Alaska Lawmakers Sue Constituents

Once there was a time when our elected officials actually represented the people that elected them. These officials worked to better the lives of Alaskans and to protect the valuable lands that we have all come to appreciate. But those times appear to be no more as once again the desires of the people have been challenged and the desires of an outside foreign company have been assumed.

Alaska's lawmakers have filed a lawsuit to invalidate the recent results from the Save Our Salmon (SOS) Initiative that passed on Oct. 17^th 2011 that could possibly stop the massive Pebble Mine located in the midst's one of the world's largest most productive salmon fisheries. The initiative would oversee any new permits for developments that would impact salmon-producing streams in the region.

The lawsuit alleges the Save Our Salmon initiative assumes and conflicts with the state's authority to govern the management and development of mineral resources in Alaska. What the suit really says is that the people of the Lake and Peninsula Borough do not have the right to their own lands and resources.

No matter what state were from, we all have seen the signs protecting fish spawning habitat like those from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that protect salmon habitat throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. What's the purpose of those signs or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if the interests of a foreign company are protected over the salmon habitat? And would not the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trump the state of Alaska legislators making them mute in this anyway? This initiative is about overseeing and development that would destroy or degrade salmon habitat in the Bristol Bay watershed. The people are in favor, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in favor, our elected officials are not, why?

This brings us to another controversial topic in Alaska these days, voting. We are told that by casting our vote that we have our voices heard, we are told that it is our constitutional right to be able to cast our vote in issues related to our lives, lands and livelihoods. Well the people of the Lake and Peninsula Borough did just that and look at the results. Once again the people's voices were gagged and our elected officials proceeded to do as they pleased. What's their reason for resisting the people?

So going to the voting booths did the people an injustice. They were shunted and made to feel foolish for believing in a system filled will heartbreaking controversy. This brings many to wondering, is voting just a placebo put into place to make us believe we still have a say in our own destinies? Actions like these enlighten us to why Alaska has such a low voter turnout. It seem that less than 20% is the normal these days yet on this extremely volatile subject the Lake and Peninsula Borough saw about a 57 percent turn-out.

NOTE: The Pebble Partnership, developers of the controversial Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska, spent more on Alaska lobbyist salaries than anyone else last year. The Pebble Partnership paid out $378,000.00 to four of the professional lobbyists at the Capitol in Juneau. The purpose of these lobbyists is to influence the state's lawmakers in favor of their client's wishes.

How Much Gold For Your Vote?

What will a $14 million advertising budget buy in Alaska? A question we all need to be asking ourselves when we see the latest volley of propaganda hitting us on television, in the newspapers and on the radio. Have you noticed a change in the opinions of these communication mediums? Well we surely have and it was not unexpected today. Money is said to be the root of all evil. It is the leading cause of divorces in America, money woes are attributed to the greater part of suicides as well as criminal behavior. Hardly an area of our society is not impacted by its extensive reach. Our government is continually at odds with the people and their desires, increasingly in the news are reports of criminal deal making, back room politics, money laundering and more all to do with our government officials and big money. Are they selling us out? How much were we worth?

This week we have heard more pompous misinformation then before relating to mining and the Pebble Project in general. For us to believe the deceitful information being spread about, we would have to shun away the years of heartaches from seeing some of our favorite childhood recreation areas turned into toxic wastelands from years of small releases as well as accidents from upstream mining operations that released toxic waste and chemicals into the water.

Examples of Mining in the 21st Century.

Take Lake Roosevelt in Washington State as one current and ongoing example of the long term effects associated with large scale mining.

Though the dumping stopped more than a 10 years ago, litigation in the courts continues as to who will clean up the 26 billion pounds of hazardous waste, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury, copper, lead and zinc, from a Canadian smelter just a short 10 miles across the Washington State - Canadian border that has turned the favorite recreational playground located behind Grand Coulee Dam on the massive Columbia River into an environmental nightmare. By some estimates, cleanup of this environmental mess could exceed $1 billion dollars.

Quote from a recreational user; If you had this kind of pollution in Lake Washington or Puget Sound, there would be much louder outcry for justice.

Former EPA officials fear that it will be taxpayers, not Teck Cominco, who will pay for the clean-up.

Background Read:
Grand Coulee Dam Grand Coulee Dam, Bureau of Reclamation
Unsafe levels of toxins in the fish CBC News Dec 15, 2003
Mess in Lake Roosevelt Tri City Herald Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008
Politics and Enviromental Law McClatchy Newspapers  Feb. 17 2008

Northern Dynasty Marketing Dollars at Work

Its easy to find people ready to hail your words when you wave 14 Million dollars at them. Have you seen the flood of people accepting the soiled dollars long before the evidence is in. This is a time for long-suffering. A time when we must stand our grounds for what we truly believe in. Don't fault Northern Dynasty, it is up to us as Alaskans as to what is to be done with the minerals safely tucked away in our lands. If your willing to give them away for a wish and a prayer of riches not yet seen then that's your prerogative. Personally, seven tenths of one percent is not much compared to the 99.3% received by outside, foreign companies.

The Pebble Mine project is located on land owned by the State of Alaska. Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. of Vancouver, Canada, developer of the Pebble Mine, holds 153 square miles of state land for mining claims within the Bristol Bay Watershed.