Search the site...

SOL DE MEDIANOCHE
  • MARCH 2023
  • FEBRUARY 2023
  • JANUARY 2023
  • DECEMBER 2022
  • NOVEMBER 2022
  • OCTOBER 2022
  • SEPTEMBER 2022
  • AUGUST 2022
  • JULY 2022
  • JUNE 2022
  • MAY 2022
  • APRIL 2022
  • MARCH 2022
  • FEBRUARY 2022
  • JANUARY 2022
  • DECEMBER 2021
  • NOVEMBER 2021
  • OCTOBER 2021
  • SEPTEMBER 2021
  • AUGUST 2021
  • JULY 2021
  • JUNE 2021
  • MAY 2021
  • APRIL 2021
  • MARCH 2021
  • FEBRUARY 2021
  • JANUARY 2021
  • DECEMBER 2020
  • NOVEMBER 2020
  • Advertise with us!
  • OCTOBER 2020
  • SEPTEMBER 2020
  • AUGUST 2020
  • JULY 2020
  • JUNE 2020
  • MAY 2020
  • MAR - APR 2020
  • JAN - FEB 2020
  • NOVEMBER 2019
  • SEPTEMBER 2019
  • JULY 2019
  • MAY 2019
  • MARCH 2019
  • FEBRUARY 2019
  • NOVEMBER 2018
  • SEPTEMBER 2018
    • Yes on Salmon
    • Become a citizen
  • JUNE 2018
  • APRIL 2018
  • FEBRUARY 2018
  • DECEMBER 2017
  • SEPTEMBER 2017
  • JULY 2017
  • MAY 2017
  • Spring 2017 - No. 5
  • Winter 2016 - No. 4
  • Fall 2016 - No. 3
  • Summer 2016 - No. 2
  • Spring 2016 - No. 1
  • Contact
  • MARCH 2023
  • FEBRUARY 2023
  • JANUARY 2023
  • DECEMBER 2022
  • NOVEMBER 2022
  • OCTOBER 2022
  • SEPTEMBER 2022
  • AUGUST 2022
  • JULY 2022
  • JUNE 2022
  • MAY 2022
  • APRIL 2022
  • MARCH 2022
  • FEBRUARY 2022
  • JANUARY 2022
  • DECEMBER 2021
  • NOVEMBER 2021
  • OCTOBER 2021
  • SEPTEMBER 2021
  • AUGUST 2021
  • JULY 2021
  • JUNE 2021
  • MAY 2021
  • APRIL 2021
  • MARCH 2021
  • FEBRUARY 2021
  • JANUARY 2021
  • DECEMBER 2020
  • NOVEMBER 2020
  • Advertise with us!
  • OCTOBER 2020
  • SEPTEMBER 2020
  • AUGUST 2020
  • JULY 2020
  • JUNE 2020
  • MAY 2020
  • MAR - APR 2020
  • JAN - FEB 2020
  • NOVEMBER 2019
  • SEPTEMBER 2019
  • JULY 2019
  • MAY 2019
  • MARCH 2019
  • FEBRUARY 2019
  • NOVEMBER 2018
  • SEPTEMBER 2018
    • Yes on Salmon
    • Become a citizen
  • JUNE 2018
  • APRIL 2018
  • FEBRUARY 2018
  • DECEMBER 2017
  • SEPTEMBER 2017
  • JULY 2017
  • MAY 2017
  • Spring 2017 - No. 5
  • Winter 2016 - No. 4
  • Fall 2016 - No. 3
  • Summer 2016 - No. 2
  • Spring 2016 - No. 1
  • Contact

In Defense of Alaska

By the Organizing Committee for the Party
for Socialism and Liberation Anchorage

Picture

On December 3, the Anchorage Press published a featured article titled, “In defense of David Eastman.” In this article, the author, Alaska Independence Party chair, Bob Bird, uses a derogatory slur, which is used to dehumanize Little People, to describe and insult 70 West Point alumni who expressed their opinion that Alaska House Representative, David Eastman, should be expelled from the Alaska legislature for violating the Alaska Constitution, due to his lifetime membership in the far-right extremist group, Oath Keepers. Not only did Chairman Bird use slurs and dehumanizing language throughout his defense of Eastman, but the chairman also went on to attack the media for its portrayal of the murderer, Kyle Rittenhouse. Within the same article Chairman Bird defends Rittenhouse and Eastman. In other words, Chairman Bird defends the use of political violence to silence opposition.

Eastman attended the January 6 rally that led to the attack on Congress. Eastman describes himself as a proud lifetime member of Oath Keepers. The Oath Keepers are a patriot militia group that the Southern Poverty Law Center labels an extremist group. Leaders and members of the Oath Keepers are currently being investigated, charged, and arrested for involvement in the January 6 attack on Congress. A sitting member of the Alaska legislature attended a rally that led to a violent attack on Congress. Congress was attacked while working to certify the 2020 presidential election, which formally recognized President Biden’s election victory.

A sitting Alaska legislator is a lifetime member of an extremist group that was the vanguard of a violent and anti-democratic assault on Congress. Eastman’s membership in Oath Keepers at the minimum warrants a robust legislative investigation. The legislature is obligated to investigate Eastman for allegedly violating the Alaska Constitution. Members of the public are accusing Eastman of belonging to a group that promoted and participated in a violent assault on Congress. Specifically, members of the public are accusing Eastman of violating the Alaska Constitution, Article 12, Section 4, “Disqualification for Disloyalty.” The section states, “No person who advocates, or who aids or belongs to any party or organization or association which advocates, the overthrow by force or violence of the government of the United States or of the State shall be qualified to hold any public office of trust or profit under this constitution.” These accusations should not be taken lightly.

Eastman has already admitted to belonging to Oath Keepers. There are also photos of Eastman at the capitol on January 6. His Oath Keepers membership is completely unacceptable and is a violation of the Alaska Constitution. The Alaska legislature failing to investigate Eastman’s membership in Oath Keepers is just as equally unacceptable. That being said, the Anchorage branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) demands that Eastman be expelled from the legislature for his membership in the extremist organization, Oath Keepers.

Chairman Bird’s defense of Eastman and Rittenhouse is equally troubling. To emphasis the point again, Chairman Bird is defending the use of political violence to silence political opposition. The rhetoric used in his article is unacceptable and incompatible with healthy political discourse. Every political group and party in Alaska should work to promote political dialogue that is peaceful and democratic. Chairman Bird needs to make a public apology for his defense of Eastman and Rittenhouse, and for his rhetoric.

PSL condemns Chairman Bird’s rhetoric. As Marxists, we believe that all political organizations have a responsibility to promote inclusiveness and democracy. However, PSL is obligated to respond and act when elected officials and other public figures use their platforms to promote political violence. As Marxists, we are intolerant of intolerance. In the future, we hope that Chairman Bird and the Alaska Independence Party can engage with the community in a more constructive manner that encourages all voices and people to participate in Alaska’s democracy.
​
As Alaskans we should not tolerate anti-democratic conduct from our representatives. We should hold our elected officials to the highest standards.

PROUDLY POWERED BY SOL DE MEDIANOCHE NEWS, LLC.
Sol de Medianoche is a monthly publication of the Latino community in Anchorage, Alaska