Homer Rep. Sarah Vance is a charter member of a Christian Nationalist Group that wants to turn the United States into a theocracy.

It’s important to keep that in mind.

The National Association of Christian Lawmakers sees no need for separation of church and state and wants government to operate based on the way its members interpret the Bible. The dream is to elect right-wing Christians to all government positions.

Vance, as an elected official in the NACL, was required to sign a pledge that says she will pay dues and unite with “likeminded Christian leaders” across the country to “oppose evil and uphold righteous governance.”

One of the bills pushed by Vance is a copy-and-paste homily from Outside politicians that would make it illegal for the state to do business with any entity that promotes “discrimination against the state of Israel.”

This is a legally suspect proposal from Vance, who for some reason is chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

When you see a bill that claims, as this one does, that it “is not intended to infringe on a right protected by the Constitution of the State of Alaska or the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” you can rest assured the bill infringes on rights protected by the state Constitution and the First Amendment.

The House debated this bill last year with Vance arguing that “defending the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland is therefore not only righteous, but it’s also our state’s interest to protect our ally.”

The bill failed in the state House last year on a 20-20 vote.

But who needs a state law to infringe on constitutional rights when you have the righteous Gov. Mike Dunleavy eager to infringe?

Dunleavy signed Administrative Order No. 352 on Monday, the text of which purports to enact what Vance calls the “Israel Anti-Discrimination Act.”

Vance responded on social media, “Those who bless Israel will be blessed!”

Dunleavy’s blessing of Israel says that Alaska and Israel “enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship.”

The Dunleavy blessing, which lacks anything resembling logic, is a pile of baseless assumptions. There is a distinct absence of thought.

He claims that boycotts “often amount” to discrimination and the state opposes unlawful discrimination.

The blessing leaps forward to claim it is not in Alaska’s interest to do business with “persons or business entities engaged in boycotts that seek to isolate or alienate Israel economically and socially for improper purposes.”

Dunleavy has ordered that all future contracts “shall include a provision that states the support or participation of a boycott of Israel shall be grounds for termination of the contract.”

He forgot to exclude the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation from the long list of state entities that somehow got a pass and are allowed to do business with companies that discriminate against Israel: the University of Alaska, the Alaska Railroad, the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., the Alaska ferry system, the Alaska Aerospace Corp., the Alaska Retirement Management Board, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the Alaska Children’s Trust, the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority and the Alaska Mental Health Land Trust.

I expect there will be an amended version of the blessing to excuse the Permanent Fund.

The Dunleavy blessing, which is probably illegal, will make state government and state contracting more expensive. It will waste the time of state employees. It will accomplish nothing.

There is real work to be done by the governor. This isn’t it.

ROADBLOCK: No word from the state yet about the problems with the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan I mentioned earlier this week. The Department of Transportation & Public Facilities needs to be more forthcoming with Alaskans, given the potential consequences if highway construction stops because the state has picked a fight with the feds.
I’ve been told by a couple of sources that the potential issues with the statewide transportation plan go far beyond the question of including projects that have not been approved by local authorities in Fairbanks and Anchorage.

Your contributions help support independent analysis and political commentary by Alaska reporter and author Dermot Cole. Thank you for reading and for your support. Either click here to use PayPal or send checks to: Dermot Cole, Box 10673, Fairbanks, AK 99710-0673.