WAR comes to the state legislature.

State lawmakers on Wednesday grilled Gov. Sarah Palin’s appointee for state attorney general, Wayne Anthony Ross, as Ross defended past controversial statements and said he believes that former state legislator Vic Kohring is innocent despite an Anchorage jury convicting him of corruption.

Way to respect the legal process there WAR.

“Nobody ever accused me of tippy toeing around the issues. Now I’m asking for this job of advocating for Alaska, for the state that I love almost as much as I love my wife,” Ross said.

What a romantic, I bet his wife feels like the luckiest prisoner of WAR in the world!

Anchorage Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowski brought up previous Ross statements, including saying the idea of Native sovereignty is a 19th century principle, and using words like “immoral,” and “degenerates” in a letter to the state bar association newsletter during a fight over gay rights in 1993.

“Some of the things that you’ve said are extremely divisive and I don’t think help us as a state move forward. And I don’t know that right now, at this time in our state, it’s in our best interest to have such a divisive figure,” he said.

Ross responded he had a different role in the past as a private attorney representing clients than he would as attorney general. “I want to represent all Alaskans, I’ll have a different hat on … If I have the job of advocate for the state of Alaska then I’m going to advocate for all the people of the state of Alaska,” Ross said.

Do you hear that native and gay peoples? Ross will totally pretend he gives a shit about your rights so long as he is the Attorney General. But if he does not get confirmed y'all better watch out!

The most heated exchange came between Ross and Nome Democratic Sen. Donny Olson. “I’m concerned that, as the general, the casualties may indeed be those people that are out there in rural Alaska — the people that I represent. I’ve had torrents of e-mails and torrents of communication (from people), stating that they have difficulty with your appointment,” Olson told him.

Uh oh, this is one of those "native peoples" that Ross is supposed to respect if he gets this job. Let's see how he handles Sen. Olson.

Olson singled out Ross’s statements about the rural preference for subsistence hunting and fishing. Alaskans have been divided for years on whether residents of far-flung rural areas should enjoy more liberal hunting and fishing access than residents from more urban areas. At stake are longer seasons, higher catch limits and first crack at fish and wildlife during times of scarcity.

In 1989, Ross was co-counsel in a lawsuit that led to the Alaska Supreme Court tossing out the state’s rural-preference law. Federal law calls for a rural subsistence preference and the state’s unwillingness to comply led to a court-ordered federal takeover of subsistence hunting and fishing management across much of the state. When running for governor in 2002, Ross told a crowd in Kodiak that if elected he would hire a band of “junkyard dog’’ assistant attorneys general to challenge the federal rules or seek changes in the law through Congress.

Oh yeah he is making all kinds of brownie points with the native population. No wonder they love him so much.

Ross said the state Constitution says Alaska’s assets belong to all state residents, and people should talk instead of going to the feds to get “more rights than other people.”

In other words, "When we say NO then just accept it and stop trying to get justice."

“You don’t invite the bear into your house and then expect not to get eaten up. We’re being eaten up and we need to get together,” Ross told the committee.

Bear? Does Ross think our own government is like Russia?

Olson objected.

“The bear that you call it is the United States government and that’s what had to step in here because state law was starting to run over the rank and file little guy out there that is trying to make a living out in rural Alaska,” Olson said.

Ross fired back.

“You’re a senator, you represent all Alaskans and you should be working with other Alaskans to develop solutions rather than going out and crying to mama out somewheres else, and saying ‘mom, you’ve got to help me,”’ Ross said. “That’s not necessarily directed at you. But we should have worked together to solve those problems, rather than get somebody else.”

Okay so let's sum this up. WAR has a history of stomping on the rights of people who are not just like him. And when those individuals take their case to the federal level, he calls them "cry babies" and "mama's boys".

Oh yeah this guy is definitely going to bring Alaskans together. Just so long as they are wealthy white guys, who hate fags and natives.

Sadly there are a number of Alaskans who will find no problem with that. And unfortunately a number of them are part of this hearing.

Look! Here is one:

Anchorage Republican Sen. Lesil McGuire said Ross would be a passionate fighter for the state and she is inclined to support a governor’s choice unless there is a huge reason not to. But McGuire said that, in response to public testimony, she needs to follow up with Ross about his stance on domestic violence issues.

Well she WILL be with him just as soon as she establishes that he does not discriminate against HER people. You know, women. But if she can establish that, well then she could care less about his stance concerning gays or natives.