A radical Marxist organizer for the Anchorage chapter for the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PLS) took advantage of his special reserved time slot at the Dec. 19 Anchorage Assembly meeting to castigate Israel’s military response to Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7 attack on innocent civilians.
Before Michael Patterson stepped to the podium for his presentation, Anchorage Assembly Chair Christopher Constant defended the decision to set aside three minutes for Patterson to air his controversial talking points.
First, Constant claimed the appearance request by Patterson was not “special,” but rather a normal “code driven appearance that any member of our community can file for “so long as the Assembly has conducted some form of “business” on that topic.
In order to receive a designated appearance slot at Assembly meetings, citizens must first submit a request to the city clerk specifying the topic they wish to address. According to city code, the city clerk, in conjunction with the assembly chair, then determine if the proposed topic “has clearly defined administrative channels of resolution…”
City code also states that special appearance requests will not be granted if they deal with “items that the assembly or administration has no jurisdiction over and/or responsibility or authority to resolve per the Municipal Charter, Municipal Code, or Municipal Code of Regulations.”
While it’s unclear what jurisdiction or authority the Assembly possesses to address Patterson’s call for a “permanent ceasefire” in Israel’s war with Hamas, or to end all U.S. funding to Israel, Constant tried to make a case that it did.
In Constant’s judgement, since the Assembly does occasionally “opine on matters of global significance,” Patterson’s written request to deride Israel as an “apartheid state,” which should be cut off from all U.S. funding, could not be denied by the Assembly.
While he may disagree with the speaker’s viewpoint, Constant said the Assembly could not reject Patterson speaking request.
He added that “any member of the public is welcome to file an appearance request” and he “would welcome that.”
“[A]t times appearance requests are used to express viewpoints that are controversial, and sometimes even make disparaging remarks about other people or groups,” Constant observed, adding that the First Amendment protects such speech, so long as it does not devolve into obscenity or the “threat or incitement of violence.”
“As such, it is the duty of this body, as much as we regret it, to receive such testimony as we would that of any other citizen, without interruption,” Constant said.
Before inviting Patterson to the microphone, he noted that a resident Jewish leader informed him that there have been threats against a local Jewish temple that were “very violent in nature.”
Patterson, who has described the heinous attacks by Hamas terrorists against innocent Israeli civilians as a “counter offensive,” then stepped forward to speak his piece.
In applying for the reserved podium slot, Patterson wrote that he had planned to publicly call for “a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to all U.S. funding of Israeli,” while also condemning Israel as an “apartheid state.”
Patterson never once mentioned the reasons behind Israel’s counterattack against Hamas, namely the slaughter, rape and gruesome torture of innocent men, women and children.
Instead, he focused his talk entirely on the deaths resulting from Israel’s response to Hamas terrorism.
“Thank you for the opportunity to speak, even though it sounds like it really pains you to do it,” Patterson began.
He then called on the Assembly to pass a resolution supporting an immediate cease fire in Gaza.
“Israel has deliberately targeted schools, hospitals and utilities. We are watching a genocide unfold in real time,” Patterson alleged.
He failed, however, to acknowledge that Hamas deliberately uses these and other sites for military operations and munitions storage, while intentionally hiding behind civilian shields.
As John Yoo wrote recently in The Federalist, “Not only does it target the innocent and use civilians as shields, but it deliberately invites attacks on its own population. Hamas sought to prevent Gazans from complying with the Israeli warnings to evacuate north Gaza.”
Yoo added: “Humane limitations on the conduct of war cannot apply perfectly to wars with an irregular enemy that deliberately uses its own civilian population as a human shield. To restrain Israel from succeeding in its war means incentivizing terrorists to adopt the same practice in future conflicts. Harm to Palestinians is tragic, but it is a tragedy authored by Hamas in violation of the civilized rules of war. Leaving Hamas in power may open the door to greater tragedies — and not only in Gaza.”
Patterson seemed uninterested in these complex issues, and instead went on to simply blast the U.S. for funding Israel’s defense efforts, claiming, “Our tax dollars are facilitating the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.”
Patterson suggested that Israel’s response has triggered “a moral crisis as a nation.”
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
“Our national leaders have failed us, and our state leaders have failed us,” he said. “We need our municipal leadership to say something and do something.”
While remaining silent on the deaths of Israelis, Patterson then condemned Constant for “trying to accuse me of essentially being anti-Semitic.”
He called the Assembly “lazy” for thinking he is somehow anti-Semitic.
Prior to his Assembly speech, Patterson described the Hamas terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli civilians as a “counter offensive against the Israeli apartheid regime.”
Paterson is an active community organizer who helped found the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Anchorage chapter, a group that supports defunding the police, free housing, decriminalization of the sex worker industry and doing away with drug related crimes. The group also supports the most extreme elements of the LGBTQ political agenda, Black Lives Matter, climate change policies, abortion on demand and mass illegal immigration.
The PSL national website endorses the use of “militant” tactics to further its causes with the ultimate plan of toppling capitalism and establishing a new socialist government.
TAKING ACTION
Those who wish to request to appear on the agenda under “Appearance Requests,” may submit a signed Appearance Request Form 1-2 weeks before the meeting at which you wish to appear. Appearances will be scheduled no later than 14 days after acceptance. Requests can be sent to the Municipal Clerks Office in any of the following ways:
— By email to wwmasmc@muni.org
— By hand delivery to City Hall, 650 W. 6th Avenue, Suite 250
— By mail to PO Box 196650, Anchorage, AK 99519-6650
— By fax to 343-4313
27 Comments
Sure seems to be a code violation by the assembly to give this guy prime time to air his global political agenda that is completely unrelated to municipal business.
This is another gift given to Alaskans with a wink and a nod from dunleavy!
Joel:
Israel has murdered over 10,000 Palestinian children since Oct. 7, 2023. Also, the Latin Patriarchate of Palestine has identified Israeli snipers as the people responsible for the murder of two Christian women (an elderly grandma and her daughter) on the grounds of the only Catholic Church in Gaza. Why don’t you apply those superior ethics to the situation and acknowledge that the means don’t justify the end? The wholesale slaughter of innocents in a collective punishment for the acts of a few certainly is NOT acceptable in any other conflict. But it’s okay for Israel, eh? And anyone who sayeth otherwise is a bigot?
War is awful, war is terrible and inhumane and should never be encouraged. Perhaps the harboring of Hamas was not a good move for the Palestinians. Perhaps attacking Israel and committing those atrocities was an act of war. Perhaps all the chanting of “from the river to the sea” by ignoble cowardly marxists/socialists was both a further instigator as well as a paradigm shift in the support from reasonable people.
No, Dee Cee, they are at war. It was started by Hamas (encouraged by many Palestinians) and will be ended by Israel. All very sad to see.
innocent people are being killed. Some aren’t so innocent though. The IDF claims the shooting near the catholic church was due to Hamas launching attacks from the church. According to IDF, the people shot were the ones aiding Hamas. In most of these cases, it’s who’s word are you going to take? The IDF did admit to killing the 3 Israeli hostages, mistaking them for Hamas members. It’s all tragic. War is awful. There’s proof that Hamas has been setting traps with explosives inside of children’s toys and playing audio clips of children crying, to get IDF soldiers to walk into the attack.
The delusion is thick Dee as those that worship the Star of Remphan,
7 HOURS ….https://rumble.com/v41t61q-israel-never-got-attacked-the-truth-about-hamas.html
https://rumble.com/v41t61q-israel-never-got-attacked-the-truth-about-hamas.html
7 hours,,, please listen.
Stop World Control puts out really good information. Thank you for the link.
We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and, to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes. But
when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
– The Declaration of Independence, 1776
Deaf ears no longer respond!
It is THE PEOPLE who should be responding to provide new guards for their future security. The Anchorage Assembly needs to be overthrown as a long train of abuses and usurpations has been occurring FOR YEARS, and for way more than light and transient causes. Abolish the Anchorage Assembly.
I will never understand how twisted a brain must be to support a terrorist group who in fact rules a country and uses its’ civilians as shields with no care in the world for their lives. Palestinians under this terrorist rule are raised from an early age to hate and want to kill Jews. This is all evil. And this is how wars start. It’s the classic fight between good and evil. Except nowadays, we actually have Americans rooting and defending the evil side. Very worrisome.
Chris Constant is a habitual liar. He does not allow any opposition to anyone on the assembly. They bash citizens all the time but I assure you if I or others of like mind asked to appear we would be denied. Doesn’t fit their agenda.
Your time as a public servant with the Muni was a disgrace. Your complete lack of ethical behavior was put on for all to see.
I’m glad that my tax dollars are no longer paying the salary of a bigot such as yourself.
People who want to normalize inappropriate behavior between minors and adults hate what you did in the library to move smut out of the reach of children. Many of us appreciate you!
Judy correct you are! Do something about it!
“Israel has deliberately targeted schools, hospitals and utilities. We are watching a genocide unfold in real time,” Patterson alleged.
He failed, however, to acknowledge that Hamas deliberately uses these and other sites for military operations and munitions storage, while intentionally hiding behind civilian shields.” As it has been for over 2000 years. This is and always was a religious war. by the satndard of atrocities, Hamas=Isreal
Hamas is an Israeli creation and tool… This was to level Gaza.
So, Lucy, you all in on rape? Hamas raped both men and women, to the point of death. What proportional response do you think Israel should take to that? Hamas also castrated men before killing them, cut the heads of babies in front of their parents, and invited the Hamas civilians to do the same. There is nothing remotely religious about any of that. Nor has the response by Israel been religious in nature. Either Jews are permitted to live, or they are not. By your standards, justice is not even remotely served even by the complete genocide of the Hamas.
It amazes me how willfully ignorant many of the Watchman’s readers actually are. It doesn’t take much to identify where you’re wrong about Hamas, Israel’s creation (as a modern nation state) and it’s treatment of the native Arab population (8% or which descend from the FIRST Christians, and Christians are included in the Gaza population now under siege). Why not just open Haaretz.com and read a few of todays articles. Haaretz isn’t even close to “alternative.” It’s the Israeli state media channel, equivalent to the BBC in Britain. You could also get a quick education on Hamas here: https://theintercept.com/2018/02/19/hamas-israel-palestine-conflict/
Hamas is the creation of Iran, and wholly supported by them, but don’t ask Iran to take any of these animals home. Even Iran can’t stand them. Haaretz is about as leftist as you can get. Try again.
Israel’s plan all along was to create a counter to Arafat’s PLO in order to have a bogeyman excuse to take the land. period.
Lahaina is another expansionist evil.
Wait. What is this about Lahaina?
Maybe they “the left” will defile city hall like DC senate chambers too? I mean, c’mon, they’re on a roll, right?
Johnny. You’re mixing up “the left” with the vicious, violent, cosplay, gullible, floor poopers on January 6
Oh Lucy, absolutely none of the folks who entered the Capitol on Jan 6 crapped on the floor or had anal sex in the Senate chambers. That was all your fellow travelers. If you have to tell lies to make your point, you don’t have one.