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will you hear a fair representation of these brave people of the 

 Tongass today? Sadly, thanks to the best efforts of Senator 

 Murkowski, the answer is no. 



I am lucky. To get this seat I took time out of my busy day 

 and followed Senator Murkowski 's ground rules. I wrote a 

 personal letter, signed it and nailed it well before the 

 deadline. I called others who would surely have wanted to 

 testify and urged them to write also. Some who live in distant, 

 remote fishing towns could not get a letter sent in time. I told 

 them Senator Murkowski 's office would put each on a list if they 

 called in person. I know that people line up on the dock in 

 Point Baker to use the community phone and I imagined them 

 calling in one by one. Others must have called in by marine 

 radio, since they were out on fishing boats during the sign-up 

 period. Some of the people of the Tongass travelled miles by 

 skiff or even on foot to find a telephone and get on the list. 

 That shows how much they care about the Tongass and how much they 

 wanted to tell this Committee. 



Senator Murkowski, lots of those people asked me what we 

 were doing to make sure that everyone got a fair chance to 

 testify. They said they did not trust you or your office to play 

 by the rules. But I know you, sir. I have worked with you and 

 your staff in Washington for years. So I defended you before the 

 doubters and promised that even though you have taken an extreme 



