 by Don Hoff Jr. November 12, 2004
The Alaska projects proposed by Young include $200 million for the bridge over Knik Arm north of Anchorage and at least $137 million for a bridge to Gravina Island via Pennock Island. The bridge in Ketchikan, Alaska costs $240 million of your hard earned tax dollars. Young has about $500 million in earmarks in the House bill. Pork barrel projects spending that we taxpayers can live without in Alaska. It is apparent to me that Rep. Don Young and Governor Frank Murkowski can care less about how we Indian people think or feel about building a bridge that will further desecrate Tribal graves on Pennock Island. Pennock Island is a Tribal graveyard for the Taan ta Kwaan (Sea-lion People or Tongass Tribe) and Saan ya Kwaan (Cape Fox People) protected by the Federal Bureau of Land Management. Tribal members can be buried on Pennock Island today, tomorrow, yesterday and any time in the future. We don't need to ask nor tell anyone when we are going to bury someone on Pennock Island. The white man has taken everything from the Indian people except our Right to Die! Now, Rep. Don Young wants to take that Right away too. Where have all our totems gone? Pennock Island was full of totem poles and burial houses from the South tip to the North tip of Pennock Island. In closing, we don't want your boon-doggle bridge to nowhere, Don. It is a waste of time, taxpayers money and effort. Don Hoff Jr.
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