I was very disturbed to learn that Gov. Sean Parnell (along with the Pebble folks he's in cahoots with) is suing (technically, "moving to recover fees" from) former Alaska first lady Bella Hammond, former Alaska senator and constitutional delegate Vic Fischer and others for daring to challenge Alaska's opaque permitting process. And to the tune of over a million dollars!
Parnell is taking a chapter from Russia and authoritarian Singapore, where critics are silenced by being threatened with lawsuits or prosecution that could force them into financial ruin. Upcoming House Bill 77 will enshrine this into law.
The "Choose Respect" governor shows no respect for Alaskans like Vic and Bella who truly care for our land. He shows no respect for our clean water and salmon-bearing streams like the Chuitna. No respect for the 40,000 Alaskans he stiffed by refusing Medicaid expansion just to spite the feds. I could go on. …
And speaking of the feds (many of whom are Alaskans, by the way), the problem is not federal overreach but state overreach — by an increasingly industry-beholden, secretive and Putinesque Parnell.
— William M. Cox, M.D.
Nome