ALASKA TO BE RETURNED TO RUSSIA - 24,000 People Make a White House Petition

Sarah Palin may become a Russian citizen if a WhiteHouse.gov petition gains enough traction. A petition on the website calling for Alaska to be returned to Russia has so far gained over 20,000 signatures. If it reaches 100,000 by April 20, the White House must issue an official response.





A petition that seeks to put Alaska back under Russian control has garnered more than 18,000 signatures in just a few days — about a fifth of what's needed to capture a formal White House look.

The petition, called "Alaska Back to Russia," was created by a resident of Anchorage who declined to list his name, but instead gave only the initials of S.V., United Press International reported.

The petition was first circulated last week and so far, it's garnered more than 18,000 signatures. If a total of 100,000 sign on by April 20, the Obama administration will supposedly issue a formal response.

The petition — a bit grammatically challenged — nonetheless states: "Groups Siberian Russians crossed the Isthmus (now the Bering Strait) 16-10 thousand years ago. Russian began to settle on the Arctic coast, Aleuts inhabited the Aleutian Archipelago. First visited Alaska August 21, 1732, members of the team boat St. Gabriel under the surveyor Gvozdev and assistant navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition Shestakov and DI Pavlutski 1729-1735 years ... Vote for secession of Alaska from the United States and joining Russia."

The United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million in 1867.

A similar petition from Texas that sought secession from the United States received more than 100,000 signatures, UPI reported. Then, the White House responded: "Our founding fathers established the Constitution of the United States 'in order to form a more perfect union' through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self government. They enshrined in that document the right to change our national government through the power of the ballot — a right that generations of Americans have fought to secure for all. But they did not provide a right to walk away from it."

Originally organized as the Department of Alaska, the area was renamed the District of Alaska and the Alaska Territory before becoming the modern state of Alaska upon being admitted to the Union as a state in 1959

Alaska Day celebrates the formal transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States, which took place on October 18, 1867. The October 18, 1867 date is by the Gregorian calendar, which came into effect in Alaska the following day to replace the Julian calendar used by the Russians (the Julian calendar in the 19th century was 12 days behind the Gregorian calendar). For the selling party back in the Russia's capital city of St Petersburg, where the next day already started due to nearly 12 hours clock time difference, the handover occurred on October 7, 1867 (not 6th) of St. Petersburg time and date under the Julian calendar.

The official celebration of the 18th October Alaska Day is held in Sitka, where schools release students early, many businesses close for the day, and events such as a parade and reenactment of the flag raising are held.

Alaska Day is also a holiday for all state workers