Just how much daylight is there between Todd Palin's old party, the Alaska Independence Party, and the militias in Alaska? As it turns out, not much at all.

Ray Southwell and Norm Olson co-founders of the Alaska Citizens Militia.

For quite some time now the AIP has been very, very quiet about the arrest of Francis "Schaeffer" Cox, which I thought was kind of interesting since I have long believed that the AIP shares a number of members with various militias around the state.

In fact Mary Morgan, Shaeffer's number one fan and currently incarcerated domestic terrorist, appears to be a member of both. In fact she is STILL listed as an AIP contact person for the Muldoon/Mountain View/Wonder Park area.

However I have recently learned that this connection was made virtually official back in 2010, when the AIP offered Alaska Citizens Militia founder Norm Olson the Lt. Governor position on their party's ticket:

AIP leadership met Friday in Nikiski and selected Norm Olson, of Nikiski, co-founder of the Michigan Militia and Alaska Citizens Militia, as its nominee for lieutenant governor. 

Olson said he was contacted by party representatives Friday and asked to consider the party’s lieutenant governor slot on the November general election ballot, to run with Don Wright as the AIP candidate for governor. 

“There’s nothing about the Alaskan Independence Party that I don’t like. It’s just great,” Olson said. “And when I was asked to run as their lieutenant governor in the upcoming elections I jumped on the bandwagon and accepted the nomination and threw my hat in the ring, so to speak.”

Now for reasons that are still a little hazy ( Ray Southwell, AIP state senate candidate and Alaska Citizens militia co-founder: “I’ve known Norm Olson for 25 years and I knew that once he was appraised of the situation or the circumstances leading up to the Friday meeting that he would withdraw his name.”) Olson was only the nominee for one weekend, before he bailed.

However for that one weekend Olson seemed to believe that his Lt. Governor nomination (For a party that had no hope of winning the election mind you) was tantamount to being nominated for emperor of Alaska.

See for yourself in this e-mail that Olson sent out to his supporters on September 4, 2010.(And which I now have in my possession.):


I have been chosen to be the candidate for the Alaska Independence Party's candidate for Lt. Governor of the state of Alaska. (I really don't know if they understand what they've got on their plate.) 

I am asking every recipient of this email to get out there and tell people that we are on the verge of a political revolution: Alaska for Alaskans! Nothing more and nothing less. That is my position. If you want political war, we'll give you a good fight!!!! 

Tell people that Norm Olson, Commander of the Alaska Citizens Militia, and co-founder of the Michigan Militia (together with Ray Southwell, who is running for House Seat 34) that we are alerting Alaska! 

This is political WAR!!!! Do you want to tell the federal government that they have no part in Alaska? You want to tell the world that Alaska is for ALASKANS? Have you got the backbone for a really good fight? 

I ask that you go into every mining camp...every bar...every campfire...every home....and every other place where REAL Alaskans congregate and tell them that that Radical, Constitutionalist, and Controversial Militia Leader, Norm Olson, is running for Lt. Governor. Arlen Specter and the US Senate are small potatoes to me. I'm ready and willing to take on the biggest and the baddest that the Federal Government can throw at me. (see Norm Olson, US Senate on Youtube.com) 

I want your vote, yes! But beyond that, I want your pledge and your sovereign vow to support me as I stand against the Federal Government's long reach into the private lives of REAL ALASKANS. Our "Lexington Green" is coming soon. You must make your decision to take your stand as INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGN ALASKANS or continue to suck on the tit of the federal sow! What's it going to be? 

I'm not playing political games here, folks. I'm saying that together with Don Wright, the AIP candidate for Governor, that I will work to mobilize the ENTIRE ALASKA MILITIA, MADE UP OF ALL ALASKANS, to stand against the rape and pillage of the federal government of this God-Given blessed gift called Alaska. And every REAL ALASKAN, no matter what your age or background, will be part of the "militia" (the citizen soldier, preparing for the battle against tyranny, oppression and corruption). The Founding Fathers spoke of this day. We have been warned that this is the "finest hour". Will it be sovereignty or slavery? Will it be the federal government's slave on THEIR plantation, or will we be independent and strong? 

I ask you to forward this email to every living soul in Alaska that Norm Olson, Co-Founder of the Michigan Citizens Militia, and Commander of the Alaska Citizens Militia has declared war against the TYRANNY, OVERREACH, OBSTRUCTION, AND OPPRESSION of the Federal Government. 

If you want a fight, let it begin with me! We don't want war, but if it MUST come, then WE ALASKANS are well-prepared. 

Let people know that I am with TRUE ALASKANS. We can do it ourselves. We can develop our own resources. We can enable and inspire the native Alaskans to stand up and refuse to suck on the tit of the Federal Government from this day forward!!!! Our native American brethren are being pressed into slavery, to remain dependent for generations, to deny their own children and grand-children the dignity that comes with self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and self-determination. I'm asking every native American businessman and visionary to stand with me to make YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE! 

Stand up REAL ALASKANS! They want a political war? I'll give them a war they never expected. We have more than a half-million Alaskans who are fed up with being "the step-child in the attic who isn't invited to Thanksgiving dinner." 

Support me as your Lt. Governor. They want political war? I'm willing to give it to them! 

I'm not asking for money.... BUT, if you get excited about bringing the full weight of America's political attention to our long-hard fought battle for justice, I'm trusting that you will send something to the Alaska Independence Party. Please designate all financial support for Norm Olson's War Chest to Do Battle Against The Federal RAPE AND PILLAGE of Alaska! 

 If you can't handle the TRUE REALITY of what is coming here in Alaska, then don't bother. BUT, if you are a TRUE ALASKAN who has the blood and the spirit of those who carved out a life from the wilderness, and has been touched by the Great Spirit Who has ALREADY GIVEN US VICTORY, please stand with me. 

Holy crap!  It looks like somebody's GI Joe Underoos are a little too tight!

As you can tell Olson seemed to be under the impression that his AIP nomination was some kind of call to war, and was all but preparing to storm the capital in Juneau and replace the American flag with this AIP flag instead.

(Or perhaps the Jolly Roger even.)

And as for all of this "TRUE ALASKAN" rhetoric, it might be instructive to remember that Olson had ONLY been in Alaska for six years at this point, having arrived with his Brokeback Mountain buddy Ray Southwell back in 2004.

However like I said Olson removed his name from consideration for the Lt. Governor slot, so Alaska was spared the possibility of being dragged into a war with Washington DC. Whew!

However Olson's special friend, Ray Southwell, remained the AIP choice for a state senate opening, but of course he lost. No doubt his chances were not helped by statements such as this:

“I’m very active and outspoken on my militia stand. People think that, because of the media’s portrayal over the last 15 years, that the militia is a terrorist organization, that somehow (the Oklahoma City bombing) was related to me somehow. There’s no documentation, it just becomes reported in the media"

Yeah there's no actual "documentation" to prove that Southwell or Olson had anything to do with the Oklahoma bombing. Besides according to Olson that attack really had nothing to do with the militias.

Norman Olson retained the position of Commander of the MMC until after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, where he published a press release blaming the Japanese for the bombing, supposedly in retaliation for a clandestine US-sponsored gas attack in the Tokyo subway system.

I assume that somewhere Olson has "documentation" to prove THAT.

So as you can see the Alaska militias and the AIP are, if not joined in unholy matrimony, at least kissing cousins.

Now Todd Palin has not been a member of the AIP since 2002, well BEFORE Norm Olson arrived in Alaska (Though militias were present in Alaska before his arrival), but if you are starting to notice that the AIP attracts a certain kind of anti-government mentality, and wondering if the more fringe elements of that party had anything to do with starting Sarah Palin's political career, I have just one word fro you.

Bingo!

According to John Stein (The previous Mayor of Wasilla that Palin virtually destroyed with negative campaigning):

“She got support from these guys,” Stein remarked. “I think smart politicians never utter those kind of radical things, but they let other people do it for them. I never recall Sarah saying she supported the militia or taking a public stand like that. But these guys were definitely behind Sarah, thinking she was the more conservative choice.” 

“They worked behind the scenes,” said Stein. “I think they had a lot of influence in terms of helping with the back-scatter negative campaigning.”

So you ask, why am I bringing this up now?

Well, partly because I just recently received some e-mails explaining just how cozy the AIP and militias are in this state, but also because I am providing a back story to help you to understand the information that I am being told is headed our way.

Information, by the way, that will be VERY, VERY interesting to those of us who have been following politics in Alaska, and ESPECIALLY interesting to those who have been following the career of a certain disgraced Alaskan politician.

Stay tuned.