“Beware Of Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing”: A Minister's Perspective On the US Senate Primary Race in Alaska

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During every election cycle, it’s the same old story. Democrats and RINO Republicans make every effort to hide their liberal records in order to fool the electorate into believing they are a different person then who they actually are. Of course, once elected, they do exactly that opposite of what the people elected them to do. There is no wonder that Congress has one of the lowest approval ratings in history and that the average person is fed up with politicians and the political process.

This year’s US Senate race in Alaska is no different. There are two millionaire establishment candidates, Dan Sullivan and Mead Treadwell, running against one middle class constitutional conservative in Joe Miller.

However, listening to the TV and radio ads of the two establishment candidates, you would think Sullivan and Treadwell were tea party conservatives. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

What these wolves are not telling the electorate is that they both blocked a pro-life initiative from the ballot (not even allowing citizens to vote on the issue), they both promote the manmade global warming agenda, are against voter ID, favor some sort of amnesty for illegal aliens, and favor a United Nations tax and regulation (Law of the Sea Treaty).

Sullivan and Treadwell have already proved that they can under no circumstance be trusted, and that they could care less what Republicans and independents in Alaska want.

Both of them ignored the will of the people in 2010 when they did not support the Republican nominee and joined with Democrats to help elect liberal RINO Lisa Murkowsi, who has voted with Obama 72% of the time. Sullivan and Treadwell are good friends with Murkowski; so you can bet that if either one of them end up in office, Alaska will have liberal Lisa for life.

Both politicians have deep establishment ties; and their loyalty is to the elite they hobnob with and who finance them, not to everyday working Alaskans.

Read more from this story HERE.

Sullivan ‘Stand Your Ground’ Claims Not Credible

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Photo Credit: dmcdevitFor weeks US Senate candidate Dan Sullivan has been running radio ads claiming that “as Alaska’s Attorney General, [he] successfully fought to . . . pass Stand Your Ground.”

When one examines the public record, this claim is problematic on several levels.

The first, and most obvious, problem is that Dan Sullivan left the Attorney General’s Office in December 2010, more than two years before the Alaska Legislature passed Stand Your Ground in April 2013.

Sullivan supporters might protest that he is not claiming to have passed the bill, but rather to have “fought to . . . pass” it. Fair enough, but the clear impression the ad leaves is that the bill passed during Sullivan’s tenure as Attorney General.

Regardless, that option isn’t very helpful either, because a letter was submitted to the House Judiciary Committee by Sullivan’s Department of Law opposing the HB 381 (Stand Your Ground) bill during the 2010 Legislative Session. To make matters worse, Dan Sullivan’s name is in the signature line, though Assistant Attorney General John Skidmore actually signed it.

In the letter of opposition, Skidmore, speaking on Sullivan’s behalf, states unequivocally that the bill “would promote violence and be a bad idea for our state.”

The bill sponsor, Representative Mark Neuman (R- Big Lake), has suggested that Sullivan’s office worked with him on the bill to simplify the language. But Committee minutes and audio recordings indicate that despite the fact that there was collaboration to address some of the stated concerns, the bill was opposed at every stage of the legislative process by the Department of Law under Sullivan’s leadership. The objection at issue remained removal of the “duty to retreat” from Alaska Statutes.

The aforementioned letter opposing HB 381 (Stand Your Ground) was presented as part of the record for the first Committee hearing in House Judiciary Committee on March 15, 2010. At that time, Assistant Attorney General Anne Carpeneti raised the Department’s concerns and answered questions. Mr. Neuman points to committee minutes from that hearing to confirm that he worked with the Department of Law to simplify the language, which is correct.

However, at the very next hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on March 29, 2010, Carpeneti clearly stated that the Department of Law still had concerns with the new Committee Substitute reflecting the updated changes. That version of the bill was the working document for all hearings on HB 381 (Stand Your Ground) for the remainder of that last session of the 26th Legislature, and was re-introduced in January 2011 at the beginning of the 27th Legislature, at which time Dan Sullivan was no longer Attorney General.

Representative Neuman’s repeated suggestions that the letter of opposition, proffered on behalf of Dan Sullivan by Assistant Attorney General John Skidmore, was irrelevant after the language of the bill was simplified could not be more misguided. The letter specifically addressed section (6) of the original bill, which was the exact language retained in the working draft – “in any place where the person has a right to be.”

The opposition expressed was grounded in the Department of Law’s objection to that specific language, which, in their view, removed “the duty to retreat.” The letter went on to say, “this does not express a value for human life” or “encourage finding a resolution to disputes other than violence.”

When HB 381 (Stand Your Ground) was heard in the House Finance Committee on April 8, 2010, Assistant Attorney General Anne Carpeneti reiterated her concerns, stating – “we still have concerns that this bill will increase violence in our state” and will “eliminate the duty to retreat.”

In the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 15, 2010 the third of Sullivan’s Assistant Attorneys General testified against the bill. This time it was the Director of the Criminal Division of the Department of Law, Sue McLean, who stated the following:

“HB 381 and similar laws have been characterized as “stand your ground” laws – and this is a trend – but it’s not about standing your ground. It really is about shooting first. Prosecutors nationwide are opposed to this type of law, and the Alaska Department of Law is similarly opposed. It promotes and condones a level of violence that may not have been necessary.”

Later in the hearing McLean further opined, “HB 381 takes away the duty to reasonably retreat. That’s why we’re so greatly opposed to it.”

On April 16, 2010 Assistant Attorney General Sue McLean testified again before the Senate Judiciary Committee, asserting that “this change in the law would give unreasonable people a license to act unreasonably and not retreat.”

Later in that same hearing, a friendly amendment drafted by attorneys at the Department of Law was offered, at which time McLean maintained, notwithstanding, the “Department of Law is opposed to this law.” The bill later died in the Senate Finance Committee.

It is clear from the legislative record that Dan Sullivan’s Department of Law unequivocally opposed HB 381 (Stand Your Ground).

Dan Sullivan’s defense now rests on passing the buck, as he did in a US Senate debate sponsored by KOAN radio and organized by the Anchorage Republican Women’s Club. When pressed in debate on the letter submitted to the House Judiciary Committee in his name, Sullivan responded that it wasn’t his letter, he didn’t write it.

Sullivan spokesman Mike Anderson was said to have echoed the candidate’s sentiments in a piece published on Amandacoyne.com. “In regards to the Department of Law letter in question, Dan didn’t write the letter, he didn’t see it before it went out, nor does he agree with the attorney who wrote it,” said Anderson.

Coyne also reported speaking with Assistant Attorney General John Skidmore, who now apparently claims to have acted independent of Sullivan. Yet the letter bears Sullivan’s name.

How “out to lunch” would one have to be if he really did “support it from the beginning,” as Sullivan claimed in a June 13 interview on the Mike Porcaro Show on 650 KENI, and not know that his subordinates at the Department of Law were officially opposing it?

Skidmore’s public statements regarding Sullivan’s lack of awareness of what was going on in his own Department are not only unflattering to Sullivan, but bespeak even deeper problems at the Department of Law if whole Divisions are out there going rogue on the Governor and the Attorney General to whom they are supposed to be accountable.

Let’s assume, for purposes of argument, that Sullivan really was in the dark with respect to the letter written in his name. Let’s also assume that he was unaware of his Department’s opposition to Stand Your Ground. Does this make his case any more plausible?

Remember, Sullivan’s claim is not just that he “supported it from the beginning,” but that he also “fought . . . to pass Stand Your Ground.” Skidmore’s defense of Sullivan makes it abundantly clear that Sullivan, in fact, did NOT “fight . . . to pass Stand Your Ground.” Not only did he not fight to pass it, he was completely uninvolved, and even ignorant of what was going on. He clearly didn’t follow the deliberations, nor did he bother to state his opinion for the record. Furthermore, he obviously didn’t exercise proper oversight over his subordinates, or represent the Governor at whose pleasure he served. So does the claim that Sullivan “fought . . . to pass Stand Your Ground” pass the red face test under even the most minimal standards? The answer is obviously “no.”

The independent politifact.com was indeed correct in rating any claim that Sullivan was responsible for passing Stand Your Ground as a false claim.

It is also clear that the more nuanced claim that Sullivan “fought . . . to pass Stand Your Ground” is also a false claim.

What is unclear is whether Sullivan ever supported Stand Your Ground at all. There is not a scintilla of independent evidence that he did. The only thing we have to date is Sullivan’s own word, and a veiled statement by Representative Mark Neuman that he thinks Dan Sullivan supported it, despite his admission that he never personally discussed the legislation with him. Neuman’s deliberations were with Sullivan’s staff at the Department of Law who are on public record opposing HB 381 (Stand Your Ground) throughout Sullivan’s tenure as Attorney General, and it doesn’t help Sullivan’s case that the Department of Law reversed course and supported Stand Your Ground legislation after Sullivan left the Attorney General’s Office.

Whether Sullivan really supported Stand Your Ground before running for United States Senate . . .

You decide.

The U.S. Politicos Kissing Up to Russia (Including Our Very Own…)

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Photo Credit: Maxim ShipenkovWashington’s celebration of U.S.-Russian relations quickly turned into a pity party for the Kremlin’s die-hard American apologists…

Speaker after speaker, with few exceptions, denounced American policy towards Russia, defended the actions of Vladimir Putin, and ferociously attacked anyone who disagreed with them. The discussions took place at the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, with an after party at the Embassy…

The American system was represented, by two, state-level American politicians there: Alaska Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.

Both men were recruited to gush about the importance of U.S.-Russian relations for their respective state economies, and warn against any moves that might set those relations back. “The first question I’m always asked is can I see Russia from my house,” Treadwell joked in reference to the former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, before getting to the more serious business. “Do not forget: we are neighbors because people will be affected.” Tell that to the Ukrainians.

Ritchie took to the stage to complain about how a “U.S.-Russia Innovation” forum originally scheduled to take place in St. Paul in March was “frozen” by the State Department as a result of Russia’s invasion of Crimea. “You don’t call them and tell dinner’s off because Washington called and said, ‘cancel dinner,’” he said. Apparently, Russia’s blatant overthrow of the European security order shouldn’t interfere with Midwestern hospitality.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaskan Floating Strip Club Navigates Regulatory Trouble

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Photo Credit: jkbrooks85A new attraction on Alaska’s Kodiak Island features exotic dancers who entertain fishermen on a converted Bering Sea crabbing boat dubbed the “Wild Alaskan” — and it’s already encountered choppy regulatory seas.

Barely open for business, the floating bar and grill was briefly shut down by the Coast Guard after someone reported that a water taxi was overloaded as it transported patrons to the 120-foot vessel.

Wild Alaskan owner Darren Byler said he is “100 percent sure” that whoever notified authorities doesn’t like that he has stripping dancers aboard. He said he apologizes in advance to anyone in the public who doesn’t approve of that line of work.

“But let’s face it, this is business. It’s nothing personal,” he said. “And by the way, this business has been around for a while. I didn’t invent it.”

The water taxi is legally allowed to carry six passengers, Byler said, adding that four others aboard were crew members, so there were no violations.

Read more from this story HERE.

Senate Candidate Dan Sullivan says He Passed 'Stand Your Ground' in Alaska: Politifact Truth-O-Meter Says 'False'

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Photo Credit: PolitifactIn his campaign for Senate, Republican front-runner Dan Sullivan touts his history of protecting Second Amendment rights in the hunting-loving state of Alaska.

But a recent pro-Sullivan ad might have stretched the rifle and pistol expert’s record a little too far.

“As Alaska’s attorney general, Sullivan successfully fought to protect our Second Amendment rights and passed ‘stand your ground,’ ” said a recent radio ad out of the Sullivan campaign.

Our ruling

We found that evidence of Sullivan’s support for “stand your ground” is dubious at best. We couldn’t find any public proof of his support, and multiple attorneys under him spoke out against the law. Even if he had publicly shown support for “stand your ground,” he wasn’t in a position to push the legislation forward when the law finally passed in 2013.

We rate this claim False.

Read more from this story HERE.

Conservative Patriots Group Endorses Joe Miller for U.S. Senate

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Conservative Patriots Group (“CPG”), by a vote of its members, has endorsed Joe Miller for U.S. Senate. CPG is the largest grassroots conservative/tea party organization in Alaska.

In announcing its endorsement of Miller, the group published the results of a survey of its members. The survey determined if the group should endorse in the primary, and if so, who. CPG endorsed Joe Miller with 53 percent of the vote to Treadwell’s 23 percent and Sullivan’s 12 percent.

CPG describes itself as an “Alaskan-based, all-volunteer, nonpartisan, grass roots, independent advocacy organization that is committed to supporting the election of conservative candidates, advancing conservative ideas, promoting traditional American values, supporting limited government, advocating responsible resource development, while supporting a strong military.”

Miller responded to the endorsement, “I am honored to receive the endorsement of Conservative Patriots Group. CPG has been at the forefront in educating and activating Alaskans to engage in the important issues of our day from a conservative perspective. I am committed to restoring the time-tested principles of individual liberty, limited constitutional government, and the values that made our nation the greatest on earth. With the support of grassroots Alaskans, our campaign will prevail in the primary election, defeat Mark Begich in November, and take our fight to restore freedom all the way to the nation’s Capitol.”

Last week, Miller received the endorsement of the Alaska Republican Assembly by a vote of over two-thirds of its convention members. That organization is also committed to supporting true conservatives for office. To date, Miller has also received the endorsements of the Gun Owners of America, National Association for Gun Rights, Alaska Right to Life, Congressman Thomas Massie, Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin (Ret.), Lars Larson and Combat Veterans for Congress.

See candidate comparison on the issues HERE.

Miller Applauds Supreme Court Ruling in Favor of Hobby Lobby

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Photo Credit: Getty Images

Joe Miller applauded the Supreme Court ruling today affirming the right of closely-held family businesses, like Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood, to opt out of the Obamcare employer mandate requiring them to provide abortion-inducing drugs in their health insurance plans. These business owners objected to this mandate under their First Amendment, free-exercise rights.

“I am very pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision,” said Miller. “While it is narrow in scope, the fact that business owners’ free exercise rights have been recognized is a step in the right direction. The Obama Administration’s chilling assault on the free exercise guaranteed in the First Amendment is outrageous, and all people of good faith, regardless of ideology, should see this as a triumph for Constitutional liberty.”

Miller maintains that this ruling demonstrates once again just how flawed Mark Begich’s 60th and deciding vote on Obamacare was. The right to free exercise of faith and conscience is foundational to the American experience, and is grounded in our God-given natural rights. Government has neither the right, nor can it have a moral mandate to coerce conscience.

“Mark Begich either doesn’t understand, or doesn’t care,” said Miller. “If it’s the latter, his callousness toward people’s deeply held religious convictions is stunning, especially when one considers his Catholic upbringing. If it’s the former, maybe some education is in order. That Mark Begich stands by his flawed vote for ObamaCare, including the federal government’s ‘authority’ to trample over Alaskans’ First Amendment rights is shocking.’”

Some of the Wisest Words Ben Franklin Ever Said

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I wanted to share a little story with you from the life of Ben Franklin and the founding of our nation, because I believe it is instructive for our time. In the summer of 1787, the newly independent United States of America sent delegates to Philadelphia for a constitutional convention. Government under the Articles of Confederation, adopted during the Revolutionary War, had already proven itself untenable. General George Washington, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, feared “ruin” unless the fledgling nation established a new constitution, “well-guarded and closely watched to prevent encroachments.”

The challenge would be to fashion a government powerful enough to keep the country together, but not so powerful as to trample on the rights of the people and the states. The delegates soon discovered that challenge was going to be greater than they had anticipated.

The Convention’s oldest delegate at 81, Pennsylvania’s Benjamin Franklin, watched with increasing concern as the weeks ticked by with little progress being made. In fact, he said he often looked at the chair George Washington was sitting on as he presided over the convention, which depicted a sun on the horizon, and wondered if the image (and symbolically the United States) was to be a rising or setting sun. By late June, a setting sun seemed the more probable. New York’s delegation had already left in frustration; others threatened to do the same.

Franklin, who had done so much to help secure America’s independence, realized there was something missing that was central to the success of the Revolutionary War. With the delegates assembled for what promised to be another fruitless day, he signaled Washington, that he wished to speak. James Madison recorded Franklin’s words, “Mr. President, the small progress we have made after four or five weeks of close attendance and continual reasonings with each other—our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ayes—is, methinks, a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the human understanding…

“In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights, to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were in the struggle must have observed the frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor…

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of man.” Then referencing Jesus’ words, Franklin noted, “And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.’”

We have reached another defining moment in our nation’s history. We know the nation faces ruin not only financially if we continue down our current path, but also in the loss of our sacred freedoms the Founders and generations of Americans since did so much to secure. The list of scandals and actions taken by this Administration that run directly contrary to constitutional government is myriad: AP, IRS, ObamaCare, surveillance state, Bureau of Land Management, Fast and Furious, Benghazi, non-recess appointments, and the list continues to grow.

We all know how the story of the Constitutional Convention ended. The delegates came together in what has been called the “Miracle at Philadelphia” and fashioned the longest standing form of government in the world today. Following Franklin’s speech, the delegates, in fact, did all attend a church service together on the Fourth of July, and the whole atmosphere of the proceedings seemed to change when they reconvened after the break. Franklin, a few days after his call to prayer, was chosen to serve on a committee, which successfully addressed one of the most difficult issues the convention faced: how representation would work in the new form of government.

On September 17, 1787, as the delegates came forward to sign the document they had just crafted, Madison overheard a tearful Franklin discussing how often he had looked at Washington’s chair with the question of the Sun’s position in his mind. He could now report, “I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun.”

I am convinced that it can be morning in America again. I am just as convinced that human wisdom and effort alone will not be enough to address our current crisis and reverse the encroachments on our constitutional rights. Franklin had it right, “God governs over the affairs of this world.” We must pray for God’s wisdom and divine hand of favor to be upon our efforts and to stir the hearts of the people to act.

Miller Changes Minds with Debate Performance

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GOP US. Senate Debate Anchorage – Aim, Inc.

Joe Miller turned in a strong performance at last night’s GOP U.S. Senate debate in Anchorage. The event was was sponsored by KVNT and KOAN and organized by the Anchorage Republican Women’s Club. One political analyst, who had been a critic and published an article with Politico this past spring stating why Miller could not win, reversed course.

During a TV news interview following the debate last night in Anchorage, he described Miller’s performance as “impressive” and when questioned who won said, “To be honest with you, I believe Joe Miller helped himself the most. I plead guilty to writing him off a year ago. But his candidacy is alive and well. I thought his performance tonight really showed that.” His conclusion, “It’s anyone’s race.” This analysis matched those of other pundits and attendees of the debate.

“Joe established himself as the true principle-driven constitutional conservative in the race and demonstrated why he is the one best able to take on and defeat Mark Begich this fall,” said Miller campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto. “He is committed to going to Washington and helping reverse our nation’s current disastrous direction. His two Establishment opponents’ record and even campaign rhetoric point to a willingness to play the Washington game.”

Major differences on amnesty, the role of international law, the future of the IRS, and foreign policy came into clear relief during last night’s debate. Miller opposes amnesty, believes our Constitution must remain the unchallenged law of the land (and that we must not yield to the forces of internationalism). As someone who has seen war, Miller believes our military must be the strongest on earth and used only in defense of our vital national interests. He does not believe the Founders intended for us to be involved in nation-building: the price in life and treasure is too high, and the results are often contrary to our country’s intended goals. Miller’s opponents stand on the opposite side on these issues. (View a candidate comparison HERE.)

In his closing statement, Miller responded to the question why he is running for U.S. Senate stating, “If America falls, there is no place else to go.” We must preserve this last bastion of liberty for ourselves and future generations.

You can listen to the debate HERE.

Could The Tea Party Be Taking Over The Senate? If So, Make Room For This Alaskan

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Photo Credit: Western Journalism Following House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s upset primary loss to Tea Party-backed challenger Dave Brat, many conservatives have become even more emboldened in their effort to replace establishment politicians with candidates more aligned with their ideological views.

Joe Miller, a U.S. Senate hopeful in Alaska, has earned the support of Tea Party activists over the past several years. This week, he also received the overwhelming support of the Alaska Republican Assembly.

According to recent reports, AKRA members voted “by a super-majority” to endorse Miller in the upcoming primary election.

“The bar for endorsement by the AKRA is high,” said Ron Johnson, vice president of the assembly. “A Republican candidate must receive the vote of two-thirds of the voting members at the endorsement convention.”

Reports indicate that only four of the 72 current state candidates received the required level of support…

Johnson, who described AKRA as “the Republican wing of the Republican Party,” said that through its activism and endorsement of candidates like Miller, the assembly “works to develop and promote true conservative Republican candidates for public offices.”

Read more from this story HERE.