Stampede to Western Alaska!
Who needs a road to Nome? With all the politicos who are suddenly interested in the Y-K Delta, how about a road to Nunam Iqua? Or a road to Emmonak? Think of the air travel it will save!
Governor Sarah Palin
Palin and her date, celebrity evangelical Franklin Graham, son of Rev. Billy Graham took his private jet to the village of Russian Mission this morning. In what we’ll call the “Runner Up Flight”, Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell accompanied local wannabee national celebrity evangelical Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage Baptist Temple in a King Air plane that followed.
Before they flew off, Kyle Hopkins at the Anchorage Daily News asked some questions and reported Palin’s answers on the Politics Blog. When he asked if Palin thought that the villages would be able to sustain their current populations in 10-15 years, she replied:
Some of these areas … they may need to see some change in leadership within the community, also. For the leaders whom are looked to for guidance with the young people, that these leaders show them where opportunities are also. So they can, as I just mentioned, seize opportunities for jobs, at the same time being able to be such a strong part of their communities still. It is possible.
Would anyone like some fresh ground pepper on that word salad? (grinding) Just tell me when to stop. The point in all of Palin’s verbal gymnastics and Johnny-come-lately photo ops with an evangelical on each arm is this: none of this is Palin’s fault, the state’s fault, the government’s fault or due to the fact that the Rural Advisor position sat vacant for months after its last occupant left in frustration that she wasn’t able to schedule a meeting with the governor in the ten months she held that positioin.
Here’s the whole thing.
New Rural Advisor Jon Moller - That’s right, after almost four months of Sarah Palin’s Rural Advisor bearing a striking resemblance to an empty chair, the positioin is finally filled. Public outcry and shame score another point. Jon Moller is the lucky winner, and he is also out in the villages today, visiting Emmonak and Nunam Iqua among others. Or that was the plan anyway, we think. Sounds like his visit may have not been adequately announced in the communities themselves. We wait to hear back on what transpired.
Senator Mark Begich
That’s right. While Sarah Palin was trying to “shore up the base”, another powerful Alaskan politician was at work. Without fanfare, without a pair of evangelical celebrity preachers flanking him, Senator Mark Begich traveled to Bethel and video conferenced with several other villages, including the village of Emmonak. Who was on his arm? The very un-glamorous Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional Director for Alaska, Niles Cesar. This release touts the efforts of both Senators in bringing relief to the area.
Traveling to Bethel with U.S. Sen. Mark Begich today, Bureau of Indian Affair’s (BIA) regional director for Alaska, Niles Cesar, announced the BIA will provide emergency financial assistance to help residents in Emmonak struggling with the price of fuel.
At a video conference arranged with several villages through the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, Cesar told participants that the BIA has agreed to waive eligibility rules so more people in Emmonak can receive assistance of up to $1,000.
“I am extremely pleased that the BIA has answered Senator Lisa Murkowski and my request for assistance to help these residents get through the winter,” Sen. Begich said. ‘This is not a long-term solution, but it’s a step in the right direction. I am hopeful the State of Alaska will step in and help solve this for the future.”
Sen. Begich arranged the meeting in Bethel today and asked BIA officials to go with him. Cesar said the assistance may range from $400 to $1,000 depending on a person’s income. He didn’t know how many people would eventually receive the extra help, but said the average person will receive around $500.
Cesar also said his office is requesting the wavier be made available to 56 villages in Western Alaska and to 11 villages in the Northwest Arctic. Sen. Begich endorsed the request to expand the waiver to help more villages.
Representative Jay Ramras, who had previously been critical of Palin’s lack of interest in this particular issue, and had organized a large food drive issued a press release thanking all the “entities” that had been involved in getting food to the villages. Thursday he said, ““I applaud her for following in the footsteps of what Alaskans and nonprofits and churches have already been doing over the last four to six weeks,” he said Thursday.
A letter from Ramras’ office states:
Representative Ramras and his staff truly believe all your work over the past 4 weeks has contributed greatly to the trip the Governor is making to the western villages today.
I have to say, he nailed that one. The probability that Palin would spontaneously decide that something needed to be done, without having been shamed into action by bloggers, independent media, the Native community, the Anchorage Daily News and other mainstream newspapers, Jay Ramras, Bob Poe, CNN, Mark Begich, Lisa Murkowski, talk radio, and countless others is slim at best.
Nick Tucker -
The Emmonak resident who brought attention to the crisis via an open letter in the Bristol Bay Times, must be marvelling at what that one letter has done. How does he feel about the state’s response to date?
Tucker said the state response has been slow and inadequate.
“We got three more months (of winter left), so I don’t know what to say,” he said. “Like I said earlier, the state hasn’t been visible enough in doing something.”
Begich is a hero.
With Palin’s connections to Fox News,maybe she could bring more light to bear on rural Alaska on a more national level??? Naw, that will never happen.
Palin to dine in DC this weekend. President Obama entertains the nation’s governors at gala affair this coming Sunday. Marine Corp Band and Earth,Wind, and Fire entertain. I’m sure Palin will try to entertain also. Lets see who boards Alaska Air for this junket.
Begich and Murkowsi have their differences in policy approach, but that would be cool if they coordinate projects together that help Alaskan projects (in a low key but effective way). I enjoy watching the teamwork of this two intelligent people. Now how many more days before Palin is out of office? I have a feeling she won’t be running for Guv, instead spend 2010-2012 running a presidency campaign, therefore the reason for her PAC money to get funds raised during the next two years,
how come she didn’t teach her own children how to get up and work?
again, your governor is the epitome of hypocrisy…then she takes off in a private, luxury jet. she just doesn’t get it!
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…..
Continue to shine the light!
some people just don’t have the capacity to learn or feel…the reality is that palin is one of these people
alaska, you don’t deserve her…and by the way, we don’t want her either
Break out new buttons–
Where’s Sarah been the last 6 months?????????????
Explain something to me, someone. Is Palin saying that the reason these villagers are in such dire straights is because they don’t work? Can someone lay out her argument here? I mean this in all seriousness.
Congratulations to the Alaskan villages, the bloggers, Rep. Ramras, and Senators Begich and Murkowski for all their efforts to help those in need. May we/they continue to work together to develop long-term solutions, so those in the Yukon and other distant places can thrive.
And may Governor Palin get what she so richly deserves…
Boy does she really piss me off. I’m so po’d about what she said about ppl not having to be elected officials, getting up and going to work. I’m so irrate, words can’t even explain it. She’s so gosh darn ignorant and prejiduiced. Todd is 1/8 native, meaning his kids are 1/16th, his kids don’t even qualify to enroll into the BIA.
@JRC,
thats what I got, that’s what got me so irate. She needs to live in a village for a whole year, then maybe she can speak on it. Lil’ miss “I want to be a DC’r” cause I’m too good for alaska.
@JRC (20:53:32)
“Some of these areas … they may need to see some change in leadership within the community, also. For the leaders whom are looked to for guidance with the young people, that these leaders show them where opportunities are also. So they can, as I just mentioned, seize opportunities for jobs, at the same time being able to be such a strong part of their communities still. It is possible.”
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I’m not sure any of us are fluent enough in Palinese Wordsalad, a very obscure dialect, to translate correctly. I’m guessing- she’d like to get rid of some of the leaders (the ones who criticize her), find new young leaders who will encourage them to move the entire population elsewhere. But I’m just guessing-
I imagine the villages are similar to Indian people reservations in my state and in the Four Corners: years of neglect by the federal government, erosion of the old values/culture- problems of alcohol, abuse…but some areas are making progress, especially when the people are given resources and support to develop their own solutions.
I just don’t understand what she’s saying. Is she trying to say that rural Alaskans “don’t work”, so they can’t afford the price of oil to heat their homes? I’m not familiar enough with the demographics or socio-economic status and culture of the region to fully understand what she was getting at. But it seems that she was ignoring the sudden increase in the price of oil that these people are left to figure out over the winter (even though oil prices have now plunged).
…”the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing…?”
Ain’t that the truth, also!
This woman is so oblivious, it is frightening. How can she not know that she speaks like an incoherent, rambling fool?
But she can sniff out a great photo opp faster than flies on stink, you betcha yup yup!
Sarah Palin makes me embarrassed to be an Alaskan.
There ya have it…they appear to be fightin’ over a box for the photo op:
http://www.adn.com/
I am a first time poster and a major lurker since last August. Sarah Palin makes me sick. I just have to point out another one of her major lies. Did anyone notice that at about 2:30 in the newsclip when they are talking about the jets landing on the snow she says “ya, that’s why we sold the former Governer’s jet, it couldn’t land on the gravel.” Wait a minute, I thought she sold it because it was “pork.” She is unbelievable.
Yes, I believe that is what she is getting at. If I recall correctly, she had somewhere (I’ll need to find it) that there was food and fuel in Emmonak, it’s just that the ppl there couldn’t afford to purchase it. If she would of done her job wayyyy back in Oct. and listened to Walt when he brought it up, maybe this disaster could have been avoided. It was also brought up at the AFN convention and no solutions were brought about. She’s too concerned being in the National public eye. I wonder who made her parky, that looks like a wolverine ruff on it. She sure wears it alot.
To Co almost native: you are right about the AK remote villages being similar to the Indian reservations — but add in no roads and being in one of the coldest places on earth. … Unless people have been there, they don’t have a clue.
Welcome Redwood Palinzer (waving madly)- glad you joined on the Mudflats:-)
@JRC:
Palin has ignored the situation on the Yukon Delta for months. She left the position of Rural Advisor unfilled, after her good friend resigned, stating she never got to meet with the Governor, and the position ought to be held by a Native. She has known since July 2008 that the crisis was coming: the salmon season was dismal, oil prices were high- and then the freeze can early.
My opinion: Palin doesn’t feel she needs to do anything for the Alaskan Natives. Racist? Maybe-
Sarah has no shame.
On the other hand, you all should be proud of your contributions to righting this wrong.
Been reading the responses on ADN — lol
What a group – kinda like Mudflats meets TeamSarah
OK, so are we just gonna “piss an moan” or are we gonna set a plan in place for Western Alaska, when it comes to a vote? In Alaska, every vote counts…so keep score, keep a moral compass and vote for the person who will represent our district and your State….gee, I don’t think Queen Gino will be in the running? It’s gonna come down to the Alaskan voters in regards to how much further GINO will go in plitics. Period. Cut and dry.
Sometimes — You have to love a Governor ( like mine )
“”Montana Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer ribbed Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin Friday for announcing at the last minute that she will not be attending a Sunday discussion of energy policy that the two governors were scheduled to lead at this weekend’s meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) in Washington.
“I don’t know where she’s going to be. You’ll be stuck with me,” Schweitzer told ABC News. “There will be no glamour, certainly no snappy dressing. I brought my best two pairs of jeans. There’s a little bit of a horse s**t stain by the knee. But I’ve been washing that stuff out.”
Palin and Schweitzer, a rancher-turned-politician, are the chairwoman and vice chairman, respectively, of the NGA’s Natural Resources Committee.”"
more @ http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/02/montana-governo.html
Interesting – She says Todd left Dillingham after high school to work on the slope. I thought they were in high school together? Petty – yes. But why lie about something like that? Am I mistaken?
Enjay in Eastern MT (21:38:36) :
Sometimes — You have to love a Governor ( like mine )
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From what I’ve seen and read, I do like your Governor:-) Methinks Palin skipped the energy discussion because Schweitzer would have clearly demonstrated what an airhead she is. Better to hang out with evangelicals and look cute (gag).
I think I speak for Gov. Sarah “Thumb up her butt” Palin when I say:
“Me-help! Me-help! Me-help!”
“I don’t have any party buying me clothes,” said Schweitzer, referring to the more than $150,000 that the Republican Party shelled out for the Palin family’s wardrobe last year. “My wife buys my clothes at Costco.”
Bwa ha ha! That’s for the link, Enjay…gotcha, Palin (heh heh)
> BSNo Gravatar (21:38:47) :
> But why lie about something like that?
Same reason as anything else — Bristol’s name origin, for instance. Momentarily, it made for a better story.
You can fly a pig into Marshall and Russian Mission, but in the end, she’s still a pig without wings.
Enjay in Eastern MT (21:38:36) :
“….Palin and Schweitzer, a rancher-turned-politician, are the chairwoman and vice chairman, respectively, of the NGA’s Natural Resources Committee.””
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You’ve got to be KIDDING! I didn’t know she was the *CHAIR* of the Natural Resources Committee of the NATIONAL Governors Association! Not just a GOP bunch, but a bipartisan national bunch!!??!!
In that event, shame on her for not being there to do her job. Why did she accept the position if she isn’t going to serve responsibly?
I think Palin’s call to arms was for an, er, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER, possibly? Not an elected official. Check. Just someone who steps forward to lead. Check.
Nice to see she’s had an about-face — that her scrutiny of Obama’s experience has shifted. Maybe a more PUBLIC announcement is needed. I mean, if this really is a call to arms, people need to hear it from the Governor loudly.
The grandstanding PR of both Sarah Palin and Samaritan’s Purse is the stupidest, most shameful, and most wasteful , that I’ve ever seen.
A King Air can only transport 3,000lbs of cargo. They would need to make at least 15 round trips, burning more fuel than the food is worth, and wasting perhaps $ 25,000 in fuel. NAC is a commercial air cargo company that has daily flights to Bethel and many other Villages. They have aircraft capable of transporting all food in one single flight.
Beware of a prophet that has four airplanes, worth $ 6 million each. Beware of false prophets.
“Palin and her date, celebrity evangelical Franklin Graham”
I love that you use the word “date” for them, makes me laugh.
I’ve missed your posts lately, AKM. And the Mudflats community’s comments.
Interesting how Palin’s “dates” – Fred, Franklin – are disreputable individuals for someone to be pallin’ around with, especially a good Christian woman like Sarah Palin.
I scrolled back and read posts for days upon days. I agree with Ann Strongheart that there’s no use in getting angry – it’s only a matter of time that karma is going to bite the Grifter in the $ss, so all Mudflatters should stay positive, keep on doing good, and in good time, GINO will be gone.
On a positive note, Barack Obama came to Canada on Thursday, and met with Micheal Ignatieff, who will hopefully be our Prime Minister following the next federal election. Stephen Harper, present PM of Canada is, like Sarah Grifter, a pawn for Big Oil.
> CO almost nativeNo Gravatar (21:02:35) :
> I’m not sure any of us are fluent enough in Palinese Wordsalad, a very obscure dialect, to translate correctly. I’m guessing- she’d like to get rid of some of the leaders (the ones who criticize her), find new young leaders who will encourage them to move the entire population elsewhere. But I’m just guessing-
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Let me take a whack.
> “Some of these areas …
I didn’t bother to learn the names to the villages.
> they may need to see some change in leadership within the community,
This is not my fault.
> also.
Also.
> For the leaders whom are looked to for guidance with the young people, that these leaders show them where opportunities are also.
It wasn’t my problem to begin with, and it isn’t my problem now.
> So they can, as I just mentioned, seize opportunities for jobs, at the same time being able to be such a strong part of their communities still.
If they just got up off their goldbrickin’ asses everything would be alright. That said, everyone should follow established authority, of which I’m the biggest.
> It is possible.
Trust me. (Have I mentioned it’s not my fault?) [Emotional overtones of the movie "Rudy" here, which as we know is her favorite. Also.]
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That about right?
> Enjay in Eastern MT (21:38:36) :
> Why did she accept the position if she isn’t going to serve responsibly?
Same reason she’s governor: to pad her resume.
What really bothers me in Palin’s comments today is that she was crafting an illusion that she has had an ONGOING concern about the Rural situation. The facts of the matter indicate otherwise (intellectual dishonesty on her part). I posted the following on the previous thread as a rebuttal for her comments. If you saw it previously, just skip it….. but some new people may not have seen it. Judge for yourself if Palin has had an ONGOING concern and interest in rural Alaska:
“While reading Palin’s comments about her ongoing “concern” for rural Alaska, please keep the following facts in mind: 1) Walt Monegan warned last summer in his resignation letter about an impending crisis looming in rural Alaska for the upcoming winter. 2) The Rural Advisor quit in Oct. ‘08 because she had been unable to get an appointment with Palin for 10 months; she also felt a Native Alaskan should have the post. 3) The Rural Advisor Post went unfilled until a few weeks ago. 4) Rural villages’ pleas to the Gov.’s office went unanswered, so Nick Tucker gave a public plea for help in early January. The unusually cold winter, high fuel costs, and poor salmon harvest had created a crisis of starving vs freezing or both. 5) Not until the crisis reached national news proportions via CNN and other MSM…5 weeks later… did Palin decide to act like a gov. with a state crisis. 6) If not for Nick Turner, Dennis Zaki, Rep. Ramras, and all the concerned bloggers, there could have been dead bodies in Western Alaska similar to the Katrina debacle. These facts speak for themselves and should put Palin’s so-called “ongoing concern” into perspective….Her comments today are nothing more than a politician’s mendacious spin on the truth in hopes of countering well-deserved bad press. Shame on Palin.”
So, SP’s plan is to get the natives to vote pro OIL, GAS, COAL, Mining, and other offshore and onshore development. Native culture and life style good bye. Give them a job which will replace the declining fisheries and subsistence lifestyle. Give them gods good will and teach them to give 15 % or more of there income to the church. Keep taking the natural resources and build more bars and roads.
Life is very simple with SP in charge.
@CO almost native
Better to hang out with evangelicals and look cute (gag).
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boy, did you hit the nail on the head! …sadly, but through her own fault, that’s all she knows. politics is not the career in which she could EVER excel…maybe she could become an actor…oh wait, she can’t speak
JRC: Palin is just tap dancing around what she means.
The villages are fishing villages. There were no fish this year. Winter arrived early. Palin knew about the problem in October, but did the osterich head in the sand thing.
She ignored the problem until a light was shined on it, and is now trying to get good press out of her efforts.
She is saying the elders of the villages are not leading the way she wants them to, and therefore she will not help. She wants them to move to the city, and leave the land to development for oil and gas.
yukonbushgrma (21:51:58) :
Enjay in Eastern MT (21:38:36) :
“….Palin and Schweitzer, a rancher-turned-politician, are the chairwoman and vice chairman, respectively, of the NGA’s Natural Resources Committee.””
========
You’ve got to be KIDDING! I didn’t know she was the *CHAIR* of the Natural Resources Committee of the NATIONAL Governors Association! Not just a GOP bunch, but a bipartisan national bunch!!??!!
In that event, shame on her for not being there to do her job. Why did she accept the position if she isn’t going to serve responsibly?
++++++++
The appointment is rotated around between governor’s of oil and gas producing states..they needed a female and it was Alaska’s turn.
The Republican Governor brings an evangelical photo op while the Democratic Senator brings real help.
Yet in the comments section of adn.com Sarah fan after Sarah fan said there was nothing the government could do for these towns because it wasn’t an emergency. Well it looks like the Senator brought some real help which if they had any grasp of reality would gall the right wingers….also.
@JRCNo Gravatar (21:08:35) :
I just don’t understand what she’s saying. Is she trying to say that rural Alaskans “don’t work”, so they can’t afford the price of oil to heat their homes? I’m not familiar enough with the demographics or socio-economic status and culture of the region to fully understand what she was getting at. But it seems that she was ignoring the sudden increase in the price of oil that these people are left to figure out over the winter (even though oil prices have now plunged).
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it is not possible to figure out what she is saying it is all word salad and I think it is getting worse..All I hear over and over again is “it is on you and don’t think the state will help you”….duhh what is the state for then…she might as well go back to the AIP where she started.
@redwood thank you for catching that
Palin: “Some of these areas … they may need to see some change in leadership within the community, also. For the leaders whom are looked to for guidance with the young people, that these leaders show them where opportunities are also. So they can, as I just mentioned, seize opportunities for jobs, at the same time being able to be such a strong part of their communities still. It is possible.”
This paragraph sounds like someone who is really dumb who’s trying to sound really smart but ends up sounding even dumber than she probably would have if she hadn’t tried to sound like she’s a few standard deviations higher on the IQ scale than she really is…..haha…..couldn’t resist a run-on sentence of my own. At least mine still diagrams out with some sense.
She really suffers without a pre-written speech or notes. Sheesh!
The Queen has spoken: “Thou shalt abandon thy homes, and thou shalt be as dwellers in the great cities, and thou shalt be saved. For I am the Queen, and my words are greater than any laws, my actions above all reproach. To question my word is to be evil and sinful; those who oppose me shall be exiled to the wastelands and never know the beauty of my reign nor the blessings of my kingdom.”
Maybe that’s a little over the top, okay, but methinks Her Highness is lacking in both modesty and humility (okay, and a whole lot more!) and needs to get slapped in the face with a nice 10 pound salmon. Bush got shoes, GINO needs a fish.
Hmmm, on second thought, salmon’s too good for her. Rotten flounder or stinky crabmeat?
It’s late night here, so I get a little loose when I write. GINO is utterly despicable. She’s got to go, NOW.
I suspect this is has become a mantra for which other people have suffered:
“Palin Asked Her Department Heads for Good News—Only the Good News. In 1997, Frontiersman columnist Paul Stuart wrote, “A couple of weeks ago, Palin sent a memo to her department heads informing them she wanted weekly reports of the good (that’s positive, of course) things going on in their respective departments—and only the good things. Nothing else but the good things.” [Frontiersman, 1/22/97]“
Teeheehee …. here’s a great juxtaposition for ya — ties in nicely with the ABC news blog story and MT Gov. Schweitzer:
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Ask a Governor About Energy
T. Boone Pickens, 02.20.2009
This weekend the National Governors Association will meet in Washington. With the exception of Congress itself, I can’t think of a more important gathering in our country today….
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/t-boone-pickens/ask-a-governor-about-ener_b_168558.html
The villagers are not stupid. My faith lies in the villagers who see through Grifter Sarah Palin’s lies, who accept the government aid (because they are hungry) and rally together to put Sarah Palin out of business in Alaska.
Some ideas for the villagers before Grifter sets foot on “your turf” for P.R. :
Lots of signs – “WHERE’S SARAH?” or “GOVERNOR IN NAME ONLY” or, my favourite “SARAH PALIN IS A LIAR”
SARAH PALIN IS A PAWN OF BIG OIL
Women Who Run With The WolvesNo Gravatar (21:35:05) :
OK, so are we just gonna “piss an moan” or are we gonna set a plan in place for Western Alaska, when it comes to a vote? In Alaska, every vote counts…so keep score, keep a moral compass and vote for the person who will represent our district and your State…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I read just the other day, the ballots up there in the YK delta were not translated right. They had something about “gaming” on the ballot, and it was translated to the First Peoples as “Palying with toys.” Gaming casinos have brought allot of prosperity to NA Tribes in Cali.
GINO makes me sick! Whats with the tammy faye makeup, eyebrows, hella troughed on makeup!!!!
Please her words full of Moose Pucky! Oh yeah dud left the village to find work…lol, doesn’t his parents live in los angeles cali???
She make me sick, sick, sick and I wonder if she will follow the Repulican taliban party of no and refuse the stimulus???? I hope if she does All the Repubs that voted for her remember, just like bobby Jindal, I think they said he refused it???? Can you fricken imagine???? These A-holes practicing Reganomics right now during the second great depression!!! Oh man, I’ll be talking in my sleep again….!!!!!!
The woman is simply incoherent. How can anyone vote for someone like this? It’s truly embarrassing. The idea of her as a state governor is frightening. The idea of her a heartbeat away from the presidency, held by a 72-year old cancer survivor, scared the bejesus (sorry, Franklin) out of millions.
Franklin Graham is a scary individual. And guess what? The villagers weren’t forgotten before you came a-proseletizing. Anonymous bloggers have been helping for weeks before you poked your evangelizing missionary nose into the situation. Helping with No Strings Attached. No christian propaganda. What a creep.
And Sarah? Take your ‘get a real job’, ‘get a real life’ attitude and shove it. Oh, and your stinkin’ lies, too. Why’d ya sell that plane? (good call, redwood)
For those that never listen to a word she says, the photo op to the village was perfect Pal’in around with Repub “See Me, aren’t I cute and Important,” but don’t expect her to make sense. She has none.
What was she trying to spit out, her standard Repub party line, no more Government, pull yourself up by your muckalucks, get to work and let me and my budies drill, kill, and bill you for the mess we intend to make of your land and country. Trouble is she isn’t capable of getting those simple points across out in the bush without her staff and aids, with flash cards.
Has anyone actually gotten a list of what was actually delivered to the village?
“Has anyone actually gotten a list of what was actually delivered to the village?”
I’ve been wondering the same thing, and hoping to hear something from Ann S. (Did John Moller ever get out there?)
Is this another GATE when she says “that is why we sold the former gov. plane” some thing to do with the gravel..OLD ears are hard of hearing. you could hear most of it very clearly.
gosh she just makes me sick.
As mentioned earlier Palin tells Rev, Graham they sold the governor’s plane because it couldn’t land on gravel. When she was running as McCain’s running mate the press made much of her selling the plane as it demonstrated what an independent thinking maverick she was. We now have her own words from her own mouth to catch her in another of herself serving lies. And don’t get me started on the back taxes she owes!
Let’s not forget that Mr. Graham gets 380K a year to run these
photo-ops. While I don’t begrudge him a salary, that’s a lot of donated money above a decent salary that could be used for good but is instead going into his pocket.
An organization that tracks these types of agencies (sort of like a chartible watchdog group) rank his pretty low in terms of dollars donated to dollars that get passed along to those they are intended to help. For his organization it was of every $1 donated only $0.39 gets passed along to those in need. Looks like a lot of donated money is being eaten up in salaries and other administrative costs that aren’t very productive.
Makes you wonder which pays better, TV evangelism or Sarah-like politics. Perhaps they discussed that subject to pass the time on the long flight today.
ok so keep talking sarah! keep digging your holes deeper.
this is another Gate.
And some one in the press said Feb was going to be a slow month for you.Boy were they wrong!
The sadest thing about this Photo op with her date, celebrity evangelical Franklin Graham, and his organization, Samaritan’s Purse is that hundreds of concerned people will now be sending their hard earned money to fill up Graham’s Purse. Hundreds will see this photo op as it hits the MNM and begin to fill up shoe boxes of items they think will go to the villagers. If someone doesn’t follow up on this and make them accountable for every dollar collected and every shoe box filled there will never be anyway of knowing what actually goes to the villagers.
I can’t stress enough, if any blogger reading this thread really want to get aid (food or money)to the villagers go through a trusted website listed here on Mudflats (see the sidebar) not through Graham ’s Samaritan’s Purse.
Begich and the BIA bring the real heat. Finally a Fed Agency steps up.
Way to go Mark! Rookie Senator just scores winning touchdown!
Sarah brings the gassy blowhards. The gassy blowhards bring food, not Sarah.
Who needs Sarah? What value did she add? Where’s Sarah now?
Who the hell cares.
granny..now you make me wonder..at christmas time at my g-daughter’s school they had a program of filling up a shoe box size container provided by ????? to give out to needy kids, I had intended to do it but ran out of time. Now I am kinda glad that I did not do it.
bigdayqueenNo Gravatar (22:17:13) :
yukonbushgrma (21:51:58) :
Enjay in Eastern MT (21:38:36) :
“….Palin and Schweitzer, a rancher-turned-politician, are the chairwoman and vice chairman, respectively, of the NGA’s Natural Resources Committee.””
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You’ve got to be KIDDING! I didn’t know she was the *CHAIR* of the Natural Resources Committee of the NATIONAL Governors Association! Not just a GOP bunch, but a bipartisan national bunch!!??!!
In that event, shame on her for not being there to do her job. Why did she accept the position if she isn’t going to serve responsibly?
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The appointment is rotated around between governor’s of oil and gas producing states..they needed a female and it was Alaska’s turn.
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ONCE AGAIN SARAH DITCHES HER REAL JOB FOR A PHOTO OP AND A PRAYER
DO NOT LET HER UPSTAGE BEGICH, THE REAL CHAMPION FOR WESTERN ALASKANS TRUE NEEDS
****AK ANGEL****
I saw your post on the last thread. If you are here please email me.
Ann Strongheart
Nunam Iqua Food Drive
c/o Ann Strongheart
P.O. Box 7
Nunam Iqua, AK 99666
nunamiquayouth@yahoo.com
CO almost nativeNo Gravatar (21:45:30) :
Enjay in Eastern MT (21:38:36) :
Sometimes — You have to love a Governor ( like mine )
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From what I’ve seen and read, I do like your Governor:-) Methinks Palin skipped the energy discussion because Schweitzer would have clearly demonstrated what an airhead she is. Better to hang out with evangelicals and look cute (gag).
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Sarah is skipping the NGC because she didn’t do her homework and Schweitzer wouldn’t do it for her and carry her camera for her like Franklin Graham does.
Her comments about the Tribal leaders are a direct insult. She should be censured.
mhrt: I know what you mean, it feels really good to give and to teach your children to give . It would be nice if we could know that those shoe boxes were all going to those beautiful little faces we see on the covers of mags and in the late night commercials. I have worked with relief organization for years, in checking with folk on the ground in village after village around the world the picture isn’t that good. I can’t tell you the stories I get about the politics that go into actually getting “stuff” to here it is needed and can be used.
Graham’s group is notorious for coming in taking all kinds of pictures of the disaster and then disappearing, unless they get some response from locals that can be used to recruit more “christian evangelist” or take over the local forest, land, or other resource that the villagers might have control over.
Did you all notice the clear blue skies in the video?
Remember who braved storms and sickness to get to Nunam Iqua?
What would have happened to Sarah’s visit if the skies had not cleared?
Sarah Pailn and her friends bring a faith-based message from their fair-weather god when she should be doing her duty as Governor in a secular government.
Then she uses her husband Todd as an example of why the villagers should look for work away from their traditional homes? He’s never really lived as a native, come on, she’s a lying sack of…!?!?
Excuse me while I go puke.
@Peaceful Granny
Graham’s group is notorious for coming in taking all kinds of pictures of the disaster and then disappearing, unless they get some response from locals that can be used to recruit more “christian evangelist” or take over the local forest, land, or other resource that the villagers might have control over.
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Sarah has forgotten she is supposed to be Governor, not a champion of world-wide Christian guerrilla warfare.
My ‘tubes’ connection is dog slow, and I just couldn’t wait for the video to load. I watched the first minute and half, and well, that was just enough. So painful to watch her work so hard to find the words. It’s just not easy to pretend to care when one doesn’t.
@0whole1 (21:59:06) : Your dissection was spot on!
The disrespect that Gino has shown to the elders of the villages is so shameful it just shows how little respect or understanding she has for people other than her close inner circle. I truely hope this has not caused a problem for Ann and those who are really working on the ground. Let us know how your day went, when you can Ann.
Peaceful Granny: Graham’s group is notorious for coming in taking all kinds of pictures of the disaster and then disappearing, unless they get some response from locals that can be used to recruit more “christian evangelist” or take over the local forest, land, or other resource that the villagers might have control over
Yeah this has got to stop.
@peaceful granny
I think I m losing my faith in man kind really fast. I used t think if some one said it you could believe it..shows you how dumb I was. Late here need to go to bed soon. either you are up early or up late??
No more shoe boxes for me until I ask more questions .. thanks for the info.
mhrt: Shoe boxes are ok if you go online and connect with a person on the ground like we have with Ann in the village and adopt a family, someone you can relate to personally and know you and your kids are actually helping because you know what they need and can use it. Connecting one on one we can really make a difference. Don’t loose heart, just also use head. We Can do so much. Just read Ann’s posts. They give me so much inspirations. Good night dear one.
SARAH PALIN IS A PAWN OF BIG OIL.
GET IT?
GOT IT?
GOOD.
I just love this latest quote from that great big phony, lying sack of crap excuse of a governor you poor Alaskans have. I got a great big belly laugh out of it, and I needed a laugh for medicinal purposes, too, so all that completely USELESS string of words didn’t go completely to waste.
I mean, how can somebody actually spew out a bunch of crap like that, in the company of celebrities, and the MEDIA too, for heaven’s sake? Wouldn’t most people of normal intelligence at least have a few thoughts on an index card, or something, maybe just mental notes, that might sound intelligent, to be used for such an occasion? Here everybody is, trying to fathom what the dickens she is TALKING ABOUT! If you do try to analyze it. you do end up with insults and blame-deflecting, like most of these posters have.
But seriously, folks, there is really NOTHING THERE. That so called message she states is a complete vacuum. It is a stand-in for an answer. It is a construction intended to take attention away from her own failings in her current situation, standing there in person at the “scene of the crime”, sort of caught red handed, so to speak, right where she totally FLUBBED by not doing anything to help her people, while others make and have made a complete idiot out of her by responding vigorously and appropriately, with most efforts not even being of a “required” nature. I mean, it was in no one’s official capacity who blogged about this situation, or the guy who went there and took pictures, etc. while Miss “thumb up her butt” did nothing but ignore the whole thing… but I suppose it was the US govt help that finally got her in a spot where she couldnt weasel out.
So she probably was trying to sorta subtly blame the tribal leaders but wouldn’t want to be too obvious about it… and we wind up with a big bowl of “salad” of a quote and no one knowing what the heck she said.
WHAT A TOTAL LOSER! Doonesbury hit it on the head with that Sarah doll they had, you pull a string and out spews “drill, baby drill” and other short Palinisms. It’s juat a doll – NO BRAIN – programmed to make a noise in the English language and there are a variety of phrases you can take your pick of. Yeah, that’s her all right.
What IS scary though… I used to LOVE the George W Bushisms, you talk about IGNORANCE AND LACK OF BASIC EDUCATION… but Sarah takes the cake, hands down. I’ve never heard ANY POLITICIAN utter such meaningless drivel as this one does. What’s scary about it is, look how far W got… She’s got to be stopped somehow. Probably the best way is to keep her talking more and more, for the record, all the time, on every subject there is. If she is allowed to remain quiet, then people will be able to ascribe to her some brains that SHE AIN’T GOT. THAT scares me.
So what, actually, has the State done so far? Is Sarah’s achievement that as a true Republican Gov, she has stalled and prevented a bail-out by the State until
a- the private, voluntary sector did it all
b- those people who dared be in crisis learned their lesson
c- the problem disappeared
d- she can present it as a success for Republican values?
If Bureau of Indian Affairs steps in, is this State of Federal money?- out of Sarah’s budget, or somewhere else?
And- her busy calendar kept her from Chairing the Governor’s Energy session (where she is committee head) but she has time to go to the gala ball? Did I just see this above? WTF?
OK< wait a minute – someone said she is going to Washington, DC AGAIN, for another high-falootin’ dinner – is that right ?
Must be she finished that budget thingy then ? Right ?
Yes ??
No ??
Doesn’t matter to her ??
Hey, like my friend from Tennessee, Tina, the concept of “Only the Good News” also applies here as well…what with our pollutin’, nuke, radioactive-spewin’. leakin’, and accident prone TVA lyin’ dogs tellin’ only what folks want to hear…about the worst man-made disaster EVER. It made the EXXON Valdez look like someone peed in the Bay up there!
And the closer that Billy Graham comes to meetin’ his maker (hopefully, if you believe in such), the nuttier does Franklin become…you betcha!
And I love Governor Schweitzer…he was THE Man at our Democratic Convention! She probably ain’t showin’ up for their presentation because she knows he can think and speak in complete sentences…that make SENSE!
Ha, Ha, Ha! When I read that the BIA was involved, I couldn’t help but remember an incident involving the local BIA guy in Bethel when I lived there. (Bethel is like New York City to the surrounding villages, even though it was only about 3,000 population when I lived there in the ’70’s)
The head of the BIA at that time was Chief Peter Three Stars, a really neat guy, as was his family. A big shot from “somewhere”, forget to occasion, was in Bethel, and a newly arrived FAA staff member was doing the honors, got tongue-tied and introduced the BIA representative as “Chief Three Peters”. We never let him forget that!!
Back OT, that interview was so phony, and especially Franklin Graham – he doesn’t know diddly about village life.
I hope, as someone else suggested, that the villagers meet them with protest signs. Of course, they probably won’t, sisnce they need assistance. But, if as suggested before, that the Graham result is supposed to be conversion, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Not that I would object, just that giving aid with strings attached is not good.
Thanks to the bloggers who put me in touch with Ann – a check from my Episcopal church is on the way to her. It seems that more food than $$$ is on the way, so I hope this can help out with the fuel.
I am going to play devil’s advocate for a bit and just ask commenters to think of ideas regarding long term solutions for job creation and income streams for the citizens residing in these poverty stricken areas of our state.
I do have to ask first, what can we do as a state to assist in the long term? What are the plans for a long term solution to this issue? Does the Legislature have any idea what industry can be developed to assist people in becoming self reliant.
If fishing is not going to be a viable industry for the next year or the next 10 years what sort of industry can the villages maintain to support people who want to remain there? We have the possibility of Pebble Mine (not widely supported except by those that would gain a paycheck either in the development or mining stage), we have some being able to assist in the Denali pipeline project, and we have commercial fishing which is collapsing.
What is going to happen in the next five years if something is not done to create industry or some other means of self sustaining income-creating job markets in these small communities.
“She wants them to move to the city, and leave the land to development for oil and gas.”
This was the message the villagers should take from her visit.
Move out or else you are cut off.
You are not Alaskan government’s problem since you don’t belong here, you don’t add anything to the economy nor do you even break even for your existence.
It is the same line of “reasoning” that was shoved down the lower 48 Native American’s throats in the past history of our country.
They’d better read the writing in the snow and get her out of office.
I read something in a book last night that sums it up:
“When the pretend friends of religion lead infidel lives; when they carry religion to market and offer it in exchange for luxuries and honor; when they place it familiarly and constantly in the columns of newspapers [media], manifestly connected with electioneering purposes, and when they are offering it up as a morning and evening sacrafice on the alter of political party -these men are placing a firebrand to every meeting house and applying a tourch to every Bible.”
It has been done since the days of Hamilton -useing religion as a political tool. That’s all she does and continues to do. USE religion as a TOOL.
> AKPetMomNo Gravatar (04:26:49) :
> I am going to play devil’s advocate for a bit and just ask commenters to think of ideas regarding long term solutions for job creation and income streams for the citizens residing in these poverty stricken areas of our state.
One thing I’d suggest is looking on grants.gov, COS (Community of Science), and other similar grant dbs to see if local communities could partner with various groups (Universities, non-profits, etc etc) for grant monies.
Another thing I’d do is get in touch with local community contact people to see what job creation, if any, the folks there actually *want*.
Bringing in a missionary is proof that Palin sees no future for this culture. The need to get saved and get a white mans job. Live in a white mans town. Follow the white mans faith. Fight the white mans wars. Then it’ll all work out and be okay.
Is no one else appalled that this gov. invoked religion as her reason for not saying what she did for these people?
If she is so concerned about not letting people know what she did privately for religious reasons, why is she flying and doing a big photo op with a very right wing religious organization?
Shouldn’t the thanks have come from the legislators, so no one would know what she had done? Did she ask them/tell them what was going on?
Or would that have blurred the lines between religion and state?
And that she brought in a religious organization to help people that the state should be taking care of?
She helped the people she was sworn to protect, not with state resources, but with right wing conservative evangelical support.
This was not a mercy mission, she seems to disdain the very people she is supposedly helping.
This is a giant publicity grabbing photo op. This is a heads up to the evangelical base in the lower 48 saying see, I can solve problems without using state funds but using our resources(evangelical charity).
She cares nothing for your state. She is mentally out of there, looking towards the future.
Diane:
“she seems to disdain the very people she is supposedly helping.”
Right wingers love to hate the poor and the helpless.
“why is she flying and doing a big photo op with a very right wing religious organization?”
Because it will play well were her fantical base: SAVE the heathens from hell and fire. These frootloops figure, once you’r saved and have the correct God, then that God will take care of you (unless of course he wants you cold and hungry to remind you of the suffering of Jesus, or to teach you a lesson in faith).
These actions are not actions of brotherly love. She is using these people -their entire culture to seel religion, anti-”welare” and in the end, doogooder photos for all her fans.
This morning, after watching the video, I became extremely irate and wrote a post about it. Do have a look… I was very angry!
http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/02/sarah-palin-explains.html
She says the State is not helping, the trip with Graham is private? then she says she won’t say what she personally did for them. So what is this trip then?
Shouldn’t the fishing industry be as important as mining? Alaskan salmon is one of the good foods left on this planet. Why not make sure the fishing industry CAN support the Natives?
The villagers will know the difference between those who cared to send help (from around the globe) over the past 5 weeks and the phonies who show up late, looking for publicity.
AKPetMom asks for ideas to address the long term solution. One I heard a months ago is very simple. Let the villagers fish FIRST, before the commercial companies sweep in and take all they can, leaving the ’scraps’ for the fishermen.
I think it’s important not to link all the problems into one big dilemma. That makes solving seem really complex or impossible. Looking at individual barriers might make it easier. I don’t know if this is practical, but from what I’ve read here and on other blogs, the ability to prepare for winter is limited by storage. The “infrastructure” needs of storage of fuel for heat and cooking might help build up reserves during the warmer months when delivery is easier (and less expensive?). This idea may be way off, however, if asked, I am sure the villagers have very sound ideas of what can be done to enable them to continue their subsistence fishing, balance their culture and way of life with the current challenges they face.
BTW, loved BeeJay’s version of SPs Royal Proclamation.
You know it’s amazing she gets away with the media coverage she gets. What she said regarding the villages made no sense & no one presses her to explain what the hell she is trying to say. I’ve heard some politicians misspeak & the reporter will be all over them. My interpretation of what she said is that the young people in the villages need to get jobs, which means they need to leave their homes & the older folks, I’m not sure just what her plans for them are. She is so outrageous. She reminds me of a airhead high school cheerleader, but she protects her lack of knowledge & intelligence with amazing skill & gets away with it. I’m starting to fear that the negative press will keep her from running for reelection & we will all see her in 2012 as a presidential candidate.
So somebody answer this for me, if the natives abandon their villages (after living there for thousands of years!) then do they lose their rights to that said area? does the state then get to assume ownership? and mineral rights? hmmmm?
She’s despicable. Are we not (shudder) SO very fortunate she is not our vice president right now? Everyone give thanks!!! Bless Obama!
I will believe that she helps or gets the State of Alaska to help only when I see it happening. Not before.
I wonder if Sarah got hot for the Rev Graham in his Carrharts…that and the private plane probably sent her into a tizzy.
I agree with all posters here…Palinese Wordsalad (awesome, BTW) translation…leave the villages, get a job on the slope or at Wal-mart, and let me hand over your land to the oil, mining, and commercial fishing companies. Oh yeah, if you don’t accept the Lord Jesus as your savior, you will be doomed.
@janofdg
I’m afraid your suggestions for solutions make too much sense. Do you mean to let the villages use the natural resources that are there at their doorsteps & not to gouge them for gas & oil so they can be self sufficient. Maybe the powers that be are really trying to flush these people from there homes & use their land for other purposes.
To the people in the state where Governor Schweitzer comes from (is this the guy with the horse apples on his knees)(own some myself) be sure he gets the information on all this drama that the Gov. is using as an excuse. I am sure he will find it interesting that since July notification of hardship and when the first help call came out, she did absolutely nothing for these people, but she is using this as an excuse to not attend the meeting.
My heart goes to the villages and the elders, they didn’t ask for help and I am pretty sure Palin proved why they didn’t ask for the assistance that they so desperately need. It is absolutely disgraceful for her to talk to those elders like that or to anyone like that. It had to be utterly humiliating to have to accept that food from those people because your village and families are so desperate for the help. I can’t imagine having to swallow my pride that much to take that abusive tongue whipping from that crowd. Who the hell does she think she is to tell someone you got it wrong and it is better my way.
I will be perfectly honest I wished many times yesterday that I could have been in one of those two villages. I personally would have apologized to the elders and village for those asinine remarks she said. Then I would ask for their forgiveness right after I cussed her ass out and chased her back on that dam plane, with that so called preacher right behind her.
I was taught along time ago you never, ever disrespect elders in any walk of life. It is bad enough when some of these other self righteous people calling the villagers anything but a child of God. Sorry if I am rambling but I really am very upset of her remarks, I am glad they got help, but dam they shouldn’t have to be belittled in order to receive it.
” …I have to say, he nailed that one. The probability that Palin would spontaneously decide that something needed to be done, without having been shamed into action by bloggers, independent media, the Native community, the Anchorage Daily News and other mainstream newspapers, Jay Ramras, Bob Poe, CNN, Mark Begich, Lisa Murkowski, talk radio, and countless others is slim at best. ”
I’m wondering what would have happened if AKM had not picked up on that story and blogged about it on numerous posts linked to donation sites etc…
Most of the action and involvement occurred after posting the letter in Mudflats.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
Kudos to AKM !
If SP is going to the soiree in D.C. , I’m sure she’s hitchin’ a ride on the Preacher Plane……..
Where to start? Ick, Ick Ick!!
The word salad, the subtext of this being the Villagers fault because they are not seizing all of the work opportunities that, according to Sarah, are ALL OVER THE PLACE. Can she point out another place for the Villagers to go where work is abundant? How far away is Palin’s “Enchanted Employment Village?” And how is the public transportation system run to get to the Magical Employment area, where there is work for all? Do you have to rent a private jet to get there?
And on a last, personal note – my husband Tomas Hradcky and I wrote a check and sent it to the relief fund, as did a number of our friends, when we shared this story.
Not one of us is Christian, yet Palin is thanking all of the “good Christians” that have donated.
How about calling us “concerned strangers?’
God knows, I am no “Good Christian” in Palin’s sense of the word.
austintxNo Gravatar (06:43:38) :
If SP is going to the soiree in D.C. , I’m sure she’s hitchin’ a ride on the Preacher Plane……..
————-
That explains it. She needed to get to DC, so in order to have the use of a private jet to ferry her there, she calls her friend Franklin, and says, “Frank, I’m needing to be in your neck of the woods next week, but I’ve got to go put out some fires and shore up my standing in Rural Alaska. How bout helping me out? It’ll, also, be a real good photo op for both of us, and you need some good press too since the BBB revoked SP’s accreditation .”
Shameful, just shameful.
I agree with Big Stick and others who see how Palin has insulted the tribal elders. The subtext of her painful words is clear: Native people should leave their tribal lands and their tribal ways and take a job in the whiteman’s economy, live a whiteman’s way of life and leave the area to others (whitemen) who will make better use of it, (e.g. oil exploration, commercial fishing, etc.) And, of course, everyone should see that this idea is approved by government and religion. Of all of the things she has said or done, this is by far the most despicable.
Please can anyone explain to an ignorant Brit how the religious right wing and scientologists feel about each other. We don’t get this kind of religious fervour here. Religion is pretty much kept away from politics in the UK.
I would love to understand how GINO’s religious base feel about her close relationship with Greta Van Suckup and her very odd husband.
UK LadyNo Gravatar (07:14:27) :
I would love to understand how GINO’s religious base feel about her close relationship with Greta Van Suckup and her very odd husband.
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I’m not sure that that has resonated with her base. Since it seems that GINO’s base pretty much excuses her lies, hypocrisy, stupidity, greed, and lack of Governorship, I’d say they’ll convince themselves that GINO is ‘witnessing’ to GVS and spouse to bring them into the light. Hey, but what an opportunity for the witch hunting Pastor.
Thanks Lance the Boil.
GINO does know that Greta’s husband is pro choice and anti gun doesn’t she?
@AKPETMOM
BO is striving to get BROADBAND to every part of America. When that happens, a lot will change. We are in the era of SERVICE and with the internet ever expanding all sorts of things can and will happen. In my little mind I see arts and crafts as a part of it all (but only a part). The natives in Alaska know how to live without a WalMart around the corner, they know how to fish and hunt and I am sure there are many who would pay for their knowledge. This is just my thought. This won’t be instant…it will take time…but it will come and in a big way.
This connection via the internet will affect even the most remote villages in ways the world has never seen…..and the Natives will not have to leave their homes to earn a living and even if the older Natives hesitate…the younger people will not…I see it coming.
The one of the things many things that the Gino and other folks that don’t live a village life don’t get is that living in a village is a FULL TIME JOB!
You make your living by hunting, & fishing, in the fall, gathering wood or other fuel along with berries and roots in the summer, making your own clothes, preparing and preserving foods for winter, and storing what you’ve gathered, fixing up your homes and sharing what you have with each other. It is a full time job with everyone working as a village, young ones, adults and elders each doing what they can to exist as a unit.
When the industialist introduced all the new foods and perishable products from the outside world that have to be bought with money, the villlage life began to unravel all over the world. The idea that you have to work miles and miles from home to get “money” to buy goods and services that have to be shipped at high cost to the village, distroyed the natrual balance of the village, where elders and children suffer the most.
Give the villagers some respect, they know what they need and how to make a living. The kind of living they have been making for thousands of years. The Gino and people like her have to stop trying to make the villagers way of life wrong and support them in how they want to live.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; does SP realize what will happen if all Native Alaskans descend upon the urban areas en masse? With no traditional way to earn their living?
Has she really thought this through? No, of course not.
OK, let me get this straight, the Gov doesn’t like government hand-outs, but she likes private and the public’s handouts. MMMhhhh……looks fishy. She discourages Government paying for charity, but WILL accept charity for her SarahPAC, will accept per diems, (from taxmoney), will accept any extremely expensive clothes from the RNC; will accept donations (again to SarahPac) from elderly ladies’ who might give their last $20 of the month.
Government money IS taxable money that hard-working people sweated for.
Donations to SarahPac is money that will be taxed later, by hard-working people. What’s the difference here? Maybe it’s that she doesn’t believe folks on the lower end of the income bracket deserve anything, but that it’s OK for her to receive the hard-earned income of others to promote her to her Grand purpose.
Back to the Jet she sold on ebay and the State took a great loss of $$$$$ on that sale. One of her many problems with Walt Monegan, was that she wanted to use the Troopers plane at her whim. She wanted it available to her when she needed to get somewhere outside of Wasilla and Anchorage. Walt had to remind her that the plane was for transporting criminals from remote areas and getting Troopers out to remote areas. She didn’t understand that concept. Sure, if the plane was available, then she could catch a ride, but NOT when they were using it for Trooper” business.
So here on National Television, she made sure everyone knew she sold that jet…but secretly, she wanted her own private carrier as well….the State Troopers plane. Confirmed.
So let me get this straight (not easy, since she’s so “smart” her gibberish is virtually unintelligible). She’s saying Native Americans are a lazy lot who just need to work and stop looking to government to solve their problems, and that it’s the role of churches (um, funded by tax-deductible donations) to help people rather than the government we pay our taxes to? Then she gets in her friend’s private jet and flies off into the wild blue yonder, before going back to the nice warm house she pays for with illegal per diem payments she ripped off from the government.
Can anyone say racist hypocrite? Can anyone say, impeach this clown? Recall her? Make her GO AWAY!
Sarah’s hitching her wagon to a Monday Morning Quarterback evangelical relief effort bothers me at so many levels, but that she goes ahead and says that we need new leadership to address our problems is so insulting to our Elder respected make-up.
She wants our youth to get all mavericky.
And she came baring fresh baked cookies? What I would have given to slap that processed sugar out of her hands.
Why the hostility? Her vision for the village workforce is such that we have to leave home.
Where is the aggressive fiscal responsibility in that? Making villages accountable with meaningful economy? Why can’t we have the State invest in putting in greenhouses for year-round produce like those dear potato’s that Ann exalted over? It would create jobs to boot! It wouldn’t be a costly endeavor, truly, no more costly than that multi-million dollar failure of the MatMaid debacle.
We could have a regional dairy operation to ship out fresh milk products also too. And we used to herd reindeer for commercial butchering, why not institute a domestic cattle/muskox (wild game) station for regional disbursement – that precious protein that she’s been bragging about lately?
All of these scenarios creates jobs and makes us less dependent on importing commercial food sources that would serve to supplement our traditional diets. It’s a win-win for the State and the villages.
But no, I’m not going to invest in your community, that is not the governments job, I’ve got to reign in spending and progress North Slope workers via drilling, baby drilling! And let’s make sure we break up families and send our youth out so that they lose touch with their culture and values. So they can come home and be disappointed with what is lacking after they are exposed to amenities offered elsewhere.
Thanks Sarah, you really are the answer to Bush Alaska’s future.
I wonder if she’s avoiding the Gov conf so THEY can decide on the bailout money -whether to take it or not, she can then blame them either way, as she will have nothing to do with it.
Also, if she tosses some bags of rice around w/ the boyfriend she can say she ‘earned’ a ticket out of Alaska for the weekend.
Be sure to check her Feb. per diem. Is the state paying for her trips there -if it’s personal they shouldn’t be. And is she getting paid $60. a call to talk to this religious freak? Paid to go to DC for dinner? I am sure on that one.
Pray for geese. Millions of them. Sent by God.
UK LadyNo Gravatar (07:35:28) :
GINO does know that Greta’s husband is pro choice and anti gun doesn’t she?
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I’d be surprised if she didn’t, but GINO doesn’t take a stand because she actually believes in it. She takes a stand by virtue of how she thinks it will make her look and
whose support she will garner.
I’m reading and really enjoying BUSH RAT GOVERNOR by Jay Hammond. God, I wish GINO had learned at his knee instead of ConvicTED’s. Then she’d have substance instead of just being an empty vessel.
@Paula
LOL
Peaceful Granny (07:36:15) :
The one of the things many things that the Gino and other folks that don’t live a village life don’t get is that living in a village is a FULL TIME JOB!
——–
Amen! That has been my thoughts growing up in the Bush too. Subsistence is HARD WORK! The sun being up 20+ hours a day for the villages are actually designed so we have to WORK all those daylight hours, gathering and drying and pickeling our foods to get us through the winter.
A family typically catches from 400 to 1,000 pounds of salmon, herring or other for their winter cache. It doesn’t end with catching that fish, we have to head, gut and clean that fish, brine it, dry it and smoke it. We also can or preserve it other ways.
The youth, adults and Elders all have to participate to make it work during that short window of opportunity. And this is only fish I am highlighting here, there are other things we have to do to vary the food source for our nutritional needs.
For people to think that we are lazy because we do not typically have a 9-5 office job is so sad.
Somewhere i read that when JFK’s Catholicism became an issue during his campaign for the Presidency, Jackie was overheard saying “I don’t know why it’s such a big deal ~ he’s not a very good one”.
I am on a roll today….can ya tell? She treats Southwest Alaska with the same dislike as she treats Southeast Alaska. The difference is, she knows that in Southeast Alaska, we all totally can’t stand her, and she is on egg shells when she finally shows up to attempt to do her job. She knows better then even go to Ketchikan. They would literally turn their backs on her. They might just tar and feather her! I really want one of those Juneau bumper stickers that say,” Hey Sarah, the Capital is in Juneau”!
@AkPetMom:
I also wonder about long term solutions. Unfortunately if the sea level rises 2 or 3 feet, much of the Yukon Delta simply disappears– I saw a computer simulation of what happens to Alaska as sea levels rise, and it is darned scary. Could happen soon. Much of Alaska just goes under water, especially where Yupik and other indigenous people live. I just read that some Alaska shorelines are receding as much as a hundred feet a year.
Then we have our State of Alaska which has recently been spending between 10 and 20 thousand dollars for each man, woman, and child (10 billion dollars a year, give or take a few) which is totally unsustainable; despite these massive expenditures we have surprisingly little to show. It astonishes me that a state spending more than any other (for its size of population) has hungry people in some of its communities. I’m afraid there could be a real economic and environmental disaster– but I guess that has already happened!
Just BBBBBBBllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeetchhhhhhhh! Bla Phoooey!
Yes that’s how I read her in Aug. Sorry I was right!
Imagine living with a Mother/Wife/Daughter. Mayor, Gov. VP ( shudder) like that!
UK Lady – GVS’s hubby has $$ and has the hots for her. A little thing like polar opposite ideology is not gonna get in the way of her retarded-ass short sighted-ness.
So this is an “Onward Christian Soldiers” trip. =( The villagers probably have prayed already for relief. They don’t need a peacher, they need assistance, like a month ago.
Seems to me it’s just a PR stunt, and that saddens me to no end.
So much for her riding coach in regular planes. Hyprocrit!
Palin is a F-ing loser. Also too.
I haven’t read all of the post maybe this has been said, but when you see the whole video she states, these people have to learn how inportant education is!!!! Does she practice what she preaches, how much education does her family have? Aren’t they all drop-outs? in the lastest video, graham is giving all the credit to christians and the gov’s office, it makes me sick.
Hey Sarah, the Capital is in Juneau…….Not anymore. Sarah made sure of that. How could she lay around at home and bill the state per diem from there? Duh!
The natives ought to vote to cut all their land/companies off from the entire state/country until they get some damned respect. And hunters. And tourists.
These sorry assed money grubbers oughta learn how to play to get any pay/benefit.
UK Lady – GVS’s hubby has $$ and has the hots for her. A little thing like polar opposite ideology is not gonna get in the way of her retarded-ass short sighted-ness.
Or thank twinkle in his pants.
Does she practice what she preaches
Palin doesn’t practice what she preaches in any area. Welcome to the world of the Wasilla Hillbillies. “Do as I say, not as I do.”
“I imagine the villages are similar to Indian people reservations in my state and in the Four Corners: years of neglect by the federal government, erosion of the old values/culture- problems of alcohol, abuse…but some areas are making progress, especially when the people are given resources and support to develop their own solutions.”
As someone who is in the middle of this issue- out here on the AK Peninsula and has lived in the west near a number of reservations. SOME things are similar BUT much is different.
Alaska worked hard to set up Native land so it is NOT in a reservation style but was awarded to local Natives and then also some to the ‘tribe’ as a whole.
Each village is different, as are areas of the state, but many villages are more like small towns, some good areas, some so-so areas of housing and development.
The substance abuse overall is not as active, although can seem like it at times as I have seen in the lower 48. Again SOME villages fight this more than others. (what I CAN say is that those who kick whatever habit do it MANY times without support groups and facilities – just family, friends and DARN hard work)
Lack of full time jobs, usually summer work is plentiful and VERY active in most areas. Schools are usually in decent repair, although this too can vary and are active places. Our future is there and I can tell you about many success stories.
Not to make it too simple of an issue but we are working with rushing into the future while holding onto parts of a past where family and community matter, we did not depend on diesel and our food supply was not threatened by outside issues.
Many people, under 50 y/o, can remember when phones and TV first came to the village. When the first 3/4 wheeler or snow mobile was introduced. Some villages, especially up north more are still trying to get basic water and sewer so we are doing catch up – in about 50 years versus the rest of the US, in say 100-150.
Just a little to consider. Generalizations here, like everywhere are hard:-)
Thanks for giving a damn about what we are living through and trying to do for our future.
It is appreciated and we are taking note!
Hey guys it dawned on me, that while she made this big huge announcement we have footage of this. We also have documentation that she will only rely on her religious ideals to deal with matters of her job. When she tries to run for national office, do you honestly think people will support this? I know I wont! Sadly, the only thing about this, is The Alaska people will only listen to coverage of her stuff. Happily, Alaska only comprised 1/50,, er, uh 3 electoral votes in the nation.
Ramras is great. I hope he continues to go in the back door with his comments and compliments! Love that he said she was following in the footsteps… in the snow!
And also, I said this on the last thread or so…. 40,000 lbs… she meant including the plane!!!
Oh and Where are the Alaskans for Truth??? Methinks it’s time for a good old fashioned protest! I’m sure they can come up with some new signs! And if they need ideas, I’m sure the muddies can help!
What would Jesus do?
Assuming Jesus were as obsessed with money as Palin, Graham et. al., would he have been able to ‘make a bundle’ off the Religion Racket?
He didn’t have a Bible to “sell”, a tax-exempt church through which to funnel cash donations, or a charity through which he could pay himself a hefty salary. If his message had been, “as long as you treat me as your Saviour, you can dedicate your time on earth to scrambling after money”, he
would still be broke.
Imagine Jesus without a fat bank account. How embarrassing is that?
New button ” Sarah who? “
new thread
Hey, I’m on a roll here too. Am brainstorming and trying to summarize this. What your Governor looks like to outsiders: She doesn’t like social programs, or helping during crisis, believes that faith-based charity is the answer. Delights in being from a very supportive family, who babysits for her, enjoys the closeness and unending support from them. She doesn’t like media prying into her children’s lives. Believes Native Alaskans should live and look up to her husband Todd, as a shining example of a Native success story.
Secondly, believes every woman should aspire to be like her. If you’re disabled, not pretty, a dumpy housewife, you do not apply. Every woman must aspire to be like Sarah, hot, overly-ambitious, chameleon, mysterious, extremely blessed with very good health. No one apply to her club if you are weak enough to want to stay at home with your baby, because that Neanderthal that she’s put in his place for herself might come knocking on your door. If you receive government subsidies, like disability check, workmen’s compensation, you are weak. Single women, single teenagers with newborns also need not apply. You have your mothers. They should look after all the infant’s needs.
If you’re a war veteran, an outsider might get the impression this is not a priority for the Governor. As a mother, wife, I wouldn’t let her near my husband with a ten-foot pole. She winks, flirts and her skirts are too short, for my comfort. Why so much make-up? She has natural beauty. What the motive here? Yesterday, flying to deliver necessary foods with 3 men and looks like she’s made up for a catwalk.
Sorry, this is an outsider’s vent for the day.
@I can see the Village from my HouseNo Gravatar (07:45:34)
Thank you so much for your comment here. I’d like permission to reprint it on my blog. Not only do you tell it like it is about the lack of depth in Sarah’s facade of concern for Native Alaskans, you propose thoughtful, positive ways to improve life in the villages that would help bridge the gap between devastation and bearable hardship in seasons to come. Please let me know.
Can’t say it any plainer than before:
“I can’t stress enough, if any blogger reading this thread really want to get aid (food or money)to the villagers go through a trusted website listed here on Mudflats (see the sidebar) not through Graham ’s Samaritan’s Purse.”
You KNOW that 100% of your donation is going to the people. Ann and Victoria are taking none of it, nor is anyone else!!!
I have seen this first hand!
This thread has fascinated me (you probably caught the level of my fascination if you visited Open Thread last night). Among other things, we’re dealing with a couple of my favorite issues here–finding ways of earning cash in remote, cash-poor areas, and how certain politicians (I won’t name names; you know who you are) manage to fill vast amounts of air space with basically nothing–and STILL manage to imply condescension and racism. I’ll do the second one first:
Anybody here an English freak like me? When I listen to Palinprose I find myself itching to dig out my old college text: Revising Prose, by Richard Lanham. He does very much what Strunk and White do with language–he pares down whole paragraphs to simple, active sentences (from some of the posts above I suspect this is familiar territory). While many politicians use grammatical complexity and passive voice to conceal their true meaning, I have yet to hear one who raises sheer incoherence to the level that Governor Palin does. There’s a job for someone in the villages–sitting at a computer, day in, day out, with a copy of Revising Prose close at hand, stripping Palinprose back to her essential message, if any. Journalists the world over would thank him/her.
That brings me to my second thing: earning cash in rural places where traditional employment is sparse to non-existent, and where subsistence living requires a great deal of time and energy.
Seems to me that a big part of the answer lies in the way we frame our definition of “jobs.” If we’re talking nine to five, or labor for a huge corporation, then I can see that remaining in the villages and holding a job would be pretty much mutually exclusive. But if we frame a “job” as a way of earning cash money, opportunities abound without destroying the social structure.
Others have mentioned partnering on research grants, an excellent idea, since it would provide a way of both preserving the environment and raising money.
Someone mentioned high-speed internet as a partial solution. I whole-heartedly concur, largely because I live in a small town where people in my line of work are regarded as tourist attractions (I am a designer, illustrator, and wanna be writer).
Computers and the internet are rapidly changing the way we work not only in how we do our jobs, but in WHERE we do our jobs. I do NO work for local companies (something I’d like to change). My clients span the globe. And I live and work in a one-horse town so far out in the boonies that we didn’t even have a political party office of EITHER persuasion, and where high-speed internet has only recently arrived. Even now, it’s shaky; when it goes on the fritz at my house I have to go to the coffee shop several miles up the road. But the point is that I can live in a small farm town where about half of the population is migrant labor, and do work for international corporations.
Computers and the internet have effectively destroyed the requirement that one must leave one’s traditional home in order to find work.
So–the tools are there, or will be, if Obama has his way. The only question remaining is, “What could be done with those tools?” And there, the sky’s the limit. This is where the idea becomes exciting. There are numerous sites online that offer artists and writers the opportunity to safely post art and writing for sale–in other parts of the world (I am thinking of another subsistence area in Baja Mexico) fishing villages are augmenting subsistence living with tradtional artwork. I believe that they sell primarily to village visitors and through trusted outlets, but the computer means that art could be available for downloading, or for shipping, if it wasn’t something suitable for printing.
For the less artistic, I’m here to tell you that companies pay big bucks to people like me who design business presentations. These presentations arrive by mail or email. I design them, and then deliver them by email.
The three issues necessary to sustaining this sort of business are training, building a customer base, and reliability. Training can happen at colleges and universities, or online; there are many, many colleges that offer such training. It would be important to have at least one person who had actual office experience, who had “learned the lingo,” so to speak. Speaking the language of business isn’t brain surgery, but it’s important to know what questions to ask to avoid missing a delivery date.
Building a customer base can happen in all kinds of ways. For one thing, there are sites online that routinely request bids for government projects. Once a business gets going, word of mouth becomes effective. An agent could even be designated whose job it is to cultivate contacts with potential clients.
The third and last thing necessary to sustaining a business in a remote location, and the most important, from what I’ve seen, is reliability. You need to have a reliable means of contact with the outside world. You need to have reliable high-speed internet connections. And you need to have reliable service. Someone has to pick up the phone when a client calls. Someone has to be available to do the work. Someone has to deliver.
But here’s the beauty of it–IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THE SAME PERSON. Cell phones are increasingly reliable–I don’t know how reliable they are in the villages, but it would seem to me that this would be an ideal infrastructure expenditure, put up a tower, and if it was paired with broadband internet–the other necessity for a business like this–that solves both problems. The other “reliability” issue is having reliable people. That can mean that, like I have to, someone carries a cell phone and is always ready to do a quick job. The other way of meeting that requirement is actually the way I dream of–having a group of people who all do some of the work, and share in the profits.
An arrangement like this is ideal for people who “have lives,” and just need ways to “earn money.” Since subsistence requires so much time and energy, it needs to take priority–but keeping a long-distance business functioning means that clients have to be a priority, too. the answer is to spread the work thinner, and to structure work flow to increase in the winter months (forgive my ignorance about the area, but I’m thinking that probably things slow down when things get dark) and decrease in the summer months, when hunting and gathering should take priority. It can be done.
We just have to change the way we define “real jobs.”
Of course, there’s also the obvious money-making scheme of teaching subsistence-living skills to people from the lower 48. I know many schools include such things in their curriculum (particularly fundamentalist Christian schools, where terror of the End Times sparks a keen interest in being able to Live off the Land). There is money to be made from such training programs, as well as from eco-tourism.
Anyone interested in that last idea can contact me off-line; I’ll be happy to provide you with some links to people who know how to fund and structure such things.
Below is a good thought out process – NOW can we take it a step further?
Seriously!!
Can we take these effort, pair them with the Native Corp, CDQ and tribes? IF this is the direction we want to travel then it MUST be paired with the above groups and THEN be held responsible.
“Where is the aggressive fiscal responsibility in that? Making villages accountable with meaningful economy? Why can’t we have the State invest in putting in greenhouses for year-round produce like those dear potato’s that Ann exalted over? It would create jobs to boot! It wouldn’t be a costly endeavor, truly, no more costly than that multi-million dollar failure of the MatMaid debacle.
We could have a regional dairy operation to ship out fresh milk products also too. And we used to herd reindeer for commercial butchering, why not institute a domestic cattle/muskox (wild game) station for regional disbursement – that precious protein that she’s been bragging about lately?
All of these scenarios creates jobs and makes us less dependent on importing commercial food sources that would serve to supplement our traditional diets. It’s a win-win for the State and the villages.
But no, I’m not going to invest in your community, that is not the governments job, I’ve got to reign in spending and progress North Slope workers via drilling, baby drilling! And let’s make sure we break up families and send our youth out so that they lose touch with their culture and values. So they can come home and be disappointed with what is lacking after they are exposed to amenities offered elsewhere.
Thanks Sarah, you really are the answer to Bush Alaska’s future.”
@I can see the Village from my House (07:45:34) : and
@UGAVic (08:14:54) :
———-
We have lots of work to do to raise YOUR voices ABOVE the static the ghastly gov’s creates.
Not only does her view of Rural Alaska fail under any kind of scrutiny but the urban areas of the state will be at risk for another kind of failure if we don’t get busy on a variety of fronts.
Developing a diversified economy, which keeps $$$ instate, and expansion of transportation interties to let us all move around more sensibly are pieces of the whole…
Planning for the day when the oil runs out (and those jobs too) is a responsibility we have towards our grandchildren.
————–
@Redwood…
What part of the redwoods?
Humboldt?
Mendocino?
Del Norte?
Things going on here in Alaska directly parallel much of what powered the timber wars that started there in the early 70s..
Also, too- the ghastly gov changes her stories like the rest of us change our underpants. Tis the way it is…
Listen to what Meaghan McCain says about whether Sarah Palin appeals more to a younger generation:
“I think no matter who, in the next four years, becomes the prominent up and coming person…………..What the Republican party is not doing right now is having a message that can equally touch that point. Sarah Palin — I hope she can, at some point, I just — I think time will tell.”
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0209/Meghan_McCain_hard_to_impress.html?
Why build a road just to Nunam Iqua, Emmonak or even Nome? Why not go for Uelen, Beijing and Moscow? If it were done right, it could benefit rural Alaska.
@ Silverfox (07:36:13)
Good point about the need and potentially great benefit of broadband internet for rural Alaska. The following graph shows Alaska currently lagging far behind in internet speed:
http://files.cwa-union.org/speedmatters/State_Reports_2008/CWA_Report_on_Internet_Speeds_2008_Alaska.pdf
Ennealogic – you are welcome to take my suggestions to your blog. Thanks.
How come Sarah Palin took all the credit for the deliveries up there?,
What i found more interesting was when she said,”that’s why we sold that jet”
because it couldnt land around here.I thought be it was because it was too luxurious? just wandering.
She’s starting to remind me of my ex
Agriculture in rural Alaska is seriously neglected and very important.
Year round greenhouses are not practical in this climate. But extended season greenhouses work great. We get so much solar for so much of the year. The thing is, they have to be designed for the climate and the solar incidence and not just transplanted designs from farther south. I have a passive solar greenhouse attached to the house. I use it from March through October with no additional heat necessary other than using heat from the house on cold nights. This is in Fairbanks. It is not at all difficult up here to grow cool weather crops in large quantities and store them for winter. This is how the earliest white settlers survived.
rumor has it that gino brought her rifle along so she could shoot a few wolfs on the ride over!
regina (05:25:22) :
This morning, after watching the video, I became extremely irate and wrote a post about it. Do have a look… I was very angry!
http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/02/sarah-palin-explains.html
========
Regina, what a fantastic rant! Heartily recommend. It captures the feelings I’ve had listening to her comments Friday. She is simply incapable of stepping into another’s shoes.
THIS IS WHAT SHE SAYS IN PUBLIC…imagine what she says behind closed doors…
’sarah the GINO’ pictures herself to be the Mother of AK, you know how she’s always comparing hersefl to animals, [bears, ox, etc...]
Yet she is in no way ‘protective’ With her it’s more about covering her own @$$ – even if in that process she disrespects the very ppl she claims to protect…[for their own good - don't ya know].
FOR REAL…she is not the mother she does not sem to care about AK…so she can stop treating & talking to/about the natives as if they are children.
TO ALL OF YOU BELOW — RE: ELDERS
phoebe (05:43:54) :
My interpretation of what she said is that the young people in the villages need to get jobs, which means they need to leave their homes & the older folks, I’m not sure just what her plans for them are.
Tewise (06:38:26) :
I was taught along time ago you never, ever disrespect elders in any walk of life.
sfterrier (07:04:07) :
I agree with Big Stick and others who see how Palin has insulted the tribal elders.
Peaceful Granny (07:36:15) :
Give the villagers some respect, they know what they need and how to make a living. The kind of living they have been making for thousands of years.
I can see the Village from my House (07:45:34) :
Sarah’s hitching her wagon to a Monday Morning Quarterback evangelical relief effort bothers me at so many levels, but that she goes ahead and says that we need new leadership to address our problems is so insulting to our Elder respected make-up.
===========
Ohhhh, this was totally what upset me the most. The elders are the ones who should have been recognized the most, for holding their village together and handing down their wisdom! The thought of this is hurtful, painful……
I can see the Village from my House (07:45:34) :
Why can’t we have the State invest in putting in greenhouses for year-round produce like those dear potato’s that Ann exalted over?
==========
BINGO!!! Bravo! Cheers! Wahoo! Bring it on!
Best idea I’ve heard in a long time. Somebody needs to get on this right away. I’d suggest John Moller, the new rural advisor. There should be grant available for this kind of thing.
And in that grant application, to the greenhouses, I’d add commercial food-drying equipment – so the food produced wouldn’t have to be stored with precious fuel or electricity.
Such a good suggestion, Village!
wow! some really good ideas in this thread. thinking about long term solutions using state of the art technology wedded to old fashioned,tried and true common sense practices. la palin et les republicians just showing their love for their own esoteric sky god that they have co-opted from biblical stories about a young radical galilean rabbi who lived and died more two thousand years ago but whom they would hate and despise if they could but meet him. dark skin and hair like lambs wool and pallin around with low-lifes and poor people and disabled people and such. well, i hope they get their rapture one day and that it is all that they deserve…….love b
@Alaska Pi
I live in Humboldt County and it does sometimes remind me of Alaska.
Good work AKM and Mudpuppies coming up with ideas for survival in the Bush with a little help from Gov.t for infrastructure (too bad GINO will probably turn down stimulus money, and even if she takes it will use for her oil and gas buddies). I remember back in the earliest of posts in January, several people said that the Villagers had ideas about how to protect them from these disasters in the future. Maybe AKM can consolidate them, along with the ideas above, and send to Jay Ramras or that Moller guy. I agree that we need to help NOW and also plan for the future in a way that doesn’t demand the Villagers give up their way of life and emulate white people. In addition, I too am a Christian skeptic, and I resent SP’s characterization that all the assistance came from Christians. I was not aware that Franklin’s organization is under review by BBB; I definitely want to look into that. WRT the shoe boxes, when my daughter was involved in Girl Scouts, we often filled shoe boxes for the Red Cross to give to children left homeless by various disasters. It’s a good cause.
Hobojohn (21:55:24) : A King Air can only transport 3,000lbs of cargo.
Maybe even half of that, with passengers and full fuel. Samaritan’s Purse owns 7 high-end aircraft and has reserved tail numbers for an additional 5. Graham also owns a non-profit aviation business in Soldotna that owns 13 various aircraft and generated just short of 1 million dollars tax-exempt money in “contributions”.
So go ahead, put those aircraft into noble service; it’s their function. It’s what they’re supposed to be DOING as a tax-exempt charitable organization.
I have no problem with faith-based organizations lending a hand, and no problem with government leveraging all resources to address hard issues; churches have historically chipped in, in times of hardship. Good.
I celebrate and embrace personal spirituality and hope that all our politicians and leadership have some kind of spiritual grounding and clear value system.
The Gov/Lt. Gov absolutely should participate in charitable community service in their _own_ churches as a function of their personal lives.
But that’s not what this is. This is a direct and deliberate insertion of religion into state business strategy, and a state endorsement.
It’s very clear that this simply isn’t an appropriate formal State of Alaska response to a regional economic crisis.
Ironically, Graham’s personal wealth comes from 31 million dollars in grants from the U.S. federal government ($9,029,441 last year), and 260 million in “contributions” last year, with a 3 million net gain.
Tax-free money that comes from the taxes that you and I pay, and a large part from working-class Americans digging deep to donate in church and evangelical functions. Read that number again – 260 million –
In 2008, the State of Alaska was one of just 4 states to receive $500,000 in appropriations to support religious groups through Bush’s Faith-Based Programs Initiative. “Thanks, but no thanks”?
The state office that operates this on a $700,000+ budget was cut by legislative action, but put back in after Parnell objected. What exactly do they do in that office that costs Alaska government more than $700,000 a year? That doesn’t sound “fiscally conservative” to me, nor does it “reduce government”, which is Palin’s platform.
I am going to play devil’s advocate for a bit and just ask commenters to think of ideas regarding long term solutions for job creation and income streams for the citizens residing in these poverty stricken areas of our state.
Is there any kind of exchange program that could be worked out with other ethnic groups, individuals or groups from other countries who’d be interested in learning what rural Alaska life is like….seminars conducted by whoever is bilingual with first or second language English along with elders bilingual or with translation…obviously during a more ideal season of the year….”tourist season”
….conduct tours of the environment…have someone work up a PowerPoint or a video of some daily-life and some of the unique ethnic lifestyle?
I’m not thinking so much of craftwork or that kind of thing. Some things that a tourist can buy in the Alaska Panhandle cities are dubious as to origin (China?), so “trinkets” probably wouldn’t bring the dollars worth the time spent on them.
Perhaps something that’d bring folks to western Alaska the way they flock to Blake Island in Puget Sound to immerse themselves for a day in Northwest Coastal First American (OK, their term “Native American”) hybridized/marketable culture (in fact, some exhibits probably are “borrowed” from Tlingit-Haida).
An “experience”?
Hard for me to know if this is feasible, because I’ve only traveled to the Panhandle, not up into the Big Country.
Basically, I guess what I suggested is a variant of BodieP (09:36:26)’s excellent detailed comment above.
I’m curious….what kind of tv coverage did this get in Alaska? Was it covered extensively?
To all of you here who are interested in long term solutions to rural Alaska’s issues , please visit us at anonymousbloggers. We have the start of various ideas on board.
The voices of what folks in Western Alaska want for themselves must be amplified dramatically to be heard over the din in this state- that is another chore which needs attending. Folks in the bush have well-informed , well-thought out plans which get lost in the wind off urban Alaska.
@Redwood- Humboldt is a LOT like Alaska…
Enjay in Eastern Montana..
Do love your Governor and so glad he is on solo for Energy and Natural Resources conference!!
Such a sorry show in Western Alaska by SP and Graham!
Repost!
My, my, what condescending white trash talk that SP spews. Unbelievable. She went there to scold and insult them then? These plane loads of food, why must they come with conditions?
Not to be a stick in the mud, but, Ripley in CT AND Hobojohn bring up a point…the King Air 90’s cargo weight=3,100lbs. The 100’s is 4,708lbs… 2 planes… what’s going on. What about Alaska’s military cargo plane —on call from the Guv’ner I may add…what’s with the god squad’s plane being utilized? Pfffffft. Poppycock poseur she is. Also, cost of a King Air=$3M. yep. Three Million dollars people!
Why is it that the first nations people need to do what white people do constantly? If it wasn’t placing them in residential schools, banning them from speaking their language to placing them on reservations….always accompanied by some ‘christian’ trying to convert them. What year is this anyways? Why is the ‘church’ involved with politics. Oh, it’s SP, I see, nuff said.
SP fails to acknowledge that these communities are hard pressed by dwindling herds and salmon, preventing them from exchanging their work for money to purchase fuel — whose price has risen, due to a lack of shipment because of an early freeze up…
SP has a sloped forehead the way she preaches that everyone from these communities ought to work on the north slope. Are they hiring? I doubt it. Where is the housing to accommodate 500 [say] new hires on this north slope? What absolute BS!
Thanks for the white wash, SP. now piss off.
Canuck for Choice — yep Ignatieff — I’d prefer Gerrard Kennedy — the food bank organizer, not someone who was away from the country 3 decades! I’d watch that Ignatieff, but over Harper? Please. He’s mr. oil sands pollution!
tigerwine — loved the Chief Peter Three Stars story, mainly because my name is Peter and I play on a hockey team called PPL Stars, made up mostly of Asian descent Canadians and some Sri Lankan descent and some white boys — lol, too funny. I’d like that moniker…
Yesss, Candy Night, Sarah Palin is a racist. Period.
Wow
I am really impressed by Sarah Palin.
She flies in a shiny plane.
Stays for an hour or two. Drools over Billy’s son
Goes back to the capitol. Err Wallisa
Looks like Billy G and his offspring can at least afford
aviation fuel. Didn’t notice anything about them actually bringing
any foodstuffs on the shiny plane which
really should have been a nobrainer.
So, then, Sarah thinks since the government isn’t the answer to helping citizens-in-need then concerned groups need to be working together in a way to help said needy people which would in essence require an entity such as … Community Organizers? Grind a little pepper on that word salad for me wouldja, please?
Khione (16:06:00) :
Ironically, Graham’s personal wealth comes from 31 million dollars in grants from the U.S. federal government ($9,029,441 last year), and 260 million in “contributions” last year, with a 3 million net gain.
Tax-free money that comes from the taxes that you and I pay, and a large part from working-class Americans digging deep to donate in church and evangelical functions. Read that number again – 260 million -
In 2008, the State of Alaska was one of just 4 states to receive $500,000 in appropriations to support religious groups through Bush’s Faith-Based Programs Initiative. “Thanks, but no thanks”?
The state office that operates this on a $700,000+ budget was cut by legislative action, but put back in after Parnell objected. What exactly do they do in that office that costs Alaska government more than $700,000 a year? That doesn’t sound “fiscally conservative” to me, nor does it “reduce government”, which is Palin’s platform.
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VERY GOOD POINT Kihoni!!
And, if I remember correctly Palin’s “first” PAC spokesperson has something to do with Bush’s “Faith-Based Program Initiative”.
I’ll see if I can find that info……by the way, just how many different spokespeople do politicians have for their Pacs?
again, if I am remembering correctly, Meg Stapleton is now the 3rd to say she’s the Palin Pac spokesperson. I’m finding all these interconnections rather interesting but also very hard to keep straight and hard to get the big picture.
okay, found it. The day Palin’s Pac went up, Pam Pryor, did the talking saying she was the Pacs volunteer spokesperson.
http://www.adn.com/palin/story/669707.html
“The Web site went live Tuesday, said Pam Pryor, who worked as a liaison between the McCain-Palin presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee. Now, Pryor is serving as a volunteer spokeswoman for the new PAC.”
“”She came onto the national scene, and there’s still a great deal of appetite in the political world to have her be a part of that,” Pryor said. “Her family and Alaska come first. After that, if there’s extra time, I think she still wants to be involved and will look at the PAC as a way to fuel that to kind of fuel that political activity.”
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And she has some very powerful Republican connections AND was part of bringing “faith based funding” into our government. There is a lot of info collected on the Mudflats forum under “Sarah setting up for 2012″ thread.
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this is her bio from “Enough is Enough”
Pam Pryor
“Pam Pryor has more than 25 years in pubic relations and public affairs. She currently serves as vice president of government relations for We Care America – a non-profit formed around the faith and community-based initiative. In that capacity, she unites faith and community groups with government through the faith and community-based initiative in grant writing and introductions to government agencies and Congress. She has hosted the state directors of the faith and community-based office three times as well as does training for the Compassion Capitol Fund grant that We Care America received.
Ms. Pryor began her career as a college instructor at Point Loma College in San Diego and then Bethany Nazarene College in Oklahoma City. Her media background includes being a TV news reporter and anchor in Oklahoma and host of her own radio talk show. After moving to DC, she worked with an association and did some consulting for various clients in the early 90’s. In 1995, she joined the staff of Congressman J.C. Watts from Oklahoma and served as his press secretary and then as his chief of staff for both his personal office and his leadership post – the House Republican Conference. In 2001, she was named one of the 100 most powerful women in Washington by Washingtonian Magazine.”
In regards to the Green House Suggestion
It is actually quite cheap to contruct your own.
My aunt did this and in the dead of winter it was 90 degrees in there
2×4’s (I think) with large sheets of durable plastic staple gunned to it
Leave a little of the plastic under the bottom piece of 2×4 (to keep it from getting “wet”) and the little flap left you put those gray cinderblocks all around (to keep it from falling down/blowing away)
Im sure there is a little more structure to it.. such as on the inside to keep it upright and all.. but it doesnt have to be one of those fancy solar paneled green houses
May aunt even left a little flap open so her outdoor cat could sneak in and keep warm
Had intended to do more research directly before mentioning this, but this is
relevant now, and I will continue as well.
GROWING POWER is a sustainable urban greenhouse>fish farm>community supported agriculture>composting
project, started in Milwaukee by Will Allen, with various other sites being developed.
He just won a MacArthur genius grant for this work. THey have training sessions,
interns, etc. Basically this one man had a vision that he manifested.
While we may think Wisconsin winters are rough, obviously the Yukon Delta is
different, but there would be much that would be applicable. One of the
many aspects is the good jobs it provides. And I think the fish farm aspect does
help with the heat issue. And you have lots more sunlight most of the year.
I don’t remember where I read this today, but there seems to be a poll out there (USNews?) asking people who they would rather have babysit their kids: Michelle Obama, Sarah Plalin, Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi…
SARAH PALIN is winning by 13% so far – way ahead of Michelle!
WTF???
@ InterestedPerson….I am speechless, I repect everyone has a right to their own opinion, and maybe I am not reading your post correctly? The last thing we want anywhere near our State and Federal waters in Alaska, are fish farms. Fish Farms “DO NOT PROVIDE JOBS”! Maybe a handful of jobs, they are far more damaging then they are worth. Please understand that Alaskan’s will fight till our last breath to keep fish farms our of our State and Federal waters. It’s an Alaska thing, we are very proud of our Wild Fisheries and we will do everything in our power to keep them wild. If you need sites to go to, to become more informed on how destructive these farms are, I will be happy to provide you with that information.
Once again, no disrespect here, BUT our Wild Fisheries are vital to every coastal communities well being.
“I agree with Big Stick and others who see how Palin has insulted the tribal elders. The subtext of her painful words is clear: Native people should leave their tribal lands and their tribal ways and take a job in the whiteman’s economy, live a whiteman’s way of life and leave the area to others (whitemen) who will make better use of it, (e.g. oil exploration, commercial fishing, etc.) And, of course, everyone should see that this idea is approved by government and religion. Of all of the things she has said or done, this is by far the most despicable.”
The big thing is “whitemans way” takes cash money, cash economy. That’s what is missing in the villages and that’s what needs to be rectified if these villagers are ever going to be able to function in the way that urban and suburban areas do. Cash economy supplemented by subsistence food gathering. Industry is never going to happen in the rural areas due to increased costs. Cottage industries finance some families and fishing and trapping others. When any of these rural industries collapses it becomes more difficult for families in the bush to live like families on the road system. It’s a very delicate balance out there and one bad fishing season can kill a village.
@wanna know why the lies 12:50:44
Hope this is not too late for you to notice….My description was not clear enough,
but related to the Greenhouse aspect of the thread. What I thought might be a useful
project to look at, not to just replicate is, as Growing POwer describes it,
uses “aquaculture as the symbiotice culture of aquatic animals in a recirculating system”.
They use perch and talilpia to fertilize the crops grown in the water. It is a complete
cycle producing vegetables. The fish in tanks are also sold. But it is not a fish farm.
The main point is the greenhouse production of vegetables and plants. I dont think it would be anything like a fish farm.
I certainly will look at the site about the wild fishing.