Letters to the editor (12511)

While those of us who accompanied His Grace Bishop Benjamin on the Great Blessing of Water trip through Southwest Alaska appreciated and were delighted with the coverage the ADN provided of the event, the less obvious reason for the visitation should have been noted.

The Orthodox Diocese of Alaska passed a unanimous resolution at its annual assembly in 2009, invoking God's blessing on any development that would improve the quality of life of our people in rural Alaska but withholding that approval and blessing from any development that threatened to poison, pollute or ruin the waters and land on which Native Alaskans have depended for 12,000 years. The resolution also demanded that any project prove itself capable of operating without destroying the ecosystem by doing so somewhere else on Earth.

Before the Pebble mine could possibly receive approval and blessing from the church, it would have to demonstrate that the corporation had successfully mined copper and gold elsewhere on the planet without destroying the environment. There is no such place, no such mine.

I immigrated to United States in 1968 at the age of 19. I left Peru with $100 in my pocket, one-way ticket to New York City. I had no relatives or friends in America; I left my home with the dream imprinted in my head that someday I could become a professional, a contributing member of my new country, and be treated equally and fairly.

I went to school during the day, work: at night, but not for a second would I lose sight of my dream. First I attended New York City College, and in 1976 I moved my family to Anchorage. Here I continued my education and in 1990 I graduated with a bachelor degree in education from Alaska Pacific University. I have fulfilled my dream: My family and relatives have grown and prospered in Alaska, I am an active member of my community. I own my house, I am proprietor, and no one can tell me that I am a failure.

John Havelock's Jan. 15 column argues that those he calls Originalists (constitutional conservatives) have a new social agenda. He asserts that their claims of fealty to the original Constitution are misplaced and the items on the agenda should be debated instead.

Debate is warranted but it is also important to look at the broad picture of where laws fit into our overall legal framework. We have a number of laws on the federal level that have drawn power away from states, municipalities and individuals. Individual responsibility and keeping government as close to the individual as possible have been abandoned.

Many of us had expected the Constitution to protect us in this regard; however, it now appears to have been gradually interpreted into a weak piece of paper. http://www.ralphlaurenslondon.co.uk ]ralph lauren bubble coat We have instead become subjects of a bureaucratic oligarchy rather than citizens of a free republic.

To recover our republic, we must carefully look at the broad principles so carefully drafted in the original Constitution. The most important changes should be debated as amendments, not left to judicial interpretation.

I cannot help but respond to Rep. Craig Johnson's proposal to name, or re-name, or "concurrently name," or whatever he wants to do to Minnesota Boulevard, after former Gov. Wally Hickel.

First, such a change is confusing. Why two names for one road? I can only imagine the disastrous results should a fire truck try to find an address somewhere along "Minnesota Boulevard-slash-Walter J. Hickel Expressway. http://www.ralphlaurenslondon.co.uk ]polo ralph lauren boxers "

Second, I cannot fathom why a representative would want to waste our taxpayer dollars in such a way. Surely there are better ways to honor our former governor than name a moose-maiming, inefficient, already-named road after him.

Finally, this representative has done his part in convincing me to vote him out of office next election. As if introducing a so-called restaurant "tax credit" wasn't enough, this bill seals the deal. We pay you to do WHAT, Mr. Johnson?

I can only applaud Rep. Les Gara's efforts on behalf of foster children. Every one of the changes is long overdue, each is significant, and the proposed changes this year are all of minor cost. I expect that the foster children affected will be happier because of them, and perhaps that will mean each one will be more productive for themselves and the community.

Does anyone really think that a gas pipeline will ever happen at this point? Sure, there are many reasons it should: the creation of good-paying domestic jobs, issues of national security and energy independence, even for reasons of peak oil and climate change. But none of those reasons are going to make it happen. The natural gas market in the Lower 48 is currently saturated with cheap shale gas and the economics of a $40 billion pipeline are just not looking very good. Instead, an in-state pipeline to Valdez would create more jobs for Alaskans than a pipeline just passing through. The gas can then be liquefied and exported via tanker to domestic or foreign markets, processed into value-added products like fertilizers or GTL, or used here in Alaska for our own energy needs.

We have known for years the oil wouldn't last forever. Now is the time to do something about it. http://www.ralphlaurenslondon.co.uk ]ralph lauren rugby top

The Legislature is saying it needs 120 days to deliberate, 90 days is not enough to create and pass important legislation pertaining to the needs of Alaskans. Perhaps looking at the bills introduced so far could shed light on this need. HB 19 would create American flag license plates that say "In God We Trust"; HB 92 would create Lao veterans license plates; SB 2 would create National Rifle Association license plates; SB 16 would create Choose Life license plates.

These bills are precisely the reason the voters of Alaska chose to limit the session. Sens. Meyer, Menard, Huggins, Dyson, Wagoner and Geisel and Reps. Lynn, Keller, Gatto, Petersen and Gruenberg should explain the critical need for Alaskans to spend time deliberating these bills. If this is what our legislative bodies consider necessary legislation, maybe we should limit the session to 60 days.