Alaskans are Parnell's top priority

“Our job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” That was the charge from one of my mentors in journalism school, Brant Houston, then-executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors. These two principles are the inseparable standards that make up the DNA of what I call justice-oriented people. They're fueled by a fire in their belly to stomp out injustice. At the root of this love for justice is an inherent love for people. You can't have one without the other.

As a mother primarily, and a former journalist, an injustice that has both driven and grieved me like no other is injustice against children. I tend to find other like-minded people who are especially wired to fight injustice against children. I found such kindred spirits in Governor Sean Parnell and First Lady Sandy Parnell – among many others – while researching a story last year about sex trafficking of Alaska's youth. Unfortunately, my story was cut. I left journalism to be a stay-at-home mom and the story never aired. But, for me, it never died. I was undone (and I'm still haunted) by the stories of the people I interviewed.

There is a band of Alaskans consisting of passionate and courageous law enforcement officials, prosecutors, children's advocates, pastors, legislators and the governor and first lady, which is actively fighting to save women and children from their sex traffickers and put those traffickers behind bars for a long time.

After researching the scope of sex trafficking in Alaska, the crux of my story was in tracking the support law enforcement had in both the law and in the administration for their crime-fighting efforts. Anchorage Police Department Vice Unit Detective Sgt. Kathy Lacey and FBI Special Agent Jolene Goeden had been sounding the alarm about sex trafficking for years. But, it wasn't until Gov. and First Lady Parnell got involved that things started to change. They helped to make prosecuting sexual predators of children easier at the state level and with harsher penalties. The first lady has also been working behind the scenes with Covenant House and Changepoint Church to help restore dignity and bring healing to the victims of sexual slavery. In her naturally maternal way, she visited some of the victims. In concert, all of them are fighting a particularly perverted evil that is preying on some of our most vulnerable Alaskans right before our eyes.

Governor Parnell has been attacked for being elusive to the media. But, the press has been unfairly adversarial with Parnell. When I asked for individual interviews with both the governor and the first lady, they had no reason to believe that I would be any different. Yet, they both granted me an interview within 2 days, even though the governor had a tight schedule during his short stay in Anchorage. The Parnells made it a priority to sit down with me individually to tell me why sex trafficking was important to them and what they were doing about it.

Clearly, Governor Parnell is not a narcissistic politician who loves to hear himself talk. In fact, it took some prodding to get him to open up to me. But, once he started talking about the violence and injustice being committed against women and children in Alaska, and his plans for more services for these victims, he almost couldn't help himself. I had touched a nerve. I found an impassioned justice-oriented man who truly loves people.

What most people don't know is that the Parnells had a personal encounter with a sex trafficking victim. During a business trip to Italy, the Parnells visited a nun named Sister Eugenia Bennetti, who, in her 70s, rescues women and children off of the streets from sex traffickers and houses them. Mrs. Parnell described this visit as “both beautiful and alarming,” — the beauty and dignity of women being valued by this group of nuns but being systematically destroyed by sex traffickers. The governor and first lady were visibly moved — Mrs. Parnell was even teary-eyed — when they recounted their experience with Sister Bennetti and the abused 6-month pregnant victim she had recently rescued from a train station, where she was abandoned by her trafficker with no papers. The woman burst out of her room, threw her arms around Sister Bennetti and in tears, thanked her for saving her life. The Parnells individually told me about the rawness of that moment and how they were compelled to investigate if this was happening in Alaska. They did and they found APD Sgt. Lacey and FBI Agent Goeden leading the charge.

The governor and First Lady have made it their platform to rid Alaska of sexual abuse with the Choose Respect campaign, raising awareness and changing the state laws, which were far behind the federal laws against sex trafficking. Congress had modified the federal statute back in October 2000, enabling seven successful prosecutions in Alaska and the rescue of 102 victims. Since then, Congress amended the law four times, most recently in 2008, as a result of an Alaskan case.

But, changes in state law were a long time coming. Together, the governor's omnibus bill, Senate Bill 22, and House Bill 359, among other things, removed the statute of limitations for prosecuting child pornography cases, raised the age of consent to 20, changed the misleading verbiage “promoter of prostitution” to “sex trafficker,” made sex trafficking a serious felony and provided tougher sentences for sex traffickers. Today, Alaska has one of the toughest sentencing ranges for sex traffickers and for child pornography – up to 99 years for sexual abuse crimes involving very young children. Indeed, the Polaris Project – a non-profit organization whose goal is to help make human trafficking a “high-risk, low-profit endeavor,” through policy advocacy and education – ranked Alaska at the bottom tier in 2011 for having the necessary legal framework to effectively fight human trafficking. In 2013, Alaska ranked in the top tier for its human trafficking laws. Prior to these changes in the state law, all sex trafficking cases were prosecuted federally. These tougher state penalties mean future cases will likely be tried in state court. The implications of these changes to the law are enormous. Governor Parnell worked with lawmakers and together they sent a clear message of deterrence to sex traffickers and makers and distributors of child pornography: “Not in our state.” No other governor has done for victims of sexual slavery and child pornography what Governor Parnell has done. This is his legacy. He has accomplished much for Alaska but if he had done nothing else, drawing such a critical line in the sand to protect Alaska's women and children from sexual abuse would be enough. Alaskans, especially Alaskan children — not oil and gas — are Alaska's most precious resource. Without life, there are no other issues.

To draw conclusions that Parnell is somehow personally responsible for the sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by a few lawless subordinates in the Alaska National Guard is both illogical and ridiculous, especially given the kind of man Gov. Parnell is and his consistent history of working to tighten the laws to make Alaska an unwelcome place for sexual predators. He trusted Katkus to do his job and he promptly fired him when he didn't. How many of us have also misplaced our trust in an untrustworthy person?

Yet, the truth doesn't impress Parnell's haters. This spirit of hatred for genuinely good people is not unique to the Parnell haters. It goes back to Cain and Abel. While love does conquer hate, love offends the hater. The Parnells are genuine, unassuming people of integrity. They are solid Christians who love deeply God and deeply love people, even the people who hate them. When liberals call Gov. Parnell “Capt. Zero” and other hateful names, he never responds and neither does the first lady. How hurtful it must be to her and her children to hear the undeservedly vitriolic names her husband and their father has been called. Yet, the Parnells are unmoved by their haters. It takes remarkable love and grace to not answer your enemies. What wonderful role models the Parnells are for us, and our children.

Governor Parnell talked honestly with me about his desire to not only send sexual predators packing or to prison, but also to establish special services, uniquely tailored to help heal their victims. He was grieved by the injustice. He understands the need for both justice and restoration and he won't abandon his work toward both ends — afflicting the comfortable and comfortingthe afflicted. Governor Parnell's character makes his word trustworthy. His commitment to protecting Alaskans from sexual abuse is unwavering.

At the end of the day, it's that kind of character that sets Parnell apart. It's his character that is more important than policies, pipelines and budgets. It means that he will do the right thing with everything he puts his hand to. He is a good man. He has been a humble, hard-working, honest public servant. He genuinely loves Alaskans and Alaska. Gov. Parnell is guided by his strong moral compass and his trust in God. For all of these reasons, I trust him. Gov. Parnell is the only candidate for governor who deserves our vote, our gratitude for a job well done and another four years to keep fighting the good fight.

Michele White is a resident of Anchorage.