Diane Benson

OPINION: Elizabeth and Roy Peratrovich struggled tirelessly to end discrimination in Alaska, and today we celebrate their work and try to live up to the standard they set.

The Choose Respect campaign can be said to be a part of community education. Community education is necessary in making the public aware of the problem of violence against Alaskan women and increases public discourse on the issue. However, the "Choose Respect" campaign stands to be about as effective as "Just Say No" was on drug abuse.

Why don't we have affordable gas made available to Alaskans when we live right next to abundance?

The issues of sexual and domestic violence in Alaska are not new and are not often the subjects of candidates running for office. I commend Gov. Parnell for bringing focus to the issue in this election year.

Diane Benson looks back at her role in a 2000 controversy, and explores what it says about our overwhelmed society.