nailinpalinnow

NPN Palin Resources and Links

2010-02-06T16:08:00.019-09:00

I have a very good friend who has a very good phrase that has granted me much peace in various situations over the years. He says, "People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime." For me, blogging about Palin has been the occupation of a season, and thankfully, not a lifetime.

Although Palin is still an active celebrity politico, in my heart I do not believe that the Bitter Quitter with the mealy-mouth charisma will ever again actually capture public office.

Nevertheless, interest regarding Palin's bizarre and operatic dance in the American political theater remains strong, and even this inactive blog receives hundreds of hits a month. I do receive your emails and questions and am aware that the archive system on blogspot is awkward at best. So if you have landed here out of curiosity, or while surfing or searching, or just want to know about Palin stories of 2009, I'd like to make the research, links and essays of NailinPalinNow easy for you to use and access as a resource. (Items are cross referenced, so you might get the same post for different subjects).

Below is a linked Index of what you can find at NPN:

Palin Scandals as Governor:

40+ Palin Scandals as of early 2009 each with a supporting link

Promotion-gate, Prison-gate and Pension-gate were added later

Palin's March Meltdown, "Palin's Ides of March" 2009 - a detailed accounting of the amazing two weeks when Palin really lost it as a sitting Governor, with supporting links for each event - Alaskan protestors, fighting with legislators, media bashing, stimulus rejection, legal fees, etc

Palin and:

Alfalfa Club Dinner & History
Biblical War, Endtimes, Apocalypse
Blagojevitch, corruption, grifting
Bloggers & Palin Blogiverse
      Murdoch as
Big Oil & Rural Alaskans
China Speech/CLSA/Hong Kong
     China Speech twitters
     Wall Street Journal flushes
Church Fire
Clothing 2008 campaign
Country Of Africa
Croneyism & Levi
Diva "No Show"
     7 Cancelled Events with links
Emmonak & "Palin's Katrina"
Environment & toxic dumping
      Beluga Whales
      Arctic Wildlife Dying
      Wildlife "Jihad"/Bears/Wolf puppies/Alaskan Board of Game
Evangalicals & Tax Fraud, Voter Fraud, Focus on the Family/Dobson
Excuses by Supporters, C4P (Conservatives For Palin)
"Falafel Lady", Andree Mclead & Ethics Complaints
Feminism/Sexism
   Female Power Brokers
Fiscal Irresponsibility & city, state budget
Highway Funds & redecorating
Forbes "Most Powerful Women" List
GOP Infighting
GOP "Kingmaker"/Nixon CREEP Malek
March Meltdown, 2009
Malek, Fred
     Palin not on list
McCain/Chambliss/Veterans
Monegan
Murdoch, Rupert
    deals, Palin as employee/puppet
Pit Bul ls
Rape Prevention Programs Blocked
Reagan
Scientology & John P. Coale/Greta Van Sustern/Scion Primer/Scientology in Politics/Clintons/PsychRights/Third (3rd) Party/Lobbyist Lawyers
Schaefer, Frank & Evangalicals, home schoolers, fundamentalist, violent Christians, Dominionists, liberal blindness
Schaefer, Frank & "not real Americans", Obama haters, cracker south
Shadow Political Life, political half life, holidays 2009
Twisted Patriotism

White Supremecists/Obama Death Threats/CIA

Humor (It wasn't all bad):

Your Palin White House Headlines w/ Commenters
Top Ten (10) Reasons Palin Really Really Quit w/ Commenters
Palin Nicknames, Quotes and Videos, Palin Detoxing
Palin's Hong Kong Speech - Leaked By Tina Fey

And For Those Interested, A Few Further Notes:

I very often see very heartfelt comments like, "Thanks to all the Alaskan bloggers for exposing Sarah Palin" on blogs that originate outside of Alaska. While the general sentiment is what is important, perhaps it is time to point out that since at least 2008 the web-famous Alaskan efforts of the Immoral Minorty, Celtic Diva, Shannyn Moore and Mudflats have been joined by other blogging voices from all over the world, including activist anti-Palin bloggers in many US states, Canada, France, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Until Palin's political corpse is finally put to rest once and for all, Palin remains the world's problem, and so for those of you that wish to send thanks, be sure to give it to "the worldwide Palin bloggers" when you do so. Your thanks and the satisfaction of doing the right thing are all that most bloggers receive in return for their work and it means a lot to them! So think and thank globally.

Of course the silver lining about the general alarm raised by Palin's careening fortunes over the past year or so is the formation of the quite brilliant and energetic online community that holds a lively first line of defense against the Granny Grifter. Hat Tip to all of us commentors and bloggers, followers, researchers, lurkers, "Pee Watchers" and readers - I love being a part of us and my too-bright orange pic will be bobbing around just as usual online. If I make a point to disagree with something, please understand that my aim is to keep the liberal community strong by keeping it attractive to moderate voters, as well as flexible enough to embrace the full spectrum of liberal thought.

The effort to keep Palin out of public office has exceeded my wildest expectations with the breaking news, detailed research and incredible and numerous commenters at my pal the celebrated Regina's Palingates site with her partners Patrick and Kathleen. Bree Palin has also stepped strongly into the spotlight - congrats my friends! If you want to scare yourself and drop down the rabbit hole of the religious Dominionist, Evangelical and End Times side of Palin, I urge you to read anything by Frank Schaeffer as well as visit the excellent God's Own Party. The venerable Palin blogs of record are the many Alaskan blogs which are mentioned above and listed and linked to the left. If you are new to the Palin blogiverse, whatever your question might be you will find answers at these resources, and an active online community more than willing to listen and exchange ideas.

~Happy Palinthropology~

The Wall Street Journal Flushes Palin's Speech After A Few Hours

2009-09-23T19:19:00.023-08:00

Wonkette reports that The Wall Street Journal published the text of the Sarracuda's Hong Kong speech online here, then without explanation, yanked it offline just a few hours later.

Let's not forget of course that The Wall Street Journal is now owned lock stock and barrel by Rupert Murdoch, the one and only media tycoon that also has Palin locked into a book deal, and who also happened to arrange her Hong Kong speech.

So that's why the now-not-so-respectable WSJ is the only media outlet that "obtained" a complete transcript of Palin's speech...but what light does this throw on their decision to yank it? ...Hmmm, Rupurt is managing his Palin brand carefully and thought better of having the whole text out there for all and sundry to see, apparently. Perhaps he intends to recycle the speech at her next engagement - after a month of practice she's got all the words in almost all the right places by now. Why do you think the WSJ would pull a whoopsie like that?

To get a feel for how the speaking engagement went from the point of view of people who actually attended, check out this Bree Palin catch of the less-than-glowing review in the South China Morning Post. Looks like SCMP is one sheet that Murdoch still doesn't own, and it must be somewhat important - Bree also provided this pic of that very paper in Tundra Barbie's hands as she exits Hong Kong for some much needed R&R, no doubt.

This article from the Independent UK by attendee Robert Frisk is along the same lines but even more entertaining.

UPDATE: The WSJ didn't consider Palin's speech part of "all the news fit to print" (ok I know, that's the Grey Lady's motto). But excerpts did end up on faithful Murdoch employee Greta Van Suckup's webpage, and a version sans the silly ending and other changes is posted on Palin's very own Facebook page.

Exclusive! Palin's Hong Kong Speech - Leaked By Tina Fey

2009-09-18T14:58:00.014-08:00

Apparently Palin's Hong Kong speech dealt with many serious Chinese/American issues such as the tire trade war, eating with chopsticks, and - shopping in Hong Kong before the pirates show up?

Good Evening then! As one of our past American presidents once famously said, “I am a Berlin pastry.” Tonight I’d like to say as well, “I am a Hong Kong dumpling.” Looking out at this wonderful audience, I’d like to say that I feel I have so much in common with you. Call me a trail blazer (winks) then but as I look out across at the sea of faces, I’m reminded of nothing so much as our own home grown Native Alaskans!

I am so excited about coming to China. From what I understand, unlike America the entire nation of your people here are Red State-ers. And thank you so much for inviting me here to this great land of Hong Kong, the birthplace of King Kong – of course, you know we Americans don’t go in much for Monarchy.

But underneath it all we’re really just so very much the same, aren’t we? For example, I’m looking forward to trying my first Chinese Egg Roll with all of you, because I had no idea that you celebrated Easter too in such a way in this new land. It might surprise you to know that the Continent of China holds a great fascination for young Americans. As I remember even in high school, one of my basketball teammates telling me about that famous book on your geography called “The Yellow River,” written by I. P. Freely.

I understand that China became a nation just 60 years ago. I just want you to know that we real Americans appreciate your struggle, and are also happy to provide you brand new up-and-comer nations with all the wisdom and insight America has to offer as the founder of Constitutions. In fact, I’d like to invite you to join me in thinking of the U.S. as just another Big Brother.

China is my kind of place, where the media doesn’t just make things up here. Our good friend Mr. Murdoch told me himself that in Chinese “The Free Press” means that your enterprising local laundries won’t charge for ironing on big orders. But before I spoke today, I found out that you call your President a Premier, which means “the best or the first” in American. I like the sound of that and believe me, if I could be “the best or the first” Premier the U.S. ever had that would be the door I'd open. And everybody just loves your Premier King Wen too! Apparently there isn’t even one single negative blogger complaining about him on the internet, and that really is something also.

I understand that China does have its historical struggles. For example, in my reading I found that pirates and their pirating are such a problem here. It's no wonder because Hong Kong is just so famous for its shopping! Right when we got here, Piper and I strolled down the few blocks from our hotel and found sidewalks just like an open air Saks 5th Avenue. It might not be popular to say so with the European Establishment, but when your waitresses wear Chanel and all the school kids have Louis Vitton backpacks, you just know your state is on the right track!

Standing here, It’s just not my style to ignore the recent inroads made by my former election opponent Mr. Obama to virtually throw a fork in that road of America's usually friendly trade relations with China, paved so carefully by previous Republican administrations. There is no circular logic in slashing foreign tires entering on US soil for example, when we have so much riding on them, keeping our energy needs rolling towards markets both domestic and international. These globalized trade freedoms as they stand can only brighten that shining path that is so very much a part of America’s future with her yellow partner, that we puncture at our peril. Americans such as myself fully support the Hong Konganese in their quest to progress capitalism and entrapreneurialship throughout the mainland, and all the islands too.

In closing, I want to send out a strong message about our International foreign relations and mutual concern over those authors of “War and Peace.” As all know the strong symbol for China is the Dragon, and also I have been known as quite the Pitbull when necessity calls for. Now I've not yet seen a Dragon being uplifted by a Pitbull, or vice versa, but where there’s a will there’s always away. In other words, if the world is like a Chinese Box, then China, I'm in your corner no matter where in the world I am. It’s such a little known fact that China shares a common border with America right next to my home state of proud Alaska. So I promise you, that the Russian Bear Putin won’t be rearin’ his head over here while I’m nearby, no matter how long your Continental borders run alongside together. I say, not on Mama Grizzly’s watch!

And when you Red men and women too of the Chinese nation might often strive to immigrate to the future great Red States of America, our borders will have open arms and we’ll show you just what we mean when we suggest now that you eat your Chinese food - “WITH FORKS FOR CHANGE”

And Change is what we are really all talking about here, like the Chinese goldfish that refuses to stop swimming in its American bowl. I could say more about that goldfish, but you all know already, you who know me well, that it’s just swimming away from the mainstream, not content to go with the lesser of the two evils like all the rest.

So for tonight, I’ll just say then, Good Night, and Thank you Hong Kong and God Bless America.

Palin & Co. - "Subversives From Within" By Frank Schaeffer

2009-09-12T14:53:00.016-08:00

I feel that this article by an individual who was formerly deep inside the Christian Evangelical movement is absolutely too important to languish on a buried Huffington Post page. I ask everyone that passes this way to please pass this article on, print it out, discuss it with others. It is very hard to accept the information it contains - even those predisposed to accepting what Frank Schaeffer says probably wish to reject the information on some level. I know because that is what I find happening to me.

But Schaeffer's message finally makes some sense out of the nutty turn that civil discourse in America has taken. The point is not to be frightened or defensive here, but informed. In that spirit I am re-posting Mr. Schaeffer's article here in it's entirety.

Acts 9-18 "And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales..."

Glenn Beck and the 9/12 Marchers: Subversives From Within

Who are these people?! Where do they come from?! Ordinary Americans might wonder why anyone would stoop so low as to follow Glenn Beck, Fox News and Dick Armey (and their corporate sponsors masquerading as "FreedomWorks") as they organize their "9/12 March On Washington" to cynically exploit the 9/11 attack.

Patriotic Americans might question the organizer's aim to provide a media forum for dimwitted right wingers to scream "Liar!" "Socialist!" "Antichrist!" "Muslim!" "Death Panels!" "He's not an American!" and so on and on and on about the commander in chief charged with defending us from further attacks. And some people might even cry "shame on you!" to the more mainstream Republicans participating that include Dick Armey of FreedomWorks, as well as GOP Reps. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Pence of Indiana, Tom Price of Georgia, and South Carolina GOP Sen. Jim DeMint.

Ordinary folks from Planet Earth may ask why the Republican Party, right-wing activists and members of the Religious Right seem so unreachable with mere facts let alone decency and decorum. (As the proud father of a US Marine who fought in Afghanistan, I'm particularly outraged that these people would exploit the 9/11 attacks after my son and others were prepared to give their lives in response to our enemies.)

As a former Religious Right leader, who was raised (and home-schooled by my Evangelical-leader parents, Francis and Edith Schaeffer) in the movement, let me explain just why the ordinary rules of decency don't apply to the right these days.

Let me also answer this question: Who are these people?

Protecting Your Children From Satan

A big part of the answer to understanding the heightened climate of outright hate and fear of the "other" is the home school and Christian school movement. It is a modern incarnation of the anti-federal government ideology of earlier firebrands such as John Calhoun who was the 7th Vice President and a Southern politician in the 19th century. Calhoun embraced slavery, states' rights, limited government, and said that Americans should secede from the union if it went against their wishes. (See: "Calhoun Conservatism Raises Its Ugly Head" by Mike Lux in the Huffington Post Sept 11/09.)

In the early 1970s the evangelicals like my late father and James Dobson decided that the our society had fallen so far "away from God" and so far from "America's Christian history" that it was time to metaphorically decamp to not just another country but to another planet:. In other words virtually unnoticed by the media and mainstream political operatives, a big chunk of American society seceded from the union in all but name.

What they did is turn the white race-based in "Christian school" movement of the 1950s into a countercultural phenomena. As tens of thousands of new Christian schools opened, it was no longer just about "protecting" white kids from minorities and African-Americans. It was about protecting your children from Satan in other words the United States government's long reach through the public school system.

To protect your children from Satan -- in other words mainstream, open patriotic and pluralistic America -- you either kept them at home where mom and dad could teach the children right from wrong or send them to a cloistered private evangelical/fundamentalist school. At home or in school you used curriculum prepared by the likes of James--beat-your-child-and-dare-to-discipline-Dobson, RJ-slavery-was-a-good-thing-Rushdoony, or many and other right-wing anti-American activists. That curriculum presented "secular America" as downright evil. Hating the USA became next to godliness.

The Anti-American Home Schoolers Come Of Age

We are now several generations into this experiment of holier-than-thou withdrawal from our American mainstream culture. If you wonder who it is that's both running and underwriting organizations such as the Family Research Council, Focus On The Family, Freedom Works and other organizers of the 9/12 March and who are most faithful followers the likes of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh or viewers of Fox News your answer is: it's the home school/Christian school generation of men and women now hitting their thirties and even forties who might as well have been raised on a different planet.

What are these home school and Christian school children taught? Here's a quote from one of the far right's leading home school curricula creators:

"The stranger in ancient Israel did not serve as a judge, although he received all the benefits of living in the land. The political question is this: By what biblical standard is the pagan to be granted the right to bring political sanctions against God's people? We recognize that unbelievers are not to vote in Church elections. Why should they be allowed to vote in civil elections in a covenanted Christian nation? Which judicial standards will they impose? By what other standard than the Bible?"

(Gary North of Institute For Christian Economics)

The generation raised on the belief that the US government is illegitimate because it is trying to "impose" non-biblical laws on people has hit the streets. These are the people who grew up indoctrinated into an alternative reality. Today they are out there waving signs of Obama dressed as Hitler. They are buying weapons and ammunition. Some are in the growing and revived militia movement. They are Dick Armey's foot soldiers. People like Armey and Beck can count on the ignorance of their dupes. It's against their religion to read a real newspaper, watch anything but Fox or go to a real school.

Evangelical Red Guards

Over the last 30 years Evangelical fundamentalists have managed to do what Chairman Mao failed to do with his Red Guards: indoctrinate a whole generation of evangelical people to see their own society as the enemy and act like subversives from within the culture. These people are more anti-American than Al-Qaeda. The "Christian Reconstruction" movement is working for theocracy. Reconstructionism (of which Gary North is one leader) says that the law given for the political and legal ordering of ancient Israel is intended for all people at all times.

Reconstructionist leader David Barton gives a definition:

"The Christian goal for the world is the universal development of Biblical theocratic republics, in which every area of life is redeemed and placed under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the rule of God's law."

Who are Glenn Beck's foot soldiers? In effect what we have is a group of indoctrinated people who have never actually lived in America because they were brought up deliberately cloistered from it by their parents and churches. Because they are legally "Americans" they can move freely around our democracy trying to destroy it working within the United States. Today they are acting like a fifth column, no, they are a fifth column. Some of them have not just seceded metaphorically, there is even a growing movement for states to secede literally.

Today the right wing America haters actually are doing to America what no "illegal" immigrants ever do: work to overthrow our democracy and replace it with a theocracy. The home-schooled, privately educated brainwashed horde are an antidemocratic, fundamentally anti-American political movement. For a start they do not accept the results of the last election.

Liberal/Progressive Wishful Thinking and Blindness

Meanwhile those ordinary Americans including many Democrats, progressives and liberals who work within the system can hardly imagine that there are people so far outside the lines of what they regard as ordinary decent behavior that the progressives seem psychologically unequipped to deal with this reality.

President Obama is one such person. His talk of bipartisanship is a pipe dream. Why?

Bipartisan Pipe Dream

Because you can't be bipartisan with people who don't play by the same rules -- say accepting the will of the people -- as you do. Obama is not alone in his gentlemanly wishful thinking. For instance consider New York Times book review editor Sam Tanenhaus saying in his book (The Death of Conservatism) that the the conservative movement is over.

Tanenhaus rightly points out that the extremism of the right has driven away traditional Republicans. I ought to know! I, as a life-long Republican and former Religious Right activist helped create this situation. But Tanenhaus and others like him just don't get the fact that the far right is resurgent, in fact more dangerous than ever as a wounded animal is dangerous. They don't get it because kindly liberals also live in a bubble.

The kindly liberal reasonable bubble of an open liberal culture in which reason, argument in fact prevails is far removed from the other America, one of militia training camps, fundamentalist churches, parents who follow Dobson's "parenting" advice by "breaking" their children and whipping them (as Dobson tells them to do in his books) and thus raising the damaged and dangerous automatons of biblical vengeance and sadism.

The Last Chess Game You'll Ever Play

What reasonable people don't understand is this: if one person is playing chess abiding by the rules and their opponent is losing at the chess game it may appear that they have lost the match. But what if one person is willing to change the rules? For instance, if you're playing chess against someone who -- if they start losing -- takes a lead pipe out of their back pocket and smashes you over the head with it the "rules" change.

Serial Killers

The real story of the Religious Right and their power to destroy is told by Max Blumenthal in Republican Gomorrah, and Jeff Sharlet in The Family and by me in Crazy For God. What our books have in common is the understanding that you can lose in the political system but still "win" -- according to your destructive agenda -- if your agenda is non-political but rather religious and apocalyptic in nature.

To understand the Religious Right today and how dangerous they are don't think politics -- think serial killers who "win" by "getting even" with the society they perceive as having disrespected them. It isn't about facts. It isn't about election results. It isn't about truth. It's about victimhood and revenge on the "elite" in other words on everyone not like you. It is about the weird combination of sadism and masochism Blumenthal describes in his book.

Think Republicans who have no plan of their own for health care reform other than stopping Obama. Think "Deathers" and "Birthers" who are all about de-legitimizing our system as "evil" because it includes rights for gays.

New Rules: Anarchy and Scorched Earth

What those who think that the power of the Religious Right and/or the Republicans is ended don't understand is that it's only ended if you believe in the rules. When I say the rules I mean, for instance, that if you lose an election the other side gets to legislate. However if your opponent is not interested in the rules and is, A) waiting for Jesus to return and consume all the "infidels" or, B) you are just waiting to take that "lead pipe" out of your back pocket -- say go to public meetings and intimidate people by carrying loaded weapons to those meetings -- or worse, maybe even use them to shoot down someone -- all polite bets are off!

The fact of the matter is we now know what the experiment in raising children outside of the American mainstream means. It means that there's a whole subculture within American culture that mistrusts facts precisely because they are facts. They glory an alternative view of not just politics but of reality.

They frequent the creationist museum and look at dioramas of dinosaurs cavorting with humans. They believe that gay people choose to be gay just stick it to the rest of us and could change if they invite Jesus into their hearts. They believe that before you run for governor of Alaska, for instance, you should get a preacher specializing in "casting out the spirit of witchcraft" to anoint you so you can win against the demonic forces of secularism -- as was the case with Sarah Palin when she first ran for governor. They believe that the NRA was telling the truth when they claimed that Obama would "take away your guns" and so have loaded up with more guns and ammunition. They think the time has come to rise up and overthrow the government. And yes, most of them also believe that black people are inferior to whites, so to have a black man in the White House is itself "proof" of American's fall from grace.

There's no arguing with such people and no winning against them using mere elections. They are not playing by American rules. Their idea of winning is not fair elections but Armageddon.

Religious Right Growing Again

Those who say that the Religious Right and the far right have lost their power are looking through the lens of rule-obeying democratic liberalism. They don't understand that their opponents will always carry the proverbial lead pipe in his or her back pocket. To the progressives who think that the Religious Right and the right wing has lost its power I say this: You're correct when it comes to political facts (for the moment) of the last election, but you're dead wrong when it comes to the way revolutions work.

Second American "Tea Party" Revolution

Revolutionaries never have played by the rules. They don't have to win by the rules. They hate the rules. They don't live in a rule based or fact based universe.

They believe they are serving a "higher cause" so it makes the "mere human" rules unimportant. They're ready to shout down opponents, call out "liar" about someone telling the truth, undermine public meetings and/or commit physical violence. They are also willing to become the tools of cynical corporate lobbyists using them for ulterior purposes, say stalling health care reform.

In order to "win" -- in other words destroy our country as we know it -- the far right merely needs to be true to its own rule which is, to put it very mildly, that coloring outside the lines is not only perfectly okay but required.

Conclusion

Not only do the Religious Right distrust facts to them facts are evil. You are "satanic" if you believe in evolution. You're also satanic if you believe health-care reform is about anything but death panels and abortions. You're satanic if you don't believe that gay people are evil or that if you think sex education is sensible. You're satanic if you don't believe in Satan!

The tactics that progressives develop for actually winning against the right have to involve far more than politics. They have to also involve ceaseless vigilance against an enemy that has now -- literally -- raised up an armed, paranoid and deluded alternative nation within our borders and created a fifth column to undermine the United States and our democracy. They need to be called out by the rest of us in no uncertain terms.

Long term the Religious Right subculture has to be understood, then exposed for what it is: an anti-democracy movement built on willful lies with potentially violent underpinnings in the thrall of an apocalyptic cult of revenge on everyone not like "us." It is also the useful tool of corporate lobbyists. Who use these shock troops of the proudly ignorant for non-ideological reasons.

The Religious Right may have lost a round politically but they've still got a "lead pipe" in their back pocket. They can still "win" by making the rest of us lose our democracy by increments. They will even spit in the rest of our faces by exploiting the national tragedy of 9/11 in their 9/12 March.

Frank Schaeffer is the author of Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back and the forthcoming Patience With God: Faith For People Who Don't Like Religion(Or Atheism)

UPDATE - Information IS power, and while I don't want to overburden you many fine readers, this link from GenieO takes you to another absolutely MUST READ article on the business side of the conservative equation. Please take a moment to inform yourself about "Movement Conservatism" - the selling of public policy as a commodity. Murdoch presenting Palin to Hong Kong on Sept. 23rd fits precisely into the whole, crazy quilt puzzle pattern perfectly. (see post below with polls still running to the left.)

Comic Opera Or Greek Tragedy - Why'd Prima Donna Palin Blow It This Time - New Poll

2009-08-26T22:40:00.021-08:00

"WHAAAAT?"

<---- New poll at left. And if La Diva manages to tick any more large groups of conservatives off tonight, less hungry souls than I will have to be on top of it - its time for dinner and a glass of good non-virtual red wine. La Diva's antics rival and even exceed the utter narcissism of opera's most famous Prima Donnas. The list of her jilted suitors so far:

1. Eagle Forum Pro Life Event - 9/08
2. Republican Fundraiser in Orange County - 9/26/08
3. Co-host of Rep Govs Ass Dinner w/ Mark Sanford - 5/8/09 (probably a good idea to blow, in retrospect)
4. White House Correspondents Dinner - 5/9/09
5. Conservative Political Action Conference - 6/8/09
6. Simi Valley Rep Women Ronald Reagan Library Gala - 8/8/09
7. Alaskans For Parental Rights Campaign, ChangePoint Church - 8/27/98
8. Which supporter will get a freshly laid Sarah Palin egg-in-the-face next?

Thanks to RunninL8 for the ultimate "What, Me Worry?" Mad Palin pic - taken from a supporters billboard - we think.

<---- And the "Blow Or Show" poll is still running - you never know with Queen Sarah, she might have just asked Stapletongue to let loose in order to prime the audience for her appearance - a true Diva move indeed.

Palin D-Listed By Forbes

2009-08-20T03:28:00.016-08:00

There was some kind of brou-ha-ha spreading itself around last week or so that Palin is somehow so powerful that she can "influence healthcare policy" by posting on her Facebook blog. Another roll your eyes, try to ignore the idiocy meme that got up on its shaky legs for a minute before collapsing in a heap. The idea that Palin now exercises any type of power whatsoever makes good gossip, background noise or chitter chatter, and that's about it.

Forbes Magazine just released their annual accounting of the 100 most powerful women in the world. It will no doubt come as a huge surprise to Conservatives4Palin that their icon does not grace this indicator. Instead, the list is populated by women exercising real leadership in the areas of commerce, business and politics.

Let's face it, Palin's level of power belongs on the curled end of a rolled out list somewhere slightly above Orly Taitz perhaps, but well below Katie Couric and even Tina Fey. Certainly she ranks nowhere near Mary Erdoes. Never heard of Mary? Mary isn't known for her favorite high heels or her power shopping, or even her own barbarous war on wildlife. It seems that Mary Erdoes, dead last on this year's Forbes list of 100 women, exercises her very real and considerable powers as the Chairman of JP Morgan Global Wealth Management relatively quietly and without ever once making a comedian apologize or starting an argument with a blogger. Amazing, no?

Women who exercise real power in the US political sphere include: #36 Hillery Clinton US Secretary of State, #35 Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House, and Cabinet Members Janet Nepolitano #51 and Katherine Sibeleus at #56. First Lady Michelle Obama joined the fray at #40 and Sonia Sotomeyer also debuted at #54. Women from around the world populated the list, including Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany at #1.

Of course, none of the successful women above ever considered it a great career move "not to go with the flow" and resign abruptly from office, twitter their way into William Shatner's shtick, or use a ghostwritten Facebook page to telegraph their "brand."

Let's give a moment of positive reinforcement to these women who help run the world every day with dignity and style~

1	Angela Merkel	Chancellor	Germany
2	Sheila Bair	Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.	U.S.
3	Indra Nooyi	Chief executive, PepsiCo	U.S.
4	Cynthia Carroll	Chief executive, Anglo American	U.K.
5	Ho Ching	Chief executive, Temasek	Singapore
6	Irene Rosenfeld	Chief executive, Kraft Foods	U.S.
7	Ellen Kullman	Chief executive, DuPont	U.S.
8	Angela Braly	Chief executive, WellPoint	U.S.
9	Anne Lauvergeon	Chief executive, Areva	France
10	Lynn Elsenhans	Chief executive, Sunoco	U.S.
11	Cristina Fernandez	President	Argentina
12	Carol Bartz	Chief executive, Yahoo	U.S.
13	Sonia Gandhi	President, Indian National Congress Party	India
14	Ursula Burns	Chief executive, Xerox Corp.	U.S.
15	Anne Mulcahy	Chairman, Xerox Corp.	U.S.
16	Safra Catz	President, Oracle	U.S.
17	Christine Lagarde	Minister of Economy, Finance & Employment	France
18	Gail Kelly	Chief executive, Westpac	Australia
19	Marjorie Scardino	Chief executive, Pearson Plc.	U.K.
20	Chanda Kochhar	Chief executive, ICICI Bank	India
21	Mary Sammons	Chief executive, Rite Aid Corp.	U.S.
22	Michelle Bachelet	President	Chile
23	Paula Reynolds	Chief restructuring officer, AIG	U.S.
24	Carol Meyrowitz	Chief executive, TJX Companies	U.S.
25	Andrea Jung	Chief executive, Avon	U.S.

Check out the entire list of 100 women here and here.

And for a really refreshing take on the healthcare debate, a visit to www.billionairesforwealthcare.com is a must! These people have the magic formula down - protesting with style, humor and fun while making their point very very clear to any sentient being and completely befuddling the poor devils that show up to protest against their own interests. Check it out!

Here Are The Top Ten Reasons Palin Really REALLY Quit - And Add Yours

2009-07-03T23:10:00.036-08:00

Okay, now that we've given a reasonably well-mannered farewell nod to Bad Sarah (see below), please have a glass of virtual champagne as you enjoy the really real reasons why Palin quit being Governor today ~

10. No time for real shopping.

9. Knows this will help her get even bigger ratings when she finally does appear on David Letterman.

8. This was always her plan - likes campaigning but not the other stuff.

7. Governing got in the way of her running schedule.

6. Piper told her to.

5. Wants to explore bi-curious feelings aroused by her association with Greta and John Coale.

4. Church of Scientology told her to. (this works in both serious and comedy catagories - see poll at left).

3. Thinks Tina Fey Would Actually Do A Better Job.

2. More pissed than we realized about having to take stimulus money.

1. Wants to join Blagojevitch, Sanford and "The Governator" on new reality program - "Survivor - The Governor Edition"

ties with

1. Todd is now finally free to pursue his program of freeing Alaska from the US!

Feel like the USA dodged a bullet with Palin? You'll also enjoy "What Are Your Palin White House Headlines" and comments here.

BONUS BUBBLE-WRAP UP : ~Everytime You pOp A Palin Bubble, A Palinbot Is Restored To Sanity~! http://www.virtual-bubblewrap.com/popnow.shtml

Gotta read the rich comments!--------------->

Mission Accomplished. (Unlike The Other Famous Time That Phrase Was Used)

2009-07-03T22:00:00.006-08:00

"It is the contention of this blog that Sarah Palin is not fit for public office."

I wish you and your family well in the private sector, Mrs. Palin.

Happy Trails.

What Are Your Palin White House Headlines?

2009-06-12T16:16:00.054-08:00

Palin's sourpuss persona has gone from tolerably absurd to grossly delusional. As a small example, on the (extended version) Today Show Matt Lauer interview she called on women's groups and "all the male groups" to "riot...start rising up" to protest TV comedian David Letterman, and called for Letterman to apologize to "young women across the country". How she decided during this crusade that most young girls have "have such low self esteem in America" I'm not sure, but she gets away with nonsense assertions like this one because all the other stuff she blows at us is so much nuttier.

For the present, it's best to retain a sense of humor about her and have faith in the basic common sense of the American people - the people that put a reasonable person in the White House during the last election.

No one can possibly believe Palin would be the right choice to handle high level negotiations at an international level. Imagine the daily headlines if Palin ever manages to party-crash her way into real power:

PALIN FEUDS WITH CARLA BRUNI DURING SARKOZY VISIT - States "There's a Place In Hell Reserved For Women Who Upstage Other Women"

MIDEAST IGNITES AS PALIN BLAMES AHMADINEJAD FOR MISSED MEETING

"PUTIN IS A PERVERT" STATES PALIN

QUEEN MIFFED AT PALIN'S REFUSAL TO COMMIT TO STATE DINNER

INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT POSTPONED TO FIT PALIN'S SCHEDULE

PALIN FEUDS WITH GOD, TEAM SARAH CALLS FOR BOYCOTT

DISAPPEARANCE OF JOHNSTON FAMILY - STILL A MYSTERY

WILLOW'S TRIPLETS - Tribble, Truck and Prick!!! ONLY IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE! AND TIME, USA TODAY, VANITY FAIR, WIRED, GOLF DIGEST, MAXIM...

LETTERMAN TREASON TRIAL BEGINS

Many of these headlines could be quite possible with Palin the the WHouse. And here's one that takes a small leap of imagination, but who knows?

ALIENS FIRE ON PALIN WHITE HOUSE,
WORLD CELEBRATES

Imaginative or chillingly possible, What Are Your Palin White House Headlines? Let us know in comments, and vote on Bad Sarah's next nickname - "Sourpuss Palin" or "Sarahpuss"

Palin's Coale Keeps Scientology's Political Ambitions Burning Bright

2009-04-23T05:07:00.145-08:00

Note To Readers: The subject of Scientology is complex, and recent articles exploring Palin's relationship to Scientologists provide only minimal information on the actual nature of Scientology, its history, and the political goals of this disturbing mind control cult. Readers who are used to scanning through short blog entries are generally expected to do the digging themselves if they have further interest. Unfortunately, not everyone has enough curiosity or time to do so. I hope that by ripping open some of Scientology's dirtier and darker seams, this piece will provide more than enough reference material for readers to conclude that this cult that cynically calls itself a church for tax purposes should have no place in the lives and careers of any public officials, or celebrities for that matter. Therefore this is an extremely long post, divided it into 7 sections for convenience. I invite every reader to spend time reading the entire post even if it means multiple visits. There are many surprises along the way. As we all know, the devil is always in the details.

Note To Palin Supporters: This article is addressed to you. Unfortunately I all too often see or hear comments from you such as, "Scientology is a religion, so why should I worry if Sarah Palin has friends of a different religion?", or "We need as many people as possible to like Sarah, it doesn't matter if they are Muslim, Jewish, or Scientologists" and "Scientology money is as good as any other money." and "There is no way there are Scientology slave camps right in the USA under the governments nose. I don't believe it." It is not acceptable to be willfully uninformed about Scientology, just because you trust Sarah Palin. As this article reveals, Palin is definitely not the first politician to be touched by Scientology or to give cult members access to political power. This has been a long term goal of the cult, and Palin is only the most recent, perhaps most energizing politician that the cult has began working itself onto like a parasite. Scientology does not hold the same status, nor deserve the kind of tolerance that is granted to the world's long standing religions. This is because of its self-proclaimed aims and its history of abusing its own members and outsiders who investigate the cult. We have common ground here. I do not support Sarah Palin, but she deserves better than to have the yoke of Scientology attached to her politically. So do you. Palin does not need Scientology connections, and in the end, these connections will only become political dynamite for her. Palin is uniquely positioned to lead the way in publicly shaking off connections with Scientologists. She will only gain respect and admirers if she does so. Please take some time to examine this cult more closely. When it comes to Scientology we need to all be on the same side, no matter what our political persuasion.

Scientology is not a religion. It is a money grubbing cult, and it is a dangerous cult. It flourishes in a twilight zone of fake respectability, and relies solely on people being generally uninformed about it. Ignorance, gullibility and isolation - this is the human compost in which the cult thrives. Scientology threatens men and women, it threatens children, it threatens families, it threatens outsiders, and it also threatens every single one of its own members with tragic losses - loss of self, of soul, of spirit, of freedom are the most intangible of these.

No politician should be considered reputable or respectable that takes money from Scientology or any powerful Scientologist - that includes Sarah Palin, Nancy Pelosi, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the current Governor of Maryland, O'Malley. Scientology is a taint and a stain upon the face of our nation, and it is up to the public to demand that any public figure - including politicians, musicians and actors - must become "100% Scientology Free" if they are to remain popular or be granted the public's trust.

PART 1: Warning! Read At Your Own Risk

To get a real taste of how Scientology operates, we'll start with a few excerpts from a well researched article that was "...the target of an organized book-burning campaign by Scientologists as detailed in the Scarff deposition." This piece of journalism was awarded the Gerald Loeb Award for distinguished business and financial journalism, the Worth Bingham Prize and the Conscious In Media Awards from the American Society of Journalists and Authors." The full text, written in 1991 by Richard Behar, Associate Editor of Time Magazine, may be read here.

"They (Scientologists) take the best and the brightest people and destroy them."

"Eleven top Scientologists, including Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's wife, were sent to prison in the early 1980s for infiltrating, burglarizing and wiretapping more than 100 private and government agencies in attempts to block their investigations into the cult." "In recent years hundreds of longtime Scientology adherents -- many charging that they were mentally or physically abused -- have quit the church and criticized it at their own risk. Some have sued the church and won; others have settled for amounts in excess of $500,000. In various cases judges all over the world have labeled the church "schizophrenic and paranoid" and "corrupt, sinister and dangerous". (and much much more.)"

"Yet the outrage and litigation have failed to squelch Scientology. The group, which boasts 700 centers in 65 countries, threatens to become more insidious and pervasive than ever. Scientology is trying to go mainstream, a strategy that has sparked a renewed law enforcement campaign against the church. Many of the group's followers have been accused of committing financial scams, while the church is busy attracting the unwary through a wide array of front groups in such businesses as publishing, consulting, health care and even remedial education."

"According to the Cult Awareness Network, whose 23 chapters monitor more than 200 "mind control" cults, no group prompts more telephone pleas for help than does Scientology. Says Cynthia Kisser, the network's Chicago-based executive director: "Scientology is quite likely the most ruthless, the most classically terroristic, the most litigious and the most lucrative cult the country has ever seen. No cult extracts more money from its members." [Note: since publication of this article, the Cult Awareness Network has been taken over by Scientology. Do not contact them!] "Strange things seem to happen to people who write about Scientology. Journalist Paulette Cooper wrote a critical book on the cult in 1971. This led to a Scientology plot (called Operation Freak-Out) whose goal, according to church documents, was "to get P.C. incarcerated in a mental institution or jail."

Scientology has left a poisonous, toxic slime trail of pay to pray, indoctrination, family debt, money laundering, mind control, ponzi schemes, psychosis and medical malpractice, drug rehab scams, forced/slave labor, forced abortions paid for by the US government, torture, rape, extortion, conspiracy to commit murder, death, wrecked families and ruined lives. It even has one of Palin's greatest fears - death panels - for real.

Not exactly your little white church on the hill, now is it?

For writing about Scientology for Time Magazine, the cult targeted Behar under its "fair game" policy. "...at least 10 attorneys and six private detectives were unleashed by Scientology and its followers in an effort to threaten, harass and discredit me." They used several intimidation tactics, including obtaining an illegal copy of his personal credit report, harassing colleagues and neighbors, threatening to contact the SEC and the IRS, and obtaining information on him illegally to use in a federal lawsuit against him. Behar continues:

"One legal goal of Scientology is to bankrupt the opposition or bury it under paper. The church has 71 active lawsuits against the IRS alone. One of them, Miscavige vs. IRS, has required the U.S. to produce an index of 52,000 pages of documents. Boston attorney Michael Flynn, who helped Scientology victims from 1979 to 1987, personally endured 14 frivolous lawsuits, all of them dismissed. Another lawyer, Joseph Yanny, believes the church "has so subverted justice and the judicial system that it should be barred from seeking equity in any court." He should know: Yanny represented the cult until 1987, when, he says, he was asked to help church officials steal medical records to blackmail an opposing attorney (who was allegedly beaten up instead). Since Yanny quit representing the church, he has been the target of death threats, burglaries, lawsuits and other harassment." "The church's most fearsome advocates are its lawyers... Scientology has brought hundreds of suits against its perceived enemies and today pays an estimated $20 million annually to more than 100 lawyers." Scientology calls this "Legal Brutality."

PART 2: Enter Scientology Lobbyist Lawyer John P. Coale - Stage Left

John P. Coale really should wear one of those T-shirts that say, “I’m Kind of a Big Deal.”

As a lawyer, John P. Coale is so very very big, and he has done so much to forever warp the legal system in America with his aggressive actions against big corporations, that he has actually littered his destructive path with some "collateral good" along the way. Some good must have come from suing cigarette makers, right? And Ritalin manufacturers surely must be evil, right? American Lawyer Magazine saw fit to award Coale its "Most Frivolous Suit" Award for his legal maneuverings against his tailor, because the bad tailoring on his custom made shirts had subjected Coale to "public humiliation...severe emotional distress, and embarrassment." American Lawyer magazine also called John P. Coal "a symbol for everything wrong with the Plantiffs' bar."

Plaintiff's bar? What is the "Plaintiff's Bar"?

American Justice Partnership Foundation provides the following snapshot of these heavyweight lawyers who manage to fly mostly under the radar.

John P. Coale and "The Plantiff's Bar"

 “The Plantiffs' bar have taken on industry after industry, securing huge, and at times, crushing awards for their clients and exorbitant contingent fees for themselves. As a group, they have become one of the richest and most powerful lobbies in the United States, working with lightning speed and precision to ensure the enactment of favorable legislation and election or selection of judges and legislators sympathetic to their positions, and the utter defeat of any perceived threats to their livelihood."

 "The trial lawyers’ industry is sometimes referred to as Trial Lawyers, Inc., a hypothetical corporation, "raking in almost $40 billion in revenues annually – 50% more than Microsoft or Intel and double that of Coca-Cola." (KRC: from Manhattan Institute, Trial Lawyers, Inc., p. 2)"

 "The lawsuit industry’s lack of transparency prevents us from making an accurate profit estimate, but if its margins are as high as we suspect, Trial Lawyers, Inc. might well be the most profitable business in the world. (KRC: Manhattan Institute, Trial Lawyers, Inc., p. 2)"

 "The point here is not that these are very rich people. It is that their law firms are even richer—with the depth and agility to field an array of well paid experts, legal strategists, private detectives, jury consultants, and top public relations people. Against such outfits, even the largest corporations can be left feeling intimidated. (KRC: Hantler, "Seven Myths ...", p. 23)"

 "This plutocracy (rule by the wealthy) of 60,000 plaintiffs’ attorneys is so powerful it can overwhelm the broader interests of industry, workers, municipalities, schools, charities, and individual citizens. (KRC: Hantler, "Seven Myths ...", p.23)"

 "During the last several decades, the Plaintiffs' bar, aided by alliances with state attorneys general and the proliferation of mass tort legislation, has transformed itself from the once scorned step-child of the legal profession to the legal equivalent of Cinderella."

These are lawyers that rose from the generally despised position of "ambulance chasers" to become the Cinderellas of the legal world. But unfortunately for The Fairy Godmother, the plaintiffs' bar would not think twice about turning around and forcing her to give away most of her magical powers as "just" settlement for her shoddy workmanship on that glass slipper that fell off.

~John P. Coale won against cigarette manufacturers and Ritalin
~John P. Coale sued the FBI for its role in the Waco massacre
~John P. Coale handled the divorce of Lisa Marie Presley from Michael Jackson
~John P. Coale led the charge against American gun manufacturers. He boasted to "New Yorker Magazine", "[We] have the resources to start a war instead of taking little potshots...Well, we've started a war."

In the past, John P. Coale threw his mighty weight against Republicans. "It would be very, very horrifying to trial lawyers if Bush were elected," sai d John P. Coale…who has given over $70,000 to the Democrats. "To combat that, we want to make sure we have a Democratic president, House and Senate. There is some serious tobacco money being spread around."

"Today, as the line between class action and personal injury claims continues to blur, lawsuits have been filed against McDonald's on behalf of customers who claim the company's "junk food" made them fat. Trial lawyers are targeting the managed-care industry, lead paint manufacturers and pharmaceutical makers over drug pricing; some have even gone after cell phone makers for an unsubstantiated link between cell phones and brain cancer. And what benefit do the plaintiffs receive from actions such as these?... in some cases, nothing at all."

But let's be fair. Let’s give the man a chance to describe himself in his own words. "I am a pirate," Mr. Coale said proudly. "I have been described as an ambulance chaser, and I don't disagree.”

On top of all of John P. Coale's accomplishments - pirate, ambulance chaser, plaintiff's bar member and powerful plutocrat - Mr. Coale, Esq. is possibly the most dashing political lobbyist that is also a member of a cult that masquerades as a church. That’s right, in case you’ve been out in bush Alaska for the last 6 months without a laptop – John P. Coale is a Scientologist and is a member in good standing with The World's Number One Mind Control Cult.

And Mr. Coale is not just a rank and file auditor or trainer for Scientology either. No sireee. John P. Coale is an Operating Thetan. According to Scientology "liturgy" read and regurgitated by the faithful, this means that he: never has colds or accidents, has total recall of his entire life from conception on, can compute in seconds what the average person needs 30 or more minutes to do, is the example of a truly rational person, and he can “function apart from his body." As an OT-VII or Operating Thetan Level 7, he is also, according to Scientology materials "able to lift telephones off the hook in another room and read books while some distance away from them". No doubt this all comes in handy while simultaneously visiting Sarah Palin and suing the pants off her favorite rifle manufacturer.

We all can understand that when there is a new person in someone's life, there are things about the past that don't immediately get brought up. Mr. Coale has been known to chase some high profile political skirts, including Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. So while John "The Pirate" Coale is cozying up to Sarah Palin perhaps he wisely has failed to mention that he has gone steady with various Democrats or that he sues gunmakers - fairly secure in the knowledge that Sarah P. is not a person that is likely to happen upon this information while thumbing through old copies of "The New Yorker Magazine".

PART 3: The Barracuda Triangle - Mr. Coale, Mrs. Palin and Mrs. Coale

The case is closed. John P. Coale is now the biggest heavyweight advisor in Bad Sarah’s political life, despite Mrs. Coale's slippery protests to the contrary, and a general wish by members of Team Sarah and Conservatives4Palin that this Scientology stuff would just go away so everyone could focus more on Obama.

We know that Coale is Sarah's advisor because every member of The Barracuda Triangle confirms it. Coale went to "see Sarah" during the Obama inauguration, perhaps for some political hand holding at a sensitive time. He gave us an unsettling image of himself lurking around just near enough to Palin so that he could keep a keen eye on her, while Palin seemed to allow his presence without really acknowledging it. Coale has called Sarah Palin a "fascinating person" who is "definitely not what the right thinks or the left thinks." This little comment has been largely ignored, and becomes chilling in light of Scientology's flirtation with the Governor of Alaska. Coale's wife has referred to Palin cheekily as her husband's "girlfriend" to whom he has "given advice" and "helped."

In interviews with both Politico and with Washington DC columnist Chris “The Fix’ Cillizza, Coale stated that he and Palin speak by phone regularly and email back and forth roughly once a week. In addition, Coale has supplied the information that he has met with Sarah in person “roughly ten times, and that half of those encounters lasted for at least an hour.” Meg Stapleton has chimed in saying that he’s only emailed her “less than a half a dozen times” but Coale disagrees with Palin advisor Meg, saying “a lot of the emails were without [Stapleton] around.”

Who knows how much of the real truth we are getting? What we are being told is enough - Coale has owned up to advising Sarah Palin since after her Vice Presidential loss on matters “surrounding her family that lingered after the campaign." This was probably advice on how to clean up the financial mess Palin created using Alaska state funds like a personal travel account, flying herself and her family around and feeding them at taxpayers expense when they accompanied her. Once she more or less addressed these issues, Coale mentored his political protege step by step - first suggesting that she start a leadership political action committee. SarahPAC was soon announced by Coale's dutiful wife Greta on Fox News. The free advertising on Fox News was a nice bonus to the much needed advice. Next Coale suggested that Sarah needed a Legal Defense Fund - and today she got the Alaska Fund Trust.

So far SarahPAC has been distinguished by what it hasn't done. It apparently didn't phone voters in Iowa, it apparently didn't schedule Palin to speak at a big RNC fundraiser, and it hasn’t published a financial statement yet. But by this point Coale is known as "protector of the Palin brand" and Washington insiders murmur that Coale ponied up the seed money for SarahPAC. While there is of yet no paper trail to either prove or disprove Coale's financial donations, it is clear that Coale is very interested in Palin's political future, very rich, and known to be generous to female politicians. Further, Palin is in dire straits legally and under siege politically - stubbornly resisting the message that if she opens herself up to the appearance of official impropriety, Alaskan citizens have the legal recourse to call her to task for it, and will.

Has Palin accepted much needed funds like manna from heaven from this most amiable of her political advisors? Or has she declined such offers because she is so incorruptible, aside from taking unauthorized travel money, getting her house built by shady public funding, running up politically damaging shopping bills while campaigning, and many other questionable activities? Where there is smoke, is there fire? Where there is powerful cash, is there a needy politician ready to accept it? We all have our opinions, so I’ll leave it up to you to come to your own conclusions.

In a recent Baltimore Sun article John "The Pirate" Coale, denies giving money to either fund he has been instrumental in setting up. But he also hasn't been asked very many hard questions. Was money funneled to Palin through his wealthy friends and associates? Have Scientologists been instructed to donate? Coale, who is used to operating just outside of the political spotlight, has been getting an unusual amount of flak and attention for his role with Palin. "I'm getting it from both sides," Coale told me this week. "All the Democrats are [ticked] off at me because they think I'm running Sarah Inc. And Republicans are [ticked] off because ... they want to be the big cheese with Sarah Palin.”

Greta, Coale’s fellow cult member and wife, controls a valuable bully pulpit - her own show on Fox News. She can guarantee positive coverage of Palin and has appeared to be functioning as a virtual propaganda arm for the Governor of Alaska. However, Greta has stated somewhat disingenuously, or in other words, somewhat deceitfully, falsely or somewhat like a liar, that she doesn’t “even have [Palin’s] phone number or her e-mail address” because “the producers are the ones who book her” for interviews. So Greta, the public would like to know, Do you deny having access to the phone number of your husband's "girlfriend"? Most of the public simply doesn't believe you because we assume you are on speaking terms with your husband, who phones and emails Palin on a regular basis. Or is it that with a lawyer's smooth tongue, you know how to state a mistruth without speaking the lie - you can say your producers keep Palin's contact information and you don't have it without technically lying, right?

If the wife isn't being up front about her relationship with Palin, can we expect that the husband is being completely up front? And now Greta's professional ethics are called into question. As a former practicing lawyer, Mrs. Coale has attempted to step around the delicate issue of "inside access" to her interview subject, which leads to accusations of professional misconduct as a journalist.

“But when Van Susteren failed to disclose her husband's relationship to Palin, whether he was paid or not, and claimed only a professional relationship with the Palins, she was engaging in out-and-out duplicity and covering up a blatant professional conflict of interest” according to Geoffry Dunn's exploration of Greta’s fawning tabloid reporting here.

This is not the first time that Greta has been accused of professional misconduct, and gotten away with it. According to the St. Petersburg Times, both John P. Coale and wife Greta were officially chastised for their heavy handed “ambulance chasing” techniques in West Virginia while pursuing "Big Tobacco". While soliciting clients illegally doesn't sound like the most important crime in the world, the law industry looks on this activity as so heinous, that in most states a lawyer will lose their license to practice if they are caught and convicted of doing it.

In 1996, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia ruled that Coale and his wife were both guilty of professional misconduct, but the Court found itself “Reluctantly dismissing ethics charges against out-of-state lawyers for improper solicitation of clients in West Virginia, the Court held that while the evidence clearly supported the Disciplinary Board's finding that the respondents' conduct violated the Rules 7.1(c), 7.3(a), 7.3(b)(1), and 8.4(a) of the Rules of Professional Conduct, the Court did not have jurisdiction to discipline them because the misconduct occurred at a time when only persons "regularly engaged in the practice of law" in West Virginia were subject to professional discipline…” That same year, Coale’s law firm, with Greta sitting as counsel, were criticized for chasing after victim’s families in the Value Jet crash in an unethical manner. Ditto for the Bophal India disaster, when Coale earned the nickname Bophal Coale to his list of dismal credits because he was considered to once again be practicing the law unethically and underhandedly trolling for victims while they are still experiencing shock, pain and suffering, when it is considered unethical and usually illegal for lawyers to discuss business.

Palin certainly has a demonstrated taste for rather distasteful lawyers, as her affiliations with Mr. and Mrs. Coale and her recent championing of the rejected W.A.R. for Alaska Attorney General amply demonstrate.

Greta's Ethical Wasteland - Brought To You By Scientology

Greta has been “disingenuous” or "artful, crooked, cunning, designing, feigned, foxy, indirect, mendacious, oblique, shifty, sly, tricky, uncandid, underhanded or wily" on at least a couple of other occasions - that is when Mrs. Coale carefully stated for print media that she is a Scientologist because “she likes the ethics” and “I am a strong advocate of their ethics”. “Ethics in Scientology is not the same as in the real world. It means to "remove counter-intentions from the environment", i.e. to get the job done and apply Scientology.”

Mrs. Coale's "religion" Scientology has twisted and warped the meaning of the word "ethics" for her, and for any of its members in good standing. For example, if Greta works to produce a result that Scientology likes - like advocating that CNN kill a planned negative Scientology story - this is considered good for the church, or “Up Ethics.” If member of the cult has a lot of “Up Ethics” that means they are helping the church, and this is translated as also having "high statistics".

As Cult of Scientology fearless leader L. Ron Hubbard wrote (Hubbard Communications Office, HCOPL 1 Sep 1965, "Ethics Protection) "When people do start reporting [negatively on] a staff member with a high statistic, what you investigate is the person who turned in the report. In an ancient army a particularly brave deed was recognized by an award of the title of Kha-Khan. It was not a rank. The person remained what he was, BUT he was entitled to be forgiven the death penalty ten times in case in the future he did anything wrong. That was a Kha-Khan. That's what producing, high-statistic staff members are - Kha-Khans. They can get away with murder without a blink from Ethics.... And Ethics must recognize a Kha-Khan when it sees one - and tear up the bad report chits on the person with a yawn."

So, as far as the "ethics" of Scientology go, as long as Greta helps Scientology to advance, she can basically get away with murder. What a perfect spiritual haven for the twin souls of a high powered Washington lobbyist lawyer and his sold out Fox news reporter wife!

If Greta is less than transparent about her definition of "ethics", she is downright opaque when it comes to money she donates to the cult. “Van Susteren not only refuses to discuss her affiliation with the church but her contributions to it appear to be concealed. For example, it said, a contribution of more than $100,000 to a Scientology building project is credited in a brochure to “Greta Conway." Conway is Van Susteren's middle name.” Greta donated at least $40,000 to the "war chest" of the International Association of Scientologists, listed in IMPACT Magazine issue #25; but no longer mentioned on later editions. The stated goals of the International Association of Scientologists is “To achieve the Aims of Scientology as originated by L. Ron Hubbard. And to "dismantle any group or organization" which prevents Scientology from advancing, using monies donated to this very "War Chest" that Greta contributed to at least once - to stifle opponents.

But let’s be charitable. Greta exhibits great dedication to The Number One Mind Control Church in the world. Perhaps she is just being modest about her support in a saintly sort of way. Perhaps her lawyering cult-leavened mind decided to hide her contributions because Scientology “raises red flags” in Washington Circles and “Scientology is considered, by and large by anyone [In Washington DC], to be a wacky cult." Perhaps. With Greta you never know. Maybe she sincerely believes in her church's activities - such as giving school children cult indoctrination material written by a rapacious, greedy bastard of a washed up Sci-Fi writer under the guise of providing legitimate school materials. Maybe this is just the sort of spiritual practice Greta has a calling to spread and defend in these very troubled times.

PART 4: Slave Camp Denial By Top Scientologists - Sort Of Like How The Nazis Did It?

Both John P. Coale and his life partner Greta have attained the uppermost ranks possible for Scientologists – this takes some doing, and they can not by any means be called casual members of the cult. Their connections to prominent church members are many. As noted above, Coale handled the divorce of prominent Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley. Tom Cruise once considered making a movie out of Coale’s exploits in the Bophal disaster. But here’s the real doozy: Loretta Miscavige, the mother of Scientology’s fearless leader David Miscavige, was the accountant for John P. Coale’s law firm right up to her death in 2005 of lung cancer. "She was in her late 60's or early 70's and she was working in Clearwater for Greta Van Susteren and Greta's husband John Cole (sic) at the time of her death."

So the mother of the undisputed leader of the biggest mind control cult in the world saw for decades on a daily basis exactly how much money funneled through John P. Coale’s office, and presumably channeled it wherever it was supposed to go. There is no more intimate business relationship than this. Except that most accountants hired in most legal firms did not give birth to the top person in the law firm partners' "church". It's as if John P. Coale and his wife are as close as family with David Miscavige. Given the hierarchical nature of the cult, it also means that John and Greta work under Miscavige, are directly allied with Miscavige, are operating right under his nose, their business revenues are under his thumb and they are most likely wrapped around his little finger as well. Greta and John's aims and goals for Scientology must be aligned exactly with David Miscavige's aims and goals for Scientology. David Miscavige is that charming fellow who infamously declared at a videotaped 2007 New Year's Eve event that one of Scientology's goals for the new millennium is nothing less than the global obliteration of psychiatry.

For a member in good standing, Scientology goals and practices supersede anything and everything else including home, family and moral qualms. This is a deeper level of Scientology “ethics.” If anyone, even a family member speaks against Scientology, even privately, they are declared a “suppressive person” by the church and the Scientologist will be considered “Out Ethics” until they can prove to the cult’s satisfaction they aren’t influenced against the cult. A suppressive person must be cut completely out of the cult member’s life. It doesn’t matter if they are a parent, a sibling, a spouse or even one’s own child. Scientology is ruthless in this regard – a suppressive person or "SP" must be cut out completely from the life of a member in good standing. He re is an example of someone being declared an SP as recently as September 2008.

If a run of the mill Scientologist is “Out Ethics” they may have had contact with a suppressive person, may have produced less in terms of money for the cult than they had previously, or they just may have pissed off someone. The “Out Ethics” Scientologist is graded on a scale of cult crimes, and must submit to a battery of e-meter sessions and usually a verbal battering that resembles a criminal interrogation.This may go on for days or even weeks. The Scientologist may be watched and confined even closer than usual during this time.

If "Out Ethics" Scientology cult members don't stop seeing an SP who happens to be their spouse or child, or "Out Ethics" members can't pull off killing a major national news story like Greta, or funnel big money into the cult, or just can't convince their accusers they are not "Out Ethics", they are sent into a lower caste in the Scientology world called the Rehabilitation Projects Force, or RPF, where they are treated like non-persons, forced into intense physical labor, underfed, under-housed and mentally and emotionally abused. It is the same scenario as experienced by dissenters during the Chinese Cultural Revolution or the Gulags of Soviet Russia. Eyewitness accounts of RPF workers include seeing mad, underfed people confined in dungeon like conditions, and people who are totally broken in spirit who appear as "filthy tired skeletons". Former Scientologists say that those in RPF are not allowed to speak unless spoken to.

In interviews and public records, former staffers have said they were alienated from society, stripped of familiar beliefs, punished for aberrant behavior, rewarded for conformity and worked beyond exhaustion to meet ever-escalating productivity quotas. Slave labor is how Canadian authorities in 1984 described the Scientology work force. Understand that when Scientology comes to a new town, it usually has glowing plans to buy up and restore fading heritage buildings to a top notch level of grandeur. Guess who does most if not all of this labor? RPF mind controlled slave labor gangs.

If you have any doubts as to the nature of the RPF, please read further here, here, here and here. Established RPF groups exist in Los Angeles, Gilman Hot Springs and Hemet, California and in Clearwater Florida, where multiple instances of ab use are reported. Scientology members have also been held against their will in Phoenix Az, Long Beach, Pomona and Glendale Ca, England, Australia and at sea.

“Operating in several American locations, these programs (called the Rehabilitation Project Force or simply, the RPF) involve classic brainwashing techniques. These techniques include (often forcible) confinement and physical coercion in the context of an intensive re-education program involving social and psychological degradations, forced confessions, and hard physical labor (Kent 2000; 2001a; 2001b; R. Young 1995, 107). Partly because of Germany's experience with forced labor camps during the Second World War, German officials were particularly concerned to learn about Scientology's operation of its own version of such camps in Europe and America. (Indeed, forced labor is specifically banned in post-war

Germany

by Article 12 of its constitution.) Moreover, parliamentary officials remained puzzled at the fact that American government officials were completely unaware of them, especially since the RPF has attracted so much American press (AFP 1998; Behar 1986, 318; Koff 1989; Shelor 1984; Welkos and Sappell 1990)." This article can be read in full here.

But who would conduct forced interrogations on their fellow church members, with the aim of whipping them back into proper cult think or booting them into a slavery camp for their betterment? Hmm. Would a good lawyer would be able to do this tricky job? Turns out that John P. Coale’s most recently completed Scientology course is the PTS/SP Course completed in 2005. Scientology uses this course to “teach participants to detect and handle suppressive persons - antisocial personalities who violently oppose any betterment activity or group.” After all of his legal degrees, and all of his high profile wins, John P. Coale must have felt pretty good about obtaining this church sponsored license to interrogate and send people to prison camps without having to deal with a judge at all.

UPDATED: Sarah's End Times: Alaskans Can See The End Of Palin's Political Career From Their Homes

2009-03-24T14:09:00.118-08:00

Let it ring throughout the land loud and clear – It is the position of Nailinpalinnow that the current Governor of the good people and great state of Alaska will never really recover politically from the last nine days following the Ides of March this year, 2009. Last week will be remembered as the first real tipping point, a turning point, and as the moment a certain critical mass was reached - Palin’s lack of fitness for public office was in the very air, humming online, and just about everywhere there was any news at all.

Was it a natural slide off of her slipping approval ratings in Alaska, and some really bad feelings from big business? – that's always hard on a Republican, but recoverable. Was it Palin's appeal to the populace to help pay for her court battles? – a real turn-off at a time of economic hardship – or was it that she asked for this legal bail-out even as she denied funds to Alaskans for food and education – OUCH – or perhaps it was the foolhardy spending on paratrooper-style animal eradication tactics and her hopes of eliminating 60% of all black bears in Alaska? Gassing wolf puppies? – or was it her flip-flopping on every issue that was brought up all week long? - Perhaps it was the revelation that she was already polling in Iowa and New Hampshire for her cherished Presidential aspirations? – or was it the confirmation that she won’t give a media interview unless it’s guaranteed to be favorable? Maybe, but some people were just plain turned off when it became public that she's cosy with Scientologists - Lord Xenu meets the Apostolic End Times is just too wacko for the average Alaskan earthling, thanks. Even Palin's most devoted base doesn’t quite know what to do with the cult connection - a cult popularized by liberal Hollywood celebrities that forces abortions on some high ranking female members (don't bother bringing up forced labor, mind control or Ponzi schemes, which might just be okay with avid Palin supporters).

And yes there’s even more, another answerable ethics complaint, and a new scandal around her use of money to attend religous events. And there always will be more, much more with Sarah, formerly a beauty queen runner-up, formerly a mayor of a small town who declared “I can do whatever I want, until the courts tell me I can’t”, and formerly a politician with a future.

Enough people and canines in Palin’s state, in the lower 48 and abroad now realize that Bad Sarah Palin really is unfit for public office, is not a stable political entity, and most probably won’t pull off retaining her Governorship in a second election, much less remain politically viable over time as a candidate for high office. It's becoming increasingly clear that Palin is going to be doing well if she can just remain in elected office for the last 586 days or so she has left as Governor. Let's put it this way - if there was a Dow Jones stock in Alaskan pitchforks, I'd be buying it. As one wag put it last weekend, “When rednecks in Alaskan bars are fed up and grumbling about Palin, you know she’s in trouble.”

And has there ever in history been a dying Queen graced by a Court of such crashingly bad advisors? Empress Alexandra and Rasputin come to mind, so Sarah definitely gets runner-up position in that contest as well. There is no need for anyone who has seen the danger of a future W. Bush (or worse) in Palin to become complacent. But these days spring is in the Alaskan air, an effective protest can come together in a matter of hours, and there is a lot of comfort in the old truism, “give her enough rope and she'll hang herself.”

Here’s a roundup of the last nine days of events with links:

The Ides of March - usually the 15th

Monday - 16th

Portfolio's Damming Article On Palin's Business Sense - Pipe Dreams
Tuesday - 17th

Furor Over Palin's Wildlife Jihad Grows And Is Declared Partly Illegal, RoboCall Polling on Palin For President 2012 In New Hampshire and Iowa Raises Eyebrows and Ire In Alaska.
Wednesday - 18th

Federal Government Clashes With Palin Over Wolf Kill, Palin Backtracks On Her Former Pipeline Position
Thursday - 19th

Palin Publicly Denys Special Needs Children Funds In Stimulus, as well as Weatherization, Energy Efficiency And Air Quality Grants, Emergency Food Assistance (cause nice people in the lower 48 will send food so why bother?), Nutrition Programs, School Lunch Programs, Childcare Development Grants, Immunization, Homeless Help, Senior Meals, Expanded Unemployment Benefits and Education Grants for Economically Disadvantaged. Palin finds time to be upset at Obama's late night TV gaffe, Defenders of Wildlife Go To Court to Stop Aerial Wolf Hunt
Friday 20th

Wolf Hunt Called Off Early, Palin Admits That She Can't Pay Her Legal Costs And Appeals To The Public To Help Her fight 10 ethics complaints filed against her during her tenure One Of Which She Filed Against Herself. Bad Sarah gaffes accusing others of playing "political blood sport" as wolves lie dead on Alaskan tundra by her order. Conde Nast's McGinnis reports: Palin Only Grants Interviews Guarenteed To Be Favorable, Scolding Sarah wraps up a dismal week by Blaming The Media AGAIN for her loss as a VP candidate and Taking Another Swipe At The McCain '08 Campaign Staff at local Republican Dinner.
Saturday - 21st

300 Citizens Rally against Palin in Juneau, Anchorage Rally includes Alaskan Legislators and speeches from the public, Palin's Favored Interviewer Greta, and her Favored Advisor John, who started SaraPAC, receive publicity as Palin's Favored Scientologists
Sunday - 22nd

Mr. Redoubt gives signs of exploding after 20 years of silence. Online newspapers go wild with people who have never commented before, dissatisfaction, outrage and even some name calling. Bowing To Pressure From Public and Lawmakers Palin Backtracks on Stimulus Money, As reported on Mudflats, the frightened “Team Sarah” website hunkers down, and instigates a vigorous screening process that requires a phone number to join, in order to keep "spies" out.

Monday - 23rd

Another Ethics Problem regarding Palin's Use of Public Funds to Attend Religious Events surfaces.
Tuesday- 24th

The Arctic Cat Ethics Case Is Filed Against Palin who Accepts Sponsorship Money to Advertise A Favored Corporation In Her Role As Governor, Palin Posts An Embarrassing "Unfiltered" Response on the State Of Alaska Website, while Mt. Redoubt Lava Breaches Containment Near A Set of Chevron Oil Tanks.

UPDATE: The incredible chain of events just keeps piling on. Palin is, at this point an unloosed cannon firing at anything and everything in her line of sight. My sense that her days are numbered is only strengthened by the ongoing events, and her incredible responses.

Wednesday - 25th

Palin's Insult to the McCain camp angers former McCain staffers, is called "bizarre" on CNN in video that went viral and then got taken down, and gets legs in the media, with a sense on the national level now that Palin is not taking good advice and gets none at home.

Thursday - 26th

Was it a strange display of chaotic mismanagement, or simply another snit fit by Bad Sarah who wasn't getting her way on the Stimulus with the Alaska Legislature? Palin apparently lies in a press release, stating that Legislators cancelled a scheduled meeting on the stimulus money. Palin's stays away from Stimulus meetings to hold a press conference for her new Attorney General Wayne Anthony Ross - a staunch advocate of reducing subsistence rights for Alaska Natives in favor of white weekend game hunters - in a move considered the final straw for Native Alaskans. Palin supporters on the Team Sarah website call for the head of the citizen and blogger who filed the Arctic Cat ethics complaint. Fox News threaten to ambush the blogger with a camera crew and the stalking, internet crashing, email bashing and insults (really really ugly) become overwhelming as open season is declared on the person of Celitc Diva.

Friday - 27th

"Another day, another Palin Lawsuit" as Palingates put it - "Palin Refused To Honor Junteenth Proclomation" is now an issue for the courts of Alaska - this is not an ethics violation, but a court case that has been reviewed and found not to be frivolous. Bloomberg reports that the Gov. faces a record $1.3 billion deficit in next year’s budget, while the state just lost 1.5 billion from their "rainy day fund" through stock market speculation. Palin refuses to comment. Famed liberal political blogger "AKMuckraker" is outed against her wishes raising 1st Amendment issues in Alaska. The Legislature is outspoken in their criticism of Palin. On Friday, Trustees for Alaska, a public interest law firm, formally petitions the governor to remember her duties and powers to declare a disaster by the six million gallons of oil in the Drift River storage facility at the bottom of erupting Mt. Redoubt. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, by a vote of 32-3, the Alaska's House of Representatives approved a resolution accepting any of the $930 million that Palin does not request.

Saturday - 28th

7 protesters show up to picket Palin's Wildlife Jihad at the Governor's own Annual Prayer Breakfast, which doesn't sound like many, but isn't bad when you consider that Palin didn't bother to show up at all.

Sunday - 29th

Refusing to rest on the Lord's Day, Palin appoints Tim Grussendorf to a state Senate seat that requires a Democrat under state law. Tim was a registered Republican until just weeks before the appointment, and claims he was registered as a Republican "by mistake." Democrats in the Senate want to block the appointment, while Alaskan lawmakers are critical of Palin, her confused aides, and her actions on many, many fronts, and John McCain gives Palin's political career the proverbial kiss of death on Meet the Press.

Best Political Slogans Of The Stimulus Protest:

-Hey Sarah! I Can See The End Of Your Political Career From My House!

-It’s Getting Crowded Under The Bus- (with all kinds of public interest programs listed under a bus)

-Screw You Alaska, It’s All About Me! (with a pic of lovely Sarah)

-We Need A Governor, Not A Presidential Candidate

-Ignorance Is Only Bliss In Sarahland - Fund Our Schools!

-Who Will Teach Special Education To Trigg?

-Mama Grizzly, You Forgot Your Cub
-I Deserve Better - (on a cape worn by a child)

-Education Doesn't Work For The Palins - Why Would It Work For Us?

-Board Of Shame

-Palin Wolf Killer

-Don't Let The Board Of Game Run Wild - Say No To The Killers

-Abundance Management Is A Lie

-Palin Heart Palin

-Reject Palin's Narcissism Instead

-Spin Does Not Equal Truth

-Impeach Palin

AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE, for sheer poignancy:

God Save Us From Our Governor!

Take Direct Action NOW To Fight Palin's Jihad On Wildlife

2009-03-18T16:45:00.029-08:00

"...a jihad against black bears by paramilitary groups" is what Alaskan Board of Game member Ben Grussendorf called some of the recent proposals to kill, cull, gas, trap and exterminate large percentages of Alaskan wildlife in their native habitat - and he wasn't even particularly against it! The news is all over the place, no further pixels need to be splashed around here describing Palin's Jihad On Wildlife. What is needed is action. Big actions, little actions, any action at all, if taken by each and every one of us, will get results! Here is info gathered from commentors and websites everywhere on what you can do to become more informed, educate others, and take some direct action right from your own home against Palin's Jihad.

1. RESPOND to those who say that "liberals and lower 48ers don't understand that wolves are opportunistic killers that must be stopped" -The following video blasts Palin's justifications for Alaska's current aerial wolf hunting program.

http://current.com/items/88811075/end_aerial_wolf_hunting.htm

Using testimony from Alaska Department of Fish & Game staff, a master hunting guide, and Board of Game members, the video exposes the fallacy behind Governor Sarah Palin's claim that predator control is based on sound science and is for the benefit of subsistence hunters. Sport and trophy hunters take up to 73% of prey in areas where aerial wolf hunting has taken place. Five years in the making, this video exposes the truth about the stranglehold the hunting lobby has on wildlife management in Alaska.

A shorter version of the video can be seen here: http://current.com/items/88820228/end_aerial_wolf_hunting_short_version.htm

Trophy hunt prices in Alaska, provided by Palingates website:

Day hunt for a single species:
Moose $10,500, Grizzly Bear $8,500, Brown Bear $12,500
Combination hunts (add the species above to the species price below)
Black bear $2,500, Wolf $750
Trophy Fee on Grizzly Bear $9,750, Moose $9,450, Caribou $6,800.

These prices are in addition to the $19,500 all inclusive fees (licenses, air charter, G.S.T. and meat flight) for the hunt.

2. MAKE A PHONE CALL - it's easy, you do it every day, all the time. Dial the US Fish & Wildlife Service & comment on the de-listing of the Grey Wolf from the Endangered Species Act, decry the "collateral damage" to brown bears that will occur because Alaska has decided to kill 60% of the population of black bears. Mention the fisheries crises and overfishing which hurts rural village food supplies, mention that Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet need protection from Palin's toxic dumping and drilling policies. CALL the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service M-F 8am - 8pm at 1-800-344-9453, select option “3” (for endangered species) and hit “0” to speak with the operator. Make your voice heard. Now is the time, not later. Pass this number on. Ask at least one good friend or love of your life who otherwise wouldn't think of it to call as a favor to you.

3. EMAIL SARAH PALIN! She wants to hear your opinions, so tell her what you think. Don't insult her, just try to get Palin's Jihad called off.

http://gov.state.ak.us/govmail.php

4. READ ON - be armed with facts, so that reasonable discourse may take place with friends, relatives and co-workers who feel differently about the issue or don't care.

http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm

http://www.akwildlife.org/content/view/75/70/

http://alaskareport.com/news98/x61644_wolf_palin.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/palins-faith-based-scienc_b_131957.html

5. WRITE IN!

Start here and write to your lawmaker or representative your thoughts and comments on Palin's Jihad. Defenders of Wildlife has it all set up:

https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1329&s_einterest=C3C4

While you are there, explore the site and write in on other wildlife issues.

4. WATCH AND SEND THIS video to anybody who still doesn't know about this issue:

Palin's Toxic Billions and Belugas

5. CONTRIBUTE

Who will defend Alaska’s beleaguered wildlife? That’s the mission of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance. But we can’t fulfill our mission without your help - we are in this together!

Alaska’s wildlife is depending on your
contribution of $35, $50, $100 or more.

http://www.akwildlife.org/

6. BECOME AN ACTIVIST, START A PROTEST, OR MEET WITH AN OFFICIAL, WRITE AN EDITORIAL...

Click here to get started___________________________

7. ADOPT A POLAR BEAR Right Here

Yes, the polar bears still really need all of us to care enough to protect them from trophy hunting, drilling and loss of their habitat.

Stop Congress from handing the sanctuary of America's vanishing polar bears over to Big Oil and fight for permanent protection for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by passing the Udall-Eisenhower Wilderness Act.
Pass the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act to help polar bears survive the impacts of climate change.
Fight Safari Club International in court to prevent wealthy hunters from killing Canadian polar bears and bringing their heads, paws and furs back to the U.S. as trophies.

8. COMMENT! Please leave further info here on letter writing campaigns, protests, websites, anything that you hear about that takes direct action of some kind against Palin's Jihad.

Arctic Wildlife Dying In Area The Size Of Arizona

2009-03-06T02:47:00.009-09:00

Straight from Mother Jones -

Polar bears, walruses, seals, whales and ocean-going birds like eider ducks and loons call the Arctic Ocean home. Their survival in an environment seemingly so inhospitable is a wonder of nature. But as climate change continues unabated, these creatures – already facing a harsh environment – become some of the most vulnerable on earth.

Incredibly, their plight may get worse, as the Minerals Management Service (MMS) considers offering 73 million acres of Arctic waters to oil and gas leasing. That's an area the size of Arizona.

It's critically important that you speak out in defense of these creatures.

The receding ice cap has made it harder for the animals – marine and land-based – to get around and find food, including the polar bears that hunt and mate here each year, and the Pacific walruses that live here year round. In fact, 90 percent of the entire Pacific walrus population can be found in these waters.

But not just wildlife is at stake. Wholesale leasing in this area would endanger the centuries-old way of life of Native communities, whose very culture centers on wildlife and ecosystem integrity.

Please click here to tell the MMS to halt new leases in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

There is simply no safe way to drill in these waters. Studies have shown that even seismic testing of potential drilling sites is known to have an impact on marine animals' habits and lifecycles. And research conducted by the MMS indicates that with extensive drilling, small crude oil and other petroleum spills are inevitable. MMS predicts a 40% chance of a large spill. Making matters worse, the technology to clean up a spill in icy Arctic waters doesn't even exist.

We need science to guide decisions with such long-lasting effects, not pressure from the oil and gas industry. Until there is scientific evidence that drilling won't harm wildlife, all new oil leases should be taken off the table.

Write the MMS today to ask that they halt all new leases until the science on drilling is in.

The Big Red Fairy Tale - "Palin Will Be Our New Reagan"

2009-02-19T14:19:00.025-09:00

Fairy tales can be fascinating, even for grown-ups. Even though we know what's coming, we allow ourselves to lose touch with reality, escaping into a yarn where there is always a hero, a lovely damsel in distress, an epic journey, daunting tasks, and somewhere along the way, the embodiment of Pure Evil will be slayed in a mighty battle. The hero and damsel are united in a kiss and head off into the sunset.

And here we have in a nutshell the communal tale buzzing through the noggins of some of the most wistful members of the Republican party. In this version, the lovely damsel Bad Sarah is lifted up by the hero Reagan. His kiss anoints her, giving her the power to battle against the Pure Evil of government programs, reproductive rights and high school science classes. A collective sigh of romance and relief rises to the heavens from the GOP as these two clasp hands and walk into the glorious sunset of history - together forever.

Like all good fairy tales, this one is pure fiction. This tale doesn't have enough basis in fact to even be called a legend.

Let's begin with the hero's story. In "Reagan's Liberal Legacy: What the New Literature On the Gipper Won't Tell You" Joshua Green, editor of Washington Monthly, takes on the Reagan myth machine - a cynical enterprise powered up by Republican think tanks just before Reagan's death. It's goals? 1) To manufacture a gauzy "legacy" of Reagan that is politically expedient. 2) To hard sell this "Reagan Brand" of conservatism to disillusioned Republicans and to the next generation of voters, who weren't there and don't know any better.

"A sober review of Reagan's presidency doesn't yield the seamlessly conservative record being peddled today. Federal government expanded on his watch. The conservative desire to outlaw abortion was never seriously pursued. Reagan broke with the hardliners in his administration and compromised with the Soviets on arms control. His assault on entitlements never materialized; instead he saved Social Security in 1983. And he repeatedly ignored the fundamental conservative dogma that taxes should never be raised."

Are conservatives honest about Reagan's real record, even to themselves? Not so much.

"If you believe, as conservatives now do, that raising taxes is always wrong, then it's hard to admit that Reagan himself did so repeatedly. If you argue that the relative tax burden on low-income workers is too light, as the Bush administration does, then it does not pay to dwell on the fact that Reagan himself helped lighten that burden. If you insist, as many hardliners now do, that America is dangerously soft on communist China, then it is best to ignore Reagan's own softening toward the Soviet Union. As with other conservative media efforts--Rush Limbaugh, Fox News Channel, The Washington Times-- the purpose of the Reagan legacy project is not to deliver accuracy, but enhance political leverage."

So how does BS Palin actually fit in here? How exactly can she be "our new Reagan," so fondly, so zealously embraced by the most vocal faction of the Big Red Elephant...?

Reagan - Known as The Great Communicator.
Palin - Not so much.

Reagan - A Two-Term Governor before he ever considered running for President. Years of experience still counted in the '80s.
Palin - Not so much.

Reagan - Was defeated in two attempts at the Republican nomination for President almost 10 years apart, but managed to remain viable as a candidate over a long period of time - 1968 to 1980.
Palin - Not so much.

Reagan - Was a coalition builder, welding together supply-side economists, libertarians, foreign policy hawks, big business and religious conservatives.
Palin - Big business, economists, libertarians, prominent military and high profile Republicans actually fled the Republican party in mutual public horror after the initial shock of Palin's elevation to '08 Vice Presidential candidate really sank in. So again - Not so much.

Reagan - The Teflon President, so named because the media and Reagan had a well known mutual love affair. Reagan could get into sticky situations and emerge unscathed in the press.
Palin - No surprises here - Not so much.

Reagan - Epidemic of scandals erupted around him only after successfully gaining the Presidency.
Palin - All together now - Not So Much!

Reagan - Actively used astrology to time his speeches and appearances.
Palin - So far no record of this. Maybe BS should take a cue from Mr. Reagan here.

Reagan - Called his life partner "Mommy".
Palin - So far no record of this. But for the right donation to SarahPAC, she probably would.

Reagan - A charming and engaging smile - never short on enthusiasm.
Palin - Ah, we found something.

Reagan - "He demonstrated for all to see how far you can go in this life with a smile, a shoeshine, and the nerve to put your own spin on the facts." - David Nyhan, The Boston Globe. "A superficial, disengaged, intellectually-lazy showman who didn't do his homework and clung to a naive, unrealistic, and essentially dangerous worldview. Foreign leaders have said they were appalled by Reagan's lack of knowledge of the issues." Who said this? Some liberal pundit? Nope. This was fellow Republican President Gerald Ford's view of Reagan.
Palin - Yep. And Bingo.

Reagan - Reagan was, in the end, a peacenik. "But no one shared, or even understood until late in the game, Reagan's desire for total disarmament. Hardliners like Patrick Buchanan, Richard Perle, and Caspar Weinberger reacted in horror to the very idea of engaging the Soviets in such talks, warning against the "grand illusion" of peace. "My dream," he later wrote in his memoirs, "became a world free of nuclear weapons." This vision stemmed from the president's belief that the biblical account of Armageddon prophesied nuclear war--and that apocalypse could be averted if everyone, especially the Soviets, eliminated nuclear weapons."
Palin - What? Sarah Palin and savvy Reagan share certain literal interpretations of The Bible? Now we are really getting somewhere!... Except for the peace part, of course. And The Apocalypse part. You see, Bad Sarah's very own church congregation believes wholeheartedly that The Apocalypse is inevitable, not preventable, like Reagan did. Since she was a child Sarah has been taught that Israel will start the End Times rolling by initiating a war in the Mideast. Hence BS continually repeats that she "supports a strong Israel" in her interviews. This phrase is her clarion call to her Evangelical Right wing supporters - the Republican "base" as they are also referred to. Some of this base trains youngsters to partake in "spiritual warfare" on behalf of Jesus, who will "make war on everything that hinders love, with his eyes blazing fire." Some of this base is set on spiritual world domination, through the political process of electing Sarah Palin to high office. She is their biblical Queen Esther, who conveniently was also a beauty queen in her day.

Meanwhile, back at The Apocalypse according to Palin's church...Israel is slaughtering their enemies, who happen to all be "non-believers" (including the Pope). The church members are both killing and converting people, whichever seems best at the moment. At some point in the bloody mess, Christ is cued and finally returns to earth. Literally - in the sky, with angels and chosen believers rising up to be with him. Naturally, the Wasilla Bible Church Congregation are leading all the saved people skyward, who pretty much have to be Republicans (who voted for Palin). And the cymbals will clash, and the war machines will grind to a halt, and the last ruby sunset will be seen on earth as the believers wing their way bodily through the air into the believer's Paradise.

The Jews of Israel, who really should be given a "Get Out Of Hell Free" card for getting the ball rolling and doing a lot of the slaughtering-of-infidel work in this scenario will unfortunately all be killed and dammed to Christian Hell if they don't convert on the spot, along with all the other non-literal-end-time-bible-believers. Basically me and you.

Hear that sound? Is it the orchestra swelling as Palin and Reagan fly off into the End Times sunset together? Or is it just Ronald Reagan spinning like a turbine in his grave?

The End. And the moral of this story is,
"Palin = Reagan? Not So Much."

Maybe someday soon all Americans will finally tire of all the Big Red Fairy Tales, and will go back to looking for their American heroes where they've always been and always will be - in good old fashioned cowboy movies, like "Santa Fe Trail."

UPDATED: Texas Evangelicals Promote Obstruction of Justice And Tax Fraud as "Christian Values" To Shield Palin

2009-02-13T12:57:00.016-09:00

UPDATE: Scroll to the bottom of this post to add Voting Machine Fraud to the list of sins committed by The Evangelical Right.

The unholy and corrupt bed shared by The Evangelical Right and their political darling, Bad Sarah Palin has been uncovered, in all the internal housecleaning that is going on around Troopergate.

This is EXACTLY why people feel that BS Palin is not fit to hold public office. It's not so much her goopy folksy lack of coherence, her constant defensiveness, spiteful retorts, narcissism, or Blagojevich-esque sense of entitlement. It's not just her sensually false charm. It's not so much her hypocritical stances on her social class, the media and a host of social and women's issues. It's not even so much Bad Sarah's lying, scheming, fraud, fiscal irresponsibility, cronyism - did I mention fraud? Corruption? Greed?

After all, Palin is a politician, and we've unfortunately come to have some pretty low standards for this profession. So it's not, in the end, really any of these.

To paraphrase James Carvill - It's The Evangelical Right, Stupid.

Governor Sarah Palin is the sweetheart of The Evangelical Right. We are talking about extreme right wing religious political operatives that want to wheel and deal their way into your life with their church collected tax-free money.

Groups like this, very simply, involve themselves illegally in politics. They piously invoke the Founding Fathers even as they sinfully flout the Founding Father's purposeful separation of Church and State, which is upheld by United States civil law:

From the IRS website: "Charities, Churches and Politics"

Currently, the law prohibits political campaign activity by charities and churches by defining a 501(c)(3) organization as one "which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."

I'm not just talking about willfully maneuvering into the good graces of politicians like Sarah Palin to advance their agenda of warlike militarism, anti-science education, and reproductive rights roll-backs. I'm talking about other activities from which they are really really legally barred, such as obstruction of justice, electioneering, more electioneering, and voter intimidation.

Exhibit A: Liberty Legal Institute, James Dobson, Focus On the Family. This is the group that came to Bad Sarah's defense over her amateurish Trooper-gate disaster during the '08 election, and is working to bring BS to high office in 2012. This group used tax-free money to pay several lawyers to obstruct the investigation into Troopergate with 3 different lawsuits, with intent to derail, delay or obfuscate the proceedings - investigative proceedings initiated by the People and the State of Alaska, which all of America took a deep interest in.

I repeat, Focus On The Family in the United States collects a great deal of income from religious institutions and churches and in this case used that income to pay a team of lawyers a lot of money in hopes of a particular political gain for the '08 Republican Presidential campaign. The income that is used for such dirty deeds is taxed at - free. Zilch. Nada. ZERO. These powerful political players pay less towards the common good than the lowliest laid-off unemployed, unheard of worker on public benefits, who must pay taxes on those benefits. Focus On The Family led by James Dobson contributes not one red republican religious cent to the US Treasury for the common good.

Texas evangelicals helped effort to stop Palin 'troopergate' probe
By Sean Cockerham

Anchorage Daily News

JUNEAU — New state gift disclosures show it cost Liberty Legal Institute and the two law firms working with it $185,000 to represent six Alaska legislators in an unsuccessful lawsuit to halt their colleagues' "troopergate" investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin acted improperly in firing the state's public safety director.

The legislators listed a $25,000 gift of services from the Texas-based Liberty Legal Institute. Liberty is the legal arm of the Free Market Foundation, which is associated with evangelical leader James Dobson's Focus on the Family, and lists its guiding principles as limited government and promotion of Judeo-Christian values. The lawmakers also disclosed a $120,000 gift of services from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, a national firm that appeared at hearings on behalf of Liberty Legal.

Anchorage attorney Kevin Clarkson represented the six legislators in the case as well, and turned to Liberty Legal for its constitutional expertise. The lawmakers reported a $40,000 gift of services from Clarkson's firm. That brings the total bill for their lawsuit to $185,000.

The attorneys had hoped to recoup legal fees in a victory. But the suit was dismissed last fall. The six legislators who filed the suit are Wes Keller, Mike Kelly, Fred Dyson, Tom Wagoner, Carl Gatto and Bob Lynn. All are Republicans. Gatto said the legislators didn't have anything to do with the amount spent on the suit. "I said so, who is paying who to do this? And they said they were volunteering, the attorneys were volunteering. Then I discovered I had to report it as gifts. So I did," the Palmer Republican said.

Gatto said he has no regrets about his involvement. "If you feel like there is an injustice being done you have a right to file a lawsuit," he said.

Peter Maassen, the lawyer who defended the Legislative Council against that lawsuit and two others seeking to stop the "troopergate" investigation, was surprised his foes listed $185,000 as their costs in the court action. "Wow," he said. Maassen said the legislature paid him $29,845 for defending against the three lawsuits.

Let's see - chicanery, IRS tax fraud, manipulation, intimidation, obstruction of justice...Way to promote your version of "Christian Values" Mister James Dobson!

Most Americans these days have come to the conclusion, Mister Dobson, that as an honest Christian man who is deeply motivated by faith to be involved in the political process, you will want to voluntarily surrender your tax-free status, and surrender back to any church congregations any donations you have accepted from them for say, your politically active past 25 years? Okay, just to be nice, how about the past 10 years? Would you consider 5 years? The hundreds of thousands of dollars you collect in say, even 1 year?

Of course, Mister Dobson and Sarah Palin will be taking a sleigh ride together in a Christian Hell the day that will happen.

"False prophets will arise and mislead many." Matthew 24:11

To add voting machine fraud to the list of sins committed by The Evangelical Right in Florida in 2000, in Ohio in 2004, also in the stolen re-election of Governor Don Siegelman in Alabama in 2002, also in the stolen re-election of Senator Max Cleland in Georgia in 2002, follow the links between Dobson and Weyrich, and then look at this revealing interview with Mark Crispin Miller, Professor at NYU and author of Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy, 2000-2008. The Evangalical Right and their "Man In The Middle" voting machine fraud is discussed about half way down, but the entire interview is worth reading.

Long story short - Because of their belief that they will be saving some undeveloped fetuses conceived in the future from becoming terminated pregnancies, The Evangelical Right conspires to and indeed commits election fraud, tax fraud and acts subversive to the democratic process in America.

Thus these Prophets of Profit have opened themselves to the same charges of conspiracy, racketeering and tax evasion that are associated with criminal Mafia bosses, drug Kingpins and some of the Thieves of Wall Street. The time has come for them to be charged with these offenses, as the general public becomes more aware - and increasing outraged - over their activities.

Alaskans - Recall Governor Palin, For You, and For People In Places She Can't Find On A Map

2009-02-08T10:18:00.049-09:00

People from all over the US and all around the globe have found their way to nailinpalinnow.blogspot.com and the community of Palin and Alaska bloggers to educate themselves regarding the American "Queen of Scandals" Bad Sarah Palin. The world is interested and alarmed regarding yet another reckless American politician, a la Bush, who recently came so close to obtaining political power with a global reach.

Europeans from Spain, France, Italy, Norway, Germany, Greece, Britain, Scotland and Ireland, Poland and Turkey, Switzerland and Hungary, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands have all been finding what they were searching for - reports and commentary about Bad Sarah's avalanche of offenses. Moscow is checking in. These readers are going through the links meticulously, examining the news sources, op-ed, and commentary, emailing them to their friends and coming back to read again. The same with visitors from Asia - Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Malasia. the Phillipines, India and Indonesia. Visitors from far flung places such as Abu Dhabi Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Dubai UAE, Egypt and all over the southern hemisphere - South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Namibia and New Zealand - have read, reread and spread the word. North Americans from Canada to Mexico, Hawaii to Panama and Costa Rica to Puerto Rico are interested in arming themselves with the facts about Palin. And the dots from the continental United States read like a continuous red gash across the visitor map keeping score in the left column of this website.

Every population center in Alaska has stopped by, repeatedly. There's no doubt that Alaskans care deeply about what is going on in their state.

So the entire US is joined with the whole of the free world, and they are watching and waiting, and yes, hoping. I am going to speak for this connected global village of those who search for answers about Palin, and read silently. Those who sit back, and worry:

Alaskans, the US and the world expects you to begin the recall process of Governor Palin.

Recall Palin

There are ample reasons to do so, as we all know. We know, Alaskans, that you've been through a couple of decades of dirty politics. We understand that you are tired. But this initiative would be the right thing to do for your state, for the Republican party, for America, and for the rest of the world too. Send the strongest message you can, now. Send Governor Palin packing, and let the Republican party know that you are not going to put up with it's tired, ugly cronyism, fraud, lying and polluting all over Alaska for even one more year.

The process of exactly how to go about this recall process has been outlined in detail already, courtesy of The Daily Kos, and Palingates. If you are reading this, and you are Alaskan, please, please think about being one of the Alaskans that begins this process. I can guarantee you will have online support for gathering signatures for the required petitions.

To get started, just read the "How To Recall An Alaskan Governor In 5 Easy Steps".

The world is with you on this.

Let the Flood-gates Open

2009-02-03T13:40:00.090-09:00

In honor of Bad Sarah's new best pal Republican Puppetmaster Fred Malek, who aided in bringing governmental scandal to a whole new level with Nixon and Watergate, incidentally helping to usher into the English language the use of the term "-gate" to denote political scandal...(pause, then drumroll please...)

Here's a little collection I call "The BSPalin Flood-gates" ~

Trooper-gate
Prison/Rape-gate
BridgeToNowhere-gate
Secession-gate
Darfur-gate
ToxicDumpingAndBirthDefects-gate
Truancy-gate
ViciousTo Rivals-gate1
ViciousToRivals-gate2
Diva/Rogue-gate
PowerHungry-gate
Pension-gate
ObamaEnergyLie-gate
LiedAboutSellingJet-gate
LiedAboutFiringChef-gate
Stevens-gate
RussianTradeMissionLie-gate
Avalanche-gate
ConservativeHypocrite-gate
TeenMomsOutOnTheirBum-gate
Mat-SuDairy-gate
WasillaDrowningInDebt-gate
House-gate
Censorship-gate
Earmarks-gate
Witchdoctor-gate
SmokesPot-gate
FruitFly-gate
ViciousToFemales-gate1
MediaWar-gate1
Promotion-gate
Newspaper-gate
Turkey-gate
1000MissingEmails-gate
Can'tTellAHeadOfStateFromARadioDJWithFakeAccent-gate

And of course this week we have:

MassiveNewSpending-gate, and
Wolf-gate

Below are yet other -gates you can read about right here on nailinpalinnow:

Emmonak (Palin's Katrina - Palin Gives Cold Shoulder To Alaskans , also Mudflats)
RNCShoppingSpree-gate ($30,000 Diet Dr. Pepper)
Levi-gate (The Maiden, the Mother and the Cronyism)
$50,000UnauthorizedSpending-gate (Monday, Dec. 15)
Geography-gate ("Country of Africa" Story No Hoax)
MediaWar-gate2 (Just Call Me Bored, Pathetic, Anonymous)
Travel-gate (Palin's Aide Scorns Inquiry)
Rape-gate (Palin Blocked State Rape Prevention Program)
ViciousToFemales-gate2 (Palin Scorns Activist As "Falafel Lady")
DumpingBillionsOfGallonsOfToxicWasteIntoCookInlet-gate (December 3, 2008)

Now many of these are large, bona-fide embarrassing scandals involving fraud, greed, corruption, cronyism and wholesale polluting - the worst of the worst traits to be uncovered in a "public servant." Even two or three of the big ones should be enough to get most political folks disgraced and ousted by their party or their constituents.

And some of them are just scandalous lapses in sound judgment, good taste, common sense or political savvy. Why would any voter even consider for office a candidate who is followed around by "Scandal" like a cheap perfume?

One thing is for sure, this list is not inclusive, and I have almost certainly missed a "-gate" or two. Please feel free to add to this list by commenting. I'll try to keep this list rolling. Hopefully I will be able to post the "-gates" faster than BS Palin can create them...

There is some good in all of this, for one person at least. If Blagojevitch reads this list, it'll probably give him some hope. If Sarah can think about running for President with this foul baggage, maybe Black-Heart Blago has a chance to revive his political career after all. Would 2012 Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate be good enough for you, Blago?

Malek/Palin Alfalfa Date Caught On Video

2009-02-01T09:41:00.042-09:00

Today's ADN.com daily briefing has this caption of the above still photo - "Gov. Sarah Palin, accompanied by Meg Stapleton, left, enters the Capital Hilton to attend the Alfalfa Club event Jan. 31, 2009, in Washington, D.C." However, the video (the last item in the column of goodies on the left of this blog) shows the whole story - Palin entered accompanied by Malek, along with Ms. Stapleton and another gentleman.

Today, the ADN reports, "The governor's office wouldn't say who invited Palin, but by tradition, each member is allowed two guests."

Now, why in the world would the Governor's office be so darned coy about Palin's big opportunity to be taken up by important Washington DC insider and Republican operative Fred Malek?

Let's be clear - The video at left clearly shows Fred Malek accompanying BS. You first really see Malek at the bottom of the stairway and once again quite clearly just before the end of the video, when he is at the top of the stairs. Even in the video, it seems like Palin is doing her best to distance herself from Malek by running up the stairs first in a rather unladylike manner.

Malek is easily identifiable because of his trademark silver panther white hair and distinctive profile.

Why does it matter that Malek decided to bring Palin to Washington DC for the first time since her failed '08 campaign, making sure that she was there to be counted as one of the insider elites? For one thing, showing up with Malek helps "legitimize" Palin, who is otherwise somewhat of a pariah, or at best a curiosity, in DC circles.

The ADN (Alaska Daily News) confirms this:

"Palin's invitation to the Alfalfa Club was "a coup," said Letitia Baldrige, who served as the White House social secretary and chief of staff to Jacqueline Kennedy. "It's something that everybody who's anybody in politics wants to be invited to," Baldrige said.

If a roasting by the most powerful people in America is a sign you've made it, then Palin had clearly arrived. Or, at the very least, was acknowledged Saturday night as one of the most interesting women in American politics.

Saturday night, dozens of powerful women streamed in, some members, some guests: Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell on the arm of her husband, Alan Greenspan. And Palin."

And why is it that out of all these women, only Bad Sarah deliberately kept the identity of her escort under wraps?

In the past, Malek has been considered a rather unsavory operator. Today, perhaps he is a reformed unsavory operator. Perhaps not. Either way, it looks like he might have decided to perform a miracle for Palin - which is to resurrect her political career from the steaming ashes of her disastrous VP run.

It's all rather like "Frankenstein" meets "My Fair Lady".

(read "Anything For A Drink..." below for more background and links on this.)

UPDATE: Apparently Bad Sarah outdid herself this weekend - she also lied to the House Republicans - you know, just congressmen, not the elite operators of the party. Anyway, they asked her to their winter retreat, and she told them that pressing state business made it impossible to for her leave Alaska this weekend. Then of course she turned around and flew to DC for the best party of her political career. But why lie to House Republicans? Republicans who actually liked her apparently. The machinations of BS's mind are really too obscure for analysis.

Anything For A Drink? Palin Has A Date With Nixon CREEP Malek

2009-01-30T20:32:00.027-09:00

There is a question about Bad Sarah this weekend that is much more important than - who designed what she'll be wearing and who paid for it?

It is - Who will she be apologizing to, and how much will it cost her?

An exclusive $200 a plate dinner will be held in Washington DC this weekend, and working-gal soccer-Mom Palin is flying in for it. Here are some facts about the Alfalfa Club Dinner she will be attending:

1. Founded in 1913, by 4 southerners one of whom was a Confederate veteran, the Alfalfa Club is extremely exclusive.
2. Club membership is made up of American politicians and business elites. It is traditional for the sitting President of the US to attend and say a few words.
3. 200 members belong - each may bring 2 guests to dine on the traditional menu of lobster and filet mignon at the event held each January.
4. Most members are white men. Women were allowed to be members for the first time in the '90s. Previous to that, women were honored with membership only after they were dead. No doubt this was a source of great amusement to the gentlemen.
5. Black men were not allowed in, dead or alive, until 1979.
6. The club's name is in honor of a plant known to do anything for a drink.
7. The Alfalfa Club was founded solely for the purpose of honoring the memory and the birthday of secessionist general Robert E. Lee. Lee's Confederate forces fought President Lincoln and US forces in the American Civil War. Thus, the club honors a man who killed to defend slavery.
8. Each year a mock "President" is nominated to speak the the Alfalfa Club dinner. Many times, this nominee has gone on to run for and usually win the US Presidency including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and John McCain.

Hmmm, a secessionist party? Now we know that the First Gentleman of Alaska, Todd, had strong secessionist tendencies in the past. Of course, no one would have cared much about Palin's "past associations" with secessionist sympathizers if BS hadn't used her considerable charms to vocally, repeatedly and purposely whip up anti-Obama hate by inferring that the future President was a socialist, charging him with casual terrorist friendships and attacking his patriotism to the point that she provoked a dramatic spike in death threats against him according to the US Secret Service.

Bad Sarah's campaign rhetoric could be extrapolated to have cost the country millions of dollars in extra security costs for the protection of Obama as a candidate, the President Elect and at his inauguration. Aside from the financial costs, there are of course much deeper costs in terms of social division that still haven't been accounted for. This stuff didn't happen in the distant past, it was all just 4-5 months ago.

Do you think there might be a small moment at this dinner party where Bad Sarah will take the opportunity to personally and sincerely apologize to President Obama? Perhaps McCain is still due some kind of apology from the "rogue", and while they are lining up, Dick Cheney might want a "sorry" from her for making his dangerous expansion of VP political powers a national nightmare and ongoing joke at the same time.

Reports conflict regarding whether BS is invited to speak at this "roast" style affair which bars journalists. BS's aide McAllister says she's speaking, an Alfalfa Club member says she isn't.

Just in case you didn't notice, the pic that leads this post is one of Sarah Palin proudly displaying a 49 star flag.

UPDATE: Bad Sarah got a seat at the party as the personal guest of Fred Malek, former deputy director of Nixon's CREEP (Committee to Re-elect the President), the operation behind Watergate. Unlike many of his former associates, Malek walked away unscathed by Watergate prosecutors, and stayed on in Washington D.C., to help elect George Bush/Dan Quayle. Despite his experience handling Quayle, Malek may have found his greatest challenge yet in promoting Palin.

Here's why it matters that BS Palin is now best pals with Malek. This chilling information is reported in detail here at dailykos:

"In the U.S. attorneys scandal, all eyes are on Karl Rove as the presumed architect. But, long before Karl Rove began plying his trade, Fred Malek wrote the manual for politicizing the Justice Department. Malek, a little known but influential Republican operative and "hatchet man," devised the strategies used to remove Democrats and whistleblowers from the civil service and to turn the federal government into a Republican Party headquarters. Malek's connections with President Bush may explain why the U.S. Attorney's office discontinued investigation of wrongdoing at Fannie Mae, where Malek was then a board member and was one of several individuals named in a civil suit. Rather than face criminal penalties, Fannie Mae settled with the SEC and OFHEO for a $400 million civil penalty.

Say "Watergate," and most people think of the 1972 burglary of Democratic headquarters sponsored by Republican operatives. But, another, less publicized, scheme exposed by a Senate investigation would have a greater impact on the nation. The scheme, known as the "Responsiveness Program," was a bag of ruthless tricks designed to use the "powers of incumbency" to retain control of the presidency [Senate Watergate Report, 2005]. Ultimately, though, the plan would accomplish much more; it would be used to destroy the competency of the federal government and, with that, the nation's security.

According to the Senate committee investigation report, the Program's activities were likely illegal, but the Senate committee declined to pursue the matter. As a result, Fred Malek, a Nixon advisor and chief architect of the plan, remained free to practice his black arts, which included aiding the Bush family's rise to power. The dirty personnel practices devised by Malek would spread from one administration to another; the Bush administration would embrace them with particular fervor. Political loyalty was emphasized at the expense of competence in carrying out responsibilities designated by law. Thus, the government incompetence exposed by Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 attacks traces back to Malek and other Nixon aides who set into motion the Republican plan to make agencies "responsive," not to the people, but to political concerns. With Malek's manual available, Karl Rove did not have to be a genius; merely an eager student of The Master."

Palin's Aide Scorns Inquiry Into Spending Amid State Budget Shortfall, BS Scorns Activist as "Falafel Lady"

2009-01-28T15:27:00.021-09:00

All I can say about Bill McAllister's "let them eat cake" attitude is that he is in for a rude shock if he thinks that it is still fashionable or acceptable to misappropriate public funds to travel, dine and work for private interests these days - while neglecting your job. That goes for CEOs, that goes for Governors and that goes for you too, Mr. McAllister. Ms. Perry, in the back there, are you listening? (Please scroll down a few posts and read "Maybe It's Time To Call Linda Perez" for more background on this issue.)

Ethics complaint filed against Palin aides

January 27, 2009- UPI

Ethics complaints have been filed against two of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's top aides, alleging they used their positions to promote the governor politically.

The complaints were filed by political activist Andree McLeod against Palin's communications director, Bill McAllister, and Kris Perry, who directs the Republican governor's Anchorage office.

McLeod is asking the state personnel board to investigate the allegations, the Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday. The complaints say the state workers worked on political matters on behalf of Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, while on state time.

McAllister discounted McLeod's claims, saying they are just part of the former state employee's ongoing vendetta.

This is a person who I think was disgruntled because she wasn't considered for a (Palin administration) job, has some time on her hands, apparently, and wants to wreak havoc with people's lives and reputations, McAllister said.

Mr. McAllister, you work in a state that used to be wealthy and is now in a funding crises. If you think that an inquiry regarding your use of public funds for questionable travel and dining expenses could "wreak havoc" on your life and reputation, perhaps you should not have appropriated those funds in the first place? Just a thought.

Some estimates say that the tabs for Mr. McAllister and Ms. Perry's traveling to assist Bad Sarah in her campaigns since '08 could amount to $1000 per day apiece - or much, much more. BS already has a pretty poor record when it comes to fiscal conservatism. Details regarding this ethics complaint are reported here.

According to Mother Jones Magazine, McLeod was an activist that was formerly allied with Palin when BS campaigned as a reformer. These days, Palin scornfully refers to McLeod as "the falafel lady" because Andree had the bad taste to work selling falafel at one point. Way to go with that working-class-gal solidarity, Bad Sarah.

Mother Jones reports: Palin sent McLeod [emails] between 2002 and 2005, in which she praised McLeod. In one of these messages, Palin wrote, "You're all about accountability." In another, Palin said, "Thanks for working to instill the public trust." Palin also wrote her, "I'm proud to know you." And in one email, Palin hailed McLeod: "Holy Moly you are powerful regarding getting the word out to the press about questionable activity."

"I've known Sarah for years, " says McLeod, who moved to Alaska from New York in 1978. "When the finger is pointed at somebody else, she's all for accountability. When it's pointing at her, it's different. Sarah Palin was elected on the basis of providing open and honest government. She has failed miserably."

UPDATE: "Country of Africa" story is confirmed NO HOAX by McCain Insider

2009-01-27T16:51:00.022-09:00

In the post that kicked off this blog (see "The Red Monster Self Cannibalizes on Palin", Sunday Nov. 30th below) I argued against those who thought that reports of Palin's ignorance of geography was just a "hoax" perpetuated in the media.

I argued that on the contrary, the reports were true - BS was stunningly, magnificently ignorant of world geography at age 44. Palin's lack of basic geographical understanding scared/infuriated/fill-in-the-blank McCain insiders working with her, who leaked the truth to the press. The subsequent attempt to cover up this embarrassment in the media was the only hoax involved in the entire situation.

Today my argument has been supported by McCain campaign insider Michael Goldfarb who stated in an interview with Kate Klonick at the Columbia Journalism Review that the comments regarding Palin's clothes, the "Country of Africa", and her diva-like behavior were indeed leaked by someone inside the campaign and were reported correctly.

KK: What about all the talk about the acrimony between the McCain/Palin camps behind the scenes? What was the story with that?

MG: The reporters who produced those quotes weren’t making them up. It was a disgrace to the campaign and John McCain, and I think the people who did that are going to pay a real steep price in the long run, because the media ate it up, the media loved it. Once you’ve lost the campaign, who holds responsibility for [publicly airing their grievances with Palin] and who escapes with their credibility intact won’t be decided by The New York Times. Conservatives are not pleased by this.

Of course, expecting to be protected by the campaign, Bad Sarah "...dismissed the story, saying a "small, evidently bitter type of person" made "foolish ... false allegations." However, she did not specifically refute the Africa claim or any of the other charges related by [television reporter] Cameron.

So Palin exhibited unthinkable ignorance for a person who was tapped to leap to the highest halls of power in the United States. Then someone who should have protected her for some reason loathed her so much they leaked the truth about her to their own (right wing) media contacts. Then Palin lied gracefully and repeatedly about the whole episode in the subsequent cover up. And Bad Sarah still lies about it all to this day.

I think this episode matters. It is a "Palin 1o1" example of what can be expected from BS should she maintain or retain any position of power.

Today, amidst her own calls for Alaska belt-tightening, Palin announced the founding of her very own Virginia based lobbying group called SarahPAC. SarahPAC has been established to funnel money to any political friends BS can dig up in the Republican party. Or perhaps SarahPAC stands for the campaign to convince voters that Sarah "Palin's Africa is a Country" by 2012.

Maybe It's Time To Call Linda Perez?

2009-01-24T16:45:00.022-09:00

"The Palin Reality Show" recently aired its much anticipated "State Of The State" episode. While critics were taken with the writing, noting that Saturday Night Live couldn't have done a better job ladeling out Bad Sarah's trademark syrupy homespun homilies, the seriousness of Bad Sarah's message still managed to get through.

Alaskans are now in deep deep do-do, due to the fact that, well, all the money is gone. Now it is time for a hiring freeze, belt tightening and no aid to Emmonak.

Things are soooo unlike the high rolling days of last November, when the economy had just tanked, Emmonak was just starting to get hungry, and BS got a personal invitation to Georgia to do favors for her veteran bashing Republican crony Chambliss. (see Nov. 30 post below for a long report on Republican veteran bashing.)

At the time Palin was just the working-class-gal pictured above, and she made sure to say that she was traveling at the expense of Chambliss. However, Palin's working-class-gal personal aide Kris Perry traveled, as she did throughout all of campaign 2008, at the expense of Alaskans.

As explained on December 1st:

"The Chambliss campaign will pay for the Georgia leg of Palin's trip, McAllister said.

But the state will cover the costs for Palin's aide Kris Perry to join her on the campaign trail, he said.

Palin is always considered "on duty" and Perry's role is to serve as her liaison to state officials, McAllister said. The governor's family is not traveling with her. The hip detachment operations all went smoothly. (just kidding on that last bit.)

Linda Perez, director of administrative services for the governor, said she wouldn't know how much the trip cost until the travelers return."

Maybe it's time for someone to put a call in to Linda Perez to find out the taxpayer's tab on the Georgia excursion? In fact, it might be of some interest to find out how much the belt-tightening Alaskans actually paid for Perry during the entire campaign of 'o8. And Ms. Perez, please don't forget to total up Ms. Perry's air fare, nice hotel, dinners, lunches, breakfasts, midnight snacks, tips, taxes, taxis, personal phone calls and productive work days lost to home state business.

Perhaps we should look into any wardrobe expense incurred by Ms. Perry as well, just to be fair.

If BS gets her book deal, will Perry travel with her at Alaska's expense when she does interviews and appearances to promote the book? Stay tuned.

Just Call Me "Bored, Anonymous and Pathetic"

2009-01-23T16:16:00.023-09:00

I didn't really care that BS lashed out at bloggers, it seemed like sort of an ordinary thing for her to do. Just another taping of "The Palin Reality Show". And some of the criticism is fair. She is right about the fact that bloggers are not usually regular journalists. And the Trig rumor is a bit of a yawn. There are too many factual ways to bring Sarah to a halt without wasting time on suspicions that apparently cannot be proven.

Funny though, Bad Sarah attacks bloggers because they are really more powerful than print journalists in certain ways - they are usually not muzzled by an employer or organization, and they reach everybody right away. They can be opinion shapers. Also they can be effective propagandists, along the lines of speechwriters.

Speechwriters are in every politician's arsenal - a tool used to sway the masses. BS doesn't like it when the masses fire back at her with speeches as well.

This does not go along with Bad Sarah's vision of how the media should be - a politely muzzled group of orderly people who go to church regularly and vote mostly Republican. In this vision, I doubt if any of the media smoke, either.

But these days, "the people" are becoming the media. Despite her glasses, the lines are blurred, and Bad Sarah doesn't realize that she is actually lashing out at thousands of individuals who speak up out of frustration and outrage. When their opinions coalesce it can be powerful because it means that tens of thousands of other people probably feel the same way, day in and day out, and just don't bother to write it down. Bloggers are just - people.

And where does it end, BS? Do you despise and insult commenters too? After all, they are the blogger's direct and often loyal audience.

Memo to BS: Bloggers and commenters are also voters.

(Click on "Just Call Me..." above to see a story about how effective kids in their pajamas - um I mean bloggers - can be.)

Thanks For The Warm Welcome!

2009-01-21T15:48:00.004-09:00

Hi ya'll and welcome, I'm so glad you've stopped by!

All comments are welcome - yeah, I can't change the text on a poll once someone has voted, so the typo stays. And for the record, Helen is really my name, so once again, glad to meet all of you!

(Click on the Title above to link back to Gryphon's post on the Immoral Minority.)

Palin's Katrina - Palin Gives Cold Shoulder To Alaskans in Crises

2009-01-21T01:33:00.019-09:00

Around January 15th, while Bad Sarah was busy busy busy planning to sue the United States of America and getting ready for her round of interviews scheduled to ride the wave of media interest in the inauguration, a small town in Alaska was crying out for help for it's starving residents. In true "Katrina-esqe" style the Governor's office not only did not know about the crises, they have refused to acknowledge it in a timely manner and have yet to offer any aid - leaving the organization of emergency food and fuel supplies to bloggers and concerned individuals.

Forget about BS's narcissism, her snippy catty swipes at other professional women, her "Soccor Mom at Sak's 5th Avenue" hypocrisy, and her casual lies regarding her family. This type of incident illustrates why Sarah Palin is not fit to hold public office.

Palin Unpopular At Home Series #4

Few people outside the area had ever heard of Emmonak - including Governor Palin apparently. This winter three factors have brought the 800 residents of the rural Alaskan Yup'ik village to the brink of desperation. First the salmon fishing failed last year, then an early freeze caused the village to miss its winter fuel barge, driving what heating oil that was available to the price of $11 a gallon. Other nearby villages are hurting in the same way. Some families do not have enough to eat, and many cannot heat their homes during the long Alaskan winter.

A grassroots movement emerged to help these people, which has now reported that Palin was less than responsive to the city's plight. Will this be Palin's Katrina? According to the Anchorage Daily news, "A rural subcabinet appointed by Gov. Sarah Palin will review the Division's findings at a special meeting planned for Friday."

This may be a situation of too little, too late. This teleconference was scheduled only after repeated attempts to directly contact the Governor's office to ask for aid were rebuffed. The Governor has no plans to visit the area and no state action has yet been taken to relieve the immediate humanitarian needs of the isolated villagers.

To add insult to injury, the AVCP had asked the state to declare a "fisheries disaster" in the area last October. Tara Jollie, director of the state Division of Community and Regional Affairs was vague when asked about this, saying "I think we did do a review of it. I didn't do it myself, so I don't know that the numbers supported the claim." But, Jollie goes on to say that Palin is "very concerned" and "there's not anybody who doesn't care."

Another reason for the Governor's missing response may be that her Rural Advisor resigned in October, and has never been replaced. You have to wonder about the details behind that personnel problem.

According to the bloggers who demanded action for the rural Alaskans, the Anchorage Daily News declined to print the real story about how the Governor's office was unresponsive:

"And all day long we called the office of governor Palin, and were told repeatedly that they knew nothing about this village or of any crisis. In the meantime one of our bloggers, Dennis Zaki (who also freelances as a reporter for CNN), decided to go to Emmonak and get the crisis on film so that the whole world could see what is happening right under our Governor's eyes. In no time at all we had donate buttons on our sites, and the many wonderful visitors to our blogs had raised enough money to send Dennis out to the village with enough left over to make an additional contribution to help the people of Emmonak meet their food and energy needs. So that is the REAL story of how local activists, anonymous bloggers, and generous internet users helped to save a small village in a remote section of Alaska."

UPDATE: (1/24/09) Not to be outdone by the bloggers, BS sent 5 officials to visit the town of Emmonak on the same day that Zaki arrived with money, supplies and video gear for documenting the state of affairs. According to The Immoral Minority, this envoy brisky notified the city they'd be there just 60 minutes before they landed, but then ended up being disrespectfully late to their own rushed meeting by 40 minutes. Again, too little too late? The Department of Homeland Security hopped on the copter, but no one from Fish and Game - the long term solution to the "depleted fisheries" crises will fall to them, if they take an interest. The village waters are now commerciall overfished leaving little for subsistance fishermen. The village says it needs a fuel storage facility and a fishing pier. Let's hope the gal that lied about the Bridge to Nowhere can now find the funds for a much needed wooden dock.

This abruptly organized visit was little more than a photo op for the state of Alaska.

Sarah's Idea of Service

2009-01-18T12:19:00.009-09:00

With the inauguration on the horizon today, the President elect has issued a historic call for unity and asked Americans to find ways to serve the country. Bad Sarah took pains on several occasions last year to point out that the real patriots in America live in small towns, like she does. So is BS planning to honor veterans? Plant a tree? Visit a school on MLK day?

Umm. No.

Instead, Sarah Palin has just announced her very own initiative, for which she will mobilize the time of Alaskan public servants and the funds available to the great state of Alaska. It is a unique "call to service" - the threat of a lawsuit by her office against the United States government over the fact that America wishes to protect Beluga whales.

There are about 400 of these animals in Cook inlet presently. The beluga is still recovering from a population loss of two-thirds over the last 30 years. “Once again Governor Palin has demonstrated either a complete lack of understanding or lack of concern over the plight of endangered species," says Brendan Cummings, Center for Biological Diversity.

Sarah Palin seems to be our modern day equivalent of Captian Ahab - a tyrannical fictional character hell bent on killing all whales, but especially one that he considered a personal enemy.

The White Whale swam before him as the monomaniac incarnation of all those malicious agencies which some deep men feel eating in them, till they are left living on with half a heart and half a lung...All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick. He piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it.

Guess that's how a real patriot spends their time these days.

The Maiden, The Mother and The Croneyism

2009-01-07T13:42:00.030-09:00

Noun 1. cronyism - favoritism shown to friends and associates (as by appointing them to positions without regard for their qualifications)

New Year and a new life in the family with the birth of Tripp . Seems like a wonderful new beginning for BS, right?

Of course not.

The year has barely fired back up, and BS is out and about all over the media again, "unfiltered" and unable to shut up about her Katie Couric adventure, her Tina Fey doppleganger, and her mistreatment because of class warfare. Yes, she was treated so badly in the media because of her "class" while Caroline Kennedy is being treated differently, she believes. She even took a moment in her latest interview to snipe directly at Couric, snapping that Katie thinks she's "the center of the universe."

Catty, bitchy Sarah is BACK! Meow. Meow. Meow.

Meanwhile, she denies that her eldest daughter Bristol is a high school dropout - but she is. She is going to earn a GED sometime soon. No shame there, what's the problem? Why deny?

Poor beleagured Levi also left high school before graduating. That is a fact. He has now quit his job and training program as an electrician. Well, actually that job never really got started because he had all those gigs showing up in fancy duds on lighted stages all over the country last year, and then the holidays hit, and there might be a wedding to plan, you know how it is.

Local news in Alaska reported that strings were pulled to get him into that particular program, as he had not earned the required educational certifications to take the position. Now Levi's own father says that the boy quit in hopes that things (like the reports of favoritism) would "quiet down."

Fine. BS did what she could to secure employment for her maiden daughter's man, and in doing so gave him an opportunity he didn't deserve. An opportunity that other poor schlubs in Alaska have to muck their way through at least a couple of years of extra schooling to get - holding down a part time job to cover the bills and burning the midnight oil. You know - working. Like Sarah's "class" does.

And then the soon to be Governor-In-Law quietly offered poor Levi a chance to forgo all of that and get away from maiden and babe, his jailhouse mom and even the all powerful Governor-In-Law herself!! He could escape to the white cold dark wastes of Alaska's oil fields. No one had even talked about a wedding yet! Who could blame Levi? He must have jumped at the chance.

So BS's party line now is like this:

You've really got to feel for Levi, denied his opportunity because of those mean-spirited journalists who just happen to shed light on my cronyism, and my charade that these unmarried, high school drop out kids are somehow not that. And over the holidays too! I didn't count on that.

Before all the Christmas decorations are back in the attic, before the last New Year's sale is over, before anyone has really started to push the papers back at work, Sarah Palin has managed to generate another mini-scandal, and already figured out how to point fingers at everybody else as the cause of it. Just the same ol' same ol' up there in Alaska, Palin and her grand "reform" agenda on the march again.

'09 is going to be "just great."

Here's the real kicker. NO ONE seems to bring up poor Levi and maiden Bristol's substantial income change of late. It is a reported fact that they made $300,000 just last week selling little baby Tripp's image to People Magazine - just like all the big celebs do.

Perhaps this income stream had oh, maybe just a teeny timy little bit to do with Daddy's decision to give up the electrician program and kick it at home? $300,000 cash will probably pay Jailbird Grandma's legal bills with a tidy sum left over to set up house somewhere away from the sound of Governor-In-Law's voice.

So much for being victims of class warfare. Unfortunately, you really can't have it both ways, Bad Sarah. What working stiff, unemployed, high school drop out baby-daddy do we know of that rates a cool three figures for some pics of his kid? Sorry BS, but the string pulling and picture selling smacks of - upper class privilege.

Pssssssssssst. Levi and Bristol. Over here. Here's a hint - Key West is in the United States too. It's about as far from Alaska as you can get and still be in the lower 48. Just a thought.

(Link to the new complaining BS interview by clicking on the title The Maiden, The Mother, etc above)

Bad Sarah Spent Unauthorized $50,000 Highway Funds On Personal Decorating Whim

2008-12-15T19:02:00.014-09:00

Palin Unpopular At Home Series #2

Palin astounded a staffer by saying, "I'm the Mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't."

The story of BS Palin ordering expensive red-flocked wallpaper and other illegal redecorating boondogles fits right in with the Spend-It-While-You-Can behavior she fell back into on the campaign trail. This article may tickle some memories, but it was soon buried under the avalanche of the Vice Presidential candidate's disastrous Katie Couric interviews. The devil herself is in the details here, as it is Palin's attitude about her role as an elected official, rather than her specific spending spree, which still has the power to shock. Red shades of a small-town Cheney - bet they both share a taste for bordello style. Click on title above for original post by David Talbot at Salon.com. Note: Pic above is from a fancy magazine featuring red-flocked style.

Sept. 17, 2008 | WASILLA, Alaska -- Sarah Palin has been touting herself as fiscal watchdog throughout her political career. But Palin's tenure as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska was characterized by waste, cronyism and incompetence, according to government officials in the Matanuska Valley, where she began her fairy-tale political rise.

"Executive abilities? She doesn't have any," said former Wasilla City Council member Nick Carney, who selected and groomed Palin for her first political race in 1992 and served with her after her election to the City Council. Four years later, the ambitious Palin won the Wasilla mayor's office -- after scorching the "tax and spend mentality" of her incumbent opponent.

But Carney, Palin's estranged former mentor, and others in city hall were astounded when they found out about a lavish expenditure of Palin's own after her 1996 election. According to Carney, the newly elected mayor spent more than $50,000 in city funds to redecorate her office, without the council's authorization.

"I thought it was an outrageous expense, especially for someone who had run as a budget cutter," said Carney. "It was also illegal, because Sarah had not received the council's approval."

According to Carney, Palin's office makeover included flocked, red wallpaper. "It looked like a bordello."

Although Carney says he no longer has documentation of the expenditures, in his recollection Palin paid for the office face-lift with money from a city highway fund that was used to plow snow, grade roads and fill potholes -- essential municipal services, particularly in weather battered Alaska.

Carney confronted Mayor Palin at a City Council hearing, and was shocked by her response. "I braced her about it," he said. "I told her it was against the law to make such a large expenditure without the council taking a vote. She said, 'I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't.'"

"I'll never forget it -- it's one of the few times in my life I've been speechless," Carney added. "It would have been easier for her to finesse it. She had the votes on the council by then, she controlled it. But she just pushed forward. That's Sarah. She just has no respect for rules and regulations."

Carney, who comes from a long-established homesteading family in the area and once ran the city's garbage collection business, has decided to speak out for the first time since Palin's vice-presidential nomination. He is viewed as a longtime Palin gadfly, ever since he sided with her opponent in the 1996 mayor's race. After Palin won, she froze out Carney, refusing to call on him at City Council meetings and deep-sixing his proposals. "That's the way Sarah is," Carney said. "She rewards friends and cuts everyone else off at the knees."

Other local officials -- who lack Carney's acrimonious history with Palin -- share his dim view of her mayoral reign. When Palin ran for mayor, she dismissed concerns about her lack of managerial expertise by saying the job was "not rocket science." But after a tumultuous start, marked by controversial firings and lawsuits against the city, Palin felt compelled to hire a city manager named John Cramer to steady the ship.

"Sarah was unprepared to be mayor -- it was John Cramer who actually ran the city," said Michelle Church, a member of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly, who knows Palin socially. "As vice-president she'll certainly have to rely on faceless advisors with no public accountability. Haven't we had enough of that in the past eight years?"

Other officials in the borough government -- the equivalent of county government in other states -- point out that Palin actually had very little executive responsibility, since the borough oversees many of Wasilla's vital functions.

"After all her boasting about her executive experience, what did she do?" asks a longtime borough official, who, like many in local circles, requested anonymity because of Palin's reputation for vengeance. "The borough takes care of most of the planning, the fire, the ambulance, collecting the property taxes. And on top of that she brought in a city manager to actually run the city day to day. So what executive experience did she have as mayor?"

BS Unpopular At Home? Sarah Palin Blocked State Rape Prevention Program

2008-12-14T00:05:00.035-09:00

Why would a politician with a national profile be so quick to take the blame for a heinous act of local arson? Some claim BS Palin is a narcissist, something I'm inclined to agree with but that hardly distances her from most politicians. After all, pretty much every sitting President since JFK, with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter, could be nominated for consideration as a narcissist. No, this goes deeper than just everyday narcissism.

Bad Sarah quickly made a statement which shifted the "blame" for the torching of the local church to which she belongs to the national arena. The idea is "someone out there" in the big mean continental USA (or Hawaii?) must have decided they didn't like Palin's church. Her national profile brought this tragedy home to hurt the innocent locals.

But what about the idea that this was most likely a local crime, committed by, um...a local person? I think Sarah was so quick with statement because she doesn't want people to know how really really REALLY unpopular she is with some people at home.

So I will begin to document Sarah's image problem in Alaska, all the myriad things she's done or not done with her vested powers to piss off the good folks at home. Some are more important, some are less important, but all of them are dead wrong and some of them are chilling.

Palin Unpopular At Home Series #1

Palin No Friend To Women - Negative on Monegan's Attempt to Start State's First Rape Prevention Program

This buried story from early September is a nexus for SEVERAL Palin atocities:

Recently Palin cited "executive privilege" in order to refuse releasing documents and transcripts of her testimony on Troopergate. Her spokesperson said BS wants to put the incident “behind her.” Sarah Barracuda, what are you hiding?
Palin is already well known for her unpopular stand that recently raped women must pay $1000 for investigative kits the local police need to gather evidence. You know, 'cause Alaska doesn't have any money. Or oil revenues to pay for trivial crime solving equipment.
Alaska leads the nation in reported forcible rapes. Surprised?
Being the reformer she is, Palin fired Walt Monegan, by her own admission, not because he refused to go along with firing that pesky ex-relative, but specifically because Mr. Monegan SCHEDULED A TRIP TO SECURE FUNDS FOR A MASSIVE ANTI-RAPE PROGRAM to be started in Alaska, the first of it’s kind. What a cad. What a "rogue" as she calls him in official documents.
Let’s not forget that BS is one of the few (only?) persons holding executive office in the US that believes a woman should give birth when they are pregnant after being raped and/or sexually abused by relatives. This is because of Sarah's own strongly held religious conviction that God says this is the only way to proceed in such a situation. This is an extreme position even for many Pro-Life advocates, and it comes directly from Palin's attendance at her Wasilla church. This congregation would like to see their personal religious convictions put into the civil legal code, so that all women (and men for that matter) regardless of their wishes, their personal history, and their individual religious preferences would have to conform to the Wasilla Bible Church's doctrine.
So if you are a woman in Alaska, you are more likely to get raped, Sarah isn't helping you to prevent rape, she is firing those that do, and if you are raped, you must shell out a lot of money to help the police catch the guy, and if you are pregnant from rape, well, don't expect any help from the Christians at Sarah's church if you don't want to do things their way.
All rather incendiary, don't you think?

The documentation for this story first surfaced in early September on ABC News, then was picked up by angryindian.blogspot.com. Click on title above for the original post.

An internal government document obtained by ABC News appears to contradict Sarah Palin's most recent explanation for why she fired her public safety chief, the move which prompted the now-contested state probe into "Troopergate."

ABC News: Exclusive: New Doubts Over Palin's Troopergate Claims (early September, 08)

Fighting back against allegations she may have fired her then-Public Safety Commissioner, Walt Monegan, for refusing to go along with a personal vendetta, Palin on Monday argued in a legal filing that she fired Monegan because he had a "rogue mentality" and was bucking her administration's directives.

"The last straw," her lawyer argued, came when he planned a trip to Washington, D.C., to seek federal funds for an aggressive anti-sexual-violence program. The project, expected to cost from $10 million to $20 million a year for five years, would have been the first of its kind in Alaska, which leads the nation in reported forcible rape. The McCain-Palin campaign echoed the charge in a press release it distributed Monday, concurrent with Palin's legal filing. "Mr. Monegan persisted in planning to make the unauthorized lobbying trip to D.C.," the release stated.

Lest We Forget - White Supremicists Take Cues From Palin

2008-12-11T16:34:00.009-09:00

This Newsweek sourced Telegraph UK report is about a month old, but unfortunately is still very relevant. With the historic inaugural ceremony of the nation's first black President in a few weeks, we can expect an unprecedented level of security in place, even though President Elect Obama wants it to be a "People's Inauguration." For this we give partial thanks to Bad Sarah. Once she was given a microphone and a national stage, she waged the war of personal attack politics with relish - to the dismay of even her own party. Although she pointedly spoke about her clothes and her interviews after the election, she has never shown remorse for the hatred she whipped up on the campaign trail, or even acknowledged her remarks. It is not enough for people to say, "It was a campaign, a lot of things were said. Let's put it behind us." This type of hate mongering should be put well behind us. Forever. That is done by remembering it, and never allowing BS Palin an opportunity to put hateful lies and insinuations "before us" again. (For original article in full click on "Lest We Forget..." title.)

Sarah Palin blamed by the US Secret Service over death threats against Barack Obama

Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign.

By Tim Shipman in Washington
Last Updated: 8:38AM GMT 10 Nov 2008

The Republican vice presidential candidate attracted criticism for accusing Mr Obama of "palling around with terrorists", citing his association with the sixties radical William Ayers. The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone down the rhetoric.

But it has now emerged that her demagogic tone may have unintentionally encouraged white supremacists to go even further. The Secret Service warned the Obama family in mid October that they had seen a dramatic increase in the number of threats against the Democratic candidate, coinciding with Mrs Palin's attacks.

Michelle Obama, the future First Lady, was so upset that she turned to her friend and campaign adviser Valerie Jarrett and said: "Why would they try to make people hate us? The revelations, contained in a Newsweek history of the campaign, are likely to further damage Mrs Palin's credentials as a future presidential candidate. She is already a frontrunner, with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, to take on Mr Obama in four years time.

Details of the spike in threats to Mr Obama come as a report last week by security and intelligence analysts Stratfor, warned that he is a high risk target for racist gunmen. It concluded: "Two plots to assassinate Obama were broken up during the campaign season, and several more remain under investigation. We would expect federal authorities to uncover many more plots to attack the president that have been hatched by white supremacist ideologues."

Irate John McCain aides, who blame Mrs Palin for losing the election, claim Mrs Palin took it upon herself to question Mr Obama's patriotism, before the line of attack had been cleared by Mr McCain. That claim is part of a campaign of targeted leaks designed to torpedo her ambitions, with claims that she did not know that Africawas a continent rather than a country.

The advisers have branded her a "diva" and a "whack job"...

In a bid to salvage her reputation Mrs Palin came out firing in an interview with CNN, dismissing the anonymous leakers in unpresidential language as "jerks"...

She was not asked about her incendiary rhetoric against Mr Obama.

Blagojevich and Palin - Birds of A Feather?

2008-12-09T16:49:00.018-09:00

I just couldn't help myself this morning when I heard about ol' Blackheart Blagojevich - first thing I ran a quick, innocent search on Google, "Blogojevitch, Palin" basically, and lo and behold, was there something to be found? You Betcha. It seems that Chicago Corruption King Rod Blago has sort of a thing for Palin...or at least he really, really understands her, down just below the surface, where it counts.

He sympathizes with her even. Who cares about partisan politics when big money and power are at stake? Palin is a Lady Governor after Blago's black heart...It seems that he had no problem with her qualifications to be Vice President, and his advice to the Democratic Senator from his own state Mr. Obama was something like, "Don't challenge her on her credentials, (like mine) she's more qualified than you because (like me) she makes a lot of decisions all the day long, while you just toss legislation footballs around with your Senate buddies and yap a lot. Did I mention that I'd like to run for President in 2016?" (What he actually said is "The reality is, governors every day have to make decisions for better or for worse. That's part of the job. It's an executive position. And it's a position that is like what you’re going to do when you're president. Legislators, they do different things. They debate and they pass their bills back and forth," he said.)

But that's not the real juicy gist of the love that could have been 'tween Black Heart Blago and Bad Sarah. He really dug the way she traveled in style on the public's dime, dragging her kids with her as she went, and he related very well to her expensive, expansive lifestyle, which required Palin to live outside the state capitol, just like Blagojevitch. Here' s the run down on how Blago deeply understood the inner diva that is BS Palin, and this also gives us a chance to remember the Fiscal Conservative-Not behavior that BS flaunted as Governor of Alaska, back in the good ole days when no one was looking... (Click on the title "Birds of A Feather?" for the original post.)

Blagojevich can feel Palin's pain over travel scrutiny

By John O'Connor
Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD -- A governor who spends a lot of time away from the Capitol, whose family travels at state expense, who is criticized for not showing up at crucial legislative moments - the scrutiny of the travel and work habits of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sounds familiar in Illinois, where Gov. Rod Blagojevich has faced similar criticism.

Both the Republican candidate for vice president and Blagojevich, a Democrat, continued living in their homes outside the capital city after being elected to lead their states. And with reports that Palin took expense reimbursements while living at home and flies family members at state expense to events, both have been questioned about how and where they work.

As with Blagojevich, at least one tax expert says Palin's travel reimbursements raise questions about whether the Internal Revenue Service would consider some of them taxable fringe benefits. Blagojevich lives in Chicago, 300 miles from the capital of Springfield, and lawmakers have repeatedly criticized him for not spending enough time here, gathering support for his agenda. Palin, chosen by GOP presidential nominee John McCain in part for her reputation as a reform governor, stayed in her home in Wasilla, just north of Anchorage and 600 miles from the capital in Juneau.

She called the Alaska Legislature into special session recently, but didn't show up, prompting someone at the Capitol to make buttons that read, "Where's Sarah?" Spokeswoman Sharon Leighow said Palin is in Juneau when she needs to be. "Her job as governor of Alaska takes her all across the state," Leighow said. "She travels quite extensively."

So does her family. Newspaper investigations have found the state regularly flies Palin's husband and children to events around Alaska and elsewhere, either on a state-owned turboprop plane or commercial flights. Palin's husband and children have charged the state $43,490 to travel since she was elected in 2006. And the governor has received nearly $17,000 in daily expense reimbursements for 312 nights she spent at home in Wasilla. That's appropriate because her headquarters is Juneau and she was "traveling" outside of the capital and working in her Anchorage office near her home, Leighow said.

Blagojevich has been known to take daily round trips between Springfield and Chicago, working in the Capitol and returning home that night. Aides have said Blagojevich's headquarters is in Chicago, not the capital, so any trip to or from the Windy City is a legitimate business flight, even if he conducts no business while there.

But during an Associated Press analysis of nearly 1,000 state flights last fall, tax experts said that the IRS likely would consider Springfield Blagojevich's headquarters, so if the state pays for him to fly to Chicago and he does no work there, that's a taxable fringe benefit. Blagojevich also has flown his two daughters on state aircraft to events that experts said the IRS likely would consider not business-related and therefore taxable income to their father.

That could be the case for Palin as well, said Bob Kamman, a Phoenix tax attorney whose past work for the IRS included preparing tax returns for U.S. senators. On one trip to New York, Bristol Palin accompanied her mother because she was invited, officials said. But she was not on business and performed no work for Alaskans, Kamman said.

"Her expenses are taxable compensation to her mother, no matter how much lipstick is used to make it look like something else," Kamman said with a reference to lipstick comments that have roiled the presidential campaigns this week.

Palin Mired In Girlie Issues

2008-12-08T16:22:00.007-09:00

The real-life headlines about Palin seem to have been lifted from a high school yearbook. The latest, PALIN DIDN'T SNUB OPRAH, follows weeks of headlines about whether TINA FEY WAS MEAN to her, BS's CLOTHING ALLOWANCE AND MAKE-OVER, her THANKSGIVING DINNER PLANS, certain SECRETS SHE'S KEEPING regarding Troopergate, her MOST POPULAR status at Georgia Rallies, and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski's warning to Sarah Barracuda to KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY SENATE SEAT, thank you very much.

Are we talking about a serious public servant here or the bitchiest, cutest and most popular girl in the Senior Class?

Bad Sarah! BS Palin's $30,000 "Diet Dr. Pepper"

2008-12-05T18:58:00.004-09:00

Poor Sarah. Just can't catch a break. Instead of just being embarrassed about spending $150,000 for 3 months of campaigning as a "jes folks" hockey mom, now the bill has jumped $30,000 more, even though she has insisted time and again, she never "asked" for anything more than a Diet Dr. Pepper once in awhile. Well, the bill for those Dr. Peppers just came in...

Whether BS asked for someone to shop for her at Victoria's Secret or not, those that think Sarah is just a regular gal and a fiscal conservative to boot need to rethink that one PLEASE. In other em-bare-ass-ing revelations, Sarah Palin's own father reported that it was hard for her to account for all the clothes stashed "in the belly of the plane" because "the kids lose their underwear." Look Sarah, you have a megawatt smile, and the folks luv ya. Why not leave behind the mean, unfair world of politics and be what you truly are inside - a beauty queen with the heart of a country signer. That would allow you to wear all the spangles and fancy underwear your heat desired, while touring the country with your family and talking to folks that adore you. Doesn't that sound better, dear? If you'd give up the political circuit for the Nashville circuit, (don't worry, you could air guitar and lip synch, just like you do now) I swear I'll buy your first concert ticket. I could even turn into a fan.

More spending on Palin revealed

Posted: 09:10 PM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Republican National Committee's total fashion bill for Sarah Palin's nine-week stint on the GOP presidential ticket is in: $180,000. That's $30,000 more than the RNC previously disclosed it had spent outfitting and styling the Alaska governor and her family, according to Politico and the RNC's latest filings with the Federal Elections Commission.

The latest filing, which includes the final 3 weeks of the presidential race, shows the committee directed close to $55,000 to Palin's fashion stylist, New York-based Lisa Kline. The RNC also spent close to $24,000 in several high end stores, including Ann Taylor, Bloomingdales, Brooks Brothers, Neiman's, Nordstrom, Macy's, Saks, Target, and Victoria's Secret.

The RNC has said all the clothes purchased will be donated to charity. Meanwhile, the McCain campaign paid a total of $110,000 on Palin's traveling hair and makeup stylists, according to the New York Times and the McCain campaign's latest FEC filing. News surfaced shortly before Election Day that Republicans had shelled out more than $150,00 on Palin and her family in clothing costs — a revelation that posed an unnecessary distraction for the struggling McCain campaign, and undercut Palin's hockey-mom credentials.

UPDATE: Since even this post, the spending reports have topped an additional $165,000 or so over the initial $150,000 reported.

Sarah Palin - Thanks But No Thanks!: Sarah Palin Toxic Waste Dumped Billions of Gallons

2008-12-03T14:58:00.001-09:00

Sarah Palin - Thanks But No Thanks!: Sarah Palin Toxic Waste Dumped Billions of Gallons

Bad Sarah: The Spend Hard, Spend Big "Fiscal Conservative"

2008-12-03T13:41:00.005-09:00

Here is a bit of history to back up some of the information presented in an earlier post on Bad Sarah's ineptitude as the Mayor of Wasillia. She paints herself as a financial conservative, a public official who spends thriftily and works to "root out corruption." BS Palin's rhetoric is so thinly stretched over outright lies that it only takes a hobbyist blogger like me a couple of minutes online to find out the facts. Presented as part of the case that BS Palin is not fit for public office, here are some details about her spending as Mayor of a tiny town - even 8 years later, the town is struggling to pay off the debts she incurred. I'm sure the town will join me in saying, Bad Sarah! (article below was posted during the 2008 election on wonkroom.thinkprogress.org, click the title "Bad Sarah, the Spend Hard...etc" above to go there or click any of the underlines below for further detailed information.)

As Mayor, ‘Hard-Core Fiscal Conservative’ Sarah Palin Left Wasilla awash in $20 Million In Debt»

The campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is presenting his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), as a reformer, fiscal conservative, and “tough minded budget cutter.” Other conservatives have latched onto this image - Phyllis Schlafly calls Palin “the total package” with “fiscal conservative credentials.”

Palin embraces the title, labeling herself a “hard-core fiscal conservative,” whose “agenda was to sto p wasteful spending. However, as mayor of Wasilla, AK, Palin “was not always the fiscal watchdog she has since boasted of being.”

During her term in office, Palin cut property taxes and other small taxes on business. But as the Anchorage Daily News points out, “She wasn’t doing this by shrinking government.” During her tenure, the budget of Wasilla (population 5,469 in 2000) “apart from capital projects and debt, rose from $3.9 million in fiscal 1996 to $5.8 million.”

Palin also successfully pushed through a sales tax increase in Wasilla, which went to fund a $15 million sports complex. However, a land dispute over the sight of the complex led to “yea

rs of legal wrangling” and cost Wasilla almost $1.7 million, “a lot more than the roughly $125,000 the city would have paid in 1998 if it had closed a deal to buy the property outright.” Wasilla is still facing budget shortfalls from the case today.

When Palin left office in 2002, Wasilla had “racked up nearly $20 million in long term debt,” or roughly $3,000 of debt per resident.

Hey Doll Face, Who Loves Ya? - Sexism and The Palin Mystique

2008-12-01T12:56:00.022-09:00

This post is in response to the current kerfluffle over whether Tina Fey was "mean" and "sexist" when she portrayed Palin during the election, as one TV reporter has charged. Elizabeth Snead's reporting on this and public comments in the LA Times blogosphere can be found by clicking on the title above "Hey Doll Face...etc."

Sarah Palin is a walking, talking, winking joke of a public official. There is no way she would have walked into the bright lights of national politics with her pecadillos, her past and her personality and not been the butt of comedians' humor and late night patter. It comes with the territory, and she practically demands to be spoofed. If not Tina Fey, then another would have done it. Sarah Palin has twice tried to punitively fire people she had power over - and was twice denied. If she ever gets into real power, I would not put it past her to spend a great deal of time and effort trying to get Tina Fey fired somehow - third time is a charm, right?

By the way, it is on record that Tina Fey was at first reluctant to play the part and also not looking to return to Saturday Night Live. She already had a very well established and lucrative career in film and prime time television. This portrayal was successful, but did not "make" Tina Fey's career by any means. It exposed her to a lot more Republicans basically, who probably did not become fans - sour grapes.

Those of you who feel that a doll-like version of Sarah Palin should sail through the political process untouched by satire are in effect, true sexists. Sarah Palin, for all her foibles is by all accounts a confident and radiant person. She has chosen a professional path that is characterized by media scrutiny. Those of you who believe she should get special kid glove treatment in her chosen profession need to re-examine who/what you are supporting. Perhaps you are cheerleading a dream or an idol, rather than a real politician very much involved in the gritty world of real politics.

Sarah Palin is a public official who saddled a small town with millions of dollars of deficit spending which they had not recovered from when she left as Mayor. She is an irresponsible leader whose only public works project - a hockey stadium - was begun on land that was not legally obtained, and was over-budget and mired in legal troubles from the start - another big mess. She is a lady Governor who spun heads with the unprecedented levels of government pork she fed on and she is NOT someone who believes in lean government if you go on her record, not her speeches. Palin is an idealogue who tried (unsuccessfully) to ban books and fire a small town librarian - and the town demanded that the firing be reversed, which it was.

Why does Palin get a free pass as far as answering for these events? I call it "The Palin Mystique". Male politicians don't want to be perceived as beating her up on her record. Also, she can be beaten without having to really go to the mat. Face it folks, Palin really is a lightweight with some incredibly heavy baggage. And I'm not even going to bring up "$150,000PopulistGate" There's too much other important material to cover.

For example, if Palin believes in the tenets of the church she professes to, she believes in teaching young children to fight Muslims through "spiritual warfare". I find this a perversion of spirituality and a disgusting world view. Palin is enough of a politician that she managed to lie her way calmly through her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. But she's still quite an amateur - during the campaign she created so many personal enemies in the McCain camp that the phrase "thrown under a bus" has enjoyed a new renaissance in the English language.

Wake up from the "Sarah Palin My Dollface Leader" dream folks. Please.

Palin Supports a Veteran Basher Again - Bad Sarah!

2008-11-30T19:05:00.027-09:00

Bad Sarah's choice to leave her Alaskan duties behind, where her services surely are needed, to fly to Georgia and campaign hard for Chambliss highlights the raw deal veterans ACTUALLY get from Republican politicians, even as said politicians wrap themselves in the glory of Old Glory and declare themselves real, proud Americans supporting veterans who have fought their wars. Neither Chambliss nor McCain have a record to be proud of when it comes to vets, and veterans were some of the most hard core activists against McCain, which few people seem to have heard about during the last election. First we'll start with Matt Zencey's (Alaska Daily News) well-documented editorial on the Palin/Chambliss love fest, then move onto some info posted on Veteran's sites regarding McCain's dismal record. Red Monster hypocrisy towards the very warriors they use as campaign props manages through these politicians to reach heights that defy gravity and reason, and BS Palin seems to always be right there and ready for the party. (Click on "Palin Supports..etc" for original Zencey post.) UPDATE: The original Zencey post has been taken down, so the link now just goes to the Alaska Daily News. That is why I started this site, because important, factual information seems to disappear faster than the public can become aware of it. Here it is:

Alaska Notebook: Palin's Georgia Pal

Posted by Matt Zencey, editorial page editor November 28, 2008 - 4:38 pm. - This Alaska notebook will appear in Saturday's print edition, on the editorial page.

Gov. Sarah Palin is putting her conservative Republican fame to work in Georgia, stumping for Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who is in a tough runoff for re-election.

I wonder if she knows the true measure of the man she is eagerly helping.

Chambliss was elected to the Senate in 2002 by running one of the most reprehensible campaigns of modern times. He was up against incumbent Democrat Sen. Max Cleland, a Vietnam War veteran who lost both legs and his right arm to a grenade during that conflict.

Chambliss avoided serving in Vietnam. He got four student draft deferments, and when his number finally came up, he was medically disqualified with knee troubles.

In the best Karl Rove fashion, Chambliss the draft-evader attacked Cleland the war hero for being soft on terrorism. Distorting Cleland’s votes about workplace rules for the new Homeland Security Department employees, Chambliss portrayed him as a tool of terrorists like Osama bin Laden.

Here’s how the Almanac of American Politics (2006) described it:
“Chambliss ran an ad, much attacked in the press, showing pictures of Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Max Cleland, and saying that Cleland 'voted against the President’s vital homeland security efforts 11 times.’” (Those “vital homeland security efforts” Cleland opposed were intended to strip homeland security employees of union rights and other workplace protections.)

The man who couldn’t bring himself to serve in the military said a man who left three limbs behind in war was a weakling who would turn the country over to terrorists.

Chambliss was a congressman during the 9-11 attacks. Congressional Quarterly’s “Politics in America 2006” noted that Congressman Chambliss “quipped that one route to security would be for local sheriffs to 'arrest every Muslim that comes across the state line.’” So there you have the fine American that Palin is trying to re-elect to the U.S. Senate.

Gov. Palin’s eldest joined the Army and has been deployed to Iraq. As a justifiably proud military mom, she might ask herself why she is using her conservative star power to support such a reprehensible Republican chicken hawk.
— Matt Zencey

The well researched article below and further mind blowing reading on the subject may be found at the Veterans For Common Sense website: http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/?Page=Article&ID=9559. Veterans saw McCain as the "Real Manchurian Candidate" and were put off by his history of adultery, scandal, gambling and corruption. Oh, and they are pissed about his record on Iraq too ~

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 - Since everyone is at least a bit familiar with John McCain’s record when it comes to strolling through a market in Baghdad with hundreds of his closest guards, or how he wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years (except when he flip flops on that).

But not that many really, truly know just how horrific his voting record is when it comes to the troops. And it is pretty consistent – whether it is for armor and equipment, for veteran’s health care, for adequate troop rest or anything that actually, you know, supports our troops.

This is chock full of links to the roll call votes, and the roll call votes have links to the actual underlying bills and amendments. I present this so that there is support and things that can be rattled off when saying that McCain is not a friend of the military. Feel free to use it as you want, but this can be tied into the "Double Talk Express". But here is a very quick statement - John McCain skipped close to a dozen votes on Iraq, and on at least another 10 occasions, he voted against arming and equipping the troops, providing adequate rest for the troops between deployments and for health care or other benefits for veterans.

In mid 2007, Senator Reid noted that McCain missed 10 of the past 14 votes on Iraq. However, here is a summary of a dozen votes (two that he missed and ten that he voted against) with respect to Iraq, funding for veterans or for troops, including equipment and armor. I have also included other snippets related to the time period when the vote occurred.

September 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments. At the time, nearly 65% of people polled in a CNN poll indicted that "things are going either moderately badly or very badly in Iraq.

July 2007: McCain voted against a plan to drawdown troop levels in Iraq. At the time, an ABC poll found that 63% thought the invasion was not worth it, and a CBS News poll found that 72% of respondents wanted troops out within 2 years.

March 2007: McCain was too busy to vote on a bill that would require the start of a drawdown in troop levels within 120 days with a goal of withdrawing nearly all combat troops within one year. Around this time, an NBC News poll found that 55% of respondents indicated that the US goal of achieving victory in Iraq is not possible. This number has not moved significantly since then.

February 2007: For such a strong supporter of the escalation, McCain didn’t even bother to show up and vote against a resolution condemning it. However, at the time a CNN poll found that only 16% of respondents wanted to send more troops to Iraq (that number has since declined to around 10%), while 60% said that some or all should be withdrawn. This number has since gone up to around 70%.

June 2006: McCain voted against a resolution that Bush start withdrawing troops but with no timeline to do so.

May 2006: McCain voted against an amendment that would provide $20 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care facilities.

April 2006: McCain was one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.

March 2006: McCain voted against increasing Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.

March 2004: McCain once again voted for abusive tax loopholes over veterans when he voted against creating a reserve fund to allow for an increase in Veterans' medical care by $1.8 billion by eliminating abusive tax loopholes. Jeez, McCain really loves those tax loopholes for corporations, since he voted for them over our veterans' needs.

October 2003: McCain voted to table an amendment by Senator Dodd that called for an additional $322,000,000 for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322,000,000.

April 2003: McCain urged other Senate members to table a vote (which never passed) to provide more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq related to a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests.

August 2001: McCain voted against increasing the amount available for medical care for veterans by $650,000,000. To his credit, he also voted against the 2001 Bush tax cuts, which he now supports making permanent, despite the dire financial condition this country is in, and despite the fact that he indicated in 2001 that these tax cuts unfairly benefited the very wealthy at the expense of the middle class.

So there it is. John McCain is yet another republican former military veteran who likes to talk a big game when it comes to having the support of the military. Yet, time and time again, he has gone out of his way to vote against the needs of those who are serving in our military. If he can’t even see his way to actually doing what the troops want, or what the veterans need, and he doesn’t have the support of veterans, then how can he be a credible commander in chief?

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The Red Monster Self-Cannibalizes On Palin

2008-11-30T18:47:00.023-09:00

The "Country of Africa" story and the nasty backstage GOP infighting that spawned it is an embarrassment for the Repubs and the media outlets concerned. Except O'Reilly, who isn't fazed in the least, as it was from one of his legitmate McCain campaign sources, and of course he doesn't really understand embarrassment anyway. The whole ugly episode is a glimpse into the wrecked soul of the malevolent Red Monster ravenous for denied power.

Once again, while the media reports that Palin's ignorance regarding Africa was a media hoax, the same report mentions that Fox reporter Carl Cameron (who broke the story on O'Reilly) did NOT get the same information from the hoaxers. In fact, FOX news reporter Carl Cameron and O'Reilly NEVER RETRACTED THE STORY even when all other media outlets did. This is O'Reilly we are talking about. Under ordinary circumstances he would have ranted for days and weeks about how unfair everybody was to the poor Republican, talked on and on about liberal media bias, etc , etc...

But the truth is there were some sore and angry Republican players after the election was lost, and many of them were especially angry with/at Palin. And O'Reilly was more than happy to broadcast a story that he received from a legitimate source from within the McCain campaign.

Notice the last line in this report from today's Huff Post ~

Filmmakers Behind Fake McCain Adviser Discuss Tricking The Media (VIDEO) Huffington Post | Nicholas Graham | November 30, 2008 12:27 PM

">Dan Mirvish and Eitan Gorlin appeared on CNN's Reliable Sources to discuss how they tricked the media by creating a fake McCain adviser named Martin Eisenstadt. The duo were able to fool such reputable news organizations as The New York Times, The New Republic, and, most famously, MSNBC, whose anchor David Schuster reported live on air that Martin Eisenstadt had been identified as the McCain adviser who leaked that Sarah Palin was unaware Africa is a continent. Schuster quickly retracted the report. (Fox News' Carl Cameron was the first to report on the Palin-Africa story, and he has said that his source was not the phony Eisenstadt.)

FOX not retract or vilify a story that insults a top Republican candidate and party member?

A logical conclusion to draw is that subsequently calling this damaging story a "hoax" was a carefully planned cover up - ordered at the highest ranks because the whole fracas made the party look really really bad - "Fix it!" somebody yelled (Rove, Cheney?) and somebody had to figure out how. Check out today's Doonesbury and you'll see the strip talking about being "thrown under the bus" if you are in the position that Palin was in - a political surrogate who gaffed, bucked the handlers and went "rogue".

End Result: Either it was true that Palin was this ignorant, and one of Palin's handlers loathed her so much they leaked it to reliable crony O'Reilly (I tend towards this view), or someone inside McCain's camp (handler, McCain himself) loathed her so much that they leaked it to destroy/insult Palin and take some type of revenge on her. Perhaps it was done to show her that if she didn't toe the line, she could be "unmade" as quickly as she was "made." Either way, the leak DID happen and the "hoax" is a hoax.

Some people might say who cares about this latest chapter in "The Palin Reality Show," but I think it has importance. First of all it is actually possible to believe that the Republican's 2008 VP candidate could be that uneducated - this is a permanent stain on the face of the GOP. For that fact alone, the story is important. Secondly, it illustrates the unprecedented level of internal dissension in the party, and third it is a textbook example of the kind of despicable politics they toss off like lawn tennis.

It's as though the Red Monster suddenly ran out of it's usual prey post-election, and turned on itself to feed.

nailinpalinnow

NPN Palin Resources and Links

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Ethics complaint filed against Palin aides

UPDATE: "Country of Africa" story is confirmed NO HOAX by McCain Insider

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Palin astounded a staffer by saying, "I'm the Mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't."

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Sarah Palin blamed by the US Secret Service over death threats against Barack Obama

Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign.

Blagojevich and Palin - Birds of A Feather?

Palin Mired In Girlie Issues

Bad Sarah! BS Palin's $30,000 "Diet Dr. Pepper"

Sarah Palin - Thanks But No Thanks!: Sarah Palin Toxic Waste Dumped Billions of Gallons

Bad Sarah: The Spend Hard, Spend Big "Fiscal Conservative"

Hey Doll Face, Who Loves Ya? - Sexism and The Palin Mystique

Palin Supports a Veteran Basher Again - Bad Sarah!

Alaska Notebook: Palin's Georgia PalPosted by Matt Zencey, editorial page editor November 28, 2008 - 4:38 pm. - This Alaska notebook will appear in Saturday's print edition, on the editorial page.

The Red Monster Self-Cannibalizes On Palin

Texas evangelicals helped effort to stop Palin 'troopergate' probe
By Sean Cockerham

Alaska Notebook: Palin's Georgia Pal

Posted by Matt Zencey, editorial page editor November 28, 2008 - 4:38 pm. - This Alaska notebook will appear in Saturday's print edition, on the editorial page.