Sarah Palin denies that she is a racist. Then attempts to prove it by attacking BLM and President Obama.

The Palin family playing "Eskimo Bingo."

From the depths of the dark web where only fools dare to tread: 

Todd is an Alaskan native and part Eskimo; my kids’ Yupik Eskimo heritage is a badge of honor, not a chip on their shoulder. (Eskimo?)

You’ll not see my kids falsely charging someone with racism just because they disagree with an opinion. (No they just call them "faggot.")

But liberals slap that racist label on me – and any other conservative – simply to stop debate on any issue. What a tactic! It immediately puts you on the defensive. 

Racial tensions are mounting, and Americans are being divided. We don’t have “whites only” water fountains or “separate but equal” schools anymore, but, ironically, race relations in this country seemed to take a giant step backward under the presidency of Barack Obama. (Yes, because of the racists who came out of the woodwork in response to his candidacy. You know, that same ones that showed up at the McCain/Palin rallies.)

Slogans proclaiming “black lives matter” have clouded the truth that all lives matter. And, to show how crazy things are, both a college president and a Democrat politician have actually apologized for saying that “all lives matter,” as if that were somehow wrong. (They missed the point, as does Palin.)

But the fact is, we’re all created in God’s image. (The white Anglo-Saxon god that was inflicted on the native people in Alaska by the missionaries who punished them for speaking their own language and forcibly changed their names to ones plucked from the Bible? Does she mean THAT god?)


Not to nitpick, but I have known dozens and dozens of Alaska natives in my life, and not one of them ever called themselves an "Eskimo." 

As for Palin being a racist well she was quoted as saying she would not hire any blacks when she became governor, did nothing to help the people of Emmonak despite public outrage, and during her 2008 campaign rallies whipped the racists into a frenzy by constantly attacking Barack Obama as "the other."

I would argue that Palin actually planted the racist seeds in 2008 that Donald Trump harvested to become president in 2016.

So is Sarah Palin a racist?

Is water wet?

Sarah Palin tears up at political rally? Are we sure this is THE Sarah Palin?

Courtesy of the Daily Beast:  

At a rally for longshot Senate candidate on the bayou, Sarah Palin got choked up on Thursday. 

Sarah Palin, a former reality television star, appeared at rally for Rob Maness, the Tea Party candidate for Senate in Louisiana in New Orleans today, and promptly mocked President Obama for that “hopey-changey stuff.” 

But moments later, Palin’s eyes welled with tears at a very Obama-esque notion, when Maness, a retired colonel in the Air Force, describing spending 32 years “soaring above our fruited plain and seeing our purple mountains majesty. Because when you are high above the land of the free there is simply no red or blue states, just the United States of America.” 

Maness choked up as well, while it took Palin, standing to his side, several moments to dry her eyes and compose herself.”

Okay let me get this straight.

Sarah Palin did NOT get choked up when Native Alaskans were freezing and starving to death during the winter of 2009, her eyes did not "well up with tears" over news of the shooting deaths at Sandy Hook (After which she claimed to have bought Todd a new gun in response to all the "anti-gun chatter coming from Washington.") and she certainly was not overcome with emotion when Gabby Giffords was shot in the head.

Yet when some nobody Tea party candidate in New Orleans regurgitates a line originally used by President Obama she suddenly remembers she has tear ducts?

Yeah, I call bullshit on that.

I found the video of the event (The remarks in question start at the 9:00 minute mark.) and the camera did not catch Palin's tears, and until I see video proof to the contrary I think I will remain skeptical.

The only emotions I have witnessed from this woman are anger, hate, and almost overwhelming jealousy. And I am convinced that is about the depth of her emotional sensitivities.

Sarah Palin tweets plan to sell baked good to help raise money for White House tours. I don't know which part is less believable, Sarah Palin baking, or Sarah Palin offering anybody in the White House any help.

Bake sales, anyone?I make a mean Baked Alaska,but afraid Nanny State would shut 'er down.Bolling's offer must suffice is.gd/VFv7fg

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) March 10, 2013

Of course this tweet is in support of Eric Bolling's attentions seeking offer to pay for White House tours now that the Republican's sequester has threatened to shut them down.

Of course it is just a naked attempt to attract media attentions, whihc is why Sarah Palin, the queen of attention whores, can not resist the attempt to get a little reflected glory for herself.

But one has to wonder why the multimillionaire did not simply offer to write her own check?

I mean I think Eric Bolling is a tool of the first order, but at LEAST he offered to pay out of pocket.

The best that Snowdrift Snooki can do is offer to make a donation to a bake sale? Damn that is weak even for her!

Of course dealing with problems with baked goods is a tried and true approach for Granny Grinch.

If you remember back in early 2009, when the people of rural Alaska villages were crying out for help as they slowly starved and froze to death. Palin did nothing for almost two months, before finally making a huge show of flying out with a plate full of cookies and Evangelist Franklin Graham and local homophobe Jerry Prevo in tow.

Let's face it, Sarah Palin has NO intention of donating time, money, or even baked goods to ANYTHING that does not have some sort of payoff for her. All this is is yet another sad and desperate attempt to stay relevant.

And judging by the number of attendees at her most recent speaking engagement, she needs all the help staying relevant that she can get!

Look it's "lying across three seats a piece" room only.

As President Obama attends to the suffering of those devastated by Hurricane Sandy, Sarah Palin decides it is the appropriate time to go on the attack.

Click constipated expression to play video.

I am actually only going to be able to post about a portion of this vicious attack on our President as he reaches out to assist Americans in dire need. The absolutely disgusting things said about Obama during these six minutes made it almost impossible for me to unclench my fists long enough to type out a response.

And before I start let me just say, "Fuck Sean Hannity and Sarah Palin!" There I feel a little better now.

This middle school nastiness starts off with Hannity playing clips of the President, and the devastation from Hurricane Sandy, followed by totally ludicrous and false charges that the President is treating this as nothing more than a "photo op" for political purposes.

At one point Hannity actually criticizes the President for the fact that FOUR DAYS after this storm, which flooded miles of tunnels and literally caused the Con-Ed power station to explode into a fireball, there are still places without power. Seriously?

He also claims that you can't see any FEMA help anywhere.

Yeah anywhere on Fox News that is! If you turn to other ACTUAL news stations you can see trucks arriving and people being helped all over the place.

Then he asks the worst Governor in Alaska history to take her shot as well and this was her incredibly disgusting and hypocritical response:

"So he got his photo ops out of that, unfortunately, because then he got to jet off, and you know here he goes again to party in Vegas with Jay Z, and..uh..quite unfortunate because, as you say Sean, people are truly suffering, and this isn't a time for politics, and I think that it's quite a shame that President Obama chose to seize THE opportunity, along with the complicit lapdogs in the media to make it a political statement."

Hang on I have to bang my head for a second.

Okay, back now. Let's see where do I even start?

For one thing right now the President is being lauded by virtually EVERYBODY who does not get their news solely from Fox for his quick and competent response to this disaster. For another thing, what kind of moron would ask freaking SARAH PALIN to weigh in on the appropriate response to a weather disaster that endangers human life?

Perhaps Hannity does not remember Emmonak? Or perhaps even more likely, Fox News never reported on what happened in that Alaskan community almost four years ago now on Sarah Palin's watch.

Here let me remind everybody.

In 2009 when the village of Emmonak, and other surrounding villages, found themselves without heating oil for their houses and on the verge of starvation, an Emmonak elder, Nick Tucker, reached out to Sarah Palin repeatedly for help.

When he received no answer he went public and had a letter published in the Bristol Bay Times outlining the dire nature of their situation. Four days later, after being publicly embarrassed by the Alaska bloggers and progressive community, she finally issued a less than satisfying response.

And then it was actually a whole month later, after the crisis had virtually ended, that she herself went out into the rural villages to hand out cookies as part of a photo op with Franklin Graham.

The kicker here is that Palin took her cookies and supplies to Russian Mission, which was NOT one the villages that had been asking for help. This forced Nick Tucker to travel all the way to Russian Mission to finally tell his governor face to face how much his people had been suffering.

Palin of course snubbed him and never did anything to address his concerns.

So essentially she "got her photo op" and then "jetted off."

And THIS is who Fox News brings in to criticize the President's response to this incredible catastrophe in the nation's largest community?

Let me just state again, for the record, "Fuck Sean Hannity and fuck Sarah Palin."

P.S. By the way, speaking of political opportunism, our friend Geoffrey Dunn has a great piece up over at HuffPo on Palin's last minute donation to Mitt Romney's failed campaign for the presidency.

You know I was actually thinking that perhaps Mitt Romney was a more horrible example of a human being than was Sarah Palin, but this interview reminded me that perhaps NOBODY will ever be able to take that title away from her. Nasty, nasty woman!

Sarah Palin often refers to Alaska as "America's Fort Knox" and claims it to be one of the "richest states." But REAL Alaskans do not see it that way.

Yesterday I post an interview that the Grizzled Mama did with Bill O'Reilly.

In the interview Palin once again makes the claim that Alaska is "America's Fort Knox."  This caught the attention of my friend Dennis Zaki who had been filming in rural Alaska back in 2009, before Palin quit as Governor.

Here is what he heard from the native Alaskans that he talked to about Sarah Palin.


Alaska Natives speak out about Sarah Palin from Dennis Zaki on Vimeo.

Now remember this is a woman who visited Haiti just ONCE and then suggested that America needed to do more by sending "airlifts" to help those poor destitute people. 

Well while she was our Governor she did NOTHING to help the Native community here is Alaska as they struggled through some of the harshest times in their recent memory. And when she finally flew out to "help" by bringing them cookies of all things, THIS is how she treated the people suffering in her state.

Just a reminder for anybody buying into Palin's new media image.

Emmonak's Nick Tucker demands apology from Palin administration.

From ADN reporter Kyle Hopkins:

Check out yesterday's post for more background, but back on Friday, Palin tweeted that there was good news coming out of her rural adviser's visit to the lower Yukon village of Emmonak.

"John Moller just returned from Emmonak, reports 50% of residents have subsistence needs met already, others confident they can do the same," she wrote.

And: "Good update re Rural Advisor John Moller's recnt Emmonak trip, great news he reports; we'll twitter assuming press won't pick up good news.

What was that good news? I asked Palin's spokeswoman, Sharon Leighow, today in an e-mail.

"The good news – At the Federal Subsistence meeting in Emmonak last week, Nick Tucker reported that 50 percent of the residents have met subsistence needs and other 50 percent are confident they will meet their needs," Leighow replied.

(Tucker drew statewide and national attention this winter when he wrote a letter describing a food and fuel crisis on the lower Yukon.)

Here's where it gets complicated. Tucker says he never said that and is demanding a public apology from the governor's camp.

“I want them to take it back," Tucker said in a short phone interview today.

“I’ve never said that. Ten times over, I’ve never said that. It was from one fisherman in Alakanuk," he said. "I do not believe that we in Emmonak – Emmonak never said that.”

Those of you who are long time readers of this, and other Alaskan blogs, are probably very familiar with Nick Tucker and his amazing letter that prompted an incredible outpouring of support which helped save the village of Emmonak and other Yukon Delta villages during extremely harsh times last winter.

Mr. Tucker is an extremely honest, no nonsense, fellow that speaks his mind when asked a question and does not put up with liars or people who make promises they do not intend to keep.

Trying to gain credibility by using Nick's name to fabricate a story about how well the people in Emmonak are doing was a huge mistake on the part of the Palin administration and one that is definitely going to bite them in the ass.

(By the way Dennis Zaki is working on videos of his interviews in Emmonak and I will try to get them up as soon as they become available. He also interviewed Nick Tucker about this issue.)

Palin tweets lies about Emmonak, with a little help from her new rural administrator John Moller. UPDATED!

So here is what Sarah Palin tweeted about the current situation in Emmonak:

According to Gov. Sarah Palin's posts on Twitter, half of the people in Emmonak have met subsistence needs and the other half believe they can do the same.

Palin says her rural advisor, John Moller, recently returned from Emmonak and those were his findings.

However THIS is our friend Martin Moore's take on the situation:

Emmonak's city manager, Martin Moore, says he's skeptical that as many people are doing as well as the Palin administration indicates.

With depleted king salmon runs and resulting cuts to subsistence and commercial fishing, he's not convinced food and financial opportunities are plentiful.

Not sure who to believe? Well don't you worry because the Alaska bloggers have their very own man, Dennis Zaki, right there in Emmonak to give us the straight poop.

Last week Palin Tweeted that Emmonak had 50% of their subsistance quota. I've heard all around town that that was false. So this morning I took a poll around town and John Moller is bullshitting everybody. Out 64 people polled, 5 said they have met their quota. 51 said they have less then 50% of their quota. The limited time of the openings are making it hard to fish. "the hell with Sarah Palin" is the best quote I got. These people get pissed when I tell them what Moller said about 50% having their quota.

Three people told me they can't fish because they don't have money to retrieve boat parts at the Post Office. They can't make money because they are commercial fishermen and with the fishery closed to commercial fishing, can't get a loan until it opens.

Story Two: Homeland Security hasn't paid the workers out here for flood work. They were supposed to be paid last Friday but were told the money was late getting deposited then and would be available Monday. I just ran into the pissed off workers outside the city office here and they were just told the money never was actually deposited. Those guys need the money to buy fuel tonight for the opening so they can go fishing. Lots of frustration here. They are getting BS from government all around. Natives getting lied to by government - sound familiar?

And THAT my friends is why we raised money to send Dennis back out to Emmonak and get the real story.

I just hope that our local newspapers and television stations are smart enough to contact Dennis and get the TRUTH from him instead of relying on the bullshit falling out of Palin's mouth again.

Update: ADN now has this story as well. (Scroll to the bottom to see the quote from Dennis.)

More Emmonak pictures from Dennis Zaki.

As many of you already know the Yukon Delta was hit by floods during breakup this year. In this picture you can see just how much damage it did to the banks of the river.

And here as well. According to Dennis the whole right side used to be covered in trees, about twenty feet of land was swept away by the flood waters.

The villagers try desperately to hold the flood waters at bay by gathering rocks and logs to keep the water from stealing huge chunks of land from their village.

This young lady is learning to cut fish for the first time. This is a skill that she will be called upon to use quite often as the people of Emmonak rely very heavily on fish for their survival.

Here you see Lenora Hootch showing the youngsters how it is done.

Thank you Dennis! These are amazing pictures!

First pictures from Emmonak!

Once again a great big thank you to those who donated and made this trip possible.

I will post updates from Dennis as they come in.

Look how happy those children are to have their pictures taken. So damn cute.

It is time to visit Emmonak again and check on how our friends are doing six months after our amazing food drive.

Our buddy Dennis Zaki wants desperately to return to Emmonak and film the circumstances that the people of Emmonak and the Yukon Delta continue to face despite the generous donations from the readers of this blog, Mudlats, and many others.

Below you can read the letter he sent out to all of us asking for our help.

Dear readers,

It is a matter of great urgency that I be in Emmonak ASAP. The Federal Subsistence Board has called a meeting with the Emmonak tribal leaders and residents to discuss the Yukon's king salmon subsistence and commercial fishing crisis. At the State meeting last January, I was not allowed to film. Residents later told me the State did not want that meeting on film.

The people of Emmonak have been prohibited from commercially fishing for early run King Salmon. Alaska, the feds, and the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council have chosen the marginal benefit of a few commercial pollock fishermen from Seattle over the livelihood of the villagers of Emmonak, and others of Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

The fact is indisputable that the salmon bycatch of Seattle's pollock fishermen is the direct cause of the steep and devastating decline of king salmon in the waters of Western Alaska. However, few, if any, of our state's government officials have the courage to bring up this topic on the record, presumably due to the fact that they would be championing the "hapless" Natives (not a new concept in our history) over the strong, wealthy, lobbyist-backed (non-Alaskan) pollock industry.

What this intolerable situation needs is to be brought to the attention of the American people, even as it is being swept under Alaska's political rug. A few months ago, when the heating fuel/food crisis in Emmonak first surfaced, I flew there with my camera and interviewed the victims of the crisis. My filming gave their plight national exposure on CNN and other national outlets. I want to follow up the story and do it again. We cannot let this problem just fade away as if our fellow Alaskans mean nothing. This is not just the problem of the villagers of Emmonak. As Alaskans, this is our problem just as much as it is theirs. (See: Lack of King salmon in the Deshka River, Ship Creek, Bird Creek, Kenai River, etc., etc.)

Help me get to Emmonak to do something about it. The trip will cost $1080. That is $720 airfair and 4 nights in the Emmonak hotel.

Dennis Zaki

You can find a donate button for Dennis on his site right here. I know that many of you have already given to help Celtic Diva and we all appreciate that. If you can give thank you, but if you cannot we completely understand as all of us have found ourselves stretched a little thin lately.

I believe that Dennis is going to do an amazing job of bringing the plight of the Yukon Delta people to the rest of the world so that all can see just how poorly our state takes care of those who were here originally. Just like he did last time.

UPDATE!!!

Dennis just called and he has enough money already! Thanks to everybody who donated!

If you did not get a chance you will have to wait until the next time because Dennis pulled his button off of his site already.

KUDO makes fatal business decision.

That lovely lady you see on the left is my friend CC.

She has been one of the most important progressive voices in Alaska for many years, and yesterday she lost her job.

Local progressive radio station KUDO has decided to rid itself of local talent and focus on national personalities like Rachel Maddow, Ron Reagan, Ed Schultz, etc. Apparently it was a "business decision", and it was a bad one.

In 2008 Nation magazine called CC the "MOST VALUABLE LOCAL MEDIA PERSONALITY". Here is the entire article:

When Sarah Palin stumbled onto the national stage, after her selection as John McCain's running-mate, everyone scrambled to figure out what was up with Alaska's governor. A lot of the lower-48 blogosphere (and the major media that followed its lead) obsessed about Palin's family life. But Anchorage radio host Camille Conte, who is universally known in Alaska as "CC," steered the discussion toward Troopergate--the scandal that proved Palin was not the reformer her supporters claimed but a Cheney-esque abuser of power. CC's daily "Cutting Edge" show on Anchorage's Air America affiliate, News-Talk 1080/KUDO: Alaska's Progressive Voice became required fare for journalists visiting the state--she had better access than anyone else to the key players, who trusted the veteran local host--and CC turned up on radio stations across the U.S. No one else contributed as much to 2008's Palintological studies.

But now her voice is silent.

Perhaps it is time to let everybody know just what an incredible loss that is to our state, to the local political scene, and to progressives everywhere.

CC was the spark that ignited the amazing response from local bloggers, and people around the world, to reach out and help the people of Emmonak. She was the one who called me and passionately spoke about how horrible it was that these people were suffering and that nobody was doing anything about it. I wrote about that conversation and the incredible result here. CC interviewed politicians about the crisis, she interviewed Nick Tucker and other native leaders about the crisis, and she even interviewed a few of our local progressive bloggers about the crisis. Myself included.

In the end there were a lot of kudos directed at the progressive blogger community, but they often forgot about CC's invaluable work and support for the people of Alaska.

But I did not forget.

During this last battle to stop Wayne Anthony Ross from being confirmed for the Attorney General position. Sarah Palin blamed the progressive bloggers for interfering and sabotaging that confirmation. Once again leaving CC out, who was working the story like a dog from the very beginning. She even mentioned that to me when I called in to her show, making a joke about it of course. It did not seem that people realized how important her contribution was to stopping a misogynistic pig like WAR from being our top lawman.

But I realized.

When it came time for Alaskans to form a PAC to help reveal the truth about the Troopergate investigation, CC was one of the brave Alaskans to sign her name to the paperwork, even though it meant revealing both her first and last name to potential detractors. Many people may not know how hard that was for her.

But I know.

You see CC was often the unheralded inspiration for a lot of what I and other of my progressive blogger friends wrote about the important issues facing our state. She is a font of information, and a passionate voice that often inspires us to take on important topics.

We need her. Alaska needs her. And I hope she comes back soon.

I put off writing this yesterday, because I wanted to talk to CC first. I have not been able to reach her thus far, but I want her to know that I am here for her, and I will help her in any way that I can. I know you visit here often Cees, we miss you already, call me.

And by the way KUDO, you are screwed. I only listened to you because CC was on the air. I am done now. It looks like the conservatives own the airwaves, but that is fine because WE own the internet.

The Emmonak story along with Dennis Zaki's footage is on CNN.

This was actually on "News to Me" both Saturday and Sunday.

I saw it for the first time on Sunday and I was very proud of Dennis.

You know when we raised money to send him to Emmonak we were not at all sure what would come of it, but Dennis has done us all proud by doggedly pursuing this story and finally getting national coverage of the unnecessary suffering of our fellow Alaskans.

And let me tell you that Dennis is by no means finished with this story.

Sarah Palin's public relations debacle in Russian Mission is beautifully disassembled by a professor of Anthropology in Kenai.

Gov. Palin billed her mercy mission to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to deliver food aid to hungry villagers as a faith-based partnership with Samaritan's Purse. Governments have been partnering with faith-based organizations since the days of Sheldon Jackson in the late 19th century to effect change in Native Alaska with mixed results, depending on your perspective.

This latest partnership was prompted by a letter from Nicholas Tucker of Emmonak, who alerted Alaska that some folks in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta faced the prospect of choosing between food and fuel this winter. Many Alaskans rose to the occasion. Donations came anonymously, without fanfare, from individuals and tribal, political, nonprofit and religious organizations to regional authorities like the Bethel-based Association of Village Council Presidents, who saw that aid got to the right people. At the request of Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich, the BIA has discreetly provided a huge amount of assistance.

But Samaritan's Purse chose a different path.

To bestow its charity, the fundamentalist Christian organization brought in its celebrity evangelist, Franklin Graham, along with Gov. Palin, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell and the Rev. Jerry Prevo, head of the Anchorage Baptist Temple, to create a media event of altruism. The showmanship of the relief flight to Russian Mission and Marshall maximized the social capital of Samaritan's Purse and provided a platform for the faith-based partnership between Franklin Graham and Gov. Palin. The alliance of Graham and Gov. Palin began during her vice presidential bid and will likely continue as Samaritan's Purse ramps up its Alaska operation, buying large tracts on the Kenai Peninsula as an apparent base for further missionary and political lobbying efforts for "Sarah 2012." The publicity also made the people in need feel small.

The reason most Alaskans provided monetary assistance anonymously is because they understand the nature of a gift, particularly in rural Alaska among people living in the subsistence tradition. Subsistence is not just about hunting and fishing for food. Subsistence is about sharing the wild food you got and processed with your own effort, giving the gift of sustenance a value-added quality by investing a part of yourself in it. The desire to repay the gift of a jar of personally caught, home-canned salmon is a willful obligation that becomes the glue that holds a community together and a motivating factor in the timeless dance of the seasons.

So when folks in the Y-K Delta receive a gift, it's a big deal. Giving food aid anonymously was the right thing, because that way there is no obligation to repay and it becomes an act of pure kindness toward a people temporarily in need. But Franklin Graham made a calculated, public display of giving, creating an obligation that must now be repaid by the Yup'ik of the villages. Obviously, Samaritan's Purse does not expect food in return, but they do expect access and influence and that, of course, has been one of several strategies of missionary activity since the advent of colonialism.

Gov. Palin used the Russian Mission event to promote a rural strategy encouraging young people to take week-on, week-off jobs in mining and the oil industry, thereby living in villages part time and receiving a good paycheck in an otherwise unstable economy. Many Native Alaskans already do work in resource jobs but this scenario does nothing to secure economic stability for the community, and the net result is still outmigration.

The Tundra Drums Web site posted a poignant exchange between Gov. Palin and Mr. Tucker recorded at the Russian Mission airport when Samaritan's Purse delivered their food packages. Tucker listened to the governor's week on/week off plan, and states, "Yes, I appreciate your help, but that's barely enough. We want to get restored back to who we are." By "who we are" I believe Mr. Tucker means a proud, dignified, independent people nurtured by the bonds of community and the place of their ancestors.

Tucker had earlier stated, "The thing is this (food relief) is a temporary help ... but we need sustainable jobs, fisheries. ..."

Of course he's right.

In the short run, the state can use its influence to minimize the impact of Bering Sea factory trawler ships on village-dependent salmon returns. And in the long run Alaska can enact a policy making affordable instate energy a cost of doing business in Alaska for oil companies.

Alaskans should never have to choose between food and fuel.

Alex Boraas, is a professor of Anthropology at the Kenai Penninsula College in Alaska.

Nick Tucker's response to the dismissive attitude he endured while meeting with Governor Palin.

Nick Ticker had to fly from his village of Emmonak to Russian Mission to finally get a chance to talk to the Governor, and to give her his heartbreaking letter which brought national attention to the crisis in the Yukon Delta. Here is the video of that meeting:



And here is what Nick Tucker wrote about his feelings afterward.

First off. I am outraged.

Think of this: Did Martin Moore and I have to go meet Gov. Sarah Palin there in Russian Mission and Marshall? Why did she not come here to Emmonak?

I don't have the latest figures, but Martin had told me that there are over 20,000 people in our region, the Wade Hampton district. If at least 50 percent are employable and are not working, where are these 10,000 young and older men and women going to exodus in trying to find jobs; who has 10,000 jobs available?

I felt like Governor Palin treated Emmonak with most disregard and disrespect by not coming here where it all started. Instead, we had to go up to Russian Mission to meet her and followed her to Marshall.

I was there. About whom and to whom was she referring that top leadership in what village(s) should be changed? This is a blow to all rural villages telling each one of us that our past and current leadership isn't worth being there!

Why and on what basis? This message is dismal, not of hope. How do I take things?
Here, I had a person whom I voted for and who turns around and stabs us? I tell you, I want things done for Emmonak. And now, for all rural villages. We deserve better than that — respect.

(You can read the letter in its entirety by clicking the title at the top of the page.)

Nick Tucker has become a symbol of Alaskan natives today, and a very dignified symbol at that. By contrast Governor Palin has become the very symbol of the arrogant, apathetic government in Alaska. Her actions are a reflection of just how poorly these proud people have been treated for hundreds of years, and is the living embodiment of what is wrong with how those of European descent view the indigenous people of North America.

It is time for new leadership in Alaska, and to start taking a critical look at how those in power have treated the people whose land they have so callously usurped. Surely we have evolved enough to recognize that our behaviors of the past must not be repeated in the future.

I am very pleased with some who are currently in leadership positions in Alaska, like Lisa Murkowski who helped get Emmonak $20,000 in aid and promised more to come. And future leaders like Walt Monegan, who is part native himself and who wrote about the coming crisis in the rural villages years before Nick Tucker's letter gained national attention.

So there is hope for how the native people are to be respected by the government in the future, but clearly Sarah Palin is NOT part of that healing process. As if we needed another reason to vote her out of office at the next available opportunity, THIS one should be the final nail in her political coffin.

(BTW I must give a hat tip to my good friend AKM, over at Mudflats, for the heads up concerning this letter by Mr. Tucker.)

Senator Lisa Murkowski provides REAL relief to the village of Emmonak.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced today that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has released $20,000 that the Emmonak Tribal Council requested to help residents who are struggling with high home heating fuel and food costs this winter.

Emmonak had requested $20,000 in emergency assistance and the BIA signed off on the funding today.

"I had asked BIA at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing in January to find assistance to help Emmonak residents get through the winter, and I am glad to see that the agency has finally responded," Murkowski said. "A poor fishing season this year combined with sky high fuel prices left many families facing the tough decision of whether to put food on the table or heat their homes.

"As ranking member of the Senate Energy Committee and as a member of the Indian Affairs panel, I remain committed to finding ways to provide long-term, affordable energy solutions for rural Alaska."

A BIA official today confirmed that the funds are being transferred to the agency’s Alaska office, which will forward them to the Emmonak Tribal Council for distribution to local families.

"If Emmonak residents discover that they need additional funds to make it through the rest of the winter, I will be glad to support their request and the requests of other villages experiencing similar difficulties," Murkowski said.

It is worth noting that Murkowski did this without having a camera around to record her doing her job, or without having a Christian charitable group like Samaritan's Purse to do the real work for her while she acted like a spokesmodel for rural relief.

Murkowski also did this without acting contemptuous toward the man who first brought this crisis to the public's attention.




Go ahead and compare Sarah Palin's phony attempts to address this terrible problem to Senator Murkowski's very real and effective solutions to the difficulties faced by the citizens of Emmonak.

There have been a lot of rumors surrounding the fact that Governor Palin has her eye on Murkowski's Senate seat in 2010, but if you are a Republican ask yourself who do you really want representing you in the Senate? The vacuous and emotionally remote Sarah Palin, or the less glamorous problem solver Lisa Murkowski?

I will tell you right now that if the Democrats do not come up with a strong contender for 2010 that Senator Murkowski can certainly count on my support against Sarah Palin. It will be my pleasure to help her campaign.

Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski help bring real and immediate relief to Emmonak and other hard hit villages.

Traveling to Bethel with U.S. Sen. Mark Begich today, Bureau of Indian Affair’s (BIA) regional director for Alaska, Niles Cesar, announced the BIA will provide emergency financial assistance to help residents in Emmonak struggling with the price of fuel.

At a video conference arranged with several villages through the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, Cesar told participants that the BIA has agreed to waive eligibility rules so more people in Emmonak can receive assistance of up to $1,000.

"I am extremely pleased that the BIA has answered Senator Lisa Murkowski and my request for assistance to help these residents get through the winter," Sen. Begich said. 'This is not a long-term solution, but it’s a step in the right direction. I am hopeful the State of Alaska will step in and help solve this for the future." (Don't hold your breath Mark.)

Sen. Begich arranged the meeting in Bethel today and asked BIA officials to go with him. Cesar said the assistance may range from $400 to $1,000 depending on a person’s income. He didn’t know how many people would eventually receive the extra help, but said the average person will receive around $500.

Cesar also said his office is requesting the wavier be made available to 56 villages in Western Alaska and to 11 villages in the Northwest Arctic. Sen. Begich endorsed the request to expand the waiver to help more villages.

Yeah I wish it were more money per household, and I am sure that it will end up being much more, but the main point is that our two Senators did SOMETHING. And you know what? They did it in a bipartisan way.

And meanwhile we have Governor Sarah and a planeload of Christian evangelists setting out tomorrow en route to the WRONG VILLAGES for a carefully coordinated photo-op.

Oh yeah THAT is effective leadership!

As our Governor sits on her hands waiting for the bad publicity to blow over, Middle School kids in Anchorage gather supplies for the Yukon Delta.

The other day I heard on local progressive radio station KUDO about a local Middle school that had organized a food drive to provide relief for Emmonak and other villages suffering in the Yukon Delta.

I decided to swing by Hanshew Middle School on my way to work and had the good fortune to talk to the two teachers who were responsible for the food drive.

What I learned is that Sharon Herrell and Lee Butterfield were both very touched by the story they heard on KUDO, and local television station KTUU, concerning Emmonak. During a casual conversation the topic came up and they agreed that they should discuss it in their respective classrooms.

They found that the youngsters in their classes were just as concerned as they had been and wanted to know what could be done. This quickly turned into a food drive, they then reached out to Fed-Ex and were able to arrange free air delivery of their donations, and now they are planning to send it off later this week. (Now changed to next week.)

Mr. Butterfield shared with me that one young girl, who is living in near poverty in a trailer with SEVENTEEN other people, brought in three boxes of food all on her own. He said that many others had also reached deep and brought in as much as they could spare. As we were standing there talking he received another plastic grocery bag to add to the collection.

I was immediately struck by the fact that these were kids 14 and 15 years old. If there is any time in our lives when we are more ego centric and selfish I cannot imagine when that is. And yet here these kids were, unconcerned by how cool it may look, or if it would further their social status, instead they were putting the needs of others ahead of their own. It was awe inspiring.

As proud as I am of the progressive bloggers in Alaska, I am equally proud of the other generous people in our community and around the world who put their own concerns aside and reached out to help their fellow man.

It definitely gives me hope for the future of our country. And in the leaders of tomorrow.

If you would like to send donations to the Hanshew Middle School Food Drive, the address is 10121 LAKE OTIS PKWY Anchorage, Alaska 99507. Please make the donations non-perishable items so they will not go bad before they can be sent to those in need.

(I just got off of the phone with Mr. Butterfield and convinced him to extend the deadline for another week, so they will now be accepting donations until the end of next week.)

And just to end this post let me remind all of you again that this is another group of generous people who are doing for their fellow Alaskans what our Governor is too busy, too uninterested, or too ineffective to do herself. Sarah Palin created this vacuum and thankfully these children are working to help fill it.

Listen to the Emmonak story as told by CNN reporer Mallory Simon.

Many of you will no doubt notice that the video accompanying this piece is from our friend Dennis Zaki.

I also must mention that I am having significant trouble with the CNN embeds. So if you cannot get the video to work then just click the title and go to the story on the CNN website.

Emmonak story makes front page of CNN.com

Wow this is huge! We have been pushing this story as hard as we can hoping that a national media outlet would pick it up and now it has!

Most of the credit has to go to Dennis Zaki who bravely flew out to the village of Emmonak, having no idea what awaited him, earned the trust of the villagers, filmed their story, became violently sick after drinking tap water before boarding a plane back to Anchorage, and has been tirelessly shopping his footage around until CNN offered to buy it. Now that my friends is selfless dedication to a cause!

And of course we must give a shout out to the many bloggers who pushed this story as well. Mudflats, Progressive Alaska, Diva's Blue Oasis, Alaska Real, Alaska News, and of course this site did a lot of the early heavy lifting to get this story out.

But none of it could have happened without the generous donations from visitors to this blog and others who contributed their hard earned money to help ease the suffering of the people of the Yukon Delta and helped to send Dennis out there to bring back this footage.

You can be proud.

Update: The story is also now on ADN.

More video from Dennis Zaki broadcast on CNN.