Monday, June 29, 2009

We Had Our Fill of Baghdad Bob - When Will We Have Enough of Emmonak John?

John Moller, Alaska Rural Affairs Advisor to Gov. Sarah Palin, apparently under enormous pressure, has posted a video at the State of Alaska web site, that the state is purporting to back Gov. Palin's contention that subsistence needs are legally being met in the lower Yukon River, as the summer of 2009 inexorably sweeps up and down a river that has nurtured hundreds of communities for thousands of years.

The video is of an older gentleman, who is picking up some fish that apparently have been donated or owed to him. Who he got them from is unclear [update - there may be clarification in the comments & The Mudflats may be offering a transcript today], but it doesn't appear he caught them himself.

He wasn't subsistence fishing at the time Moller interviewed him. But, like most people in Emmonak or in Western Alaska, he was willing to happily, honestly engage in conversation with a visitor to his community.

Moller turned the footage over to Palin's people, who are now calling it proof of "Subsistence in Emmonak." Unfortunately, it is far more true than these pathetic acolytes of Palin realize. One might posit that the future "subsistence" regime for this magnificent culture that Moller misrepresents here is one of happy people picking up their handouts. Sick, huh?

Here's the link.


Baghdad Bob lost his job.

As long as our media keeps being more interested in bringing in $$$$ to Palin during the final hours of the second fundraising quarter of 2009 than in truly representing what is happening on the Yukon, and in other Alaska Native communities, and in the Alaska bush in general, Moller and Palin will keep their jobs.

Perhaps, they'll even prosper.

hat tip to FarfromFenway Fan

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Phil for explaining re the vid on gov site. There is no way 3 fish could be considered to provide for a family for winter. I don't fish and I know that. Moller has shit for brains.

You mention BB lost his job. So that is the "personal leave" excuse they used to sneak him out the back door. So much for the attempted cover up.

Alaska may be a vast area, but it doesn't mean these things can be slipped under people's noses hoping we won't notice. They'll never learn.

Let us know if there's anything we can do. There has to be more light shed on this. Not that she would realize, but if it has to be by embarrassing her in MSM or whatever, say the word as this issue has to be addressed now together with the flood rebuild prior to winter.

There should be an amendment correctly explaining that video on the gov site as it is like false advertising -- totally misrepresents the issue.

Philip Munger said...

"There should be an amendment correctly explaining that video on the gov site as it is like false advertising -- totally misrepresents the issue."

I thought I did that in the post.

Anonymous said...

Phil aka Nighthawk!
My ref to the amendment was meant to be for the vid on the gov's site as it is misleading.

You did explain it here.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Aussie Blue Sky said...

Phil, the man explained that he had been given the fish by the game wardens who were unloading their boat in the background. He mentioned that the game wardens were happy to give the fish to old folks like him who couldn't get out and fish.

But the "subsistence" question is clearly a "gotcha" from Moller. No Alaskan is going to deliberately call 3-5 smallish fish "subsistence".

And I doubt a few strained seconds of footage with one person is going to convince anyone of mass satisfaction with the season - no matter how much Mrs Palin tries to lie about it. It's her "we didn't have health care" lie all over again.

BUT - shame on Moller for his manipulations.

sauerkraut said...

**** NEWS ALERT ****

Please pass this on to the folk(s) who had their ethics complaint dismissed due to announcing their intent to file…

from http://www.pennlive.com

Federal judge rules state Ethics Commission ban on discussing complaints against public officials violates free speech
by Pete Shellem, Of The Patriot-News
Monday June 29, 2009, 4:47 PM

A federal judge has ruled that the state Ethics Act’s ban on publicizing filings against state officials is likely unconstitutional and has granted a temporary injunction to a local activist who was fined for violating it.

District Judge Christopher C. Conner granted the injunction to Middle Paxton Township activist Gene Stilp, who was charged with violating the act after he announced he filed a complaint against former House Majority Leader William DeWeese based upon a newspaper article that accused DeWeese of spending $290,000 in tax money on political polls.

Within a day, the State Ethics Commission ruled there was not enough evidence in Stilp’s complaint to conduct an investigation and instead charged Stilp with violating the act by publicizing the filing of his complaint. On Oct. 16, Stilp entered into an agreement with the commission in which he admitted violating the act and agreed to pay a $500 fine. Stilp then filed suit in federal court to enjoin the commission from enforcing that provision of the act, saying it was a violation of his right to free speech.


Feel free to pass this on to Palin’s folks who’ve yapped about how filers have violated the law. …


word verification: wailin. as in wailin palin.

Anonymous said...

IMO, Moller understood the situation while talking to the elder but slanted his words to get footage to support Gov. Palin's stance. To exploit the politeness of an elder for political gain is despicable.

Anonymous said...

Again the issue is CDQ money per capita in that town

How much? Where does it go?



Aren't bloggers Accountability people? Sheesh

Philip Munger said...

Anon - bloggers are accountability people with jobs, families and lives beyond blogging. Some of us even have more than one job, and civic responsibilities.

You can always start your own blog, or - as Ray Metcalfe did - go to the FBI.

Aleut Granddaughter said...

I am steaming mad over this video and what it represents of John Moller's attention span & (lack of) smarts. Get rid of the creep and donate his $80 plus /per yr salary to a good project in the bush.

Rural Adviser, my a$$! Rural AK Liar is more like it.

Anonymous said...

The story IS bycatch and CDQ compensation! Palin and her minions being idiots is an old story ad nauseam

Here is a story: CDQ was a bad deal for SW coastal lowland Natives but they still take the checks!

AK "progressive" blogs are entertaining at best

Unknown said...

Darn that ol' internet anyways.

And here Palin and her crew thought they could control the media and keep everyone in the dark and then someone has to go and blab and make the facts available to everyone, even those outside of Alaska.

Shoot.

Stalin had it so sweet, didn't he?

Northern Light said...

What a bunch of garbage. I am mad that Moller, a native, used an elder like that. When AFN comes around I will do everything in my power to condemn him. As an Alaskan Native,I say using an elder for blatant government propaganda purposes is as low as you can go. This needs to be publicized so the Native community can speak out.

Anonymous said...

When an elder says something the creepy left doesn't like, he/she is being used.

When a child holds a sign the creepy left doesn't like, he/she is being used.

The inference being that the elder or child obviously is too unsophisticated to understand what is happening. If they were as sophisticated as the creepy left, they would hate Palin and every one who works for her.

Philip Munger said...

anon,

I clearly stated that the video's purported message was manipulated, most likely, without the older gentleman's knowledge.

I can help you sign up for a reading comprehension class if you wish. Depending upon your circumstances, you may qualify for a free class.

Anonymous said...

"I can help you sign up for a reading comprehension class if you wish. Depending upon your circumstances, you may qualify for a free class."

More elitist snobbery from the creeply left.

the problem child said...

I wonder, do the game wardens give out the fish they seize from poachers to the elders? If so, perhaps the gentleman in question is antipating that the civil disobedience on the river, combined with the game wardens seizures will result in him getting his subsistance needs?

Going out on a limb, as neither the audio nor the transcript makes sense.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:24 wrote: "More elitist snobbery from the creeply left."

No, I think you get the official Creeply Award all by yourself.

Tallimat said...

I ask, why is it, that only slimball republicans have a perpensity to mis-represent rural elders?

Why the hell is that?




Thank you Phill,
annoy-mouse

Tallimat said...

Phill I know it is a nice evening, but I hope your around to bounce a opinion off of... or anyone else out there...

If the state of alaska issues a citation to the Marshall subsistence fisherman, then would the fishing violation ticket be the hard evidence for the state being in violation of Title VIII ANICLA?

The waters are closed to subsistence, due to the Canada-Alaska fish treaty, which basically says the enough fish has to reach Canada for fruitful long lasting spawn results.

But Title VIII of ANILCA also states:

JUDICIAL ENFORCEMENT
§807. (a) Local residents and other persons and organizations aggrieved a failure of the State or the Federal Government to provide for the priority for subsistence uses set forth in §804 (or with respect to the State as set forth in a State law of general applicability if the State has fulfilled the requirements of §805(d)) may, upon exhaustion of any State or Federal (as appropriate) administrative remedies which may be available, file a civil action in the United States District Court for the District of Alaska to require such actions to be taken as are necessary to provide for the priority.

Here is the link:
http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/anilca/toc.html


So does anyone out there think this civil disobidience in Marshall will directly lead to the state not being in compliance with ANICA, again?

Anonymous said...

We Had Our Fill of Baghdad Bob - When Will We Have Enough of Emmonak John?.......

___________________
Julie
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