Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Sarah Palin's Facebook Propaganda About Alaskan History And The Role Of The Federal Government

I was reading Sarah Palin's latest Facebook post from September 2nd and thought something was very interesting - Palin stated that the federal government owns a majority of the land in Alaska and then implied that the government is withholding that land from Alaskan citizens (who by the way are American citizens as well).
Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William Seward, saw this day coming. He understood our land’s potential, so he purchased this rich land from Russia to utilize Alaska’s strategic location, resources, and pioneering spirit. These attributes will help secure the union. The recent political change we ushered in can help fulfill our statehood compact and make the federal government keep its end of the bargain it struck with us when we joined the union. With the feds holding title to most of our land up here, it’s time they allow Alaska to reach her potential and help secure America. Joe will fight for our opportunities.
Palin seems to assert that the federal government had betrayed Alaska by continuing land ownership, but her oversimplified statement is what should be expected from someone who probably read the Wikipedia page of Alaska right before composing their latest Facebook rant - the Alaska Wikipedia entry specifically mentions federal land ownership in the beginning.  

The problem with Palin's post is that she makes plenty of assertions with little supporting facts.  What was the history surrounding land ownership in Alaska and it's eventual statehood?  If you ask Palin, the government promised Alaska one thing but then went back on their word, but the history books seem to give a completely different account.

You see, the federal government purchased the land that eventually became the great state of Alaska, and was responsible for granting land to the state - it even references the federal government granting land to Alaska in the state constitution.  Palin makes it sound as if the federal government should have hit the road after 1959.  What she is doing is feeding into that states' rights anti-government narrative championed by the fringe...

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please share your thoughts and experiences in relation to this post. Remember to be respectful in your posting. Comments that that are deemed inappropriate will be deleted.