Alaska’s Young May Have Met His Match In Backlash Over Slur, Ethics Probe

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Photo Credit: Marc Lester

Rep. Don Young is a survivor. But he may have met his match. He’s beaten back six years worth of federal investigations, 40 years of unsuccessful Republican challengers, and one of the most expensive and highly criticized earmarks.

But now the 21-term Alaska Republican is facing a freshly launched Ethics investigation and perhaps his biggest hurdle of all: his own mouth.

On Friday, Young came under heavy fire from Republicans and Democrats for using a racial slur to refer to hired laborers who were once employed at his father’s ranch. Young used the term “wetbacks” to describe the laborers.

GOP leaders immediately distanced themselves from the veteran lawmaker, who has not always had a pleasant relationship with his own party, saying that he should apologize without delay.

Young did apologize, twice. But the political heat came less than 10 days after the House Ethics Committee announced it was investigating Young on charges that he may have violated the chamber’s rules.

Read more from this story HERE.

Boehner Blasts Alaska’s Don Young For ‘Wetbacks’ Comment

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Photo Credit: Charles Dharapak

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Friday condemned the use of the term “wetbacks” by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, one of the party’s most senior members of Congress.

Young’s statement, his quick apology, and Boehner’s statement that the remark was “beneath the dignity of the office he holds,” come at a particularly sensitive time for the Republican Party in its relationship with Hispanic voters.

Latinos voted overwhelmingly for President Obama in November, and the GOP is attempting to navigate calls for changes in immigration law, with more party leaders now backing a so-called path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, which is opposed by many conservatives.

Young used the term “wetbacks” in describing Hispanic migrant workers who used to pick tomatoes on his father’s family ranch. He made the comments in an interview released Thursday with an Alaska radio station.

“My father had a ranch. We used to hire 50 or 60 wetbacks and — to pick tomatoes,” Young said. “You know, it takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Murkowski’s Gay Marriage Views ‘Evolving’

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Photo Credit: U.S. Army Alaska

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski said Wednesday that her views on gay marriage are “evolving” and that she’s reviewing her stance on the issue “very closely.”

“I think it’s important to acknowledge that there is a change afoot in this country in terms of how marriage is viewed,” said Alaska’s senior senator, who has in the past voted to support proposed constitutional amendments defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Murkowski’s comments came following an address to the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce in which she touched on a variety of topics, including sequestration, the Senate’s recently-passed budget and her efforts to end partisan gridlock in Congress.

When asked about same sex marriage — which is currently being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court in two separate cases — Murkowski seemed to indicate a softening on her previous stance.

“I’ve got two young sons who, when I ask them and their friends how they feel about gay marriage, kinda give me one of those looks like, ‘Gosh mom, why are you even asking that question?'” When pressed to come out either for or against gay marriage, Murkwoski said her view is “evolving.”

Read more from this story HERE.

After Repeatedly Refusing to Answer, Alaska’s Sen. Begich Now Embraces Homosexual Marriage

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Photo Credit: Alex Wong

After remaining mum on the subject when asked about it last week, Sen. Mark Begich’s office issued a statement Monday night from the senator supporting marriage equality.

“I believe that same sex couples should be able to marry and should have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as any other married couple,” the Alaskan senator said in what appears to be his first direct statement on the subject.

“Government should keep out of individuals’ personal lives — if someone wants to marry someone they love, they should be able to. Alaskans are fed up with government intrusion into our private lives, our daily business, and in the way we manage our resources and economy,” he continued.

Although Begich’s office did not respond to an earlier request for comment about his views on marriage equality, the Human Rights Campaign informed BuzzFeed Monday afternoon that Begich’s office had told the LGBT rights organization that Begich supported [it].

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska Legislative Hearing Today: Demand the Right to Vote on School Vouchers

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The Democrats are claiming that, “Alaska’s children are facing attacks on their education this year – from eroding foundation funding to vouchers to early education cuts.”

This attack is coming because of the effort of liberty-minded Alaskans to allow the people to vote on a constitutional amendment to allow publicly-funded school vouchers. This would create competition for public schools, something lobbyists and unions are trying to prevent.

In other words, they don’t want YOU to have a say in the matter. They’d prefer to have the ruling class make that call for you.

Take a look at the liberals’ flier below. And then make time today to call in and demand that Alaskans be permitted to vote on this important issue.

Photo Credit: ak democrats

What’s Wrong With Alaska’s Congressional Delegation?

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Most Alaskans know that their congressional delegation is pretty liberal, with the some-times exception of the ethically-challenged Don Young. Anyone watching this past week’s Senate votes by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich would have a hard time disagreeing with that conclusion.

Here’s a recap:

Photo ID for Elections. Sen. David Vitter proposed an amendment requiring photo ID for voters. Only two Republicans voted against it. Yep, you guessed it: Lisa Murkowski was one of them, joining her Democrat colleague Mark Begich in sending the measure to defeat.

Abortion Mandate for Religious Groups. Pro-abortion Democrat Jeanne Shaheen offered an amendment reaffirming the requirement that religious groups, notwithstanding their sincerely-held moral objections, must provide abortion drugs and birth control to their insureds. The measure passed with both Murkowski and Begich’s supporting votes.

Banning Former Illegal Aliens from Healthcare Benefits. Sen. Jeff Sessions offered an amendment that would have banned former illegal aliens from receiving government medical benefits. His effort failed. Both Murkowski and Begich voted against the proposal.

United Nations Funding/China’s Abortion Policy. See this article on Murkowski and Begich’s votes opposing Senator Cruz’s point of order against funding the United Nations as long as any of its member nations have a policy of involuntary abortions.

Finally, both Murkowski and Begich supported President Obama’s controversial anti-gun judicial nominee, Caitlin Halligan. That support went down in defeat this week with Obama’s withdrawal of the nominee after a lengthy GOP filibuster.

Miniature Horse Aids Alaska Boy With Special Needs

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Photo Credit: AP

A young miniature horse in sneakers is helping a 4-year-old special needs child at an Anchorage public elementary school. Zoe, a black mare, is a service animal for preschooler Zaiden Beattie at Russian Jack Elementary School. It’s the only service horse in an Alaska school _ and after multiple online searches, the only service horse Principal Elizabeth Hornbuckle could find at any school in the nation.

Zaiden is one of 300 children in the U.S. diagnosed with A-T, or ataxia-telangiectasia, a genetic disorder that progressively robs children of their ability to coordinate movement such as walking. Zaiden’s mother, Lesley Zacharias, a professional horse trainer, is teaching Zoe to help Zaiden walk steadily until the disease inevitably shackles him to a wheelchair.

“He moves around a lot better and has more energy if he’s got a hand on someone, either holding someone’s hand or a hand on something,” Zacharias said. “My personal goal is first grade with a pony instead of a walker.”

The head of the 10-month-old horse only rises to an adult’s waist and is almost irresistible to touch, though training protocols call for her to be petted on the neck, not the face, and only when given permission. Zoe is calm but playful, eager to play or work, and lets her owners know it by nuzzling their hands.

The sturdy, 150-pound animal began making appearances in Zaiden’s preschool classroom in January. Early training began with socialization _ exposure to crowds and loud noises such as the school’s fire alarm. Now she’s learning tasks.

Read more from this story HERE.

Murkowski’s Folly: No Road For King Cove

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Photo Credit: U.S. Army Alaska

Alaska has long received more than its fair share of federal tax dollars, as evidenced by its perennial first place ranking in pork per capita according to Citizens Against Government Waste’s (CAGW) Congressional Pig Book. Now, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wants taxpayers to pay for a road in her state linking the town of King Cove (about 750 year-round residents) to Cold Bay and the latter’s all-weather airport, purportedly for safety reasons. In February, Sen. Murkowski threatened to block the nomination of Sally Jewell to be Secretary of the Interior unless the road was approved.

Sen. Murkowski’s pet project had previously been rebuffed by the Department of the Interior because the road would run through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Environmental Impact Statement, the road would cost $22.7 million, but data from the Alaska Statewide Improvement Transportation budget projections from fiscal years 2010-2015 suggest that the cost of the road could exceed $80 million, or more than $2 million per mile. Undeterred, Sen. Murkowski stated on February 12 that she was “prepared to consider all actions available…to convince this administration that denying the people of King Cove reliable access to medical care would be a travesty.” This week, Sen. Murkowski struck a deal with the Interior Department to get the road proposal reevaluated and toned down her rhetoric regarding the nomination.

Predictably, it appears that commercial interests, not medical emergencies, are the primary driver of the project. According to a February 24, 2013 Washington Post article, “Originally, both area residents and state officials viewed the road as a way to bolster the region’s fishing industry. …when King Cove passed its first resolution calling for its construction, it did not mention safety concerns and instead called for the road to ‘link together two communities having one of the state’s premier fishing port/harbors.'” The “safety” defense emerged only after it appeared unlikely that the road would receive federal funds.

Read more from this story HERE.

Message to PETA: Stay the Hell Out of Alaska

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From grieving the “enormous suffering” of dead fish to demanding that Honey Boo Boo rename Nugget, her pet chicken, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seems to be pursuing an increasingly fringe agenda. The crazier the radical group becomes, the more it attempts to cram its animal rights agenda down throats of every American.

One of its latest campaigns is focused on Alaska’s Iditarod … again. This time, PETA complains that Iditarod volunteers and a Fairbanks musher should face criminal charges because her dog died while awaiting transport.

This unfortunate incident occurred after the musher’s dog was “dropped” at the Unalakleet checkpoint and the musher and her team continued on to Nome. A storm hit Unalakleet after the musher left. Iditarod volunteers then placed her dog, as well as a number of others that had been dropped, in an area protected from wind. Transportation for the dogs was delayed by the storm, several were buried by the snowfall, and the musher’s dog died.

Although there’s little doubt that Iditarod procedures can and should be improved to avoid this type of situation in the future, there’s absolutely no evidence of criminal intent by any Alaskan in the death of the dog.

But here’s the kicker: it was just disclosed this week that PETA, the same organization demanding criminal prosecution over the accidental death of a musher’s dog, hypocritically slaughtered 90% of the cats and dogs brought to one of its “rescue” facilities last year:

The charity, well-known for attention grabbing publicity campaigns such as the ‘I’d rather go naked’ anti-fur campaign, euthanized 1,647 cats and dogs last year and only placed 19 in new homes according to the data submitted to the Virginia Department for Agriculture and Consumer Services.

PETA’s hypocrisy reflects how morally bankrupt the group really is. Alaskans of all stripes should reject its meddling in the Last Frontier.