Imagine the reaction if Michelle Obama had belonged to a political party that advocated secession from America, a party whose founder ranted, "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government... And I won't be buried under their damn flag... I'm not an American... I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." And imagine if Barack Obama had attended that party's conventions, even after swearing his oath of office to uphold the Constitution.
But wait, this has nothing to do with the Obamas -- it's all about the Palins! For seven years, Todd Palin was a member of this party -- the "Alaska Independence Party" -- and Sarah Palin repeatedly attended its annual conventions, even after she had been sworn in as Alaska's governor. The quotes above are from the party's founder, Joe Vogler. So where are Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Peggy Noonan, the ardent defenders of America from the radicals who hate our freedoms and attack our values?
Maybe these patriotic pundits just haven't heard about the Palins and their connection to the Alaska Independence Party? Because if they knew, I'm sure they'd be upset. I hope someone will tell them so they can expose the Palins for the America-hating radicals they are -- terrorist appeasers who pal around with people who despise our country and hate our freedoms!
Please cut and paste or otherwise forward this message to every patriotic, country-first, red-blooded American you know -- I'm sure they'd want to know that the Palins have been palling around with people who hate America so much they want Alaska to be a separate country.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/palins_attack_on_obamas_patrio.php
Barry,
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing this to our attention. It's oh-so-timely, in view of today's story that Palin has slammed Obama's supposed "political relationship" with a former anti-war radical accusing him of associating "with terrorists who targeted their own country."
Her comment came on the McCain campaign's announcement that it would step up attacks on the Democratic presidential candidate.
(See the CNN story here)
This bit you talk about ought to be shouted from the roof tops. And we have to do it, because I suspect the Obabma campaign won't...
Thanks,
Ken Isaacson
www.KenIsaacson.com
Jeez, Barry, are you suggesting that there might be (gulp) hypocrisy involved here?
ReplyDeleteWho'd a thunk it?
By the way, does McCain's campaign feel like it's being run by Karl Rove these days? It's got that nasty-let's-all-roll-in-the-dirt feel to it now.
They have updated their Alaska Independence party website denying all and the platform is not exactly fire eating. However, it was updated in 2008 as well and may have been reformed to suit the Palins. As a Palin opponent, I did not find it as convincing as I would have liked.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should check out your facts. The Alaska Independence Party website states that Todd Palin belonged to the party, but only attended ONE convention, at which nothing happened. Sarah Palin never attended. This doesn't sound like a party that hates America to me. More like they love Alaska.
ReplyDeletePlatform and Goal
of the
Alaskan Independence Party
Preamble
We affirm that all political power is inherent in the people; that all government originates with the people, is founded on their will only, is instituted to protect the rights of the individual; that all persons have a natural right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the enjoyment of the rewards of their own industry; that all persons are equal and entitled to equal protection under the law. We stand on a firm constitutional foundation.
Platform
We pledge to exert our best efforts to accomplish the following:
To effect full compliance with the constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Alaska.
To support and defend States' Rights, Individual Rights, Property Rights, and the Equal Footing Doctrine as guaranteed by the constitutions of the United States of America and the state of Alaska.
To advocate the convening of a State Constitutional Convention at the constitutionally designated 10 year interval.
To reinforce the unalienable rights endowed by our Creator to Alaska law, by eliminating the use of the word "privilege" in the Alaska statutes.
To amend the Constitution of the State of Alaska so as to re-establish the rights of all Alaskan residents to entry upon all public lands within the state, and to acquire private property interest there in, under fair and reasonable conditions. Such property interest shall include surface and sub-surface patent.
To foster a constitutional amendment abolishing and prohibiting all property taxes.
To seek the complete repatriation of the public lands, held by the federal government, to the state and people of Alaska in conformance with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17, of the federal constitution.
To prohibit all bureaucratic regulations and judicial rulings purporting to have the effect of law, except that which shall be approved by the elected legislature.
To preserve and protect the Alaska Permanent Fund, Permanent fund earnings, earnings reserve fund and individual Permanent Fund Dividends.
To provide for the direct popular election of the attorney general, all judges, and magistrates.
To provide for the development of unrestricted, statewide, surface transportation and utility corridors as needed by the public or any individual.
To affirm and assert every possible right-of-way established under R.S. 2477 of July 26, 1866, before its repeal by the Federal Land Management Policy Act of October 21, 1976.
To support the right of the individual to keep and bear arms.
To support the complete abolition of the concept of sovereign or governmental immunity, so as to restore accountability for public servants.
To support the rights of parents to privately or home school their children.
To support the privatization of government services.
To oppose the borrowing of money by government for any purposes other than for capital improvements.
To strengthen the traditional family and support individual accountability without government interference or regulation.
To support the right of jurors to judge the law as well as the facts, according to their conscience.
To support "Jobs for Alaskans...First!"
Confirmed by Statewide Convention
Fairbanks, Alaska 2008
All other copies are void
You should be more concerned with Obama and his communist, radical and criminal friends that he refuses to denounce!! Obama is dangerous, and his own VP choice said that he was not ready to lead!!! (as did Hillary Clinton!!) Wake up!!! You sound like just another one of THOSE celebrities!! Oh, and I wonder if you will actually post this, since you have to approve all your comments!
Barry: the Republicans have tossed their guiding principles-fiscal conservatism and limited government power--out the window. They only have one polar star left with which to guide themselves, only one "principle" to live by: IOKIYAR (It's Okay If You're A Republican!)
ReplyDeleteSexual harassment of teenagers, sleazy sex in airport bathrooms, drug addiction, even shoplifting...anything can be excused if you have the (R) beside your name. They feel free to attack a candidate's minister or his spouse, but let anyone talk about McCain's spouse or any of the Palins and watch them go into a foaming at the mouth paroxysm of indignation and rage.
More and more, I'm just astonished McCain chose so badly. I'm grateful. With my whole heart, I am grateful. Best thing he ever did for this country.
ReplyDeleteAt least, I'm grateful as long as Obama wins the election. And if he doesn't, then it's one of the worst things McCain ever did for this country.
Wow, thank you so much Barry for this information. I had no idea about the Palin's association with, "Alaska Independence Party."
ReplyDeleteOk, I did a Wiki search, and came up with an association of the Alaska Independence Party with the national political Constitution Party as well.
And apparently, one of the options the AIP is considering is joining with western Canada after a cessation from the U.S. This of course would take Alaska out of vital U.S. control altogether.
In the midst of Vogler's inflammatory remarks; it appears both the AIP and the CP advocate more decentralization of government., more state independence, and a return to what they believe to be the original intentions of the founding documents of the U.S., including the U.S. Constitution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Independence_Party
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Party_(United_States)
The problem is that they pretty much want to abolish anything to do with federal taxation, public health care, public education, unemployment benefits, public welfare of any sort, or any kind other kind of government help for those in need. Those appear to be some of the major U.S. institutions they hate. Privatization of government services is the elimination of government services. And to leave such services in the hands of private special interest groups would be devastating and help doled out in accordance with private whims, rather than by laws of equality and fairness. Also, I'm for tightening up on immigration standards and procedures; but these people are positively militant about it.
The AIP want to institute home schooling as the norm. And they don't give any examples of how to replace or deal with the consequences of eliminating other public social programs like they want to do.
I think we can overdo such public help; but we would be totally overwhelmed and appalled at the results if we eliminate them altogether as well. It would cause a massive rate of joblessness and homelessness, hunger that has already been increasing, large scale and devastating disease outbreaks, along with a general decline in health for U.S. citizens. Diseases don't discriminate and only attack the poor once they are let loose in epidemic proportions.
And to eliminate public education in favor of home schooling would cause an astronomical rise in illiteracy and general ignorance. The only reason homeschooling works is because of it's direct connection with the public school systems, and with federal standards for education. If anything, we need to refurbish and strengthen our public school systems again. One of the primary institutions that made the U.S. a great country in the world was the establishment and priority of public education for our nation's children. It was the availability of good education to all U.S. children, inspite of socio-economic background that increased our ability to even function as a cohesive nation. We had to fight longer to eliminate rascism in public schools; but we made a lot headway in that department as well with good results. To privitize education is to take it back to good education only for those who can afford it, and then only according to the standards and social preference whims of the wealthy. The ongoing decline of public education since the 1970s has resulted in our whole country declining right along with it. The illiteracy rate has already been surging because of this problem, inspite of the increase of home schooling. I do not believe that fact to be a coincidence. And this serious increase in obvious illiteracy and ignorance in the U.S. has seriously affected our international relations and standing in this world. The vast majority of U.S. citizens do not even know or understand our own history as a nation.
Devolving into a country that focuses primarily on policing the world does nothing to make our country or this world a better place in which to live. We need to do more than just survive. We need to give our children a reason to live, flourish, and enjoy that life. Do you have any idea just how discouraged and frustrated our children and grandchildren really are as our inheriting generations? Do you get it? Do you understand that most of them feel like they have absolutely nothing to look forward to in this country, absolutely no real voice in our country and in this world, and that everything is falling apart because of the selfish choices and priorities of their parents and grandparents? Do you realize that these much smaller generations of our children and grandchildren see absolutely no way they can even hope to take care of all of we parents and grandparents as we age and decline in our own health? Our baby boomer generation is huge, overwhelming, and expected to live longer than any other generation before us. Do you know that the living standards and health of our children under the age of 17 has declined already to the point that these kids are not even expected as an overall generation to even live as long as their parents? We are killing our own children at this point.
The AIP and the CP both are being profoundly short-sighted in their wishes to return to the 'rugged individualism' of Teddy Roosevelt. We don't live in that world anymore. We have an entirely different environment and needs at this point. We have millions more people in this country, and billions more in the world. And once again, these people just don't seem to see that or understand the needs or implications for the present or the future. The goals of the AIP and the CP will only make it worse for our posterity, not better.
Our children, and all our posterity, deserve so much more than this type of inheritance.
Please people, look at other sources of information about the AIP and the CP other than just their public face websites.
Barry is right. There is hate there. Hate for things that are necessary for the U.S. to even function.
Respectfully,
~Tia Hu
The Alaska Independence Party website states that Todd Palin belonged to the party, but only attended ONE convention, at which nothing happened. Sarah Palin never attended.
ReplyDeletesammilee , if you're going to lie, it's best to tell lies that can't be easily refuted by videotape.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvPNXYrIyI
Sammilee, you're certain (multiple double and triple exclamation point certain) that I should be more concerned about Obama's associations than with the Palin's. May I ask, where does your certainty come from? Because: (i) you didn't address any of the facts reported in the article I linked to (did you even read it?); (ii) you acknowledge -- as does the Alaska Independence Party itself -- that Todd Palin was a member (for seven years), but give him a pass because the AIP claims he attended only one convention; (iii) you ignore the important clue about the goals of the AIP contained right in its name and the explicit call for secession on the first page of its website; (iv) you seem not the least bit curious about when the platform you approvingly cite was adopted, whether before, during, or after Todd Palin's seven years of membership (in fact, it was adopted in 2008, after Palin had left); (v) you fail to address, or apparently even to care, about the incendiary, America-hating rants of Joe Vogler, the party's founder; (vi) you are convinced that Governor Palin never attended conventions of the party although Talking Points Memo reports otherwise. Everything you believe multiple-exclamation-point-utterly is based on an embarrassingly tendentious and selective reading of the AIP's website, a wanton embrace of the AIP's claims, and a determined refusal to even consider facts to the contrary. All of which, forgive me, makes your admonition that I should check my facts more than a little amusing.
ReplyDeleteNow tell me this: how can a patriot like you accept that the Palins should have to answer no questions about any of this? Sarah Palin is married to a man who for seven years associated with an organization that hates America so much it wants Alaska to secede! She herself is reported to have attended several of its conventions. Why would the Palins want to associate with such an organization? How much were they involved? Who are the other AIP members, and are there terrorists or other criminals among their number? Are the Palins still in touch with AIP members? Did they ever contribute money to the organization? Do they really love America?
All these questions -- and more -- have been put to Obama over the last two years, the McCain camp is raising them again, and you want him questioned even more. So I can't imagine why you wouldn't want the Palins to be examined at least as closely, given the obvious evidence that they've long comfortably associated with radical, America-hating types. I'm sure there's a good explanation for what seems like utter hypocrisy at best, and coddling of dangerous, radical America-haters at worst.
-- Barry
Oops, meant to leave a link to the AIP's website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.akip.org/
-- Barry
JD, thanks for that link. And Samilee, if you weren't lying about Governor Palin's involvement, the question remains: why are you so determined to not examine the Palins' associations with America-haters? I prefer not to toss around accusations like "you sound like a celebrity" (whatever that means), but... you do sound like someone who's sympathetic to people who hate America so much they want to secede from it...
ReplyDelete-- Barry
It's not just America that Sarah Palin hates... check out this New Republic article about Sarah's resentment toward anyone with a decent college education:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=8c130fe3-adab-4cb3-8443-c363f085cf13&p=4
See you in a few, Barry...
Libby
Libby, that is a very revealing article on many levels.
ReplyDeleteIf Noam Scheiber is accurate in his assessments of Sarah Palin's attitudes and actions as a citizen, then mayor of Wasilla, then as Governor of Alaska; she truly sounds like a very petty, vindictive, and ignorant person ready to censor books in public libraries that do not adhere to her own religious prejudices against gay people, and also as a person bent on using her power of offices as retribution toward anyone who disagrees with her.
Apparently, she even got the librarian fired who refused to ban, or sequester off in a special section, books in the library that had information about homosexuality in them, or any homosexual content at all.
Hmmm...basic civil rights mean so little to her?
According to the article, she has also championed the elimination of things like group homes for runaways, etc. I wonder if she understands that most kids who are runaways are running away from severe abuse at home. And I am speaking as a former psychiatric nurse on that subject. I truly know.
Really gives us a lot to look forward to if she and McCain get elected. And say the worst happens, with McCain's skin melanoma cancer returning with a vengeance and he dies. Then we have Sarah Palin as book banning 'Barracuda' President? I didn't make up the nick name of Barracuda for her. Apparently, that is a name she has earned for herself even in her home state of Alaska, and the title of the article in question.
Thanks Libby for the link. Very enlightening. I hope all the participants in Barry's blog read it.
~Tia Hu
Sir:
ReplyDeleteIf association with secessionists is an important issue to you then please look up Obama and Biden's support for the Hawai'i (Race Based) secessionist movement.
I am personally up in the air about how much I care (because I don't think that either of the programs are viable) but if the good people who read Heart of the Matter are concerned about these affiliations then looking into Obama's record on this matter could be useful.
Aside from this thanks for the thoughts on the race - very interesting!
I thought that Sarah Palin was just another incurious, smug, provincial jackass, not unlike the incurious jackass we have in the White House.
ReplyDeleteNow I see that she is much more dangerous.
Thanks for this.
'The Alaska Independence Party website states that Todd Palin belonged to the party, but only attended ONE convention, at which nothing happened. Sarah Palin never attended.'
ReplyDeleteNice try, but the Alaska Independence Party website specifically states that Sarah Palin *did* attend one of its conventions:
'Sarah [Palin] as a candidate for Governor appeared at the AIP Convention in 2006, and sent a welcoming DVD to the membership at the 2008 AIP statewide convention.'
Source: http://www.akip.org/090308.html
Incidentally, here's a great article from Time that echoes this blog posting:
http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/10/embarracuda.html
I had an interesting conversation with my brother-in-law last night. He is registered as a Republican and has voted for W. twice. Whenever we talk politics, the basis for all of his arguments sound as if they originate directly from the talking points emailed out by the Republican party to radio show hosts and other right wing pundits.
ReplyDeleteHis main justification for supporting John McCain is (was) the following: How can you trust [Obama]? Look at who he associates with. And if this country were attacked, how can you say that he won’t respond unless the U.N. is involved.
So there you have it. Every criteria aside, the most important variables to choose the next president boil down to his associates or an assertion without proof.
My guess is that these talking points, the slimy attacks that Palin and McCain have defaulted to in their “new” and persistent negative campaign are working….to keep their base in check. Doubt and fear. That is the Republican mantra. No matter, the facts, as annoying as they are to Republicans, are squarely in the way this election. This year, the election is about substance, not style. The base of the Republican Party — a dwindling but still significant group — clings to a handful of pseudo-facts that don’t hold up to serious scrutiny. Their biggest problem is that they won't pick up any NEW voters.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYes, Hawaii, my own California, and even Texas have talked secession for many years. California has even talked dividing into two states, north and south, since I was a kid. I'm 56 now, lol.
Can you, (or anyone else here), please provide a link to a reference showing Obama's and Biden's support for Hawaii's secession? I can't seem to find anything about their support for this in a search.
Thank you, ~Tia Hu
This is the most comprehensive page I could find on the Akaka Bill for the secession of Hawaii.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.angelfire.com/hi5/bigfiles3/AkakaHistSept16302005.html
I still don't see anything about Obama and Biden in particular supporting this bill.
But, the overall intention of the bill seems more to be making a concerted effort toward actually recognizing Native Hawaiians as an actual tribe, and restoring their own sovereignty and civil rights as Americans. Unlike tribes in the continental U.S.; the Native Hawaaians were never recognized as their own sovereign tribe. And many racially exclusionary programs against Native Hawaiians continue to exist to this very day. Many much needed measures for Native Hawaiians are defeated on the premise that they are a racial group rather than an actual tribe. So, this bill is a reaction to continued racism in the state of Hawaii against Native Hawaiian people.
The Akaka Bill, and it's subsequently negotiated revisions, are present to make it clear that Native Hawaiians are very serious about the situation in Hawaii, and presents a very clear base for negotiations with the U.S. Congress to hopefully actually unite Hawaii with equality for Native Hawaiians.
And the actual history of this bill makes it clear that ongoing negotiations with both Democrats and Republicans have continued. Sen.
Sen. John McCain was Chairman of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs from 2005 - 2007 and was very much involved with these negotiations.
In this case, because the Akaka Bill is a platform for negotiating very much needed recognition of Native Hawaiians as a legitimate sovereign Native Tribe, and also for long overdue civil rights equality for them within the state of Hawaii; I personally would not have any problem whatsoever with any Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate, or any Senator in any political party, supporting these ongoing negotiations.
This secession bill is not in the same spirit or even considering the same type of options as the Alaska secession proposals supported by the AIP. In that case, it has nothing to do with negotiations with the U.S. Govt. for equal civil rights, or other much needed measures to support Alaska in some way. It is simply a desire to leave the U.S., or perhaps just be a U.S. territory, in order to have its own standards for governance that could very well cause MORE discrimination against various groups, or other standards of living that could be injurious to many of the residents in that state, etc. Considering the actual very long list of hated institutions and laws within the U.S. federal system by the AIP; it could be disastrous for Alaska to seceed from the Union. It would very likely then be ruled by a minority of white people who are governing from a fundamentalist religious base, rather than by true Rule of Law that recognizes U.S. Civil Rights Laws for all citizens. In other words, the Alaska secession idea could have the opposite effect of the Akaka Bill negotiations for Hawaii.
~Tia Hu
Just for the sake of accuracy; thought I should also mention that Sen. McCain was not only Chairman of the Senate Committee for Indian Affairs from 2005 to 2007; he was also Chairman of that same committee 1995-1997. Sen. McCain actually has quite a long history of negotiations and support of Native American issues. This is a priority in the state of Arizona, and McCain both when he was an Independent and now as Republican stepped up in a way that I admire. I still don't want him to be President for other reasons; but in his record of supporting Native American issues he has done well.
ReplyDelete~Tia Hu
Hawaiian ethnic demographics:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.to-hawaii.com/ethnicity.php
"Today, there are estimated to be between 255,000 and 275,000 Native Hawaiians living in Hawai'i. What can be said about the Native Hawaiian population of today is that it is growing at a rate of about 6,000 people per year and at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in Hawaii.
The majority of the Native Hawaiian people, however, have less than 50 percent pure Hawaiian blood. As of the 1990 U.S. Census, there were 1,108,229 people living in Hawaii. Of those people, 369, 616 were Caucasian, 247,486 were of Japanese descent, 168,682 were of Filipino descent, 138,742 were of Hawaiian descent and 68,804 were of Chinese descent."
This means that at least a full quarter of the Hawaiian population of Indigenous Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian Metis/mixed Native ethnic heritage citizens, or more, would have full voice in the governance of Hawai'i if given full tribal recognition and civil rights.
This is a much larger percentage proportion of Indigenous American Indians living in Hawai'i than the continental U.S. That Native American percentage being less than only 1% of the entire population of the U.S.
Those fighting this full recognition and civil rights for Indigenous Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian Metis citizens are the racists, not the other way around. There is a fairly small core of Republicans and Democrats who do not want Native Hawaiians to have any true equal civil rights or political voice in their own state. Many in both the Democrat and Republican parties support the Akaka Bill negotiations. And this would indeed represent the first true full civil rights and equal voice of Native Americans in any state within the U.S. since the invasion and subsequent conquering of these lands and their indigenous populations.
It is estimated that in 1800 there were approximately 10 million Indigenous Indians residing within the now U.S. continental lands. It is estimated that there were about 25 million Indigenous Indian people living in North to Central America. By 1900 those populations had been reduced through diseases and warfare introduced by European settlers and governance to only about 237,000 as found to be registered and forced to be incarcerated on Indian Reservations in the continental U.S., a few scattered bands living outside of the U.S., and the rest otherwise eliminated through various forms of genocide altogether.
I'm ashamed to say that one of my own ancestral cousins, President Andrew Jackson, was the President who ordered the infamous Trail of Tears of the Cherokee relocated from the east coast of the U.S. to Oklahoma Territory in 1838. This order came on the heels of much debate and division on the matter. You can read more about it here: http://ngeorgia.com/history/nghisttt.html
When I lived in Oklahoma for 5 years; I made a formal verbal apology to the Cherokee Nation on behalf of my family for what Pres. Jackson had done. Of course they did not blame me personally; but appreciated my efforts and recognition of the responsibilities of descendants to rectify the serious errors of their ancestors. I have been a staunch supporter of Native American full tribal recognitions, full civil rights, and reasonable reparations all my life, and will continue to do so. Just as my maternal grandfather did before me.
I no longer have the American Indian History book that I got those figures from on U.S. and North to Central American Indian populations. So I can't give you an exact reference citation. But I know those figures are within the actual estimates. If I can find them online or in another book at some point, I'll share that with you.
The vast majority of Native Americans know there isn't any way to turn back the clock on U.S. history. But they have every need and right to continue to pursue their own full recognition, civil rights, and even at least reasonable reparations from U.S. and state governments for the hideous injustices and denial of basic human rights that have been visited upon these people in their various tribes over and over again. I for one am in complete support for the Akaka Bill negotiations for Native Hawaiians.
And I can not in any way see an organization like the Alaska Independence Party caring about the full recognition and civil rights of the Indigenous people of that state.
~Tia Hu
You all have raised some very interesting points (love all the links, very informative). For my own two cents I would like to add I can’t help but to wonder what the Republicans would have had to say if it was Obama’s (Black 17-year-old) daughter, and not the White daughter of Palin (that White, home-spun, religious woman from the frontier state) who was pregnant, but I bet it would have involved a reference to “those people”.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and — not for nothing — for all of their bluster and rhetoric, The Weathermen never came even remotely close to overthrowing the U.S. government. Yet the current economic crises and all of the potential disaster this can (will) cause to our society and way of life was the result of the gross mismanagement practices and greed of, well, old, rich, White guys.
Ok, if I may try to clarify a few things. Independence really means the illegal occupier (in the above context provided by Ms. Hu, this means the USA/America) leaves and gives back land. I'm sure most of us are used to independence meaning that the CIA steps in an creates a crisis/war/coup and establishes a new puppet government. Civil Rights are given to people living under the American government and are not guaranteed under newly forming sovereign (independent) governments. The Akaka Bill may place Hawaiians under the Department of Interior, which provides special indigeous rights, as well as, U.S .imposed limitations, namely Hawaiians cannot have an independent nation, only a "nation within a nation". (Last time I checked.) Sometimes tribes/indigenous people are told this is a "step to independence." Hawaii was an independent multicultural nation state. Alaska was never a nation state. Human rights for indigenous people cannot be recreated by the government with a history of ignoring them and steaing their trust funds, natural resources and genocidal policies, but reparations can be made. The idea that Alaska could be a sovereign nation is useful to tribal American Indians and Eskimos. Palins' children being part-Eskimo might benefit from independence, but they would not be able to run for President if they gave up their American Citizenship. I don't know which form of government AIP is proposing. Perhaps if it's under DOI, they could run for President. A discussion of the illegal occupation of lands in America would open up a can of worms, namely is America a real country? For example, what part of America is not illegally occupied? America was founded on illegal occupation of indigenous lands. Indigenous people are not terrorists, they are realists exploring options in the 21st Century. In some cases, signing papers for independence implies/means giving up U.S. citizenship, while not being allowed to have a passport and/or being denied the right to a nationality is a violation of human rights.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that since Gov. Palin was selected as the VP candidate AIP Chairman, Lynette Clark, issued a press release with corrections:
ReplyDeleteMost recently I have pulled the entire record regarding the Alaskan Independence Partys' 1994 Convention file. I went through all the video, audio and paper records for that function. Something I should have done earlier before making the statement that Governor Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party. For that I humbly apologize to Governor Palin, and, to both national and local press, and media.
http://www.akip.org/090308.html
I'd like to see those records if they still exist. Cheney would like to prevent access to his records,as well. Perhaps he should contact AIP Chairman Clark...
If you want to see what the people of Alaska and Wasilla think of the real Gov. Palin just read her home town newspaper, which I do at least once a week: http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2008/10/08/palin_news/
The blog entries after each article are more telling than the articles.
She is vicious in many ways and has upset several groups in her home state.
http://www.friendsofanimals.org/news/2008/september/vicious-sarah-palina.html
It was stated in an earlier comment that Palin is dangerous. I agree. She is the worst thing that could happen for our country and our children.
I'd hate to be working for her when she returns as Governor after November 4th.
Wow I've just learned so much American history today, all very interesting.
ReplyDeleteAfter all that America has gone through recently I would think that they would welcome change in politics and to have someone on board with a good fiscal policy.
As for the Palins, outsiders can see how bad she would be for your country, hopefully in a few weeks your voters would do the same. Imagine if you had compulsory voting like we do here in Australia, wouldn't the dynamics of politics change then.
In response to Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all thank you for all the information you shared.
Also, thank you for bringing to our attention that Sarah Palin's husband is in fact part Native American. Perhaps this could indeed even have a postive effect for all Native Americans in Alaska among those who are in the AIP. In terms of how the AIP would propose to govern their version of Alaska, it seems from what I could find to be a matter of several current suggestions. They haven't truly settled on any one proposal. But they do persist in their long list of U.S. federal institutions and laws that they would want to eliminate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Palin
"Todd Palin was born in Dillingham, Alaska, to James F. "Jim" Palin and his first wife, Blanche (Roberts) Kallstrom.[5] His father, a native of Seattle, Washington,[6] is a former general manager of Matanuska Electrical Association.[7] His mother, a former secretary of the Alaska Federation of Natives, is one-quarter Yup'ik, and his maternal grandmother, Helena (Bartman) Andree, is a member of the Curyung tribe.[8]"
And you're right, Alaska was never it's own recognized state or kingdom before it was recognized as a U.S. territory and then state. Hawai'i on the other hand had been unified and recognized as the Kingdom of Hawai'i by numerous countries around the world since 1810. Alaska was actually considered a Russian 'business' possession in the American-Russian Company after 1799, until the U.S. purchase of Alaska from the Russians at Seward's prompting in 1867. Even then it was more like a business purchase that wasn't felt to be justified until gold and oil were later discovered. It was during that interim first called the Alaska Department, then the Alaska District. It wasn't actually even recognized as a U.S. territory until 1912.
Native American 'Nations' are more of a cultural recognition than anything that provides any real independent governance for them. And that word 'nation' has often actually been used to portray the reservations as being hostile against the U.S. If they are hostile; it's only because of how the inhabitants of those reservations have been treated. And though Native Americans are no longer usually actually incarcerated on their reservations as they once were; there are still obviously many problems in federal and state governments in how they interact with Native American reservations and govern their inhabitants, financial corruptions, etc.
The FBI has actually been used numerous times, and in very controversial and brutal ways, to 'control' Native Americans and organizations on reservations like AIM/American Indian Movement. Just read the history of the reservations and how they were formed to systematically not only control, but also treat Native Americans as sub-human, rob them of their entire cultures, languages, and force Native children to conform to U.S. government standards of very brutal enculturation and subjugation, often taken away from their own parents and put into Indian boarding schools that separated these kids from their families and culture entirely. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," was and still is a milestone book on how Native Americans were, and even still often are, treated. Also, you can read about the Leonard Peltier case. Every Lakota Sioux in that case was aquitted on the basis of self-defense except Leonard Peltier, who was tried later after returning from Canada. He was made an 'AIM leader example' by the FBI manipulating the judge in his case, and he has remained in prison for a crime he did not commit since 1977. Those FBI agents went to the Pine Ridge Reservation to forcibly put down AIM. But that of course is not the publically 'approved' story.
The U.S. is not an illegally formed country so much, since Indigenous Americans didn't even believe in or specifically use the concept or buying property in legal possesion by anyone. If we are an illegally formed nation; it is more as a brutally formed country whose settlers did not in any way take into consideration the rights, needs, or lives of the many millions of the already existing inhabitants. Now, such genocides would be considered something the U.S. would intervene on as a matter of national duty toward the rest of this world. Yet, at home, we have never once tried in any real way provided equal civil rights or reparations to our own remaining Indigenous American citizens. And they are U.S. citizens in that as individuals and in their businesses they too pay taxes, both federal and state. They can leave reservations, get jobs when they can, participate in society, etc. And they certainly have been able to serve in and die for the U.S. in the U.S. Military. And some of the eastern tribes even helped on the side of the colonists in the Revolutionary War for Independence from Britain. In fact, currently, Native Americans are the largest demographic population enlisting in growing numbers in the U.S. Military to escape grinding poverty.
So there is a lot of ambiguous language, double-speak, and double standards involved in relationships between the U.S. and state governments and their dealings with various Native American nations, tribes, and reservations. It's always slanted, loaded, etc. to favor the federal and state governments.
~Tia Hu