Hey, Demboski, words matter
Words and what they mean, do matter. A Muslim terrorist compound in the Mat-Su? I challenge you — no dare you — to show Anchorage citizens (some of whom you represent), the facts that support such a statement by you. No fair blaming the "liberal media" this time. In a time of the nation being so divided and the existence of what is referred to as "fake news" (unfounded rumors) nowadays, how could you make such a reckless assertion?
— Lance Powell
a proud citizen of Anchorage,
a city of respected diversity
Demboski not competent to serve
Amy Demboski's denial of having slandered my brother-in-faith Gregory (Shu'ayb) Jones because she didn't name him outright is pathetically disingenuous. If you provide sufficient specific details to identify a person, you can be held liable for slander without naming him. Example — if I falsely accuse the only Alaska Native orthodontist in Bethesda, Maryland, of a crime, I can be held liable for it.
Slander isn't "freedom of expression," and Demboski isn't competent to serve on the Anchorage Assembly — to say the very least. If she's unwilling to represent and serve all the people of Anchorage she isn't fit to serve any of us, and should step down.
— Al-Hajji Frederick H Minshall
Anchorage
Keeping fingers crossed for an elector revolution
Kathleen Parker's column, "A few good electors should revolt" (ADN, Dec. 8) sounds exciting. Some electors are planning to NOT keep their commitment to vote for Donald Trump.
What I don't understand is, the group suggesting revolution is talking about writing in Republicans like Mitt Romney. Why not consider Hillary Clinton? I understand that would be hard for Republican electors, but they need to consider Clinton received 2.5 million more popular votes than Trump.
As President Barack Obama said, "Hillary Clinton is more qualified to be president than any presidential candidate in our history." She would do what Trump is not doing, listen to and read intelligence briefings, and she would appoint qualified people to run the executive branch.
I agree with Parker that "the stakes are too high — and the evidence of Trump's aptitude deficiency too severe to not consider revolting." The main point is if things proceed as usual, this childish man, Trump, "can authorize a nuke upon the slightest provocation — or none." Electors, be brave and vote for Clinton.
— Amy Bollenbach
Homer
Revenge on Democrats is sweet
To all Democrats and the people on the far left. You are so upset because Trump won, and there are a lot of generals being put into key positions. We went through eight years with your community organizer who put unqualified people into key positions and that didn't go so well. I, for one, in those eight years spent quite a lot of time hurling not so nice words at the television. My vocabulary has cleaned up immensely since Nov. 8. My hope is you will experience what I felt for at least the next four years, and I'm praying you will have to endure it for eight years as our country will finally start to prosper. People will go back to work, illegal immigration will be halted, new businesses will crop up, and crime will be faced head-on. Our country will be strong and committed for once, with backbone. Foreign countries can again look up to us with respect, and know they can depend on us.
The Democratic Party has become just a party that is, and it stands for absolutely nothing.
— Rolf L. Bilet
Anchorage
Killing stains Alaskan's fashion
In the article about Peter Paul Kawagaelg Williams, "From Alaska, a far different take on furs" (ADN, Dec. 4), he tries to put a spiritual and altruistic twist on his promotion of furs to the fashion industry. The bottom line is, animals will be killed for fashion's vanity and profit. That's Williams' real message. It's one of the oldest motives in the book. No spin can change that.
— Della Dempsey
Wasilla
Warning: Give, but teach kids to avoid panhandlers, scammers
'Tis the season to give, I suppose. My daughter was recently approached by a man at a store we frequent all the time. This smooth, fast-talking man could have raped, kidnapped, or worse yet, murdered her. She ended up only being duped out of her money at an ATM in West Anchorage with her card that ended up "missing."And, no, she is not stupid, just kind, giving and inexperienced when it comes to the sad side of some people.
We teach our children how to recognize and guard against "mean people" but fail to teach our children about the tricks of "false" nice people — the panhandlers and scammers with all types of problems they can explain to you in a matter of minutes. This man just needed jumper cables for a car not in the parking lot, he had to stop by a gas station and came out with nothing purchased (phone call to the female accomplice who happened to show up at the ATM the same time as they did?)This situation could have been a lot worse. Thank heavens it wasn't, this time.
Please, parents, talk to your young adult children about how to handle a panhandler or scammer. Explain in detail on how to recognize one and how to handle themselves. My daughter was just telling me the other day that I seem to always look at the negative side of things. I told her I would try not to in the future. Then this happened; worst nightmare almost came true. I will still honor her wish to not look at the bad side of things, first. I will definitely get her into a defense class of some sort. Just wanted to give a friendly warning to all the good people still in this town: give, but be aware of how and to whom. Not all of us are aware of the sad side of certain people, especially those who have become desperate, or have just grown up on the sad side of life; to come face to face with it the hard way is really tough in more ways than one. Here's to a happy educated holiday season for all.
— Joanne Dehut
Anchorage
Nasty name-calling recalled
In Ron Michelson's response (ADN, Dec. 7) to my Dec. 5 letter, in which I compare Donald Trump and his retinue to a "swarm of snakes," Michelson condemns me for "name-calling," saying "Honorable people refrain from this tactic."
If Michelson really means what he says, then I presume he does not include among his pantheon of "honorable people" our new President-elect ("Lyin' Ted" and "Crooked Hillary") Trump.
Michelson goes on to say "it would be disingenuous" of him to call me a "nasty" name — yet he then blithely states that "when the Democrats adopted their mascot" (a donkey) "It turned out to be a truly remarkable representation of their party."
There is a strange truth in Michelson's letter he may not be aware of, and it's this: The Democratic Party did, in fact, adopt a donkey as its mascot — in the 1870s — after Thomas Nast, a cartoonist for Harper's Weekly, produced political cartoons portraying the Democratic Party as a donkey and the Republican Party as an elephant.
What Michelson may not realize is in the 1870s, the Democratic Party was our nation's conservative party, while the Republican Party ("The Party of Lincoln") was our nation's liberal political party (really). My, how times have changed. Thus, Michelson may wish to reconsider his view that a donkey best represents the political acumen of the conservative forces that originally adopted that animal.
By the way, we can thank Nast, and his biting political cartoons, for the addition to the English language of the word "nasty."
— Stephan Paliwoda
Anchorage
Thanks, Elvi, for being a leader
Anchorage is home to one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the U.S., and we pride ourselves on that diversity. There is no place for the dissemination of Islamophobia here. I want to thank Elvi Gray-Jackson for supporting people of all religions, regardless of how they are treated by other Assembly members. Thank you for your service, Elvi!
— Carly Dennis
senior, Chugiak High School
Trump is pro on liberal tactic
Ron Michelson (ADN, Dec. 7) asks, "is there any name your liberal writers haven't used to call our new president-elect?" He says name-calling is "an acceptable liberal tactic," for those who lack a lucid argument to Donald Trump's political positions. "Honorable people refrain from this tactic," he says.
I can only wonder where Michelson was during the campaign? Name-caller-in-chief Trump set a new high (or low), for campaign name-calling, insulting whole countries, politicians, media figures, celebrities and ordinary people.
He called Ted Cruz the "biggest liar in politics, "a lowlife pol," "nasty cheater, the ultimate hypocrite." He linked Cruz's father to assassination of JFK, and posted a photo insulting the appearance of Cruz's wife.
He said Dr. Ben Carson has a "pathological temper that's incurable" — adding that it's like the sickness of a "child molester."
Mitt Romney: "one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics," "choked like a dog," "he walks like a penguin."
Jeb Bush: "low energy," "desperate, sad, week, total disaster," "a total embarrassment to himself and his family."
Carly Fiorina: "look at that face, would anyone vote for that?" "If you listen to Carly Fiorina for more than 10 minutes straight, you develop a massive headache."
Paul Ryan: "very weak, ineffective, disloyal."
John McCain: "very foul-mouthed," "has done nothing," "has failed miserably," "doing a lousy job of taking care of our vets," "not a war hero," "I don't like people who were captured."
Frank Luntz: "a total clown," "a low-class slob."
Charles Krauthammer: "biased flunky," "Iraq warmonger," "dopey."
Erick Erickson "total low life," "major sleaze, buffoon."
Is there any epithet Trump hasn't used? If as Michelson says, nasty name-calling is liberal tactic, our new president, the honorable Donald J. Trump, must be a liberal.
— Tom Bucceri
Anchorage
Demboski for gun control now?
Amy Demboski, champion of the NRA and a virulent opponent of gun control of any kind, now wants to castigate people who happen to be of a religion different from her own for possibly owning guns.
So should only white Christians have the privilege of owning guns? Is she now a proponent of gun control?
— Sheila Burke
Eagle River
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