INUPIAT LEADER ASKS SENATORS TO . . .Visit ANWR

Anchorage Daily News ^ | February 17, 2002 | Voice of the Times

[banyanroot]

Voice of the Times




(Published: February 17, 2002)

INUPIAT LEADER ASKS SENATORS TO . . .

Visit ANWR

FENTON REXFORD, president of the Inupiat-owned Kaktovik Inupiat Corp., has called on Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and John Kerry, D-Mass., to visit the North Slope region they have been so passionately protecting from drilling.

Rexford sent letters to Kerry and Lieberman inviting both to visit Kaktovik, on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Kaktovik is the only community on the ANWR coastal plain, but neither Lieberman nor Kerry has talked to the people who live there. Instead, they court green extremists and the Gwich'in people living in two small villages south of the Brooks Range, Arctic Village and Venetie.

The Gwich'in oppose drilling and have thrown their lot in with the nation's green extremists in hopes of blocking it. Very few of the Gwich'in have ever visited the North Slope either. Moreover, they are even prevented from doing so by their leaders despite frequent invitations.

Rexford said in an announcement on the invitations that he is "confident that a visit to ANWR with my people will help the senators see beyond the propaganda and rhetoric distributed by the extremists within the environmental industry to mislead the public."

The KIC president noted that the Inupiat have lived in the area for thousands of years. Their way of life has significantly improved since oil development began in Alaska's Arctic in the 1970s. And the industrial tax base created by their home-rule government has provided public services that many Americans take for granted, things like running water, flush toilets, schools and hospitals.

"For us," he said, "responsible development means the right to live healthy and productive lives. It means educating our children, providing health care to our people, and creating sanitary living conditions."

Rexford noted that blocking ANWR development is the environmental industry's number one priority. The greens have spent millions of dollars in a public relations campaign to convince Americans that development would adversely affect wildlife in the area.

"Our people are the aboriginal environmentalists of the Arctic region of Alaska," Rexford added. "We have been the stewards of the land, sea, animals and environment here for thousands of years. We would never support a measure that would adversely impact our traditional way of life or compromise our Inupiat values.

"I would hope that the public process would allow those closest to the ANWR issue the chance to be heard. However, Senators Kerry and Lieberman only care to hear from environmental extremists based in New York and Washington, D.C. It is unfortunate that they will decide my people's future from thousands of miles away without considering our position."

Well said, Fenton Rexford.

[Cicero]

Things you will only read about in an Alaskan newspaper. The urban environmentalists would never permit such a letter to be published.

Similarly, when clinton's stooges ripped off more than a billion dollars from the Indian Trust Fund, the media published hardly a word about it, because it's impossible for Democrats to be politically correct as long as they support abortion and perversion.

Nor will you see any pictures of that particular section of the Alaskan coast, which is said to be a flat, barren, mosquito-ridden swamp, only a few acres of which would be affected by the drilling.

[Cicero]

politically INcorrect.

[T. P. Pole]

It will never happen. Liberals avoid confronting the truth like vampires avoid the sunlight.

Hmmm, wonder if there is a connection?

[banyanroot]

Actually, even though Alaska is overwhelmingly conservative, the Anchorage Daily News is quite liberal which greatly angers the majority. However, when the California family (yep, you read that right!) purchased ADN, the terms included the following from the seller:

The Voice of the Times does not represent the editorial views of the Anchorage Daily News. This commentary is published under an agreement with the owner of the former Anchorage Times newspaper to preserve its separate editorial voice. The Voice of the Times staff can be contacted at AnchTimes@corecom.net.

[kayak]

fyi

[Issaquahking]

*For your viewing pleasure.*

[Carry_Okie]

And a great pleasure it is. This is a real counterpunch to Mr. Rockefeller's investment in his greenies and hopefully will make his great price-fixing scam a little harder to do.

[Carry_Okie]

I wonder if the Gwich'in are holding up the Inupiat for a piece of the action? Between that and the Rockefellers, this could be quite a bidding war that might just bring the thugs out into the open. Somebody should contact Mr. Rexford and see if they can set up a sting.

[Carry_Okie]

A textbook case.

[banyanroot]

Also, take a look at the ANWR Survey by the City of Kaktovik.

[Dog Gone]

I wonder if the Gwich'in are holding up the Inupiat for a piece of the action?

You can bank on that. These Native Americans That We Can't Call Eskimos Anymore are far more sophisticated than most people think. They routinely negotiate with the oil companies in Alaska and engage in what can only be described as extortion whenever possible.

They block the movement of drilling rigs by claiming that it will interfere with whaling hunts, but are more than happy to back off when they are offered a huge sum of money. This kind of stuff goes on all the time.

These folks aren't idiots. They don't want to eat whale blubber and caribou jerky. They want cash, and ANWR is a big prize.

[CPT Clay]

EGA; what a scarry sight.

Carrie I enjoyed your insight and commentary on the Yucca Mountain thread!

[StriperSniper]

Rexford sent letters to Kerry and Lieberman inviting both to visit Kaktovik, on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

They should have them visit during the winter when the drilling will occur and have them count the caribou.

[Carry_Okie]

GulfinTonkin is still harassing me over it. It's pretty disgusting to see someone 69 themselves with such internal dishonesty; it's worse to have to muck around in it. Sometimes I hold my nose when I jump into these threads.

Hey, DG! Whaddya think of my sting idea? You think Meester Rocketfeeler's peepill are dumb (or desperate) enough to get caught? Citi's hurtin after Enron you know ;-)

[StriperSniper]

ANWR Survey

[banyanroot]

Absolutely! See TomB post.

[N. Theknow]

Their way of life has significantly improved since oil development began in Alaska's Arctic in the 1970s. And the industrial tax base created by their home-rule government has provided public services that many Americans take for granted, things like running water, flush toilets, schools and hospitals.

Very clever ploy to use against liberals....Drill in the ANWR...It's for the children!

[Young Werther]

I visited Kaktovik in '69 as an Air Force Officer who was responsible for inspecting DEW Line Sites. I was there during the spring migration when the caribou would come down from their winter pastures in the Brooks Range and summer on the coastal plain. I remember the migrating herds were a river of animals that was remarkable in its size. The thousands of caribou were followed by the wolves which culled the herd of the weak and the young who strayed from their mother's side. The DEW Line site manager offered to loan me an M-1 should I care to take one of the caribou. I demurred but I did sample caribou steak, (there were 4 caribou in the walk in freezer)

From what I've read the herds are larger than ever and the early Prudhoe Bay facilities are even more environmentally friendly. But Heck! Leiberman and Kerry aren't going to allow facts to effect their positions!

[KC Burke]

I wonder if the Gwich'in are holding up the Inupiat for a piece of the action?

My understanding is that it is quite documented that this Tribe, some distance from the actual ANWR villages and tribes, was trying for a partnership type arrangement placing them in front of the local tribes and when they couldn't get the sweetheart deal for their tribe they became shills for the Leftist-Green activist organizations seeing them as the only easy money and influence still available to them.