Green Options » alaska environment http://greenoptions.com/tag/alaska-environment Posts tagged 'alaska environment' Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:08:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en The Pebble Mine Project and Alaska Initiative 4: How Palin Rolls (Over the Environment and the Law) http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/05/the-pepple-mine-project-and-alaska-initiative-4-how-palin-rolls-over-the-environment-and-the-law/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/05/the-pepple-mine-project-and-alaska-initiative-4-how-palin-rolls-over-the-environment-and-the-law/#comments Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:08:56 +0000 Tom Schueneman http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/05/the-pepple-mine-project-and-alaska-initiative-4-how-palin-rolls-over-the-environment-and-the-law/ The is a guest post from environmental writer Tom Schueneman

Sarah Palin - a true environmental extremistWith all the furious rhetoric building around McCain’s running mate, I found a comment from a post I wrote about Sarah Palin on GlobalWarmingisReal informative and enlightening. It’s good to see how many Alaskans feel about their “pitbull with lipstick.”

The commenter is a lifelong Alaskan resident, a member of the NRA, and a wildlife biologist. He brought up some very interesting issues that, to my knowledge, have not yet made it to the mainstream press.

Invoking “Personal Privilege”

It is against the law in Alaska for the Governor to take sides on a ballot measure. For Palin, getting around that law meant merely “taking off her governor hat” while talking to the press in order to take “personal privilege” in order to firmly state her opposition to ballot measure 4, a clean water initiative.

Well, isn’t that dandy. Illegal, but dandy. And what is it with Republicans and their “hats”? In any case, it seems obvious that a Governor can’t simply state, while talking to the press, that she’s taken off her Governor hat so she can now speak publicly when the law expressly forbids her from so doing. When you’re talking to the press, your Governor hat is stuck to your head. Sorry, but “personal privilege” in this context is apparently something Palin just made up.

It might come in handy should she become VP.

Check out Palin changing hats in the video on a local TV station KTUU’s website.

Read more of this story »

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