{"id":24155,"date":"2017-02-23T17:26:09","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T01:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spijue.wpengine.com\/news\/open-letter-to-sen-murkowski\/"},"modified":"2017-02-23T17:26:09","modified_gmt":"2017-02-24T01:26:09","slug":"open-letter-to-sen-murkowski","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/opinion\/open-letter-to-sen-murkowski\/","title":{"rendered":"Open letter to Sen. Murkowski"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Senator Murkowski,<\/span><\/p>\n

We are a group of Alaskan women residing in our state capital, writing to you about the current cultural, societal and civic direction of our nation under the administration of President Donald Trump. In addition to his disdain for the Constitution, Bill of Rights and disrespect for basic human rights, our chief concerns include immigration, reproductive rights, education, climate change and other environmental issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

We appreciate your courage to forge your own path over the national party line. Here are some of our strongest concerns for your thoughtful consideration:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Executive order on immigration<\/span><\/p>\n

As the decisions of the courts are showing, the order is discriminatory, based on fear and xenophobia, not reason. It is un-American.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a recent University of Alaska analysis, high numbers of immigrants in Anchorage\u2019s Mountain View neighborhood have made it the most diverse in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our American values are why people want to come here, to \u201cbreathe free,\u201d as the poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty says. However, America has a history of failing to live up to its values. We ask you to stand up for our values as a state and as a country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Women\u2019s rights, access to birth control, family planning and safe abortion procedures<\/span><\/p>\n

Especially in Alaska, with at times difficult-to-access medical care and some of the highest rates of STDs and sexual abuse in the nation, it is vital we support the most effective means of providing affordable and accessible reproductive health care. That means is Planned Parenthood. Please join us in fighting to prevent defunding of this vital organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid<\/span><\/p>\n

We support health care for all. As you are aware, many Alaska jobs \u2014 fishing, part time and entrepreneurial work \u2014 do not provide health care coverage. If Congress guts, or repeals the ACA, or institutes \u201chigh risk pools,\u201d many of us and our loved ones will lose access to health care.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Steve Bannon\u2019s appointment to the National Security Council<\/span><\/p>\n

A man with clear ties to white supremacist movements is in the highest echelons of the United States government. This is unacceptable and immoral. We ask that you join us in condemning Bannon and doing what you can to curtail the power of the bigoted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 The Release of President Trump\u2019s tax returns<\/span><\/p>\n

We are glad you were not among those who voted not to require President Trump to release his tax returns. Please fight to eliminate conflicts of interest in the executive branch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Russia\u2019s ties to the election, and the Trump campaign\u2019s connection to Russia<\/span><\/p>\n

These are matters of national security and sovereignty. Donald Trump could remove sanctions against Russia that will lead to tax free oil profits to the benefit of Vladimir Putin. Please advocate for the investigation of these unprecedented and dangerous allegations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Global warming<\/span><\/p>\n

Climate change is impacting Alaskans, from glacier tour operators to residents of the island of Shishmaref. Please fight for investments in renewable energy, and against the muzzling of scientists, including those who work for federal agencies. We need a genuine climate and economic agenda that works for all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Education<\/span><\/p>\n

Our children attend public schools in Alaska. It is vital these schools receive the federal support they need. Please do what you can to prevent Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from harming them and fight against preposterous proposals to do away with the Department of Education.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 The vital role of the arts in Alaska and our country<\/p>\n

The National Endowment for the Arts and other organizations have greatly contributed to the richness of Alaska\u2019s arts culture. Now they are on the chopping block. Please ensure these programs stay funded and supported.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022Transboundary issues and jobs <\/span><\/p>\n

As Alaskans, transboundary mines in BC watersheds are of utmost concern. Alaska must guard its pristine, renewable salmon runs, invaluable watersheds, and way of life now and for generations to come.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Threatening the tenets of democracy<\/span><\/p>\n

President Trump routinely attacks the news media and journalists, the courts, and anyone who disagrees with or questions him. When Trump and his administration undermine the ethos of the media and the courts or spread falsehoods, they do real damage to our democracy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Your Responsibility<\/span><\/p>\n

As a strong female leader, you value advocacy for future generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sustainment of our state and nation, and the foundations of our democracy are at stake under the current presidential administration. We the people depend on thinking and feeling leaders like you. We ask that you seriously consider the issues laid out in this letter in your future decisions, and act on them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you for your time and tireless support of Alaskans,<\/span><\/p>\n

Katie Bausler<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary Catharine Martin<\/span><\/p>\n

On behalf of The ReSISTERS, Juneau, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

Kerri Willoughby<\/span><\/p>\n

Naomi Davidson<\/span><\/p>\n

Kerri Edwards<\/span><\/p>\n

Chrystal Bourland<\/span><\/p>\n

Susan Jabal<\/span><\/p>\n

Jolene Cox<\/span><\/p>\n

Christal Higdon<\/span><\/p>\n

Leslie Antolick<\/span><\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Bausler<\/span><\/p>\n

Beth Weigel<\/span><\/p>\n

Julie Nielsen<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina Chordas<\/span><\/p>\n

Luann McVey<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Senator Murkowski, We are a group of Alaskan women residing in our state capital, writing to you about the current cultural, societal and civic direction of our nation under the administration of President Donald Trump. In addition to his disdain for the Constitution, Bill of Rights and disrespect for basic human rights, our chief […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":8,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-24155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24155"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=24155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}