For the Alaska Federation of Natives to take a position about even having a constitutional convention is premature. It’s the voting on the output from such a convention that’s all-important. Every Alaskan should work out why founding Alaskans made asking us if we want a constitutional convention every 10 years part of our state’s supreme law. Was it feel-good grandstanding, or was it one of the greatest expressions of respect for the power of the people in American history?
Considering constitutions and the structure of government under which all of us live is the supreme duty of citizenship. Kindly read the first page of the U.S. Declaration of Independence to validate this. The bigotry expressed in treating people as incompetent to undertake this duty — overcoming petty prejudices, selfishness and partisan corruption to serve posterity in doing so — is similar to that condemned by famous Alaska Native elder Elizabeth Peratrovich. Go read her speech to the political bigshots and bigots of her day about this.
Is spending money on a constitutional convention wasteful if the people authorize it by vote? The supremacy of the people’s will, and service to it as source of government — see Article I Section 2 of the Alaska Constitution — makes this a budgetary priority senior to legislative decision.
— Stuart Thompson
Wasilla
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