An Alaska legend passes . . . Hickel

One of Alaska’s true political powerhouses and true Alaska spirits has passed. Walter Joseph Hickel died at the age of 90 in Anchorage hospice. He had a very full life. He is survived by his wife Ermalee Hickel, his six sons and 21 grandchildren.

Hickel was born in 1919 in Claflin, KS. His family farmed. He was the Kansas Golden Glovers champion by age 20.

Walter Hickel came to Alaska when Alaska was still a frontier in 1940. He made his fortune here, and established himself as one of Alaska’s political powerhouses. He was a great promoter of Alaska and our resources. His stance on Alaska’s sovereignty was reflected in AS 35.05.500-505.

Hickel married Jannice Cannon, his first wife in 1941. She died in 1943. They had one son.

In 1945, he married his second wife, Ermalee Strutz. They had 5 sons.

Wally Hickel became our Governor twice. His first term in office was in 1966. He defeated Bill Egan, Alaska’s first governor. In 1969 Hickel was appointed as Secretary of the Interior under President Richard Nixon. He was fired in 1970 for writing a letter protesting the President’s handling of war dissension, notably the Kent State shootings.

Hickel was diligent at his job as Interior Secretary. He set high standards for the oil companies after an oil rig accident off the coast of California. He was also an advocate for the Everglades.

Hickel was a strong advocate for export of Alaska resources to Japan and Asia.

Hickel was again elected as governor under the Alaskan Independence Party in 1990. He pursued the injustices of the federal government in their dealings with Alaska resource development and lands issues in the federal courts. Unfortunately, his successor, Tony Knowles dropped the lawsuit with prejudice, leaving future governors no recourse.

Hickel supported Sarah Palin, until she dropped the all-Alaska pipeline project to Valdez in favor of AGIA. He became a vocal opponent of her resource development policies and her distractions.

He publically supported gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker in the 2010 campaign.

An as yet to be scheduled funeral mass will be celebrated in Anchorage.

My father was a State Police officer. In 1959, he was sent to investigate the newly formed company to bring Cook Inlet and Kenai Penninsula gas deposits to market in south central. Walter J. Hickel was the man my father spoke with. My father asked about stock in the company, who could purchase, etc. Hickel smiled at him and told him suscinctly that my father could not afford the stock. You see, a State cop at the time made about $450/mo.

It was Cook Inlet gas supplying Ft. Richardson and Elmendorf in 1965 that shut down Evan Jones Coal Mine in Sutton. The coal mine provided the coal that previously had fueled the power plant and heating system for the bases. Over 60 families in the Mat-Su valley lost their livelihoods. Working at the coal mine was one of the good jobs--year round, non government, good money for the time.

Hickel pushed our timber to the Japanese during his first term in 1966, who bought Alaska timber in the round initially, started a timber industry in southeastern that grew until the feds shut down Tongass.

Hickel had a vision of Alaska that I did not necessarily agree with, but he was right. The "owner state" concept reeked of socialism to me and was distasteful. However, I did agree wholeheartedly with his exceptional and in your face protection of Alaska's sovereignty in opposition to the increasing federal encroachment.

I wish Hickel had lived to see the all-Alaska pipeline built. And, I wish Sarah Palin had been the governor that we and Hickel had hoped that she would be.

Oh, well. Life is a bitch and then you die.

Sell Alaska, Sarah!

Note: 3 Alaska Soldiers were killed in Iraq on 23 Feb. Please remember them and their families in your prayers. They did their duty for you and me.

Gov. Sarah Palin must now reimburse the State of Alaska for about $7,000 in travel for her children. The State ruled that unless the kids were along for a compelling service to the State, their cost was hers to bear.

It is disappointing that our Governor did not adhere to this policy.

Sarah Palin is an intelligent woman. However, obviously a buck is important to her. She is charging the State for anything and everything, and then claiming that she is saving the State money by staying in Wasilla.

Unfortunately, the continuing controversy is keeping Alaska’s business from being the priority.

The dems are writing checks that the rest of us are not going to be able to pay. Government at every level will be looking to the tax payer to repay the massive spending that is taking place. Pelosi et al in Congress are ready with another $450 billion in largess to the democrat demi god of socialism at any cost. Every failed program is being resurrected, government is being expanded at the greatest rate in the history of this country. Our President’s first address to Congress was met with another downturn on Wall St.

Remember, only $90 billion of $780 billion was to be spent on infrastructure improvements and maintenance.

Sen. Mark Begich whitewashed Obama’s speech, a speech that had nothing to offer in the way of a light at the end of the tunnel, other than to say that government is the end to all means. It should be noted that Sen. Begich did not consult with the Governor before he handed his wish list to Sen. Reid.

That President Barack H. Obama allowed an ideologue like Nancy Pelosi to draft his stimulus package behind closed doors to the exclusion of most of the House and the absolute exclusion of any discussion on the floor of the House demonstrates that this President does not have a plan and is letting the far left dictate direction. This bodes ill for Alaska.

Yet, Alaska could provide billions to the U.S. Treasury. Billions upon billions.

ANWR could be developed to reduce foreign oil imports and to generate revenue for Uncle Sam and Alaska.

North Slope natural gas could be brought to market in the lower-48 states or sold to foreign markets to generate revenue for the U.S. and Alaska.

Alaska’s mineral wealth could be developed to benefit the Treasury of the United States and Alaska.

Instead, the U.S. taxpayer, read you and me, will pay the bill on the most counter intuitive economic recovery plan since the Great Depression. Spending one’s way out of “broke” cannot work.

Alaska is in the unenviable place of being placed back on the shelf until the U.S. needs Alaska’s resources for whatever reason. The Trans Alaska Pipeline System was the result of an oil embargo in 1973.

What is preventing Alaska from going to work to benefit the United States Treasury and to relieve the burden of repayment of the “stimulus package” that will be borne on the backs of you and me and our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren?

Why should we bear the burden when Alaska’s resources have the potential to carry part of that burden?

What will it take to get Alaska’s North Slope natural gas to market?

What will it take to get ANWR opened to oil and gas exploration and development?

What will it take to get Congress to amend ANILCA to allow Alaska to build a rational surface transportation infrastructure and allowAlaska to gain access to mineral and metal resources?

These are the challenges that Gov. Sarah Palin faces.

Gov. Sarah Palin and Alaska’s congressional delegation need to be selling the benefits of Alaska’s resources to the U.S. to . . . us, the taxpayers who will be bearing the burden of repayment of this socialist expansion. Not Congress. Not the President. Us. We the People.

Best Sarah Palin shed the need to justify her every action and respond to every slight. Best she gets with the program and sells Alaska. This is where she can use the recognition she accrued from the V.P. campaign to benefit Alaska and the U.S. taxpayer.