The People's Paper June 2020 by The Peoples Paper

EVENTS Contributed by Michelle Lackey Maynor A blast from the past is coming to a racetrack near you. The 11th annual Thunder Valley Flag Drags is gearing up for Saturday, June 27th at Alaska Raceway Park. Flag Drags is a retro rockabilly event featuring a car show, concert, flag start drag races, tattoo contests and a pin up girl contest. Vehicle entries are restricted to 1974 or older vehicles. Trophies will be awarded for the best in each of 8 categories: Ford, Chevy,

Mopar, Rat Rod, Stock, Modified Stock, People’s Choice, and new this year, Motorcycle. A new twist on this vintage show is the entire festival will be held in the NASCAR oval track. Vendors, food trucks and music will be in the infield, with car show entries lined up around the track. Drags will be 200’ on the back stretch between corner 3 and 2. The Glacier Blues Band from Eagle River will be performing Rockabilly, Rhythm & Blues and Classic Rock during the event. Cash prizes will be

awarded for the Pin-up contest and the Tattoo contests.

The Musk Ox Farm is Back Open

MORE ON PAGE 7 OF MAKE A SCENE MAGAZINE

COMMUNITY

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

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Despite the challenges, many are excited about chasing the American dream, and owning a business, in this beautiful state, in the greatest country in the world. Chad Ragsdale, manager and an owner of Matanuska Cannabis Co. in the Buttte, and now owner of MCC Flight, is one of those people. Bringing cannabis flower, concentrates, edibles and CBD to Wasilla, MCC Flight will be a cozy, express location directly behind the Denali Harley Davidson, on Blue Lupine Rd. The shop rests on an old air strip that existed years ago in Wasilla, and Chad decided to carry on the tradition of flight in the shops decor and art.

Contributed by Michael Consalo, Michael C. Marketing Growing as fast as the dandelions on the side of the highway, cannabis shops are popping up everywhere in the Matanuska Valley. A new and

Contributed by Theresa Hodgson, PTA & RYT 200 Summer allows us to peel the layers of winter off, seeking more adventures outside. One of my favorite summer pastimes is outdoor yoga. That deep inhale to smell the fresh air, the warmth of the sun, the breeze as it brushes my skin. It just instinctively makes me smile. As a yoga teacher, teaching outsides brings me the joy of simplifying the practice. I don’t worry about the perfect playlist or the need for props. Maybe a yoga mat to avoid the grass tickling me, but one doesn’t even need that. I always start with removing my shoes to wiggle my toes in the grass before I step onto the mat, and then take a few moments to enjoy my surroundings. Yoga is a perfect coupling with the outdoors. Most yoga poses are named after things in nature: mountain, tree, lotus, and various animals and insects. There are so many additional benefits to moving your practice outside: Visually stimulating: You have all this “eye

Contributed by Jodie White Alaska Health Fair Blood Draw (BY APPOINTMENT ONLY) 6/24/2020 - 8AM Alaska Health Fair Palmer Train Depot 610 S Valley Way, Palmer Cost Varies Alaska Health Fair is coming to your community! To meet the safety mandates from the CDC and the State of Alaska, this will be a by-appointmentonly event. Health education and health screenings are the primary focus of our traditional health fairs. Alaska Health Fair, Inc. is a non-profit agency serving all Alaskans since 1980. Alaska Health Fair was founded on the dream of a physician who be-

“budding” industry, cannabis is forecasted to sell over $119 million, statewide, in 2020. However, high taxes, stiff competition and ever changing laws and policies make navigating these businesses a tall order.

candy” to take in, especially with our magical Alaskan scenery. Seriously, we are so fortunate to have a mountain as a focal point during mountain pose or an eagle flying overhead while in eagle pose! Reduces depression: Numerous studies show that connecting with nature reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Also, the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D, naturally synthesizes as our skin’s response to the sun, reducing depression and boosting our immune system. Avoid burning and enjoy in moderation! Increases body awareness and heightens senses: Multiple elements of nature are tempting to distract you, like that ant crawling around. You realize it has now moved to the top of your right foot by the sensation on your skin, and the intensifying need to brush it away. Challenges balance. You’re never on level ground, so your focus sharpens and your muscles strengthen to stabilize your body. Want to challenge yourself even more? Try it

lieved that the road to longevity rests in healthy lifestyles, which develop, in part, through education and screenings.

MCC Flight expects to open in July and will be open seven days a week to provide those commuting home, tourists and other visitors with the best prices and inventory available, in cannabis. The grand opening will offer discounts and prizes like a 50” Samsung Smart TV! More can be found by following their Facebook or Instagram page. MCC Flight is grateful to be a part of this wonderful community and appreciates you shopping local!

on a paddleboard and be prepared to get wet! Increases confidence: If you’re used to practicing solely in a studio, or at home, it’s an opportunity to expand your comfort zone. You still create that safe space with your mind-bodybreath connection, and now you get to connect with nature too. Increases connection with home and community: I’m going to circle back to that Alaskan scenery again because summertime here renews the love for where we live after long winters. And yoga outdoors allows us to be present, rooting ourselves to the earth as we gaze at the sky. It’s taking these precious moments to appreciate our home or support our community in an outdoor class. I encourage all to give outdoor yoga a try. Then take a moment after your practice to see how you feel. What changed for you? Whether you take your flow to the backyard, try tree pose on top of the mountain you just hiked, or enjoy an outdoor class offered by one of the local studios, you’re going to feel different, maybe even inspired.

Health education and health screenings are the primary focus of our health fairs. We also offer affordable blood testing. TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, EVENT, OR FOR MORE INFO, PLEASE CALL (907) 278-0234. See Health Fair Schedule at: www. alaskahealthfair.org

COMMUNITY

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

Contributed by Becky Stoppa

well-served by Rachel,” said Maciolek.

Thrive Mat-Su is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Youth Making a Difference award, which honors Mat-Su students in grades 6-12 for their contributions to their school or community through volunteerism.

The middle school Youth Making a Difference award went to the Teeland Middle School National Junior Honor Society. This 40-member band of eighth graders took on an array of service projects throughout their school and the community, from tutoring local elementary school students in math and reading, to volunteering and fundraising for Halloween Hallow and the Mat-Su Special Santa program, to helping plan and execute school-based activities like dances and wrist-band sales to help raise money for a wheelchair swing for Teeland’s disabled students.

Rachel Hartman, a 2020 Mat-Su Career & Technical High School graduate, won the high school division. Hartman volunteered consistently throughout high school, contributing time to Alaska Youth for Environmental Action, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the public library and Mat-Su Youth Court. Since 2016, Hartman devoted approximately 250 hours to MSYC alone, which places her among the top volunteers in the organization’s 23-year history, according to Krista Maciolek, the MSYC director, in her nomination letter. She filled many roles over that time, including prosecutor, defense attorney and judge during sentencing hearings. Hartman also served as president of the MSYC Student Bar Association and as secretary of the statewide organization of youth courts, United Youth Courts of Alaska.

“NJHS members are making a difference in small but important ways by helping these causes,” said Tracy Verrall, the Teeland National Junior Honor Society adviser, in her nomination letter.

“Rachel’s commitment to Mat-Su Youth Court has been invaluable. The community is well-served by the program and the program has been

Taylor Miller 2020

Contributed by Edie Grunwald The text read: “Are you going tomorrow to help plant flowers at the Garden of Reflection?”Apprehension set in. Will I be okay facing other parents who have also lost a child? Sometimes it is just too hard. Spring brings new life, right? It also brings the opportunity for some parents to come together to clean up and plant flowers in memory of their children who are no longer with us. It has been 20 years for one – yet seems like yesterday. It’s just how this child, loss-thing works. “The Garden of Reflection is a special place tucked away in Wasilla Wonderland Park, created especially for parents who have suffered the loss of a child. It is intended to be a place to reflect on loved ones who have passed on.” The garden is lovely and will blossom this summer. In the past couple of years, these impressive parents have built a wall for plaques, drained and repaired the flowing pond, and planted flowers and plants. Work. Work. Work. Remember. Remember. A big thank you goes to Mid Valley Greenhouse on Hyer Rd. who donat-

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Hartman and the Teeland NJHS program each received a cash award of $250. Taylor Miller, a junior at Mat-Su Career & Technical High School, and Eli Knapp, a 2020 graduate of Houston High School, were selected as finalists. Thrive Mat-Su is a community coalition dedicated to preventing and reducing underage substance use. The annual Youth Making a Difference award program is part of Thrive’s ongoing effort to support positive youth development by recognizing and enhancing young people’s strengths. If you know a Mat-Su teen who is making a difference in the community, email details and a photo to impact@unitedwaymatsu.org, for a spotlight in Thrive’s monthly newsletter and social media platforms.

2020 Teeland NJHS

Eli Knapp 2020

ed the flowers this year and in years past. I learned that Wasilla mayors have always been supportive starting with Mayor Palin, now Mayor Cottle. Reading back at some early articles, there have been several amazing supporters throughout the years. Really, it’s just too easy to be supportive of a such a group who just wants to make and maintain a beautiful spot. Too easy. For the parents – not so much. To all who have no idea about this spot - find it and check it out.

Rachel Hartman 2020

COMMUNITY / OPINION

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

Index represents a basket of goods and services, such as food, retail goods, transportation and medical care, among many other things. In simple terms, the Consumer Price Index is a measurement of prices in U.S. dollars for a typical consumer, and in turn, the overall cost of living, (i.e. is daily living getting more expensive, or less?) By comparing the price of gold to the Consumer Price Index, it helps provide a clearer picture on whether gold is a relatively good value at different points in time. It enables us to consider the questions, “Is it a good time to buy, own, or sell gold?” and “Would I rather own gold, or sell gold in exchange for goods and services at this time?”

The chart shows the price of gold divided by the Consumer Price Index of the U.S. over the last 200 years. It is clear to see that the value of gold changes drastically over time Contributed by Dawn Daily Green, Dennis Prendeville & Eric Prendeville In our article last month, “Gold Price Hits $1,700 Per Ounce!”, we explained how the price of gold is determined, and included a 5-year chart of the price of gold. In this article, we cover the value of gold, also referred to as the real price of gold. As Warren Buffett clearly states, “Price is what you pay, value is what you

Contributed by Robin Minard, Mat-Su Health Foundation Executive Director of Sunshine Transit, Kim Schlosser, has been recognized with the Mat-Su Health Foundation’s Bert Hall Award for commitment to the health of the community. The “Bertie” is an annual award presented to an individual who consistently exemplifies commitment to working at the systems level to improve the health and wellness of Mat-Su residents. Schlosser was chosen for this honor because of her work to leverage transportation services in the Upper Su region of Mat-Su, resulting in improvements to health and wellbeing of community members. “We are proud to honor Kim Schlosser and her incredible dedication to keeping inclusivity and equity at the forefront of her work in the Mat-Su,” said Mat-Su Health Foundation CEO Elizabeth Ripley. “Under her leadership, there has been significant expansion in Sunshine Transit’s services, leading to improved access to healthcare, afterschool programs, food security, senior services, social connections and other

Contributed by Randi Perlman All of us have had to make adjustments and tough decisions during these past few months. Proprietors have had to change the way they do business, or not do business at all for now; parents have had to become teachers, and learn to enjoy family life 24/7, 7 days a week; non-profit organizations have had to get creative with fundraising so they can continue to provide their needed services. One of the non-profits faced with an extremely difficult decision that would have an enormous impact on not only the Mat-Su Valley, but on the entire state of Alaska and beyond, is the Alaska State Fair (ASF). Beloved by thousands of locals and visitors from around the world who travel here just to partake in the fair, the ASF is a deep-rooted tradition begun by the early farming colonists that settled the Matanuska Valley in 1935. In its present location since 1967, the hair has something fun and fabulous for everyone, of

get.” What is the value of gold? This is an important question. The value of gold is in essence what real goods and services you can buy with a fixed weight of gold, such as an ounce of gold. One way of measuring the value of gold is to take the price of gold and divide it by the Consumer Price Index of the United States. The Consumer Price

safety net services.” Schlosser has been an active participant in the Mat-Su Central Dispatch pilot project with an interest in not only increasing efficiency, but also providing the best possible experience for riders. Routes are now aligned so that Upper Su residents can seamlessly use public transportation to access services in MatSu’s core area and Anchorage, and the transit is a certified Medicaid route provider. Schlosser has also led Sunshine Transit to assist nonprofits with safe shuttle options during vital fundraisers, accommodate delivery of groceries and supplies to residents sheltering in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, and temporarily repurpose its fleet of vehicles to transport first responder hotshot crews to wildfires. Before founding Sunshine Transit, Schlosser’s varied background included time in the veterinary, machine and tool, and aerospace industries. She earned associate degrees at Northcentral Technical College and Argosy University and has completed The Foraker Group’s Certificate in Nonprofit

any age. Whether it’s the exhibits, the vendor booths, the entertainment, the events, the gardens, the setting, or of course, the food, the fair is like a magnet that attracts folks from far and wide, and once you’re drawn in, it becomes an annual addiction! At least, that’s how it’s been for me. I experienced the magic of Alaska, and the state fair, during my first visit here from the east coast in 1990, and I was immediately hooked on both. I returned every year until I finally made the permanent move in 1998. The fair takes place right around my birthday, and has become the gift I give myself each August. Whether it’s to volunteer at one of the booths, to work at one of the gates selling tickets, or to just meander through the crowds enjoying all the sights, sounds and smells, I spend as many days as possible at the fairgrounds. Vendors often ask which booth I’m taking a break from because they see my face there so many times… The COVID-19 pandemic we’re living through has changed all of our lives in

It may sound a little abstract, but let’s relate it to a more everyday situation using U.S. dollars. When you are shopping at the grocery store, you are likely going to consider prices in the store when deciding what to purchase and what not to purchase, especially within a budget. If the price of beef is very high, you might choose to buy other groceries instead, and reconsider beef if the price drops. If the prices of all groceries seem high, you might choose to keep more U.S. dollars, and purchase fewer groceries altogether. A shopper might consider what is on sale, and therefore what is a good value. The chart provides a quick look at the value of gold over time. As we can see,

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the value of gold, or the real price of gold varies to extremes. Because the chart is a quotient of the price of gold and the Consumer Price Index, and the fact that Consumer Price Index is not static, but is also a moving element, the volatility may be magnified. The value of gold can also be referred to as purchasing power. We can use the chart to assess whether the purchasing power of gold is high or low at any given point in time. The chart indicates that currently, in 2020, the purchasing power of gold is high relative to its past history, in other words, you can buy a lot of goods and services with gold right now. Compared to gold, goods and services seem relatively inexpensive. It may be an opportune time to sell gold for U.S. dollars. The chart should not be construed as exact and precise; it is only a representative chart of the historical value or purchasing power of gold in the United States. This article is intended to introduce to the reader the concept of purchasing power and is certainly not intended to serve as any investment or financial advice; anyone seeking gold as an investment should hire a professional financial advisor. For those looking for more information on selling gold, please feel free to contact Dawn with Treasures of the North at 907-775-7759.

Management and Catalyst for Nonprofit Excellence courses, as well as the Triple Impact Leadership program. She serves on the board of directors of Upper Susitna Seniors, Inc.

include Lt. Tom Dunn (2019), Rachel Greenberg (2018), Bill Hogan (2017), Herman Thompson (2016), Margaret Volz (2015), Craig Thorn (2014), and Bert Hall himself (2013).

The Bert Hall Award is named in honor of Mat-Su resident, Bert Hall, who helped put together the Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Directors and has been a Mat-Su Regional Medical Center Trustee. Bert has also served Alaska in many other capacities, including as a Mat-Su Regional Medical Center board member, associate director of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services, director of Health and Social Services for the Municipality of Anchorage, and as the Alaska liaison to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Bert has been president of the Alaska Public Health Association, represented Alaska on the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association, and served on the Alaska Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

About Mat-Su Health Foundation: Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org .

Previous Bert Hall Award recipients

some way. Thanks to the quick actions of our governmental and healthcare leaders, and to Alaskans themselves for following the mandates, our great state has seen relatively low numbers of cases and deaths from this fast-spreading virus. But that’s just it – it is still around, and still spreading. As we enter the summer season, and people from ‘outside’ continue to enter Alaska, we have seen a noticeable spike in coronavirus cases. Nobody knows for sure how this will play out as time goes on, or when a vaccine will be available to all. Due to this continuing uncertainty, and with an overabundance of caution for the wellbeing of all their guests, the Alaska State Fair has been cancelled for the first time since 1942, during World War II. Aside from the general all-around disappointment felt by young and old alike at not having the fair to look forward to and close out the summer with, there is a direct financial impact to all involved with the fair. Staff, vendors, suppliers, and countless others rely on the income

they receive from the fair, many of whom are already dealing with financial hardships caused by the pandemic. As was evidenced by the statement released by the ASF on May 22, 2020, the decision to cancel this year’s fair was thoroughly considered, difficult to make, and fair for all. The health and welfare of locals and visitors is the utmost responsibility of an organization such as the ASF, and in my humble opinion, I am very pleased, proud and grateful that they made the right decision, based on what is known today, not on how we ALL hope things will be in August. We will miss the fair this year, no doubt about it; but we can all look forward to an even bigger, better fair next year, and be grateful that the right steps were taken to keep us safe so that Alaska can continue to be the state with the fewest cases of coronavirus in the country. Let’s keep the spirit of the Alaska State Fair ALIVE AND WELL!

COMMUNITY / OPINION

Contributed by Tim Caraway, Palmer Toastmasters Online meetings, going forward, will probably remain as a part of our new normal. Learning to speak and conduct meetings effectively and proficiently online, with its own challenges and decorum, greatly increases your credibility as a professional. Currently, Palmer Toastmasters meet online. This gives members experience in learning a whole host of new skills, along with practical feedback for improvement. Now is a great time to join Palmer Toastmasters and learn, with us,

Contributed by Quinn Townsend Introduction: Across the country, states’ economies and budgets have been hit heavily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and unfortunately, Alaska is no exception. With high unemployment and much less revenue coming into the state because oil prices hit historic lows, the state’s ongoing budget deficit, as well as the needs of our local communities and businesses, are only growing larger. Other states with deficits far less severe than the one facing Alaska are stepping up to the plate to address COVID-19-related deficits by slashing state expenditures. In Georgia, state agencies were told to cut their budgets for the upcoming year by 14 percent, a total $3.5 billion. The governor ordered state spending to decrease by almost $2 billion in Oregon, an 8.5 percent cut for its 2-year budget cycle. In March, the Ohio governor implemented a state government hiring freeze and ordered budget cuts up to 20 percent. Colorado’s governor cut immediate government spending by $228.7 million, although he did not address future spending. According to a recent report from Moody’s Analytics, Alaska may experience up to an 80 percent reduction in general fund revenues, almost twice as much as any other state in the country. While Alaska could continue

the following skills: • Utilizing camera space effectively • Use the various functions of Zoom as one participates in different meeting roles • How to be effective meeting participants • How to host /co-host a meeting • How to pin timing flags and speak within time limits • How to facilitate meetings • And so much more! We invite you to join us! We meet online Tuesday evenings at 6:00pm. For info to join us, go to palmer.toastmastersclubs.org

to kick the can down the road and keep draining our bank accounts (primarily the Permanent Fund’s Earnings Reserve), the state really has two main choices to respond to this current crisis: cinch our budget belt even tighter like other states are doing, or tax Alaskans in the misguided hope that increasing revenue will save us. Alaska’s Revenue Situation: The largest funding source for the state budget is the Unrestricted General Fund (UGF). The bulk of revenue in the UGF is from petroleum-based sources. The state’s Spring 2020 Revenue Forecast estimates that for fiscal year 2020, $1.1 billion in revenue will come from petroleum-based sources, while only $0.5 billion will be from non-petroleum-based sources, a total of $1.6 billion. This total is $527 million less than the estimates from fall 2019 and is largely due to lower oil prices. Unfortunately, these estimates from early April are probably quite optimistic, as no one could have predicted that oil prices would plummet so drastically as they did later that same month.

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

Contributed by Amy Pettit There are many reasons why a landowner might choose to place a conservation easement on their property. Perhaps it is about the history and legacy of the land and knowing that it will remain in agricultural production forever. Or maybe it is a financial strategy for both reducing the value of the property and lowering tax burdens. Regardless of the reason, Alaska Farmland Trust is here to help. Alaska Farmland Trust is a private non-profit dedicated to the permanent protection of Alaska’s limited

fiscal year 2020 projections, which estimate only $1.1 billion in UGF revenue from petroleum-based sources. Needless to say, Alaska is expecting much less revenue than originally estimated. Less government revenue is also expected at the local community level. The COVID-19 effects on commercial fishing will likely result in fewer tax receipts for municipali-

If you didn’t get out and about on Memorial Day weekend, you missed it! Even as far North as the Susitna River, above Talkeetna, there were hundreds and hundreds of Alaskans enjoying Alaska to themselves. Denali National Park is open to personal vehicles, nearly 30 miles in, no permit required. Watch your speed though; the speed limits are strictly enforced within the park. Better a mile per hour under than a MPH over, a word to the wise. The road has been intentionally washboarded to keep the speeds down too, so be prepared for some rattling and jarring. Still, this is an opportunity of a lifetime, since this has not been allowed since the very early 1990s. The bears are out, the Caribou are out and we even saw a rather grizzly, pardon the pun, encounter between the

and incredibly valuable soils. As the interest in, and demand for, local food skyrockets, our Board of Directors is dedicated to preserving the availability of parcels viable for agricultural production. Alaska Farmland Trust is one of only a handful of qualified IRS-qualified, tax exempt organizations that can hold conservation easements. Learn more about the tax incentives associated with conservation easements on our website at www. akfarmland.com/donate/ donating-conservation-easements

ties, and an expected plunge in tourism this summer will mean less revenue collected by way of local sales taxes on tourism-related spending. This has led to an increase in calls for state and federal spending to subsidize communities. ARTICLE CONTINUES ONLINE AT www.THEPEOPLESPAPER.news/ QuinnTownsend

According to the Tax Foundation, taxes levied on the oil industry make up about 81 percent of Alaska’s total revenues. In fact, during the most recent peak in 2012, petroleum-based sources made up $8.86 billion of the then $9.9 billion UGF – a total of 93 percent. This is in stark contrast to the

they couldn’t railroad the governor into letting them stuff THEIR worldwide clients onto THEIR train cars and shuffle them off to THEIR lodges, screw you all. We’re not going to open up just for the locals. Contributed by Paul Johnson

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two. Alaska at its finest! The weather wasn’t all that great, but you should have seen the mile-wide smiles on everybody’s faces, regardless. I swelled with pride knowing this was exactly what I had in mind when I wrote “Letter to Governor Dunleavy” two months ago, Alaska for Alaskans! There were very few people wearing masks, but most were practicing social distancing fairly well and I’ve never seen a cleaner bunch of Alaskans. Almost everyone appeared to have just showered and were well-groomed. Way to go on the personal hygiene folks! Keep it up. I believe that if we keep up with those two things, and don’t invite the Wuhan Coronavirus back into Alaska through tourists and outside fishery workers, we have this deadly Virus beat, here in Alaska. That brings me to something that wasn’t so attractive: all of “the right side of the Parks Hwy” is closed. That’s where all of the Princess and Holland America Lodges are. Since

Therein lies the problem with the State’s “relationship” with them. One, I believe, deserves some serious scrutiny. The only way they were able to build those grand lodges on the most prime property in the area, was with the blessing of the State. You or I couldn’t have been able to purchase that land for any amount of money. But they dangled the tourist dollars and fell right into it. Now comes the time no one could foresee, when Alaska had to close its doors to outsiders. Did the tour companies understand? No, they just pulled the plug on all of their operations across the State, leaving the locals with no opportunity to enjoy their facilities, most of us for the very first time. That’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg though. Those closures have had a devastating effect on the local economies through lost local revenue, lost local hire, by the hundreds and lost local Artisan incomes

and shop spaces. The local food suppliers, utilities and fuel suppliers are out of luck for their revenue too. And the State isn’t getting their cut of those tourist dollars either. So why should Alaska give them the sweetheart deals we have for all these years? We shouldn’t, at least without some guarantees. Alaska has always been a trusting, almost naïve place and that’s how we get taken advantage of so often (i.e.: Oil companies, the pipeline, Exxon, etc.). This has got to change! Please lobby the governor and your local representatives to re-examine the State’s arrangements with the international tour groups. If they don’t want to play the game the way Alaska wants to play it, we should buy them out. We should probably buy them out anyway, or terminate their leases. Something has to be done so this never happens again. Alaska is not the mattress back to the rest of the world. We live here because we’re damn proud of the product we have to offer. The thing is, it’s OUR product and we shouldn’t diminish its value for the benefit of outsiders of any kind.

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POLITICS / OPINION

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

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• Contributed by Elsie O’Bryan We all have our opinions about the way things are going in our local, state and national governments. We freely express our opinions to friends and associates.

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But, most of us just stop there. We air our thoughts and frustrations then go right back to life as usual. Thankfully, Loy Thurman “Santa” of Big Lake, has made the very difficult decision to stop only talking and to step up to the plate by filing his candidacy for Senate Seat D. I have known Loy for nearly 10 years and have come to appreciate his willingness to listen to differing opinions, carefully considering their validity and drawing his own conclusions. One of his sayings is, “I’m listening…convince me.” He sincerely takes the differing arguments into serious consideration and has been known to change his position, if the opposing arguments make sense. Yet, there are many things he does not waver on: • He is the one true conservative in the race. • He is a fiscal conservative with his own money, and I believe we can trust him to do the same for us. You won’t see a lot of slick advertising from Loy. He will use the funds his supporters share with him very carefully. He will be relying a lot on word of mouth to get his message out. Yet, there are expenses that can’t be avoided, and he will appreciate any financial help afforded him. After all, he has many opponents in the August 18 Primary and many of them are well-funded. • He is an avid PFD activist who firmly believes it’s OUR money! • He believes strongly that a smaller government is essential. He understands that we all have our pet

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programs or projects and we will always push to cut someone else’s while funding ours. I believe Loy will give a good hard look at ALL programs. He strongly supports the 2nd Amendment of the right to bear arms. We’ve seen in recent days the attempts of some cities to defund entire police departments. Loy is a former U.S. Marine who pledged to defend his Country, and that pledge has no expiration date! Loy is adamantly opposed to the “binding caucus” in the legislature. You might ask, “What’s that?” Although the following quote pertained to the U.S .Congress, the same process is in effect in the Alaskan Legislature: The caucus is composed of all members of the majority party in the Senate. For the election of caucus officers and for the nomination of candidates for House officers, a majority of those voting binds the entire caucus; on questions of policy! So, what does this mean? In short, it’s a power trade! In return for supporting a person for the position of Senate President, the would-be president promises senators plum appointments to committees, extra staffing, bigger offices, etc. The trade off is the senator receiving those favors and appointments promises to vote with the majority of the caucus regardless of their personal convictions and conscience! The consequences of non-compliance is getting relieved of Committee assignments, banishment to smaller offices, reassignment of seats on the Senate floor and loss of staff (sound like middle school yet?).

Although a novice at running for and holding political office, Loy is not a novice in politics: •

He has been active in the Republican

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Party for decades, most recently as Chairman of District 8. (He had to resign when he filed for the Senate seat.) He has met with Governor Dunleavy and given a presentation about the dangers of electronic voting machines and electronic vote counting. (They are extremely vulnerable to manipulation and shifting votes to candidates other than intended by the voter.) He has also been very actively involved with the group fighting for a full PFD.

On the personal level, Loy is the father of two sons (both Eagle Scouts). Loyal is the founder of a nationwide ministry to troubled youth, based in Jacksonville, Florida. and Gideon is a captain in the Louisville, Kentucky Fire Department. Loy has eight grandchildren. As mentioned earlier, Loy is a Veteran. During the Vietnam crisis, he was an officer in U.S. Marine Corps, Advanced jet instructor for the U.S. Navy Training Command He is a retired pilot of J-3 Cub, TA-4J, OV10A, B-727, DC-8 , B-747. And, currently each December 24, he is on active duty as Christmas Sleigh Chief Pilot. (Loy is also a professional Santa). Loy is a long-time volunteer for the Christmas Friendship Dinner, currently serving on the Steering Committee. Loy is active in at Big Lake Baptist Church through music and teaching (men’s SS). One of his hobbies is playing a “bull fiddle“ and singing (Bluegrass/Christian). As in any campaign, he would appreciate financial support. To deposit directly into his campaign account: Mat-Valley FCU Routing # 325272335. Account # 770000169005, Please e-mail him at 76patriot@protonmail.com to provide your name, mailing address, employer occupation information and amount of donation (APOC requirement).

POLITICS / OPINION Contributed by Paul Johnson Dan! Lisa! What are you thinking? Why did you join with 10 other senators to lobby the President NOT to make ANY changes to the H1-B1 and H1-B2 Visa programs, when FORTY MILLION Americans are unemployed, thanks to the Wuhan Coronavirus? These programs should have ended long ago, perhaps when we were struggling to recover from the market collapse of 2008. Now, along comes the Wuhan Coronavirus, displacing more American and Alaskan workers than even the Great Depression of 1929, and you both think importing labor from other countries is a good idea. I, for

Contributed by Rep. David Eastman The pool where my girls planned to take swim lessons this summer went out of business today on June 2nd. It wasn’t a new business. This month marks their 10th year in the valley. Nor did it have trouble finding customers. Just pay a visit to their Facebook page. In March, business was booming. Now its doors are closed, never to reopen. In my book, learning how to be safe around water isn’t just for some. Here in Alaska, kids need to know how to swim. Alaska has been listed as having the highest drowning rate in the nation. In Alaska, drowning has also been listed as the leading cause of unintentional injury death for children aged 0-9. In short, kids don’t float… unless they’ve been trained to. Probably like a lot of other parents, we chose Swim Alaska because all the friends we know whose kids have taken swim lessons there absolutely loved it. As a former lifeguard myself, we also wanted a program that works with infants and toddlers (our youngest daughter turns two this fall) as well as our older kids. You can teach kids how to survive falling into a pool at 6 months old now (yes, it’s actually a thing). Swim Alaska works with 6-month-olds and up, so they made the cut.

Contributed by Huhnkie Lee There is a popular demand these days to rename things. Like military bases, or streets. If found to be named after Confederate Generals, some people say they should be renamed. Statues of former slave owners are being uninstalled as well. How about America? Amerigo Vespucci was a slave trader. How about District of Columbia? Christopher Columbus was a slave trader. How about the state of Washington? George Washington was a slave owner. To be consistent, we should rename all those things in this ideological pandemic of the cancel culture. To be fair, there are some positive changes coming out of black lives matter movement and activism. Big corporations started to invest in African American communities and pledge to hire more African Americans. Government officials came to legislate rules so that police officers would more safely arrest criminally accused people. No activism or ideology is perfect, just like no person is perfect, no world is perfect. Now let us get back to the main topic. James Madison was a slave owner. Then should we cancel the Constitution of the

one, am concerned. The rest of Alaska, and frankly, the entire country should be too. Those FORTY MILLION plus workers should be our Senator’s top priority. Instead we get excuses like; those are the jobs Alaskans and Americans don’t want to do. When, in fact, most of the foreign visa jobs are in the tech industry and pay quite well. Then we hear; Well, Alaskans/Americans aren’t trained for those jobs. The facts don’t bear this out either, considering most of the foreign visa workers are being trained by the Americans they are going to be replacing, at a lower wage than themselves. If training is the issue, then the State of Alaska had better start developing training programs for

Plus, the owner of Swim Alaska has absolutely put her heart into the business over the last 10 years. Even first time visitors to the Swim Alaska website can get a taste of that. So you can imagine the sadness of those reading the message the owner sent out announcing that, Swim Alaska is no longer in business due to the new COVID-19 restrictions. The new social distancing guidelines mean that instructors can no longer touch kids in the pool. Now tell me, how are you supposed to teach a child how to swim without touching them? I’ll let you chew on that one for a minute. Once again, we’re confronted with the reality that government is much better at killing things than it will ever be at giving them life. This is not a function of power, as though by giving government officials more power, to implement more regulations, government will suddenly stop killing businesses and start creating them. It doesn’t work that way. The idea of government bureaucracies choosing which businesses are “essential”

United States, because it was written by a slave owner? How about Vincent Van Gogh? Some say his paintings are products of his mental diseases. So should we burn all of his paintings? Most of America’s founding fathers were slave owners. Then should we erase America, along with its name too? Is this what’s happening nowadays? Like, burn burn burn everything? America’s 100 dollar bill has Benjamin Franklin’s face on it. Obviously we should efface it too, yes, because he owned slaves. All his scientific inventions, including lightening rod, should all be canceled and no one should be allowed to use it, because it came from a bad place: the rotten mind of a slave owner, a racist. And yes, we should trash $100 bills, because it has an institutionalized racist’s face on it. Oh well. So, so far, we examined what the problem is. Now is the high time for a solution. The solution is, as always, education. In this case at hand, knowledge of history. Back in the days, like centuries and millennia ago, everywhere on earth, there were kings and queens and nobles. Then there were lower class people like servants. There was no class upward mobility back then. Some people were born to be princes, princesses,

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those jobs that are available. Many will never return to their chosen profession when we do get the Wuhan Coronavirus behind us; the damage to many industries has already been done. Those people need an alternative opportunity to continue to live in, and love Alaska! Not be put behind foreign, non citizens of the U.S., and in particular, the State of Alaska! Furthermore, why are we importing fishery workers from the Lower 48 and Asia, and the Wuhan Coronavirus they’ve been bringing with them, to begin with? With Alaska’s fisheries poised as the mainstay of our economy for the foreseeable future, why is the State not promoting those jobs and training people for them? With a population of over 700,000, you can’t tell me there aren’t enough people to fill those jobs, WITHOUT importing workers and the Wuhan Coronavirus. We’ve already seen outbreaks in Bristol Bay, the Kenai Peninsula and Cordova. Importing the virus has got to stop! I’ve already written the Governor,

and therefore worthy of surviving, and which legal businesses are “non-essential”, was bound to end badly from the get-go. And we see that it has. Fundamentally, it isn’t any better than when the Obama Administration sought to mark gun and ammo shops as undesirable and drive them out of business by pressuring banks to close their accounts, or when the State of Vermont began declaring books and seeds “non-essential” and forbidding big box stores from selling them. There are some questions government officials should never be empowered to ask. Which legal businesses are worth keeping around, is one of them. As has been pointed out by others, every single business is essential to someone. What of the restaurant owner whose family loses their livelihood when the restaurant closes, or the waitress who gets fired, or the property owner who can no longer afford the mortgage now that the restaurant is no longer paying rent? The business was certainly “essential” to each of their families. Any attempt on the part of government agencies to mark some businesses essential and others, “optional”, is picking one group of people out to be the winners and another group to be losers. Yes, I personally would want to put swim schools in the essential category. I will never forget being

while others were born to be bonded servants for lives and their children would be servants too. India’s Caste system or Asia’s class hierarchy, America’s indentured servitude, Europe’s serfdom in feudal lands, etc., are instances of the ubiquitous past practices of inheritable class system. That’s just how it was back then. Everywhere on earth, for thousands and thousands of years. Now, look at us. Criticizing our founding fathers for their slavery practices. One question is, are we qualified to criticize our ancestors? Like, are we so perfect a generation, like a flawless one, a squeakyclean, the best of the bestest generation that human history has ever witnessed? Is that us, the U.S., today? A hundred years from now, in the year 2120, what would our descendants think of us when they read the history of America of year 2020? Hmm. The truth is that it is often too easy to criticize others and too difficult to criticize our own selves. What is so concerning about the cancel culture is as follows. Say, a man wrote something on his social media website in his spare time. His opinion happened to be an unpopular one, the one that goes against the mainstream, the majoritarian view. So someone complain to the man’s employer about his expression of his ideas. And his employer fires him, and publicly apologize for the ‘incident.’ Then what should this man do? By then, it’s too late. The big national media coverage

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again, concerning his travel restriction modification, which is to begin June 6th. Instead of, “A test within 72 hrs. or we’ll test you here.”, the test within 72 hrs. WILL be required at the departure point AND you WILL be tested again when you arrive in Alaska. A lot can happen in 72 hours and this will help prevent importing the Wuhan Coronavirus back into Alaska through travel, the only way the virus can spread. Every entry point into Alaska must be equipped with the 5-20 minute “Instant Results Testing Machine”. If you test positive upon arrival, you self quarantine for the 14 days, period. As I’ve said before, it’s time to start thinking outside the box and envision a new normal, one where Alaska and Alaskans come first. President Trump is putting America first on every level. Our senators should be doing the same for Alaska, but they’re not. Write them and let them know how you feel. Dan will probably respond, but don’t expect much from Lisa.

dispatched to help recover a 5-year-old boy and his mother from the Matanuska River, or the day that one of the soldiers I served with in Afghanistan drowned in a lake on JBER, or the day my little brother had to be rescued from the bottom of a pool after taxing his body to the breaking point. But personal connections to a particular business or industry are no reason for policymakers to drive someone out of business so that someone else can maintain their livelihood. In a free society, it’s the customer you should be chasing, not a bureaucrat or a politician. In the end, the customer will decide what is essential… and what’s not. And that happens a thousand times every single day. As the customer, you hold the power (or should). Those in government have a duty to honor that relationship. So, amidst all the economic carnage playing out today, whose responsibility is it if my child doesn’t know how to swim? As a parent who can teach them, it’s my responsibility. I can either teach them myself or find others who can. And it’s my government’s responsibility to stop asking whether my doing so is essential. That’s not a question I am willing to entrust to either bureaucrats or politicians.

made him a notorious figure. Sounds familiar? It is the media lynching of a man. Like, you hang this person on the high tree branch, so that everyone can see it. This is rule by terror, politics of fear. Media lynching is used to warn people: “You say something against the mainstream ideology, then you will lose your job.” After the man lost his job, other employers are afraid to hire him, because his notoriety may harm their businesses, or induce boycotts, mass protest, etc. People are just so afraid of all those dominant ideologies of the day. So the man can’t get a job and starve to death. Ladies and gentlemen, this is America today. An exercise of constitutional right of freedom of speech is a crime punishable by death sentence. America, named after a slave trader, and its Constitution, written by a slave owner, is being destroyed. Not by Russia, not by China, not by North Korea. It’s us. The U.S. America is on a suicidal course. Of course, it’s been a rather dramatized, exaggerated account of things. Perhaps America will recover from all this. Probably Americans ain’t that crazy. I believe most Americans are wonderful people. Like someone said long time ago, “This too shall pass.” Probably it will. Don’t you think? Thank you, God bless.

POLITICS / OPINION Contributed by Bonnie Lembo Dear Members, I hope you will consider my comments on the banning of certain books from the high school curriculum. I do not live in the Valley, but your actions have been reported in the national and international press and are therefore of concern and embarrassment to all Alaskans. Your objections to the banned books are based on themes that some members of the board found harmful to young minds. But those same difficult themes and more, are also found in the Bible: sexual assault, incest, slavery, war, torture and other forms of violence, drunkenness, hatred and persecution of “the other”. For consistency, not only will you have to ban the Bible, but also Shakespeare. His plays depict disturbing behavior: murder, torture, war, suicide, ghosts, cross-dressing

Contributed by Stephen Wright I’m Stephen Wright and I’m running for State Senate in District D. This is not my first, but my third rodeo. You may remember I have ran before for Congress and Lt. Governor, but now I am running for State Senate in District D because I plan to fix what is wrong in our state by helping like-minded conservatives restore the Alaska way of life and protect the PFD. We have a legislature who is beholden to not only the special interest that lobbies agains us in Juneau ,but they have a problem trying to rule over by way of a binding caucus of which my current senator fully subscribes to. We are giving away our representation for minimum benefit for the people at a maximum cost to the private sector. The number one problem in our state, in my opinion, is the PFD theft. It happened when Governor Bill Walker vetoed and cut our PFD more than half in 2016. The following year, Senator Bill Wielechowski filed the lawsuit against him a judge’s ruling that is unfavorable to Alaskans. Cut in half our average earnings were transferred from the PFD

and anti-Semitism. Next on the chopping block will be the great American author, revered throughout the world, Willa Cather. Her writings have variously described animal torture, murder, infidelity and slavery. If to escape a charge of being “anti-white”, any book that depicts some white people at some time acting badly toward others, then you will surely have to ban Cather's masterpiece, “Death Comes for The Archbishop”. Set in the 19th century in the Southwestern US, in a small part of the book, with meticulous historical accuracy, Cather portrays the actions of white settlers and the U.S. government engaged in war and genocidal violence against Indians and Mexicans in order to steal their ancestral lands.

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way will hinder students from doing well on college entrance examinations and essays and getting into top colleges. The school board should not be doing such a disservice to bright, ambitious students and their parents. To say that the books are not being “banned” or “censored” because the students can get them elsewhere is disingenuous. The purpose of reading books in an educational setting, is for students to gain competence in analyzing a work of literature, writing book reviews, defending their views in essays and discussions among teachers and fellow students. In other words, to learn.

“My fellow citizens of the world: Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” JFK, January 20, 1961. This is history I remember as a freshman in high school. Kennedy was elected by a narrow margin in an allegedly-tainted election. In that election, the new State of Alaska cast its first three electoral votes for Nixon, Kennedy’s opponent. Consider his message in this inaugural speech. This is a bold alignment of a famous Democrat with a prominent, radical, constitutional value, “The belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.” (JFK – from the same speech). This constitutional value is the cornerstone of the Declaration of Independence and was the consensus for supporting the American Revolution. Kennedy’s words confirm it was still standing tall in 1961. Do today’s “far left” issues violate the value? We do seem to be in some kind of “relapse”, but our Constitution still stands supreme and “we the people” still have the option of

ALL students, even those whose parents do not object to them. Throughout history, censorship has been a favorite tool of dictatorships. Because as all dictators know, the way to control people is to narrow their minds, and the way to narrow minds is to limit what people are allowed to read and hear and believe, and to erase all history that does not support their favored political ideology and sometimes, its supporting religious dogma. I have one question for the school board members, which I think you owe it to the public to answer. If you don't love literature, why did you run for school board?

What is left for the young adults to read, analyze and discuss for literary merit and historical accuracy? Perhaps the school board members should submit their own proposed reading list with only books that will not contain any objectionable behavior. But dummying down the curriculum in that

It seems to me that the school board members have become like the “helicopter parents”, who are derided for trying to protect their “snowflake” children from anything that is unpleasant. Which individual parents can already do by saying they do not want their children to read a particular book. The school board action bans the books from

Corporation to the earnings reserve and then added to the budget, the PFD then became a political football, now never to be paid through a transfer ever since 2016. Today the budget process is a long drawnout and expensive process. Sessions now drag on with most legislatures taking per diems even while on recess costing the state more and more.

half market value or a Dividend theft known as (the POMV) instead of the traditional Hammond 50/50, 5 year average formula as it currently is in statutory law. This is a serious crime because they have arbitrarily breached the contract between the government and the people that was written in the state constitution. The legislature should obey the PFD law instead of breaking it.

bloated budget is unsustainable which is going to cause problems in the long run. Without cutting the budget, we are either see more PFD theft or more taxes which is what’s happening right now. We have to stop the overspending which the current legislature isn’t willing to do right now and then invest in and grow our rare earth minerals and develop our natural resources.

My current Senator, David Wilson, voted against SB26 on the final draft, but he also voted 8 out of 12 times to allow the bill to pass and move forward as a bogus nonfactually formula that turns our 10% earnings into a 5% football. The legislature has now taken it upon themselves to divide our earnings in to a market value while holding their programs harmless. This budget limiting technique grows the fund bigger and bigger just to limit or cap our earnings while holding the process harmless without a vote of the people.

The second area I’m concerned is our private economy. Alaska’s economy has been throttled due to the PFD theft and now COVID-19. We have never regained our footing since billions of dollars were diverted into the reserve earnings account.

Finally, as we develop our natural resources of which we are the richest and most vast state in the union. We are blessed with natural resources, we need to develop and manage it so it will bring the prosperity to our state. Instead of taxing people with PFD cut or raise taxes, why not create jobs and generate revenue through developing natural resources.

AKLEG has withheld our earnings by only distributing a portion of our dividends to fill the budget gap since 2016. SB26 is used to recalculate the dividends by adopting a

What we are doing right now is growing government which only further suppress the private sector. We have to grow our private economy or we won’t thrive. because only private sector can generate revenue while government sector costs steadily increases. Our state spent 2-3 times more than national average which is costly. Besides, this

unconstitutional “Far Left” “solutions”! When someone gets hungry, food stamps for all!

Contributed by Wes Keller

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exercising the sovereignty it grants us. We can reaffirm original intent, if we will. The alternative is unthinkable. Forget the “red state -v- blue state” labels for a moment and consider whether popular “Far Left” issues are viable. This consideration is impossible, of course, if you refuse to read the text of the Declaration, Federalist papers, Bill of Rights and the Constitution to reconfirm what the founding values are. This is more than an academic/educational exercise, it is our American civic duty. You can only declare issues “right” or “wrong” after you have a mature worldview with measurement scale ranging from “Far Right” (constitutional conservative) to “Far Left” (no official national standard). As I have pointed out before, this is not even possible without getting “religious”. Political party platforms are intended to give you choices on the spectrum of possible conclusions, but they are worthless if you deny the use of a measuring stick. “What can government do for ME?”, has become THE question driving government! Strengthening the case for a series of

When jobs are lost, government paycheck protection for everyone! If someone doesn’t earn enough, higher minimum wages for all, while disdaining free enterprise, capitalism, and profits, even defying the right to own property! When someone gets sick, universal government health care, even insisting on free, unlimited, government education and daycare systems! Demanding Americans pay to provide for anyone on the globe (open borders) regardless of citizenship and tax contributions. This “Far Left” bubble of imagination holds the government responsible for natural causes – earthquake, a hurricane, or a COVID-19 plague – as though it were “god” and could prevent or fix anything! This is clearly delusional, at some point, this will be revealed as the nonsense it is; preferably before more undue pain and suffering is caused. After 10+ years of experience in the Alaska legislative branch, I view Alaska to be in a bad spot. Virtually all legislative energy is spent trying to pay for this, “What can government do for me?” mentality. Not just Alaska, the federal government openly and brashly incentivizes “Far Left” values and jumping in to be the ultimate “nanny” government liberally bribing with “federal matching funds”, extorting more and more

Yours truly, Bonnie Lembo Bonnie Lembo 1342 West 12th Ave. Anchorage, Alaska 99501-4253 907-278-2725, lembob@gci.net

Our current senator in District D also goes along with their agenda so I have to stand up for District D and say, “Enough is enough!” Hope you can vote for me on August 10-18 so we can take our state back and restore Alaska and our PFD. Remember to vote Stephen Wright for State Senate this August.

control in exchange for the misplaced trust of citizens. In my opinion, Alaska may be one of the worst, as demonstrated by the Alaska Legislature’s expectation to use Permanent Fund earnings as if they were surplus tax revenue. This action rejects the approved legal system to convert it to private property under a trust model. Alaska’s founding values prevent any legislature from allocating any funds for spending beyond the current budget year, so perennial diligence is required to keep the permanent fund earnings for PFD’s as a trust-model payment. “Emergency government need” can always be generated (ex: COVID-19 response). Legitimate government revenue is to be generated using only the constitutional use of the power to tax! If the permanent fund earnings are merely more government revenue to be fought over in budget politics, we are simply an unconstitutional welfare state. I don’t believe Alaska’s citizens should have to fund the Government’s poor budget emergency. Unless we turn this around, the entire earnings reserve (lots and lots of money) will be pursued with every ounce of lobbying energy to fund too many “Far Left” programs. Wes Keller | www.WesKeller.com

POLITICS / OPINION

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started with good intensions to address perceived problems, but eventually “bullies” ended up dominating these groups. These leaders saw that their increasingly confrontational and often unlawful, even violent behavior went unpunished and thus saw no reason to modify or back-off of their methods. Contributed by Doug Ferguson Reading all the recent depressing news about looting and rioting in many of our large cities got me to thinking about basic lessons I learned about human nature when I was a kid of grade school age. Even though I was an only child, I grew up in a new development in an East Coast city during WWII where in our immediate neighborhood of about 30 houses, there also lived 22 boys within a year or so of my age. There were two girls that lived there also, but one was a “tomboy” and could hold her own with anyone, and the other we never saw. We walked the several blocks to school every day, including coming home for lunch and returning after. Adults were a part of

our lives only at school and at home. The rest of the time we were on our own to-andfrom school or at play in the adjacent woods and its yet unpaved and undeveloped street. In this environment, we learned a lot of life’s lessons. One of the most important lessons was about “Bullies” and “Bullying”. A “Bully” was a kid who, for whatever reasons of his upbringing, had a need to dominate others and had discovered that those who were smaller, weaker or else failed to fight back were the best victims. For those kids who were observant, it was obvious that when a bully tried to “bully” a prospective victim who he thought was weak, and that victim fought back and rendered any pain or injury to him, he was unlikely to ever try to “bully” that kid again. On the other hand, those who didn’t fight back became permanent

victims of that bully and any other bullies in our crowd. The principle of “bullying” as I learned in my grade school years can be seen at all levels of human behavior during one’s lifetime and at all levels of society. The non-violent protest methods championed by such social reformers as Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King worked by drawing attention to the injustices, while also garnering sympathy for peaceful change from the general public. Many other movements started this way, such as the feminist movement and the movement to accept gays. However, for the past half century or so, we have submitted to all forms of “bullying” by various movement and/or organizations gone rogue. As stated above, many of these

To me, a seminal moment in this progression was back in the 1960s when a group of a few dozen armed black militant students took over the office of the president and the administration building of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. and the administration responded by, not only refusing to call law enforcement, but accepted a list of demands by the students. This incident was widely covered by the national press at the time, thus setting off a precedent followed by many colleges thereafter. From the colleges, it has been injected into movements everywhere. Today, we can see the results of this principle of caving into “bullying” in unstable conditions around the world. Today, we see it in our large cities. Is it too late to fight back? One wonders.

that end, which they don’t. BLM used young adults to give legitimacy and credibility to their propaganda exercise that was the Palmer protest. Lenin coined a term for that, “useful idiots”. Contributed by Larry Wood June 6th’s protest in Palmer happened on a very beautiful and hot day. It was an incredible day. According to what’s been posted in Facebook, about 1,556 people showed up to check out the event or to participate. I was there to see for myself how things would go. Interesting group, a few signs unfit for public display; but then, controversy is the goal, so extremes in the message should not be unexpected. Yes, there were signs that threatened the personal safety of police officers; but, again, a few signs, nothing more. Everyone was happy how things turned out, but that does not mean that one closes one’s eyes to the ever present danger. A predator came to town, a predator that has destroyed lives, caused hundreds of millions in property damage across this country, and defaced memorials. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. Just because the recent protests have been nice nice doesn’t mean the next time will be the same. Violence is the standard, peaceful is the exception. Look to the riots for your proof. Interestingly enough, Palmer PD stayed pretty well out of sight for the entire affair. As a result, there were problems with blocking traffic when the herd of protesters

decided to go on a walk-about Palmer, because not everyone was in downtown Palmer to attend this event. A lot of people work on Saturday or were headed elsewhere. However, as has been put to me by supporters, any inconvenience was not their problem. D-Day was eclipsed by the death of one man at the hands of police officers in Minnesota and the destruction, death and misery ongoing that has come out of what started as peaceful protests in Minneapolis. BLM does not deny, criticize or express regret or apologize for the damage, deaths, and injuries across the country. National and state war memorials have been vandalized and heavily damaged, even the Lincoln Memorial has been damaged. The protest in Palmer was focused at the Pavilion where Friday Flings is centered. What was noticeable was that this event was considerably larger than any limits on groups imposed by the governor and his Oracle in a Yurt. Further, in the 2+ hours there, I did not see anyone who appeared to be concerned about “social distancing” or maintaining the 6ft. separation recommended. The tightly-packed column of bodies that paraded through Palmer and the crowd at the Pavilion were in violation of the governor’s mandates further

bringing into question the quarantine, travel restrictions and business shutdown. So, the next time Dr. Zink, the governor’s Oracle in her Yurt, Commissioner Adam Crum, or a ‘Karen’ tells you to mask up, or to observe ‘social distancing’, tell them you have an exception courtesy of BLM. I am certain that the video and photos of the event and of the movement of the herd of protesters bunched very closely together must have given Governor Dunleavy’s Dr. Anne Zink, his Oracle in her Yurt, apoplectic fits. Hey, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, screw the COVID mandates, because 1,556 people did exactly that on Saturday in Palmer, and, prior, Anchorage and Fairbanks, and, in doing so, may have exposed a lot of other people not associated with the protest. (Personally, I don’t care, I believe that herd immunity is necessary.) Black lives matter, unless it is black American killing black American in drug wars in our major cities. BLM is silent on that slaughter and black on black crime. Further, BLM has yet to define any remedy for the killings by police, except defunding of police departments and calling for the death of police officers. You would think that by now, BLM would have a viable agenda to

Palmer Museum Photo of the Month

MORE ON PAGE 13 OF MAKE A SCENE MAGAZINE

You might ask yourselves why there were no churches sponsoring such an event, or why the NAACP was not part and parcel of the sponsorship? And, why the speakers offered sound bites, not solutions? What needs to be done? End the 1033 program; end qualified immunity, or suspend its use in police related deaths; end no knock warrants, end overwhelming force policies, end MOUT training by the U.S. military; review and correct training and policies. Create an investigative unit in the governor’s office at the state level for just such cases independent of state and local law enforcement. And, remove Democrats from office. On June 7th, Fox News reported that writer, BLM activist and supporter Shaun King stated that Democrat jurisdictions have the worst police abuse records. Communism requires a dictatorship of the proletariat–us. Dictatorship. Those who attended supported an event sponsored and organized by a communist atheist group that openly calls for the overthrow of the U.S. government, the killing of cops, and designates white Americans as racist, based upon their skin color. So much for the peace, love and fraternity angle.

Coloring Pages by Brittney Kauffman