Saturday, November 21, 2015

Pretending to be "real" Alaskans is bad enough, but when you lie to get a PFD....well nothing pisses us off more than that.

Source
Courtesy of Alaska Dispatch News:

A Juneau judge rejected a plea deal Thursday that would have allowed stars from Discovery Channel’s wildly popular reality television series “Alaskan Bush People” to avoid jail time for lying on applications to get the Permanent Fund dividend checks given to Alaska residents. 

“There needs to be a higher punishment to act as a deterrent,” said Juneau Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg. “If you knew you could catch everybody, maybe you wouldn’t need to punish each of them as much.” 

Pallenberg said 30 days in jail would be appropriate for the crime, though he couldn’t impose that punishment Thursday. The case against members of the Brown family will resume in early December. 

With the rejection of the deal, Billy Brown, the 62-year-old patriarch of the family, and his 31-year-old son Joshua "Bam Bam" Brown also withdrew their guilty pleas. Under the proposed deal, the two men had pleaded guilty Wednesday to one misdemeanor count each of second-degree unsworn falsification. Prosecutors would have dismissed many other charges if the deal went through. 

Last October, the Brown family -- Billy Brown, his wife Amora “Ami” Brown and four of their children -- were charged with a total of 60 counts of first-degree unsworn falsification and first- and second-degree theft linked to dividend applications submitted from 2010 to 2013.

Personally I have never heard of this show.

Partly because I have never seen a show about Alaska, which really reflects what it's like to live in Alaska. But mostly because the only way I would watch a reality show was if somebody held a gun to my head, and even then I might choose the bullet.

Like I said though Alaskans would probably give these assholes a pass for being phonies, IF they had not been getting Permanent Fund checks under false pretenses. 

You know when the fund was first established it was supposed to provide annual monetary amounts based on length of residence.

As a lifelong resident of Alaska I was all for that, plus it would have had the added benefit of keeping people from moving up here simply to get their hands on the money. Which today is the same for everybody, so long as you have lived here at least one year.

And if that guideline had remained in place it would have made what the Browns did much more difficult.

With that in mind I hope these guys get a nice long stay in our correctional facilities.

Perhaps THEN they will have been here long enough to have earned the label "Sourdough."

Of course being in jail they STILL will not earn that PFD check.

P.S. By the way if you are watching any of these stupid reality shows as a way to lean about the Last Frontier, you are an idiot. And trust me, you still don't have a clue.

31 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:25 AM

    Do all "real" Alaskans look as phony as this bunch?
    Beaglemom

    ReplyDelete
  2. But .................. I read it on the internet, it must be true.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Do people really look at "reality shows" to actually learn anything?

    For me, "reality" shows have just kicked a whole lot of union actors out of jobs. I think anyone who doesn't realize by now that these producer generated story lines are fake--should be pitied or feared. Cause face it---these are some of the same people who think Trump can be president because he fired people on a "reality" series.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chenagrrl5:28 AM

    If you spent a week in the Bush, or your childhood, you would see what asshats these folk are.
    Show is very formulaic: Segments build to crisis; after commerical, there is a too-long recap with resolution of crisis. The one I cringed through involved building an outhouse too close to their living quarters, and invoking constitutional rights, or something, when a bear had the audacity to wander through.
    It's the accent that tells you they are just there for what they can mine, grift, pump, dig out of the state before moving back to The States. Seen 'em come and seen 'em go.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chenagrrl5:30 AM

    Oh yeah, and the myth of seven kids all adults or nearly so is really creepy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Say it isn't so! ... "if you are watching any of these reality shows you're an idiot!"
    I watched 'The Last Alaskans' on Animal Planet - it's a docuseries following three families living in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and I thoroughly enjoyed it - not a reality show per se so hope I'm not an idiot for watching this. Here's a link to the episode outlines. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4715246/episodes
    I thoroughly enjoyed the series - sure hope it's not a masquerade of a reality show for idiots as the one you write about today surely is - unknown stereotypes perpetuating myths of 'frontier' people - truly insulting.
    Love your blog, by the way, been a follower since the day Palin was announced as running mate - had to find real Alaskan take on McCain's folly... Canadian here..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:51 AM

      Hang around because some of her real scandals are about to be revealed.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous7:16 AM

      liar

      Delete
    3. Anonymous7:39 AM

      We'll be here, 6:51. Looks like the trolls are up early. ;)

      Delete
  7. Anonymous5:57 AM

    John Walsh from "America's Most Wanted" has started The Justice Network. One segment is "Alaska State Troopers" It shows them flying to outlying villages, On patrol, it is interesting. It shows the game wardens checking on people to see if they have the correct permits. One segment they went into a homeless camp near Wasilla, checking for a fugitive. We saw moose terrorizing people.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous6:10 AM

    Agreed, 99% of faux-reality shows are crap. However we're watching "Dr. Dee: Alaska Vet" on Animal Planet and it looks to us like a good informative show featuring genuine humans (and animals) living genuine lives in Alaska.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:03 AM

      99.9% of "genuine" peoples lives are boring as hell. So if it's on film as yeehaw 24/7 it's likely fake.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous6:12 PM

      Catch an episode of the show, get back to us.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous6:27 AM

    Reality shows are the proof of the dumbing down of America. I suspect the viewers are the same people supporting Carson and Trump.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous7:03 AM

    In June, Gov. Bill Walker signed legislation ending a state subsidy program for the film industry.

    We will see less Alaskan "reality shows" now... good news.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Is the doofus in the red flannel trying to be the Wolverine??

    https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f4/06/e8/f406e85bd4af5947efbfada345e87d83.jpg

    cuz he's looking more like this: (sorry Al)

    https://beerbeardsandbeats.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/al_borland.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous7:37 AM

    Now imagine how blue states feel about supporting the Welfare Queen called Alaska.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous7:50 AM

    I've seen this show. These people are creepy as hell. I'm not entirely convinced there isn't some inbreeding going on in that family.

    They do not do a good service to Alaskans. They make Alaskans look like a hillbilly joke.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:36 AM

      these grifting inbred frauds remind me of these grifting inbred frauds ..
      http://www.adn.com/article/20130712/after-hellish-abuse-hale-daughter-fled-heaven

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:04 AM

      Evidently daddy marriedommy when he was 27 and she was 15. That's rapenon most states.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous8:22 AM

    People actually move up there for a measly check once a year? Spending TONS more on food and everything else? That's like pumping out kids for a tax deduction. Simple math tells you that a child costs way the fuck more than the deduction as living yup in Alaska cost way the fuck more per year than you could possibly get back in the oil industry welfare check one gets.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:53 PM

      They fake their addresses, PO Boxes and the like. If they are there at all, it is briefly.
      M.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous9:27 AM

    We Hawaiians are applying for Permanent Coconut Fund checks.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous9:33 AM

    I wonder if John Bitney's wife ever spoke with him about how she processed PFD applications.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow! Look at all those "lumbersexuals" needing a wife! And Bristol Palin already has Reality TV experience. :D

    They could run an entire season like the Dating Game where they vie to be her husband, and for the finale, they could have a real backwoods wedding with moose and bear looking on and an eagle flying low with his blessing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Frosty no longer AK10:22 AM

    Creepy bunch. Reminds me of 'Papa Pilgrim' and family.

    I lived the AK experience for over 30 years, sure not gonna watch a show about faux Alaskans.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous12:23 PM

    Alaska pulled free taxpayer money for stupid reality shows some time ago but apparently there had already been so many approvals for more idiot shows waiting in the wings. The last one is about an Alaska veterinarian, which tells you that the bottom of the barrel is visible.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous2:31 PM

    This family has a reputation of grifting all over Southeast AK, Haines, Juneau specifically, then they left and then they came back when they got their show. We Alaskans are always amazed that they seem to get by being "Bush People" with their cotton clothing and thrift shop leather jackets. Just basing their "reality" on the clothes that they wear they wouldn't even last a month, even in summer, even in the mild climate of Southeast AK. Now that we know they fraudulently applied for dividends and have multiple fishing and hunting violations we know for sure that they are as bad as the reputation in AK that preceded them. Just a bunch of dysfunctional weirdos trying to make a buck, but some of those boys are kinda hot, I hope they are getting some strange, and not just screwing their sisters :-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous4:01 PM

    What the hell's wrong with people? They get paid for doing nothing, and are so greedy they want rights they aren't entitled to. Never saw the show, doubt I ever will, but what's "reality" on television is way different than reality in the real world.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous9:04 PM

    '''As a lifelong resident of Alaska I was all for that, plus it would have had the added benefit of keeping people from moving up here simply to get their hands on the money. Which today is the same for everybody, so long as you have lived here at least one year.'''
    ***********************************************************************
    Who in blazes would move to Alaska just to receive a check every month? I can't imagine anyone that desperate.

    ReplyDelete

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