Alaskans for Truth began in response to the outrage many Alaskans felt when the John McCain campaign came into Alaska, with a team publicly headed by lower-48 torture advocate Ed O’Callaghan, and attempted to shut down or discredit the Alaska Legislative Council ethics investigation into aspects of Walt Monegan’s termination as Alaska Director of Public Safety.

The product of the Legislative Council’s independent investigation, known as the Branchflower Report contained a number of findings, some of which require action during the upcoming session of the 27th Alaska Legislature.

Although the subsequent release, on November 3, of the State of Alaska Personnel Board investigation, known as the Petumenos Report, found that the Branchflower Report was based upon a flawed interpretation of Alaska statutes, the Petumenos Report’s methodology on that finding, and overall thoroughness, have been called into question.

Since the November 4th election, Alaskans for Truth have noticed a softening in attitude toward the well documented ethical lapses of Governor Palin, as brought out in the Branchflower Report, in numerous articles in the national and Alaska media, and in other credible reports. Those of us who have followed Alaska political corruption for a long time, see in this softening a pattern we have seen time and time again. Too often, a big political scandal in Alaska has brought momentary outrage, but no long-term solutions that stop the abuse. We feel that we’ve once again arrived at one of those moments.

This past week, Alaskans for Truth became a political action committee. Here is the press release:

Alaskans for Truth, a non-partisan group organized to hold Alaska’s leaders accountable, has issued a Call to Action to all concerned citizens to join them in insisting that the Alaska State Legislature respond to the findings of its own Legislative Council’s Investigation, known as “Troopergate”, as conducted by Special Counsel Stephen E. Branchflower and take the following actions:

** Censure Governor Sarah Palin, who the Branchflower Report found to have "abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act" which provides “The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.

** Seek contempt charges against the Governor’s husband, Todd Palin, and the state officials who willingly ignored the Legislative Council’s subpoenas during the investigation.

** Hold hearings on whether Gov. Palin and her husband, Todd Palin, committed perjury in their sworn statements to Timothy Petumenos, in his function as independent counsel to the Alaska State Personnel Board.

** Call for an independent investigation to determine if Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg or others, engaged in criminal witness tampering in advance of the Branchflower investigation.

** The Legislative Council’s investigation cannot be illegitimized. Though the Personnel Board tried to do so with their own report, the findings in the Legislative Council’s investigation stand. Now it’s up to the Legislature as a whole to follow up on the ethics violation and the other serious matters, let alone potential crimes that may exist.

** Gov. Palin campaigned on the promise of an open, honest and transparent administration. It’s our responsibility as citizens of this state to stand together and uphold the ethics in which Governor Palin believes.

(‘Alaskans for Truth’ is a Political Action Committee (PAC) organized under Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) rules and regulations. It is not affiliated with any political party. Any appearance of affiliation is purely unintentional and was neither initiated nor supported by Alaskans for Truth)

The Alaskans for Truth web site now has a Pay Pal button, so you may contribute to our PAC, whether you live in Alaska, or in one of the other states.

Alaska bloggers directly assisting Alaskans for Truth are:

Writing Raven at Alaska Real
Linda Kellen at Celtic Diva’s Blue Oasis
Shannyn Moore at Just a Girl from Homer
Gryph at the Immoral Minority
AK Muckraker at the Mudflats
Phil Munger at Progressive Alaska

We’ve all posted or will post essays on the progress of the newest liberal/progressive/non-partisan political action committee in Alaska.

Please help us bring truth and accountability to Alaska politics!