The Alaska Republican Party is moving to join Sen. Dan Sullivan and State Senator Mike Dunleavy in opposing Syrian refugees seeking assistance from the United States. Late Monday night party communication Director Suzanne Downing sent an email to State Central Committee members asking for them to authorize her to issue a press statement indicating the party’s opposition via a resolution. That email read in part:
“I have received many requests tonight to draft a resolution for your consideration. With the advice of Vice Chairman Frank McQueary, I have proceeded.
The attached draft needs an up or down vote to proceed with issuing this resolution in a press statement and on our web site, as well as to send to the governor.
I believe the rules state there is a 48 hour time period for an email vote, but obviously time is of the essence.”
It’s unclear why Party Chairman Peter Goldberg, who as spokesman for the party is authorized to issue statements of party positions in his own name, chose not to do so, but opted to have the party’s staff contact the State Central Committee members for a vote on a resolution instead.
The draft resolution reads:
“Whereas, Americans’ safety and security is the most fundamental responsibility of government, and
Whereas, governors of 26 states have officially stated they will not accept Syrian refugees in their states, and
Whereas, the refusal of more than half of states to receive 10,000 refugees under the Obama Administration’s Syrian refugee resettlement plan will place an additional and undue burden on the remaining states, and
Whereas Alaskans are not confident in the Obama Administration’s ability to ensure that the Syrian refugees are not terrorists or extremists, be it resolved,
The Alaska Republican Party requests that Alaska Governor Bill Walker issues a statement rejecting the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Alaska at this time and until such a time as the public can be assured the refugees will not pose either a danger to, and/or a fiscal burden on Alaskans.”
Given conservative fervor over the issue of Syrian refugees, it would come as a shock if the party chose not to issue the statement in the coming days.
Is this just another national issue meant to distract Alaskans from the fiscal damage done to Alaska by those who claim to be paragons of fiscal conservatism. And on the national level which party was it who created the power vacuum in Iraq that, in no small part, contributed to the current situation. Not all terrorists come from Syria – they might well come from those in our nation who feel politically disenfranchised and without hope. While they are at it, why not demand to chisel this statement from the Statute of Liberty:
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.â€
Where’s Lisa?
Good question. As far as I know neither Lisa or Don have put out a statement of their position on refugees.
http://donyoung.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398540
and
http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2015/11/murkowski-urges-president-to-immediately-institute-moratorium-on-admitting-syrian-refugees-to-the-united-states
Peter Goldberg now has an op-ed floating around opposing accepting Syrian refugees. It appeared in today’s Juneau paper.
It sounds like the same rationale used by those who opposed Jewish emigration in the 1930’s, as in a letter to a Jewish war veteran from Senator Taft opposing allowing 20,000 Jewish children into the U.S. in 1939.
http://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/20141010-dor-readings-americanresponses.pdf
Goldberg should be ashamed of himself.
Ha! Last I saw Jim Colver, which is frequently since he is my neighbor, the grey was still there. I don’t think there is much coloring going on. Also I commend Jim for taking a day to put his family first. I appreciate a family focused representative.