I am giving full credit for this post to Pam's House Blend and would like you to click the title to give her love for gathering all of these facts for us.
Gov. Sarah Palin named Anchorage lawyer Wayne Anthony Ross as her new attorney general on Thursday. We did not expect her to pick a gay-friendly AG, however his blatant prejudice expressed in a public letter to the state Bar shows that he is a poor choice for our top attorney:
"During a fight several years ago over gay rights, [Allison] Mendel helped organize Anchorage lawyers in support of an anti-discrimination ordinance. Ross wrote a nasty letter to the Bar Association newsletter, using words like "immoral", "perversion" and "degenerates." The language went way beyond reasonable disagreement, Mendel and others said."-- from Wayne Anthony Ross never a quiet force, Anchorage Daily News.
Quick show of hands, how many of you are surprised that Palin's pick to be the "people's attorney" discriminates against a whole class of people? I can't actually see you, but I would guess that every hand is down.
Other interesting facts about Wayne Anthony Ross, known as WAR, the initials on his vanity plate:
• He was a founder of Alaska Right to Life and represented, without fee, anti-abortion protesters charged with trespassing. "I feel I have a good relationship with the good Lord (but) if I could overturn Roe vs. Wade, I figure I got my ticket," he told a reporter.
• He was the defense lawyer for former Rep. Vic Kohring, who is serving a 3 1/2 year sentence on corruption charges.
• He opposes Native subsistence rights and was the lead lawyer in the case that got Alaska's subsistence law declared unconstitutional. When running for governor in 2002, he said he would hire a band of "junkyard dog" assistant AG's to challenge the federal law that requires subsistence preference, or seek changes through Congress.
• He wrote for the Anchorage Times and the conservative Voice of the Times, and titles like "KKK ' Art' Project Gets' A' For Courage" are listed on the publications page of his Ross & Miner law office.
• He represented Palin in her ethics case against state GOP chair Randy Ruedrich when both were on the Oil and Gas Commission, and co-chaired Palin's 2006 gubernatorial campaign. He was hoping for an appointment to head the Department of Health and Social Services so he could "stop the department from interfering with families when they should not be interfering and get them interfering with families when they should be interfering" but he was passed over.
• He defended a man who twice poured buckets of water from a passing pickup onto anti-war demonstrators in the rain and snow. His client was convicted of harassment and violating constitutional rights.
• He was the co-chair of Alaskans for Phil Gramm. (Gramm is one of the people responsible for the current economic crisis, and as co-chair of John McCain's presidential campaign he called us "a nation of whiners.")
• He is a former vice president of the National Rifle Association and was in line to become president but was voted out of office. He is still a director of the NRA.
• He ran for governor in 1998 and 2002. (Think he'll use the AG post as a stepping stone to the governor's mansion?)
Okay Pam is like my new internet hero right now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for digging up all of this dirt on this creep.
Okay seriously I have to go shower now. Eeeww!
Gryphen, I just commented with this same link to Pam's post on your earlier WAR post. Synchronicity! The relationships with and similarities to Sarah Palin are disturbing.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the word gets out -- and SOON -- about his comments regarding domestic violence.
ReplyDeleteAt a fundraiser? benefit? public forum? for the local women's shelter, his position was that domestic violence can be attributed to the emasculation of men by the women's movement. In other words, if women would just stay in the kitchen & bedroom where they belong they wouldn't get beaten by their husbands!
I think it's safe to assume that WAR's comments about gays have the sa**hPAC followers reaching for their checkbooks, but one would hope that at least a few of them would think twice if more info were out there about his views re: domestic violence!!!!
Let's get the word out!
SMR
Still searching for more info on the domestic violence comments. Until then, get a load of the WAR comments re: native issues.
ReplyDeleteThis info MUST get out to Alaskans! Push-back against WAR must come from citizens, thru their legislators!
http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=431
Yes, I read this story today either on huffpo or on rawstory.
ReplyDeleteI guess, HOPEFULLY, this will just mean one extra group out there telling the legs to grow a piar of cojones...
Thank you for drawing further attention to this SP's pick of WAR as AG. I am deeply troubled by Ross' discriminatory homophobic attitudes. As a member of a First Nation, I am beyond appalled by his disdain for native Alaskans and native Americans.
ReplyDeleteGryphen--
ReplyDeletePlease forgive me if this has been discussed recently-- I am not from Alaska-- Does your legislature have to approve this WAR guy for AG?... or is Palin's appointment the end of the process?
I don't know if AK lawyers have a code of ethics, but here in the lower 48 (CO) his statements about homosexuals would be a violation of Rule 1.2 (f) of our Code of Professional Conduct, which prohibits statements denigrating others based on race, sex or sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteI suppose I don't need to as what his "wildlife management" entails do I? I keep thinking GINO will run out of people like W.A.R. to place in positions where they can do harm to both animals and people, but gosh I guess I'm wrong again!
ReplyDeleteI was at the UAA public form on domestic violence and child custody in October 2005 where Ross was a panelist. What would you like to know?
ReplyDeleteWhat a disgusting, sick POS!
ReplyDeleteHopefully, he will be rejected soundly by the legislature!
Gryphen,
ReplyDeleteWhy does Pam get all the credit for my work? ::pout:: I wrote this for Bent Alaska, our local LGBT news blog (which is not in your wonderful list of Alaska blogs - how is that possible?) I posted a version in my Blend diary, and the next time I checked it was on HuffPo and Digg . . .
Seriously, this guy is sleeze. Thanks for spreading the word!
I am so sorry to Bent Alaska.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that Pam's post originated with you.
But hey check my blogroll and you will see that I have made the attempt to make amends. And I will start visiting you guys on a regular basis from now on.
Count on it.
I saw last night on the news...The shiny RED hummer this azz drives is becoming very popular for Iraqis to drive! Heh!
ReplyDeleteYou know Muslim's....Doesn't the Leg. have to approve him still? When's that going to happen?
I guess GINO doesn't give a rats azz what people in Alaska think she appoints WARGINO and a RepoTalibani just turned demfor two weeks.