A long-overdue Bent Alaska update — October 2013

Sara’s News Roundup 10/24/10

Turn back the tide

– a guest post by Caleb Pritt on Alaska’s candidates for U.S. Senate

The upcoming U.S. Senate race in Alaska is important for more than just electing someone. It could be the one vote that matters for more than just Alaska, but our country as well.

Imagine if you will for a second a U.S. Senate where the likes of Jeff Sessions, Jim DeMint, and Tom Coburn are joined by the likes of Joe Miller, Ken Buck, Christine O’Donnell, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Sharon Angle, and Mike Lee. All these Tea Party types if they make it into the U.S. Senate will be backed up by at least twenty other ultra conservatives who are already in the U.S. Senate.

Now subtract Joe Miller and add in the name, Scott McAdams. He’s Mayor of Sitka. He’s a school teacher & a fisherman. He’s married with kids but not ashamed to embrace all Alaskans, including the GLBT Community. McAdams doesn’t boast and honestly he’s not doing this for himself. He could have remained Mayor of Sitka. I know Scott. I know the idyllic and beautiful town he is leaving behind. In fact, I was there, before anyone, when he began to think about running for U.S. Senate. He’s a good guy and like Ted Stevens who was Uncle Ted, Scott will become Brother Scott. He’s like the best friend who stands by you and will be there for you, because he’s your friend. Most of all, Scott McAdams has one major quality that Joe Miller does not have….Scott McAdams has integrity!

Politically speaking, turning back the Tea Party movement means preserving Hospital Visitation Rights, Inheritance Rights, Hate Crimes Statutes, Adoption Rights, etc. It also means preserving the Economic Security of our nation. Whether you consider yourself Democrat, Republican, or Independent, the track record of the “conservatives” is an economic policy of writing a proverbial hot check. Deficit spending, usually spent on nation building (see: Iraq & Afghanistan) or increased Defense Spending. But that doesn’t mean higher pay for our Armed Forces….it means larger financial contracts for defense contractors like Lockheed Martin & Boeing, who donate to Republican members of Congress.

Joe Miller likes to make it seem simple, and Lisa Murkowski does as well, because they talk about “Less Government” and “Personal Choice.” It sounds good but it’s really Cotton Candy political ideology. It tastes real good but it’s nothing but fluff.

Taxes are what fuels government. When you pay taxes you are investing in stronger Police forces, better equipped Fire stations, higher salaries for our Armed Forces, better roads, cleaner water, cleaner air, better schools. Taxes are needed for those things you want. It also means better health care. Yes, Joe Miller & Lisa Murkowski like to talk about health care as a personal choice and we should be able to go where we want.

Guess what, under Health Care before reform, that meant that a cancer survivor (like myself) or anyone else with pre-existing conditions could not get health care coverage. Trust me, in Eagle River, I went into a dentists office. I was told I would have to pay cash upfront. Oh yeah, did I mention I was in pain and needed immiediate care? But I couldn’t get health care coverage because I am a cancer survivor and even the state programs offered will not cover pre-existing conditions. So I had to pay $375 up front to get relief from pain.

You may like Lisa Murkowski. I like Lisa, and she was wonderful for Veterans, and though tainted in how she got to the U.S. Senate, she was a better than average Republican. But at this point, as a Write-In, she won’t make it to win. Even Wally Hickel, the great Wally Hickel, in 1978 with pre-printed stickers still only got 28% and didn’t win as a write-in. Are you going to tell me Lisa Murkowski is more popular or can do what Wally Hickel couldn’t? I don’t think so. Let’s be real.

Do I mean to say Scott McAdams will vote the way we want to see him every time? All I know is I know Scott McAdams is genuine. He will vote for Alaska. He will vote for the best option for Alaskans. And he showed as Mayor that he will not deficit spend. He has said he would vote for lifting DADT. But more important, Scott McAdams will not let basic civil rights be taken away, if he’s in the Senate.

The most important point is that this Senate race will be close. It will be extremely close. Can you imagine the importance, in a close race, while Miller & Murkowski fight for the “conservative” vote, if one of the key constituencies that elects McAdams is the GLBT Community? Can you imagine the signal our community will send? Sarah Palin is pushing Joe Miller for her own personal and political gain. Lisa Murkowski is doing a write-in for her own personal and political gain. Let us join together, in the GLBT Community, to elect Scott McAdams for Alaska’s own personal and political gain.

Check out Scott online at: http://www.scottmcadams.org/. If you can, volunteer, donate, but most of all, VOTE!

Scott McAdams is the All-Alaska choice. On November 2nd, bubble in and vote for Scott McAdams for U.S. Senate!

Obama: It Gets Better. Dan Savage: Thanks, now Make It Better

Over 10 million people viewed the It Gets Better project started by columnist Dan Savage, millions participated in Spirit Day events wearing purple to raise awareness of anti-gay bullying, and thousands attended vigils for the gay teens who killed themselves recently. Yet the suicides continue, with another gay teen taking his life this week.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton uploaded an It Gets Better message on Tuesday, and President Obama followed with his message on Thursday. They are strong messages against prejudice and in support of LGBT youth.

Clinton’s video was appreciated as the highest level government official to join the project at the time, while Obama’s message sparked anger in the LGBT community because the good words are contradicted by his lack of action on behalf of gay rights.

Watch President Obama’s It Gets Better video:

The It Gets Better project is about kids, anti-gay bullying and suicide prevention. This is the first time a sitting president has told gay youth that there is nothing wrong with them. He is a good speaker and his message can reach many people, including those who might not have heard this kind of message before and those who have been told otherwise. A speech like this from the president has the ability to save lives, and that’s what the It Gets Better project is all about.

Now it’s time to follow those words with deeds that actually make it better for LGBT youth and adults.

On Friday, Dan Savage responded to President Obama’s video, voicing the mixed feelings expressed by the LGBT community:

Thanks to Dan Savage and his husband for creating a project that brings national attention to the problem of anti-LGBT discrimination and the harm it causes our youth and our society.

Rachel Maddow on all 3 candidates in the Alaska senate race

Giessel wants to take away our partner benefits, and much more

She believes in “the sanctity of the individual from conception” and that “anti-family policies” should be ended. She believes that the government doesn’t give us our rights – God does. She believes that English should be the common language of the United States. She agrees that Alaska should sue the federal government to repeal Health Care. She supports predator control. And, she will NOT… I repeat, NOT join with Democrats to form a majority legislative coalition. She answered all the questions so well, that the Wasilla group actually made an independent expenditure for her campaign, and against her two opponents.

Not only is she endorsed by the Conservative Patriots Group, but also the Alaska Family Council.

Giessel, a nurse practitioner, would support Gov. Parnell’s veto of funds for Denali Kid Care (SCHIP), leaving more than a thousand children without health care because Denali KidCare pays for medically necessary abortions.

She would oppose a civil rights statute that included the words “sexual orientation” and/or “gender identity” because it would “inevitably lead to discrimination against those persons who, for reasons of conscience, cannot pretend to be morally indifferent to the homosexual lifestyle in the operation so their schools and businesses.” Discrimination against bigots! Oh, the horror.

It’s a great read, really. You can find out all about the Choose Life specialty license plates and the denial of same sex partner benefits for public employees, getting rid of the Alaska Judicial Council, and all sorts of interesting things. Check it out HERE.

Unions oppose anti-worker (& anti-gay) Rep. Mike Kelly *Vote for Bob*

[O]rganized labor takes issues with Kelly’s work to eliminate Alaska’s defined benefit pension plan for state workers, as well as his votes against outlawing mandatory overtime for nurses, raising the state minimum wage and providing presumptive disability benefits for firefighters.

“In short, Mike Kelly has been no friend to working families,” Beltrami said.

Following a few chants of “Vote him out,” the union members from the Local 1547, Local 942, teamsters, carpenters, Alaska Public Employees Association and other groups went door-to-door to campaign for Kelly’s opponent, Democrat and TV anchorman Bob Miller.

Alaska Native youth for Scott McAdams

Verner Wilson III, who spoke at Pride Conference last year, is at the Alaska Federation of Natives Elders & Youth Conference this week and is one of four Alaska Native youth in a new video for U.S Senate candidate Scott McAdams. McAdams grew up in rural Alaska, worked as a fisherman in western Alaska and supports the teaching of Native languages. He also supports LGBT equality.

Here is the video:

Verner shared more reasons for supporting McAdams:

5 things you might not know about Scott McAdams

1) He was born to a single mother in rural Alaska, and admitted they didn’t always have food in the cupboard of their small house growing up.

2) He fought at School Board conferences to allow schools to teach Alaska Native languages.

3) He’s just 40 years old, and wants to gain seniority in the US Senate and use this power to make Alaska energy-independent and help us in the long run while voting for Democratic values (unlike Lisa who is entrenched by big oil and Republicans).

4) As a fisherman in Sitka alongside his indigenous wife, they understand and will fight for subsistence…HE’S ONE OF US!

5) He’s within striking distance of beating both the Republicans in the latest polls and if you vote for him you can put him over the top, really pissing off Joe Miller!

Juneau sales tax discriminates against same sex partners

A tax exemption policy on the City and Borough of Juneau’s books technically violates the Alaska Constitution, and Assemblyman Jonathan Anderson wants it corrected.

He addressed the assembly on Friday and presented the problem and two ways of fixing it.

The city code allows senior citizens to apply for an exemption to the sales tax. Their “spouses” who are under age 65 are allowed the same benefit.

Anderson said that’s where the language is unconstitutional, and cited ACLU vs. State and Municipality of Anchorage, a 2005 Alaska Supreme Court case. Alaska state law prohibits same sex marriages, but on the same token the tax exemption benefit can’t exclude domestic partners or folks who can’t get married, the state’s top court ruled then.

“The law says you can’t exclude people on basis of marriage when one group is excluded from getting married,” Anderson said in an interview. “To make our code constitutional, we need to add ‘and same-sex partners.'”

The other option to fix the issue of violating the state constitution, is for the city to no longer offer a sales tax exemption for all senior citizens.

Anderson noted the city already addressed this issue in other portions of its code, including establishing rules for providing benefits for domestic partners of its employees.

City Attorney John Hartle said he had reviewed the information and found Anderson’s assessment to be correct.

Hartle said if the assembly chooses to go the route of inserting the language “or same-sex partners” it will have to be sure similar documentation standards are implemented as with married couples.

“I will suggest what is probably apparent,” said Assemblyman Bob Doll. “What we really want to do is insert the language, ‘or same-sex partners’ and proceed that way.”

The finance committee will review the code amendment issue at its November meeting.

“The assembly will have to decide do we remove it entirely or do we provide it for same sex partners,” Anderson said in an interview.

Sara’s News Roundup 10/17/10

City Councilman Joel Burns: It Gets Better