Terry Haines is a Kodiak deckhand and representative for Fish Heads, an advocacy group dedicated to preserving the vitality of Alaska's fishing communities. Contact Terry Haines
Throw the Bums Out
July 22, 2006Kodiak, Alaska
Senator Ted Stevens is a liability to State and Nation. It is far past time for him to fulfill his promise to quit the United States Senate.His claim that he is responsible for almost three billion dollars a year that goes into the Alaska economy shows that he knows no more about economics that he does the internet. Wealth is generated by people who work, Senator. Strong-arming cash out of our ravaged federal budget to deliver it to big corporations does not make you the Henry Ford of Alaska. It makes you the Don Corleone of Alaska.
Of course for sheer arrogance it's hard to beat our Governor, Frank the Bank. As he swings shut the heavy oak doors of the secret conference chamber and settles into chairs of supple leather along with silken suited sheepdogs from the oil and gas industry, you can't help but wonder if they clink their cognacs with smug smirks and toast to the flaccid inability of the general public to simply cast a thoughtful vote. He doesn't even think the Alaska Legislature deserves to know the details of the oil/gas giveaway.
This attitude extends to our local governments. At a meeting of Kodiak's Gulf Groundfish task force, Steve Branson suggested that Kodiak vote on whether the resource should be privatized. Local fisherman Jerry Bongin noted that since the resource is in federal hands, the whole country should vote on it. Julie Bonney and Linda Kozak voiced their opinions that the general public was far too ignorant on the subject to make a judgment. The reason given was that the public only knows what it reads in the newspaper. As George W. will tell you, newspapers are hardly worth reading at all. This infers that these decisions should be left to the well-informed mercenaries working for processors and boat owners, like themselves. Where are our elected officials who should be looking after the interests of the citizens of the Republic? The answer is they, like Uncle Ted and Frank the Bank, are mercenaries themselves, for the most part. (Excepting, of course, our Charlie Davidson.)
Therefore I hereby announce my write-in candidacy for everything. If you look at the list of candidates and don't like any of them just write in "Terry Haines". Admittedly this is similar to writing in "Mickey Mouse", but I submit that Mr. Mouse would have served Alaska far better than Governor Murkowski.
Now let's talk about what we're really talking about. Sarah Palin.
She's running for Governor and she has absolutely nothing going for her. Number one, she's a woman. Two, she has pissed off her own party by outing the likes of Randy Ruedrich as corrupt. Three, she refuses to sell herself to the Trident Seafoods and British Petroleums of the world, which puts her in a huge financial disadvantage. A recent newspaper story called her a lightweight for not dishing dirt on her opponents. Still, she has managed to hold her own. Here in Kodiak, I see more of her yard signs than any other. She has struck a chord because we recognize ourselves in her. She isn't slick and well funded like Knowles, or friendly and well-connected like Binkley. She's more like Eric Croft. They both decided to draw the line at prostituting themselves for money. I like that in a public servant. I've looked into their eyes. I believe these two, Palin and Croft, will not sell us out. Two bits of advice, for what it's worth: Sarah, don't rise to the bait. And Eric, pitch your voice a bit lower.
In an ideal world, our choice for Governor would be Eric vs. Sarah. I suppose it will be John vs. Tony, though. In that case, just write in "Terry Haines".