Relentless Inquiry

Senator Ted Stevens (AK)
522 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3004
(202) 224-2354 FAX

Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK)
709 Hart Senate Building
Washington D.C., 20510
202-224-6665
Fax 202-224-5301

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December 19, 2005
Senators Stevens & Murkowski
Washington, DC

Dear Senators Stevens & Murkowski,

Please withdraw this irresponsible Arctic Drilling rider to the defense appropriations bill immediately!

Alaska is getting a new state motto these days, the “Me First” state. The bridge pork was bad enough (don’t we all wish we had development property on a private island, eh Senator Stevens?), but this misuse of the appropriations process is too much. If at first you don’t succeed, why listen to your peers, after all? Just because it was voted down once… or twice… or three times on its own, why not just attach it like a remora onto something big and important?

Senator Murkowski, I hope that you do not condone this selfish grandstanding on the part of your colleague. Your website looks like it’s oriented towards offering information and resources to your constituents. Senator Stevens’ site looks like a pure PR site, oriented toward re-election and “look, see, look at all I do for Alaska!”. Who is representing the best long-term interests of Alaska’s people and the resources it holds in trust for them, and for all America?

If Senator Stevens won’t see beyond his wallet, or next election, then someone else has to do it, and I hope that Senator Murkowski will take up that task.

Sincerely,

Strata Chalup
Sunnyvale CA
Woman Small Business Owner
Not a bleeding-heart liberal or Sierra Club member; just somebody who wants there to still be salmon and caribou when I finally get a chance to visit Alaska.