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Not Alaskan enough


Dave Stieren

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Many of you may find this hard to believe, but sometimes, sometimes, I’m really not all that angry about things. Many times, especially during the holiday season, I’m quite at ease with God, Country, and my fellow man. However, once I reach this Zen-like state of harmony, someone or something comes along to tip the apple cart.

 

First of all, a word to my growing base of liberal followers; this is an in-house column, one directed more to my fellow conservatives, and not so much to the hallowed targets of Mark Begich, abortion, or the hugging of trees. Rest assured, I will give these topics my hate filled, racist, liberal and union hating attention as the days come, but today, you get a hall pass. Today, I pose a question to my fellow conservative Alaskans, and request their assistance. What is the big deal with being a lifelong Alaskan?

 

 

Now, a little background. Despite my trendy appearance, diverse tastes in fine cuisine, cigars, and the finer things in life, I come from a small town in northeast Nebraska. Never drove a tractor, but lived in a farming community of about 3500 God fearing Kennedy Democrats, who wanted government out of their lives, but all voted for Carter. Go figure. I grew up, went to a state college, met a girl, and in 1995, finished school and moved to Alaska for the summer and such a creature of habit that I am, married her and never left.

 

           

The point? I’m getting there. In my life, I’ve been too short, too tall, too slow, too smart, too rich, too poor, but until recently, I had no idea that I’m not Alaskan enough. I tell ya, you could have knocked me over with Joe Biden’s hairpiece with that one. I wasn’t born here, so I’m not Alaskan enough to complain. Apparently my mid western genetic code is missing the DNA strand that forces me to hate big oil companies, and not see them for the robber barons that they are.

 

           

If you ever travel to Singapore, on the flight, (a trip I highly recommend), you will get a little cheat sheet of some basic no-no’s when you are in-country. What the Alaskan Republican party needs, is something similar. What I discovered, after chatting with some very conservative, born and raised in Alaska folks, is that their view of the greater good of the state is markedly different than my usual circle of friends who chose to move here, wrote the check to get here, knew nobody, found a job, and made a go of it. What I found was that many folks who are conservative and were born here, feel the oil industry owes them something, and now, no matter what, they’re going to get it.

 

           

I have to be honest. I don’t get it. What I do get, and you all can correct me, is that right now, today, the Denali project, made up of people and companies who may or may not have been born here, come the closest to putting all of our dreams of economic opportunity for years to come. But today, the same people who told me I’m not Alaskan enough, love the idea of a company from Canada, getting half a billion of our cash, to build something they have no chance of building. So here’s your Christmas gift come early, you get a chance to educate the Super One. Write slowly though, because, as I said, I wasn’t born here.

 

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You are definetly hanging out with the wrong people Dave you are just Alaskan enough.  

Well, I see a couple of my posts are missing. Did you get Dan to remove them or were you able to do that by yourself? So, this is what "CON"servatism is all about? Getting rid of views you don't agree with?

 I think that the only people that say, you are not Alaskan enough is the Super Ultra Conservitives, that live out in Wasilla their whole life, and commute to work here in Anchorage. Branding bible in one arm, seven children in the other.

First of all, your post says alot about that. If you were not born or lived here during the Territorial Days, you really have no concept of what Alaska was and is all about. I really don't understand why people like you move here when, everything you are turning Alaska into, you had down there in the 48. But, I suppose people like yourself and the Fagans arn't happy enough until you spoil someplace that is beautiful and pristene. That's right, I said pristene. I remember when they were talking about statehood and my dad and his friends would sit at the table having a few shots and talking about it. They all agreed that if it happens it will be like making a deposit in the outhouse and that is just what happened. So, you can spew your witty statements, childish namecalling and ridiculous analogies and your knowledge of conservative politics but, you will always remain the same to those of us born here,"OUTSIDERS".

Dave. just do what I do, say thank god I wasn't born here,or I might like hockey over football, or snow skiing over jet skiing, or ice fishing over swimming, or men over women. All of which I strongly side with the latter.

Listen here I do not want to here this crap that Hockey is not a sport.

I have never understood that question.  When I first came here, few people ever asked that question, because nobody cared.  It is only in the last twenty or thirty years that this has come to mean something, to someone. 

It probably has to do with elitism, you are the wrong color, the wrong race, the wrong political party, the wrong religion, or you were born on the wrong side of the tracks.  When all else fails, the idiots will ask "How long have you been here"?  There must be someway they are better than you.

Now I could understand a small smirk if the question was "are you from Wasilla" and you answered positively.