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Jan 16 - Thanks to all for their feedback on the Substack version of the newsletter. It looks like it has been a good fit for subscribers, now over 22,000. Thank you!
This project gets conservative news and views into the Alaska news space. It is a mission, and has never been about the money. But I do appreciate the subscriptions that are paid for as they help pay the rent and tech here at Must Read Alaska.
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day
What’s not to like about this day? Well, a statue, maybe. Statues around the country pay homage to the civil rights leader of the 1960s, but none is quite like the headless MLK thingy unveiled in Boston this weekend. They could not find enough bronze for heads?
The most common comment on it is: “I’m just not sayin’ it.” (You have a dirty mind.)
It’s Robert Service’s birthday
Born Jan. 16, 1874, he adventured to Dawson, Yukon Territory and wrote his signature poetry about life on the frontier. Read about the man, the legend.
Mayor in a pickle
I’ve given the situation between the former municipal manager of Anchorage and Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration a lot of thought. Amy Demboski’s hiring of Scott Kendall as an attorney spells trouble for the mayor and the entire Alaska GOP, because Kendall, attorney for primarily Democrats and their causes, intends maximum damage to everyone in the mayor’s orbit. Shrapnel will go far and wide in Alaska politics.
The liberal Anchorage Assembly will use accusations made by Demboski as fuel for waterboarding the mayor. Impeachment is not off the table.
As for Bronson, he can’t really discuss the personnel matters, but he will have his legal team defend the accusations relating to contracts and decisions. All of this paid for by property owners.
This is not going to be easy for conservatives. Kendall has already placed the story at CNN, giving Democrats the visual graphic for their campaign against Bronson, who has filed for reelection for 2024 and raised tens of thousands of dollars. The Anchorage Daily News assigned its top political assassins and are coordinating with Kendall for maximum damage. You’ll be hearing a lot of allegations from the ADN and Kendall surrogates. Most of them won’t be true but will sound plausible.
None of this is a revelation to the political observers. It’s what is talked about in every political circle in Anchorage, and is the talk of the town in Juneau.
I don’t want to set any expectations that this will somehow turn around quickly. It would take a miracle.
The Raucous Caucus
The last time the Alaska House was in such a 50-50 situation, Rep. Josiah Patkotak of Utqiagvik was elected Speaker Pro Tem.
That is my prediction: House members will vote for a Speaker Pro Tem on Tuesday.
As in the Senate, it appears there will be a Republican-led caucus in the House with several Democrats-others invited to join. Wasilla Rep. David Eastman, the furthest to the right, will be excluded; it’s no surprise to him.
As for who will be invited from the Left, don’t look for Rep. Zack Fields, from downtown Anchorage, but don’t be surprised if there are some liberals who join the Raucous Caucus.
Also happening in Juneau on Monday:
Supremes fall for Jennie Armstrong’s spring fling story — hook, line, and sinker
Rep. Jennie Armstrong was on a romantic adventure when she came north in May of 2019. Little did she know she’d fall madly in love with an Anchorage dude and end up moving here, getting married, preggers, and tamed into family life, although she says she is a pansexual … So confusing.
After her whirlwind 10-day romance, she was head over heels in love, and she went back to Louisiana, packed up, and moved to Alaska. Now she is a legislator. Just like that. The justices fell for it.
Mary, quite contrary
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 221-211 this week to establish a Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. It’s a temporary subcommittee of Committee on the Judiciary. Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola voted against the bill.
Senator Sullivan: Trump was right, TikTok is threat to America
Sen. Dan Sullivan is no fan of TikTok. He is calling for hearings on the Chinese company’s social media app, which has possibly scraped private data from millions of American users. He’s concerned about national security.
Downing: Biden Administration plays with fire
Certain basic functions of everyday life distinguish us from animals. Our use of fire is among them. We cook with it, heat with it, and light the darkness with it. In many ways, fire on the stove is the center of our family life. In days of our ancestors, we even kept wild animals at bay with torches burning hot with the rendered fat of animals. Biden wants to take our fire away from us. Power to the people.
First they came for your bump stock, now Feds just made millions of gun owners into criminals
Biden’s U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland signed ATF final rule 2021R-08F on Jan. 13, reclassifying millions of commonly owned pistols that have stabilizing braces. The ATF has branded these guns as illegal short-barreled rifles and shotguns, which puts them under the National Firearms Act of 1934. The rules are somewhat ambiguous, critics say.
Don’t wait: It's Permanent Fund dividend filing season
The annual ritual for Alaskans began on Jan. 1 and will end on March 31, but why wait? The dividend is your share of oil wealth, so get it while you can. All the deets at this link.
Listicle: Bills filed for the upcoming legislative session
The second batch of bills in advance of Tuesday’s start was released on Friday, and we have the list for you. There are good, bad, and in-between bills on this list.
Chat bot won’t explain how Drag Queen Story Hour is bad for children
We put it to the test. The new chat bot program that is all the rage will only write an essay describing how great Drag Queen Story Hour is for children. It will not write one that points out the dangers. Garbage in, garbage out.
Save the date: Services for Lisa Levang
Jan. 24, Muldoon Community Assembly, a memorial for Anchorage activist Lisa Levang, with noon visitation and 1 pm service.
Whose children are they? The government and its schools have the idea they are not yours
The growing evidence that the government is taking over the raising of children, including preventing parents from seeing their children’s medical records. David Boyle digs into it.
COLUMNS
Leigh Sloan: As our schools go, so goes the nation
It’s time for the annual School Choice conference in Anchorage, and parents are invited to learn how to disengage from the toxic school system. Leigh Sloan explains more.
Linda Boyle: CDC is not shooting straight on vaccine advice
The Centers for Disease Control cannot get its stories straight. First, it said masks did not work. Then it told us to mask up and even double mask. Then the CDC said the masks did not prevent Covid. The incoherent government advice is killing us.
Rep. Jim Banks: Fighting the woke agenda in Congress
We no longer live in a normal America. The issues that Congress used to take up, like healthcare, the economy, or our withdrawal from Afghanistan, all regrettably pale in comparison to the creeping tyranny which nearly all Americans now feel. Banks is ready to fight.
Daniel Smith: Politicians, like pilots, should check their egos at the door
Rachel Ries declared her intentions to run last summer. Carmela Warfield has just announced her intentions at the last minute by filing with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Read more here.
Art Chance: I loved every minute of the House struggle over who would get the gavel
My goodness what an uproar the presstitutes made about the election of a Republican Speaker of the House. It was a ”clown show,” chaos, pandemonium, and of course, their standby, a threat to “our” democracy. Read more here.
Fritz Pettyjohn: 40 years of judicial activism on the Alaska Supreme Court, but Dunleavy can just say ‘no’
Dunleavy is the first two-term Republican governor in 44 years, so he doesn’t have to worry about reelection. The leftist lawyers and media can hold their breath, roll on the floor, and turn purple, but he doesn’t have to pay any attention. He doesn’t have to appoint any of these people. He can just say no. Read more here.
Judy Eledge: Who are we as Republicans?
Once upon a time, Republicans stood on the party platform. Now, the platform doesn't seem to matter. Read more here.
MUST READ ALASKA SHOW
Tune in the Must Read Alaska Show for an interview with Wall Street Journal's Kimberly Strassel. You can watch it here on Facebook.
Scott Kendall, the force behind ranked choice voting, says....at this link.
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This comment is addressed to conflict in Anchorage. History: in 2015 R-voters refused to vote for a certain Mayoral candidate. What ensued was a Democrat-run city. Next, homeless flocked to Anchorage. Next, major retailers left the city and state. Without major retailers in Anchorage, a huge percentage of shoppers abandoned downtown. And now Mayor Bronson is facing devastating law suits filed by the same candidate that Republicans refused to vote for in 2015. One person is ruining our city. And she will continue until the entire ship sinks.
Thank you. The MRAK staff does the very best investigative reporting. With much help, ( only you know), Demboski can be stopped. Our city comes first , my/our ( husband Andrew) residence in AK starts in 1969. Anchorage is currently dead. Many of the remainng retailers are my friends. I understand retail. www.suezajacoriginals.com.