WAR Ends Before He Begins

Well, almost. He did have two and a half weeks as AG, so I guess technically, WAR did begin. But let’s not get caught up with technicalities. I mean, let’s remember what he said about legal vs. illegal:

“It seems to me the most important thing that can be done by the Senate is not argue with legal or illegal but to appoint somebody to represent Juneau.”

Right. Let’s not worry about the details here, folks. Let’s just do what She says.

I have never been so proud of my Legislators before. In fact, I believe they deserve a round of applause! (Imagine all of the people in Alaska who have come together in solidarity against this confirmation in the past week standing and clapping together. The noise would be deafening!)

These Legislators deserve to be thanked, and I will be writing to each of them to express how happy I am that they voted to protect our beautiful state from Wayne Anthony Ross.

Senators:
Republicans (3): Stedman, Waggoner, Stevens.
Democrats (9): Davis, Ellis, French, Hoffman, Kookesh, Olson, Paskvan, Thomas, Wielechowski

Representatives:
Republicans (6): Austerman, Chenault, Johansen, Seaton, Thomas, Wilson.
Democrats (17): Buch, Cissna, Crawford, Doogan, Edgmon, Gara, Gardner, Gruenberg, Guttenberg, Herron, Holmes, Joule, Kawasaki, Kerttula, Petersen, Salmon, Tuck.

Our Republican friends above deserve an extra special award for standing up against their party, their Governor, and the tens of thousands of Alaskans who believed Ross should have been the AG. A pat on the back to Senate President Gary Stevens for doing what he felt was right and voting no.

A tip of the hat to everyone who wrote, called, and/or emailed to express their opposition this week. It obviously had an impact:

From ADN:

Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, said Ross’ involvement in the fight between Palin and lawmakers over the open state Senate seat had an impact. It was also a case of lawmakers hearing an increasing public opposition to Ross in recent days, said Stevens, who had indicated just a day earlier that he would vote for Ross but didn’t.

You see? What we think does matter, as long as we make ourselves heard. We saw this during Troopergate, and we’re seeing it now. The key is to be involved. Our Legislators know now that we are serious and we are paying attention. We have the names of the those that felt the need to support WAR. Their votes are on the books and we will remember their names.

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Questioning WAR

Today, Wayne Anthony Ross, Palin’s pick for AG, was questioned before the Alaska State Legislature.

One of my favorite people in Juneau, Bill Wielechowski did me proud:

Anchorage Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowski brought up previous Ross statements, including saying the idea of Native sovereignty is a 19th century principle, and using words like “immoral,” and “degenerates” in a letter to the state bar association newsletter during a fight over gay rights in 1993.

“Some of the things that you’ve said are extremely divisive and I don’t think help us as a state move forward. And I don’t know that right now, at this time in our state, it’s in our best interest to have such a divisive figure,” he said.

After a quick search of Ross’ law firm website, Ross & Miner, I found a treasure trove of information about his interests and his background. Ross was a regular columnist for The Anchorage Times, a now out-of-print newspaper, and also wrote for other publications, such as Guns & Ammo, All Alaska Weekly, The Anchorage Daily News and The Alaska Bar Rag. The articles Ross has written run the not-so wide gamut between guns, politics, hunting, and family values.

Some of my favorite titles are:

“It Is Time We Quit Crying Over The Oil Spill”, The Anchorage Times, 17 September 1989. (The oil spill was on March 24th, 1989. He wrote this article a mere six months later.)

“Proponents Of Abortion Are Doomed To Lose”, The Anchorage Times, 14 May 1989.

“We’d Have Heroes If Media Lightened Up”, The Anchorage Times, 3 November 1991. (Sound familiar?)

“Your Lips Tell Me ‘No! No!’ But There’s ‘Yes! Yes!’ In Your Legislation”, All Alaska Weekly, 6 June 1986. (What??)

” Animal Activists Real Enemy”, The Anchorage Times, 2 December 1990.

“KKK ‘ Art’ Project Gets’ A’ For Courage”, The Anchorage Times, December 1991.

“Laws That Ban Firearms Are Exercises In Futility”, The Anchorage Times, 5 March 1989.

“False! False! False!”, Supplement to The Anchorage Daily News, 6 November 2000. (?)

“Bush Achievements Many”, Anchorage Daily News, 29 August 1992.

“ANCSA Deserves The Golden Fleece Award”, The Anchorage Times, 26 Apri11987. (ANCSA: Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act)

So, as I learn more about Sir Wayne Anthony Ross (remember, he’s been knighted by the Vatican- another reason I find him distasteful), I find him that much more abhorrent. Like CC said on the AM1080 yesterday, “This is the best we can do??”

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Who is Wayne Anthony Ross?

Before Sarah Palin appointed Wayne Anthony Ross yesterday for Attorney General, I have to admit I’d never heard of Wayne Anthony Ross. I guess I just wasn’t paying attention. Apparently he ran for Governor in 1998 and has been a man-on-the-scene for a long time here in Alaska. In order to get to know this “big man with eyes that glint in a face that shifts seamlessly from humor to exasperation, to astonishment or outrage, and usually back to humor”, I looked online. ADN.com has posted several articles about Ross, from 1998, 1995 and 1989. Here are a few quotes from these articles that really say a lot about the man.

Patriotic
”He wants Alaskans to get to be Alaskans again instead of under the thumbs of the feds,” retired state trooper Fred Angleton said before heading out for another round of door-to-door campaigning in Soldotna. ”He stands up for what it means to be an American. Patriotism and love of the flag.”

Conservative
“Ross, despite a reputation for colorful remarks and occasional flamboyance, brings to the race a conventional conservatism. It reflects his career as a family law attorney, his years in the party, his religious faith and his love of guns and hunting. Stronger parental rights. No more taxes. No constitutional amendment on subsistence hunting and fishing. Back-to-basics education. More mining and logging. Fewer regulations. And less government — except for more police and prisons.”

Pro-Life
“He’s a churchgoing Roman Catholic and considers it the state’s duty to protect life. He said he does not favor more laws attempting to restrict abortion but that the government should try to persuade women to bear their babies. If they can’t or won’t raise them, many other people would love to, he said.”

”’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 said.”

Detail Oriented
“He wants the state to build and fix roads, not bike and pedestrian paths like those that parallel the new section of the Parks Highway near Willow. His campaign flier says, ”We ought to be spending pothole-repair money on potholes, not new nature trails.’ When it was pointed out that the state does not spend maintenance funds to build trails — that most trails are part of the federal highway funding package — he acknowledged he was uniformed about the details.”

Sensitive
“Ross worked briefly for the attorney general’s office in Anchorage then for four years as Family Court master, sort of a junior judge handling domestic cases. He claims he once had a deadbeat dad arrested at his father’s funeral and another as he came down the aisle after getting married.”

Values Education
”Mom would get upset, ” said his oldest son, Greg. ”But if school opened on the first of September, guess what? The Ross kids would not be there. We’d be hunting with dad.”

Humble
“He enjoys confounding people and loves being the center of attention.”

“Like David Copperfield, Ross is determined to be the hero of his own life, painting his public portrait in extremes and reveling in the reaction. His personalized ”WAR” license plate is instantly recognizable; directions to his home include reference to a drawbridge and ”the moat, ” neither of which is strictly true.”

”He’s arrogant and opinionated, ” Mendel said. ”He shows up (in court) with his cowboy boots and cowboy hat and doesn’t stand up when the judge comes in. . . . He has a very definite view of the world.”

“He thrives on confrontation.”

”He can dig in and be very belligerent, say there’s my way and no way, ” said Close.

Respects Diversity
“During a fight several years ago over gay rights, 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.”

After learning about Ross, I think I now know why Palin picked him. She’s trying to make up for the Supreme Court pick she was forced into this month. It was a gift to her base, wrapped in a big, red, camouflage-covered Hummer. They must be piddling themselves with excitement.

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