Letters to the editor

The Long Trail

To the editor:

Alaska State Senator Lisa Murkowski is working with Congress and BLM to create a Federal Scenic Long Trail from Seward to Fairbanks. I'm deeply concerned that private land owners aren't being notified about the Long Trail passing through or near private lands. We have the Alaska State Constitution on the Public Process and I feel as if this trail is being rushed and certain user groups aren't being notified. The route into the Talkeetna Mountains is another concern, who's going to pay for the rescue mission? Alaska Trails will tell you that they have funding set aside for rescue missions, but what happens when the money runs out? Alaska has harsh extreme weather conditions and you're inviting people all over the world to hike the Long Trail; without, knowledge of Alaska's weather and dangerous wildlife. Another concern is water source for safe drinking and the garbage left behind from travelers. In 1980, President Carter stolen our lands and promised that Alaskans could still use those lands. The Federal Government has proven that they don't keep promises. This Long Trail will only place more restrictions on Alaskans for using our lands. Please reject the Alaska Long Trail to preserve our rights to our land. Thank you for your prompt and courteous attention.

John Suter,

Chugiak

Accepting nominations

To the editor:

The Board of Directors for the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame is encouraging all Alaskans to nominate a woman to the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame who has made a significant contribution to our great state. She must be 65 years old by June 1, 2024 or deceased.

Nominations are only accepted through our website. The easy-to-follow instructions will explain how to fill out and submit the electronic form. Go to alaskawomenshalloffame.org and click the Nominate button.

Please nominate one or more outstanding women by the June 1st deadline!

Pat Jarrett,

Vice President, Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame Board of Directors

Current meaning of woke

To the editor:

During recent Anchorage Mayoral politics, the term ‘Woke’ was interjected. The interesting part here was the definition of ’woke’ that was used by the left side of the political spectrum….”an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices”.

That definition of Woke refers back a century or two when Africans and African Americans were working to do away with slavery and associated customs. Today Woke is used to describe anything deemed too liberal, and applied to recent actions and positions of the left wing that are viewed as going too far

Here are a few examples of today’s Woke:

Woke is rioters burning cities and looting private businesses and calling it “peaceful protest.”

Woke is disdain for the American working class because they live in the Midwest and South.

Woke is the American Federation of Teachers passing a black lives matter resolution while doing little to address record-low reading and math scores.

Woke is calling millions of Americans “racist” or “white supremist” because you disagree with their views.

Woke is complaining about economically disadvantaged kids lack of educational opportunity, while sending your kids to private schools.

Woke is conflating “all people are created equal” with everyone being the same, and then trying to force upon all people the same standards.

Woke is lowering standards in the United States military in the name of “equality.”

Unlike a century or two ago, being Woke today is definitely not a positive characteristic.

Jim Lieb,

Palmer

Peltola flounders, Alaska suffers

To the editor:

Serving as Alaska’s sole member of Congress comes with intense weight and outsized pressure. Our state’s needs and priorities rarely fall neatly into the partisan politics of Washington, D.C. We have been lucky to have members who understand this challenge and rise to the occasion, fighting for Alaska’s needs above all else.

Unfortunately, Mary Peltola is not one of those members.

Over the past week, Mary’s lack of experience and political courage has been brought to the forefront. Faced with difficult decisions, she has floundered as her reelection approaches, opting to side with Joe Biden and her political funders rather than stand up for her state and cross party lines.

Peltola chose to vote “present” on a bill she originally sponsored titled the Alaska Right to Produce Act. She waffled at the worst possible moment, too afraid to buck her party leadership and do what’s right for our state. Her “Dear Colleague” letter said all we needed to know: Vote No on Alaska.

It’s embarrassing that our state must rely on members from Minnesota to fight for Alaska and pass legislation that will help grow our economy and overturn Joe Biden’s disastrous ANWR decision.

It’s clear that as election day approaches, Peltola is panicking. She ran to be an independent voice that would put Alaska above the Democratic Party, but now is facing a reality where she can’t risk putting our needs above her own reelection chances. She needs to ensure the Democratic Party spends millions on her behalf. She has to defend President Biden even as he shuts down our energy production. She literally can’t afford to stand up to leadership - it might cost her $4 million in television advertisement reservations.

Peltola is not showing up for Alaska, both literally (she has missed 21% of votes, making her the fourth most absent member) and figuratively. She can’t even retain staff.

Her lack of experience and conviction is under the spotlight. It’s not only embarrassing for our state, it threatens our economic success and potential.

Alaskans must remember this when we cast our ballots in November. Most importantly, we can’t risk sending another inexperienced, self-serving candidate to D.C. I think it’s clear we need someone with a proven record of political courage and someone who isn’t afraid of tough fights.

It’s time to end Mary Peltola’s failed congressional experiment and vote for Lt. Governor Nancy Dahlstrom to represent our state in Washington.

Frank Dahl,

Anchorage