Palin's rural adviser quits
By ANNE SUTTON
The Associated Press
Monday, October 13, 2008; 10:04 PM
JUNEAU, Alaska -- Gov. Sarah Palin's rural adviser resigned Monday amid criticism of the governor's record on hiring Alaska Natives.
Rhonda McBride, who is not an Alaska Native, made the announcement in an e-mail to several Native leaders, saying there needs to be more Native voices in Palin's administration.
"I definitely think it would help to have an Alaska Native in this position," McBride told The Associated Press.
Many Alaska Natives have said they felt neglected when Palin, now the Republican vice presidential nominee, made appointments to her administration, including the rural adviser post.
State Sen. Al Kookesh, a Democrat, said Palin left the position unfilled her first year in office and ignored Native leaders' suggestions on the selection process.
"We were really disappointed when an Alaska Native wasn't appointed," said Kookesh, a Tlingit Indian who held the job in a previous administration.
Natives bristled early in Palin's administration when she named a white woman to a game board seat held by a Native for more than 25 years. An Athabascan Indian eventually was named to the post after protests.
Relations worsened after Palin didn't remove a game board chairman who once suggested that Alaska Natives missed a meeting because they were drinking beer, seen as insensitive since the Alaska Native community has high rates of alcohol abuse.
Alaska Natives make up about 20 percent of the population.
Palin's husband, Todd, is part Yup'ik Eskimo, and her 13-member cabinet includes two Alaska Natives.
"In all honesty, I have never felt authentic in my role," McBride wrote in her e-mail, a copy of which was obtained by the AP.
McBride, who covered rural issues as a reporter before becoming rural adviser last year, said she would return to journalism to help bring attention to Native issues.
She said her last day would be Oct. 23.
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I LOVE SPAIN!!! I am a PROUD AMERICAN!
I wonder how many Americans hold a passport? With stamps other than Cancun or Puerto Vallarta?
Pre 9-11 only 5% held a passport!
YIKES! Looks like Palin was one of them that did not!
Bizarre McCain Remarks Appear To Reject Spain As Ally
stein@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting From DC
Late Wednesday night, news made its way from the other side of the Atlantic that John McCain, in an interview with a Spanish outlet, had made a series of bizarre responses to a question regarding that country's prime minister.
"Would you be willing to meet with the head of our government, Mr. Zapatero?" the questioner asked, in an exchange now being reported by several Spanish outlets.
McCain proceeded to launch into what appeared to be a boilerplate declaration about Mexico and Latin America -- but not Spain -- pressing the need to stand up to world leaders who want to harm America.
"I will meet with those leaders who are our friends and who want to work with us cooperatively," according to one translation. The reporter repeated the question two more times, apparently trying to clarify, but McCain referred again to Latin America.
Finally, the questioner said, "Okay, but I'm talking about Europe - the president of Spain, would you meet with him?" The Senator offered only a slight variance to his initial comment. "I will reunite with any leader that has the same principles and philosophy that we do: human rights, democracy, and liberty. And I will confront those that don't [have them]."
The implication seemed fairly clear: McCain was refusing to commit to meet with Zapatero, the "socialist" party leader, whose country is a member of NATO and intricately involved in many of America's global financial and national security objectives.
Already, several explanations are being offered to explain McCain's statements. As Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo opined: "The great majority [of those who have weighed in] appear to think the McCain was simply confused and didn't know who Zapatero was -- something you might bone up on if you were about to do an interview with the Spanish press. The assumption seems to be that since he'd already been asked about Castro and Chavez that McCain assumed Zapatero must be some other Latin American bad guy. A small minority though think that McCain is simply committed to an anti-Spanish foreign policy since he's still angry about Spain pulling it's troops out of Iraq."
If, in fact, that latter group is correct and McCain was just putting voice to an adversarial stance, it could be as quizzical as if he didn't know Zapatero's name in the first place. Indeed, such a take on U.S.-Spain relations puts McCain in a far more hard-lined position than even the Bush administration, which has warmed to the Spanish leader after a rocky initial period. Indeed, the State Department's website touts the Zapatero government, which came to power in April 2004, for supporting "coalition efforts in Afghanistan" as well as "reconstruction efforts in Haiti" and counterterrorism tasks across the globe.
That Zapatero immediately withdrew Spanish forces from Iraq upon entering office, it seems, is being chalked up for what it is: an electoral promise the prime minister made good on. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice touched on this during press briefing in June 2007.
"The United States and Spain are allies," she said. "We're in NATO together; we are serving together in Afghanistan. A lot of our conversation today was about that, working together on any number of issues. We've had our differences... [but] I feel that the relationship is warm. We had a good discussion today... We're allies. But when we have differences, we will express them. I think there's no secret that out of the Iraq war, we had a particular difference in the timing of the withdrawal. But that's behind us now, and we need to look forward and look to areas on which we can cooperate and work together."
Only days earlier, Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, made much the same case in an interview with El Pais.
"I think that we got off to a bad start with President Zapatero's government," he declared. "There were various issues that got in the way. But the fact is, and the reason for this trip, is that the United States and Spain need to work together on a common agenda. Spain is one of the most successful European states of the last generation in terms of where Spain was in 1965 and where Spain is today. You weren't in 1965 the ninth or tenth largest economy in the world. You weren't a country that was fabulously productive, affluent and a leader in Europe. In 1965 you were some place else. Look at Spain now."
The truth is, even McCain has been willing to extend an olive branch to the Zapatero government in the past. John Aravosis of AmericaBlog - a fluent Spanish speaker - noted that McCain gave an interview to El Pais back in April in which he said that the differences between the U.S. and Spain should be swept under the rug.
And thus, the Senator finds himself in what appears to be an embarrassing if not potentially damaging proposition: either admit to confusing the name of the Spanish prime minister, a tough pill to swallow even with the built in perception that he is the candidate with foreign policy know-how, or explain away a position on U.S.-Spain relations that appears far outside the mainstream.
Pre 9-11 only 5% held a passport!
YIKES! Looks like Palin was one of them that did not!
Bizarre McCain Remarks Appear To Reject Spain As Ally
stein@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting From DC
Late Wednesday night, news made its way from the other side of the Atlantic that John McCain, in an interview with a Spanish outlet, had made a series of bizarre responses to a question regarding that country's prime minister.
"Would you be willing to meet with the head of our government, Mr. Zapatero?" the questioner asked, in an exchange now being reported by several Spanish outlets.
McCain proceeded to launch into what appeared to be a boilerplate declaration about Mexico and Latin America -- but not Spain -- pressing the need to stand up to world leaders who want to harm America.
"I will meet with those leaders who are our friends and who want to work with us cooperatively," according to one translation. The reporter repeated the question two more times, apparently trying to clarify, but McCain referred again to Latin America.
Finally, the questioner said, "Okay, but I'm talking about Europe - the president of Spain, would you meet with him?" The Senator offered only a slight variance to his initial comment. "I will reunite with any leader that has the same principles and philosophy that we do: human rights, democracy, and liberty. And I will confront those that don't [have them]."
The implication seemed fairly clear: McCain was refusing to commit to meet with Zapatero, the "socialist" party leader, whose country is a member of NATO and intricately involved in many of America's global financial and national security objectives.
Already, several explanations are being offered to explain McCain's statements. As Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo opined: "The great majority [of those who have weighed in] appear to think the McCain was simply confused and didn't know who Zapatero was -- something you might bone up on if you were about to do an interview with the Spanish press. The assumption seems to be that since he'd already been asked about Castro and Chavez that McCain assumed Zapatero must be some other Latin American bad guy. A small minority though think that McCain is simply committed to an anti-Spanish foreign policy since he's still angry about Spain pulling it's troops out of Iraq."
If, in fact, that latter group is correct and McCain was just putting voice to an adversarial stance, it could be as quizzical as if he didn't know Zapatero's name in the first place. Indeed, such a take on U.S.-Spain relations puts McCain in a far more hard-lined position than even the Bush administration, which has warmed to the Spanish leader after a rocky initial period. Indeed, the State Department's website touts the Zapatero government, which came to power in April 2004, for supporting "coalition efforts in Afghanistan" as well as "reconstruction efforts in Haiti" and counterterrorism tasks across the globe.
That Zapatero immediately withdrew Spanish forces from Iraq upon entering office, it seems, is being chalked up for what it is: an electoral promise the prime minister made good on. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice touched on this during press briefing in June 2007.
"The United States and Spain are allies," she said. "We're in NATO together; we are serving together in Afghanistan. A lot of our conversation today was about that, working together on any number of issues. We've had our differences... [but] I feel that the relationship is warm. We had a good discussion today... We're allies. But when we have differences, we will express them. I think there's no secret that out of the Iraq war, we had a particular difference in the timing of the withdrawal. But that's behind us now, and we need to look forward and look to areas on which we can cooperate and work together."
Only days earlier, Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, made much the same case in an interview with El Pais.
"I think that we got off to a bad start with President Zapatero's government," he declared. "There were various issues that got in the way. But the fact is, and the reason for this trip, is that the United States and Spain need to work together on a common agenda. Spain is one of the most successful European states of the last generation in terms of where Spain was in 1965 and where Spain is today. You weren't in 1965 the ninth or tenth largest economy in the world. You weren't a country that was fabulously productive, affluent and a leader in Europe. In 1965 you were some place else. Look at Spain now."
The truth is, even McCain has been willing to extend an olive branch to the Zapatero government in the past. John Aravosis of AmericaBlog - a fluent Spanish speaker - noted that McCain gave an interview to El Pais back in April in which he said that the differences between the U.S. and Spain should be swept under the rug.
And thus, the Senator finds himself in what appears to be an embarrassing if not potentially damaging proposition: either admit to confusing the name of the Spanish prime minister, a tough pill to swallow even with the built in perception that he is the candidate with foreign policy know-how, or explain away a position on U.S.-Spain relations that appears far outside the mainstream.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Sarah Palin speech ONLY!! NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
If Bush/McCain Campaign refuses to allow any questions posed to the Republican Party’s VP candidate, then why would the nedia give time to STUMP SPEECH ONLY COVERAGE?
We don't really know Sarah Palin...but we did not know GWBush either
Apparently, not knowing is what the IGNORANT AMERICANS CHOOSE. Over the past 19 months of getting to know Obama does not seem to be enough for the BUSH/MCCAIN people, but because she is female seems to be enough for this mentality.
Does not matter that the leader they would chosse for this country doesnot know how to use a computer yet they buy his speech on taking us into the future?
Really?
Can Palin Escape the Parent Trap?
Thursday, Sep. 04, 2008
Almost overnight, Sarah Palin replaced Hillary Clinton as the screen on which we project our doubts and hopes about women and success. In noisy public forums, everyone seemed suddenly certain of beliefs they used to reject: of course a woman can manage five kids and the vice leadership of the free world, said conservative defenders previously known for asserting a woman's need to submit to her husband. Of course she has no business putting her family through this, said liberal opponents better known for insisting women should submit to no one.
But in quieter places, such as my inbox and my subconscious, there has been nothing like that kind of certainty. Instead, it has been the conversation that never ends — the one about how we juggle and who we judge — and I don't think I know any woman, working or not, who feels she has gotten it exactly right. I do know we share a deep revulsion at having choices made for us and values thrust upon us, which is why Palin has our instincts tied up in such intricate knots.
We are accustomed, after centuries of experience, to ambitious fathers whose parental failures are glossed over and swept under the rug by devoted wives and complicit courtiers; we only learn about the train wrecks of famous families when we read the memoirs. When a man at the height of his powers announces he will be Spending More Time with His Family, it translates as: he messed up big-time, didn't have what it takes.
But now we are presented with the unfolding complexity of an ambitious woman, one prepared to be Spending Less Time with Her Family, to play by the boys' rules, to break the glass ceiling Clinton softened for her. I couldn't help thinking as I watched Palin's debut that she was the most macho candidate we've seen in years, the point guard turned sportscaster aiming her M-16, shooting her moose, taking on the good-old boys. And yes, balancing BlackBerry and breast pump, with a beautiful family that includes a son heading to Iraq, a pregnant teenage daughter and a 4-month-old with special needs. She's willing to put Country First. Should she be punished for doing something we reward men for doing?
Just to complicate the picture a little more: the week before the Republicans gave us Sarah Palin, the Democrats offered up Joe Biden as a man who could feel my pain; who, after his wife and daughter's fatal car accident, had to be talked out of giving up his Senate seat because he wanted to be at his sons' side; who, if voters know nothing else about him, know that he takes the train home to Delaware every night and has never missed a soccer game.
So I come back to the moment when John McCain invited Palin to become the first woman on a Republican ticket. Together they could make history, perhaps make the world a better place. I have to wonder: Did she know her daughter would become a late-night punch line? However unconditionally supportive, did she tell Bristol she'd have to stay backstage or hold her baby brother in pictures in a way that hid her own baby until a media strategy had been set for telling the public her most private secrets? Ordinarily, such revelations are choreographed well in advance — only this time, there was no advance. The pregnancy was something of an open secret in Alaska, where respect for privacy and small-town sympathy may have allowed a governor to imagine that the impact would be minimal. But America isn't Alaska, and the national stage is no small town. McCain may have given her a chance that women have been waiting for for years. But he has also been through this before, faced the kind of scrutiny for which nothing can really prepare you. Did he warn her about what lay ahead?
We don't really know Sarah Palin and can't possibly know what calculations and compromises she has made. We do know one thing, however: She was given very little time to make this choice. Every working mother lives a life of what-ifs and should-Is, birthdays missed for the important meeting and meetings missed because a child was sick. Yes, many men face these choices too, but it's mainly the women in my life whom I hear agonize over them, applauding friends who make the hard climb but also those who walk away. We still don't have many role models, because both professional success and successful parenting take so much time and heart and sweat and sleepless nights. So it's hard to watch an accomplished woman walk the tightrope under lights this bright and with stakes this high; we don't want it to look too easy, but we don't want to see her fall.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1838535,00.html
Does not matter that the leader they would chosse for this country doesnot know how to use a computer yet they buy his speech on taking us into the future?
Really?
Can Palin Escape the Parent Trap?
Thursday, Sep. 04, 2008
Almost overnight, Sarah Palin replaced Hillary Clinton as the screen on which we project our doubts and hopes about women and success. In noisy public forums, everyone seemed suddenly certain of beliefs they used to reject: of course a woman can manage five kids and the vice leadership of the free world, said conservative defenders previously known for asserting a woman's need to submit to her husband. Of course she has no business putting her family through this, said liberal opponents better known for insisting women should submit to no one.
But in quieter places, such as my inbox and my subconscious, there has been nothing like that kind of certainty. Instead, it has been the conversation that never ends — the one about how we juggle and who we judge — and I don't think I know any woman, working or not, who feels she has gotten it exactly right. I do know we share a deep revulsion at having choices made for us and values thrust upon us, which is why Palin has our instincts tied up in such intricate knots.
We are accustomed, after centuries of experience, to ambitious fathers whose parental failures are glossed over and swept under the rug by devoted wives and complicit courtiers; we only learn about the train wrecks of famous families when we read the memoirs. When a man at the height of his powers announces he will be Spending More Time with His Family, it translates as: he messed up big-time, didn't have what it takes.
But now we are presented with the unfolding complexity of an ambitious woman, one prepared to be Spending Less Time with Her Family, to play by the boys' rules, to break the glass ceiling Clinton softened for her. I couldn't help thinking as I watched Palin's debut that she was the most macho candidate we've seen in years, the point guard turned sportscaster aiming her M-16, shooting her moose, taking on the good-old boys. And yes, balancing BlackBerry and breast pump, with a beautiful family that includes a son heading to Iraq, a pregnant teenage daughter and a 4-month-old with special needs. She's willing to put Country First. Should she be punished for doing something we reward men for doing?
Just to complicate the picture a little more: the week before the Republicans gave us Sarah Palin, the Democrats offered up Joe Biden as a man who could feel my pain; who, after his wife and daughter's fatal car accident, had to be talked out of giving up his Senate seat because he wanted to be at his sons' side; who, if voters know nothing else about him, know that he takes the train home to Delaware every night and has never missed a soccer game.
So I come back to the moment when John McCain invited Palin to become the first woman on a Republican ticket. Together they could make history, perhaps make the world a better place. I have to wonder: Did she know her daughter would become a late-night punch line? However unconditionally supportive, did she tell Bristol she'd have to stay backstage or hold her baby brother in pictures in a way that hid her own baby until a media strategy had been set for telling the public her most private secrets? Ordinarily, such revelations are choreographed well in advance — only this time, there was no advance. The pregnancy was something of an open secret in Alaska, where respect for privacy and small-town sympathy may have allowed a governor to imagine that the impact would be minimal. But America isn't Alaska, and the national stage is no small town. McCain may have given her a chance that women have been waiting for for years. But he has also been through this before, faced the kind of scrutiny for which nothing can really prepare you. Did he warn her about what lay ahead?
We don't really know Sarah Palin and can't possibly know what calculations and compromises she has made. We do know one thing, however: She was given very little time to make this choice. Every working mother lives a life of what-ifs and should-Is, birthdays missed for the important meeting and meetings missed because a child was sick. Yes, many men face these choices too, but it's mainly the women in my life whom I hear agonize over them, applauding friends who make the hard climb but also those who walk away. We still don't have many role models, because both professional success and successful parenting take so much time and heart and sweat and sleepless nights. So it's hard to watch an accomplished woman walk the tightrope under lights this bright and with stakes this high; we don't want it to look too easy, but we don't want to see her fall.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1838535,00.html
Who wrote the 'MOM of the YEAR' speech?
The Man Behind Palin's Speech
Thursday, Sep. 04, 2008
By MASSIMO CALABRESI / WASHINGTON
As Democrats and Barack Obama's campaign scrambled to attack Sarah Palin's well-received acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday night, they latched on early and hard to the fact that it was penned by former Bush speechwriter Matthew Scully. But the story is more complicated than just the recycling of a Bush staffer into John McCain's fold, and it tells you more about how McCain's camp intends to use Palin than it does about the continuing influence of the current White House.
The clues are in the text itself. Scully started working on the vice-presidential speech a week ago, before he or anyone else knew who the nominee would be, and it's not hard to pick out the parts that would have been the same regardless of who delivered it. Scully unspooled two centrist themes via Palin that have been key to the McCain message: the idea that the Republican nominee puts service to country ahead of career and the notion that he's the true representative of Middle America. Both themes implicitly push Obama and Biden to the left, and Scully made them explicit with lines accusing the Democrats of élitism and talking down to working-class voters.
Once Palin was chosen, Scully tailored the speech to the Alaska governor, highlighting her biography and using her PTA background and local political experience (contrasted so memorably with Obama's work as a community organizer) to bolster his two themes. Where much media attention in the wake of her surprise naming has focused on Palin's views on cultural issues like abortion, the speech carefully steered away from ideological touchstones. Palin was shown as an average mainstream American looking to bring change to Washington, further bolstering McCain's overarching message of reforming the wasteful Federal Government.
Scully was a good choice to help moderate Palin's right-wing image. A veteran of the early Bush White House, his specialty was crafting Bush's pro-life message in a way that would not offend soccer moms or mainstream Catholics who get nervous around some of the more extreme Evangelical rhetoric. A former protégé of the late pro-life Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, Bob Casey, Scully has a history of finding rhetorical unity for voters on the right and in the center.
The Palin-Scully pairing is anything but a guaranteed fit, though. Palin is known as an avid hunter; Scully is best known for his vigorous defense of animal rights. A vegetarian who is regularly critical of the NRA and much of the hunting community, he is a passionate advocate for doing away with the more brutal versions of blood-sport, including aerial hunting, which Palin supports.
Don't be surprised, though, if the combination continues. McCain wanted to pick a centrist Vice President not just because he liked candidates such as Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge, but because he badly needs to close the gap in swing states like Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin, where he trails Obama. But he had to pick a cultural conservative like Palin because he couldn't risk alienating an already demoralized base. If Palin was viewed as the most likely right winger to sell in the swing states, Scully is the right pick to help repackage her from a base pleaser into a bridge builder. (See photos of Sarah Palin here.)
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1838808,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics
Thursday, Sep. 04, 2008
By MASSIMO CALABRESI / WASHINGTON
As Democrats and Barack Obama's campaign scrambled to attack Sarah Palin's well-received acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday night, they latched on early and hard to the fact that it was penned by former Bush speechwriter Matthew Scully. But the story is more complicated than just the recycling of a Bush staffer into John McCain's fold, and it tells you more about how McCain's camp intends to use Palin than it does about the continuing influence of the current White House.
The clues are in the text itself. Scully started working on the vice-presidential speech a week ago, before he or anyone else knew who the nominee would be, and it's not hard to pick out the parts that would have been the same regardless of who delivered it. Scully unspooled two centrist themes via Palin that have been key to the McCain message: the idea that the Republican nominee puts service to country ahead of career and the notion that he's the true representative of Middle America. Both themes implicitly push Obama and Biden to the left, and Scully made them explicit with lines accusing the Democrats of élitism and talking down to working-class voters.
Once Palin was chosen, Scully tailored the speech to the Alaska governor, highlighting her biography and using her PTA background and local political experience (contrasted so memorably with Obama's work as a community organizer) to bolster his two themes. Where much media attention in the wake of her surprise naming has focused on Palin's views on cultural issues like abortion, the speech carefully steered away from ideological touchstones. Palin was shown as an average mainstream American looking to bring change to Washington, further bolstering McCain's overarching message of reforming the wasteful Federal Government.
Scully was a good choice to help moderate Palin's right-wing image. A veteran of the early Bush White House, his specialty was crafting Bush's pro-life message in a way that would not offend soccer moms or mainstream Catholics who get nervous around some of the more extreme Evangelical rhetoric. A former protégé of the late pro-life Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, Bob Casey, Scully has a history of finding rhetorical unity for voters on the right and in the center.
The Palin-Scully pairing is anything but a guaranteed fit, though. Palin is known as an avid hunter; Scully is best known for his vigorous defense of animal rights. A vegetarian who is regularly critical of the NRA and much of the hunting community, he is a passionate advocate for doing away with the more brutal versions of blood-sport, including aerial hunting, which Palin supports.
Don't be surprised, though, if the combination continues. McCain wanted to pick a centrist Vice President not just because he liked candidates such as Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge, but because he badly needs to close the gap in swing states like Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin, where he trails Obama. But he had to pick a cultural conservative like Palin because he couldn't risk alienating an already demoralized base. If Palin was viewed as the most likely right winger to sell in the swing states, Scully is the right pick to help repackage her from a base pleaser into a bridge builder. (See photos of Sarah Palin here.)
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1838808,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
War on Drugs in Alaska?
Drug Abuse, Addiction and Treatment and Rehabilitation Situation in Alaska
Due to it’s non-centrally location compared with the rest of the United States and common border with Canada, Alaska has become a transit zone for drug smugglers. The state also has become a major consumer of illicit drugs despite is remote location. The majority of the drug trade is carried out by the Mexican and Dominican drug organizations/cartels.
Over the past 2 decades, Alaska has seen some of the highest per capita use of controlled drugs and large drug seizures have become common. Associated with the illicit drug trade is one of the highest incidence of alcoholism, money laundering, violence, rape and suicide when compared to the rest of the United States.
The major drug trafficked in Alaska is crack cocaine. The trafficking is usually done by the Mexican and Dominican organizations. The cocaine originates from the Southern USA arriving via South America. Because of Alaska’s remote location and difficulty bringing in drugs, the drug cartels resell cocaine at exorbitant prices. In addition to cocaine, black tar heroin is also available in Alaska. The spread of this drug is done by the Mexican organizations.
Today, Oxycontin and methamphetamine have replaced heroin as the drug of abuse. Like all other states, methamphetamine abuse has become an epidemic in Alaska because of its easy availability and cheap price. To counter the methamphetamine abuse, legislation has been passed to remove pseudoephrine from cold remedies. This legal maneuver has helped decrease the abuse of methamphetamine. Drug trafficking organizations obtain the majority of methamphetamine for sale in Alaska from the Southern USA and transport it across state lines using various couriers systems.
Club Drugs are also becoming widely abused in Alaska and the business is very profitable for the traffickers. The club drugs are easily available at most night clubs and are the drugs of choice for abuse among college students.
Marijuana is the most abused and widespread drug in Alaska. Unlike other states, Bill HB49 has been introduced which re-criminalizes the use and possession of marijuana. The majority of marijuana is home grown in sophisticated laboratories. However, the potent and more pure form of marijuana known as BC Bud continues to be smuggled in from Canada.
Prescription drugs are the second most commonly abused drugs. These drugs are easily accessed by illegal dispensing and prescribing by physicians/pharmacists, prescription forgery, doctor shopping, drug thefts from pharmacies and online sales. The drugs most commonly abused include oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet, Percodan), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), and anabolic steroids.
DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams
To counter the drug traffickers, various DEA mobile enforcement teams have been established in Alaska. This cooperative program with state and local law enforcement counterparts were established in response to the escalating problem of drug-related violent crime in the State. While these mobile unit have not eradicated the drug problem, they certainly have led to more arrests of criminals and gangs.
Alaska has recently allowed patients to use medical marijuana if they have specified medical conditions, a state registry ID card and the advice of a physician. Caregivers must also have the ID cards to avoid prosecution for distribution of marijuana. This law was enacted in March of 1999 after voters passed Ballot Measure #8.However, a proposal is now being considered to over turn the state's lenient marijuana laws.
To assist victims of drug abuse, the State is now using money collected from drug traffickers to pay for Rehabilitation/Treatment programs. A few in-patient and outpatient programs have been established to help the victims.
Due to it’s non-centrally location compared with the rest of the United States and common border with Canada, Alaska has become a transit zone for drug smugglers. The state also has become a major consumer of illicit drugs despite is remote location. The majority of the drug trade is carried out by the Mexican and Dominican drug organizations/cartels.
Over the past 2 decades, Alaska has seen some of the highest per capita use of controlled drugs and large drug seizures have become common. Associated with the illicit drug trade is one of the highest incidence of alcoholism, money laundering, violence, rape and suicide when compared to the rest of the United States.
The major drug trafficked in Alaska is crack cocaine. The trafficking is usually done by the Mexican and Dominican organizations. The cocaine originates from the Southern USA arriving via South America. Because of Alaska’s remote location and difficulty bringing in drugs, the drug cartels resell cocaine at exorbitant prices. In addition to cocaine, black tar heroin is also available in Alaska. The spread of this drug is done by the Mexican organizations.
Today, Oxycontin and methamphetamine have replaced heroin as the drug of abuse. Like all other states, methamphetamine abuse has become an epidemic in Alaska because of its easy availability and cheap price. To counter the methamphetamine abuse, legislation has been passed to remove pseudoephrine from cold remedies. This legal maneuver has helped decrease the abuse of methamphetamine. Drug trafficking organizations obtain the majority of methamphetamine for sale in Alaska from the Southern USA and transport it across state lines using various couriers systems.
Club Drugs are also becoming widely abused in Alaska and the business is very profitable for the traffickers. The club drugs are easily available at most night clubs and are the drugs of choice for abuse among college students.
Marijuana is the most abused and widespread drug in Alaska. Unlike other states, Bill HB49 has been introduced which re-criminalizes the use and possession of marijuana. The majority of marijuana is home grown in sophisticated laboratories. However, the potent and more pure form of marijuana known as BC Bud continues to be smuggled in from Canada.
Prescription drugs are the second most commonly abused drugs. These drugs are easily accessed by illegal dispensing and prescribing by physicians/pharmacists, prescription forgery, doctor shopping, drug thefts from pharmacies and online sales. The drugs most commonly abused include oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet, Percodan), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), and anabolic steroids.
DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams
To counter the drug traffickers, various DEA mobile enforcement teams have been established in Alaska. This cooperative program with state and local law enforcement counterparts were established in response to the escalating problem of drug-related violent crime in the State. While these mobile unit have not eradicated the drug problem, they certainly have led to more arrests of criminals and gangs.
Alaska has recently allowed patients to use medical marijuana if they have specified medical conditions, a state registry ID card and the advice of a physician. Caregivers must also have the ID cards to avoid prosecution for distribution of marijuana. This law was enacted in March of 1999 after voters passed Ballot Measure #8.However, a proposal is now being considered to over turn the state's lenient marijuana laws.
To assist victims of drug abuse, the State is now using money collected from drug traffickers to pay for Rehabilitation/Treatment programs. A few in-patient and outpatient programs have been established to help the victims.
Irl Stambaugh fired because Palin's campaign contributors
The Washington Independent reported on Monday that another Sarah Palin firing scandal had been overlooked:
Early in her tenure as mayor, the city council threatened to recall her over accusations that she fired the city's police chief, Irl Stambaugh, and the library director, Mary Ellen Emmons, without warning. She accused them in a letter saying: "I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment ..." (The Anchorage Daily News, via nexis)
Ultimately, Palin let the library director have her job back; though Stambaugh's position was not returned. The police chief took the matter to court, where a judge sided with Palin, saying city law allows the mayor to fire the police chief without cause.
ABC News today gives more information on this scandal. The police chief says he was fired because her campaign contributors, including bars and the NRA, didn't like his work:
After taking over as Mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Palin fired the longtime local police chief. The former police chief, Irl Stambaugh says he was fired because he stepped on the toes of Palin's campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association.
Stambaugh's lawyer, William Jermain, says the chief tried to move up the closing hours of local bars from 5 a.m. to two a.m. after a spurt of drunk driving accidents and arrests.
"His crackdown on that practice by the bars was not appreciated by her and that was one reason she terminated Irl," said Jermain.
Early in her tenure as mayor, the city council threatened to recall her over accusations that she fired the city's police chief, Irl Stambaugh, and the library director, Mary Ellen Emmons, without warning. She accused them in a letter saying: "I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment ..." (The Anchorage Daily News, via nexis)
Ultimately, Palin let the library director have her job back; though Stambaugh's position was not returned. The police chief took the matter to court, where a judge sided with Palin, saying city law allows the mayor to fire the police chief without cause.
ABC News today gives more information on this scandal. The police chief says he was fired because her campaign contributors, including bars and the NRA, didn't like his work:
After taking over as Mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Palin fired the longtime local police chief. The former police chief, Irl Stambaugh says he was fired because he stepped on the toes of Palin's campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association.
Stambaugh's lawyer, William Jermain, says the chief tried to move up the closing hours of local bars from 5 a.m. to two a.m. after a spurt of drunk driving accidents and arrests.
"His crackdown on that practice by the bars was not appreciated by her and that was one reason she terminated Irl," said Jermain.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
VICE PRESIDENT DICK......
Cheney travels to Georgia, Ukraine next week
Aug 25 09:01 AM US/Eastern
US Vice President Dick Cheney will visit war-torn Georgia as well as Ukraine and Azerbaijan next week and meet with the three countries' presidents, the White House said Monday.
"President Bush has asked the vice president to travel to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Italy for discussions with these key partners on issues of mutual interest," the White House said in a statement.
Cheney will be the most senior US official to visit the region since Russian troops invaded Georgia two weeks ago amid a dispute over the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium
Aug 25 09:01 AM US/Eastern
US Vice President Dick Cheney will visit war-torn Georgia as well as Ukraine and Azerbaijan next week and meet with the three countries' presidents, the White House said Monday.
"President Bush has asked the vice president to travel to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Italy for discussions with these key partners on issues of mutual interest," the White House said in a statement.
Cheney will be the most senior US official to visit the region since Russian troops invaded Georgia two weeks ago amid a dispute over the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium
COMPUTER for MCCAIN? BIN LADEN uses her computer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R9wnMVZE_Q
John Mccain Admits He Cant Use a Computer
John Mccain Admits He Cant Use a Computer
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