Time to straighten out some facts about Splitsville. With assistance from Levi Johnston.

So as most of you know the 2009 post "Splitsville" was one of my biggest and most controversial posts of all time.

It was packed with all sorts of explosive and at that time unknown information about Sarah Palin, her marriage, and her plans for the future.

Unfortunately as it turns out much of it was also bullshit.

As most of you already know my source for the Splitsville story was Tank Jones who I had hired as a private investigator.

There is always a risk going with a single source on a story, but since Jones was both a well respected and licensed private investigator with unfettered access to Levi Johnston, there was literally no reason to question the "facts" that he was sharing with me.

At the time of the post Sarah Palin had essentially disappeared from Twitter and Facebook and people were wondering what was going on behind the scenes.

My post filled in a gap left by her sudden silence.

As time went on I became aware that some of the things that I predicted in the post did not come to pass, and that some of the things that Tank shared with me were never backed up with facts from any other news outlets or even gossip sites.

However until I talked with Levi I was never sure which things were for sure incorrect, and which things were true but never confirmed.

So let's just go through the post and knock them out one by one.

The first one, and the biggest reveal, was that Sarah and Todd were planning to end their marriage.

According to Levi yes that was accurate, and it was something that they argued and threatened each other with all of the time.

In fact the reason why the post blew up the way that it did is because my friend Dennis Zaki, who had home phone numbers for some of Palin's former staff members, was able to confirm that the story of their marriage falling apart was well known within that tight circle.

Of course the marriage remains, on the surface, still intact. However I have heard from other sources, not Levi, that the marriage is all for show and that part of the reason they will not simply get a divorce is because Palin refuses to give me, and others, the satisfaction of knowing we were right.

(Actually to be honest I find this staying together to spite me even more satisfying.)

The land purchase in Montana.

Yeah, that was bullshit. I have no idea why Tank told me that, but according to Levi he never heard them talk about it. And of course they ended up buying land in Arizona not Montana.

The missing wedding ring thrown into Lake Lucille.

Levi has no idea where that story came from, but it did not come from him.

(He did confirm the portion about loud arguments and Sarah's emotional distress however.)

The story of the Todd pulling a gun on Levi.

Now this one is particularly upsetting because even before I talked to Tank about the story, and had it confirmed by him, I was asked by another reporter in town whether I had heard it or not. Based on the fact that it was heard by others and Tank confirmed it, I felt confident in reporting it on the blog.

I should not have done so, because according to Levi it never happened.

In fact though things were strained between Levi and Todd on several occasions for the most part he always liked Todd.

In the post I also mentioned Levi's upcoming Vanity Fair article, which up until then nobody had heard about. In that article Levi confirmed a number of things mentioned on the Splitsville post.

The final part of the post was about Sherry Johnston's conviction for selling Oxycontin and yes Levi, along with his whole family, believe that Palin set her up.

Levi does not like to talk about that much, but my take is that he feels that it was a warning as to what Palin was willing to do to keep him in line.

In many ways Levi remains intimidated by the Palins and is afraid of what they might do in retaliation for things that he talks about publicly.

For all of you who are constantly complaining about folks in Alaska not divulging secrets about the Sarah Palin and her family, just imagine hearing how people were jailed, fired from their jobs, or run out of town for doing so, and you might understand why certain people in the know might decide it was better simply to keep that information to themselves.

Now I have more posts coming on this topic, but with all that is happening in politics, and the requirements from my actual job, I do not have the hours needed to devote to them right now.

I will post them when I can. Which will hopefully be soon.

About those Radar Online articles targeted at the Johnston family. Update!

By now most of you have probably read the three Radar Online stories that have come out in the last three days. (They can be found here, here, and here.)

The information contained in those articles seems to indicate a source very close to the Johnston family, and has caused problems within the Johnston household.

Since the articles came out I have been doing a little digging and while I cannot respond to every accusation I can address a few of them.

Yes Levi and Sunny have moved in with Sherry, his mom. However that is not because he cannot afford to pay rent, but to help him to save to purchase a place of their own, and I understand the arrangement is only temporary. (By the way they only moved in about three days ago.)

No Levi is not broke, he works seven days a week as an electrician in Wasilla, and he brings home a decent wage. What is true is that he has lawyer bills to pay and thanks to Bristol's constant manipulations those are fairly outlandish.

Yes Levi and Sunny lived with Sherry three years ago as well, but only temporarily and I really don't know if any rent was paid or not. (In the interest of transparency I also lived with my mom for a short time after I was divorced over twenty years ago, and she would not have accepted my money even if I had offered it.)

In the first article it was mentioned that there were a lot of Bristol boyfriends, I think we all know that to be true.

In the second article there is a reference to Sunny being fired from two jobs, but as it turns out she was let go from only one and that was partially due to Breeze being sick a few times, and partially due to her employer's wife's suspicions that her husband had a "thing" for Sunny.  (Hardly blame him.)

In the most recent article there is reference to Levi seeking counsel from two different divorce lawyers about a year ago, this one I know is false because at that time Levi and Sunny, together, were actively looking for a lawyer to help with Tripp's custody situation. So that allegation simply makes no sense.

(By the way I did finally manage to get a response from Levi himself, and he has denied much of what is printed in these articles. Levi rarely speaks out, but this has him both angry and hurt.)

So now we come to who is the source of these stories.

There are many who are certain it is Mercede, mostly based on the fact that the articles attack both Bristol and Sunny but seem supportive of Levi. (It should be noted that Mercede denies this on Facebook, and has said the same to her family.)

If that is true I would like to believe that it is more likely a case that Sadie trusted a Facebook friend who then sold her out to Radar Online, rather than to believe she would do this herself.  (Especially since this could make it harder for Sadie to see Tripp.)

I know that both Sunny and Mercede have faux "friends" on Facebook who have ingratiated themselves to them, and are now coyly pumping them for information. (Actually I have at least one of those as well.)

At this point it really does not matter who gave out the information as the damage has been done, and of course the stories are being picked up by other media outlets.

Here's what I can say for a fact.

Sunny and Levi have a strong marriage. As you can imagine they have suffered some bumps in the road, but currently they are committed to each other.

Levi is not broke. But he does have lawyer fees to pay.

Levi is not finished fighting for custody of his son. Not by a long shot.

And the last thing I will say is that Radar Online is Palin's "go to" choice for getting out their version of events, so I feel very strongly that they had some hand in getting this story into print. There are just too many details in these stories to have come from one source, even if that source were Mercede herself.

And I'm not saying it was.

Update: Just for the record we are not going to have any Sadie or Sunny bashing here. 

So for the troll that is trying to start some shit, take it to another blog. Trust me there are plenty who would be happy for the hits.

Why it's important.

Courtesy of Levi's Facebook page.

Recently there have been questions as to why we should care about the Tripp Johnston custody situation. I understand that most of those come from trolls, and we all understand THEIR agenda, but in case there are any others who legitimately wonder why I waste time an energy on this cause let me explain.

First off as a father who had to fight in court to retain custody of his daughter, I care.

And as a child who was once abandoned by my own father, I care.

But as somebody who is tired of seeing people's lives destroyed by that vicious Wasilla bitch, I care even more.

One thing you cannot help but to discover when you interview people about Sarah Palin, is just how many lives she damaged during her rise to power, and her struggle to retain it.

This is something that all of us, Geoffrey Dunn, Joe McGinniss, reporters from various magazines, and I all learned while doing research on her over the years.

And these were not the exception to the rule either. Terrible things befell people who stood up to the Palins, spoke out against the Palins, or simply were perceived as problematic by the Palins.

Terrible things.

Talk show hosts, comedians, politicians, librarians, shopkeepers, former partners, high school acquaintances, sex partners, or just fellow Wasilla residents, have all felt the sting of Palin retribution.

There were stories that Joe McGinniss left out of his book every bit as damaging as the ones he put in, and in some cases more.

In most cases there is nothing that can be done for these people, and they are too terrified to seek compensation or justice themselves.

But in the case of Levi, what was done may have been the most egregious act of revenge ever perpetrated by the Palin family.

They were surely instrumental in getting Sherry locked up, scrubbed Mercede's computer clean of family photos in an attempt to hide something she may not even have realized she had, caused a rift between family members, somehow used his own lawyer and manager to destroy his reputation, and kept him away from his son for the vast majority of the young boy's life.

Most of this is almost impossible to prove. But not that last bit.

THAT is as well documented as anything I have ever seen. We have hours of television footage to prove that case, and the Johnston's have much, much more than that.

Do not forget that Levi was literally the first person close to the family to speak out publicly, and call Sarah out on her bullshit. And instead of the accolades and support he should have received for that courage, instead his lawyer stole his money, and his manager destroyed his credibility.

All this man wants is his child back in his life permanently.

I think he deserves much more than that, but if I can, in some way, help him to get Tripp, then that is the very least I can do.

So yes, we will continue to talk about it, and I will continue to provide whatever support I, and IM, can provide.

Are you sure you're from Wasilla?

I stay in occasional contact with Mercede and Sherry Johnston, probably communicating with Sadie about once a month or so and her mother a tad more frequently, and of course we are also Facebook friends.

As a rule I pay little attention to the things that Sadie posts on FB, because it is often directed more to the friends in her social circle and I sometimes feel like it's eavesdropping if I read anything personal. (I am not sure I will ever be completely comfortable with immediately knowing who just broke up with whom and when somebody that I don't really know very well has a parent die. But I guess that is the world we now live in.)

However the other day at the top of my news feed was a rather impassioned post about Sadie's feelings concerning a certain question that she is continually being asked.

I immediately thought that it deserved to be seen by a wider audience so I e-mailed Sadie and asked if I could post it.  She said, and I quote, "Absolutely no problem jess."

So here it is:

It is inconceivable to me that people ask me why I don't have kids yet or tell me I should get pregnant with them because it would be "cool" or "fun". Bringing a child into this world isn't glamorous, "cool", or a fad..they're human beings that demand unconditional love, everlasting time, an excessive amount of money, unfathomable attention, and exceptionally hard work. (no offense to any young mothers out there). 

Call me old fashioned but I think one should be in a long-term commited relationship, get married, be financially stable, and live in a safe and happy environment before even considering bringing another life into this world. 

This is not intended to insult or hurt anyone. It just continues to shock me how people think it's normal to expect a 20 yr old to have a kid(s). Or think it's acceptable to get pregnant just because a friend is and they unfortunately assume it would be "fun".

Now this was not written as an attack on anybody else, in fact many of Sadie's friends are in fact pregnant (Including her brother's girlfriend.), but it does indicate a certain point of view which seems to be out of vogue with many in the Valley these days. Perhaps in no small way the result of a certain Wasilla reality show participant who has made it seem glamorous and lucrative to have a baby out of wedlock.

Personally after reading this I was kind of proud of Sadie for standing up for the idea of waiting to have children, and for pointing out how wrong it is to have babies simply because they are "fun." They can indeed be a great source of joy, and fun as well, but having children, as she points out, is also hard work and a lifetime commitment. Not one that should be taken lightly, despite what one might learn from watching certain reality show that I will refrain from mentioning.

Oh by the way, this was Sherry's response to Sadie's Facebook post:

What I don't like is that America is telling our kids that it's cool to be a teenaged mother. Get a reality show and make lots of money! We all know that's BS. If you happen to become a mother when you're a teenager, I pray you have a great family and friends. You will need that support system.

And it looks as if when Mercede finally does become a mother, she will have exactly that.

And this is why these are my favorite two people in Wasilla. Not that they had a lot of competition.

Finally! Levi Johnston to file for full custody!

Courtesy of TMZ:

 Levi Johnston believes Bristol Palin is a TERRIBLE PARENT -- and the proof is in her reality show ... in which she lets their son Tripp run wild, talk back, curse, and show no respect to his elders ... so he's decided to take action ... and seek full custody. 

In case you're like most of the country, and haven't been watching Bristol's new reality show "Life's a Tripp" -- her and Levi's son has been a little ball of trouble ... and in one recent episode, even called his aunt Willow the f-word.

 

Now, Levi's had enough -- telling TMZ, he's been watching the show and is "disgusted" by his son's language and behavior. Levi says his son is on a "downward spiral" and getting "no real parenting." 

Levi tells us, Tripp "deserves a better family" than what Bristol and the rest of the Palins are providing -- adding, "I love my son more than anything .. and I will do whatever it takes to make sure he is raised the right way."

Well this is what we have been waiting for Levi to do, and it looks like he is finally ready to take the Palins on head to head.

Levi has a pretty good lawyer, however he is still financially challenged and it is anybody's guess how long this lawyer will work with Levi pro bono before it gets to be too much.

I have already suggested to his mom that Levi set up a pay pal account, and hopefully he will do that. I have little doubt that many of you would be willing to help get Tripp away from that horrible family.

If you would be willing to donate just leave your comment here and I will make sure it gets to Levi and Sunny.

From what I understand Rex and Tank are stonewalling Levi and his attorney, and it appears that they will have to take them to court as well in order to get Levi's money. Of course that will result in even more court costs for the young man, who just recently got a job as an electrician.

Funny thing is that last week I ran into Rex Butler downtown at the courthouse. He was all smiles and handshakes, and even introduced me to a client of his. Our interaction remained cordial because I was on the job and could not bring up anything more controversial at that time. Perhaps next time he and I can have a REAL conversation about what he did to Levi.  Though I seriously doubt that is one he wants to have with me.

Anyhow I really hope that Levi is serious about staying in this for the long haul, because as we know the Palins fight dirty, and they have a substantial amount of finances at their disposal. There is little doubt THIS will get ugly.

The wonderful thing about Triggy-bears is Triggy-bears are wonderful things. But he most amazing thing about Triggy-bears is there is NOT only just the one!

This post is an expansion on my post from Saturday, The Return of the "Ruffled Ear" Version of Trig Palin, as promised in yesterday's post. (If you are just joining the discussion after a weekend away from your computer, you may want to read the previous posts first.)

The picture which Brancy posted on her Facebook page last Friday was the impetus for the discussion which took place here. And that picture can be seen below.

Of course the reason that the picture sparked such interest was because it clearly shows a "ruffled" ear which had been the focus of a 2010 post of mine, and which we had not seen a clear picture of until now.

Here are a few comparison graphics just to help bring you all up to speed.

Original picture that started the controversy

Comparison with "Trig's" ears on the campaign trail

Close up of baby shower baby's ear.

Close up of ear from this new Trig picture.

Comparison chart of all of the ears together

Now if people are not willing to see the evidence laid out before them there is not much I can do. But if you see what most of us clearly see, then you know that it means Sarah Palin has been playing games with babies.  The "whys" of that can still be open for discussion, but the "if" debate would appear, to me at least, to be closed.

For those who may not have been around back in 2010 the "Tale of Two Babies" post received a lot of attention, and created a great deal of debate.  Since there was essentially NO sightings of Trig Palin with the same ruffled ear appearance, people began to postulate that it must have been fixed.  Or that is was a "trick of the light." Or that there were twins.  Or, and this was the most disturbing of all, that Palin had done way with the defective child in some way to make room for the more photogenic child.

So the reappearance of the exact same defect in a child today who is identified as Trig Palin is a very significant event, and essentially puts a lot of the previous nonsense to rest.

So what does it mean? And here I am afraid I will not stray too far from the evidence on hand.

What I think it proves with very little doubt, is that, at least at one time, there was a substitution, and Sarah Palin passed off another child for the one photographed at the baby shower and in various places right after Trig's birth.

How many children were used, how often, or why, I will leave up to all of you to discuss. For me the only absolute certainty is that it did indeed happen.

A few words about yesterday's Trig Palin post.

There has been a rather unexpected response to my "The Return of the Ruffled Ear Version of Trig Palin" post which, of course, is great.  However it also resulted in quite a lot of argument and frustration, some of which I anticipated, some of which I did not.

Tomorrow I am going to post a much longer response to many of your questions, and also take the time to clear up a number of misconceptions. I am doing it then instead of today, because I have found that more people visit IM on the weekdays, and I want to make sure that the largest audience possible sees the post so that I don't have to keep revisiting the same issues over and over.

The first thing I need to explain is how to see older comments, because as of this post there are over 500 comments and counting. I have tested this on my regular computer as well as my I-Pod and it seems that in order to access the comments you simply have to click the headline and then afterward go to the bottom of the page and click the "load more" button. Sometimes you have to do this several times (I just had to do it seven times to see them all.) but it SHOULD provide access to all of the comments on that post. (Remember that some comments are in answer to previous comments so they will not show at the bottom of the page, but instead under whichever comment they were addressing.)

Now the other thing I do want to clear up today is something brought up by a commenter suggesting that I had NOT confronted Sherry and Mercede about inconsistencies in their statements, or that I had been too soft on them.

That is not accurate.  I have indeed asked both of them very pointed questions numerous times, and have found that either they simply did not know the answers or were unsure of dates and times.

I have mentioned before that my job often requires that I work with people who are habitual liars and I am pretty good at picking up on when people not telling me the truth. I have NEVER picked up on that when talking to Sherry or Sadie. NEVER!

In fact, and Joe McGinniss would back me up on this, Sherry is the sweetest, most trusting person you could imagine. I am not even sure she knows HOW to lie. (Joe once described her as being "completely without guile.")

Now does that mean I have told you EVERYTHING they have told me? No, it does not. Are any of the things that I am not sharing huge earthshaking bits of information that would rock your world? No they are not.

They are more along the line of things that Levi does not want known to everybody, or things that they do not want the whole world to know about their lives. I am sure we can all respect their desire to have at least some privacy in their lives.

But for those who are convinced that they are duplicitous, let me remind you of the many things that have only been revealed because the Johnstons HAVE been so forthcoming.

For instance we know that while the McCain campaign had operatives in their home back in 2008, that Sadie's computer was completely wiped clean.

Bristol Palin reports to "In Touch" magazine that "her emotions are a mix of sadness, anger, and disgust" at the news that Levi's hot new girlfriend is pregnant. Update!

In my opinion NO picture reveals the inner Bristol as well as this one.

Courtesy of OMG!:

Although the exes have not been a couple since August 2010, the news was no less stinging for the reality star. In an exclusive interview with In Touch, Palin, 21, reveals she first heard about Johnston's new baby with girlfriend Sunny Oglesby when a friend texted her. "I said, 'No way, shut up!'" she tells the magazine, adding that her emotions are a mix of sadness, anger, and disgust. "I think it's a little bit of everything, and a lot of confusion. I'm upset about it." 

"Wait! Who's pregnant?"

Perhaps that's why just days after Johnston gushed about starting a family with Oglesby since Palin never lets him see Tripp, 3, Palin told TMZ that he owes her $38,500 in unpaid child support. According to Palin's lawyer, unemployed Johnston hasn't forked over a cent to help raise Tripp in nearly two years. And he hasn't done much to physically raise the child either. "He's seen Tripp twice in the past four months," Palin also tells In Touch. "He once went an entire year without seeing him at all." (It was NOT an entire year, and this was when Bristol packed Tripp up and moved him to Arizona, WITHOUT even telling Levi she was going to do so. The Johnston's only learned that they were out of state after I sent a text to Sadie.)


Although Johnston, 21, has maintained that the entire Palin family has made it nearly impossible for him to see his son, the former "Dancing With the Stars" contestant says otherwise. "I wish Levi would be like, 'Hey Bristol, can I have Tripp for the weekend?'" she says. "I would be so willing and glad to do that. He continues to lie." As for her son's future little brother or sister, Palin adds that she worries Johnston's irresponsibility will only come back to haunt Tripp years from now. "I don't want him to go to elementary school with 10 half-siblings," she tells the magazine. "That would really affect him. I hope that this child is raised with two parents. He needs to step up to the plate and be there. I thought he had learned his lesson the first time."

Okay that is such bullshit.

I don't know everything that goes on between Levi and Bristol by any means, but I DO know for a fact that he has tried numerous times to see his boy, and has been denied access almost completely.

Recently I heard that Bristol has changed her phone number and Levi that has no way of contacting her.  That was why he was calling the Palin household and being told that Bristol and Tripp were not in town, when in fact they were.

Well tonight Levi will be able to answer some of these charges, and I certainly hope he takes the gloves off.

By the way let me just respond to a comment that shows up here periodically which states that Levi started this whole feud by going public.  No, he didn't.

Levi, Sherry, and Mercede originally went public on the Tyra Banks Show, in response to the fact that Bristol was restricting Levi's access to Tripp, and completely keeping him away from his mother and sister. What happened afterward is pure Palin vindictiveness.

And as for the idea that Levi did not want Tripp, that is a baldfaced lie.  He has NEVER expressed anything but joy at the birth of his son.  In fact it should be pointed out that in Bristol's book she identifies Tripp as an "accident," and has publicly called her pregnancy a "mistake," whereas in Levi's book he reveals that Bristol was trying to get pregnant, and Levi's family has revealed that he was a willing participant, which means that Tripp was WANTED.

So WHICH parent is saying things in the press which might emotionally scar Tripp when he is older again? Yeah, that's right.

As for Levi learning his lesson, it looks like he did.

Update: For those who doubted my sources.

The woman is Brooke Anderson, and she is a reporter for The Insider.

Update 2: Here is the Insider story with Levi and Sunny such as it is.

This story is really nothing but fluff, and certainly NOT the information that I know was shared with this Brooke Anderson person.

There is a tease about more to be revealed on tomorrow's broadcast, but now I am worried that the truly juicy stuff got cut and that all that will be left is that the guy who used to bang Sarah Palin's daughter done got another girl knocked up.

It certainly does not sound very promising for tomorrow night.


Tune in to The Insider Thursday night for much more with Levi and Sunny, including whether wedding bells will be ringing for the couple, how Levi intends to support his new family, and which member of the Palin family he says recently flipped him the bird. 

THIS is why Levi needs to talk to a real reporter, and not worry about getting paid for every interview. Tank Jones taught him to never talk without first seeing the money, but Levi needs to realize that his reputation is worth more than a few thousand dollars.

Levi Johnston ready to speak out.

Time to get serious.

I just received a tip that Levi is getting ready to tell his side of the story about this child support situation to the national media.

I don't want to give the Palins too many details but it is happening soon, and apparently it is NOT being set up by Rex Butler and Tank Jones.  I think Levi might have finally seen the light and cut those two losers off of his coattails.

I will let you know when I have more, and of course I will post the video when it becomes available.

P.S. This information did NOT come from Sherry and Sadie!

Sarah Palin lies to TMZ about purposefully keeping Levi Johnston's son away from him.

Courtesy of TMZ:

Sarah and Todd Palin have issued a statement to TMZ ... saying, "We have never hidden Tripp from Levi or discouraged Levi from spending time with him. Any suggestion that we have is false and contrary to our core beliefs." (WTF? Lies and deception ARE their core belifs!)

The Palins add, "The last time either of us recall a conversation with Levi was in the summer of 2010 when Levi sat down at our house with us and personally apologized about lies he told to the media about our family. Neither of us have talked to him since that day." 

But the Palins say Levi is full of moose droppings ... telling us, "We are disappointed that he continues to tell falsehoods about us to garner media attention. We encourage Levi and all non-custodial fathers to be fully engaged and to positively and fully participate in their children's lives. This includes not making misstatements about his child's grandparents."

Trust me the only  "moose droppings" on display here are the ones falling out of the mouths of the Palins. Or more specifically the ghostwriter hired to make the Palins sound like they can string together a coherent sentence.

There are some things about this situation between Palin and Levi that I am not privy to, but I can tell you unequivocally that I know that the Palin family has lied to Levi about Bristol being in town, because on a few occasions I was the one who let the Johnston family know she was there.  And yes, I have also heard that Mercede, Sherry,  and others have seen Bristol and Tripp in Wasilla when they were specifically told that they were out of town.

I have received texts from Sadie about that numerous times.

And let me just add for the Palin fairy tale troll, before she starts bitching that we don't KNOW these people, that ALL of this was already going on back in the spring of 2009 when I first met with Tank Jones.  THAT was the only reason the Johnston family went public in the first place.

It was not because they wanted to get famous by slamming the Plain name, it was because they felt it was the only way to fight back against Sarah Palin and her powerful friends.

And what do you know?  This bullshit is still going on today, because THAT is how Sarah Palin punishes people who dare to stand up to her.

And in the end, who is it that really suffers?

Levi Johnston and his girlfriend are expecting a little bundle of joy. And this time he won't let anybody take it! Update!

Well I know most of you already know this, since I have received dozens of comments and e-mails about it from all of you today, but let's make this official.

Yes it's true!

Courtesy of The New York Daily News:

Oglesby is allegedly less than three months along in her pregnancy, and has yet to show any signs of a baby bump. 

Johnston, 21, is said to be “so excited” about starting a new family with Oglesby, whom he has been dating for just over a year. 

I have heard only a little about this, but will not expand on anything until Levi to makes the official announcement.  It is after all HIS news to share.

I will tell you that I am sure his family will be very supportive, as they seem to adore Sunny. (Such an upgrade from his earlier girlfriend don't you think?)

Sunny and Mercede have been virtually inseparable since she and Levi started dating. So there is unlikely to be any of the kind of drama that was so prevalent when Levi and uh you know old "what's her face" were together.

However I think that, meaning to or not, Levi certainly managed to completely one up a certain nasty blog post from earlier this week.  Don't you agree?

Personally I wish Levi well, though I would still encourage him to continue to fight for his rights to be in Tripp's life.  Children are not replaceable, and that hole in his heart will NEVER be filled until he can be with his son.

Update: Here is Levi discussing the pregnancy with TMZ.

I know we should ignore her, but let me take a moment to respond to Bristol Palin's ghostwriter's recent post.

"Of course I've made mistakes. And so far he is a complete failure at getting me that reality show I want!"

Yesterday Nancy French, channeling Bristol, said the following on the blog that her mother makes them pretend Bristol writes.

But there’s one constant criticism I didn’t talk about: some of you insist on calling me a hypocrite. After all, I became a mother before I walked down the aisle – how can I talk about waiting until marriage for sex? 

I find it strange that the culture rightfully applauds former drug addicts who warn children of the dangers of drug use. They are happy to listen to former alcoholics talk about how they finally are living a clean life. But when it comes to me talking about waiting until marriage for sex, it’s almost like people want me to slink away in shame… unable to show my face in public again because of my past mistakes. 

I want this blog to be a place where we can all be honest, so let me start. I’ve struggled with feelings of guilt and shame.

Bristol Nancy French then goes on to link pimping some Christian counselor, and then follows up with this:

Stop living under a cloud of guilt, stop wondering what life could have been like had you made better decisions, and stop beating yourself up over that thing you’ve done. 

Read the rest of his post here, and get over the regret you’ve been carrying for far too long. 

I have.

Okay a couple of things.

First, saying that you "want this blog to be a place where we can all be honest" when it is clear to EVERYBODY who visits that you are not the person writing it, smacks of hypocrisy.

Second, when a former drug addict, or former alcoholic, talk about their addictions, they are usually doing so as a public service and NOT being paid over a quarter of a million dollars in compensation.

Oh, and usually they are expected to no longer be engaging in the activities that they are speaking out against.

Exhibit A

Thirdly, if you REALLY want to own up to the mistakes you claim that you regret, perhaps you ought to own up to ALL of them. 

You know like the pregnancy in 2007.  (I have the pictures)

Or the obvious pregnancy on DWTS. (Everybody has those pictures)

And whatever it was that you stuffed into your clothes during the Republican National Convention.

Or perhaps you could take responsibility for lying in your book about how you lost your virginity, and stop making Levi out to look like a rapist. That would certainly demonstrate personal growth.

And while we are talking about Levi, and his family, how about you set up a schedule for them to see Tripp on a consistent basis? Or do you not yet regret using your child to punish them for once loving you?

You are right Bristol/Nancy, people SHOULD be forgiven for their past mistakes, once they have admitted to them and decided to turn their life around that is.

So go ahead.

Admit your mistakes, and turn your life around.

After you do that you should find that the comments on Nancy French's blog will be MUCH more pleasant, and far, far more supportive.

I promise.

Isn't that right gang?

Massey brothers try to convince America to watch their new reality show with Bristol Palin. Even though the Palins are slipping into fog of obscurity.

 (Click here if video won't play.)

You know I really like Chris and Kyle Massey.

I was watching them on one of those Halloween themed compilation shows, the "Ten Scariest Movie Moments" or something like that, and they were funny, and engaging, and kind of genuine.

So I feel badly for them to be saddled with the deadwood that is Bristol Palin. I mean talk about baggage!

I also have virtually NO interest in monitoring this show, which is sad because I imagine the Masseys are probably pretty entertaining on their own.

However I do know at least two people who will watch every single episode and probably tape them to watch over and over again. And that is Sherry and Mercede Johnston, who will watch just to get a glimpse of little Tripp, who they have virtually had no contact with this last year.

The last time Sherry saw Tripp, he did not even know who she was, and it damn near broke her heart.

To me, regardless of the issues you might have with your ex (Or his sister), keeping a child away from his grandmother, especially while you are living in the same town, is simply inexcusable.

My mother and father were divorced when I was five years old. At the time my mom was only twenty years old, not that much older than Bristol was when she and Levi split up. My mother made a point of taking us up to see my grandmother, my father's mother, EVERY SINGLE Sunday until we were in our teens.

My dad cheated on my Mom, but she NEVER said a bad word about him in front of her children, and NEVER deprived us of contact with his side of the family.

When my grandmother became elderly, and was on her last days, she named my mother as the executor of her will.  And after Grandma's passing my father flew up, and he and my mother, working together, made sure that my Grandmother's wishes were respected, selling off her assets while making sure to distribute the money to the relatives named in her will.

My Grandmother never had to worry about how her grandchildren were doing, because she knew.

And when I had a little girl of my own, do you know who I took her to visit on a regular basis? And let me tell you that her great grandmother's eyes would light up when we arrived, despite her failing health, and difficulty getting around. I swear my daughter added at least ten years to my grandmother's life.

Sherry deserves that kind of relationship as well. Rarely have I met somebody as sweet and loving as Sherry Johnston, and everyday that Tripp is deprived of her love is a sad in his little life.

I hope that Bristol gets over her anger and allows Tripp to be with the people that love him. Because that is what a truly caring parent would choose to do, NOT force them to sit huddled in front of a television waiting for any fleeting glimpse of their grandchild/nephew.

More confounding details surrounding the birth of Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston. Update!

Sherry Johnston with grandson Tripp at Mat-Su Regional on December 28, 2008

So as you can see Sherry sent me the only picture she has of Tripp at the hospital on the day she was finally allowed to see her grandson, December 28. And yes, as far as Sherry is concerned he was indeed born on December 27, 2008.

Sherry tells me that she had asked earlier in the pregnancy if she and Mercede could come to the hospital when Bristol went into labor, but was told no.  She then asked if they could at least stay in the waiting room, but were again told no. The reason given was because the Palins were afraid having them there would alert the media that Bristol was about to give birth, resulting in a media circus.

If that just gave you a WTF moment, you are not alone.

I also have a great deal of difficulty understanding WHY publicity seeking Sarah would suddenly turn media shy when the impending birth of this baby was the ONLY thing that kept the media at bay concerning babygate.  As it turned out Tripp would not be seen by anybody outside of the family until February 18, when Greta Van Susteren would conduct her television interview with the new mother.

Sherry is also confused as to why in Levi's book he identifies mid January as Bristol's due date. According to Sherry both Levi and Bristol told her it was supposed to take place around December 18. (By the way that is the same date that Levi reported to the AP back in October.)

Which makes this whole episode of Levi agreeing to go on a snowmachine trip eight days past when his child was due to enter the world even MORE difficult to understand.

Why in the hell would he agree to go?

Why would Bristol LET him go?

Why would Sarah send two able bodied men away with the possibility of an impending emergency on her hands? (Okay THAT one, I might actually understand.)

And by the way WHY did Todd send Levi back to Wasilla alone, while he stayed in the cabin with Willow and Piper? Wasn't HE worried about his daughter? Didn't the girls want to be there to see their nephew?

I think we can say with near certainty that somebody is definitely covering something up here.

Do you want to hear something else weird about all of this?

If the birth HAD taken place on December 18, it would have happened on the same day that another huge event happened in the life of the Johnston family:

A 42-year-old Wasilla woman was arrested Thursday at her home by Alaska State Troopers with a search warrant in an undercover drug investigation. Sherry L. Johnston was charged with six felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance. 

Look I will try NOT to be too conspiratorial here, and I have locked my tinfoil hat in the closet to fight the urge to put it on, but  isn't this just a little too convenient?  Up until this date Sherry could have come and gone when she pleased, but with this arrest she was confined to her home under house arrest pending trial.

Now with her conveniently out of the way, the birth takes place nine days later.

I really wish I could tell you that soon everything will make more sense, but sadly the more you learn, the more complicated all of this will become. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Update: At this point we have to decide just when Levi was not telling the truth.

Before Tripp was born Levi said he was due in December, now in his book he claims that on December 26, Tripp's birthdate was still three weeks in the future. So was he lying earlier, and following the Palin family script?  Or is he lying now?  And if he is lying now, why?

Let's examine a couple of interesting data points.

Sarah announces to the world that she is seven months pregnant on March 5, 2008. Coincidentally this is the day after the man who will select her as his running mate wins the GOP nomination.

Sarah flies to Texas to give a speech. Coincidentally THAT is when her water breaks and she flies back to Wasilla to have her Down syndrome baby.

On the campaign trail journalists raise questions about who actually gave birth to her son Trig. Coincidentally Bristol turns out to be five months pregnant, ending most public speculation.

It is announced that Bristol is due to give birth on December 18, but that does not occur. Coincidentally THAT is the day that Sherry Johnston is arrested. (In another bizarre coincidence the snitch working for the FBI who sets Sherry up first contacts her using a phone that Sherry originally bought for Bristol, and that was returned by Bristol later.)

Internet water cooler talk starts to speculate that Bristol is not really pregnant and points out that if she does not give birth soon it will make the idea that she is Trig's birth mother seem plausible again.

(Levi's version.) The day after Christmas Todd asks Levi to go up to the cabin with he and Willow and Piper. Bristol encourages him to go, because the baby is not due for three more weeks(?). Coincidentally less than 24 hours later Levi receives a phone call saying that Bristol is in active labor.

Levi rushes to Mat-Su Regional where he makes it in time to see the birth of his son. Coincidentally nine days after Tripp's arrival Bristol decides she has had enough of Levi and kicks him to the curb. Apparently his services were no longer required.

You know, I have to say, that for a woman who claims that she does not believe in coincidence, her life is one long string of them. Or is it?

I am trying to give Levi the benefit of the doubt but...Update!

This from an interview that Levi gave over at the Huffington Post:

HuffPost: You write that Bristol wanted to get pregnant. 

Johnston: Bristol was on birth control for a long time. She got off it soon after Trig [Sarah Palin's son] was born. I think Trig was a big motivator for her. Her mother just had a child and I think Bristol was really jealous. She was the one who was supposed to have that kid and that's when she got off of [birth control]. We weren't practicing safe sex and she ended up getting pregnant.

This of course would have been impossible. Even if Bristol would have gone off the pill the exact same day that Trig was born it would have been a least a month or more before her body would have become receptive to pregnancy.

Which means their baby simply could not have been born only seven months later in December.

In the book Levi suggests that Bristol declared she wanted to get pregnant after she learned of Sarah's "pregnancy" which would have been in March. That scenario works better, but just barely.

It also fits better with Levi's claim that they told Todd and Sarah that Bristol was pregnant the day after his birthday, which would have been May 4.

Still to have decided to go off birth control and then get pregnant in less than two months, providing the perfect excuse for Palin to use Bristol's pregnancy to avoid having to produce Trig's birth certificate during the campaign, is somewhat suspicious as well.

HuffPost: What do you mean she was the one meant to have it? 

Johnston: We'd always talked about a kid. We'd been dating for several years. I think it kind of hurt her because she really wanted a kid so bad and seeing her mom have another one really made her want a kid now.

Well at least this part matches what Sadie and Sherry have been saying about how long Levi and Bristol discussed becoming parents, and getting married.

HuffPost: You say that Sarah kept Trig's pregnancy a secret until the seventh month. 

Johnston: Yes, she kept it very secret. Willow had actually found the pregnancy stick in her bedroom. That's when we all found out because she went around telling everybody. Bristol and the whole family was hurt that their mother couldn't share that with them. Keeping it away from your own family is kind of messed up.

I am sorry Levi but this is absolutely impossible to swallow.  NOBODY keeps a pregnancy test around for six or seven months.  And besides that I have a very good source that says Bristol learned along with the rest of Alaska by watching it on the news. And another very good source who claims the Heaths found out the same way, and a another source who has said that actually NOBODY in the family knew until Sarah announced it to the world. Which would also coincide with what Bailey says in his book about the iron clad secrecy, though he claims to have heard it for the first time only one day earlier.

However giving Levi the benefit of the doubt, I would say that this might have been something he heard from Bristol later and never had first hand knowledge of it as it was happening. 

I hope that this is just a sign that Levi has trouble remembering dates or something, because if it is a fact that he repeating a lie that he well knows is a lie, that makes it impossible for us to consider him one of the good guys.Which I really do want to be able to do.

By the way I talked to Sherry last night about some inconsistencies in the book and she said the following:

"I have read that some people are suggesting that Levi might be keeping Palin secrets in order to protect me from further legal trouble. But I would GLADLY return to jail tomorrow if it meant that Levi could tell everything he knew about the Palins! That would be worth it to me!"

Now THAT is a mother who loves her son!

What sacrifice has Sarah ever made for her children?

Update: Levi's story is REALLY upsetting somebody in the Palin camp. I have rejected at LEAST a dozen comments on this post alone, all written by what sounds like the same person, or different people with the same talking points.

What they are desperately trying to get published is that:

• Levi was into drugs and drinking.
• Mercede and he are telling conflicting stories.
• Levi has told conflicting stories in the past.
• Bristol was a very sweet girl, and a good student, until she met Levi.
• Levi cheated on her numerous times, but she remained faithful throughout the relationship.
• Bristol was too busy to think of having a baby in 2007.
• Bristol loved Juneau and still has many friends there that she sees frequently.
• Levi was NOT close to Sarah and he is making that up.
• The Palin family is very close and these attacks only make them closer.

I think that about covers it. Happy now?

Now I know for a fact that MOST of those are pure bullshit. But what I am somewhat amazed by is how desperate they are to get this information onto THIS blog!

Do they really think it will seem believable to those of us who have been following this family?

I cannot imagine what the pay of is for these people, but if it is monetary they need to request a raise.

As much as it pains me to say, I don't expect much from Levi Johnston's book. Update!

Some of you have been asking if I received an advance copy of Levi's book, the answer is no.

And considering the falling out that I had with Rex Butler and Tank Jones, I am not at all surprised.

The only contact I have had with anybody connected to the book, was when the authors contacted me to ask for Sadie's phone number, which I thought was rather odd since they were working with her brother.

Anyhow here is a rather troubling excerpt from this book:

We hear his side of the story about her pregnancy and the birth of their son. Levi says that Bristol was inspired when she learned her mother was pregnant.

“I’m the one, Bristol said, who should be having a baby. Not Sarah. . . . Bristol looked at me. Let’s get pregnant.” Levi says Bristol didn’t stop talking about having a baby after her mother’s new son, Trig, arrived. “When she started talking about it, I asked her about birth control, but she assured me that everything was safe. I only half believed her.” 

Later, he writes, “Bristol got pregnant on purpose. She had finally come clean, admitted to me that she hadn’t been taking her birth control pills. We were having a baby, end of story.” 

Now I have NEVER spoken to Levi about Sarah's "pregnancy," and he has never given any hint to his mother or sister concerning what he knows, but if Tank Jones is to be believed (And there was a time when I still think he WAS telling the truth), he certainly knows something quite different than what is in this book.

But even if I did not have access to that kind of information it would be obvious that Levi was not telling the truth.

He claims that "Bristol didn't stop talking about having a baby after her mother's new son, Trig, arrived."

According to the official account of his birth, Tripp was born on December 27, 2008, and was originally supposed to have arrived ten days earlier. In order for that to have been a full term pregnancy, Bristol would have had to be pregnant no later than mid to late March 2008.

Trig was born on April 18, 2008.  Why would Bristol STILL have been trying to get pregnant after she supposedly was already pregnant?

And besides that according to Mercede and Sherry they were BOTH talking about getting pregnant, so Levi's story about being surprised simply does not ring true.

As I am sure most of you remember I had an author all ready to help Levi write a book in December of 2009, but when it came to actually signing a contract Rex and Tank got cold feet and backed out.

Part of me wonders if they realized that with my participation, THIS version of reality would never have made it into the book, therefore they needed to find co-authors who would not question Levi's version of events?

Well I still have Levi's book pre-ordered on my Nook, so I will sit down tomorrow and read through it before passing any final judgement.  However from what I have seen thus far, I fear that Levi may have kept the truth at arms length.

Update: I received my copy of the book and have already read almost a third of it.

It literally reads like Levi actually wrote it!  I did not expect it to be good, but this is a whole new level of bad!

I kid you not, the majority of it is actually about hunting and hockey!

I am sorry Levi, I wanted very much for you to vindicate yourself, but this is just embarrassing.  If you had just refused to let Tank and Rex take over your life you could have had so much.

If anybody reads it and has a different opinion feel free to share, but I can not imagine that being the case.

To be honest I am not sure I can even make myself finish reading this damn thing.

How did so many people in Wasilla know that Bristol was pregnant before she even knew herself?

I found this e-mail over at MSNBC and it just started me reexamining  the whole "Bristol was pregnant before she was pregnant with Tripp" scenario.  Here take a look and tell me what you think.

From: Ivy personal
To: Sarah's Personal Email
To: Todd
To: K Perry Yahoo
To: Frank Bailey
ReplyTo: Ivy personal
Sent: Apr 6, 2008 1:31 PM

Subject: Bristol

I was just on the phone w Don and he got a call from Chuck Sr. Reports from Juneau that lyda ' s office is perpetuating the Bristol being pregnant rumor . No doubt Janey and/or Portia . I'm callin them on the flippin carpet!

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

From : gov.palinwyahoo.com
Date : Sun, 6 Apr 2008 22:56:09
To:"Ivy personal " < ivyfrye@yahoo . com>,"Todd" < fek9wnr@yahoo . com>,"K Perry Yahoo","Frank Bailey" com

Subject : Re: Bristol

Flippin unbelievable . Wouldn't you think they ' d be afraid of being proved wrong when they rumor around the building like that ? I wonder if Wesley and McAllister did hear it from Lyda's office though ... hopefully it'll be another reason why reporters and the public can't trust that odd group of strange people.

From : "Ivy Frye"
Date : Sun, 6 Apr 2008 23:16:22
To:"Sarah Palin " < gov.palineyahoo . com>,"Todd Palin " < fek9wnr@yahoo . com>,"Kris Perry","Frank Bailey " < ftb907@yahoo.com&gt;

Subject: Re: Bristol

We'll get it taken care of, don ' t worry.

Diana Straub heard it and let Molly know today in church . I can gurantee Diana heard it from the horses mouth or the horses office - she and Janey. are pretty friendly. When confronted lyda won't be able to do anything but apologize for her staff . How unbecoming and embarrassing for her office esp when press start inquiring...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

From: gov.palin@yahoo.com
Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2008 3:48 PM
To: Leighow, Sharon W (GOV)
Cc: Todd

Subject: Fw: Bristol

Sounds like The Bristol rumor was started and continues via Lyda ' s office . ( Namely , Portia Babcock - Lyda's COS , Tuckerman ' s sister ( Tuckerman being Lyda ' s new son - in-law), former spouse of Kyle Parker ( the oil / gas lobbyist busted for working with Ruedrich while at AOGCC ), now girlfriend of Ralph Samuels ... all those attributes all rolled into one Portia.

Anyway, a former leg staffer heard the discussion at a rest, in Wasilla , evidently sitting near Lyda's people ... she passed it on again today to folks at my sister ' s church ... it's pretty pathetic.

Bristol does want it squashed - we just don ' t know how to do so without making it a bigger issue . Can you feel out Wesley and McAllister to see if that ' s where they got the rumor, as others are saying it's Lyda ' s office . I figured it was them or Bitney.

And that was not the ONLY time this "rumor" was discussed in the e-mails.

From: gov.sarah@yahoo.com
Subject: Bristol Re: channel 13 tonight
To: "Sharon Leighow"
Cc: "Rosanne Hughes" , "Todd" , "K Perry
Yahoo"
Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 2:12 PM

Hate to pick at this one again, but have heard three different times today the rumor again the Bristol is pregnant or had this baby. Even at Trig's doc appt this morning his doc said that's out there (hopefully NOT in their medical community-world, but it's out there). Bristol called again this afternoon asking if there's anything we can do to stop this, as she received two girlfriend-type calls today asking if it were true.

Sent from my
BlackBerry® device from Cellular One

Okay so here is my quandary.

If Bristol gave birth on December 27, 2008, and Tripp Johnston was carried to full term, then in fact it is improbable that Bristol was pregnant on April 6, but could very well have been already pregnant on April 22, but there is NO WAY anybody could have possibly known that since, according to Levi, even Bristol did not know until May.

Yet so strong were these rumors that even after Sarah faked Trig's birth, they refused to go away.

In fact they did not seem to diminish at all until the McCain campaign announced that Bristol was pregnant.

Now just to make things interesting let's add to the mix that both Mercede and her mother claimed that Levi and Bristol had been TRYING to get pregnant.

So while there were already rumors that Bristol was pregnant, and she was complaining to her mom about them, she was actively TRYING to get pregnant?

And after trying for months to quell the rumor that her daughter was pregnant, Palin did not hesitate to scream that fact from the rooftops when she realized that she needed to do something to put the faked pregnancy rumors to rest or risk losing her shiny new VP slot.

No matter how you look at this, or who you want to believe, something STILL smells very fishy indeed.

Mercede Johnston says "Hi."

Here is the link to Sadie's new blog post from yesterday.

A number of you had been asking me what was up with Sadie.  What she explains in her post is essentially what she has been telling to me these last few months.

It was just last week that she really thought that FINALLY Bristol was going to let Levi, Sherry, and Sadie see Tripp again, but at the last minute just pulled the rug right out from under them. Mercede was crushed by that.

Personally I don't think they CAN let Tripp come around anymore, because he is starting to talk now, and there is no telling what kinds of tales he might tell.

(By the way if you are one of the numerous trolls that come over here to trash Mercede, don't waste your time. I WILL reject your comments and nobody will see them anyhow.)

I am no expert on pregnancy, but is it common for women to get pregnant in their shoulders like Sarah Palin apparently did?

(H/T to Brad Scharlott for the image.)

Laura Novak conducts yet another very interesting interview with Professor Scharlott over on her blog.

This link will take you the most interesting clip, where Mrs. Palin talks about “huntin’ and fishin’” and her big family. The interviewer at one point interjects: “And you have four?” meaning, children. And Palin replies, “I have a bunch of kids” before rapidly changing the subject. Was this because she wasn’t sure how many she would have in the following days, or because she wasn’t yet prepared to tell the world about a fifth? “A bunch of kids.” How maternal.

It’s not just that Palin was supposedly 7 months pregnant during this interview. It’s her behavior, posture, and her stunning announcement the next day that still mystify, dumbfound and disturb so many followers of this fairy tale.

Throughout her entire Newsweek interview, which was at least 10 minutes (judging from several YouTube clips), she remained in that forward-leaning position with her legs crossed.

LN: What an amazing woman.

BS: Amazing indeed. How late into your own pregnancy, Laura, could you comfortably assume that position and hold it several minutes?

LN: Are you kidding? I still can’t, and my baby’s now 16 and rides a BMX bike.

Now for many of us THIS is well covered ground, that we are now seeing revisited by new eyes. However the last part of Laura's answer directed my focus to something that I have not given a great deal of thought to in the past.

As many of you know I have interviewed a number of people who worked with, or around, Palin before, during, and after her "pregnancy." In one of those interviews the person mentioned that not only did Palin not appear pregnant DURING her month and a half long pregnancy, she also did not appear to have just given birth AFTER Trig was born.

Now here you will have to forgive me because I am JUST a man, so until I read Laura's somewhat tongue in cheek answer above I did not give that as much thought as I should have.

So I went back through my notes to check, and was reminded that not only did Sarah Palin not have any of the pain or discomfort you would expect during her pregnancy, she also did not seem to have ANY sign of having just given birth in the days and weeks afterward. 

Now granted these people would have been interacting with Palin in a professional setting where she might not have felt comfortable talking about her soreness, or appearing weak or needy in front of staff, so I wondered how she might have acted in the privacy of her home, when she was just letting it all hang out.

But WHO would have seen her in her home only a few weeks or days after giving birth?

Oh yeah, that's right!

So I gave my friend Mercede a call.

As it turned out Sadie and her mother were stuck in traffic here in Anchorage, and so I was able to ask both of them whether or not Sarah demonstrated ANY signs of having given birth on May 3 2008, only twenty days after Trig arrived, and the day that they both went over to Palin's house to see the new baby and to celebrate Levi's birthday.

To the question of whether she appeared sore, or had trouble moving around or sitting, they both said "No, she appeared fine."

To the question of whether or not they could have discerned that she had just given birth by her appearance, they both replied "No." "In fact," added Sherry, "she did not look like she had given birth at all!"

I then started trying to think like a woman, and asked if Palin complained about any soreness in her breasts, or whether or not they appeared milk laden or uncomfortable. Again the response was "No, not at all."

Sadie did point out that she was in a sweatshirt, so it would have been hard to see if she was swollen, but that she certainly "did not act as if she were uncomfortable."

I thanked them for their time and hung up the phone. (By the way you should be hearing more from Mercede herself later on today.)

You know the difference between pretending to be pregnant on a television show, and doing the same thing in real life, is that in a movie or television show when the director yells cut you can take off the fake baby bump and have a cigarette. But in real life you have to be prepared to play your scene 24 hours a day, for as long as the "pregnancy" (And the appropriate amount of time after the pregnancy), lasts.  Clearly Palin was just not that good of an actress.

Which is WHY we see her bending forward when she should have been seven months pregnant, and WHY her belly changed size and shape so often in that month and a half span of time, and WHY she acted afterward as if it simply did not happen.  Because, and stay with me on this part, it DID NOT HAPPEN!

Now look, one of the arguments against the idea that Palin pulled off this fake pregnancy has always been, "that's crazy NOBODY would do such a thing! Especially while in the public eye!" Which on the face of it seems like a reasonable argument, but not when it comes to Sarah Palin.

Just ask yourself about all of the crazy Palin lies that you know about.  This is a woman who has lied and said that NONE of the ethics complaints filed against her ever had merit, that the U.S. federal debt had grown more under Obama than “all those other presidents combined," repeatedly lied that she quit her job as Governor because under the laws of the state, her family was going to be bankrupt by litigation and public records requests, and apparently supported her daughter's lie that her very obvious facial surgery was really due to a dental procedure to align her teeth. (And those are only the tip of the iceberg.)

So you see what WE all might consider a lie too outlandish to tell by ANYONE, is really just business as usual for Sarah Palin and her family.  And until somebody REALLY calls them out on their lies, there is NO reason for Sister Sarah to change her tactics. None.

(By the way if you want to get an idea of just how often Palin lies, all you need to do is buy "The Lies of Sarah Palin" by Geoffrey Dunn.)

Holy crap! Mercede Johnston's latest post demonstrates why she might be the bravest person in Wasilla.

In Sadie's post this morning she discusses the circumstances surrounding the arrest of her mother, and exactly how the informant first contacted her, and what he said to convince her to break the law.

If you have ever wondered how a seemingly nice person like Sherry Johnston got caught up in a drug sting, this will tell you all you need to know.

And if you are one of those people who just nonchalantly refer to Levi and Mercede's mother as a drug addict or a felon this will go a long way toward opening your eyes.

I am less than happy that Sadie openly identifies the creep who set up her mom, because I worry about their safety, but I can't blame her for wanting to set the record straight and clear her mother's name.

Just for context, here is the story I first heard concerning how Sherry Johnston was arrested way back in June of 2009.  My source was NOT the Johnstons but it is clear that my information was pretty solid.