Murkowski Disingenuous Says NARF
Natalie Landreth is a senior staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) in Anchorage, Alaska. Founded in 1970, NARF is the oldest and largest nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide. By Natalie Landreth Last Thursday, March 7, President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Nationwide, many celebrated the new provisions allowing tribal governments to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual assault. It was a long overdue fix for a jurisdictional loophole. Absent from the press coverage…
Alaska Federation of Natives Convention Cancels Senate Debate
BREAKING: The Alaska Federation of Natives Convention has cancelled the senate forum scheduled for this weekend during the annual convention in Fairbanks. The cancellation comes after AFN sent invitations, and got commitments from at least one campaign. AFN states that the cancellation comes because neither Lisa Murkowski nor Joe Miller has committed to attend the event. It is unclear if Mr. Miller will be at the convention. Both Lisa Murkowski and Scott McAdams will be present at the convention. By their actions the AFN are in effect saying that Natives do not need to hear from, and should not hear from candidate(s) who committed to attend the…