In Parnell’s Administration, Cronyism Rules the Day
The war on science is winning. And I’m not talking about those who confuse weather and climate.
Nope. I’m frustrated with the continual election of candidates with a faith-based bias when it comes to policy that should rely on science. In a letter this week, Ed Fogels, deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, informed his colleagues that the mission of the department had changed.
The new mission: “To responsibly develop Alaska’s resources by making them available for maximum use and benefit consistent with the public interest.”
There are a few issues with DNR’s newfound mission. First, the mission they had wasn’t broken.
It read, “The Mission Statement of the Department of Natural Resources is to develop, conserve, and enhance natural resources for present and future Alaskans.”
That one was based in a little directive we call the Alaska Constitution.
“Sec. 44.37.020. Duties of department with respect to natural resources. (a) The Department of Natural Resources shall administer the state program for the conservation and development of natural resources, including forests, parks, and recreational areas, land, water, agriculture, soil conservation, and minerals including petroleum and natural gas, but excluding commercial fisheries, sport fish, game, and fur-bearing animals in their natural state.”
It’s ironic to have self-identified conservatives continually ignore conservation. Their drive to use up Alaska’s resources like we’re in some sort of race is reckless with Alaska’s economy and future development.
I realize cherry picking is common in the Parnell administration but the Alaska Constitution is not a Sunday buffet from which departments get to pick and choose what they’ll put on their mission plate. This behavior isn’t limited to one department; it’s pervasive throughout the Parnell administration.
Cronyism abounds and seems to be passed down from Republican governor to Republican governor. Sarah Palin created a position for Corey Rossi in 2009 because he was so blatantly unqualified to be commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game that even she didn’t dare do it.
In 2010, Parnell appointed Rossi as director of wildlife conservation. In addition to lacking the scientific credentials for even that job, Rossi also lacked the ethical credentials, which explains why he’s facing 12 criminal charges for illegal hunting.
This week on “Moore Up North,” Craig Medred reported that Rossi and a former head and a current head of the game board got in trouble on a little “subsistence” hunt in Nome. Apparently, unable to go on a legal trophy hunt for musk ox, the trio of Alaska game managers decided they would turn a subsistence hunt into a trophy hunt. Rossi, Bob Bell and Cliff Judkins were caught by a Fish and Game biologist in Nome with trophy horns that were supposed to have been destroyed as a condition of the subsistence permit.
Their “Don’t you know who we are?” attitude was met by a courageous state employee who did his job and enforced the law regardless of the consequences. The trio thought their positions would enable them to ignore the rules set up for everyone else. Cliff Judkins is the current chair of the Board of Game. On the game board’s 2012 agenda is a rule change that will allow Judkins, Bell and Rossi to legally bring home the horns from their next musk ox hunt. All that’s needed is a rubber stamp from the Board of Cronies.
The commissioner of Fish and Game, Cora Campbell, found out that Rossi was being questioned in a criminal investigation in early December. Her response was to do exactly nothing. She didn’t ask him a single question about what was up. Instead, she acted like nothing had happened and kept him on the job until formal charges were made. And when she accepted Rossi’s resignation, she thanked him for his years of service and explained to staff he was leaving for personal reasons.
Pathetic.
Anti-predator control public testimony at BOG meetings has dwindled. Why? Because crony appointments have turned the BOG into the Board of Predators. Alaskans can see that the game is fixed.
The abuses and blatant disregard of science and ethics are top down in Alaska. The “what can I get for my service” mentality didn’t end with Palin’s reality show and book tour. Parnell’s repeated calls for an oil tax giveaway have set the tone; ignore the constitution and get what you can for yourself and your friends.
Vic Fischer, one of the authors of the Alaska Constitution, has called for the impeachment of Parnell for repeatedly violating his oath of office.
Alaska’s executive branch has become a grown-up version of “Lord of the Flies.” I didn’t catch the name of the biologist in Nome but I’d like to thank him. I’ll take integrity and science over what’s-in-it-for-me, faith-based cronyism any and every day of the week.
Maybe somebody can explain to me why Cliff Judkins is still on the Board of Game. With an allegation like this report, maybe Parnell can explain that to us.
AKpetmom –
I have a great amount of sympathy with your thoughts here. I am reminded of a poem by John Dunne, I believe it is entitled “No Man Is An Island”. I could be worng, it is a sonnet and the final versus go like this:
No man is an island entire of itself
Every man is a piece of the continent
A part of the main
And therefore, never send to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
The fact that we humans are just a part of the enormous complex reality that is planet earth is rather inconvenient to those who propound ludicrously simplistic view points. So they go to extremes to try to obfuscate, deflect, obscure, taint, impugne and denounce every bit of the overwhelming and unavoidable certainty that our actions have consequences.
I think our greatest weakness is our hubris, largely embodied in the irrational idea that some higher power gives us dispensation for obvious folly. But be that as it may, I am reminded of then ending of a particular poem by Eliot —
This is the way the world will end,
This is the way the world will end,
This is the way the world will end
Not with a bang but a whimper.
These people that hunt large game for trophy purposes don’t realize that many of these animals have been “masters” of this planet for much longer than we have been. They consider themselves “above” these animals that have survived for many more millennia than we humans have, without housing and the luxuries that are required for us, as humans, to survive.
When the going gets tough from climate change or water shortages, these animals that are considered nothing but trophies to hang on a wall, will prevail, whereas we piddly humans will not fare so well given our dependence on shelter and human-created conveniences.
So many other creatures give birth to young that are ready to participate in a fully-functional existence mere hours or days after they leave the womb. Humans, not so much. At our minimum we require at least 12-15 years to develop the survival abilities that these animals have within a year.
Face it, we can’t survive as a species without help. These “lesser creatures” have and will endure much of what Mother Nature sends their way; they will walk the earth long after we are gone, and that is what makes me able to endure our stupidity and thoughtlessness.
DNR’s “new mission: “To responsibly develop Alaska’s resources by making them available for maximum use and benefit consistent with the public interest.” ‘ should scare the daylights out of folks.
Whose public interest? What public interest?
Where?
Doublespeak for paternalistic extractive industries lingo?
(Don’t worry your foo-foo lil head , we’ll take good care of it all for all of you? )
This case has sat with no movement for 2 years other than a flurry of motions by state and PP.
IF the villages are correct about it functionally being an ad hoc plan with minerals cronies in place in DNR to oversee the plan… what ARE we looking at?
http://ourbristolbay.com/pdf/NondaltonTribalCouncil-v-StateDNR.pdf
Slam dunk for Pebble?
Court hearing on Lake and Pen case Jan 30- time to start paying attention again.
Ahhh, yes — Pebble; that little project the public is so eager to see ‘maximized’ for the ‘benefit’ of…of…of Who…of What? Oh, yeah — now I remember; for Parnell, his coffer-liners, and his dear, dear friends cum appointees. How convenient!
And, [as ‘they’ say] the plot sickens. beth.
you know…. it’s sounds like there’s a lot of work for progressive lawyers in Alaska…. AND English Teachers who specialize in word definitions….
Hi Shannyn…
Great update .. So it sounds a lot like what happened in Southern California during their ‘resource’ boom. Their view was just like Parnell’s . Use it all… Use it as fast as you can… F*** the future, I won’t be here. As part of that program, Calfornia’s builders implemented a strategy called ‘cut and fill’… ‘cut’ the top of the sand dune ( mountain) off and fill the alleys between it and the next one with that rubble, called ‘fill’… When you got that done, build as many homes as will structurally fit in that space, as fast and as cheaply as you can and then get out !! They blindly ignored little stuff that California suffers from time to time… MAJOR earthquakes,… MONSTER rain/snow storms…. Floods…. Hugh forest fires…. Kinda like what happens in your Alaska….
SO, the bill in the last 5-7 years, ‘re-tooling’ of the MILLIONS of structures that are now cracked, sliding down hillsides, covered by 200 feet of run-off and mud, houses falling in the oceans, etc.. $ 38 billion… That’s just the states’ slice… Probably the same or more from the private/insurance company… So Parnell sounds like he wants to do the same kind of ‘scorched earth use’ in Alaska… He’s a dangerous man for Alaska and the sooner you guys throw him in a dredge heap, the better…. He will damage your wilderness; he will make parts of your land un-inhabitable; not a good choice of influence to keep around. Can he be un-seated politically?
On a lighter note, several of the students in my deaf/hard of hearing program are actually learning about the musk ox, an animal we certainly don’t see here in NY. I like to include information about animals in a lot of my lessons and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to do my part to share some knowledge.
They needed practice with finding the elements of stories – character, setting, events, etc – so I have been writing short stories about animals found in Alaska. My first was about Morty the Musk Ox and I discovered that we actually had an entire book in our school library about the musk ox which I borrowed (quite possibly the only person to ever take it out!). I debuted the story a couple of weeks ago and it was very well received by one of my third graders who enjoyed reading about Morty and seeing the pictures from the book. He had lots of questions about the musk ox and was fascinated by the odd-looking animal. Maybe I have a future conservationist on my hands!
The more the better (conservationists, that is).
Putting these people in charge of NR/F&G/conservation departments is like putting an arsonist in charge of a forest service.
I keep expecting to read about the kind of hunts that happened on the Great Plains years ago when they brought trainloads of people out to massacre bison by the thousands. Have we not yet learned from the tragic mistakes of our past? Has our greed completely overwhelmed our concern for the future of our resources?
(And, yes, I’ve been following the antics of the GOP for the past decade so I DO know the answer to those questions.)
Parnell, Captain Zero, what say you?
And what would Sarah the pundent say about this illegal activity in 140 characters? Wasn’t it one of the sustaining reasons they pursued the firing of their former brother-in-law from his job with the Alaska State Troopers.
They wanted Wooten strung up from the balls for taking Molly’s shot, even when Chuck Sr., butchered and dispersed the illegal meat to the Palin clan. It could have been fed to Matt Lauer for all we know.
Sarah likes to hush critics with salient questions when it’s about the opposition examining a record. “Oh Joe, there you go again” lookin back and blaming Bush’s ancient history economy crashing policies that have nothing to do with Obama’s socialism today. . .that’s so yesterday. Today is somebody else’s fault and let’s concentrate on that.
Well, Sarah, you, Sally and Chuck pushed hard to make the rat-catcher above the law, what are you going to say about that? MSM is going to take a whiff and start writing about it. . .
As for how Shannyn Moore started, I was hoping she’d elaborate more on how Parnell is entirely reliant on a Faith-Based talent pool.
I think I found the comment you were thinking of. A search of the language turned up this reference: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/alaska-wildlife-official-faces-new-allegations-illegal-trophy-hunting
Thanks, MikefromIowa, Shannyn, and Craig Medred.
Sorry – this should have been in reply to #4. I tried to just post the link, and got bounced.
In any case, it’s a good article, with links to more information.
It’s amazing to me that faith based doesn’t mean that they take seriously being given dominion over the other animals. It didn’t mean to kill them, it meant to care for them.
Depends, I think, on which version of the [self-written] bible one uses, LibertyLover, as to what, exactly, the Good Book says. I swear the rwnjs have their own [personal] version of both the US Constitution and the bible… And they don’t share them — just use them to justify the dismissal of anything kind, caring, compassionate, conserving, thoughtful, stewarding, sharing, decent, honest, respectable, respectful (well, you get the picture).
And topping it all off, in my experience, the rwnjs take to task folks who happen to have access to the *actual* versions of both the USC and the bible, and make it sound as if the they [the folks with the *actual* copies] are the enemy of this nation of ours for daring to question what the he// the rwnjs think they are doing. beth.
The new mission: “To responsibly develop Alaska’s resources by making them available for maximum use and benefit consistent with the public interest.”
Shannyn: Can state agencies/department heads just up and change things just like that? Is that legal according to the AK constitution? Not that it makes a difference to Parnell et al.
Kudos to cousin muskox and our biologist friends–the ones who actually care for us.
The Board of Game needs an overhaul. The sooner the better.
Too much is being neglected while legislators salivate over oil and gas projects.
Cronyism from Parnell? This is the same administration that redeacted all the incriminating evidence from Palin’s e-mails, and protects her scrawny criminal behind to this day!
And don’t forget that Parnell put Cora Campbell in as crony/commissioner- not because she has any idea how to effectively manage ADFG (as shown by her ineptness in handling Rossi’s departure) but due to her relationship with certain SE seiners.
It’s a good thing Rossi was only being investigated for numerous violations of laws he was supposed to uphold- wonder what Campbell’s excuse for doing nothing would have been if he had been investigated for rape, child sexual abuse, and so on.
Thank you, Shannyn and Jeanne, for turning the lights on. Too bad the cockroaches don’t scatter when you do so; in what I’ve read about infestations, that means it’s really spread wide.
I’m with Vic Fischer. Impeach the @$$hat.
A commenter elsewhere pointed out this previous blog guest entry here at The Mudflats, about Corey Rossi:
https://themudflats.net/2011/11/16/a-disaster-for-alaskas-department-of-fish-and-game/
http://juneauempire.com/letters/2012-01-18/rossi-charges This article didn’t mention new charges against Rossi,but down at the tenth comment is a pretty good article with the biologist’s name and some information about this case.
It’s the “pay to play” conservative game plan. Why do you think Parnell went down to Texas earlier this year to visit Mr. Rick Perry and play with his prayer group political meeting? It was to get tips and gain support for this style of – run the public over with a truck and then tell them they were in the way – style of governing.
With Parnell and his cronies in power, it’s sell the state to the highest bidder, and screw the “people” and the “resources” for the future.
And that I think is the crux of the problem. Republicans of Parnell’s type only think one legislative season at a time, one election at a time, and one bank statement at a time. They are incapable of looking forward towards the future. Democrats on the other hand, tend to notice what the “ripple effects” will be and plan for several years , if not decades into the future.
From The Alaska Fish & Wildlife News: “Tony Gorn is a state wildlife biologist in Nome who works with the Seward Peninsula muskox.”
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=496&issue_id=95
Tony Gorn should be appointed Commissioner of F&G. That might change some attitudes in the dept.
thank you so much Shannyn for your service to Alaska.