A little reminder for those who think that Sarah Palin is fit to run the VA. This is how badly she screwed up health programs here in Alaska.

(I had almost forgotten this so thank you to all of you who reminded me.)

Right after Palin quit as Governor, a story broke over at ADN (Now removed) which revealed that she had seriously neglected a program to help elderly Alaskans so badly that it had to be taken over by the Federal Government.

Here is the post I wrote about it back in July 2009: 

State programs intended to help disabled and elderly Alaskans with daily life -- taking a bath, eating dinner, getting to the bathroom -- are so poorly managed, the state cannot assure the health and well-being of the people they are supposed to serve, a new federal review found. 

The situation is so bad the federal government has forbidden the state to sign up new people until the state makes necessary improvements. 

No other state in the nation is under such a moratorium, according to a spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

In the meantime, frail and vulnerable Alaskans who desperately need the help are struggling. One elderly woman is stuck in a nursing home, for lack of care at home. Another woman, suffering from chronic pain and fatigue, said she's so weak, she often can't even pop dinner into the microwave. 

A particularly alarming finding concerns deaths of adults in the programs. In one 2 1/2 year stretch, 227 adults already getting services died while waiting for a nurse to reassess their needs. Another 27 died waiting for their initial assessment, to see if they qualified for help.

When the Feds took it over they managed to fix it right away, but of course not in time to save those 200+ lives.

So if Sarah Palin cannot even manage to run a small program to help the elderly in a sparsely populated state like Alaska, how could she possibly be able to run the whole VA?

(For those who are interested here is Mudflats take on that story, and Shannyn Moore talking to Keith Olbermann about it.)

While we are on the topic of veteran soldiers it should also be noted that when Palin was governor a soldier named Jeremy Morlock wrote her a letter, which she ignored completely: 

Web mail from: Mr. Jeremy Morlock 
address: 2 bn 1st inf reg bct Ft. Lewis WA 98433 
706-662-7266 

MESSAGE: Mrs. Sarah Palin rnrnSarah I wish I knew of a better way of getting in contact with you and I know your busy having a whole state to run but, I was writing because I had a question to ask. I guess I'll start off by letting you know where im at with things, being in the Army as an lower enslisted man its hard to get things done, I've been looking in to a regulation we have called a 'compassionate reassignment (AR 614-100).' It stipulates under certian circumstances a soldier can request to move duty stations to help care for family in need . I know you have known my family for some time and I think of you all as friends and you know my mother is now taking care of all the girls by herself while trying to keep a job. I'm not asking for pity for my family or myself, I'm just asking if there is anything you could do to help me with my process of getting home to Alaska to help. My direct chain of comand (team, squad leader) have been trying there best to help with out causeing! problems for them selves but, the fact is that my Unit is not really supporting me and trying to coax me to stay. I appreciate your time in reading this and any help you can offer.rnrn sincerely,rnPFC Morlock, Jeremyrn2/1 INF 5 SBCT

Later Morlock would plead guilty to killing innocent Afghan citizens for sport and posing next to their dead bodies.

They even made a documentary about it.

Could Sarah Palin have prevented this tragedy by personally responding to that letter? A letter that came to her from one of her children's friends?

We'll never know, because she did nothing.

The same nothing that she did to protect those 200+ elderly Alaskans.

And the same nothing she will do if she is appointed Secretary of the VA. 

Things that you cannot get put in jail for in Alaska, exploding 300 lbs of explosives that do $15,000 of damage. Really? Even if you are named during the trial of a domestic terrorist?

I know that many of you read about that huge explosion near Riverbanks that happened earlier this month, because I received the link about a dozen times.

I am sure that you would naturally assume that causing such a monster explosion and doing so muhc damage would result in a conviction for SOMETHING. But you my friend would be oh so wrong.

Courtesy of Newsminer:  

The criminal case has been dismissed against a Fairbanks man who was accused of setting off a destructive explosion last month in the Chena Ridge neighborhood. 

Following the explosion, Fairbanks chiropractor and business owner Guy “Chris” Mannino was charged with felony criminal mischief, the crime of recklessly putting the property of others at risk. 

Neighbors said shockwaves from the blast, which was heard as far away as North Pole, did at least $15,000 in damage to windows and other property. 

Alaska State Troopers said there was evidence Mannino detonated the blast and recommended a felony charge under the theory that blowing up more than 300 pounds of explosives put more than $100,000 in property at risk. 

A Fairbanks grand jury disagreed last week. Asked to indict Mannino to continue the prosecution, the grand jury returned a “no true bill” instead of an indictment. 

“The grand jury, after careful deliberation, decided that Mr. Mannino’s conduct was not criminal in nature,” Fairbanks District attorney Michael Gray said by e-mail. 

Because the grand jury failed to indict, the state cannot again pursue the case unless new evidence emerges. In some cases the state can pursue misdemeanor charges if the grand jury does not indict, but in this case the misdemeanor version of criminal mischief corresponds with the crime of intentionally damaging up to $500 worth of property, not Mannino’s alleged reckless conduct.

Now look I live in Alaska, and I know that there are a lot of things you can get away with up here that would have your ass in jail for years down in the lower 48. You know like firing your weapon into the air at night, driving your snowmachine down the middle of the road, raping a reindeer, you know things like that.

However you might assume that setting off an explosion that does $15,000 worth of damage and puts $100,000 worth of property at risk, would get you SOME time in jail. Right?

So I thought to myself who does this Guy Mannino fellow know? And why is his name vaguely familiar?

And I found that answer in a transcript of the Schaeffer Cox trial put together by our friend Jeanne Devon over at the Mudflats. This is from a portion of an FBI surveillance tape that was played in court, of a conversation between FBI informant Bill Fulton, defendant Lonnie Vernon, and the other FBI informant JR Olson:  

The next snippet of conversation talks about grenades and fuses, C4 explosive, and silencers, which are also called ‘supressors.’ This conversation takes place the night after the convention. 

 FULTON: That whole — that’s what I’m saying, but you also want good ones… They have to be brand new but off the books. I know a couple of gun shops in the area. That’s not a problem. 

VERNON: Really, no kidding? 

OLSON: That’s all I want to know. 

FULTON: That’s prepay, and you’re going to wait six months for it. 

VERNON: Really, no kidding? 

FULTON: Yeah. because they’re going to want cash, and in order to make it clean it’s got to get lost… It’s not like they can just order one up. 

VERNON: You can’t grind the numbers, weld over it and that kind of stuff? 

FULTON: No, no, no, no, because each one of those is accountable. 

VERNON: Oh, I gotcha. 

FULTON: You see what I’m saying? So, let’s say that I go to him and I give him a thousand dollars, okay? It’s going to take a while for him to order the piece to begin with, because it’s not like anybody stocks them. Order it, get it shipped, do the paperwork, get it lost, and then get it to me, yeah. 

VERNON: I was going to ask you, you don’t deal with an Mannino, do you? 

FULTON: Who’s Mannino? No. 

VERNON: Okay. 

FULTON: Who is he? 

OLSON: He’s a dealer. 

VERNON: No, no, no, no, no, no. He’s a tour president and everybody — he’s in the ‘dot gov’ thing. He is a worm … 

FULTON: Okay, who is this asshole? (…) 

OLSON: He’s a chiropractor. 

VERNON: He’s the one that — he’s a meddler. 

OLSON: He’s got class three. 

VERNON: Oh, yeah, he’s got — he’s got explosives and everything. But, if you try to buy… 

OLSON: Don’t deal with him. 

VERNON: If you try to buy something from him, all of a sudden you make the list, on his list, and all of his buddies are the cops, FBI, everything. He is such a smartass. 

Here is what Jeanne wrote about the guy they were talking about: 

The twerpish, wormy, meddling, smartass, chiropractic asshole turns out to be a Dr. G. Chris Mannino from Fairbanks – a chiropractor who also happens to be a Class 3 gun dealer. If he is the same G. Chris Mannino that has (or had) a business called Arms & Equipment, and was listed as a Class 3 dealer in Fairbanks.

Okay so now do you get it?

Perhaps if you are a regular Joe Blow in Alaska, and you blow a giant hole in the state, you might go to jail. But if you are a gun dealing chiropractor, with ties to certain militia members, and lots of cop buddies, well....

Things that make you go, hmmm.

Mudflats digs deep in Bill Fulton interview.

Bill was very impressed with Jeanne Devon's reporting during the Schaeffer Cox trial, and in response reached out to her to see if she would be interested in an interview.

She was.

That interview can be found here.

I think one of my favorite parts is this explanation of the part he played in radio shock jock Eddie Burkes' run for office:  

And I like Eddie. I don’t believe everything that he believes, but I kind of like Eddie. He’s a big, gruff, kind of rude guy, a Navy vet with lots of good stories. And I kind of used him as my… what do actors use to get ready for their roles? He was my case study. Eddie Burke was good for business at the shop, and he was deeply embedded with the fringe right wing, which you know. And if one is playing in the world of the fringe right wing, there’s nothing better than helping their poster boy run for public office.

 Of course my interactions with Burke were far more adversarial as he was an aggressive Palin defender who did everything he could think of to destroy my credibility after the Splitsville story broke nationally. The things he did on behalf of Sarah Palin, to a number of people, were some of the ugliest things I have ever seen.

Just another example of the things that Bill I have agreed to disagree about.

Of course there is much more to Jeanne's post. so I urge to take the time to read it.

Let's start the day with a VERY important post from my friend Linda Kellen Biegel concerning the attack on public education in Alaska.

Alaska school districts.

Courtesy of Mudflats:

For over a year now, I’ve watched how the anti-public school drama has played out in Alaska on multiple fronts. From the Municipality of Anchorage to the Legislature to the Governor’s Office to outside organizations, the forces at work are performing a complex dance in multiple venues…a dance that is impossible to follow unless one is a complete research nerd (and then, only tenuously). I’ve wanted to write about it all in that context…I’ve started a number of posts. However, I haven’t been able to figure out how to present it. 

I started writing a list, like an outline… …and realized that was the best way to start. 

This is a very complex, and time intensive post which I urge EVERYBODY in Alaska, and those whose public education in their state is under attack by the conservatives, to read.

I had started a post on this myself about a week ago but found myself buried under the research materials, and hindered by time constraints, so I am deeply grateful to Linda for doing the heavy lifting.

Please click the link at top to read the entire post.

A Pugnacious Potpourri of Palin Presentations.

First up we have more tidbits from Jeanne Devon and Ken Morris, co-authors of the book "Blind Allegiance."

Courtesy of Mudflats:  

In writing Blind Allegiance—and even more so after listening to those who reflected on her non-political life—we struggled to understand Sarah’s lack of New Testament virtues including charity, forgiveness, and compassion. The born-again bona fides she swore were at the core of her spiritual life seemed hollow and without substance. Despite Sarah’s pleas to staff and followers to shield her with prayer when she believed evildoers were seeking to do her harm, Frank Bailey suspected that she had a different approach to faith than the one he’d embraced growing up on Kodiak Island. 

For us as authors who read over 50,000 emails and spent two years researching Sarah’s campaign and governorship, we developed more than a suspicion. The only Biblical message that seemed to resonated for the half-governor was from the Old Testament, and Sarah seemed a revisionist at that – rewriting the familiar verse from Exodus as Two eyes for an eye. Our subsequent interviews with those who knew her well confirmed and extended these observations. Blind Allegiance, we were authoritatively told, was, if anything, understated, and the devout images projected publicly were nothing more than a sham. 

One friend of the Palins commented, “I cannot ever remember a religious moment in the house. Ever. I can’t remember hearing a prayer. Ever. Todd rarely would get up and go to church with Sarah. When they did decide to go to church, it was a screaming match. ‘We’ve got to go now!’ Sarah would scream. ‘Get your asses in the car!’ The girls would roll out of bed, no breakfast, hair all messed up. Seemed that there was a lot of swearing.” Mad and stressed out, “Sarah often yelled at her family . . . the kids kind of learned to ignore it because it happened so much.”

Pictures of Sarah and family attending a church service to appear in 3..2..1

For those of us who have been covering Palin lo these many years, this information is quite will known.

Essentially Sister Sarah talked the talk but rarely, if ever, walked the walk.  For her God was a kind of cosmic Santa Claus whose job was to give HER what she wanted. However she was not one to consider herself a servant to ANYONE.  Not even the creator of the universe.

Palin did resort to prayers in times of great difficultly, or intense stress, but once again it was to ASK for something that she needed but NEVER to give thanks for what she already had.

There is more over at Mudflats so click the link to read the rest.

Now let's visit the world of Garry Trudeau to see what he, as one of only three people to read an advance copy of "Going Rogue," has to reveal about Joe's book.

(To read more Doonesbury strips click here to visit Go Comics.)

By the way according to Joe he has NO editorial control over the Doonesbury strips, nor contractual agreement with Trudeau. So for what it is worth he cannot be held accountable for how he, Fox News, or Sarah Palin are portrayed in the comics.

This is what Andrew Sullivan had to say today about the book:

One tiny nugget. Joe McGinniss sent advance copies of his devastating book on Sarah Palin, "The Rogue," to three people: me, Garry Trudeau and Rosanne Cash. Make of that what you will; but that book is unputdownable.

Update: Sullivan also had this to say:

One of the fascinating aspects of the coming Rogue whirlwind will be how the MSM handles it. Can they handle the Palinista blowback? Are they so afraid of being called "liberal"? Will they even note the existence of Chapter 19? 

I am still waiting for my advance copy to arrive so I cannot say with authority that it is "unputdownable," but I have every confidence that it will be a very good book that, despite the unfortunate drama surrounding it, will please many people who have been waiting patiently (Or for some impatiently) for more truth about Snowdrift Snooki revealed to the public at large. As for Chapter 19, I am pretty sure I know exactly what is contained in THAT chapter!

For those who like their information delivered in a more visual medium, there is this great interview from CBC News with Nick Broomfield, that may whet your appetite further in anticipation of his documentary "Sarah Palin: You Betcha!"

I have long said that this fall would be very satisfying for those of us following the saga of Sarah Palin, and I think that so far I have been proven correct. And of course as we know there is still MORE yet to come.

Update: Speaking of pugnacious presentations about Sarah Palin, what do we make of this rather interesting article from the Storm Lake Tribune?

Brenda McVinua was among the Storm Lakers Palin chatted with after the race. McVinua was working as a volunteer in the "chute" near the finish line, and was impressed with the former vice-presidential candidate's form. 

"She wasn't even breathing hard. You could tell she's an athlete. If you didn't know better you would have thought she'd just run around the block once or twice." She reportedly said, "Boy, that was fun," as she crossed the line. 

Really? Ms. McVinau said "She wasn't even breathing hard. If you didn't know any better you would have thought she'd only run around the block once or twice?"

This is a woman who has not run competitively since 2005 and she "wasn't even breathing hard?"Puh-lease!

I know people get really pissed at me for pursuing this story but seriously, who in their right mind believes THIS fairytale?

Mudflats is a MUST read today. Update: Palin QUITS Iowa speech!

If you have not been there yet, I suggest that you do not delay as it has confirmation of many of the stories about the Palins that we have been hearing for a long time. (Just click here to visit.)

They do not say anything too revelatory about babygate (If Frank actually knows the truth, as has been suggested, then it appears he did not share it, or swore Jeanne and Ken to secrecy), but it does suggest what others in her inner circle thought might be the reason she was so tiny throughout her pregnancy.

The claim that Sarah was never actually pregnant with her special needs child Trig—a widely circulated rumor that became known as “Babygate”—was partially based on Sarah shocking the world by announcing her pregnancy at seven months. Prior to that, nobody had suspected a thing. The revelation was even a surprise to staff, Frank Bailey, and the media. Even State Senator (and, according to Sarah and staff an evil-doer) Lyda Greene incredulously said, “It’s wonderful. She’s very well disguised. When I was five months pregnant, there was absolutely no question that I was with child.” 

How did Sarah manage to hide that pregnancy for so long? That question seemed to defy explanation to all except a small number of personal insiders who expressed alarming speculation. During her pregnancy with Piper (and it was suggested later with Trig), Todd asked a friend whom he thought knew about such matters, “As unhealthy as her eating is, what can those diet pills do to the baby?” 

The friend explained to him, “I’m not sure, but I’d be concerned about having a failure-to-thrive child.” (Failure to thrive is where there is a significant interruption in the expected growth rate during early childhood and can result from malnutrition). Was Sarah so vain as to try and hide her pregnancy and prolong her petite, almost perfect figure through drastic means? It’s a proposition that shocked everyone, including, reportedly, her husband.

This might have been something that was discussed by people with no understanding of pregnancy but as many of you can probably already surmise for yourselves, the diet pills might help to keep most of a soon-to-be-mother's body slim, the baby is still growing inside of her, and it would in fact look even MORE pronounced against an emaciated frame.

And as you can see from these two pictures taken on March 26, 2008, Palin did NOT appear nearly as skinny as we see her today, nor does she appear pregnant. She might have been taking diet pills at this time, but it in NO WAY explains the oddness of the square pillow in her belly.

Nor does it explain how she ballooned up to to her April 13 size in just a few weeks.

However we were to desperately cling to that explanation instead of admitting the truth that should be obvious to everybody who saw her then you would have expected  Trig to have been equally as emaciated when he emerged from his starvation period in the womb, and as you can see by pictures of the child presented as Trig by the Heaths on the day of his "birth" such was not the case.

Like I said, binging and purging, and pounding down diet pills does not adequately explain this bizarre "pregnancy."

I don't know why this is still being trotted out as a possible excuse by people who I am relatively certain do not buy into it, but I think most people, who are NOT trying to protect Palin's birth mythology, are well aware of what the overwhelming evidence demonstrates.

Having said that I still suggest that you head on over to the Mudflats and read the article as it is chock full of information about Todd and Sarah's battles, Sarah's lack of parenting skills, and her crazy mood swings.

Update: Okay I have no reason to think this is related to the Mudflats post, but Palin just quit her September 3, Iowa speech. Courtesy of Politico:

Sarah Palin canceled her Saturday appearance at a tea party rally in Indianola, Iowa, a person close the former Alaska governor told The Wall Street Journal. 

The person cited “continual lying” from event organizers at Tea Party of America, including a recent mixup over whether former U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell of Delaware would also speak. 

Okay Sarah Palin quit because of "lying?" Ouch! The irony makes my head hurt!

Please, we all know she quit because the organizers had the audacity to schedule Christine O'Donnell on the same day. Palin lives by the law of the Highlander, "There can be only one!"

Of course on the plus side, there is DEFINITELY an opening for Christine O'Donnell to give a speech, and this time she does no have to worry about being tripped by that nasty old bitch as she walks off stage.

Update 2: Apparently the Teabaggers themselves have NOT been informed that her highness may not be coming. My somewhat educated guess is that SHE does not want to go, but that her "people" are flipping out that she might cancel yet again.

I am interested in how this all plays out, because it sounds to me like Palin might be having one of her manic episodes.

What do you think?  Will she show up, or not?

In case Mudflats is down, and you can't gain access, here is the last post.

Jeanne said that she is having trouble with Mudflats, as it keeps getting shut down from too much traffic, so she asked me to post this on IM for her:

Say it Ain't So, Joe! Co-Author of Leaked Palin Book Speaks Out


Mudflats Friends:

When I first appeared on Jeanne’s groundbreaking pages well over one year ago, I wrote about participating in the eBay auction to buy a meal with Sarah Palin to benefit a worthy veterans’ charity. A short time later, after losing that auction to what looked like a rigged bid, I then offered through Mudflats an additional $200,000 for that same charity if Sarah would answer civil question over a second meal, on the record, with the likes of Jeanne, Rachel Maddow, Shannyn Moore, and Keith Olbermann.

While I waited in vain for an answer from your ex-governor, I managed to contact Frank Bailey and his wonderful wife Neen. Over fourteen months ago, after substantive dialogue, we decided to pursue a memoir. Two months later, I realized I needed Jeanne Devon to help me navigate the million details of Alaskan politics and personalities. I invited (actually, demanded) she join the team. Frank balked at first. After all, he's conservative and she's a liberal blogger. I insisted they meet or I'd walk away from the project. Well, no surprise, he embraced her inclusion after only a second cup of coffee.

For over a year—that’s right, friends, over a year—we worked in silence. We spent countless hours (on my end, upwards of 70 hours per week) constructing what we believed was an important book, based on documented truth. Within the last month, we finished a marketable draft. Not a final draft--we anticipate changes, both additions and deletions--but something that our agent believed would result in substantial interest in the publishing world. You can imagine our joy.

Then the manuscript was sent out, illegally, to the media. Why? Good question (Jeanne and I have discussed writing-up this disturbing story-behind-the-story with its ethics be damned. New Yorker, are you interested? Rolling Stone?).

With permission from my legal team, Jeanne and I decided to post what is known as a Cease and Desist order. And while there are many other unnamed parties who have engaged in unethical behavior and violated copyright law (you should be ashamed of yourselves), this is the most shocking.

What is written below includes only part of what we sent to this now-officially-named individual, but is, I believe, self-explanatory (a similar letter is going out to those we have identified as also unlawfully reproducing portions of our work). I guess you can say we are not rolling over, and for those who ignore law and morality, we are not going away:

BONFANTE STEINBECK, A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION
February 20, 2011
SENDER INFORMATION:
Ken Morris, Frank Bailey and Jeanne Devon

RECIPIENT INFORMATION:
Joe McGinniss

RE: COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
Dear Sir:
I write on behalf of Ken Morris, Frank Bailey and Jeanne Devon (collectively, the “Copyright
Owners”). The Copyright Owners are co-owners of the copyright in the unpublished manuscript
entitled “Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years” (the “Work”).
Between February 16, 2011 and February 18, 2011 you were the recipient of an unlawfully
distributed version of the Work. Although you knew that the Work was (i) distributed to you in
strict confidence, and (ii) an unpublished manuscript, you choose to unlawfully distribute the
Work to multiple news outlets, bloggers, political activists, and any one else you felt might be
interested.

As a result of your actions, hundreds of articles and blogs have been published detailing the
Work. Some of the publications have summarized the Work in great detail, and others have
reproduced the Work’s content verbatim. As an author, you are well aware that your actions have
significantly impaired the Copyright Owners ability to market the book....

...The Copyright Owners believe your actions were done with the single intent of destroying the
marketability of the Work. It is no secret that you are writing your own “tell-all” book about
Sarah Palin. By releasing the Work prior to publication, you have limited the actual interest in
the Work and thereby salvaged the marketability of your own book. This matter appears to be no
more than that of a jealous author sabotaging a competitor via unlawful and unscrupulous means.

The Copyright Owners are currently reviewing their legal options and I can assure this is not the
last time you will hear from them. Besides showing an utter lack of professionalism, you have,
at a minimum, willfully caused significant damages by engaging in unfair competition and
violations of copyright law. In order to minimize the damages caused by your actions, the
Copyright Owners hereby demand that you cease and desist from distributing any portion of the
Work. Additionally, the Copyright Owners demand that you provide a full list of the parties to
whom you distributed the Work.

This letter is not intended as, and may not be construed to be, a complete recitation of the facts or
circumstances connected with this matter. Furthermore, any statement contained in this letter is
not intended as, and may not be construed to be, a waiver or relinquishment of any of the
Copyright Owners’ rights or remedies under law, all of which the Copyright Owners hereby
expressly reserve.

Please feel free to contact me to discuss this matter further.
Sincerely,
Dean M. Steinbeck

(I am always ready to help my friends so I am fine with posting this here. However I will keep my opinion of this situation, and who is or is not to blame, to myself for the time being.  You all are free to discuss it in the comments section of course, but don't bother asking me for a response.  Thanks for your understanding.)

So guess who is going to see Rachel Maddow tonight?

Photo borrowed from Mudflats

Yep, I am one of the lucky few to get a ticket to the big show tonight, and I have to admit I am pretty jazzed.

As most of you are no doubt aware I have been HUGE fan of Maddow's since I first saw her making appearances on MSNBC.

And why wouldn't I be? She is BRILLIANT, and has the best research staff on the planet!

Anyhow when you watch the show tonight, and hear a voice saying "I can't believe I am here!  I am so excited!  Did she just look at me? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" THAT is not me.  I am sooo MUCH cooler than that.

I will try to get pictures and post them tomorrow, but I make no promises.  I suck as a photographer and they will probably all be of my thumb, or out of focus, or of the inside of my jacket pocket.  But I will try.

Oh and while we are on the subject of television shows I guess you might all be interested to know that the BBC were here at my house yesterday to interview me. The piece was about Sarah Palin and the midterm elections and, according to the producer, will be broadcast this Friday night on BBC World News America.

I am not sure how I did (I hate being on television!), but you can all judge for yourselves this Friday if you are fortunate enough get the BBC on your telly. 

It will be online as well and they are sending me a link.  However I will be in Washington and I am not sure if I will have the time to post it. Or, if after I see the interview, I will even want to post it.

Anyhow stay tuned because this is going to be a busy week, and I am sure to get into trouble at least a few times before the weekend.  You know how I am.

The scummy bastard who leaked the e-mails between Todd Palin and Joe Miller has finally been revealed! It was some Teabagger by the name of Joe Miller! Wait, what?

From Politico:

On Sept. 19, Todd Palin angrily e-mailed Miller and SarahPAC Treasurer Tim Crawford, berating the Senate hopeful for his comments on a cable news program about Sarah Palin’s qualifications to run for president. He instructed Crawford not to release any more letters in support of Miller.

A frustrated Miller intended to forward that message on to four of his advisers on Sept. 22, remarking “This is what we’re dealing with … Holy cow.”

But one of the recipients’ e-mail addresses was slightly incorrect: Miller accidently forwarded Todd Palin’s message to an address ending with “@joemiller.com” instead of his own “@joemiller.us” domain.

After the e-mails were posted Tuesday to The Mudflats blog, conjecture swirled over who might have leaked the private communication between Miller and the Palin camp. But the Senate candidate released a statement Wednesday declaring the messages were “picked up by an owner of a similar domain name, unconnected with the Miller campaign, and then apparently leaked by that owner to the media.”

ROFL!!!!  Hang on a second, it is very hard to type while doubled over laughing and wiping tears from my eyes.

Hoo boy!  Okay, okay I am back together now.

So Yale graduate, and constitutional expert Joe Miller accidentally leaked an e-mail showing him getting his ass chewed by the husband of the woman who single-handedly made him a household name?  And then TODD tried to blame the MEDIA?

What a complete joke this guy and his campaign have turned out to be. Unbelievable!

You know JUST when I thought our Alaska politics could not look anymore like an episode of the Keystone Kops, this happens.

Alaska PLEASE keep this idiot out of the Senate!  Don't we have enough problems?

Todd Palin responds to leaked e-mails slamming Joe Miller.

From the Weekly Standard:

My family has worked hard in supporting Joe Miller, so when I heard he'd said something less than supportive of my wife's efforts, I responded. But it turns out we'd gotten our wires crossed and Joe hadn't said anything like what I'd been told. So there's no story here except the fact that the press put our personal emails online again, and again couldn't even be bothered to conceal our email addresses or take any steps to protect our privacy.

Okay number one, THAT is a prepared statement.  If you want to see how Todd really communicates just go here:

So here let me see if I can translate that carefully crafted response by somebody on Palin's staff (RAM?) into Todd-speak.

My famly put there ass on the line for Joey, so when I thinked he was dissing the family moneymaker, I got pissed off and try to Palin-ize his worthless ass.  But as it turns out I didnt use my thinker and misudd...mismemeber....couldn't fucking figure it out. So there is nothing to see here lamestream media so move alng before I lose my cool and send YOU a poorly written e-mail too!  The real problem here is that the media once again gave out my PRIVATE e-mail address and I have to get me anudder one. And I just fucking memoralized that one!  Besides it has sentimental value becuz Sarah made it up for me and said that TOAD was a more sophis...sofistful....uh...fucking cooler version of TODD.

Update: Sarah took to Twitter to weigh in as well.

There's no "there, there" but the lamestream media will keep on tryin'. See: http://is.gd/fOc4X
about 5 hours ago via web

Hold on a minute.  That is a tweet "from the web."  That brings into doubt that Sarah was the author, since she is a Blackberry girl all the way. This could mean that Sarah is still much too pissed off to respond.

Speaking of too pissed off to respond, has anybody heard from Joe Miller?

One Homer resident's brush with Sarah Palin leads to a confrontation and a trampling of her first amendment rights.

From Mudflats:

Risking accusations of being all “Wee-Wee’d Up“, one Homer woman made a sign in her shed. She then took the 30 foot by 3 foot banner out to the boat harbor. It said “WORST GOVERNOR EVER“. Kathleen Gustafson is a teacher married to a local commercial fisherman. She felt like Sarah Palin had let the state down by becoming a dollar-chasing celebrity and ignoring the oath of office she’d sworn on a Bible.

Kathleen was motivated by the fact Palin was using the very place where her family makes a living to fortify the Palin personality cult-pretending to do the very thing they worked so hard to sustain. Initially, Kathleen just wanted to waste a little of the camera crew’s time, since Palin wasted so much of her time purporting to represent Alaska’s interests.

She didn’t imagine Palin would be so easy to draw out.

For anybody who wants to get a glimpse of the REAL Sarah Palin, Shannyn Moore's post, and the accompanying video, are a must see!

(By the way Bristol is also in the video, and though she is wearing a jacket, it appears that the rumors about her pregnancy may turn out to be just that, rumors.)

Update:  It appears that a local reporter was also left singed by his brush with Palin and her minions.

Update 2: Okay I watched that video a couple of more times, and now I am not at all sure that was Bristol in the red jacket.  That may very well have been Willow.  Sometimes those two girls look SO much alike. (Okay that is DEFINITELY Willow.  I slowed the video down and when she looks directly at the camera there is no doubt.  Sorry for the confusion, when I was first tipped off that this video existed the tipper had already identified the girl as Bristol, and I guess I did not have my early morning eyes focused well enough to notice the mistake.)

Shannyn Moore also has something to say about Palin's snotty condemnation of President Obama via Facebook

As posted on Mudflats:

While Palin was governor, the largest onshore spill in Alaska history (210,000 gallons) went undetected for at least five days. Three BP gas and oil pipelines on Alaska’s North Slope clogged or ruptured between September 2008 and November 2009. All while Palin was preoccupied with shopping, campaigning, race baiting and getting a book deal. BP had another spill in December 2009 when a pipeline, while being inspected, broke from its well housing. Six acres of Alaskan tundra was contaminated. The DOJ began an investigation. The Alaska Attorney General, Talis Colberg, was too busy advising Todd Palin and other Palin aids to ignore subpoenas to notice.

Shannyn brings up many facts about Palin's tenure as our half term governor that I had actually forgotten and shoves them right back into her face....book, so I urge ALL of you to head on over to Mudflats and give it a read.  It also fills in a lot of blanks that I did not touch upon with my post yesterday and goes even further in defining the amazing depths of Sarah Palin's hypocrisy.

Update:  As many of you have already noticed Mudflats is struggling under an onslaught of adoration and has been difficult to access this morning.  However the post that I linked to, written by Shannyn Moore, is also up at Huffington Post, so for the time being perhaps we should all head over there to read it and give the Flats time to recover.

Sarah Palin defends Franklin Graham and his right to call Islam "a very evil and wicked religion".

In case you have not heard Franklin Graham, Reverend Billy's less oratorically gifted son, was disinvited to the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer service.  The reason why is that after 9-11 Graham, like a lot of evangelical bible thumpers, attacked Islam calling it "a very evil and wicked religion".

"It wasn't Methodists flying into those buildings, and it wasn't Lutherans. It was an attack on this country by people of the Islamic faith."

Now keeping a man who attacked an entire religion away from a multi-denominational, religiously tolerant  prayer service might seem like a no-brainer. 

So cue the no-brainer defender of Franklin Graham, Sarah Palin. (From her Facebook account, of course.)

My, have things changed. I was honored to have Rev. Franklin Graham speak at my Governor’s Prayer Breakfasts. His good work in Alaska’s Native villages and his charitable efforts all over the world stem from his servant’s heart. In my years of knowing him, I’ve never found his tempered and biblically-based comments to be offensive – in fact his words have been encouraging and full of real hope.

It’s truly a sad day when such a fine patriotic man, whose son is serving on his fourth deployment in Afghanistan to protect our freedom of speech and religion, is dis-invited from speaking at the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer service. His comments in 2001 were aimed at those who are so radical that they would kill innocent people and subjugate women in the name of religion.

Are we really so hyper-politically correct that we can’t abide a Christian minister who expresses his views on matters of faith? What a shame. Yes, things have changed.

- Sarah Palin

My how unusual it is too see one crazed dominionist defending the hateful speech of another crazed dominionist.  But hey, maybe Sarah is right this time, maybe Franklin Graham should NOT be judged by words that he spoke during those very emotional times back in 2001.

Perhaps he has changed his tune and become much less judgemental and much more gracious toward religions that do not share his particular belief system.

From Fox News April 22, 2010.



See?  If the Islamic people will simply accept that Jesus Christ is the son of God and embrace him as their own personal savior Franklin Graham will have no problem with them whatsoever.

The ball is in your court Muslims!

What an idiot.

P.S. Here is Celtic Diva's take on this from over at the Mudfalts.

Please head on over to Mudflats for a very important Call to Arms!

Alaska was taken off guard with the recent Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Corporations now have “freedom of speech” in their campaigns for or against a candidate. Formerly illegal in Alaska, there are no provisions to require disclosure or limits for the new corporate “expressions”. The State limits on private citizen campaign contributions are the same after the Supreme Court ruling. Those limits include the $500 annual limit on individual donations to candidates and a disclosure requirement. Unless legislative action is taken, corporations will have more rights than the citizens of Alaska.

Senator Hollis French introduced Senate Bill 284 in February.
It passed the Senate on April 1, unanimously.

Representative Les Gara introduced an identical bill in the House. HB 409.

With two days left in the session, the bill is stuck in the House Finance Committee.

Just click here to visit Mudflats and get a list of e-mail addresses and phone numbers to contact your Alaska Representatives and encourage them to do the right thing for the people of our fair state.

Thank you for taking the time to address this vitality important subject.

Countdown has a field day with Palin's "God hand" excuse and her spotty memory about who treated her brother's burns.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

These two stories have been catching fire on the inter-tubes all day today.

The Washington Post picks up on the God hand story. As does the New York Daily News.

While Mudflats tries to get to the bottom of the Canadian health care story. A story that is much too juicy for the Huffington Post to ignore.

I was talking to a friend today about the reliability of Sarah Palin to make at least one stupid gaffe a week and how exhausting it must be for the Palin-bots to constantly try to cover for them.

No wonder Meg Stapleton finally ran screaming from the asylum. The only question is what took her so long?

Mudflats wins Best Political Blog of 2009!

Wow! I am so proud of my friend for winning this award TWO YEARS IN A ROW!

That is a very impressive accomplishment and I cannot think of a more deserving blog to have won. (Which I why I voted for her.)

If you click the title you can head on over to the 'flats to give your love to AKM.

I just know she will appreciate your visit.

My evening spent with a room full of Muckrakers.

Last night I got the privilege of witnessing my friend, and fellow Alaskan blogger, Jeanne Devon receive the Muckraker of the year award from the Cook Inlet Keeper's.

Shannyn Moore was the "Mistress of Ceremonies" and the place was packed full of bloggers (Celtic Diva, Phil Munger, and John Aronno of the Alaska Commons were there as well), mudpuppies, local activists, and more than a few luminaries.

Jeanne (AKM) gave a great speech in which she talked about the importance of becoming involved in our community and having our voice heard in whatever way suits us, whether it be blogging, writing letters to the editor, leaving comments on established blogs, or even sending e-mails with information alerting bloggers to a new idea for a post. She also discussed the importance of the new media and reminded us that there are some who are working to silence us, after which she emphasised our concerns over Net Neutrality.

I also had a very interesting conversation with Anne Kilkenny, who did not know who I was at first but became fascinated with the story of my outing this last summer. Surprisingly she told me that she had received NO death threats which I found remarkable considering how many the bloggers have received over the last year or so.

I also congratulated Diane Benson on her wonderful portrayal of Elizabeth Peratrovich, in the amazing documentary "For the Rights of All". Which VERY person in this country should watch. It is an eye opening, and brutally honest look at how the Alaskan natives were treated, and mistreated, by the Americans since the purchase of Alaska from Russia, and how the native people fought to be treated as equals.

Diane also invited me to the Bartlett Club meeting on December 17, where she said she will be making a very special announcement. (Hmm, I wonder if this means what I THINK it means?)

All in all, I had a great time. I ate good food, had wonderful conversations, and watched my very good friend receive an award that she deserves more than anybody. (As you can tell because they named it after her.)

If you want to read AKM's account of the evening, you can do so by taking a hop skip and a jump over to Mudflats.

Update: Here is Phil Munger's account of last night over at Progressive Alaska.

Sarah Palin's Oprah show outtakes.

Oh These are interesting.

Why did Sarah write the book? Because Sarah LOVES writing! And this book was not too darn hard (Having a ghostwriter do most of the work will definitely simplify the process don'tcha know.)

You know what sucked about the 2008 election? Embarrassing her self in the interviews? No. Losing the election? No. Getting her e-mail hacked? DING DING! You my friend are a winner!

How did Sarah break the news of her VP selection to the family? The Oprah Show version. Of course Shannyn Moore points out that there were other versions in the past.

Sarah just loves her some Joe Lieberman! And he gave her the bestest advice ever!

Okay gang I am headed over to Shannyn's for the great Oprah Winfrey/Sarah Palin liveblogapalooza (Is that a word?). Anyhow if you want to know what we have to say just head on over to Mudflats. I will see you there!

AKMuckraker will be on KUDO 1080 at 3:00 Alaska time!

If you are an Alaska resident turn on your radio and listen to the creator of Muflats, the most famous Alaskan blog in the world, discuss politics, Sarah Palin, and whatever else might come up.
You can live stream it here.

KUDO Call-in Line 907-569-1080

More from yesterday's rally to protest the release of a dangerous local police officer facing 13 felony counts for rape.

The rally was smaller than we had hoped, undoubtedly the rain did not help, but it was a feisty and energetic group that showed up in front of the Nesbett Courthouse yesterday afternoon.

Holding up signs and waving at passing motorists the crowd did their level best to let the city know that a potentially dangerous man was being released into their midst.

I stood with AKMuckraker in the drizzle and talked to various women who showed up. One by one they tentatively approached AKM to tell her that they were there because she posted about the rally on Mudflats. By my estimation more than half of the twenty or so people who showed up did so because of AKM's post.

We listened to the women express their shock that the judge had decided on such a low bail for a man who in all probability is a serial rapist, and who used his job as a police officer to stalk and victimize at least six different women in our city.

I was very struck by the fact that the rally consisted of only women, except for myself and one other guy who admitted that his wife had made him come down with her. The idea that this is a women' issue and that men do not need to stand up and protest violence done to members of their community is ridiculous.

It is my opinion that as men we need to show up and demonstrate that we do not condone this type of behavior. If we stay silent we risk being defined by the guy's like this who use their larger size and strength to intimidate and violate those that cannot defend themselves.

I have been in situations where women have looked upon me with unease, not because of me personally, but because of what I represent. I am a man, and I shoulder the weight of all of the violence that men have done to women, whether I like it or not.

It is up to all men to demonstrate that REAL men are gentle and non-threatening. By virtue of our strength we should protect, and never abuse, those who are defenseless.

Everyday there are men in the world hurting others and giving women a reason to fear them. If, as men, we do demonstrate that those are cowards, and not true representations of what it is to be a man, then we have only ourselves to blame if we find women avoiding us or expressing fear at our approach.

Which is why I allowed myself to be talked into giving a short interview to the nice, and very assertive, KTUU reporter. I am not very comfortable on camera, but since there were no other males, I felt I had no choice. You can find me at the 2:20 mark.

By the way here is Mudflat's post about the rally.