Posts

Alaska Leads Nation with Welfare Recipients

Photo Credit: blmiers2 / Creative CommonsBy Associated Press.

Alaska has the highest number of families on public assistance in the nation, and the state’s rate is more than twice the national average of 2.9 percent, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

A state-by-state tally of public assistance rates shows nearly 7 percent of Alaska families receive government help, the Alaska Dispatch News reported (https://is.gd/K6hRAZ). The figures are from 2012, the most recent data available.

Health department spokesman Clay Butcher said seasonal tourism and fishing jobs play a role, as do 140 villages in the state that are exempt from public assistance time limits because of few job opportunities. Most people are limited to receiving public assistance for 60 months.

“We also have a lot of transient types, people who come up in tourism jobs or oil jobs,” Butcher said.

Besides Alaska, 17 states saw an increase in the number of residents who receive public assistance. However, none have a higher percentage of recipients than Alaska, a trend that has held steady since at least 2000, the newspaper reported.

Read more from this story HERE.

_______________________________________________________________

Photo Credit: iStockAlaska, West Coast lead U.S. in receiving welfare

By Joseph Lawler.

Alaska has the highest rate of residents receiving welfare of any state.

The Census Bureau reported Tuesday that almost 7 percent of people in the Frontier State receive public assistance from the federal or state government, more than a percentage point more than the state with the next highest rate.

West Coast states lead the rest of the country in the share of residents receiving welfare. More than half a million people got public benefits in California in 2012, the most recent year for which welfare data from the Census’ American Community Survey is available.

Read more from this story HERE.

US Trained Alaskans as Secret 'Stay-Behind Agents'

Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Fearing a Russian invasion and occupation of Alaska, the U.S. government in the early Cold War years recruited and trained fishermen, bush pilots, trappers and other private citizens across Alaska for a covert network to feed wartime intelligence to the military, newly declassified Air Force and FBI documents show.

Invasion of Alaska? Yes. It seemed like a real possibility in 1950.

“The military believes that it would be an airborne invasion involving bombing and the dropping of paratroopers,” one FBI memo said. The most likely targets were thought to be Nome, Fairbanks, Anchorage and Seward.

So FBI director J. Edgar Hoover teamed up on a highly classified project, code-named “Washtub,” with the newly created Air Force Office of Special Investigations, headed by Hoover protege and former FBI official Joseph F. Carroll.

The secret plan was to have citizen-agents in key locations in Alaska ready to hide from the invaders of what was then only a U.S. territory. The citizen-agents would find their way to survival caches of food, cold-weather gear, message-coding material and radios. In hiding they would transmit word of enemy movements.

Read more from this story HERE.

Establishment Narrative Dies In Republican Primary For Alaska US Senate Seat

joe-miller-roe-vs-wade-is-threat-1140x641Throughout the primary, pollsters and pundits laughed off Joe Miller’s candidacy as a Quixote run. By summer 2014, the polls showed him 25 points behind his Establishment opponents. And almost all of the high profile national Tea Party and conservative groups pushing insurgent challengers around the country left him for dead, offering no help. Several of the local conservative activist groups maintained a posture of neutrality, acting as virtual subsidiaries of the Republican Party.

________________________________________________________________________

There are still more than 27,000 votes to be counted in the Alaska Republican Primary for United States Senate. More than likely, the Establishment candidate, former Attorney General Dan Sullivan, will be the Republican nominee going forward.

The Establishment has claimed victory, and the media has all but declared the reform movement dead. But is that really the take-away? Let’s look at some facts.

Throughout the primary, pollsters and pundits laughed off Joe Miller’s candidacy as a Quixote run. By summer 2014, the polls showed him 25 points behind his Establishment opponents. And almost all of the high profile national Tea Party and conservative groups pushing insurgent challengers around the country left him for dead, offering no help. Several of the local conservative activist groups maintained a posture of neutrality, acting as virtual subsidiaries of the Republican Party.

The Club for Growth, usually a reliable ally of movement conservatives, linked arms with Karl Rove’s American Crossroads, the US Chamber of Commerce, Paul Singer’s Friends for an American Majority, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and other Establishment Republicans in support of their golden boy, Dan Sullivan.

Further, other Washington conservatives like Erick Erickson at RedState.com and Phyllis Schlafly at Eagle Forum jumped on the bandwagon of the supposedly “more electable” Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell, who finished a distant third.

What makes this spectacle even more outrageous is that Mead Treadwell has never been a movement conservative, though he did adopt a platform redolent with conservative rhetoric.

Dan Sullivan spent about four million dollars during the primary, and his SuperPACs spent millions more.

Joe Miller, essentially going it alone, spent less than $400K, while Mead Treadwell’s million-dollar plus conservative act cut a significant swath out of his base. Why? Because conservatives didn’t unite behind Miller. Yet, the Alaska Republican primary was still winnable.

The entry of Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and James Dobson gave Miller a significant boost. But it was just too late in the game to be decisive. Miller had run out of money and couldn’t close the gap.

The takeaway is something very different than the media and the beltway consultant class would have you believe. The truth is, 60% of Republicans weren’t swayed by the multimillion-dollar Establishment media blitz put on by Sullivan, Rove, and the US Chamber of Commerce.

Nor were they particularly enamored with Sullivan’s faux conservative schtick, a rhetorical tactic adopted by all the high-profile Establishment candidates around the country this cycle. If rhetoric counts, the Tea Party has already won.

The Alaska Republican primary was always going to come down to how the electorate was divided. If there was a clearly defined conservative up against two moderates, the conservative would win. On the other hand, if it was two conservatives dividing the base, over against one moderate, the moderate would win.

The reticence of the conservative movement to coalesce behind Miller cost us a seat to the Establishment. And given Sullivan’s rather weak position both with conservatives and libertarian independents, it could end in the re-election of Democrat Mark Begich. Surely Harry Reid and Barack Obama are applauding in the shadows.

But the demise of the reform movement is greatly exaggerated. It is time for conservatives to stop being cowed by pragmatic arguments and partisan politics. We must unite behind conservative candidates and ideas. And for the love of all that’s good, stop allowing phony polls to drive the agenda. Let’s put conservative unity above Republican unity. If we do, the future is ours.

The outcome in Alaska should lay the official establishment media narrative to rest. Conservatives didn’t lose; they surrendered.

If the right lessons are taken from this temporary setback, 2016 can be a banner year for conservatives.

Read more from Western Journalism HERE.

Behind Slew of Alaska Break-Ins: Bears

Photo Credit: AP File / Mark Thiessen

Photo Credit: AP File / Mark Thiessen

An environmental expert traveled 50 miles of Alaskan coastline last week, and every single cabin he encountered had suffered a break-in—by bears . . .

Though periodic bear break-ins aren’t unusual, this season the creatures have bashed their way into “dozens and dozens” of cabins, a state wildlife biologist says. And they’re “not going straight to kitchen. They’re causing a lot of mayhem,” says a US Park Service biologist. “It looks like a frat party occurred in there.” Two possible reasons: The number of brown bears appears to be up this year, while berry growth is down.

Read more from this story HERE.

Interview with AK Senate Candidate Joe Miller on Immigration, Family, America

miller-joe-Alaska-photo-3-2jpg“Government should be the servant, not the master,” said U.S. Senate candidate from Alaska Joe Miller in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News leading up to Alaska’s Tuesday primary election.

Miller has recently received coveted endorsements from former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and nationally syndicated radio host Mark Levin.

Joe Miller comes from humble beginnings, as does his wife Kathleen. They both grew up poor, and he grew up in farm country. Miller went on to graduate from West Point, serve in the Army in Desert Storm, serve as an M1A1 tank platoon leader and was awarded the Bronze Star. He attended Yale law school, moved to Alaska in 1994, served as a magistrate judge in Alaska, and returned to practice law after leaving the judicial realm. He and his family also run three businesses, including a bed and breakfast. Miller commented that he is the only non-millionaire, major candidate in this Senate race.

During his interview with Breitbart, Miller discussed how he would approach the issue of illegal immigration, his family’s personal experience with legal immigration, constitutionally limited government, facing off against Democrat Mark Begich, fighting corruption with Sarah Palin, the Republican establishment, and his unique ability to relate to the tough situations Alaskans and Americans face in today’s economy.

Miller has outlined a seven point plan addressing the border and illegal alien crisis, which can be viewed on his website.

“We can’t allow amnesty. It’s an inducement,” Miller told Breitbart News. “We have to rid ourselves of other inducements as well. The taxpayer-funded inducements that cause people to want to come here. If you take away the benefits of illegal immigration, the end result is that you’ll have less of it, but if you reinforce it with rewards, then it’s a pretty simple concept, you’re going to have more illegals here. The approach that lacks the most compassion is the one that encourages more of this catastrophe.”

Miller brings personal perspective to the immigration conversation with multiple family members who have either immigrated legally or are first-generation American-born citizens. One of his daughters and a son-in-law live in Mexico. He commented, “I speak from a bit of a position of personal interest. I’ve got a Mexican national as a son-in-law. I’ve got a grandson that’s a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States.”

“So this is not something that we’re saying, hey we want to slam the door shut on immigration. My wife is the first natural born American in her family.”

“It’s a matter of national importance. When we basically reject the rule of law, we use this as basically, the president has, as political opportunism. Basically the agent by which he can expand his base.”

Read more from this story HERE.

In Alaska, Candidate's Call for Impeachment Resonates on Facebook

cnnjoemillerBy Matthew MacWilliams and Nicole Berns.

Is calling for President Obama’s impeachment smart politics for Republican candidates hoping to strike a responsive chord with Republican base voters and galvanize them? If the reaction on Facebook to Alaska GOP Senate hopeful Joe Miller’s call for a takedown of Obama is any indication, the answer is without a doubt “Yes!”

In last week’s debate between GOP Senate hopefuls in Alaska, Tea Party favorite Joe Miller insisted: “It’s time to impeach this president for dereliction of duty, selectively enforcing the law, and usurping powers that the Constitution does not authorize. He is willfully undermining the rule of law and creating chaos.”

Miller then challenged the other Republican Senate candidates to join him in supporting the impeachment of Obama. They did not.

The reaction to Miller’s takedown challenge on Facebook was immediate. Engagement on Miller’s Facebook page, as measured by “People Talking About This” data or PTAT, surged past 45,000 — 30 times his average over the last several months that we have tracked. By comparison, according to our tracking, Miller’s opponents in the primary, Republicans Mead Treadwell and Dan Sullivan, received no spike in Facebook engagement after the debate.

Read more from this story HERE.

_____________________________________________________________________

Why We Need Joe Miller

By Dustin Stockton.

The Tea Party’s movements efforts in the US senate have proven difficult. Senators like Rand Paul, Ted Cruise and Mike Lee have been doing an excellent job but have struggled because they lack of reinforcements. Two of our senators, Paul and Cruise are making it clear that they plan to run for president in 2016. Will the Senate’s best conservative wing man Mike Lee have a wing man?

Tea Party favorite Joe Miller seemed to be a sure bet after defeating establishment Senator Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary of 2010. After a questionable write in campaign, Murkowski managed to squeak out a “victory” in the general election. Murkowski’s sour grapes were funded and supported by corny businesses who spent millions of dollars attacking the Republican nominee.

Read more from this story HERE.

Tea-Party Favorite Looks to 'Shock the World'

JOE MILLERBy Garth Kant, WND.

Joe Miller is a man who knows how to pull off a political miracle, and he believes he is on the verge of making history repeat in Alaska.

Four years ago, the little-known attorney from Fairbanks knocked off entrenched incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in a major upset in the GOP primary.

As WND’s Selena Owens described last week, an alarmed GOP establishment then teamed up with the Democratic establishment, and the senator retained her seat by winning in the November general election.

This time, Miller is facing what he described to WND as two establishment candidates in Tuesday’s GOP primary, but said, “This is going to be another upset. We’re going to shock the world again.”

Although the establishment has poured millions into the race, the biggest obstacle this time around, according to Miller, isn’t really money. It has been getting the word out to Alaskans about just how popular his campaign is with top conservatives.

He has been endorsed by such conservative stars as Sarah Palin, Mark Levin, Mike Huckabee, Dr. James Dobson and retired Gen. Jerry Boykin.

But, he said, that has received little attention in the mainstream press.

Despite that, he called the three-way race in Tuesday’s election a genuine toss-up, because, with more than 40 percent of voters undecided, voter turnout would be the key. Miller predicted his grassroots get-out-the-vote effort would make all the difference.

The Fairbanks attorney told WND the big change in the race lately has been the strength he has gained in Anchorage, partly because he has been gaining momentum with the undecideds, who are breaking his way.

Read more from this story HERE.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Miller Aims for Late Surge In Alaska Senate Primary

By Reid J. Epstein.

A day before Alaskans pick a Republican opponent for Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, Joe Miller is trying to replicate the 2010 surge that won him the surprise GOP Senate nomination.

Mr. Miller, who has drawn tea-party support, has spent the summer campaigning not just against his GOP opponents—former state attorney general Dan Sullivan and current Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell —but against Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whom he beat in the 2010 GOP Senate primary only to lose to her when she ran a write-in campaign for the general election.

Mr. Miller has gained on Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Treadwell in the campaign’s final days, people with access to private polling said, though he still trails Mr. Sullivan.

Former Gov. Sarah Palin endorsed Mr. Miller, an attorney and former U.S. magistrate judge, on Friday, and the campaign announced Sunday that Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate, is in Mr. Miller’s camp.

Read more from this story HERE.

Dr. James Dobson Adds His Name To Growing List Of Joe Miller Supporters

BvW1wMCIgAASQpLBy B. Christopher Agee.

Following recent endorsements by Sarah Palin, radio host Mark Levin, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson threw his support behind Alaska U.S. Senate hopeful Joe Miller.

With just one day until the GOP primary election that will determine which of the three Republicans in the race will go on to face Democrat incumbent Mark Begich, Dobson explained his motivation in endorsing the Tea Party favorite.

“I’m pleased to endorse Joe Miller because he’s exactly the kind of candidate we need to turn this country around,” he said in an announcement Monday.

The strong pro-life candidate has already received significant support from conservative Christians. It is Miller’s dedication to his principles that led Dobson to make the recent announcement

Read more from this story HERE.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Dr. James Dobson Endorses Joe Miller for U.S. Senate

Dr. James Dobson, Founder of Focus on the Family, pro-family leader, author and broadcaster, announced today his endorsement of Joe Miller for U.S. Senate.

In his announcement, Dr. Dobson said: “I’m pleased to endorse Joe Miller because he’s exactly the kind of candidate we need to turn this country around. We need leaders with the courage to stand strong for conservative values in this battle. Joe Miller is such a leader—one who will not only vote his convictions in the U. S. Senate, but will also lead the fight to defend life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty. I urge all Alaskans who love life, family, faith, and freedom to not only vote for Joe Miller, but to work hard for his campaign.”

Miller responded, “I am honored to receive Dr. Dobson’s endorsement of my candidacy. I grew up hearing his sage advice playing on the radio in our household. He has offered wise counsel to generations of Americans about how to strengthen the bedrock of any strong and vibrant society, the family. He has been in the forefront of applying the truth of scripture to the challenges we face as individuals and as a nation. We share the conviction that, with God’s help, we can restore the liberty and the optimism that has been the hallmark of the American experience.”

________________________________________________________________________________

Palin-with-Miller-250x180Sarah Palin and Mark Levin Endorse Joe Miller for U.S. Senate!

By Kelly R. Hubbard.

The next big show down between the Establishment and a Constitutional Conservative Candidate will take place this Tuesday in The Last Frontier State of Alaska! Former West Point grad and solid Reagan Conservative Joe Miller is taking on two Establishment rivals to win that state’s GOP nomination for Senate.

Whoever wins on Tuesday, will take-on one of the most vulnerable Dem Incumbent Senators in the 2014 midterm. First term Dem Senator Mark Begich is tied or slightly ahead in the polls against all three men and he must defend a liberal record, which includes voting for Obamacare and representing a bright red state that Romney carried by over 15% points! Mark Begich’s seat could determine whether the GOP takes control of the Senate this year and removes Harry Reid from power!

There is no doubt that Joe Miller would be another solid addition to the U.S. Senate, joining the ranks of other Constitutionalists like Ted Cruz and Mike Lee! Joe has a history of taking on the Establishment and winning. You may remember, Miller beat Incumbent RINO Senator Lisa Markowski, in a stunning 2010 primary upset! He enjoys that same grassroots fiery support that propelled him to win four years ago!

Read more from this story HERE.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Mark Levin Endorses Joe Miller for U.S. Senate

Radio talk show host Mark Levin announced his endorsement of Joe Miller for U.S. Senate Friday night on his nationally syndicated radio program.

“[Joe] was endorsed today by our dear friend Sarah Palin, and I would like to endorse him today myself,” said Levin. He added that Miller is the “constitutional conservative” in the race running against “two establishment” candidates. “Our friends in Alaska you need to get out; you need to vote” and help Miller win.

Miller responded, “I want to thank the Great One for endorsing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate. I have been a long time admirer of Mark as one of our country’s foremost champions of freedom. We both share the belief that the best and only hope for our nation is a return to constitutional government. I am honored to serve with him in that fight.”

Miller Wins the KTVA/Alaska Dispatch Debate (+video)

10513419_859097640768782_7393880810506220822_n (1)Joe Miller showed once again why he is the best candidate to make the case against Mark Begich this fall.

Miller made clear he is ready to join Senators Cruz and Lee in challenging the status quo. On a question of whether he would support freezing new federal government regulations he said, “Of course I would. The question is whether we are going to have people of mettle willing to do that…We must seize the opportunity we have to join with senators like Mike Lee and Ted Cruz to actually reign in the federal government.”

Miller highlighted his stance against amnesty by bringing a copy of a pledge he asked both of his Republican opponents to sign last Friday. The pledge simply reads, “I will oppose any attempt by Congress or the President to grant amnesty (any pathway to citizenship) for illegal aliens.”

Miller handed a copy to Dan Sullivan, who has said he does not support amnesty, but refused to sign the pledge. Miller pointed out that Sullivan is backed by major proponents of amnesty, including Karl Rove’s Crossroads, John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Mead Treadwell refused to sign it last week; he supports a pathway to citizenship.

During the debate, Miller told the audience to be wary of campaign rhetoric when evaluating how each candidate would likely vote as their next senator. He referenced a candidate comparison put together by his campaign with footnoted references. Regarding Treadwell he said, “Mead you have pretty much adopted every theme from my 2010 campaign. Your rhetoric certainly has not matched your past action. In fact, I am surprised today you haven’t shown up with a beard.”

U.S. News and World Report columnist David Cantanese tweeted, “@JoeWMiller is still pretty damn smooth in a debate.” We agree.

Eielson AFB Selected as Preferred Alternative for First Overseas-Based F-35As

Photo Credit: US Air Force / Creative Commons

Photo Credit: US Air Force / Creative Commons

Air Force officials announced Aug. 7 that Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, was selected as the preferred alternative to host the first F-35A Lightning II squadrons in the Pacific area of responsibility.

Eielson was selected due to its ability to support the mission, economic factors and environmental considerations.

“Basing the F-35s at Eielson (AFB) will allow the Air Force the capability of using the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex for large force exercises using a multitude of ranges and maneuver areas in Alaska,” said Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. “This, combined with the largest airspace in the Air Force, ensures realistic combat training for the DOD.”

Proximity to the range complex will enable the Air Force to take advantage of approximately 65,000 square miles of available airspace for realistic, world-class training in the Air Force’s most advanced fifth-generation fighter.

Read more from this story HERE.