We have decided as Alaska Native women to respond to Heather Kendall-Miller and Lloyd Miller's egregious op-ed about Dan Sullivan and Sen. Mark Begich. We are offended and disappointed that she would be so bold as to assume they represent all Alaska Native women. They do not represent all of us, who live and raise our families in rural Alaska. We have different experiences, perspectives and voices. Those of us who live in the villages can speak for ourselves. Their op-ed does not represent what we think, live and breathe in rural Alaska.
We will not let Heather Kendall-Miller, Lloyd Miller and Sen. Begich define the issues of rape and domestic violence in our villages. We are fed up with Begich playing politics by using our women to advance initiatives that are dead on arrival in Congress, or Heather Kendall-Miller and Lloyd Miller litigating just to define a career. Sen. Begich does not respect us as women when he makes promises he cannot keep and uses the historical anger of Alaska Natives against the state of Alaska to advance a political agenda of failed promises.
The Washington Post reported that Sen. Begich actually co-sponsored the Alaska exception in the Violence Against Women Act in the last Congress, yet he blames Lisa Murkowski for everything and relies on her to have the tough discussions between the state and the tribes to deliver real results to our villages. We need cooperation between the state and tribes, and must demand action rather than rhetoric. Sen. Begich will forever divide our state.
We have repeatedly heard that Begich thinks he has the Native vote locked up. It is clear that he takes us for granted and our ability to choose to vote in a bloc. That courtesy from the Native community was extended to Sen. Murkowski because we believed in her and her accomplishments; those same sentiments are not extended to Sen. Begich. It is insulting and appalling to us for him to assume that we cannot think for ourselves or make up our own minds.
We must demand more from our public leaders and not simply support those who will say "yes" to everyone and anyone. We are supporting Dan Sullivan because he is a leader with proven results. Dan Sullivan was the first attorney general to aggressively do outreach to rural communities on the topic of public safety and advance real solutions like increasing pay for Village Public Safety officers and increasing sentencing for sexual assault offenders.
We are confident that Dan Sullivan shares our vision, concerns and culture as we are aware that he is married to an Alaska Native woman and is raising three Alaska Native daughters. Shame on anyone who would exploit issues sensitive to us in rural Alaska to further Mark Begich's empty political agenda.
Marilyn Anderson is on the board for Iliamna Natives Ltd. and Iliamna Development Corp. She and her family have been commercial fishers in Bristol Bay for many generations, and she worked in the oil industry for over 23 years. She has raised a family and now enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. Myrtle Anelon was born and raised in Iliamna, where she lives today. She is a board member of the Iliamna Development Corp. and Iliamna Natives Ltd. She owns and operates her own businesses in Iliamna. She has also been a longtime commercial fisher in Bristol Bay and loves traditional and model lifestyle living. Lorene Anelon is president of Iliamna Natives Ltd. and the local site manager in Iliamna for Iliamna Development Corp. Her family still practices subsistence and is still connected to commercial fishing in Bristol Bay. Lisa Reimers was raised in Iliamna. She is the CEO of Iliamna Development Corp. She was a commercial fisher in Bristol Bay for many years and enjoys having the option of living traditionally.
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