Viewpoints
It's about money and control.
By Myrna Gardner
November 13, 2006
Monday
The Fish & Game mission is to protect and manage the resources
for the maximum benefit of the people of the state.
Chairman Ron Somerville's malicious statement about Alaska Natives
and beer at the October 7th public meeting held in Anchorage
on Subsistence taking of Caribou and Moose was an unmistakably
blatant, racist statement that reflects the climate of politics
and policies in Alaska regarding Natives and subsistence. Alaska's
government through laws, policies, rules, and regulations has
attacked subsistence since statehood.
History has shown that the majority of changes to Fish and Game
policies were to take away any rights, allocation or priority
of resources by Alaskans through subsistence.
Alaskans, whether Native, Rural or urban consume less than 1%
of the total harvest of fish and game through subsistence. So
what is the big deal?
It is all about money and control. Have we, as Alaskan leaders
and citizens become anesthetized to the blatant disrespect we
show for Alaska Natives and subsistence? Why hasn't our Governor,
legislatures, mayors, city officials called for Somerville's
resignation? Is it because the statement was about Alaska Natives?
If it was about any other race would we brush the incident off
so easily?
Maximum benefit for the people include respecting and addressing
the needs of those that don't live by Costco.
Myrna Gardner
Anchorage, Alaska
Received November 12, 2006 - Published November 13, 2006
About: "A lifelone subsistence
hunter, fisher and gatherer."
Note: Comments published
on Viewpoints are the opinions of the writer
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sitnews.
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