Palin sued over Juneteenth

[Blue_In_AK]

From the Anchorage Daily News political blog http://community.adn.com/adn/node/142427?pageNum=2&mi_pluck_action=page_nav#Comments_Container

The Associated Press just moved this article by Anchorage reporter Rachel D'Oro:

Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit http://community.adn.com/sites/community.adn.com/files/Juneteenth2.pdf against Gov. Sarah Palin asked a judge Friday to declare that she broke state law two years ago when she failed to issue a proclamation for a celebration commemorating the freeing of U.S. slaves.

Plaintiffs also sought a retroactive proclamation for the 2007 Juneteenth celebration from Palin, or — with her July 26 resignation looming — from the governor's office, said Gregory Charles Royal, a Washington, D.C., musician, who filed the suit in March.

"You just can't ignore laws," he said.

The Alaska Legislature had passed a measure directing the governor to issue a proclamation to commemorate Juneteenth, which marks June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Texas and announced the end of slavery. Several other states also officially commemorate Juneteenth.

The motion for a default judgment filed Friday claims Palin failed to answer the allegations in the lawsuit by a June 19 deadline, and still has not responded. According to the court document, the governor's Juneau office refused to accept another copy of the complaint Tuesday.
Process server Jack Dayton said a staffer in the governor's office would not accept the documents from him.

"You're the governor, doggone it," Dayton said. "It would be in your best interest to take it."

<snip>

Paton-Walsh also said the proclamation was not issued in 2007 because of a clerical error.

"This slipped through the cracks and it's my understanding that the governor is going to issue the 2007 proclamation," she said. "A very big deal is being made out of a very small clerical error."

Royal said the oversight had a significant impact on a Juneteenth festival in Anchorage that year because it lacked the governor's recognition, likely discouraging community and vendor involvement.

"As a result of the proclamation not being issued, some suffered financial loss," he said.

<snip>

[louis-t]

1. Blame a clerk. That's the repug way.

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Actaully, I believe I read in one of the comments

that she has missed the Juneteenth declaration all three years. She does seem to have "issues" with minorities.

[misanthrope]

16. What? Palin? Issues with minorities? Whudda thunk it?...

...of course she's been known to ballyhoo Todd's native ancestry.

[Ocracoker16]

18. It looks like she issued a proclamation in 2009

I was looking at the proclamations page on the official state governor's webpage and I saw the Juneteenth proclamation listed there. She issued it in May which was after the lawsuit was filed. She probably did it so that nobody could complain about her not doing it in 2009. She is probably hoping that everyone will assume that she does it every year.

[theboss]

3. So...um...what damages are being sought?

I was on another board stating how I don't really believe that there is such a thing as a frivolous lawsuit. I may need to re-evaluate my thoughts here.

(By the way, when were the slaves finally freed in Alaska?)

[tbyg52]

4. >>(By the way, when were the slaves finally freed in Alaska?)

That is not the point, but I'm sure you know that. Juneteenth is well on its way to becoming a national holiday, and rightly so. I think Palin's ignoring it for three years, apparently ignoring an Alaska law, speaks volumes about her, not that it's any surprise.

[Liberal Veteran]

5. They were freed the day Palin announced her "retirement".

Seriously though, the fact that there were not slaves in Alaska is kinda beside the point. As Americans Alaska shares our heritage (good and bad).

[Journeyman]

6. Tsar Alexander II abolished serfdom in 1861 . . .

which effectively ended any Alaskan involvement with that form of the "peculiar institution." By the time Alaska was bought by the US, the Civil War was over and slavery had been Constitutionally abolished years before.

[Lerkfish]

7. the alaska separatists, white supremacists, terrorist militias, abortion center bombers,

all cut from the same tawdry cloth.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. We need a lawsuit abuse forum to post stories like this

AK government is claiming improper service and its a good bet they have that right. Suing a gov entity is complicated and the dance has to be done perfectly to get them into court. BTDT

I'd like to see a legal reference that the Governor is required to issue the proclamation (separation of powers issue)

That it had any economic effect is laughable.

[Blue_In_AK]

9. I believe the "legal reference"

was this "The Alaska Legislature had passed a measure directing the governor to issue a proclamation to commemorate Juneteenth, which marks June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Texas and announced the end of slavery. Several other states also officially commemorate Juneteenth."

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. That would be a separation of powers issue...they could also have done one on their own

Regardless, this is still an abuse of the courts in an attempt for non-existent damages.

I am not against Juneteenth or other proclamations or holidays, I am against stupid lawsuits.

[EFerrari]

15. Typically it's the executive that issues proclamations, not the legislature. n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

17. Is that why Pelosi decided not to issue one for MJ?

[bobthedrummer]

10. Does Alaska honor MLK? K&R

[Blue_In_AK]

12. Yes, Alaska does,

and we have celebrated Juneteenth here every year since 1995. http://www.juneteenthalaska.com/Home_Page.html Sarah is the first governor not to issue a proclamation and participate. As I said, she seems to have issues with minorities.

And I agree, there may not be any money damages here, but I see this as a matter of "principle."

[bobthedrummer]

13. Wow, thanks Blue_In_AK.

:hi:

[Blue_In_AK]

14. Actually, looking on the website there

I see that smaller, less official Juneteenth celebrations have been going on here for 25 or 30 years, but since the early '90s we've had Juneteenth parties every year in the Park Strip downtown. This year it was on the same weekend as Pride Fest, so it was one big happy celebration.

[hughee99]

19. In case you're wondering how to make Palin look like

someone who's just the victim of some very petty people, instead of someone who is deserving of legitimate criticism, here's how to do it. Nice job, Gregory Charles Royal, I salute you. :sarcasm:

[Ocracoker16]

20. why didn't anyone make a complaint in 1997?

If some people suffered financial loss, I would think that they would file a complaint against Palin immediately in order to get compensation for their loss. I wonder why this complaint wasn't filed until Palin was a VP candidate. I am not convinced that rewarding $75,000 in damages (as requested in the brief) is appropriate in this situation.

Sarah Palin frequently complains that she is a victim. It isn't very hard to demonstrate that she is not a victim except but for in her own head. There are thousands of ways to criticize her for every one way to show that people are exploiting her. I suggest we work with the thousand ways that show how pathetic she is before we bring forward this story which raises questions about the fairness of a lawsuit against her.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

21. This is stupid.

Royal said the oversight had a significant impact on a Juneteenth festival in Anchorage that year because it lacked the governor's recognition, likely discouraging community and vendor involvement.

Uh yeah, right.

[Blue_In_AK]

22. I report, you decide.

:)

[Wednesdays]

23. K&R

:kick: