scales. Hitler was one of them.

The point is that the ideology of BLM has become such a super-doperpowerful ideology today, it is behaving like a big emperor, who commits crimes in a massive scale, but the BLM King gets away with such crimes.

Arson, burglary, theft are felony crimes. Vandalism, graffiti, taking down statues, spraying on building walls, blocking highways are at least misdemeanor crimes.

If BLM becomes a mandatory religion, if a criticism of BLM constitutes a blasphemy, then that’ll be the day the Constitution dies. Let’s be hardworking, law-abiding, free, brave Americans. I believe we can do this.

POLITICS / OPINION

Contributed by Rep. David Eastman How does the blatantly anti-democratic practice of legislators selling votes in exchange for perks persist in America in the year 2020?

How is it that Republican legislators continue to punish Mat-Su Republican legislators simply for voting the way their Mat-Su constituents have asked them to, or for raising issues the Juneau Swamp wants left alone?

Practices like these continue because year in and year out, since statehood, a majority of legislators have adopted a “Go along to get along” attitude. In other words, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”. As a state, our legislators have been “joining ‘em” for longer than any other state. No other state legislature continues to tolerate the brazen voteselling that we observe here in Alaska.

Not even Illinois or New Jersey.

Why do we? What is it about Alaska politics that leads us to be so out of step with 49 other states? Some blame the fact that the legislature continues to meet in Juneau, a drive across the Canadian Border for most Alaskans. The location of the capital is certainly a factor, but it is not the only one.

For reasons good and bad, we’ve learned to leave legislators largely to their own devices. When legislators complain that the law limiting ses-

sions of the legislature to 90 days is too restrictive and then simply ignore it, Alaskans tolerate the behavior. In other words, we believe the excuses. We shouldn’t.

Legislators in Texas average 70 days a year in session plus an occasional special session. I’m sure some of their legislators would prefer longer sessions. But in Texas, people don’t put up with that. A law is a law. Legislators are expected to follow those.

But here in Alaska, legislators tell us that 90 days is not nearly enough.

Some of them even believe it. They tell us that things in Juneau wouldn’t work if the 90 day session limit was ever enforced. While we may not believe that, as Alaskans, we tolerate it.

Alaska legislators selling their votes to join the binding caucus has been lauded as a necessary evil by the Juneau Swamp Culture. Of course it has. Binding legislators to vote the way that those in Juneau tell them to, as opposed to listening to those back home, is how Juneau maintains control over state policy.

It also trains new legislators that they aren’t actually responsible for the way they vote. When a particularly obnoxious decision comes out of Juneau— like failing to block Gov. Walker’s veto of the PFD—legislators shout “I was outnumbered, my vote wouldn’t have

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

PAGE 9

mattered” or, my personal favorite, “The caucus made me do it.” I’m gonna guess that wouldn’t go over too well in Texas. And it shouldn’t here either.

low Republican legislators, some of us repeatedly. And what for? For siding with our constituents, and shining light on what goes on in Juneau.

So how does it end? It ends the same way “The Emperor’s New Clothes” ends.

As the parade passes through town, a young spectator cries loudly enough for all to hear: “He’s got no clothes on!”

Up ‘til that point those in the crowd had been too embarrassed to point out what everyone had already suspected—the emperor, and everyone in his parade, had been duped. The emperor’s new clothes weren’t invisible— they were imagined. Awhile back, some legislators imagined that selling votes and threatening fellow legislators with punishment was somehow honorable, ethical and a good way to get things done. As a state, we’ve simply assumed it was. Once everyday Alaskans are able to admit in public that we’ve been duped, the charade will end.

The truth is that Alaskans are being ripped off by the Juneau Swamp Culture, and have been for years. The PFD isn’t the first time the Swamp has ripped off Alaskans, it’s just the most visible.

In the story, to save face, the emperor completed the parade despite the laughter of his subjects. But the Juneau Swamp is not so polite. One of the reasons Alaskans are even aware of the binding caucus today is because it has lashed out so spectacularly at those of us who have spoken out against the practice.

Mat-Su legislators like Sen. Dunleavy, Sen. Shower, Sen. Hughes and myself have each been punished by our fel-

These practices continue because of the culture that we have allowed to develop in Juneau, and because of “Go along to get along” politicians.

The culture in the legislature today is two parts street gang and three parts middle school. That’s the environment into which we send new legislators.

It’s not a debating society. It’s not an accounting firm. It’s an institution today where middle schoolers run the show, too worried about who gets to sit with the cool kids at lunch tomorrow to step back and consider how their votes and decisions are impacting the future of Alaska. It’s time to grow up. Forty-nine other states have figured it out. We can too.

Rep. David Eastman has served in the Alaska State House representing the Mat-Su since 2017; He ran on a platform of fighting for genuine conservative reform, fiscally and socially, and remains committed to that promise.

POLITICS / OPINION

Contributed by Stuart Thompson Josh Fryfogle’s “Treason” article two months ago was very good. The following article carries its theme further. It will take some courage to read on.

Three human ethics factors underlie the political depravity that Mr. Fryfogle so ably described: 1) Increasing commission and public acceptance of “bearing false witness”---violation of one of the biblical 10 Commandments; 2) increasing commission of betrayal after trust (also known as failing to keep one’s word) by politicians, government officials, and citizens alike; and 3) increasing citizen avoidance of informed civic participation.

Bearing false witness is not just lying, but is also telling half-truths. Artfully telling half-truths or lying to influence what people think is horribly the most rewarded skill in our society today.

Politicians and the government do it, and justify doing so by asserting that they “know best” what is good for everybody. The Media does it because

Contributed by Rep. Mark Neuman As a 17-year veteran of the State of Alaska legislature, the knowledge, experience, expertise, and especially the trust I have built over the years will be invaluable to Alaska as our great state faces current and future challenges. During my tenure as a Representative I have been fortunate enough to be part of many great committees and authored several pieces of legislation that have helped change Alaska for the better. Some of the most notable bills I have been involved in are below.

Important past legislation I have sponsored and became law includes: A law that doubled the mandatory sentencing for “Sexual Assault of a Minor”. A law called the “Castle Doctrine”, better known as the “StandYour-Ground” law, which let citizens protect themselves, their families, and their property, using deadly force if necessary when they feel lives are in danger. A law that allows Alaskan workers to carry and use “quick deployed” knives that are advantages to certain types of work, such as commercial fishing.

Other important legislation I have been part of that has not yet passed, but will become crucial in the near

Contributed by Joshua Fryfogle The anonymity that the voting booth provides is a safeguard against political pressure and retribution. The vote being treated as so secret, and so sacred, so that you go behind a curtain to cast it - that is not by accident.

By careful design, our nation’s voting process allows for complete anonymity.

We go to great pains to do this, so that the vote that is cast is true to the heart of the one who casts it. It would be a failure of the system for that anonymity to be compromised, because no one could be sure that their vote - their political beliefs - won’t be held against them. Mail-in voting creates a much less secure process, and ties the identity of the voter to their vote, which can be intercepted and interrupted as easily as breaking into a mail box. Instead of your vote being carefully collected and safely stored in a public place for all to see, your vote, with your name is

journalists are trained that their purpose is “to shape public opinion”. Educators and scientists do it because their job-security or their own prejudices are often more important than honest portrayal of practical truth. Citizens do it all too often because lying and telling half-truths appear less painful than being courageously truthful.

Betrayal after trust in the realm of politics and government actually encompasses a virtue history has called honor.

Now perfect trustworthiness is unattainable by human beings. But what is attainable is the essence of honor: always striving to be worthy of trust and doing one’s best to openly repair the consequences of any lapses.

Citizen avoidance of informed civic participation IS the enabler of political corruption!

A) Example: thinking that voting for “the lessor of two evils” every election is all that citizenship means.

1) After several election cycles of doing this---instead of voting one’s conscience----naturally results in a group of “ethically challenged” officials. So

future, includes: A bill to authorize the construction of the Knik Arm Crossing(KAC) and a bill to move the Alaska Legislature from Juneau to South Central, Alaska.

I am asked regularly what issues I care about most. Although there are many, the rights of unborn children and the rights of Alaskan residents to a full PFD pay-out according to the original PFD formula are very important to me. But I also feel strongly about domestic violence, crime, and developing our resources to provide good paying jobs for Alaskan residents.

I believe Alaska’s resources belong to all Alaskan’s, including a share of the royalty payments the State of Alaska Government gets, which should be paid out to every Alaskan resident through the Permanent Fund Dividend process.

Less government is better government.

A lean efficient government that only provides essential services that the private sector cannot is what I believe our state government should be striving to become. The State of Alaska Government should be creating opportunities for companies to invest and build in Alaska by reducing onerous regulations and simplifying the permitting process. We should

sitting in a mail box at the end of your drive, in a cluster box at the end of your block, or in a USPS collection box at the other end of town.

I remember as a child being told that even asking the average person how they voted was rude, and socially unacceptable.

This gave my young mind a social context to the value of a secret ballot.

That way of respecting the voting of others was a safeguard against political bigotry. These days, more people seem to wear their politics on their sleeves.

There remains, however, a silent majority. Those folks still choose to maintain the secrecy of their own votes, as was the predominant custom just a few decades ago. Though the legacy media corporations and independent content creators have made their messages more readily available to the public, via the internet, representing the loudest opinions, the people who don’t publi-

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citizens have directly enabled modern corruption by their own civic irresponsibility!

2) Half the kings and emperors in human history were elected. Furthermore, those condoning hereditary kingship and nobility were merely embracing the source of all racism---that human beings are soul-less animals to be bred and managed by their “betters”. That there aren’t any elite human beings--no matter how intelligent they are--- is the reason all forms of democracy and representative government even developed … or needed to be!

B) Another example: out of grotesque ignorance or miseducation, it is a commonly held belief that lobbyists are a necessary part of representative government. This is instead of organized briefing of constituents on issues, and harvesting their input for representation. But wait! Lobbyists are ALWAYS engaged by special interests! This was even so in the age of kings and nobles--including lobbyist use of propaganda, bribes, blackmail, and character assas-

have short, medium, and long-term development plans including budgets that demonstrate stability in our government and a vision for our future.

We need to diversify our economy and revenue streams to smooth the peaks and valleys of our economic cycles. We need to quit spending more for government services than what we generate in revenue. This is an unsustainable path that we are currently on.

There are basically two directions our state government can go to fund our state needs. One that taxes more and regulates more to pay for and increase the size of government, taking money out of the economy, reducing money available for growing businesses and creating jobs.

The other is the type of government I support. One that provides only essential services, reduces stifling regulations, and grows our economy through a diverse revenue stream by turning our vast resources into good paying jobs. These jobs would fuel Alaskan businesses through purchase of goods and services. The folks I know would rather have a good paying job than get government assistance.

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sination. Having no dictionaries, US Founders used the Latin derivation of the word “represent”: do or show again.

To them, it was the aggregate of what constituents had in mind on common issues that was to be represented---not the wants and opinions of those who had “the ear of power”. The corruption of lobbyist-influenced government IS what is attacked in the US Declaration of Independence! So out of 1) a propagandized dictionary definition of “represent”: be an official or agent in behalf of, and 2) a pathetic ignorance of how to lead people so constituent minds can be represented, we have lost the safeguards that people-based government brings. This cliché applies: Those who don t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”.

I shall address remedies arising from these observations next month in Part II. Stuart Thompson PO Box 870702 Wasilla AK 99687 lookitovere@att.net

economic cycles, it would add and increase royalty payments and corporate taxes to state government revenues providing a more stable and reliable stream of state income.

I know this sounds simple enough, so why is this not already happening?

Why are the opportunities not here in Alaska like the rest of the world?

Alaska lacks the critical infrastructure to support the development of our resources. Why? Too often because of politics. I realize that all legislators believe that what they are doing is right. But all too often it is because, well, because they are in the same caucus. Majority members are required to vote with the rest of their caucus, whether they agree or not.

If they don’t, they are kicked out of the majority. They lose committee assignments, staff, get stuck in small offices, and generally get treated badly, as if they are minority members or worse. We’ve seen this play out several times over the last two years.

I’ve always believed out differences are our strength. I welcome anyone to question and challenge my work.

It can only help me produce a better product.

A diverse economy would not only create more jobs and stabilize our

CONTINUES ONLINE www.thepeoplespaper.news/neuman

cize their political opinions are still the majority. They decide the elections, no matter what the talking heads say.

their day in court.

Cancel culture is spreading across this land, and people with critical opinions of social justice theory are often the very real target of organized action.

Tomorrow, it could be those who support social justice theory. The mob mentality is fraught with failure, historically, and individual Liberty has always been the bulwark to this injustice. Our Justice system is designed to protect the individual from the accuser, and to make a public record of the process by which we do so, while facilitating this due process for the accused. If found guilty, we hold them accountable. If found not guilty (no one is found innocent, mind you) then they are freed appropriately.

That’s why we say it’s wrong for police to execute people, regardless of what they are accused. They should have

That’s why we say it’s wrong for mobs of people to kill the accused instead of proving their guilt in a court of law.

To paraphrase Blackstone: It is better that a hundred criminals go free, than to wrongly convict one innocent person.

Society must err on the side of Liberty, lest we lose it. The liberty to vote one’s conscience cannot be rationally invalidated, though the political parties still try. It is their one true adversary, after all: differing opinions. They talk about ‘wasting your vote’, and the lesser evil, and explain away why they vote for a candidate that they only believe is likely to win, not that they actually believe in.

CONTINUES ONLINE: www.thepeoplespaper.news/ joshfryfogle

POLITICS / OPINION Contributed Loy Thurman “Santa” Have you noticed that the current Alaskan State Senator for District D (Wasilla, Big Lake, Meadow Lakes, KnikFairview, Point McKenzie and most of The Lakes Area) is NOT DEPENDABLE to vote CONSERVATIVELY on issues that really matter.

People I know call folks who waffle all over the place “mugwumps”. That means that they stay on the fence with their “mug” on one side and their “wump” on the other. They are NOT predictable because they lean whichever way the wind is blowing at the moment. And many times it’s their own “South-end” wind blowing.

If you are Tired of NOT knowing what your senator stands for, or will stand up for, then vote for me, Loy Thurman “Santa”. Ask for a Republican ballot at the August 18 Primary election, (even if your Undeclared or Non-Partisan) you can vote in the Republican Primary. If you prefer to vote absentee, or early then please check out the options at Division of Elections at www.elections. alaska.gov I, Loy Thurman have unwavering convictions and can be

depended upon to stand up for MY constituents. You can count on me to put YOU first. I’m not interested in power plays or giving away your vote to gain any positions, as David Wilson has gained several chairman seats. These were awarded to him by President of Senate Cathy Giessel for his obedient servanthood.

These chairmanships were punitively stripped from his fellow valley conservative senators. But NO PROBLEM for David Wilson! Therefore, I am adamantly opposed to this “binding caucus” which is an illegal tactic, that takes away the right of YOUR senator to vote for the desires of the people they represent. I also know that unless others and myself who actually have a backbone, are unable to do away with this “binding caucus” that we will likely be penalized for it. BUT, I am willing to take that risk and make the effort to stop the “GO ALONG GET ALONG” way of doing business down in Juneau!

I am a former Marine who took an oath to defend my Country against all enemies both foreign and DOMESTIC. That oath I still revere, and it has NO expiration date. And if you love

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America as I do, NOW is the time to defend her! She is under heavy attack by traitors from within! YOU must NOW get involved or it will FOREVER be too late!

I very strongly support, and have been active in, the efforts to restore our full PFD. NOT these token partial payouts. Upon adoption of the Alaska Constitution, each Alaskan gained an ownership share of the mineral rights of oil and other resources. I am of the opinion that we, as owners, are entitled to every dime of our share of the profits gained by the State through the oil leases. No qualifiers, no questions.

I am ultra-conservative. I understand the value of a dollar and know what it is like to go through hard times financially.

In my opinion, just as the Bible is the base from which we must operate as individuals, the Constitution is a base on which we must operate as a nation and as a state.

Check me out online at www.

Loy4Alaska.com. While there, please make use of the “donate” option. I

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run a very tight ship, BUT freedom and political campaigns cost (some in blood, some with money). Since I am fighting for your PFD, then most certainly you could give something: $20, $40, even $100, to work at getting back YOUR stolen money. So give NOW, NOT tomorrow – because tomorrow never really comes! We only have today! It will be one of the best investments you have made in Yourself.

Don’t just complain - do something about your government! Help, donate, VOTE! If you don’t act NOW, it may be too late when you finally realize how serious it already is!

Volunteers are very much welcome! If you can help me out (even for a few hours), message me on Facebook (Loy Thurman for Alaska), or e-mail me at 76patriot@protonmail.com Most Sincerely Yours, Loy Thurman “Santa” Loy Thurman For Alaska PO Box 520161 Big Lake, AK 99652 (907) 892-2244

COMMUNIT Y

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HomeChoice™ classes are available online each week. The lessons are delivered over three days in two-hour increments.

HomeChoice™ is a great first step, particularly for first-time buyers, Brian said.

Wasilla’s Brian Remley is one of more than 60,000 Alaskans who made better home buying decisions, thanks to HomeChoice, a free class offered by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC).

Brian purchased his first house in 2018. “I was nervous, and I wanted insider knowledge of what to look for, things to pay attention to and types of questions I should be asking when

Contributed by Lhing McNeal Hey! Mat-SU don’t let this pandemic stop you, let’s get movin!

Kabayan Inc. Filipino American Community of Mat-Su will hold its 2nd Annual Zumba in Park virtually through Zoom. Zumba is a fitness class that combines dance and fitness moves.

Due to COVID-19 our 2nd Annual Zumba in the Park will go virtual this year through zoom. Though our platform has changed but the purpose has remained the same to GET HEALTHY. This event is part of our Health and Wellness Program.

It’s a FREE Zumba Pop class, fun, pumping music and burn calories with us!

This class will be taught by authorized Zumba instructors. Meet our Zin’s from the comfort of your home and dance like nobody is watching. Class suitable

looking for the right home,” he said.

HomeChoice™ is a six-hour class that helps prospective homebuyers work their way through the decisions and steps of buying a home and how to save money on closing costs.

Topics covered include how to shop for a lender and a real estate professional, title insurance, energy-efficient homes, how to get a home loan, purchase

and sale contracts, home inspections, money management and budgeting and AHFC loan programs.

The class is open to all buyers, whether it’s their first house or their fifth, and is particularly valuable for those interested in learning more about the homebuying process, how to prepare for homeownership and how to access local and federal programs that reduce the cost of homeownership.

To learn more or to register, please visit ahfc.us/buy/homechoice today.

AHFC is a public corporation providing Alaskans access to safe, quality and affordable housing through residential financing, energy efficiency, public housing and more.

Since 1986, Alaska Housing has contributed more than $2.1 billion to the State of Alaska.

for all abilities, so invite your friends and families.

We have so much fun last year seeing your beautiful faces, smiling and dancing with us. The fun continues this year all month of August. Class will begin on August 6, 2020 every week on Thursday & Saturday at 7 pm. Zoom will carry 100 participants only, first come first serve.

Join us and win worth $500 in total prizes for kid’s adults and we will draw winners on Saturday, August 29 End of Season event right after the class.

For more information on how to win prizes and registration please visit kabayaninc.com/zumba-2020 or find our Facebook event Let’s Get Movin Mat-Su Free Virtual Zumba.

This program is sponsored by Matsu Health Foundation.

Contributed by Janet Johnson Valley Republican Women of Alaska will be having their monthly meeting Thursday, July 16, 2020 at the Sunrise Grill, 918 S Colony Way, Palmer, Alaska. Our meeting will start at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., come early if ordering food.

Candidate Forums, Senate District D Candidates: David Wilson (incumbent); Bernadette Rupright; Stephen

Wright; Loy Thurman; Chandra McCain-Finch; and Huhnkie Lee. Wasilla Mayoral Race: Glenda Ledford; Stu Graham; and Doug Holler.

Perfect opportunity to hear what they all have to say. You won’t want to miss this chance to ask them a question.

Save the Date! If you have any questions, call Cathy Mosher 9822646.

COMMUNIT Y The 49th Meal Podcast will be hosting the best of the valley cook-off August 29th at the Mat-Su Fall Festival.

We will have teams of 1 to 4 people making their best Ribs, Chicken, and Burgers. There is a $50 fee for each

Contributed by Cathy Mosher The Chili Chili Bang Bang Cookoff will be Friday, Aug 7 from 5:30 to 9PM, at the Palmer Depot.

Are you a good chili cook; do you have a competitive spirit? Bring your winning chili to the 4th Annual Chili Chili Bang Bang Cookoff. Win your very own Chili Trophy! BUT you must take the trophy away from last year’s

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team. The money will be going to The Alaska Farm Land Trust.

While doing the podcast the 49th Meal I have heard many times from many guests that the Alaska Farm Land Trust is such a valuable resource

Chili Chili Bang Bang Winner: Senator David Wilson.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children and $60 for a family.

The VRWAK is having a gun raffle the VRWAK “United We Stand” Gun Raffle, Beretta 96 FS Inox “United We Stand” Limited Edition Pistol –$20 a ticket. Need not to be present to win. Must be able to pass NICS.

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for the state that I thought it would make a great organization to donate the proceeds from the cook-off.

For more information: admin@49thmeal.com (907) 738-2256

ONLY 150 Tickets Sold. There will be a dessert auction, silent and outcry auctions plus split the pot and Root Beer Floats. Meet the Republican candidates running for office in the Republican Primary.

Invited guest speakers: Governor Mike Dunleavy and Senator Dan Sullivan.

Call Cathy for info: 907-982-2646

Contributed by Kelleigh Orthmann

Contributed by Kelleigh Orthmann

Contributed by Angie Lewis

Halo has a mostly black coat with some white accents. He’s a handsome boy with a special sweetness about him. Maybe a couple years old.

Hi! My name is Tove. I’m a black and white male, with the softest coat and sweetest eyes. I am about a year old. I lived outside last winter and one of my ears partly froze off. But I think it makes me look dashing.

Kira is a young Great Dane Mix, searching for her forever family.

She is sweet, very smart, and loves her people.

Unfortunately, she likes food a bit too much. Sometimes she will be a bit too assertive while protecting the food she thinks is hers. She would probably be best as an only furry child!

Halo is very sweet and loving. He seems to be fine with everyone, other cats, mellow dogs, and he loves his people. His person passed away and Halo had to be rescued from a remote cabin in the wilderness but he withstood it all with dignity and resolve. And now he’s ready to begin the next part of this life with a family who will love him as much as his former person. He was treated well and his mellow loving manner reflects that. He will need a safe place outside to go at times and a family to be his forever. In Wasilla. Call 980-8898

As you can see, I’m still a little nervous. I only really come out with my other kitty friends (or when you’re not looking), and we love to run around upstairs and adventure. I’m becoming more and more curious, I’ve made so much progress, and have so much potential. I’d be a great companion, if you’d give me the chance.

Tove will need a safe yard to play in with his kitty friends. He’s in Wasilla. Call 980-8898

If you want to give Kira a chance, e-mail akaarescue@hotmail.com OR call Angie at Alaska Animal Advocates at 841-3173

PETS & ANIMALS

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Lakes. Not all dogs are natural born swimmers and can easily drown.

Monitor your dog to make certain of her skill level as a swimmer. Be cautious about beavers, who can be very dangerous to dogs.

Fleas and Ticks. This is not as big a problem in Alaska as it is in other parts of the country. If you use products for fleas and ticks, check with your veterinarian. Some over-the-counter treatments can be toxic, even when used as directed.

Summer Events. Be mindful of taking your dog to summer events such as concerts, fairs, or other crowded places. These can be stressful for some dogs and they may run the risk of getting lost. Know your dog and what might be uncomfortable for her.

Contributed by Angie Lewis Summer should be a time of enjoyment for you and your dog, but all too often, this is a time of year when situations arise that can endanger your dog. There are only a few safety practices that need to be followed to ensure you and your dog have a wonderful time this summer.

Don’t leave your dog in a vehicle, not even with the windows opened. Dogs can’t perspire the way humans do and have a very hard time cooling off in a hot car. The temperature in a car

can rise to 120 degrees in just a few minutes. This can lead to the death of your dog.

Don’t drive with your dog in the back of a pickup. Your dog is a member of the family and should be treated as such. If you had to suddenly hit the brakes, your dog might literally fly out of your truck bed. Let her sit in the cab with you, or if nothing else, put her in a secured crate in the back of your truck.

Recognize lawn and garden dangers.

Plant food, fertilizer and insecticides can be lethal for your dog.

Keep them under lock and key.

Try to use organics.

Dehydration. Make sure your dog has plenty of water and shade to help her remain cool and hydrated.

Exercise. Hiking with your dog is a wonderful experience, for both you and your dog. Be sure to limit exercise on a really hot day, particularly for older dogs or dogs with thick coats.

Provide enough rest time and ample water. Remember, asphalt can be very hot and actually burn your dog’s paws.

Other Revelry. Some dogs are very frightened of the loud sounds of fireworks and firearms. Dogs are best kept in the house for these celebrations and activities. These dogs may become so stressed that they may need medications to help them cope.

Lost dogs. Make sure your dog is micro-chipped and that the contact information is current. In addition, your dog should wear a collar with an identification tag.

Now go out and enjoy your summer, along with your dog friend, but do it safely.

Angie Lewis, Alaska Animal Advocates