Letter to the Editor
Cantwell's payback
Published Friday, August 15, 2008
Digg
delicious
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!Aug. 11, 2008
To the editor:
It’s no surprise that Maria Cantwell, Democratic senator from the state of Washington, is hosting a fundraiser for Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. Cantwell helped the Democratic Party kill efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling by supporting a filibuster in the Senate.
Sen. Stevens subsequently vowed to actively support her opponent in her upcoming re-election bid, and I believe he did. So this is payback time for Cantwell.
What Alaskans need to remember is the Anchorage mayor’s Democratic buddies have consistently fought efforts to develop Alaska’s oil resources and will be unimpressed with his opinion on the matter, if he ends up being Alaska’s senator. His job will be to toe the party line or be delegated to cleaning the men’s room and washing dishes in the cafeteria.
On the other hand, Sen. Stevens has seniority that sets the agenda of his party, and his track record of reaching across party lines to help the state of Alaska is well-known.
Garry Hutchison
Fairbanks
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
Interesting what Mr. Hutchison seems to have overlooked and that is one, vital word: National. ANWR is the Alaska NATIONAL Wildlife Refuge. That means it belongs to all Americans, not just Alaskans. Being as Alaska was originally all federal land paid for by federal funds and this portion of land has always been and remains federal, that NATIONAL aspect of it means every Congressional member, be they Alaskan or some other state, has the same say in the status of ANWR as does every American citizen. What Mr. Hutchison is apparently also overlooking (seems to be happening a lot in his letter, eh?) is that Stevens has welcomed the "intrusion" of other states' Congressional delegates when it suited his purposes in trying to sell ANWR out to his VECO and other oil industry friends. He only gets upset about "intrusion" when it goes against his unethical goals.
ANWR belongs to all Americans, Mr. Hutchison; not just your politicians ready to sell it out to the highest bidder.
Well said Dobieman. Mr Hutchison also fails to acknopwledge that Senator Steven's influence is very limited while he is under indictment, and it will be even more so (i.e. no influence)if he is convicted. Alaskans need to accept that Senator Steven's ability to bring home the bacon is going to be limited, either by the corruption scandal, or by his age. We need to move on.
Dobie- It is the ARCTIC National Wildlife Refuge. It is a piece of our STATE owned land that is open to NATIONAL USE. States still decide how to best use their resources, or would you like to give one more piece of power to a larger entity that does not understand the local issues well enough to manage it successfully? Sorry, I disagree on that point, still have not made my mind up on Begich but that is coming soon.
States do not decide what happens in a National Wildlife Refuge. They are given decision-making powers from the Feds at the Fed's discretion. States are used to advise policy, and in some places they have concurrent jurisdiction for law enforcement. In Alaska the state regulations for hunting apply, a decision by the federal government. Bottom-line, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a federal piece of land belonging to even those tree-huggers from the East Coast, and they have as much right for decisions in management that Alaskans have.
Gee!People from the same party supporting each other? That is a news flash!
Meaningless circular arguments...all land in this country used to belong to someone else. ever hear of the Louisiana Purchase? A little debacle called Manifest Destiny?
With the stated purpose of designating ANWR as protected "for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values" it strikes me that no access to the "park" has ever been established. There are no roads to access it. Only people that can afford a private charter plane can actually go there.
The truth is it was established "to fulfill the international fish and wildlife treaty obligations of the United States" They did this of course, thinking it was safely out of the way where no one would ever want to go there. They had no notion in 1960 when the original area was set aside that oil existed there.
If the feds want to keep a strangle-hold on what they consider a park for the people, they should build roads and infrastructure so the people can actually use and enjoy it. Otherwise it's not really a park, but just a mental construct that may as well not even exist in reality. Why not open it for development, but just pretend in our minds that it's still a protected sanctuary? May as well for all the good it actually does the vast majority of masses who will never be able to afford to see it.
do you really want a society like they have in washington state?
What a stupid letter.
It is Stevens and Young who are cleaning the National toilet since their Earmarks became a target of the Republican Party's Right Wing. Of course Garry and all of the Fairbanks Republicans spout off the same far right wing rhetoric until their own private Earmarks are threatened. Then it's the Feds, or Greenies, or someone else. What Ostriches!
Mr. Begich, the Alaska Democratic Party, and all the Oil Companies are also for responsible ANWR drilling. AND in case Mr. Hutchison hasn't noticed, Mr. Stevens is in BIG trouble.
So I say again what a stupid letter. What possibly could be his point except to ingratiate himself to someone? Or does he just need to hear himself.
Hey allhaileris - I've been there and enjoyed it, and I can in fact confirm that it is more than a mental construct and does in fact exist in reality. Which is more than I can say for some of your interpretations of its status and purpose.
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.