Admittedly, I assumed this was an ad for Sarah. It sums up her experience as a Wasilla councilmember and mayor, as an oil and gas policy administrator, and of course as the state’s elected governor. Sarah Palin has worked in all of these sectors as a local policymaker, local and state executive, and industry regulator.

But as I continued to listen, I realized the ad isn’t for Sarah despite essentially summarizing her credentials.

The ad is for Nick Begich, Mark Begich’s nephew, of all people.

The guy who challenged former Assemblymember Amy Demboski in Eagle River and lost by almost 20%.

As far as candidate Nick Begich is concerned, his latest radio ad is unbecoming of a wanna-be congressman because not only does it list attributes he doesn’t possess, but also the second half of the ad is highly disrespectful towards Sarah. The ad reeks of desperation.

Nick has very little experience in anything, from what I can gather. It’s laughable he highlights policy sectors in which he has zero experience. His ad is misleading to the public.

Then there’s the line about Alaska needing a fighter in Washington DC.

Ever met Nick Begich?

He’s a bureaucrat like the rest of his family. He’s certainly not a fighter because of a mailer with him holding a shotgun. I’ve owned some pretty rough-and-tumble bars in my day, like in Valdez during the Alaska Pipeline build. I’ve seen really tough people fight. I’ve also dropped my share of wild game as a longtime hunter.

To my knowledge, Nick Begich is neither a fighter (in the physical or policy-centric way) nor a hunter. Don’t let radio scripts and posed photos make you think any different. He’s a tech guy.

Further, Begich hasn’t protested the onslaught of negative diatribes from Americans for Prosperity against Sarah over the last three weeks. AFP has wasted so much money on mailers that are being tossed into the garbage and are unnecessary against a superior Republican (Sarah Palin) candidate to Nick. Who is deciding on this expensive and counter-productive AFP messaging in Alaska? They should be fired for incompetence and bias.

Ever heard of former President Ronald Reagan’s use of the “11th Commandment”?

Thou shall not speak ill of any fellow Republican.

I have to hand it to Sarah and her campaign manager, by the way. I haven’t seen any negative ads from the Palin team. Sure, a response to mudslinging, but otherwise 100% positive.

That’s a true Alaskan for you.

So tomorrow, Tuesday, August 16th, it’s Primary Election and I’m voting for Sarah Palin for Congress because, without question, she actually has the credentials, experience, aptitude, and tenacity to get the job done and move Alaska forward.

Sarah is the best fighter we have on the ballot for Alaska’s next U.S. Representative.

And when it comes to filling the titan Don Young’s shoes, do you want a poser – or the real deal?

Reject “Negative Nick” and vote your conscience for Congress.

For me, that’s Sarah Palin.

Retired peace officers are still giving back to our communities

Members of the Mat-Su chapter of the Alaska Peace Officers Association (APOA) donated their time and effort to ring the Salvation Army’s red kettle bell in Wasilla this weekend.

Given the prevalent national and statewide news on heightening crime and the urgency for law enforcement recruitment, it’s heartening to see active and retired peace officers giving their weekends to support our communities and those in need of food and shelter.

APOA is a consistent shining star over the holidays as its members remain an integral part of community service.

“It’s endearing for me to see Alaskan peace officers step up and give back to our community year after year,” said Tom Anderson, an APOA member and retired Colonel with the Alaska State Troopers. “The homeless population and many neighbors you wouldn’t even realize are financially impacted from the economy, or are just suffering from hard times, really benefit from the Salvation Army’s program.”

On Saturday, Retired Alaska State Trooper Captain Simon Brown II, a Wasilla City Councilman and Brigadier General in command of the 49th Brigade, Alaska Defense Force; retired Alaska State Trooper Captain Jeff Laughlin who serves as the security chief for Conoco Phillips; Retired Anchorage Police Officer Justin Koles; Deputy Director Steve Adams of the Division of Alaska Wildlife Troopers; and retired Alaska State Trooper Colonel/Director Tom Anderson greeted Fred Meyer patrons and helped raise awareness for Salvation Army.

The Alaska Peace Officers Association was formed in Anchorage in 1947 to promote fellowship and improve communications between law enforcement, correctional, and government agencies. This year is the non-profit’s 75th anniversary. The organization grew quickly in size and scope. By 2013, APOA transitioned from a 501(c)(6) non-profit to a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit allowing for tax-deductible donations. APOA Alaskan chapters include Anchorage, Mat-Su, Juneau, Fairbanks, Unalaska-Aleutian Islands, Kenai Peninsula, and Wrangell. Members of the organization include active and retired police officers, corrections officers, prosecutors, security officers, and other government agency professionals.

The spotting of four Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships 46 miles off the coast of Alaska at the end of August was a surprise for many when landing on newspaper headlines last week. The vessels were inside the United States’s exclusive economic zone but still within international waters.

According to Arctic Today, the Chinese boats were “conducting military and surveillance operations.” It’s unclear exactly what the focus of those operations was but a guided-missile cruiser and missile destroyer were part of the convoy.

By most accounts, the Chinese were there as a direct result of an increase in Western navy patrols in the South China Sea, which began more than a decade ago under the previous Democratic-led U.S. federal government.

Barack Obama ran for the presidency on a promise to end wars and heal the world – in a nutshell. The pledge won him a Nobel Peace Prize before he’d even done anything.

When it came to foreign policy, he actually stirred up new conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, while at the same time top diplomat Hillary Clinton shifted the focus further East with her “pivot to Asia” agenda.

Effectively, the plan was to rein in China, a nation and communist government where economic development had surpassed everyone’s expectations and the West was too distracted by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to even notice. The ‘pivot’ included a promise to re-open a base in the Philippines, forge military ties with former enemy Vietnam, and plant missile systems in South Korea, although the missiles were supposedly placed there as a deterrent against attacks by the North.

The U.S. was also joined by allies Australia and the United Kingdom in threatening more patrols after Beijing began developing islands and atolls in the South China Sea, some of which were claimed by the Philippines and other neighboring nations. Being a vital trade route was the British excuse for sending ships, including its new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier.

This trilateral force is now calling itself Aukus, presumably because acronyms beginning with ‘u’ are difficult to pronounce. Last week Washington promised to share nuclear submarine technology with the other two countries, which have both added submarines to their list of vessels that will patrol the region. Australia swiftly scrapped a deal to buy submarines from France, enraging Paris.

Only days before the Alaska encounter, a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed through the Spratly Islands, which, besides China, are claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei. Currently, the islands are under the control of Manila, which has been stepping up security of areas within its waters believed to hold unknown quantities of oil. Beijing has tried to push joint surveys of disputed seabeds in a bid to cozy up to Manila and tap into natural resources.

Japan has also been trying to sweet-talk Southeast Asia by supplying the coast guard boats to the Filipinos and signing a regional sea defense deal with Vietnam. Individually, outsiders view the countries with interests in the South China Sea as weak and crying out for support. When they join forces at ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summits, however, they often sign off on whatever China wants, usually won over by Beijing’s billions.

It’s unlikely any serious conflict will play out in the region. Both sides (China and everyone else) are sticking to well-defined propaganda patterns, which is ultimately why the Chinese boats were off the coast of Alaska in Arctic waters recently.

This northern arrival was the first time since 2015 Chinese boats traveled through the Bering Sea, another strategic shipping route. The U.S. Coast Guard described its interactions with the Chinese crews as “safe and professional” for an unplanned encounter.

“Security in the Bering Sea and the Arctic is homeland security,” said Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander Michael McAllister. “The U.S. Coast Guard is continuously present in this important region to uphold American interests and protect U.S. economic prosperity.”

Russian drills happen in the sea regularly but Moscow usually tells the Americans beforehand. Earlier this month, maneuvers involving 8,500 Russian military personnel and 50 ships were held and nobody really paid much attention to them. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, representatives from the U.S., Norwegian, British and Finnish navies were monitoring the exercises.

Besides the South China Sea, there’s the percolating unease in Taiwan, which Joe Biden’s administration looks set to aggravate again. Taipei has apparently asked the White House for permission to change the name of its representation in the capital from Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office to Taiwan Representative Office.

According to the South China Morning Post, Biden’s team is considering the change, which would go against the one-China policy and anger Beijing. The consequences of the move could result in more and closer mainland patrols and military drills around Taiwan. The newspaper quoted the defense department as saying 25 People’s Liberation Army planes entered the island’s “air defense identification zone” during drills earlier this month. Beijing said there were only 10.

Last week on the Tom Anderson Show  Dr. Amber Northern, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, overviewed Alaska’s grade of “F” ranking highlighted in her Institute’s June report entitled “The State of State Standards for Civics and U.S. History in 2021.”

When asked about Critical Race Theory (CRT), and its role – if any, in Alaskan school curriculums, Dr. Northern responded,

“Ask people what it means to them, because I feel like there’s so much misunderstanding. And we talk in abstracts and it’s very unnerving. And so, if it means dividing kids into racial groups and having some of them be labeled ‘oppressors’ and some of them be labeled the ‘oppressed’ as Kindergartners, and first and second graders, that’s ridiculous. If it means asking young children to declare their white privilege as a child, that’s ridiculous. On the other hand, if it means that kids get exposed to a variety of literature from various authors and cultures in their English class, I think everybody agrees that’s a good idea. We don’t want kids just reading things written by sort of ‘dead white men’ is the phrase some people use. If it means hiring diverse teachers so that kids have role models that share their race and background, most people say of course that’s a good idea. So honestly – if it means that we don’t whitewash our history and that we actually name slavery as a key driver and cause of the Civil War, of course we need to accurate and factual.”

Dr. Northern’s point is the more we disconnect between races and cultures, the more antagonism and disunity our nation suffers. This logic makes sense.

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees.

Make a Google search online on “critical race theory” and you’ll find opinions and vantage points scattered across the policy spectrum.

On July 31^st the Montrose Press (published by Wick Communications who owns the Anchorage Press and Mat-Su Frontiersman Newspaper in Alaska) printed an editorial by Dr. Carrie Stephenson, the superintendent of the Montrose County School District in Colorado. Dr. Stephenson uses the same bullet points many pro-CRT supporters cite. Critical Race Theory is an “advanced academic concept” and over “40 years old” and its foundation holds that “race is a social construct” and “racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.” Dr. Stephenson admits CRT is divisive, noting “some states and school districts are even passing laws and policies to prevent teachers from teaching Critical Race Theory.” Unfortunately, she also states a ban on CRT is unnecessary. Read The Full Story at Montrose Press Here

Our nation and the state of Alaska will follow a perilous path if we allow anti-white racism to proliferate in our schools, neighborhoods, and communities. There’s a substantive difference between contrition for bad decisions in our past by the long-since deceased (like legalizing slavery) and deconstructing America’s rich, vibrant history of successes and progress thanks to visionaries, many of whom were white males, only to be replaced with a narrative of shame and apology. Our foundations and forefathers are to be commended and praised and educated about, as a reminder of where we came from – in concert with the remembrance of the transgressions and tragedies befalling our nation.

In Alaska, State Representative Tom McKay (R – South Anchorage D24) is taking the lead in the Alaska State Legislature to prohibit Critical Race Theory from formally surfacing in Alaskan school curriculums through a pre-filed bill to be introduced in the 2022 legislative session. Rep. McKay deems his legislation as proactive considering the national trend.

“I have been keenly observing what has been happening nationally, and I also took careful note of the recent poignant statements by both the NEA and AFT presidents strongly supporting CRT,” he said. “I have also spoken to community activists, school board personnel, teachers, and a retired principal in Alaska, all of whom assured me CRT, or derivations of CRT, are alive and well in Alaska schools.  Over history, Karl Marx and his ideology led to communism in numerous countries around the world including the Soviet Union, China, and Cuba.  These communist regimes have been responsible for the slaughter of millions of people.”

Rep. McKay said he’s aware of at least these 22 states with pending bills to ban Critical Race Theory:  Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.  Out of those states, McKay noted at least four have already passed and signed legislation into law now in effect (Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee, and Oklahoma).

Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed legislation that goes into effect on September 1^st directing how teachers can discuss current events and aspects of racism with their students.

In Texas, Senate Bill 3 is the special session update to HB 3979. The NBC News affiliate in Houston reports:

The new bill removes a list of a few dozen curriculum requirements including “the history of white supremacy, including but not limited to the institution of slavery, the eugenics movement, and the Ku Klux Klan, and the ways in which it is morally wrong.”

Other items removed include “historical documents related to the civic accomplishments of marginalized populations, including documents related to: the Chicano movement; women’s suffrage and equal rights (and) the civil rights movement.”  Read more about the Texas Education Bill 

Ultimately, here in Alaska, it will be up to the Legislature, Governor Dunleavy, and both teacher and parental advocacies to decide on our next steps.

We already have a failing grade in social studies and civics, so not controlling special interest narratives that further divide our children and communities is an unwise choice.

Rep. McKay said he strongly opposes the tenets of CRT and has decided to fight efforts to promote such a curriculum in Alaska’s primary and secondary schools.  “Since we are close to last in the national rankings, I would much rather our schools focus the billions of dollars the State of Alaska appropriates to them on the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and stay out of efforts to revolutionize our culture in a Marxist direction,” he added.

I couldn’t agree more. And if you agree, let your school district and State House and Senate members know too, as the school season begins, and a special session reconvenes in mid-August.

Voting is going on now in the Anchorage Mayor and School Board election and by mid-summer, Anchorage will have a new mayor. I’m supporting Mike Robbins.  Mike knows that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.  Too many sideshows have occupied our time recently.  The main thing our Municipal Government must do is we must do our core jobs better — from roads to schools, policing to building the economy, libraries to permitting to parks — we must do these things better.

Mike’s no-drama campaign contrasts with others who think city government is all about catching your attention with big drama, from mask fights to psychiatry fights.    Mike’s focus is on real, long-term issues.  He has promised a safer Anchorage, a cleaner Anchorage, and a more prosperous Anchorage.   I trust him to help us succeed in those goals because I’ve known him as a business leader whose focus has always been customer service and building community.

Why must we push for a safer Anchorage?   Despite the fact the last Mayor’s race was focused on crime, and more police were hired (and a pending bond issue would provide more equipment), Mike believes crime is out of control.   Sadly, I must agree.   Our downtown family home has been hit with two breaking and entering attempts this year alone – one which left a huge amount of damage; the other, apparently by a repeat offender (whose picture we caught) who has been jailed for other crimes in the area.

From these miserable experiences, I can’t say anything but good things about our police, except they need more support.  Judging by the case numbers assigned to incidents at our home little over a month apart, Anchorage police get over 100 new crimes a day to investigate.  It is a challenge for detectives, crime labs, prosecutors, and victims to keep up, catch the crooks and bring them to justice.  Customer service for victims, from access to police reports for insurance purposes, to even having phone calls answered and returned, is surprisingly low.   Use of the best available technology is lacking.  Our new Mayor will coincide with the choice of a new Police Chief, and there’s no better time to get the resources and set higher performance standards across the city.

I’ve also learned from working with our charitable caregivers, that programs for better re-entry into our community need more support.   It makes no sense to just release people from jail without a plan to avoid falling back into patterns of drug dependency and crime that would send people back to jail.   It seems that too often, people are back on the street with no means, no warm clothing, no place to live.  Moreover, some of our state’s parole and child support requirements and policies may encourage homelessness and joblessness.   I want our Mayor to be focused on the root of the problems we have, not just the symptoms, and Mike will do just that.

Why must we push for a cleaner Anchorage?   At a Mike Robbins event recently, with former Mayor Rick Mystrom present, I quipped we’ve moved from Rick’s “city of lights and flowers” to a “city of fights and glowers.”  From the roadways our visitors ride from the airport and the cruise ships, to the tolerance we seem to have for trash everywhere, our hometown has gotten too seedy.   Vagrancy and panhandling and public inebriation should not be tolerated.  Other cities have shown that when you clean up the city, it’s also a safer city… and a city more people want to visit.

Mike’s campaign also focuses on a more prosperous Anchorage.    Too seldom, I believe, does our Mayor and our Assembly go to work to bring more jobs to Anchorage and to save the jobs we have.   North Slope jobs are, for a large part, Anchorage jobs – but what has the city done to support our energy and mining industries?   We are a huge transportation hub, employing thousands at our airport, and more jobs will come from shipping and freight handling if we expand our port and connect the Alaska Railroad to the Lower- 48.  Tourism employs thousands, and we must build our way out of COVID this year with support for independent travelers.   When our city pays more attention to climate change or psychology practices rather than to bringing jobs and building a tax base, something has to change.

Among the candidates, Mike Robbins is a business leader.  His radio stations and other ventures have had to focus on community and customer service, or they would not have survived.   He’s someone who keeps his word, and tells the truth even when things don’t work.    His campaign hasn’t focused on waving picket signs, staging shouting matches and sideshows – he’s focused on solutions.   That’s the kind of Mayor we need.