Anti-gay group targets Alaska Supreme Court Justice

Voters received a flyer today from the anti-gay Alaska Family Action with a last minute attack against state Supreme Court Justice Dana Fabe, because she agreed with the majority on several abortion and gay rights decisions that went against the agenda of the far right. Claire Rosston, an Anchorage attorney, wrote to Bent Alaska about the attack on Justice Fabe:

I am writing to bring to your attention an issue of concern to your readers. Outside special interests have launched an unfair last-minute attack on Justice Dana Fabe in an effort to try to control Alaska's judiciary. Today, voters across Alaska received a mailer campaigning against the retention of Justice Fabe. One of the many misleading statements made in the mailer is that Justice Fabe ordered "taxpayer subsidies for same-sex partners." In fact, Justice Fabe joined the unanimous decision of ACLU v. State, which ruled that government employees are entitled to equal compensation and benefits regardless of their sexual preference. As a result of this decision, workers who are employed by the state or a municipality and who are in committed relationships with a same sex domestic partner are eligible to receive the same employment benefits for their domestic partners that a married employee receives for a spouse.

Justice Fabe currently chairs the Alaska Supreme Court's Fairness, Diversity and Equality Committee, which seeks to ensure that the promise of "justice for all" is a reality for all Alaskans.

The attack on Justice Fabe is led by Alaska Family Action, Inc., whose top contributor is Citizen Link, a Colorado-based "family advocacy" organization. Another organization that has been identified as a top contributor is the American Family Association, a Mississippi-based "pro-family" organization. Alaska Family Action launched its attack just two weeks before the election--no doubt designed to ensure that Justice Fabe has little time to respond or correct the record.

Citizen Link is the activist arm of Focus on the Family. Likewise, Alaska Family Action is the activist arm of the Alaska Family Council, both run by Jim Minnery whose cousin Tom Minnery is senior vice president of Focus on the Family, a top outside contributor to the Alaska anti-gay lobby.

An editorial spat has broken out in the pages of the Anchorage and Fairbanks newspapers about Justice Fabe and the importance of a non-partisan judiciary. Alex Bryner, a former state supreme court justice, summed up the issue:

They do not attack her for doing her job poorly; they attack her for disobeying their particular agenda... Alaska's voters must resist this threat by casting informed votes based on the merits of Justice Fabe's history of judicial performance, not on her willingness to obey pressures exerted by vested interests funded outside Alaska.

To learn more about Justice Fabe, visit www.yesonfabe.com.

Miller to Maddow on gay rights: "I wanna be straight with you"

Rachel Maddow broadcast her show live from Anchorage on Tuesday night, after interviewing our U.S. Senate candidates and their supporters. Well, she interviewed Democrat Scott McAdams and write-in Lisa Murkowski, and finally got Tea Party Joe Miller to answer a few questions while walking through a building.

At one point she asked Miller, "Do you agree that homosexuality can be cured?" and he responded "it's a state issue." (Huh?) When she asked if he thinks being gay is a choice, he began part of his answer by saying "I wanna be straight with you." (I guess he doesn't know that she's a lesbian.) Later in the interview, she corners him on the federal marriage ban, which he supports despite the fact that he thinks it's a state issue. (Gotcha.)

Watch the Miller "interview" here:

The other segment that covered LGBT issues in Alaska was her candid talk with Tank Jones, bodyguard for Levi Johnston and tour guide for Rachel. At one point she asked if people here are conservative on social issues and are anti-gay, and he gave an interesting response:

No. Not here because we have... 3-4 gay bars here in this small town of Anchorage, and probably over half of the people that's in these campaigns are secretly gay but they won't come out. So we don't really have a anti-gay movement here like they have in other places because... diversity runs big here, very very big here, so we don't have that problem.

Well, there wouldn't be so many people afraid to come out if they felt accepted by the community, and we obviously do have that problem here. We also have an anti-gay movement. On the positive side, his answer is the only comment on the show about gay life in Anchorage, and it completely denies the existence of the anti-gays. Anyone who disses the local bigots is OK by me.

Watch the Tank segment:

The best part of the evening was Rachel's interview of Vic Fisher, a delegate to the convention that wrote the Alaska state constitution, and radio host Shannyn Moore. Vic points out that a constitution is designed to be a living framework, not a static document, and asks us to vote our values, not our fears. Shannyn notes that this election is part of an on-going feud between the Murkowski family and the Palin family. They both explain why we need to support and vote for Scott McAdams.

Watch the Vic and Shannon segment:

The other Alaska segments can be viewed on The Rachel Maddow Show and include interviews with Scott and Lisa and their supporters, and a great segment with ignorant Joe supporters. Between the taped sections, Rachel reported live from the Taproot Cafe in Anchorage. (Guess which bloggers can be seen behind Rachel?)

Thanks to Rachel and her crew for reporting from Alaska, and thanks to Shannyn Moore, Taproot and everyone who encouraged Rachel to visit. She rocks!

Cheryl Wheeler performs in Alaska this week

Alaskan have two chances to see singer/songwriter Cheryl Wheeler: a solo show in Palmer on Wednesday, and a combined show with Dan Tyminski in Anchorage on Saturday.

Cheryl Wheeler writes folk music and love songs that have been performed by many other singers, for example Dan Seals and Chris LeDoux. But she's also known for her comedy songs, including humorous ditties about potatoes, politics and religion. From "Dubya, Dubya" to "Lady Gaga's Singing Program" and "Your God", she entertains audiences with funny stories and songs in between the love and folk songs.

Cheryl and her wife Cathleen were married in 2004:

Since Cheryl lives in Massachusetts, she and Cathleen were able to get married. Cheryl's sister flew up for the ceremony. When talking about the experience during her shows, Cheryl has mentioned that they are both surprised how different they feel now that they are married. They had assumed it wouldn't make that much difference (other than legal issues), but have come to find out that being married really does make a difference.

Watch a music video of Aces, a classic Cheryl Wheeler song:

AFL-CIO: It Gets Better

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka speaks out against discrimination in the workplace and in support of the It Gets Better Project. He connects anti-gay school bullying to job discrimination, and encourages us to Make It Better by standing together for fairness and equality. (For a local example of this message, the Alaska AFL-CIO is working to unseat anti-worker & anti-gay Rep. Kelly.)

Watch:

E Pluribus Unum

- a guest post by Abel Spark (not his real name), a member of our community in Anchorage, Alaska.

In case you haven't noticed, there is an election happening. The polls are open today and people are deciding who is most fit to represent Alaska in the US Senate. We have three choices this year. Well, really two. And for me, making this decision has required a great deal of emotional evaluation to determine who I will support.

I don't count Joe Miller a candidate. He is a palinesque joke and a thug.

This leaves Lisa Murkowski and Scott McAdams as the viable options. Being one who waits until he has as many facts as possible before making an informed decision, I really benefitted from the opportunity to listen, watch, and interact with them both at the same time.

He is well spoken, affable, and funny. She is smart and she is so kind. Really kind. She is no more a monster for being Republican than I am evil for being gay. And I challenge you to find any Alaskan who loves Alaska more. So this year's ballot has been a really difficult decision for me.

Lisa Murkowski is running on the proof of the record, while Scott McAdams is running on the promise of the future.

Joe Miller is an epic failure.

Lisa's best argument, and it is a good one, is that Alaska will become powerless, having the delegation with the least seniority in the Senate, a body in which seniority is everything. McAdams' argument is that he is not beholden to corporate interests and is best positioned to beat Joe Miller because his name is on the ballot. When Scott McAdams promises not to take corporate contributions I hear echoes of George Bush saying "read my lips." But I try never fault a person for optimism.

Joe Miller's best argument is that the Koch brothers thinly veiled as a populist movement want more control of the Senate.

Joe Miller? Lisa Murkowski? Scott McAdams? Yikes. This stuff is scary.

The America I was raised in told me that we are all due equal protection under the law. The America I was raised in showed me this is not the case. The Pharisees of today are leading a jihad against the LGBT community. They are making life so unbearable that young people are choosing to kill themselves rather than face the brutal reality of our culture. It has to stop. We must stop it. So which candidate is best prepared to join this fight?

On this point many votes will turn.

Joe, you are as bigoted an individual as they come. Your self-righteousness will prove its own reward.

Lisa, your record on LGBT issues reflects alignment with the forces that have allowed systematic demoralization of millions of Americans. You have disavowed the quote by the Lizard King Jerry Prevo that it is impossible to be gay and Christian. But last week you supplicated at his altar of bigotry. You have voted consistently against the LGBT community and in your response to their survey this summer, you promised nothing will change. It has been painful. You had many chances to help in the struggle. But you didn't. Here is what you told the Alaska Family Council; the Alaska version of Focus On The Family, a religious group with the blood of LGBT youth on its hands:

Scott, you have obviously not spent too much time contemplating the day to day reality of LGBT existence, but it is clear you understand the underlying issues. You unequivocally stated you support equality, that every citizen is sovereign, that no laws should be passed that create inequality in our system, and that we must do away with those that already do. I try never to fault a man for being an idealist.

I have a handful of LGBT friends who will disagree with me. There is only one genuine choice on this ballot for LGBT voters: Scott McAdams.

To those of you fearing change, I offer this. A long overdue generational shift is under way. An emerging generation of leaders now assumes its rightful place at the table. We are up to the challenges of the future with the same energy and acumen as those who crafted our state and those who have lived here for untold generations.

And to those who claim that Lisa and seniority are the only answer to the problems we now face, and that we are going to be the weakest Senate Delegation because our senior Senator will have only two years of seniority, I have a different perspective to offer.

When Scott McAdams is elected to the US Senate, Alaska might have the least seniority of any State delegation. But it will also be the youngest. In a body where seniority matters, perhaps Alaska is embarking on the first steps of a long journey.

Now for a little history lesson. The youngest and least senior delegation in Alaska history began on December 24, 1968. On January 3, 1969, Alaska enjoyed 11 days of seniority in the US Senate. Look at what Ted Stevens built: the most prosperous era of Alaskan history. Perhaps past is prologue.

Measure 1: Redistricting is an LGBT Alaskan issue

- a guest post by Maxine Doogan on Ballot Measure 1: a Constitutional Amendment to Increase the Number of Alaska State Legislators and Districts

Redistricting is the process of redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries to reflect population changes based on the 2010 census information gathered every 10 years. This state constitutional amendment would expand the current State House Representatives from 40 to 44 and the State Senate from 20 to 22. When redistricting is done correctly, it should maximize the impact of one person, one vote. Redistricting is done to make sure no district is larger by population than another. It also groups people with common interest such as belonging to a rural or economic area and is critical in determining the makeup of the governing bodies. Representatives have to make sure that all parts of their district's needs are being served. And the degree of support and opposition to LGBT related legislation could be determined by the redrawing of district line.

One of the concerns for passing this ballot measure is recognizing the difference in population from the bush communities to the larger cities and assuring rural community members continue to get enough representation. If this ballot measure doesn't pass, resources to serve the current population could be spread too thin. If this ballot measure does pass there will be costs incurred for the additional staff, offices and travel. However, we generally don't put a price tag on democratizing representation.

Making sure the redistricting process is democratic is important. This constitutional amendment was put before the voters by bipartisan support and opposed primarily by Republicans. It is our responsibility as part of the LGBT community to ensure the passing of redistricting legislation, as it effects our population and will ensure the voices of all LGBT people get heard. We must ALL turn out our vote and cast our ballots for governor and legislators who support the LGBT community. In doing so, we will decide whether Democrats or Republicans will dominate the State governing bodies and therefore have a say in the redrawing of state and federal political borders for the new decade.

With fair-minded voters voting for fair minded candidates, extremists cannot lock-up or lock-out certain interests for the next decade. Measure 1 needs our immediate response and support to ensure our voice gets heard now and for years to come. If this legislation is blocked by extremists, it will not be good for the LGBT community and the effects will be felt for the next decade. If this constitutional amendment passes, there will be more representation that reflects our best interests and Democrats have traditionally shown the LGBT community that they take our concerns seriously when we care enough to show up at the polls and tell them so.

Early voting and In-Person Absentee Voting is available now. Don't wait till the last minute.

Vote on November 2nd and Vote Blue

Rachel Maddow in Alaska Tomorrow!

The Rachel Maddow Show will be broadcast live from Anchorage on Tuesday! Shannyn Moore, host of Moore Up North, made the announcement on her radio show and blog today:

Grab a Redbull and buckle up, Buttercup. The Rachel Maddow Show is coming to Anchorage! Apparently, our tight, 3-way US Senate Race is generating a lot of national interest. Rachel did a great 10 minute segment on our crazy race last week... [posted Friday on Bent HERE]

So, here are the details. Rachel will be broadcasting live from the new home of Moore Up North, Taproot, TOMORROW, Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 5:00 pm.

Tickets are free but limited. Go to the announcement on Moore's blog, Just a Girl from Homer, to request your tickets.

Thanks to Shannyn and Linda Kellen Biegel for convincing the incredible (and openly lesbian) Rachel Maddow to give national attention to Alaska's election!