Alaska Independence Party
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The Alaska Independence Party (AIP), which is also known as the Alaskan Independence Party, is a political party that advocates Alaska's return to territorial status. It was founded by Joe Vogler, who emerged as a political figure in Alaska in 1973, after he started circulating a petition that called for secession of Alaska from the United States. The Alaskan Independence Party gained formal recognition as a political party in 1984.
One of the stated goals of the AIP is to have the state's population vote for their choice of one of four alternatives for Alaska, on which party members feel Alaskans were denied the opportunity to vote in 1958, when an election was held to determine whether Alaska should become a U.S. state:
- 1) Remain a Territory.
2) Become a separate and Independent Nation.
3) Accept Commonwealth status.
4) Become a State.
According to the Party's Web site, AIP members feel their 1958 vote for statehood was invalid because Alaskans were not presented with the full range of options available to them. Additionally, AIP members feel the federal government has since breached the contract for statehood on numerous occasions in over a dozen instances.
The AIP's platform also includes abolishing and prohibiting all property taxes, promoting the rights of parents to home school their children, and supporting the privatization of government services.
The AIP's Web site sells T-shirts that depict a snake wrapped around the lower continental U.S. with the snake's head devouring the entire state of Alaska. The site also sells "Alaska Terrorist Hunting Permits" (yellow bumper stickers) that say, "No Bag Limit. Tagging Not Required." The AIP also sells posters that depict a bearded hunter in Carhartt winter outdoor garb pressing the barrel of a pistol against the head of a wolf. The poster reads, "Visit Alaska, or else." [1]
Contact
Alaskan Independence Party
2521 Old Steese Hwy N
Fairbanks, Alaska 99712
Phone: 907-457-1884
Fax: 907-488-1955
Chair: Lynette Clark, Fox, Alaska, email: lclarkATakip.org (Substitute an "@" sign for the word "At")
