I am writing regarding the story about the struggle of villages in Alaska written by Mallory Simon.

I’d like to see cnn establish a fund for the villages similar to one established for Youssif – the boy from Iraq. Your coverage of his plight moved me to donate and follow his story.

From Ms. Simon’s article, these are proud people who are resourceful and self sufficient. The energy bill passed in 2008 focused on lower rates for electricity. A subsidy or fund for fuel seems to be the most urgent need to the communities. Ms. Simon explained how little of the $1,200 energy rebate covers actual energy costs relative to the cost of gasoline/oil and increased costs for food.

It is a sad day when a state so flush with energy profits has communities suffering an energy crisis.

I am sending a donation to Mr. Nicoles for him to direct to his needs and those who shared their stories with him – in particular the father who wrote about his infant son who is without milk.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

As far as the governor, well, I think this is a perfect example of how she would be handling our economic crisis. Thank you, America, for making the best choice. Obama has struggles ahead, but he is going to try to his best.

And to “bob” on the $3629 per person government help: How far would that really go paying more than $1000 per month to heat your home.

I would like all of the cruel-hearted people making those types of comments to see how long they would last in those harsh conditions. Get enlightened, people!

They have been living in the Arctic/Alaska for thousands of years and survived whats different today?

Here’s a funny tongue-in-cheek mock news report on the Tesoro Iron Dog snowmachine race going on right now in rural Alaska, with Todd Palin — Gov. Sarah Palin’s husband, aka “the First Dude” — and his partner racing in slot #15…and what they found when they arrived in Emmonak needing food and fuel.

http://www.ieatgravel.com/?p=3227

You see, most progressive Alaskan laugh somewhat wryly at their Governor’s foibles, and the unofficial state business her First Dude has gotten involved in — thus, the findings of the Alaska state legislature that Todd Palin and a number of Palin administration officials were in contempt of Senate a few days ago for not responding to subpoenae for their testimony in what’s popularly called “Trooper-gate”, the legislative investigation into whether Sarah Palin violated state ethics regulations in the Walt Monegan firing and Todd Palin’s interference regarding the state trooper brother-in-law’s employment status.

For deep background, see http://www.themudflats.net/
Also, http://alaskareal.blogspot.com/ (written by a Tlingit/Athabascan Native Alaskan woman)
Dennis Zaki is the Alaska reporter whom donations sent out to Emmonak AK to film the situation and deliver the first shipment of emergency food and fuel in mid-January. See his stories at http://alaskareport.com/blog/
All 3 of the above sites are reporting today’s CNN coverage, but back-reading on previous daily entries is very informative — nevertheless, here’s a synopsis:

The cry for help went out January 13, 2008, from Nick Tucker, a Native Alaskan resident of Emmonak, Alaska — wait, I take that back — the Public Safety Commissioner, Walt Monegan, whom Gov. Sarah Palin fired last summer over a separate dispute involving her demand for punishment or firing of a state trooper involved in divorce from her sister….Walt Monegan warned Sarah Palin last summer that rising heating and vehicle fuel prices and a failed salmon fishing season would cause extreme hardship for all the western Alaska coastal villages. Nothing was done by Palin or any of her appointed department heads.

Several of those “anonymous, PJ’d lying” blogsites heard saw Nick Tucker’s call for aid to the village, and hundreds of bloggers on these sites set up a donation station, where, before a week was up, more than $7,000 was raised to buy fuel and food…additionally people from all over the USA packaged goods and sent them via USPS to the folks in Emmonak and other villages.

All this while, the Governor of Alaska did nothing. After more than a week, she sent 5 state officials out to Emmonak to “evaluate” the situation — they didn’t bring any lifesaving emergency food or anything else with them. What a waste of a plane flight.

Meanwhile, state Representative Jay Ramras was organizing a donation food/fuel drive, and when he’d gathered up a planeload of goods to sent out to western Alaska, pilots he asked to help wanted $40,000 to load and transport his donated goods. He got a donated flight, finally, to Bethel AK, which is about halfway out to the coastal villages, but needed a connecting flight. FINALLY, after 3 weeks of inaction, Gov. Palin agreed to allow the use of a plane to move Rep. Ramras’ goods the last few miles to their destination.

That’s the story, one that’s evolved over this past 4 weeks’ time — and high time, too!

If that’s not your thing, then you can’t complain about not receiving the benefits of civilization