Posts with the tag Alaska

UNITED AGAINST RACISM

WEBMASTER — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:46:34 EDT

Hi Friend

There is a new group that just started on Facebook that I thought Organizing for America members may be interested in joining. Please see United Against Racism -

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/354956/80588439?m=9dc74a6e

United Against Racism

posted by David Apperson

Alaska Election Blog

WEBMASTER — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:55:41 EDT

As President Obama recently related to me regarding local service; "Now is our time to work together, reaffirm our enduring spirit, and choose our better history."

It is our responsibility as Americans to vote, and vote we must. And now is the time to prepare for the next election. I invite all citizens of Alaska to post a message on the Alaska Election Blog.

Alaska Election Blog
alaska-election.blogspot.com

Summary of June 12th Health Care meeting

Handy — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:32:55 EDT

I held a Neighborhood Health Care meeting on June 12th. Attendees included: Randy Virgin, DeeAnn Apgar, Mara and Marty Severin, Lex Patten, Linda Zaugg, Carly Horton, Susanne Fleek, Terry Umatum and a lot of rambuctious but well-behaved children.

Summary of issues:
1. Every person in the group had lived at some point in their life without healthcare coverage. The number one reason was cost.
2. Attendees who were self-employeed and purchased their own health care paid a high cost ($400+ per month) for plans that were essentially comprised of little mroe than catastrophic care. One attendee was forgoing a procedure to have a growth removed because it was too expensive - her deductible on her insurance was too high for it to make financial sense for her to go to the doctor.
3. Attendees were concerned to learn that in some cases, insurance coverage did not cross state lines. As a result, one couple lost medical coverage for themselves and their newborn when they moved to Alaska.
4. Even when medical assistance is available through state, federal or non-profit programs it is often hard to take advantage of due to the paperwork and a lack of knowlege that the programs are available.
5. Though the expectations of doctors for high salaries may be part of the cause of expensive health care, the group agreed that most doctors sacrifice a great deal during medical school in addition to the financial impact. There was agreement that doctors were deserving of high compensation. It was suggested that the federal goverment could assist doctors in paying off loans in exchange for free or discounted service or shortterm assignments in at-risk communities.
6. The group was concerned about the high cost of medical mal-practice insurance and indicated support of some sort of cap on awards on medical malpractice.
7. The lack of preventive medical care coverage in all but the best and most expensive insurance plans was noted as especially shortsighted. The group believe an investment in preventive care would lead to decreasing medical costs over time.
8. California was highlighted as an example where the problems of poverty and the uninsured will be compounded as the State makes deep cuts into community services. The group predicted that there would be a great increase in the number of patients ending up in the ER for care which would increase costs to hospitals, creating a catch-22 situation.
9. The group was especially concerned about the health care available to pregnant women, children and the elderly.
10. The group noted that public inebriates were a special problem in Anchorage that strained the system. Because of the lack of preventive services and programs at the state and federal level, local first responders and local governments are forced to bear most of the costs of serving this needy and demanding population -- often to the detrmiment of other citizens.

CONCLUSION/ACTION ITEMS:
Though the goal of the meeting was to develop and participate in a community-based health care project on June 27, 2009 this group seemed more interested in the policy development and political aspects of this debate. Most in the group were interested in ensuring that the House and Senate subcommittees produce a viable piece of legislation that includes a public plan component. To that end the group was interested in the following actions:
1. Track the legislation develop through House and Senate subcommittees. We're not sure how to do this and may contact Begich's office for assistance. In the same vein, the group wishes for a better understanding of what the actual policies are and what the timeline for approval will look like.
2. Ensure that both Senators from Alaska vote to support health care reform that guarentees choice, reduces costs and provides affordable healthcare options to all Americans. A letter-writing, emailing campaign is probably in order.
3. Ensure that communications with our Senators includes an emphasis on prevention, using the public inebriate impact on Anchorage as a prime example.

As a result, the group will develop a letter-writing campaign and will begin outreach on that process the week of June 21. More information on this will follow.

BARACK OBAMA FIRST 100 DAYS

WEBMASTER — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:23:01 EDT

During the first 100 days of the Obama presidency we have seen outstanding leadership in tackling the many issues facing our great nation. And it seems that overwhelming poll numbers indicate that America agrees with President Obama. see THE WHITE HOUSE

The question remains; What can we as fellow Americans do to help our neighbors and countrymen? Included are nine things you can do to help the President celebrate his first 100 Days in office:

1. Donate unused suits to the Salvation Army
2. Donate time to Americorps
3. Donate toys for children at Toys for Tots
4. Donate blood at the Red Cross
5. Donate a can of food each week to a Local Shelter or Food Pantry
6. Donate money to Save the Children
7. Donate time at local a Veterans Hospital
8. Donate an hour a day to your Child
9. Donate to the Make a Wish Foundation

Participation is greatly appreciated. What you do for the least of our brethren, you do for yourself -
http://donate.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxWJh

Barack Obama First 100 Days posted by David Apperson

Organizing For America (OFA) in Alaska

Jonathan Teeters — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:20:21 EDT

Good afternoon,

I just wanted to get active again with my blog, and I wanted to find out if anyone out there is interested in helping me to learn what is going on in Alaska with Organizing For America. I am pretty sure there are things happening...

I am eager to get involved here again continuing all the great work that we accomplished together.

What's going on where you are?

Please leave me a comment, or send me an email to get.at.jonathan@gmail.com.

Talk to you soon!

Jonathan

How Loyal is the Loyal Opposition?

Eric from Covina, CA — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:32:40 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

How Loyal is the Loyal Opposition?

From this point on I pledge to stop using the terms "conservative" and "Republican" interchangeably. I'm beginning to realize there's a big difference between the two. Conservatives are loyal and well-meaning Americans of good faith who just happen not to share my opinion of what's in the best interest of America. On the other hand, it has become clear that the Republican Party has crossed the line between the loyal opposition, and subversion.

Let She Who Has Paid All Her Taxes Throw the First Stone

Henry M — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:27:22 EST

Maybe President Obama should grant some sort of amnesty for some percentage of back taxes up to some cutoff point.

I think that it would encourage people who owe taxes to try to make ammends.

Palin owes tax on per diem, state says
EXPENSES: Governor received meal money while living in Wasilla.

By LISA DEMER
ldemer@adn.com

(02/17/09 21:53:17)
Gov. Sarah Palin must pay income taxes on thousands of dollars in expense money she received while living at her Wasilla home, under a new determination by state officials.
The governor's office wouldn't say this week how much she owes in back taxes for meal money, or whether she intends to continue to receive the per diem allowance. As of December, she was still charging the state for meals and incidentals.
"The amount of taxes owed is a private matter," Sharon Leighow, Palin's spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. "If the governor collects future per diem, those documents would be a matter of public record."
The revelation about Palin comes as U.S. senators, including Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, are under scrutiny over back taxes. A survey by the political newspaper and Web site Politico (www.politico.com) found that Begich was one of seven senators who acknowledged having paid back taxes.
Some other state employees also owe back income taxes for travel payments and will be getting revised tax forms, Annette Kreitzer, state administration commissioner, said in an e-mail.
She wouldn't say which, or how many, employees will be receiving the notifications.
The payments became a touchy issue for Palin last fall when she was running for vice president and campaigned as a budget watchdog.
The Washington Post published a story in mid-September that said she had charged the state almost $17,000 for meals and incidentals while staying in her own home.
The state considers Juneau, where she lives in the Governor's Mansion, to be Palin's official duty station.
Palin billed the state for 312 nights spent in her Wasilla home during her first 19 months in office, according to the Washington Post. She received $60 a day tax free, money intended to cover meals and incidentals, while traveling on state business, her travel forms show.
"Last fall we raised questions about longstanding practices within the Department of Administration regarding tax treatment of per diem payments," Kreitzer wrote in an exchange of e-mails over the past few days with the Daily News.
"At the Governor's request, we reviewed the situation to determine whether we were in full compliance with the pertinent Internal Revenue Service regulations," Kreitzer wrote. "As a result of this review, we determined that per diem needs to be treated as income, requiring a revision of W-2 forms for any affected employees."
The new determination by administration officials won't affect state lawmakers, said Pam Varni, director of the Legislative Affairs agency.
Under IRS guidelines, legislators receive tax-free payments to help with living expenses while in Juneau for the legislative session -- if their home is at least 50 miles away, Varni said.
The current rate, set by the U.S. Department of Defense, is $189 a day. That goes to everyone except the three Juneau-based legislators, who get smaller payments that are taxed as compensation.
Legislators can also charge the state $150 a day for time spent on state business when the Legislature is not in session, but those payments are taxed as income, Varni said.
Begich's situation came to light through a political survey released last week by Politico about senators and their taxes.
Fifty-five senators, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, didn't answer the questions, and a few others owed money but didn't consider it "back taxes" for one reason or another.
On his way out of a meeting with veterans on Monday, Begich answered a few questions about the back taxes he paid on a vehicle provided to him by the city when he was mayor.
"I refused the car the first 10 or 12 months," Begich said. "I didn't want the car.
"Then they told me I had to have it because of liability and a need and security and blah, blah, blah. So I ended up getting a used car. The first time a mayor has gotten a used car." It was a former police SUV.
The tax obligation came to his attention in late 2007, as he remembers it, after a regular IRS audit of city issues. The city then sent him revised tax statements.
"They gave me a letter and said you got to pay taxes on it. So they revised my W-2s." He wouldn't say how much he owed. "It's irrelevant," Begich said.
Generally, people are supposed to pay income taxes on the value of an employer-provided vehicle that is for personal use. Police vehicles are among the exceptions -- officers can drive them home and not be taxed on the value of the commute.
There's no specific exception in the law for mayors or governors. Palin has had a state Chevy Suburban.
Begich said a mayor is always on the job. No other Anchorage mayor ever had to pay income taxes on a city vehicle, he said.
"That's the point. I'm always on call. Always. ... And I think that's what the city's view was, for the city manager and me, was that we were always on call," Begich said. "But the IRS viewed it differently."
"After that issue came up, I got rid of the car," Begich said. He was in a downtown parking lot getting into the Toyota Highlander hybrid he bought in late 2007 to replace the city rig.
The Politico story about the survey said his situation echoed that of Tom Daschle, who had to step down as President Barack Obama's pick for health secretary after revelations about back taxes, including taxes owed for a limo and driver.
"For Politico to say it's the same as Daschle -- that's bunk," Begich said.
Henry M

KCUF, 128 Kb/s on Shoutcast Unlimited and still the Most Eclectic Music on the WWW:
http://tinyurl.com/kcuf-on-shoutcast-limited/ to play, http://www.urdomain.us/kcuf.htm to see what's playing, and now available on RECIVA Internet-Radio receivers, http://tinyurl.com/kcuf-on-reciva

KCUF can now be listened to using a Windows Vista Sidebar Gadget: http://gallery.live.com/results.aspx?bt=1&q=KCUF

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL SPEECH

WEBMASTER — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:39:36 EST

Presidential Inaugural Address Delivered by President Barack Obama on 20 Jan 2009

My fellow citizens -
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
President Barack Obama

Presidential Inaugural Speech - A message for all people
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxHqT

source: David Apperson, webmaster

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

WEBMASTER — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:26:14 EST

The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.

Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.

Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when

individuals and organizations understand that alternative energy technology exists and
when people see the economic benefits of using alternative energy technologies

Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.

Alternative Energy
Source: David Apperson

url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy

PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM

WEBMASTER — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:06:01 EST

Obama-Biden PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is giving all people a voice in the administration -

The PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is doing a great job. Thank the Almighty Creator that this is a new day in the history of this great nation.

WEBMASTER - DESIGNERS AND DEVELOPERS

WEBMASTER — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:14:56 EST

President Barack Obama

Internet Webmasters, Designers and Developers

If you are an independent webmaster, designer or developer and have linked a business, personal, or political website or blog to your barack obama posts or other barackobama.com web pages and would like to be recognized for your efforts let me know.

Mail your contact and other pertinent information to:

David Apperson, Webmaster
10336 Loch Lomond Rd PMB 105
Middletown CA 95461

or email contact information to yofast@gmail.com

HOW SARAH PALIN MADE A VEGETARIAN OUT OF ME!!!!

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:42:03 EST

Countdown: Sarah Palin's Turkey Pardoning Fiasco

By Heather Friday Nov 21, 2008 6:45am

From Countdown Nov. 20, 2008, David Shuster brings us Sarah Palin's extremely creepy turkey pardoning and post-pardoning interview from Wasilla, Alaska. The whole thing plays like something out of the Twilight Zone or the latter stages of Fargo. As a couple of my fellow C&L'ers pointed out after watching this, if Sarah Palin is a "friend to all creatures great and small" someone needs to let the wolves and polar bears know about that change of heart...lol. Images of Palin and "creatures" are more likely to be those of high powered rifles and helicopters than any sort of compassion in my book. And she does seem to use those family members selectively for what's politically convenient at the time doesn't she?

HIDEOUS VIDEO - http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/countdown-sarah-palins-turkey-pardoning-fi

Bail Out Package

Dennis from Angwin, CA — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:23:45 EST

Iʼm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a "We Deserve It Dividend".

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonifide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a "We Deserve It Dividend".

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.
But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage, housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans, what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college, it'll be there
Save in a bank, create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car, create jobs
Invest in the market , capital drives growth
Pay for your parent's medical insurance, health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean, or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 (vote buy) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can never work. Maybe???

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion "We Deserve It Dividend" more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC .

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Will the race ever end?

Howard from Battle Ground, WA — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:43:07 EST

I wish I didn’t feel that losing these elections would be so expensive. Days after the election is supposed to be over I am still finding myself compelled to contribute money to candidates. Maybe I need therapy maybe I am right to be concerned. I am very pleased that Obama has won. This country is a long ways down the wrong path but I feel there is hope. Obama needs all the help he can get, he cannot do it alone.

Tonight I received a personal , yes personal, email from John Vezina who is the Finance Director for Alaskans for Mark Begich (Democratic Senate hopeful). I remember Begich from when I lived in Alaska. He is a good guy. I also remember Ted Stevens. He is a guy who tried to route oil tanker traffic through Puget Sound in retaliation to our state Senator Cantwell standing up to the big oil interests and blocking ANWR drilling. Without Senator Cantwell the discussion about exploiting ANWR would be over and the battle lost. So Senator Stevens decides it would be funny to risk spoiling Washignton natural resources since we wouldn’t let him spoil his own. Fortunately he was beaten back there too.

Despite Stevens being convicted of 7 felonies related to his cozy relationship with oil interests in Alaska Stevens is still 3,000+ votes ahead of Begich. Hope is not lost! 81,000 early votes remain to be counted and Begich will get more than half of those. If Begich isn’t cheated out of a victory there is a very good chance he is entitled to it.

Travel in Alaska is very expensive and the campaign is trying to oversee the final counting as best as they can. I wish I felt that voting in this country was fair but too many times I have seen otherwise. The Begich team estimates that $80,000 is needed to oversee the final counting and according to John Vezina, as of tonight only $42,000 has been raised. I am feeling a bit taped out but all the same, how can I not spend $100 to potentially save myself from some future damage Stevens will bring down on my family? So I sent $100 more and John promised me “not a dime will be wasted.” It was an investment in the future of my family.

Of the three Senate races that still hang in the balance I strongly believe that the one that would offer the biggest benefit to us would be Begich vs. Stevens.

If you or anyone you know has a few dollars left from the election and would be willing to help the Begich team I would appreciate it.

If Begich earned a victory he should not have that taken away because of the lack of a few dollars. There is still a real possibility that we can give Obama a filibuster proof Senate and that just might be enough to recover from the 8 year nightmare I feel I am waking up from.

Here is where you can help the Begich team make sure all votes are counted (they take contributions as little as $25):<br> https://donate.begich.com/page/contribute/update

The other two Senate races which are still have hope are:

Al Franken (D) MN who was 500 votes away from victory and now is only 200. This has been a nasty fight and Franken will need more help to prevail in counting the remaining votes in that state and surviving a recount and potential legal challenges. You can read yesterday’s update at http://blog.alfranken.com/2008/11/06/a-race-too-close-to-call/

Jim Martin (D) GA who faces a runoff election on December 2nd and the Republicans are bound to put up a bitter fight. Jim has an update on his home page: www.martinforsenate.com

These are the three Senate seats which would give Obama the 60 seat majority he deserves and they are three opponents that will do whatever possible to oppose Obama’s attempts to turn things around. I just gave each candidate $100 and I hope you will contribute at least $25.Regards,

Howard

Ours

John Woods — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:03:51 EST

Excerpted from my personal blog:

Payton handed me the microphone.

"I have a special surprise tonight, if you're willing to make a few more calls for Barack."

A pause. Dramatic effect. People looked a little annoyed that I was interrupting whomever was speaking on MSNBC.

And then, in my best who-wants-a-cookie-Madagascar voice, I said, "I just know some of you have been waiting all night to call Wasilla," while waving the fat stack of call sheets. "There's only one hour left before Alaska's polls close."

Eyes widened. A moment earlier, only five people wanted to make phone calls still. Now we had thirty. It was on.

(Read the rest: http://aciel.livejournal.com/271251.html)

Sarah The Socialist

Steve — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:52:21 EDT

This is what Sarah Palin said two months ago about how evil and horrible sharing the wealth really is. About how "sharing the wealth" is a code name for Socialism, for collective ownership rather than individual ownership. Heck, maybe even Communism.

"And Alaska - we're set up, unlike other states in the union, where it's collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs."

And, she also said:

"Alaska is sometimes described as America's socialist state, because of its collective ownership of resources.”

It's worth noting that in all of the Alaskan reform Gov. Palin touts, not once has she boasted that she reformed Alaska from being Socialist. So, I guess she's okay with that. Or, maybe, it's just that policies that benefit the majority of citizens isn't really Socialism at all. Maybe that's just fair and balanced government.

The information comes from this article. I invite you to read it, but I suggest you dial down the emotion in the article a bit.

Palin: On Stevens Hand in the Cookie Jar

SRG_Legal — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:30:52 EDT

Almost-convict Gov. Sarah Palin, who knew and consorted with, in her adult political life, a known secessionist who admitted he hated the United States and wanted Alaska to part ways with it, and who also knew and consorted with a certain senator by the name of Ted Stevens in her adult political life knowing full well what she was doing when she "pal'ed around" with him, who has also been found guilty of her own charges of abuse of official power, who had her running mate signing blank checks for personal expenditures totaling more than $100,000 worth of expensive clothing and shoes and stylists for herself AND her kids, who used Alaska's money to shuttle around children who were supposedly "on official business," who throws her children under the bus to further her own political agenda, and who also has accused a certain Senator by the name of Barack Obama of "pal'ing around" with a certain 'terrorist' who was never convicted of that which he was accused of around the time Obama was eight years old SUDDENLY has the nerve enough NOT to want herself inextricably linked to Ted Stevens?

She is just as much, and even more, in cahoots with Stevens AND her American-hating friend AND her witch-hunting pastor as Obama is with William Ayers, especially since she "pal'ed around" with Stevens and the secessionist and the pastor when she was a full-grown adult and a political figure , not when she was eight years old and unelected to a government office.

She even has the government-backed home improvements and travel bills that the people of Alaska unwittingly paid for to help her case.

If they DO link her with that "Ted Stevens thing" that had nothing to do with her, it would be no less than she deserves for trying to link Obama to something that had nothing to do with him. The DA who tried to prosecute Ayers back then even said it was insane logic.

What goes around, flies around. ***thwack!***

Sarah Palin - What she doesn't tell you AND doesn't want you to know...there is so much!!!

Terri — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:48:08 EDT

First, these are a few of the most important things you should know, but may not (things she definitely won't tell you):

1) Juneteenth Director wrote, "While meeting with Black leaders concerning the absence of any African Americans on her staff, Gov. Palin responded that she doesn't have to hire any Blacks and was not intending to hire any." All the people on her staff and, not one is Black? How is it possible, in today's world that any of the 50 states would not have any Black employees in the administration of a state?

2) A Director for African American Juneteenth Events in Alaska said that Palin was the first governor not to attend or send a congratulatory letter. She never even responded.

3) Palin cut funding for a transitional home for teen moms in Alaska with a line item veto. (she doesn't support helping teen moms but she is against abortion???)

4) As mayor, Palin raised locals taxes while giving breaks to large companies (remind you of the last 8 years?, it should!!!)

5) "The governor did have a tanning bed put in the Governor's Mansion. It was done shortly after she took office [in early 2007] and moved into the mansion," said Roger Wetherell from Alaska's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

THE TRUTH ABOUT PALIN'S "EXPERIENCE"

I would love to be able to sit down in front of a camera and ask Sarah Palin a few questions about all that experience and what she did, as mayor, for the town of Wasilla, Alaska. Actually the question would be better phrased as 'What did you DO to the town of Wasilla'.

One of the first things she did was to go in and immediately and illegally terminate people, which resulted in several lawsuits, at least one of which was in Federal Court. They were terminated either completely without cause, because they didn't support her in her campaign or because they crossed her. One of the members of the town council, where she served before running for mayor, said 'that's how Sarah is, her friends get rewarded and everybody else gets cut off at the knees'.

When she campaigned for mayor she ran as a 'budget-cutter'...really!! There was apparently an urgent need to redecorate the mayor's office. She spent more than $50,000 to redecorate her new office, which included red-flocked wallpaper. People described the newly revamped office as 'looking like a bordello'. It was illegal for her to spend that kind of money without getting the authorization of the City Council. She paid for this lavish expenditure using funds from a city highway fund used to plow snow, grade roads and fill potholes. When she was told this, her response was: "I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't". Can you imagine? That's why she keeps giving her own interpretation of the duties of the Vice President, even though it is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!! Like she said when she was mayor, she plans on doing whatever she wants until the courts tell her she can't!

Her term as mayor started off so badly, in fact, that people were talking about a recall. It was around this time that she hired a city planner and he is the one who actually ran things from that point forward. She takes credit for running the administration every time she talks about her 'executive experience' and 'Wasilla' or 'being mayor'. What would you call it when you're elected to a position, you can't handle and you are about to get tarred and feathered, so you hire someone else to perform your duties? Terri the Blogger calls that being a figure head or being a mayor in title ONLY!!! As a matter of fact, when asked about her claims that she has all this experience, on of Wasilla's City Council Members said 'executive experience? She doesn't have any!'

Ms. Palin touts all the things she did for Wasilla and how she got rid of the good ol' boy network. According to government officials in the Matanuska Valley, her tenure was actually characterized by waste, cronyism and incompetence. The town of Wasilla consisted of between 5,000 and 7,000 people during her tenure as mayor. They had little to no debt when she was elected. That wasn't the case by the time she left office.

First, there was the Wasilla Sports Complex, which she looks at as her legacy. She okayed them to start building before everything was settled with the land deal so what ended up happening was they had started building on land they didn't even own! The initial cost which had been funded by bonds was approximately $14.7 million. The biggest problem, however, was the process of how the land was acquired. The whole thing was handled with exceptional incompetence and arrogance, ultimately costing the city an extra $1.7 million in settlement and court cost for a piece of land that would have costed only $125k if they had handled it right from the beginning in 1998.

Then there was the huge expense to build Wasilla its own Emergency Dispatch Center even though they were successfully sharing one center and the costs thereof with nearby Palmer. It was, according to officials, strictly her ego that refused to share the center with Palmer because they were Wasilla's town rival, so she got earmark money for her own system. There are now two expensive operations, both are losing money, serving a total of 85,000 people. In comparison Anchorage, a city of over 300,000 people, manages just fine with one center.

Then there are the inproprieties or possible conflicts of interest. She took her kids on trips and had the good people of Alaska pay for it, even though it is expressly forbidden to charge per diem etc. unless the children were for some reason invited. When she found this out she changed the expense reports to indicate the children were invited. The problem with that, when the people at the location of the event were asked, they stated how surprised they were that she had brought her children. OOPS, caught in something else that, at least, appears illegal!!! Of course, by Ms. Palin's intrepretation of others if it appears so, it is so, so it must have been illegal.

Then there's the Palin's $552,000 home. Todd Palin told a reporter that he built it with the help of a few 'contractor buddies'. Everybody should be so lucky to have this guys 'contractor buddies'. Turns out every single one of them were, in some way, either were or were affiliated with the architects, the builders, the suppliers, etc. that ended up getting the contract to build the $15 million Sports Complex. Imagine that!

Then there's the whole pipeline thing that she seems to be so proud of. The whole bidding process for that was questionable. Ms. Palin either had meetings or phone conversations with people from the company that were awarded the contract, prior to the award!!!

Want to know what McCain's own staff & supporters have to say about her:

"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain advisor, "she does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else."

Senator Joseph Liebermann, a close advisor of McCain said: "Thank God, she's not gonna have to be president from day one."

Former McCain advisor, Charels Fried, voted for Obama because of McCain's "choice of Sarah Palin at a time of deep national crisis."

Alaskan Palin supporters and critics alike have said "the woman they see stumping in swing states and being interviewed on national TV is not the hockey mom-turned politician they once knew."

No matter what you think of John McCain, if you vote for McCain for President, you stand the very real chance of getting Sarah Palin as President. If you still think that would be okay, please go back and reread this blog!!! She is a clear and present danger to this Country. She is an exceptionally divisive person. She most clearly has racist attitudes. Don't risk your Country, your finances, your home, your future, or your children and their future!!!

VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN '08!!!!

Sarah Palin’s Song: Doin’ What the Lord Tells Me. The Video

mathpol — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:45:28 EDT

Here is the video, Karaoke style.

Here are the lyrics.

Let Alaska have Palin & McCain

Gail Dietrich — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:29:08 EDT

More and more it appears that Governor Palin has her own agenda, aside from that of Senator McCain and the other Republicans. Perhaps she is setting herself up for the future in the event that McCain does not get elected (which appears pretty much the case now). She will at least have had all of this exposure. So the Repulicans thought they were using her, but lo and behold looks likes it turns about as fair play.

I have a great idea. She and her husband (The Dude) can lead the movement for Alaska to break off from the USA and become its own country. Then she can be the president of the newly formed country of Alaska and John McCain could be her vice president. They can sit up there and watch Russia from the porch of their Hunting Lodge and maybe Cheny will even join them and shoot moose.

Meanwhile, our country will finally settle down and get at the work of rebuilding and cleaning up the mess the Republicans have put us in and we can all move forward under the presidency of HOPE with Barack Obama.

THE TRUTH ABOUT MCCAIN/PALIN RALLIES

TheMist — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:09:47 EDT

I've been so disheartened by the "true colors" we're watching unravel in this election - I've taken that sadness and channeled it into creating an informative video - please view & feel free to pass along. I'm not a slanderous person, and truly feel I'm only stating facts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHXZ5bxm-CE

Peace and Blessings

Fellow "Seeker of Justice", Misty

Sarah Palin

Doug S — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:22:11 EDT

I question what McCain was thinking when selecting a running mate who was obviously not well vetted. The results of the Alaskan panel review said it was not illegal to fire Monegan, but Palin makes it appear she wasn't in violation of ethics regulation when it was clearly stated she did.

Page 8, Finding Number One of the report says: "I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act."

The Best Person for the Job

Jim — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:05:00 EDT

It is clear, more then ever that the best team for this country is Obama and Biden. Even though at times during this debate, I wanted Barack to go after more of McBush's lies, distortions and insults, I can see that there is a strategy in how Barack responded or didn't respond.

But we can respond. It is obvious that anything abut Ayers or Acorn is a distraction and has nothing to do with Barack Obama or the Democratic Party. I hope the Obama campaign advertising goes after McCain and Palin on issues like the Keating five, and her ethics violations. There are also some real issues like the free cell phone towers on McBush's ranch and how Pallin's million dollar plus home got built in Alaska. Palin has no credentials for the Vice Presidency. I really wanted some response to McCain's attack on Joe Biden.

The high road is fine but there needs to be some response to smears as the campaign has been doing. We need to keep emailing everyone we know to dispute smears, set the record straight and inform everyone about the negative aspects of McBush/Palin.

The media is ignoring Palin's problems in Alaska and repeating all the McCain campaign lies about Ayers and Acorn non-issues. The media needs something else to talk about and the only way to get them there is to feed them some of the real negatives of McCain and Palin. They are both really not who they pretend to be. McCain is a puppet of the lobbyists, his whole entourage is made up of Rove, his followers, the most dirty lobbyists and neo-con Republicans.

There should be more facts getting out there about Schmidt and Davis, two of the most evil, corrupt advisors McCain is being led by. The stuff McCain spouts is written by them. As was obvious in the debates he just keeps repeating their talking points over and over again, like the "Joe the Plumber" routine. McCain will be controlled by these same people if he is elected and as his dementia increases he will be replaced by Palin who is another puppet, but with her own extreme fundamentalist agenda. McCain and Palin are trying to rally their far right base but that won't do them much good if the rest of the country votes for Obama.

Moderate Republicans and Independents must recognize that a vote for McBush/Palin is not in their interests economically or in any other way. They need to vote Democratic to change the course of the country away from disaster.

Democrats need to go after Republican voter registration drives they way the Republican Party is once again going after potential Democratic voters. We also need to contest attempts by Republicans to disqualify minority voters in almost every state.

- anti-Palin rally in Alaska

Obama Twin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:08:56 EDT

http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/rally.asp#photo7

Look at the photos.

snopes.com: Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally

Photographs show women at an anti-Palin rally held in Anchorage, Alaska.

The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was to be held outside on the

lawn in front of the Loussac Library in midtown Anchorage. Home made

signs were encouraged, and the idea was to make a statement that

Sarah Palin does not speak for all Alaska women, or men.

Palin the Alaska Disasta

Obama Twin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:39:51 EDT

30 Sep 2008

Radio description of Palin's activities prior to the November 4th election

She's running for VP with Senator John McCain

Palin is already following in the footsteps of George Bush, abusing her powers, lying to the public to make her ethical failures seem like strengths, using her office to block government investigations into her wrongdoings, hiding personal information from the public that public law requires she provide.

Palin is the only candidate who hasn't released her tax information to the public. She promised to provide it twice before, but is again postponing the release date, till after the televised debates.

During the ongoing government investigation into charges Palin abused her powers, tried to fire the police chief because he dumped her sister, ten (10) witnesses were ordered by the courts to testify. Palin's office defied the courts, shielded witnesses and said they don't have to appear. Palin is exactly like Bush, who claimed his staffers can ignore Congressional subpoenas.

Palin is being kept in a protective bubble, like George Bush during his campaigns. Just as the White House press corps is now hand-picked to keep out reporters who confront him with hard questions, reporters are being kept away from Palin on the campaign trail.

Palin is making very rare public appearances, one a day or fewer. And reporters complain they aren't even allowed within shouting distance (they can't even yell questions at her). Palin claims in her speeches she is out there to "get our message out to everyone" but no one is allowed to ask about the message.

When making public appearances, Palin isn't even giving access to local reporters at the events she stages. Her speeches are all for political show.

While giving these carefully choreographed public speeches, she keeps recycling the highly successful speech someone wrote for her at the Republican convention. Nothing new has been added, but two very big pieces are missing:

(1) She no longer brags about stopping the "bridge to nowhere" - that pork barrel project her administration used to get its hands on federal funds - a $100 million waste of tax money. Palin quit bragging about stopping the project because it is now commonly known she supported the bridge until Congress and the national media made a stink about it for months.

(2) She no longer brags about putting the former Governor's plane on e-bay. It turns out no one bought the plane, so she gave it to one of her campaign contributors as a gift.

This doesn't mean Palin has given up on grabbing federal money for her state and business cronies. She managed to move forward with a $40 billion natural gas pipeline that would go through Alaska. That's a ton of construction money.

That protective bubble keeps the public from seeing how completely unprepared she is to run this country. It even shields her during staged events, those made up photo ops to convince people how competent she is. When Palin was rushed into a United Nations photo op, to counter her pathetic lack of exposure to foreign affairs, the media was only allowed 29 seconds to see her talking to a foreign head of state! The only ones allowed in the room were photographers to make that photo op happen, and a news producer for CNN. No reporters were allowed.

I Don't Have a Twin

Just me — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:20:57 EDT

Well this is really something!

Although, it is not impossible, it seems very unlikely that somebody else has my exact name, so I write today to clear up this confusion that I have just this day, discovered... "I" am the real "flesh and blood" "Todd Larkin"!

I share few if any views with the mystery blogger and supposed vet_08 author of the other "Todd Larkin's Blog" on this site. I would appreciate it's prompt removal as a possible imposter since I am an exceedingly conservative/libertarian minded Republican in good standing. I live in Alaska, burn wood, kill stuff too eat, don't want government to get another dime from American business and workers and so on...

If (and that is a big "if") I had any reason at all to support the likes of Barack/Biden, it would only be in the desperate hope, that a hard enough or radical enough turn to the left and full embrace of socialism or outright Communism, would be 'enough' to shake people out of their slumber and reject such notions once and for all as the failed experiment they are. Then we might get back to what built the most successful and powerful country the world has ever seen; principals such as, free market exchange between common citizens, unfettered by government constrictions or taxation, or, applying the occasional biblical principal to such things as work ethic/caring for the needy/treatment of others/government actions/etc... and finally, the right to (yes) fail! We once honored the right to bet the farm or just never even get up and milk the darn cow and suffer for the consequences without the constant and hugely expensive "safety nets" government sets up and complicates life with.

Beyond that singular reasoning for Obama support, i am at a loss as to why one would vote for this man or any similar socialist.

Now if it is not obvious, I am supporting, McCain/Palin in this presidential race, not that my party's nominee is terribly conservative but, with the addition of Palin, it seems there is a brighter future for us conservatives and a seat at the table; nevertheless, it is McCain/Palin that I endorse and NOT Obama/Biden, so I would thank you to not create confusion around my name. I am active and somewhat known in Alaska political circles and do not appreciate it one bit!

You (the Obama Campaign) would do well to 'vet out' whether your "vet" is who he claims to be before a lawsuit arrives at your campaign doorstep. As for me? Vet me out all you like, I AM "Todd Larkin", the real thing! I live here in Alaska with my dog in a small one bedroom house I built myself and barely afford. I'm here all the time and darn easy to find, so get on it! If you want pictures... Google me and you'll see that I "am" and that I have a bit of political activity under my belt and all those people I dealt with are pretty sure I'm really me too (especially my enemies, don't be one).

As for the "other" Todd... if by some outside chance you are just another guy with my exact name, I (and my name) are very disappointed in what you've become. Stop feeling and start thinking! Go try to find the socialist or communist society that worked out well for the people or didn't result in mass killings, and wake up to the failed experiment, Jeeze man!?

Slightly frustrated regards,

Todd Larkin

Sarah Palin’s Song: Doin’ What the Lord Tells Me

mathpol — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:13:06 EDT

(To be sung to the tune of "Doin' what comes natur'lly", from the Broadway musical "Annie Get Your Gun", music and original lyrics by Irving Berlin. New lyrics by Gregory Bachelis.)

Folks are scared I’m not prepared

To govern if elected

But I’ll make a great V. P.

Doin’ what the Lord tells me

(Doin’ what the Lord tells her)

Gals like me could never see

The point of facts and figures

I’ve done well politic’lly

Doin’ what the Lord tells me

(Doin’ what the Lord tells her)

You don’t have to know much foreign affairs

When you can see Russia from your front porch stairs

From my earliest days in the PTA

Religious/social issues were my forte'

God advises me

(God advises her)

SUPER DUPER TROOPERGATE

Juli Norwood — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:44:24 EDT

Well it's official... a 263 page report states that Sarah Palin was found to guilty of abusing her executive powers which just happens to be an impeachable offense.

Note the actual report was over 1000 pages in length, the public is only being given 263 pages to view. The 263 page report can be read here. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/10/troopergate-report-full-t_n_133806.html

So what does that say about Sarah Palin... That she is no different than the corrupt, greedy, self serving political fat cats and lobbyists in Washington... you know the same ones that she and McCain claim to abhor and promise to go after with a vengeance. lol

It also shows how inept, unprofessional and amateurish the Palin administration really was. Worse yet Palin has brought total disgrace to her office and to the great state of Alaska! She breached the citizens of Alaska's faith and trust! It also speaks volumes about McCain's character and judgement... especially now that McCain continues to defend and support her. I would have had more respect for the man if he had dropped her from the ticket and admitted his error in judgement when he selected her.

The legalese is quite confusing to layman like myself. So let's try and break it down. 1st - Sarah Palin has a legal right to dismiss or fire anyone regardless of reason or for no reason at all. That is why the report states that it was a "proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority" The firing of Walt Monegan is a non issue! McCain camp claims this vindicates her altogether... WRONG!

2ndly - she WAS found to have violated Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act" and this is a HUGE ISSUE! Alaska's ethics law states the following:The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.

A list of 18 inappropriate behaviors commited by Sarah and Todd Palin suggests that Governor. Palin "knowingly" engaged in improper behavior with regard to Trooper Wooten and therefore she abused her power as Governor and had violated state ethics laws and abused her power by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper.

The report states that Sarah Palin improperly pressed for the firing of Trooper Wooten, however it was her husband Todd who had been responsible for the majority of inappropriate behaviors in the report... Sarah Palin is guilty of knowingly permitting Todd Palin to pursue a personal vendetta and allowing him to use the Governor's office and all of the resources of the Governor's office, including access to state employees, to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to get Trooper Wooten fired.

The McCain Spin Doctors claim that this was a politically motivated investigation.

FACT: The majority of the Alaskan Legislature is Republican. The investigation was initiated by the Republicans and the investigation was initiated well before McCain selected her as his running mate. 10 Republicans and only 4 democrats were part of the investigative panel.

Under Alaska law it is up to the state's Personnel Board, not the Legislature, to decide whether Palin violated the ethics laws. Palin recently said that the Personnel Board inquiry is the only one that matters. And McCain's campaign echoed those same comments on Friday.The problem with this is that the Personnel Board is made up of individuals who Sarah Palin personally appointed to the board. This is a terrible conflict of interest and any investigation by the Personnel Board could never be taken seriously.

Obviously Palin would prefer to be investigated by her friends. ;-)

Whether justice is served or not in this case the damage to her credibility is insurmountable.

Shout out to John McCain and Sarah Palin... Perhaps you should reform yourselves first before you attempt to reform others. ;-)

Let me repeat Sarah Palin was found guilty of Abusing her Executive Powers! An Impeachable Offense! Let's respect McCain and Palin's reform policy by not voting for them until they reform. lol

Juli Norwood

the unlawful maverick

stephen h — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:39:01 EDT

a bipartisan legislative investigation in alaska today concluded that sarah palin "unlawfully abused her authority in firing the state's public safety commissioner."

after all that's happened in the political landscape this week, especially all the accusations made by palin herself about obama, her credibility is now officially toast. this is a blatant ethics law violation, and consisted of not 1 or 2, but 19 separate phone calls by both palin and her husband trying to get his ex-brother-in-law fired.

apparently, a maverick is someone who roams the countryside spreading hatred and racism after abusing power and public office for their own personal gain, at least if you use her own quotes against her. of course, now she'll blame political partisanship for this report - even though the investigation was launched before she was even tapped to be the VP nominee - because that's just what a maverick does!

did i mention already how she does not deserve to be anywhere near the white house? i think i did, but i'm not sure...

-h

Transparency

Kelson Philo — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:46:04 EDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Sworn to secrecy, Alaska lawmakers have begun reviewing a lengthy and politically sensitive investigative report focusing on whether Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin abused her authority as governor. (story here)

SWORN TO SECRECY? BY WHO?

If this isn't a call for absolutely transparent government, I don't know what is.

Troopergate - National Republican Party Should Let Alaska Solve Its Own Problems

Vicki from Gakona, AK — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:03:07 EDT

http://www.adn.com/troopergate/

This link with take you the the Anchorage Daily News Coverage of "Troopergate", the investigation into whether or not Gov. Palin abused her powers when she fired Walt Monegan, Public Safety Commissioner in Alaska.

Many Alaskans weren't that concerned about the investigation. It seemed odd that Monegan was fired seemingly out of the blue, but Governors make changes to staff, especially those appointed by a predecessor. There was a huge outcry in support of Monegan seemed to fade away - especially when his replacement appointed by Palin had to resign after two weeks because of sexual harassment charges filed against him while Chief of Police in Kenai, AK. Talk shifted from Monegan to questions about how could Palin's staff have missed such a glaring red flag. People I talked to thought that it was inappropriate of Palin to use her position to carry on a family feud but there didn't seem to be clear consensus about whether or not she had abused her power. The investigation undertaken by the legislature seemed like a good idea. Palin promised transparency, here you go.

Following the surprise announcement of Palin as McCain's running mate, Troopergate went from a bipartisan investigation with Palin promising to cooperate, into an all out attempt on the part of Alaska Republican Legislators, the Alaska Attorney General (who also serves as Gov. Palin's pleasure) and the McCain campaign to stone wall, if not block it entirely.

This about face on Palin's part and lack of cooperation by the Alaska Attorney General is a clear indication of what happens when an unknown Governor hits the big leagues and has to play ball with the big boys. I am incredulous whenever I hear her portray herself as one of the everyday, ordinary Americans with so much at stake in this election. She certainly has a lot at stake but it's her own political career. When she and McCain are defeated and she has to come home and go back to being a Govenor from a small state, I think people here will remember the stretched truths and misrepresentations of what has happened during her tenure.

We should know more in the next two days about troopergate. In the big picture, maybe it doesn't really matter if a VP candidate has this type of problem. But it is clearly within the big picture that Palin and McCain have tried to derail the investigation making her admiration of VP Cheney even more of a concern. That McCain has allowed this to happen shows that he is after all one of Washington's establishment and certainly no maverick, and is further evidence of his eratic, unpredicatble behaviour by choosing Palin as a running mate in the first place.

Michigan Congressman Joe Knollenberg on Sarah Palin's national security experience

mathpol — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:19:05 EDT

In an article in yesterday's Detroit Free Press, "Knollenberg pushes [Gary] Peters on what-if vote on bailout," Congressman Joe Knollenberg is quoted as saying, about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin:

"[She] obviously is someone who is very much involved in national security because Alaska touches very closely to Russia."

Now I can understand the governor of Texas knowing something about Mexico, given their long common border, but Alaska and Russia? Is there ferry service across the Bering Straits that I don't know about? Are governors in the chain of command of our federal intelligence agencies?

This shows once again how out-of-touch Joe Knollenberg is. It is time to retire him to Oakland County. I'll be the first to concede that he does know a lot about localities near his home in Bloomfield Township.

Gary Peters is running against eight-term incumbent Joe Knollenberg in Michigan's 9th Congressional district. It is a tight race, and Democrats are hoping to pick up the seat.

Palin Scares Me!

Kim from Venice, FL — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:30:50 EDT

Ever since August 29, 2008, I have decided to learn everything I can about the obscure choice as VP by McBush of the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. The more I learn, the more frightened I become that this power-mad nasty person could be in any position of government in this country. She is an anti-intellectual hick who panders to the baser racist instincts of the Rethugs and feeds off the uninformed voters' dreams of women participating in national politics. As a woman, I found this choice by McBush to be the most cynical and self-serving act by any politician in my lifetime, and I strongly believe these two have done much harm to women's progress in political leadership. I work daily to get friends registered to vote and to share with them the startling information I have found which has been discussed and posted by the Alaskan citizens, www.mudflats.wordpress.com and www.AlaskansforTruth.com, by the Wasilla townspeople, www.wasillaproject.com, and the Alaskan news, www.adn.com. Educate yourself about the Troopergate investigation and the questionable interference of the McBush campaign with the Alaska State Legislature, the anti-Palin rallies held by hundreds of women in cities in Alaska, Palin's forcing rape victims to pay for their own forensic rape kits, her attempts to ban books at the Wasilla library, her wacky church, her lawsuit to keep polar bears from being federally protected from extinction, shooting wolves which are another endangered species from airplanes, and too many more to list here. www.FactCheck.org Read the widely repeated descriptions by people who have first hand experience of Palin as "vicious and vindictive" to anyone who dares to disagree with her. The report by the Alaskan legislature on Palin's alleged unethical abuse of her power as governor will be issued OCTOBER 10! Be sure to check these websites for the first news. Please do your own research and then spread the word! Since her nomination, Palin's polls in Alaska have DROPPED from 80% to 63%; I guess many did not know how evil she really is until the spotlight has been shone under the rock the crawled out from. I want to arm all of my fellow Obama supporters with information to counter the misinformation of the McBush/Pawn campaign. Knowledge is power. Use it on every undecided and Rethugs you encounter and let's turn Florida blue and take back our country. GO OBAMA/BIDEN!

McCain vs. Palin

Tony Loyd — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:21:25 EDT

Here’s an idea for a debate. Let’s get John McCain and Governor Palin to debate one another. They should have plenty to argue about. After all, they are on opposite sides on several issues.

Stem cell research: McCain For; Palin Against; More…
Allow abortion in cases of rape, incest: McCain For; Palin Against; More…
The use of school vouchers: McCain For; Palin Against; More…
Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: McCain Against; Palin For; More…
Protecting polar bears: McCain For; Palin Against; More…
Windfall profit tax on oil companies: McCain Against; Palin For; More…
Real ID: McCain For; Palin Against; More…
Teaching creationism in our schools: McCain For/Against; Palin For; More…

It makes you wonder, with this many issues separating them, if they could be elected, whose agenda would drive policy decisions in the White House?

Sarah Palin: Palling Around Secessionist

Nia "Hussein" J. — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:18:35 EDT

The Video pretty much says it all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eniG9l_7its

Make this Video go Viral...share fare and wide

Russian Claim to Arctic Seafloor Becomes Palin Issue

rz — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:42:38 EDT

Oh please......make her go far far away:

Russian Claim to Arctic Seafloor Becomes Palin Issue

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Russian attempts to claim part of the Arctic Ocean seabed have given Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin unique foreign policy experience, the McCain-Palin campaign says, but there is no evidence she has ever been involved with or spoken publicly about them.

Asked to explain Palin's statements that Alaska's proximity to Russia bolsters her foreign policy credentials, campaign spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton said Wednesday that Alaska is involved in "north corridor issues with Russia, Canada, Iceland and the United States of America."

The campaign cited Russia's attempts to claim part of a 1,240-mile underwater mountain range that crosses the polar region as its territory. Last August, a Russian submarine dropped a titanium capsule containing the nation's flag on the sea floor, sparking a multinational race to secure rights to the Arctic seabed.

Campaign spokesman Taylor Griffin said Russia's Arctic moves "give you some interesting international experience that you might not otherwise encounter if, say, you were the governor of Delaware."

Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden is a senator from Delaware and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Griffin said Palin has talked about the Russian Arctic claims with her staff, but he was unable to detail what she said or any position or action she's taken.

Mead Treadwell, chairman of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, said he briefed Palin once in the spring on matters that included the need for icebreakers, energy issues and the treaty under which nations are pursuing Arctic seabed claims. The commission develops national Arctic research policy and works with the administration, Congress, the National Science Foundation and other institutions.

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the State Department say Alaska state officials are not involved in their work, which includes three State Department continental shelf mapping expeditions off Alaska over the past two summers. They took place far beyond any territory over which the state has jurisdiction, department spokeswoman Barbara Moore said Wednesday.

The data gathered could bolster any underwater territorial claims the U.S. might make, though any formal claim is at least a couple years off, Moore said. The Russian claim under "Law of the Sea" has not yet been decided.

While Alaska would be affected by any eventual resource development, like oil discoveries, the state is not participating in their work, she said.

"Folks have been working not with the state as much as the Native communities because of the work going on in the Arctic," Moore said.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Biden Vs. Alaska's "Mooseburger Madame" Palin'// Transcript of Direct Comments In Emails Responding to the Debate

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:07:31 EDT

NOTE FROM STEPHEN FOX: I wanted to snag direct responses off my email as they came in without editing them or even inserting or correcting pronounciation etc., in a kind of real time Cinema Verite transcription of the responses just before the debate, during, and after: I hope you enjoy them and maybe there will be much more. Tomorrow's newspapers article and tonight's TV news are being written right now, but this is what the people supporting Obama had to say,

starting with this comment just before the debate started:LMANIV from African Americans for Obama: I will be happy when this is done. As good as she is doing im not sure if its changing people. Biden is the best person to counter her mona writes: Does she have cheat sheets?

from UCLA BRUINS FOR OBAMA: Shouldn't the next VP be able to pronounce the word "nuclear" rather than "nukular' in ones aspiring to the second highest office of the land. Sarah Palin is a joke and as a woman she is a poppet of the highest order. I have never heard a VP or Presidential nominee use the words "darn" or "heck" in a debate. She is an embarrassment to the nation. Please vote Obama/Biden.
Peace, Sandra Booker

from African Americans for Barack Obama: Why does she sound like a damn cartoon character?
-April

from Secular Humanist:

It appears that Moose Creek Barbie has been well coached.
She is giving some very well rehearsed lectures to the American
people not her opponent.

She sounds like she's answering questions in a beauty pageant..all smiling and breathy and being so high schoolish! She still can't give a good answer, though!sherry another from

April:ARE YOU KIDDING! He is killing her!!! If you're watching CNN then you see the women stats for Palin are LOW!! I mean, Biden is on fire! Just schoolin' her!

Marion, private email: Sarah Palin is standing her ground -- GOOD FOR HER! Still showing her "greenness" but GOOD FOR HER so many people were talking about her falling on her face and she's not doing it!!! GOOD FOR HER!!!!!!!

And Joe Biden is bringing out points about this election FINALLY in terms that the radical religious fundamental christian right in this nation NEED TO HEAR! And then Palin (Bless her!) is confirming exactly the same arguments that many "small" people (such as myself) have been carrying on about
for years and years and years:
1) Civil Rights for same sex couples not the same as defining (or re-defining) marriage (Really liked Joe Biden's distinction between
civil law and personal faith)

2) The TWO STATE SOLUTION!!!!!!! (And awesome synopsis from Biden about how Bush policies have worsened the middle east situation and Israel's
own) and then Palin affirmed that!!!!!! Two of the very biggest flash points between that lunatic right fringe and everyone else!

And some of the "sound bites" that Joe Biden is using tonight is bringing me back to last year October/November/December when I was trying to pull together the news to match the candidates for this campaign -- and you know what? I'm thinking now that back then last year, I was getting Biden confused with McCain LOL!!!!

And Joe Biden nails the issue about Dick Cheney and the office of the Vice President....

And Sarah, darling, I'm proud of you, even though I still disagree with you on very fundamental things. I hope you keep up on the same track as I'm seeing tonight. This is not your election, but you can take this "lemon" of an opportunity that McCain has disengenuously offered you, and turn it into nice lemonade for all of the USA. I really do hope that
is where this point in your career takes you if that is where you want to go.Watching the rest...This one was even better than the debate between Obama and McCain!

GOBAMA!!!
-Marion

Bonnie Vaughn of San Francisco for Obama: She's simply a good crammer; a quick study. She's had some hardcore study sessions this week, don't forget; and it's pretty obvious she has notes.

On Thu, Oct 2, 2008 at 6:58 PM, Barbara Beaulaurier wrote:

Ahhhh! How many times will she use the word ALSO! It's hurting by brain!

I was hoping for a loopier Palin. My cynical paranoid self thinks she threw those Couric interviews on purpose so whatever she did tonight would be seen as hitting the ball out of the park. Oy. From Kahran Hill, African Americans for Barack Obama: Biden is killing her on the facts. I think she will please her base, but I think for people who are really listening to the issues the choice is going to be clear after tonight.
Oregonians for Obama:Watching the debate on CNN, and monitoring the Ohio undecided voters reactions, I think we have reached the same conclusion. 1.. Joe Biden is supremely qualified and could step into the presidency and do the job if he has to. 2. I don't want a perky president.
Stephen in Portland

from Texas for Obama: Beginning to dislike her big sunshine smile....what is she laughing about.....what is so funny? MI
Choni of San Francisco for Obama: But all she talks about is the surge. Scare tactic. She hasn't said anything specific. I feel for her. She must be a nervous wreck
Getlanny from Northern Virginia for Obama: am going to crazy every time I have to hear Palin refer to herself and McCain as “Mavericks”. It’s as stupid as someone calling themselves “cool” when in actuality they are not.
LMANIV of African Americans for Barackobama: JOE Just killed her. The Maverick is dead on that one. OOOH!
Carolyn Carrier of African Americans for Barackobama: I agree! I think it's going to be a landslide except in the deep, deep South!
from April again: ME TOO!! It scares the hell outta me! I don't know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt! Hahaha!---Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
From: Caroll Park-Calloway
Subject: [AfricanAmericansforBarackObama] Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: debate I want to throw up from all the "gosh" and "wow" crap. We get it she's from a small town. It is rather telling...when at a lost throw in a cute little "gosh ya know"

Caroll Park- Calloway

"Never trouble another for wh at you can do for yourself"
Thomas Jeffersonfrom April:

I think those people who are typically charmed by her are starting to be turned off with the help of Tina Fey and The Couric Interviews. They're starting to see through it because she does it too much! And she's smiling about issues that she should be serious about.She has a head full of facts with zero understanding of them. Beauty pageant answers, I'd say.Eric Reminds me of when I was in undergrad on a history test, "I don't know what happened on that day but...." Caroline
She studied very well. Nothing is coming from the heart though. Just spitted out McCain platitudes.   Mona
Her voice is getting old very fast!!! Jolene from Oregonians for Obama Clearly Joe has the grasp and knowledge of the issues and has the passion to fight for all of us. Sara is just plain not equipped to handle much of anything!   Khy Griffin of Oregonians
Im mad proud of Joe tonight. I really am.   LMANIV African Americans for Barack Obama
from Marion, private: Even the highly questionable "Laffer Curve" theory shows times when there is a need to raise taxes. Even the "Laffer Curve" theory isn't as ~out there~ as President G W Bush has been these past years, and as Senator John McCain promises to be for another four or more if he's given the chance. I think even the "Laffer Curve" authors and experts would agree that at this time, cutting taxes is going to shove revenue into the dirt. BIG TIME.
Oh Did I love this Debate :)!!!!!!
Celina of San Francisco for Obama: Yes she must be a nervous wreck ... Joe O'Biden - did anyone hear that?

And no Palin, you aren't so different from the flipping on issues in washington. Bridge to Nowhere ring any bells? jacksondeo of african americans for barack obama:She sounds incredibly rehearsed, to the point of sounding mechanical. She's so eager to get out the bit of information that she retained, that she redirects the question to what she feels she knows even when he as nothing to do with what was asked. She just isn't answering many of the questions. Biden is doing great! "I call that the ultimate bridge to nowhere." Classic! I agree she continues to study her chest sheets as Joe Biden talks.
------Original Message------
To: African Americans for Barack Obama
ReplyTo: AfricanAmericansforBarackObama@groups.barackobama.com
Sent: Oct 2, 2008 7:00 PM
Subject: [AfricanAmericansforBarackObama] Re: debate

Yes she has cheat sheets Joe is the winner. m of oregonians for obamaI think she started out OK but then went to the circular speak pretty quickly. And she just sounds so rehearsed; Joe sounds relaxed, sincere and SMART.

And I love how she brought up Bush on her own many times -- obviously she didn't get the memo that that association might not be such a great idea.   Kelly of San Francisco for Obama
from Roger of Dallas Air America:
When she said she wished she could have more opportunities like this
to speak directly to the American people without going through the
filter of the press...WHY THE HELL DIDN'T HE ASK HER IF SHE WANTED TO
DEBATE AGAIN???? Instead he let her go home with the ball!!!!!

And again. It's not about who is or was right or wrong about
anything. Not in any way that get's swing votes. It's about trust.
Every time she makes a charge, it's not enough to show that she's
wrong by giving the Obama Biden side. He's got to call attention to
the fact that she's INTENTIONALLY wrong, distorting, misrepresenting,
taking things out of context. Only once and only briefly did he call
attention to the fact that she changed the subject to taxes, when she
had no rebuttsl to something implied in his remarks.

He deinitely should have parodied that. "It's like the old cheer.
When we say health care, they say taxes. When we say regulation they
say, taxes. When we say Iraq was a mistake, they say taxes. Look
I've showed you who wants to tax who. How long do they think they
can keep playing that tax and spend card. the Republican party has
engineered the biggest deficit in the history of this county."

The short rebuttal to Palin's obfuscation about Gen. McAllen saying
the surge wouldn't work in Afganistan was not to say "Yes he did."
The effective emotive rebuttal is " You can shape this whatever way
you want Governor, but how are you going to get around the fact that
he used the word "SURGE" in saying what wouldn't work. Only the
McCain Palin ticket could find wiggle room in something like that."

I know it's hard. I know it's like getting Wheel of Fortune alot
easier when your home than up there. But I'm still disappointed
again. I think these guys need one o' them transmitter-receiver
thingy's Bush wore under his suit in those debates.

ButI "betcha" one thing. This weekend Tina's going to be using the
word "blender" (blunder) somewhere, and one other odd pronounciation
I wish I could remember right now.
---------
Sarah is a fine debater. They both seem to be enjoying it, rather
than that "pursed lips" look other debates have had. from Laci Election____2008
__________
from Secular Humanist: Who Won?
Re: [SECULARHUMANIST] *? 2 ALL: THE VP DEBATE - WHO WON?*
1st Answer, from Milton:
Biden's answers were clear and substantial while Palin spouted talking points.

Herb Snyder of Secular Humanist: Sarah was charming, as I expected her to be.   She is a real character, and I do like her. However, I still believe that she has no business being in public office.    I am glad that she did well, but her total lack of knowledge always shows.   I would love to spend an evening talking with Sarah on many subjects. She would be fun and very lively. But I would still vote for Biden. Concerning anything to do with running America, he is very competent.....

from Lauren Benjamin of SEcular Humanist: This changes everything, IMO.....everything. Palin is more than holding her own in addition tolooking straight into the camera with her well rehearsedtouting of John McCain's accomplishments. Biden retorts by saying...."I don't think so. No he didn't."The Right will be elated. McCain's numbers will probablygo up. No more chatter about Palin being as "dumbas a box of rocks" (although I still think she is).This just changes everything. I'm feeling very dejected. Lauren
-------------------- Starting at 9 p.m. ET, watch the vice presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin live at http://www.washingtonpost.com. Then, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/debates tomorrow morning to watch the full debate, use an annotated transcript to analyze each exchange, vote on which candidate won each question and join a discussion with other armchair pundits.

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com_________________
Citation    Dems2008     Palin's head did NOT blow off her shoulders; she did NOT do anything bad enough to get bumped from the ticket.   Therefore, we win by keeping this idiot on the McCain ticket.   Had she said something really really really stupid -- like hoping that East and West Germany will reunify someday or something like that -- she'd be gone by Friday night. But now she stays.   Thank God And if 60% of folks thought she was unqualified going into the debate, surely not many of them suddenly tonight had some epiphany in which s/he said, "Oh, I was wrong; she's qualified." Early polls are saying Biden won the debate: two that I've seen so far. ___________________ Ron Corvus at Election____2008:Palin sounded like canned crapolo. Fresh as nothing. She thought she had it goin' on.......she didn't.And that hair-do! ...........more like a hair-don't!When asked about "X", she answered, "Y."You call her an accountable person? The gal can't even answer a straight question with a straight answer. Palin could NOT differentiate between Bush's policies and McCain's policies; you know why? Because there's virtually no difference between the two butthole, bloodthirsty ignoramuses - Bush & McCain.Boy Palin really took Obama down huh? Not an f'in dent! Not one! Her fifteen minutes was up fourteen minutes into the debate.Palin lied her ass off; regurgitated lies at that!Laci, you must not know debate from a hole in the ground.I bet you shop at Kohl's..............r o n ------------------------------------------------------ Rescue America of Election_____2008 wrote: Palin said tonight the following:

1.) That she wanted to expand powers for the Vice-President; (just what we needed)

2.) That she was NOT going to answer Gwen's questions;

3.) That she was NO LONGER giving interviews, period.

Chris Matthews commented on these things Palin said and cast them as ridiculous.

This female is patently unqualified and supremely arrogant and decidedly unknowing and ignorant, especially when it comes to the law.

She regurgitated pre-packed, pre-tested, campaign-approved double-dribble. If you look up the term, "bimbo" in the dictionary, it says "Sarah Palin; 2008 flash in the pan who petered out quick."

Biden and Palin are both AGAINST gay marriage; Biden and Palin are BOTH for drilling for oil; Biden and Palin BOTH want to keep troops in Afghanistan; neither offer universal healthcare; Biden and Palin BOT shamelessly support terrorist nation Israel;
-----------------
Marion wrote to Susan Privately, but seemed to share this widely: > Rachael Maddow and Pat Buchannan -- BOTH INCREDIBLY WRONG!!!
>
> HA! -- Joe Biden won the debate HANDS DOWN - More substance, and the
> passion that such substance needs, and drilling home again and again
> the fundamental points that this election is about!
>
> and Joe Biden is not even close to boring as Buchannan tried to say.
> and Sarah Palin's demeanor was totally better than Maddow tried to
> describe.
>
> PS I didn't like her to begin with, I'm liking her now, I hope she'll
> carry on in a way I can continue to respect if not agree with -- just
> don't think she's a good choice for Vice President of the USA.
from RescueAmerica of Secular Humanist: I think they bonded and a friendship came out of the debate.

You have to admit these are two strong willed individuals with clear and decisive expectations and ideas and ideas about what they see as ethical and moral, and they agreed on a lot of items. But then politics reared it's ugly head again.
from John of Secular Humanist:
Wow, what debate were you watching? The one I saw had Palin everywhere but on point! She showed us exactly what we thought, that she is NOT qualified to be the VP candidate and she was just selected because she was a woman!
from RescueAmerica: OMG!!!

She rocked!!!!

Actually, I think it was an even debate and both were balanced and on point for their conceptions of what our country is.
from Citation again: U.S. relations with Israel than do I (and I know almost nothing other than headlines):   Is the view of American Jews generally that the Bush Administration has been a disaster for Israel (the assertion that Biden was making tonight).   As I say, I don't have a view, so will be interested in the better informed views of others.Palin seemed to be saying that Bush has been just hunky dory re: Israel; Biden was saying Bush has been a disaster toward Israel's interests.
Herb Snyder again: I would still enjoy spending an evening talking with her. She is delightfully daffy, and it would be fun. I would also counsel her to stay out of public office........
Sherry of Secular Humanist: I can't stand to watch her. Palin is such an ass. Do people really fall for her fake smiles, her winks, her strange voice..!!Biden is doing great!Palin still can't answer a question directly. I'll give it a few more minutes.sherry
Marion, Privately: Sarah Palin presented a wonderful model of how a lady conducts
herself in this world beyond the glass ceiling,
and Joe Biden presented a wonderful model of how a ~~TRUE~~ gentleman
treats a lady with whom he's having a debate, in the land beyond the
glass ceiling. ------------------------------------------
Ron again from Election____2008: Let's get this real, real straight - right here and now: Anyone supporting Sarah Palin is a damn fool and downright unAmerican! Well why would that be so? BECAUSE, for one thing, Palin chided Biden and anti-Bush groups by saying that anyone knocking Bush was just lving in the past and not looking forward. This bitch snapped this fluff non-chalantly, as if tossing a Handi-wipe in the trashcan. Has this unit ever heard of accountability? Has she no sense whatsoever of accountability? Apparently not....she just wants to "move-on."What in the WORLD would the late George Carlin say about Sarah Palin? Just the thought is hilarious..r o n
____________________________________________________________________
from Greg Moderator, Secular Humanist: Hi Lauren and All! She certainly played through as Sarah the cartoon. But I don't think she did McCain or the ticket any favors.Just my opinion. What's everybody's?Greg
_________________________________________
from Nancy Cunningham of Dallas Air America on why Didn't Biden Accept Her Challenge to have several more debates:
You are right – Ifill should have called her on it too...What the hell good was asking questions if they weren’t suppose to answer them and when they wouldn’t answer them repeatedly for the moderator to not at least point it out? She could have said to Joe, I’m going to ask you my next question but you are welcome to do like the Governor is doing and say as a response what ever you want to say ------------------------------------------
from Greg : Doesn't look like they're buying it from the after-debate polls so far
Tamara of Secular Humanist: -the numbers will fluctuate quickly and go back to obama. i missed the last 1/3 as my kids did not allow me to view it, however, did she
ever directly answer a question? "can i talk about..... " no matter what was asked? it is insulting. tamara
________________________________________________________________________
from JJ at Secular Humanist: Here are a couple of Polls... the more we say the more they will hear. Go Vote, Folks.

If people find other polls post them so we can put in our two cents... after the bailout that is all we can afford now.

JJ
Sine dolore est vulnus, quod ferendum est cum victoria. - It's a painless wound that the victor must bear.

__________________________________________________
Election__________2008: Biden mentioned his 35 years a few times...and I expected him to do
well because of it...The best surprise was Sarah....llaci_______________________________
From: PONYHONEY
To: Southside VA Rural Rednecks fer Obama <SouthsideVARuralRednecksferObama@groups.barackobama.com>
Sent: Thu, 2 Oct 2008 23:46:18 -0400
Subject: [SouthsideVARuralRednecksferObama] This Can't Be True, Is It?> This came in part of an e-mail today. A friend of mine sent it to a
> hundred friends so I'm sure it's going all over the Internet. She
> said, "
> (Remember Obama said in his book 'Audacity of Hope', 'I will stand
> with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly
> direction'.....If you ever forwarded an email, now's the time to do
> it!) "
>
> That's got to be a lie or taken out of context, right? What does it
> mean? I need an answer to give to these people so I can defend
> Obama. Does anyone know?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Debi
_____________________

Stephen Fox: Yes, it is true. i read the book. it is taken entirely out of context but the people who are brandishing this quote are the kind of people who don't know what "context" even means. I suggest you get the book and read that section and the entire book before you argue with them. In the context of that comment, it made perfect and smooth and appropriate sense. Leave it to the Karl Rovians to pull something out of context and twist it around to stab you. It is what lawyers do all of the time, like it or not. Read the book, ponyhoney! I may quote you in my next article! You should be so lucky!
from Julie of Houston for Obama:

Long story...but I don't have a television at this house....What are the pundits and politicos saying?? Julie-

Yo, Joe.

Kelson Philo — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:08:49 EDT

Well, any doubts I may have held about Biden have been quashed. I'm sure that Palin will get the obligatory "Oh, didn't she do swell considering" nod, but I think it's pretty clear which candidate is better suited for the VP.

"Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere!"
"Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history."
"The idea he's part of the Legislative Branch is a bizarre notion invented by Cheney to aggrandize the power of a unitary executive and look where it has gotten us."

Blammo. Biden's been the best debater so far.

The Palin Tape

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:49:41 EDT

The Palin Tape

SHE KILL ANIMALS

Sarah Palin IS Experienced!

ABOUT REPUBLICANS STEALING ELECTIONS

Alice Parris — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:44:01 EDT

I do not need to stress the importance to the Democrats and to the Obama-Biden campaign the fact that REPUBLICANS STEAL ELECTIONS! They stole the election in 2000 from Vice President Al Gore in the state of Florida, they stole the election from Senator John Kerry in 2004 in the state of Ohio. There are various ways that they use: subliminal programming, falsifying poll numbers, voter suppression and programming for backwards counting on the election machines. Oh, the fate of so many in the hands of so few.
The Republicans LIE. We won’t know the full extent of the Bush-Cheney lies for sometime to come. Has anyone ever seen someone as clandestine and arrogant as Dick Cheney? Bush and Cheney sacked the nation while Rome was burning. Brand new investigations will be launched, stalled and sealed. I am not even talking about Governor Palin’s “Troopergate.” I understand that the McCain camp has taken over the governance of Alaska. Smells like an oil and gas takeover. I am sure that the good people of Alaska will not be happy with the pittance from energy revenues that they will get under the banner of “Country First.”

The GOP Must’ve Learned Lowering Expectations From A Master

Charley James — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:28:01 EDT

No, it’s not Karl Rove. I’m speaking of Murray Warmath.

And who is Murray Warmath when he’s home? He was the world’s greatest expert on lowering expectations.

From 1954 through the 1971 season, Warmath was head football coach at the University of Minnesota. Although he won two Big Ten titles, mostly he spent his time compiling a mediocre 65-57-4 record. But the alumni association never clamoured for his head and he held his job considerably longer than did most large college coaches who never won a Bowl Game or a national championship.

It was all because Murray Warmath was the master of lowering expectations.

As happens at many major universities, during his tenure Minnesota held an annual alumni dinner, a gathering of donors, potential donors and illustrious grads. Warmath always was a speaker. Every year, he stood up and talked about how next season was going to be tough: He’d lost X-number of graduating seniors, there would be a lot of freshmen on the team, everyone else in the Big Ten had a more experienced line or a proven quarterback or something that spelled doom for the Golden Gophers every time they hit the gridiron.

Well, by the time ol’ Murray finished badmouthing himself, the school’s bad luck and his team’s wilting chances, the gathered poobah’s of the alumni association figured Warmath would be a miracle worker if he managed to pull off a win or two and not end up in the conference cellar.

The fact is Warmath’s teams were never as bad as he predicted – and he knew it standing before the alums every spring. But he kept his job year-after-so-so-year by being the master of lowering expectations. How else can you explain his 18 year tenure as head coach during an era where “win here today or go elsewhere tomorrow” was college football’s mantra?

From Warmath to Palin

Enter Sarah Palin, currently hiding away at John McCain’s palatial Arizona estate getting ready for Thursday’s debate with Joe Biden.

Yesterday, Politico reported news of disenchanted grumblings coming from inside the camp about her performance during two rehearsals with senior McCain advisors. She’s doing miserably, came the reports; even hubby Todd was said to be “worried.” On MSNBC’s Countdown, Keith Olbermann and Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson discussed the gruesome predictions with some glee.

But where people on the left see pending disaster, I see the ghost of Murray Warmath striding across the purple Arizona sage.

McCain’s people are running a straight replay of Murray Warmath’s unchanging playbook from alumni dinners that stretched across three decades. By the time Palin’s handler’s get finished lowering expectations, if she doesn’t belch on camera the country may be loudly applauding her ability to stand toe to toe with Joe Biden. That’s their goal, at least, because it’s the only thing that can change their candidate from a Tina Fey skit into being seen as “vice presidential.”

It certainly won’t happen on its own, not from a woman who couldn’t remember the name of even one newspaper she reads every day other than to say “I read whatever they put in front of me.”

An Old Opponent's Caution

I think debate moderator Gwen Ifill of The NewsHour on PBS will have her hands full.

On one side of the stage will be an affable but sometimes strident policy wonk whose head is filled with facts and figures who likes talking too much. On the other side will be a woman of superficial knowledge, an ability to not answer questions and who everyone in the country will be watching to see if she utters something totally stupid.

“In what sense, Charley?” and “Oh! And it’s about job creation!” are the “I’m in way over my head here” lines of the campaign.

But former Alaska gubernatorial candidate Andrew Halcro, writing in today’s Christian Science Monitor, warns that Palin can be slippery in a debate.

“Palin is a master of the non-answer,” Halcro warns. “She can turn a 60-second response to a query about her specific solutions to healthcare challenges into a folksy story about how she's met people on the campaign trail who face healthcare challenges. All without uttering a word about her public-policy solutions to healthcare challenges.”

My trust is in Gwen Ifill being more adriot and forceful at trying to get an actual answer from Palin than, say, the anchor of a local Anchorage newscast or a state house reporter from Juneau.

Halcro remembers Palin pulling the same stunt in their debates as she did with CBS’s Katie Couric when she couldn't name a Supreme Court decision.

"In one debate,” he says, “a moderator asked the candidates to name a bill the legislature had recently passed that we didn't like. I named one. Democratic candidate Tony Knowles named one. But Sarah Palin instead used her allotted time to criticize the incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski. Asked to name a bill we did like, the same pattern emerged: Palin didn't name a bill.”

I think we’ll see her trying to pull the same nonsense Thursday night in St. Louis. Here’s hoping that Ms. Ifill is ready to step in and challenge Palin’s artful dodging.

Sarah Palin Doesn't Know Much About Russia Either

Nia "Hussein" J. — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:27:09 EDT

CNN did a fact check on palin's Russia claim...turns out, it isn't true...AT ALL...go figure

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/01/cnn-sarah-palin-has-never_n_130752.html#postComment

Out of Alaska

John Merton Marrs — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:54:03 EDT

In my Alaska days (1981-1990), we called the rest of the world "Outside," as in: "I'm going Outside to visit my mother." This is more than a catchword; it embodies the notion that Alaska is separate and special, part of the world yet apart from it. Out of this cultural hubris, John McCain plucked Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate, and it worked for a while, as she re-energized his campaign.

Over the past month her candidacy has come under increased scrutiny and we have found her struggling to use her Alaska governing experience to gain credibility. She has been increasingly exposed as an empty shell. As Gertrude Stein once said of Oakland: "There is no there there."

Unlike Gov. Palin, I have been to Russia. I toured the Soviet Far East for two weeks with an Alaska news media group during Gorbachev's Glasnost. I returned home with a different view of Russia and an understanding of why the Soviet Union was an economic failure. I would never claim that this gave me credentials for international diplomacy, yet Palin asserts that she is so qualified merely on the basis that Alaska is close to Russia.

I was a daily newspaper editor in Kenai, Alaska. It was a small, community daily, yet it was the fifth or sixth largest paper in the state (Anchorage then had two daily papers, followed in size by Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan and Kenai). I interviewed and came to know personally governors William Sheffield and Steve Cowper. I also interviewed several times Frank Murkowski, who later became governor; and had fleeting acquaintances with Wally Hickel and Tony Knowles, two more governors. Each of them had much more knowledge and political experience than Sarah Palin and all but Murkowski and Hickel (who worked in national politics) would never assert that they were qualified to hold office one heartbeat away from the presidency.

The most telling fact about John McCain's candidacy is his failure of judgment in choosing Palin as his running mate. It was a pure political move that contradicts his claim to be putting the country first. It was a desperate move that magnifies suspicions that his ambition to become president is so great that he will resort to almost any tactic to win election.

Palin has the advantages of youth and beauty. Someone once said that it's impossible to insult a beautiful woman, yet Palin is imploding intellectually in full view of the public. Let's hope that the public is paying attention and will vote to send her back "Inside" where she can continue her on-the-job training as governor.

Palin Is No Fiscal Conservative - More Evidence

John DesMarteau, MD — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:12 EDT

Tonight (September 22, 2008), while I was listening to the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC I sat up when I heard Ms. Maddow mention that Gov. Palin approved a $500 million subsidy to TransCanada, Corp, a Canadian company. Apparently it’s a first step in the construction of the pipeline that Palin has been advertising around the country as proof of her bona fides in energy policy. The problem is that TransCanada does not have to guarantee that the pipeline will ever be built. At least that’s what Bloomberg news reported on August 29, 2008, one day before John McCain announced that she was his running mate. You can read the Bloomberg News article here but here is the pertinent quote:

"Under its license agreement with the state, TransCanada will get a $500 million subsidy in return for seeking federal regulatory approval for the project and finding customers for the pipeline. The license doesn't guarantee construction of the project [emphasis mine]."

So Gov. Palin is going around the country touting her convictions as a fiscal conservative. She may have in fact cut earmarks that the State of Alaska takes from the federal government. But she sure doesn’t sound like a fiscal conservative to me. What it does sound like is the lack of oversight that the Republicans are famous for and that, to a large part, got us into the economic mess we’re currently in.

The fact that it's a Canadian company and part of the pipeline will go through Canada also begs the question of proper oversight, which this decision does not seem on the surface to support.

John McCain calls for transparency. He ought to start with his running mate so we know that the half billion is being well spent, and conidering the overall impact, proper safeguards are in place.

Help Stop Another Alaska Road Boondongle

Alan in Elgin, IL — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:45:25 EDT

Last week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a bill that would remove Wilderness protection from some of the world's most important wetlands habitat in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

The bill's chief aim is to build a very costly road in Alaska, linking the small communities of King Cove and Cold Bay. Like other earmarks that have provided millions of dollars to benefit relatively few Alaska citizens, the Izembek road is a pet project of Alaska's congressional delegation.

All that remains before this very dangerous bill becomes law are votes in the House and Senate. Unfortunately, rather than considering this bill on its own merits, it is possible that both chambers will try to bundle the Izembek road project with a large number of other public lands bills—including some important bills to protect Wilderness in California, Oregon, Michigan, New Mexico, and Colorado—for an up or down vote on the whole package.

We urgently need your help TODAY to make sure this does not happen! Please write your Senators and Representative to ask them to oppose the Izembek bill, and to keep it off any larger package of public lands bills.

Most gratefully,

Kathy Kilmer
The Wilderness Society

What are Todd Palin's Credentials Exactly?

Robin Z — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:08:10 EDT

He's married to the Governor of Alaska and the current Republican Party VP candidate. So this entitles him to....

Receive state-related business emails from the Governor?

Accept big oil sponsorship (CITGO and TESORO) of his snow machine races?

View land parcels regarding the Alaska pipeline by airplane, as paid for by the State of Alaska, and make recommendations to his wife, the Governor?

Avoid court rulings because he believes he has immunity as husband of the Governor?

WHAT EXACTLY ARE TODD PALIN'S CREDENTIALS AND WHAT HAS HE BEEN ELECTED / APPOINTED / HIRED TO DO FOR THIS COUNTRY?

Oh, right. NOTHING.

Enough with Lipstick and Dipstick

Brian Normoyle — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:09:30 EDT

It becomes more apparent by the day that the choice of Sarah Palin may come to haunt the McCain campaign this November. It has now come to light that Moose-ah-lini used her private yahoo email account to conduct state business--flagrantly circumventing Alaska laws requiring all state-related correspondence to be archived and saved. And we recently learned that the self-titled pit-bull's private lawyers (or, more accurately, McCain's) are suing to stop the ethics inquiry she welcomed and the Republican-dominated, bipartisan Legislative Council unanimously decided in July to initiate. Talk about being before the investigation before she was against it.

But of course all that was before Obama's choice of Biden and his subsequent convention bounce, and well before McCain realized he was absolutely fucked in November without someone or some way to get evangelicals excited about him--or at least some Republican. As it turns out, now that she's the Republican VP nominee, she'd rather have the investigation conducted on her turf by a "Personnel Board" answering only to her administration. Here's the best part: she filed an ethics complaint against herself--the only way to constitutionally get said Board to investigate--and her appointed, non-elected Attorney General instructed state employees not to cooperate with the Legislative Council supboenas. I guess her brand of government reform is ignoring it altogether when it proves politically inconvenient to her ambitions.

There's a very distinct possibility no laws were violated or ethics impinged, but I generally tend to think that where there's smoke there's a good chance of fire. The bottom line, of course, is McCain's glaring hypocrisy. How can he convince any lucid American he's going to "reform" Washington when he's running as a 25-year veteran of said institution whose running-mate is fleeing from her own ethics inquiry and doing whatever she can to shut it down?

McCain took a risk in picking such a political amateur, but he'll do well to stop her making more sophomoric mistakes so early. It does little good to run as an agent of change and government reform when your running mate agrees to cooperate with a bipartisan ethics investigation and then, six weeks later, does all she can to derail it.

I hope Sarah's family enjoys moose-stew as much as she does because, frankly, that's about all she's qualified to nuke.

Palin's husband refuses to testify in probe

Astra — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:18:28 EDT

By MATT VOLZ, Associated Press Writer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's husband has refused to testify in the investigation of his wife's alleged abuse of power, and key lawmakers said Thursday that uncooperative witnesses are effectively sidetracking the probe until after Election Day.

Todd Palin, who participates in state business in person or by e-mail, was among 13 people subpoenaed by the Alaska Legislature. Palin's lawyer sent a letter to the lead investigator saying Palin objected to the probe and would not appear to testify on Friday.

"The objections boil down to the fact that the Legislative Council investigation is no longer a legitimate investigation because it has been subjected to complete partisanship and does not operate with the authority that it had at the time of its initial authorization," McCain-Palin presidential campaign spokesman Ed O'Callaghan said.

Sarah Palin initially welcomed the bipartisan investigation into accusations that she dismissed the state's public safety commissioner because he refused to fire her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper. "Hold me accountable," she said.

But she has increasingly opposed it since Republican presidential candidate John McCain tapped her as his running mate. The McCain campaign dispatched a legal team to Alaska including O'Callaghan, a former top U.S. terrorism prosecutor from New York to bolster Palin's local lawyer.

In the letter, Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein lists nine objections to the Legislature's investigation into Gov. Palin. Van Flein also argues the subpoena is "unduly burdensome" because Palin has travel plans that require him to be out of the state.

Earlier this week, Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg said the governor, who was not subpoenaed, declined to participate in the investigation and said Palin administration employees who have been subpoenaed would not appear.

State Sen. Bill Wielechowski, a Democrat, said the McCain campaign is doing all it can to prevent the Legislature from completing a report on whether the GOP's vice presidential nominee abused her power as governor.

Wielechowski and another member of the panel that summoned the witnesses, told The Associated Press that the witnesses can avoid testifying for months without penalty and that court action to force them to appear sooner is unlikely.

Republican Sen. Gene Therriault agreed with Wielechowski's analysis.

"If we had turned the rhetoric down and turned the pressure down to do some things we might have gotten voluntary cooperation," said Therriault, who opposed the subpoenas.

The McCain-Palin campaign said Thursday that Gov. Palin is cooperating with a separate Alaska State Personnel Board investigation into Troopergate. Palin initiated that investigation after she joined McCain's ticket. The three-member board is appointed by the governor.

"I can't say it enough, the governor is an open book on this matter," McCain spokeswoman Meg Stapleton said. "She is fully cooperating with the unbiased, legally appropriate and independent investigation of the State Personnel Board."

Palin fired Walt Monegan in July. It later emerged that Palin, her husband, Todd, and several high-level staffers had contacted Monegan about state trooper Mike Wooten. Palin maintains she fired Monegan over budget disagreements, not because he wouldn't dismiss her former brother-in-law.

Wooten had gone through a nasty divorce from Palin's sister before Palin became governor. While Monegan says no one from the administration ever told him directly to fire Wooten, he says their repeated contacts made it clear they wanted Wooten gone.

Alaska Senate President Lyda Green, a Republican foe of Palin, said Wednesday that the investigation is still on track.

"The original purpose of the investigation was to bring out the truth. Nothing has changed," she said.

Without the testimony, the retired prosecutor hired to head the investigation could still release a report in October as scheduled, based on the evidence he's already gathered. As of Thursday, Steven Branchflower had interviewed or deposed 17 of the 33 people he had identified as potential witnesses in the probe.

The Legislature does not have the leverage to compel any witness to testify before Nov. 4, said Wielechowski, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Wielechowski said he did not know whether Branchflower has enough material for a complete and fair report with so few witnesses. But he said delaying the probe would only politicize the matter more.

"It would be to appease the McCain camp," Wielechowski said. "They're doing everything they can to delay."

Ignoring a legislative subpoena is punishable by a fine up to $500 and up to six months in jail under Alaska law. But courts are reluctant to intervene in legislative matters and the full Legislature must be in session to bring contempt charges, Wielechowski said. The Legislature is not scheduled to convene until January.

(story courtesy of Yahoo news)

Energy independence

Aviator — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:46:29 EDT

In response to critics about Sarah Palin's credentials, the McCain campaign has often highlighted the value of serving a state that produces a large share of the country's energy. This argument is brought forward to criticism regarding energy policy, but also used as counter against foreign policy by arguing that the greatest challenge we face today is dependence on foreign oil.

It doesn't make a whole of sense!

The challenge of getting off the country's addiction to foreign oil is a trumendous task. It takes great courage and ambition. It also requires a sensible approach to promote new energy policies, especially in the area of renewable sources.

Alaska's energy production is mostly oil from the arctic circle. The Palin argument of knowing better because she may know a lot about the production, transport and distribution of oil is not enough. The country needs someone exactly the opposite. Someone who understands the plurality of energy sources.

Palin doesn't inspire confidence on energy policy when she advocates for more drilling in the Alaskan wildlife reserve. We already now that she'd rather shoot wildlife than protect it.

The challenge is to get off the oil. Full stop. And the country needs a president who understands that building wind turbines, solar farms and ethanol plants is what it takes.

McCain and Palin should be reminded that credentials in 21st century energy policy requires more than just sitting atop an oil pipeline. Thanks for trying, maybe next time.

Dear Barack Hussein Obama

Mon — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:50:44 EDT

Dear Barack Hussein Obama,

Please do not air commercials in Spanish. I find that offensive. English is our national language. Please stop smearing the McCain campaign with lies. Please renounce the party of lawyers and journalists sent to Alaska to dig dirt up on Sarah Palin. Please also publicly renounce the lies in your TVads about McCain and Palin. I was going to vote for Obama, but not now after all the smears. You've really sunk low. Hypocrite.

What's next TV ads in French for our Canadian friends to appreciate. You promised to run a different campaign than they way politicians usually do. You are an outright disappointment. I don't even believe a word you say anymore.

Why didn't the mainstream media report this?

KiKi — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:22:06 EDT

"Alaska Women Reject Palin" Rally: Pics and Videos by frsbdg [Subscribe] Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 07:30:42 AM PDT

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/14/103042/902

"Alaska Women Reject Palin" Rally: Pics and Videos by frsbdg [Subscribe] Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 07:30:42 AM PDT

They put together a press release and sent it to the Anchorage media outlets. A local right-wing talk show host broadcast the names and phone numbers of the two organizers over the air. They began receiving a series of harassing phone calls for the remainder of that afternoon. The leading TV station picked up the story on Thursday. Alaska Public Radio Network put up some audio.

An anonymous caller contacted the local media on Friday afternoon and told them they were one of the organizers, and the rally had been cancelled. Someone even faxed forged a document saying the Secret Service had cancelled the permit for the rally, even though no permit is required. Some people were putting an awful lot of effort in to making sure no dissent would be heard from Alaska.

frsbdg's diary :: ::

Well, it didn't work. Despite overcast skies and a forecast for rain, there was a rally here today. Oh man, was there! In fact, it was by most accounts the largest protest rally in the history of Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News wrote that the rally drew an "estimated" 1500 people. Let me be clear: the organizers used a hand-clicker and counted at least 1,483 Alaskans, mostly women, who showed up to say that Sarah Palin does not speak for them. They also counted 93 McCain/Palin supporters. The national media loves to say that Sarah Palin enjoys an "80% popularity rating" in Alaska. Do the math on todays rally, and you'd need a faith-based calculator to get 80%. This was grassroots activism at its best - Alaskans coming out to speak their minds on a host of issues. Here are some still pics, I'll update with video later today.

UPDATE 4: All the pics are back up now.

UPDATE 3: Lots of viewers were asking for the lyrics to the song "Shine" by Cyndi Lauper. This version of the music video has subtitles included.

UPDATE 2: Wow, I just have to say how blown away I am this morning. I feel privileged to share the feelings of these strong, independent-thinking women with everyone. The passion of the last woman in the video just takes my breath away.

UPDATE: And the video is here! Gotta love iMovie!

The site of the rally.

At 10:30 AM, the sidewalk was empty.

So was the lawn.

Would anyone show up?

It started out small.

Then a few more showed up.

Was this it?

Nope - the rally gets bigger.

Holy cow!

Seriously. Wow.

Probably the biggest protest rally in Alaska history. I can believe that.

The Theme of the Day

This woman wasn't buying it.

And neither was this this one.

Or this whole family.

Oh, snap!

No shortage of Pitbulls and Lipstick.

A smart young girl.

Two of my favorites.

Another good one.

These two women weren't buying the hype, either.

An excellent question. Governor?

Lots of other folks here support her choice, too.

I sense a pattern developing here...

Folks weren't wild about her ideas on war, either.

Here's a hockey mom with a different opinion.

The McCain/Palin supporters came out in force.

This guy was too lazy to make a new sign. Or maybe he's just saying that Sarah's not fit to be VP, and should just remain Governor of Alaska. I'll drink to that!

Let me close with this one. Teach your children well, indeed.

Check out more pics here.

As you can see from these photos, the rally was AMAZING! With few exceptions, there was no friction between the two camps. To help keep things civil, the organizers set up some ground rules for the rally. Here is the "Code of Conduct" that they distributed to attendees:

ALASKA WOMEN REJECT PALIN RALLY
Saturday, September 13, 2008, 12:00 noon
Loussac Library, 36th and Denali
Welcome to the Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally. We invite you to introduce yourselves to each other and discuss legitimate policy concerns and what brought you out this weekend.
Please review the code of conduct outlined below. We are committed to exercising our right to free speech and assembly in a peaceful, respectful manner.
• This rally is non-partisan.
• Stick to issues and speak about your individual experience and views.
• Be respectful of all view points.
• Do not engage with counter rally participants in arguments about the merit of specific issues or value systems.
• No personal attacks on Governor Palin, her family, or her supporters.
• Do not use abusive language.
• Stay off the lawn and do not block sidewalk or road traffic.
• Please recycle this flyer and don’t litter.

Sarah Palin's Alaskan Tribal Record

Irish Musician for Progressive Solutions — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:50:07 EDT

On Alaskan Native and Tribal issues, Palin’s record is a failure.

Alaskanomics

Nia "Hussein" J. — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:44:58 EDT

http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1839724,00.html

Sarah Palin's AlaskonomicsBy Michael Kinsley

Sarah Palin thinks she is a better American than you because she comes from a small town, and a superior human being because she isn't a journalist and has never lived in Washington and likes to watch her kids play hockey. Although Palin praised John McCain in her acceptance speech as a man who puts the good of his country ahead of partisan politics, McCain pretty much proved the opposite with his selection of a running mate whose main asset is her ability to reignite the culture wars. So maybe Governor Palin does represent everything that is good and fine about America, as she herself maintains. But spare us, please, any talk about how she is a tough fiscal conservative.

Palin has continued to repeat the already exposed lie that she said "No, thanks" to the famous "bridge to nowhere" (McCain's favorite example of wasteful federal spending). In fact, she said "Yes, please" until the project became a symbol and political albatross.

Back to reality. Of the 50 states, Alaska ranks No. 1 in taxes per resident and No. 1 in spending per resident. Its tax burden per resident is 2 1/2 times the national average; its spending, more than double. The trick is that Alaska's government spends money on its own citizens and taxes the rest of us to pay for it. Although Palin, like McCain, talks about liberating ourselves from dependence on foreign oil, there is no evidence that being dependent on Alaskan oil would be any more pleasant to the pocketbook.

Alaska is, in essence, an adjunct member of OPEC. It has four different taxes on oil, which produce more than 89% of the state's unrestricted revenue. On average, three-quarters of the value of a barrel of oil is taken by the state government before that oil is permitted to leave the state. Alaska residents each get a yearly check for about $2,000 from oil revenues, plus an additional $1,200 pushed through by Palin last year to take advantage of rising oil prices. Any sympathy the governor of Alaska expresses for folks in the lower 48 who are suffering from high gas prices or can't afford to heat their homes is strictly crocodile tears.

As if it couldn't support itself, Alaska also ranks No. 1, year after year, in money it sucks in from Washington. In 2005 (the most recent figures), according to the Tax Foundation, Alaska ranked 18th in federal taxes paid per resident ($5,434) but first in federal spending received per resident ($13,950). Its ratio of federal spending received to federal taxes paid ranks third among the 50 states, and in the absolute amount it receives from Washington over and above the amount it sends to Washington, Alaska ranks No. 1.

Under the state constitution, the governor of Alaska has unusually strong powers to shape the state budget. At the Republican National Convention, Palin bragged that she had vetoed "nearly $500 million" in state spending during her two years as governor. This amounts to less than 2% of the proposed budget. That's how much this warrior for you (the people) against it (the government) could find in wasteful spending under her control.

One thing Barack Obama and McCain disagree on is an oil windfall–profits tax. McCain is against it, on the theory that it is a tax and therefore bad, and also that it would discourage domestic production. Obama is for it, on the theory that if oil companies can make a nice profit when oil sells for $50 per bbl., they can still make a nice profit when it sells for more than $100, even if the government takes a bit and spreads the money around to those who are hurting from higher oil prices.

Although Palin's words side with McCain in this dispute, her actions side with Obama. Her major legislative accomplishment has been to revamp Alaska's windfall-profits tax in order to increase the state's take. Alaska calls it a "clear and equitable share" tax. The state assumes that extracting oil from the tundra costs about $25 per bbl. and takes as much as 75% of the difference between that and the sale price.

Why is a windfall-profits tax good for Alaska but not for the U.S.? Well, it's obvious, isn't it? People in Alaska are better than people in the rest of the U.S. They're more American. Although there are small towns and farms and high school hockey teams in the lower 48, there are fewer down here, per capita, than in Alaska. And there are many more journalists and pollsters and city dwellers and other undesirables who might benefit if every American had the same right to leech off the government as do the good citizens of Sarah Palin's Alaska.

Seeking an Alternative Venue for Palin's Troopergate Investigation

Tom Siegel — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:24:13 EDT

The story as I understand it went something like this: Palin's state trooper brother-in-law is a dork, does predictably stupid things and gets punished for them; Palin's sister goes through a messy divorce; Palin's family seeks revenge by trying to get the ex-brother-in-law fired; the Public Safety Commissioner refused to fire the ex-brother-in-law; Palin fires the Public Safety Commissioner.

So, naturally, a 14-member bipartisan commission unanimously voted to investigate what might be perceived as the politically-motivated firing of the Public Safety Commissioner. First, Palin said that she was going to cooperate fully with the investigation. Then, there were questions about her availability given that she had just been plucked from obscurity to be the Republican VP nominee. Next, Palin tried to get the investigation transferred to a panel whose members are appointed by the Alaska Governor. Now, the McCain campaign says that the investigation is hopelessly tainted and their supporters are trying desperately to get the investigation halted.

While I think it's generally preferable to allow a bipartisan investigation to run its course, it might be reasonable to find some other investigator - if we could find someone qualified. Someone who has vast experience wading through the issues of a messy divorce. Someone who has vast experience with mediating domestic violence and violent threats. Someone who has a reasonable understanding of politics and political pressures.

Ooo! Ooo! I know! Jerry Springer!!!

Sorting Fact from Fiction - "Sarah Palin's Alaskonomics"

LDS — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:52:59 EDT

Enough talk about Governor Palin? (maybe) Rightfully so everyone who supports Obama needs to be talking about issues like the economy and well.....issues. The Palin thing is a distraction and after all McCain is the one running for president.

HOWEVER, the noise over Palin since the convention may not have been as much of a distraction as we first thought. There are signs things have shifted and the McCain camp's ads and comments during these past weeks are showing signs of harm to the republican efforts.

While much of the talk this week has centered around the economic free-fall on Wall Street, there has also been a lot of rumbling from the press over McCain's not so true ads of late. So all those ads packed with deception and out and out lying appear to be having some backfire. At the least it has made many folks leary of his "truthyness".

Additionally, a significant number of conservative and republican leaning columnist have written editorials that frankly state they don't think Governor Palin is qualified to be president. Perhaps as important it the talk that her style and personality are reminding them of George Bush. So this blog post deals with some discussion of the facts related to Palin's claims repeated daily in her speeches. This issue may not be over and at the least Obama's supporters would be wise to be prepared with the facts that shoot down her claims to fame. This post continues with an excellent article by Michael Kinsley of Time Magazine followed by comments that put it into perspective.

Alaskan Women Reject Palin Rally

JeffW — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:46:47 EDT

I guess this is video day here.... A group of brave women organized an Alaskan Women Reject Palin rally in Anchorage. Despite the goon-like attempts at intimidation, they held a very successful rally. Well over 1,000 people attended. That's huge in Alaska. Check out the story from one of the organizers and spread the word.

Alaskan women reject Palin

Terrie — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:24:59 EDT

This is a must see!! It's so inspiring to see these Alaskan families speak out on their governor's positions and for Obama/Biden and change.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/14/103042/902/965/597033

McCain's VP PICK - A Mother for WAR is an abberation in nature

Rachel K. — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:44:04 EDT

I saw the interview with McCain's "Hockey mom".

I was impressed by my negative reaction to her. It was mainly that she supports the Iraq War so strongly. It did not seem natural for her to be so for something that her children might have to die for, given McCain's 100 year war possibility in Iraq.

What do y'all think?

A SWIFT BOAT ATTACK II ON SENATOR BARACK OBAMA

funkfresh01 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:27:22 EDT

Saturday September 13th the News and Observer will be distributing a DVD to their 160,000 subscribers entitled "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" If anyone hasn't heard about this movie you can view the trailer here.

I don't know about you but I do not remember any other time where a news paper has ever sent out a DVD let alone one that his very biased and portrays Islam as an extremist religion!!!!!!!

I find it quite appaling that this type of garbage would be sent out to further instill fear into the public. It again puts innocent Muslims on the defensive and makes them worry about backlash.

http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/trailer.php

Obama Supporters "welcome" Palin at home

Lynn — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:22:22 EDT

http://www.motleymoose.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=145

"Alaska Women Reject Palin" Rally - 150% the Size of Pro-Palin Rally by: chrisblaskSun Sep 14, 2008 at 19:52:31 PM EDT
Mudflats, a blog by Alaskan AKMuckraker has an article today about a rally - organized by eight women over coffee - held to counter the event welcoming Gov. Palin home from her ordeal answering questions for the first time since being nominated by the GOP for President (er: *Vice* President). The turnout dwarfed the Pro-Palin rally yesterday.

Alaskan Women Reject Palin was, by this account, the *"biggest political rally ever, in the history of the state"*. At least 1,400 people showed up, and to put that in perspective that would be akin to 100,000 New Yorker women showing up to a political rally in New York City (we can be fairly certain no-one took the train from New Jersey to Anchorage or drove up from Philadelphia for the event). This compares to perhaps 1,000 Palin fans who showed up for her event that same day.

My Almost Complete Case Against Sarah McPalin

Miriam from Wethersfield, CT — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:08:49 EDT

The following are just a FEW of my objections to Sarah Palin as nominee for VP:

Knowing where to drill for oil and gas and being able to view Russia are not foreign policy requisites for competence and success. But hey, they might be for a cushy cabinet post!
However, thinking one should never blink before going to war--with Russia, no less--IS a foreign policy ANTI-requisite. Come on lady, war is not a hockey game! In the words of Therese Heinz-Kerry fr. 2004, perhaps this little lady may be a bit “fazed by complexity.” And she seems to have more than a little of George Bush's hyper-charged certainty. I don’t know about you, but THAT doesn’t make me feel safer. And sure, let’s just add a few more conflicts to our federal deficit! Let's prop up China's economy even more [cause that's where we're borrowing to pay for the war in Iraq], watch the dollar burst into flames and really break the backs of our children and our children’s children! Or let's watch what's happened to 3 of 5 of our most venerable financial institutions happen to our gov't!!! I'm sure those white supremist groups holed up in Montana would say, Yayyy!

Achem.

Sorry.

Kinda went off the rails there ... mixing flames, broken back metaphors w/ white supremists. I'm a little worked up over this stuff in case you couldn't tell.

Whew, so, moving on ...

Building a tax surplus in a state with low populations and large oil and gas revenues does not require the intellect of a brain surgeon. 85% of the state's budget comes from those revenues. And what has the price of oil been doing lately? Right! Going up! In fact, Exxon-Mobil, BP et al. have been at record highs during the Palin administration, right? So guess what, Alaska's coffers have increased 66% from the prior administration. Did that have anything to do with Palin? No. Alaska's unique in that their budget has less to do w/ state govt than the price of oil.

But in Palin's meager defense, she did give taxpayers quite a chunk of change--$1200/every man woman and child in the state. You can do that when you're oil rich. So maybe she has high approval ratings in her state, but how hard was that to accomplish in a mostly white, conservative, evangelical population that got an extra $1200 in their pockets? What's not for them to like?
But does anyone really think she has anything to contribute to reducing a $10 Trillion debt in a $14 Trillion economy [or dealing w/ the worst Financial crisis in our economy since the Great Depression}? You think she can fix that by cutting taxes? [of course, I’m speaking in the ghastly case of a Palin-McCain administration]. Not only that she has a history of secretiveness and NOT reaching across the aisle. All you have to do is google and dig a little.
And trust me, if I can get this, that means it's not rocket science.

Views the war in Iraq as a “task” sent from God. And don’t give me that horse manure about Lincoln. Her handlers saw that question hurtling at them like a meteor. She was clearly rehearsed, and only the far right could convince themselves that part of Gibson's interview was anything but absurd.
And note this comment from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.:

"Fascist writer Westbrook Pegler, an avowed racist who Sarah Palin approvingly quoted in her acceptance speech for the moral superiority of small town values, expressed his fervent hope about my father, Robert F. Kennedy, as he contemplated his own run for the presidency in 1965, that "some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in pubic premises before the snow flies."
It might be worth asking Governor Palin for a tally of the other favorites from her reading list."

So what's happening in Alaska?

SRG_Legal — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:06:37 EDT

Alaska Women Reject Palin

Michael Dunham — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:41:38 EDT

Along with other truths I wish people would see is this blog post from Alaska clearly showing women are against Palin there... includes a video and many photos so there is no way that it can be spun.

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/alaska-women-reject-palin-rally-is-huge/

ALASKANS AGAINST PALIN

Yolanda — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:05:24 EDT

FOX LIED!!

Yolanda — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:54:10 EDT

So there has been a lot of talk that Palin is attracting large crowds in Alaska. Ok. Judge for yourself. You would think that if she was so well loved in her home state that this airport hanger will be packed. It holds about 5,000 people and Fox was saying that about 2,000 Palin supporters showed up to greet her in ALASKA. OK. Whatever... I say to the republicans... Keep up with the lies, I hate to pull your chain but democrats are smarter than you think. As you can tell by the photos below. Fox flat out lied about this welcome rally and over exaggerated the overwhelming amount of people that turned out to meet Palin.

Alaska Women Reject Palin' Rally is HUGE!

Dave McLane — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:08:36 EDT

[Originally Posted on Mudlats: Tiptoeing Through the Muck of Alaskan Politics]

I attended the Welcome Home rally for Sarah Palin this morning. Hooo. It was an experience. About a thousand (maybe) hard-core Palin supporters showed up to hear her speak at the new Dena’ina Convention Center in downtown Anchorage.

After shaking it off with a good double shot of espresso, and a brisk walk back to my car, it was time to head to the Alaska Women Reject Palin rally. It was to be held outside on the lawn in front of the Loussac Library in midtown Anchorage. Home made signs were encouraged, and the idea was to make a statement that Sarah Palin does not speak for all Alaska women, or men. I had no idea what to expect.

The rally was organized by a small group of women, talking over coffee. It made me wonder what other things have started with small groups of women talking over coffee. It’s probably an impressive list. These women hatched the plan, printed up flyers, posted them around town, and sent notices to local media outlets. One of those media outlets was KBYR radio, home of Eddie Burke, a long-time uber-conservative Anchorage talk show host. Turns out that Eddie Burke not only announced the rally, but called the people who planned to attend the rally “a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots”, and read the home phone numbers of the organizers aloud over the air, urging listeners to call and tell them what they thought. The women, of course, received many nasty, harassing and threatening messages.

Full text is here.

Alaskan Women on Palin

Cory from Albuquerque, NM — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:54:31 EDT

Here are some extremely eye-opening comments from Alaskan women regarding Palin. http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Anti_Palin_rally_draws_hundreds_in_Alaska

McCain's idea of change? God help us!

" Alaska Women Reject Palin" Rally w/Photos!

Patricia-Iowa — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:25:12 EDT

in the Daily Kos by frsbdg Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 07:30:42 AM PDT

We begin in Anchorage, Alaska, where a group of average women decided to hold a small rally to let it be known that their Governor, Sarah Palin, does not represent their views on many of the issues that are important in their lives.They put together a press release and sent it to the Anchorage media outlets. A local right-wing talk show host broadcast the names and phone numbers of the two organizers over the air. They began receiving a series of harassing phone calls for the remainder of that afternoon. The leading TV station picked up the story on Thursday. Alaska Public Radio Network put up some audio.An anonymous caller contacted the local media on Friday afternoon and told them they were one of the organizers, and the rally had been cancelled. Someone even faxed forged a document saying the Secret Service had cancelled the permit for the rally, even though no permit is required. Some people were putting an awful lot of effort in to making sure no dissent would be heard from Alaska.
Well, it didn't work. Despite overcast skies and a forecast for rain, there was a rally here today. Oh man, was there! In fact, it was by most accounts the largest protest rally in the history of Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News wrote that the rally drew an "estimated" 1500 people. Let me be clear: the organizers used a hand-clicker and counted at least 1,483 Alaskans, mostly women, who showed up to say that Sarah Palin does not speak for them. They also counted 93 McCain/Palin supporters. The national media loves to say that Sarah Palin enjoys an "80% popularity rating" in Alaska. Do the math on todays rally, and you'd need a faith-based calculator to get 80%. This was grassroots activism at its best - Alaskans coming out to speak their minds on a host of issues. Here are some still pics, I'll update with video later today.The site of the rally.
At 10:30 AM, the sidewalk was empty.

Holy cow!
Seriously. Wow.
Probably the biggest protest rally in Alaska history. I can believe that.
No shortage of Pitbulls and Lipstick.
Again with the Pitbulls?!?
A smart young girl.
Two of my favorites.
Another good one.
These two women weren't buying the hype, either.
An excellent question. Governor?
Lots of other folks here support her choice, too.
I sense a pattern developing here...
Folks

Check out more pics here.As you can see from these photos, the rally was AMAZING! With few exceptions, there was no friction between the two camps. To help keep things civil, the organizers set up some ground rules for the rally. Here is the "Code of Conduct" that they distributed to attendees:

ALASKA WOMEN REJECT PALIN RALLY
Saturday, September 13, 2008, 12:00 noon
Loussac Library, 36th and DenaliWelcome to the Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally. We invite you to introduce yourselves to each other and discuss legitimate policy concerns and what brought you out this weekend. Please review the code of conduct outlined below. We are committed to exercising our right to free speech and assembly in a peaceful, respectful manner.
� This rally is non-partisan.
� Stick to issues and speak about your individual experience and views.
� Be respectful of all view points.
� Do not engage with counter rally participants in arguments about the merit of specific issues or value systems.
� No personal attacks on Governor Palin, her family, or her supporters.
� Do not use abusive language.
� Stay off the lawn and do not block sidewalk or road traffic.
� Please recycle this flyer and don't litter.

And if you're still with me...
Ed Schulz held a town hall meeting here on Saturday night. He'll be broadcasting it on Monday. Be sure to tune in to hear real Alaskans tell the country what they think of Sarah Palin in their own words. Don't miss it!

Sunday funnys

BRGHTSD1 HOPE & COURAGE — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:09:03 EDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY5Plqs5d98

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8_OIMmA-ZY

Why Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Doom McCain & May Haunt Obama

Brian M Ross — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:25:45 EDT

Sadly these days, many of our financial journalists and analysts have the depth of introspection of a Miss America Pageant. Degrees aside, they respond to the surface of news events and drool like Pavlov's dogs when the appropriate bell is sounded. It would appear, beneath the surface that two events suggest that the actual power structure behind the Republican Party, in spite of the Sarah Palin love fest following the Republican convention, does not see John McCain winning the White House. Here is why.

Palin Not Ready For Command - Cramming For Presidency

Madera Strong - Team Co-ordinator For City of Madera — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:29:32 EDT

I received this and enjoyed it.--------------------------------------------------- By BOB HERBERTPublished: September 12, 2008

While watching the Sarah Palin interview with Charlie Gibson Thursday night, and the coverage of the Palin phenomenon in general, I've gotten the scary feeling, for the first time in my life, that dimwittedness is not just on the march in the U.S., but that it might actually prevail.

How is it that this woman could have been selected to be the vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket? How is it that so much of the mainstream media has dropped all pretense of seriousness to hop aboard the bandwagon and go along for the giddy ride?

For those who haven't noticed, we're electing a president and vice president, not selecting a winner on "American Idol."

Ms. Palin may be a perfectly competent and reasonably intelligent woman (however troubling her views on evolution and global warming may be), but she is not ready to be vice president.

With most candidates for high public office, the question is whether one agrees with them on the major issues of the day. With Ms. Palin, it's not about agreeing or disagreeing. She doesn't appear to understand some of the most important issues.

"Do you believe in the Bush doctrine?" Mr. Gibson asked during the interview. Ms. Palin looked like an unprepared student who wanted nothing so much as to escape this encounter with the school principal.

Clueless, she asked, "In what respect, Charlie?"

"Well, what do you interpret it to be?" said Mr. Gibson.

"His worldview?" asked Ms. Palin.

Later, in the spin zones of cable TV, commentators repeatedly made the point that there are probably very few voters -- some specifically mentioned "hockey moms" -- who could explain the Bush doctrine. But that's exactly the reason we have such long and intense campaigns. You want to find the individuals who best understand these issues, who will address them in sophisticated and creative ways that enhance the well-being of the nation.

The Bush doctrine, which flung open the doors to the catastrophe in Iraq, was such a fundamental aspect of the administration's foreign policy that it staggers the imagination that we could have someone no further than a whisper away from the White House who doesn't even know what it is.

You can't imagine that John McCain or Barack Obama or Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton or Joe Lieberman would not know what the Bush doctrine is. But Sarah Palin? Absolutely clueless.

Ms. Palin's problem is not that she was mayor of a small town or has only been in the Alaska governor's office a short while. Her problem (and now ours) is that she is not well versed on the critical matters confronting the country at one of the most crucial turning points in its history.

The economy is in a tailspin. The financial sector is lurching about on rubbery legs. We're mired in self-defeating energy policies. We're at war. And we are still vulnerable to the very real threat of international terrorism.

With all of that and more being the case, how can it be a good idea to set in motion the possibility that Americans might wake up one morning to find that Sarah Palin is president?

I feel for Ms. Palin's son who has been shipped off to the war in Iraq. But at his deployment ceremony, which was on the same day as the Charlie Gibson interview, Sept. 11, she told the audience of soldiers that they would be fighting "the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans."

Was she deliberately falsifying history, or does she still not know that Iraq and Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the Sept. 11 attacks?

To burnish the foreign policy credentials of a vice presidential candidate who never even had a passport until last year, the Republicans have been touting Alaska's proximity to Russia. (Imagine the derisive laughter in conservative circles if the Democrats had tried such nonsense.) So Mr. Gibson asked Ms. Palin, "What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?"

She said, "They're our next-door neighbors. And you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska. From an island in Alaska."

Mr. Gibson tried again. "But what insight does that give you," he asked, "into what they're doing in Georgia?"

John McCain, who is shameless about promoting himself as America's ultimate patriot, put the best interests of the nation aside in making his incredibly reckless choice of a running mate. But there is a profound double standard in this country. The likes of John McCain and George W. Bush can do the craziest, most irresponsible things imaginable, and it only seems to help them politically.

A version of this article appeared in print on September 13, 2008, on page A19 of the New York edition.During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
-George Orwell

Vote Obama-Biden '08!

Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com.

Bonnie Lieb

President, The Sage Agency

703-421-1905

bonnie@sageagency.com

Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes

Bullekat — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:39:04 EDT

Another must read!

New York Times article "Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=politics

By JO BECKER, PETER S. GOODMAN AND MICHAEL POWELL
Published: September 13, 2008

She's not ready from NYTimes - a must read

Jennifer from Washington, DC — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:30:50 EDT

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/opinion/13herbert.html?hp

Top of the World Women for Obama

AlaskAna 4 Obama — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:44:39 EDT

Senator Barack Obama has inspired millions in this nation and Fairbanks-Alaska is no exception. As a matter of fact, I have the urge to create this blog for the strong women I meet on a daily basis in my community who are ready for CHANGE in leadership.

Women of all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds are coming together to echo Senator Obama's words: "ENOUGH! Eight years of failed policies is enough." It will be an embarrassment if we if we allow the out of touch, clueless "more of the same" to decide the future of this nation.

This resourceful country can do better. We can do better. We need a leader who is not out of touch with people like you and I; someone who sees the importance of a better education system; someone with wisdom to make the right choices particularly when critical times arrive. Senator Obama will make us proud!

So Much for Palin's Energy Expertise

signsSansSignifieds — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:39:14 EDT

Sarah Palin is being touted by John McCain as an expert on energy issues. Well...

Factcheck.org notes that Palin and McCain both overstate wildly Alaska's share of U.S. energy production.

Yep, more of that McCain & Palin integrity. Ready on day one. You bet.

Vote YES for Troopergate

Mary Lou Loomis "Obama Mama from El Cerrito, CA" — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:16:49 EDT

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8999475

McCain on The View

Alisa — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:57:33 EDT

Hissss, go ladies, especially Barbara! Who stifled who this time? McCain was talking about Gov. Palin's qualifications (replay) and she asked specifically about how Palin would change government. McCain answered that she sold the Alaska's state jet (to get rid of excessive spending), Barbara's good research spit out, "Yeah, for a loss...she could have at least got back what was lost!" Like Whopie's question on the seperation of church and state. Roe vs. Wade got booed when McCain said it was a bad [court] decision. If Roe vs Wade was reversed it would be up to each state to determine those rights.

Sarah Palin: Another Republican Distraction

Harlan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:51:02 EDT

by Harlan Reece

The level of desperation and delusion at the Republican Convention in Saint Paul last week was amazing. Having co-opted Senator Obama's message of change, previously hard-core Busheviks expect us to believe that after eight years of defending the status quo, all of a sudden they want to "Change Washington." This sounds pretty much like the abusive husband who beats his wife, then buys her something pretty and begs her forgiveness. "I won't do it again," he promises, and she, the simple trusting fool that she is gives him one more chance. And so it was with us four years ago; we cannot be fooled again.

After eight years of patronizing condescension and thoughtless disregard of your needs, you have the chance to petition for a divorce. Your very survival is at stake and this may be your last chance to escape the socio-economic and political trailer-park; you may not survive another violent episode and remember the last time he threw a $150 barrel of oil at you, and it won't stop because he likes to pick fights, especially when he knowsyou are vulnerable. Don't be fooled by his contrition and tears in the courtroom either ; his admission of guilt and display of shame are only temporary, but you know as soon as he gets you back home, the slaps, kicks and punches will increase in both frequency and intensity. It is time to sever this unhealthy and co-dependent relationship with your abuser. Now that you have a chance to set things straight, to bring him to justice, it is probably in your best interest not to get too emotional and validate his non-existent decency. You must suppress any inclinations to cry out, "But he loves me, he didn't mean it, he's a good man." The path to healing begins with the truth and the truth is that the last eight eight years have been hell. We've lost houses, jobs, and most importantly our children - just have the courage to say it's over, before we lose our self respect.

Sarah Palin as Vice-President? Wow! Unfortunatley we should not be surprised by such a move, because this is typical of the kind of conservative cynicism that we have all grown to know and despise. They cannot win on issues or vision, so pandering will have to do. Replace "Country First" placards with swastikas and Third Reich eagles and the scene at St. Paul last week had the uncomfortable familiarity of a Nazi propaganda rally. Their brazen exploitation of 9/11 footage, the flat, harsh rendition of The National Anthem, the extended McCain biography, the huge telescreens of waving flags, the genuflecting patriots, the dewey-eyed Veterans of Foreign Wars, the three minutes of hate, the roaring chants of U-S-A! the unrestrained glorification of war, the Lieberman spectacle, the buns, bee-hives and beligerance - How Orwellian! They were the shame of the nation and an international disgrace, yet they expect us all to drink our Victory Gin, nibble on our chocolate rations and accept the reality of doublethink. The composition of their delegates and audience looked like America a hundred years ago, but "Change is coming." McCain's reputation as a "Maverick," has been wildly exaggerated; having supported Bush policies 90% of time, perhaps his ocassional departure from the party agenda was simply pure political calculation - the conservative base alone is insufficient to capture the U.S. Presidency and Senator McCain has been trying to capture this office for at least a decade. Somewhere in Senator McCain's psyche, he believes that the country owes hims something and we do: the respect and honor of a grateful nation - not the highest office in the land. He's written books, had a song and a movie written about him, he is a part of U.S. Military History, he's rich, he's a U.S. Senator, and has led a full and productive life, but he is not the kind of leader that America needs for such a time as this. McCain is part of an establishment that has taken this country down a wrong and dangerous path; now is the time to correct the mistake - not reward it. Not only should Senator McCain not be elected president, he should retire from the senate as well; it's time for new leadership.

Obviously republicans are not concerned with insulting our intelligence, because what they are attempting to do (and they will if we let them) is place the blame of our current economic decline, housing foreclosures and soaring energy prices on policies of the Democrats. Thanks to the repetitive talking points of conservative talk radio, a significant demographic of misinformed and under-informed voters are convinced that environmental regulation and by extension environmentalists are responsible for the high cost of energy. "Drill baby drill," they chanted at the convention, as if our occupation of Iraq or our global hegemony has nothing to do with the fluctuation of fuel prices - free market my a**! Are they serious?

McCain and his speech writers also expect us to forget the scandals and corruption, not to mention the loss of blood and treasure which has plagued, characterized and defined the Bush Administration. And if they cannot make us forget it, then at the very least, they can blame whatever problems they have created on partisan intransigence and congressional gridlock. How unfortunate for McCain, that by desperately aligning himself with the hard-right, his 26 years in the senate has been reduced to the empty slogans and bumper-sticker politics of the far right-wing. And since their usual divisive scapegoating and newspeak does not seem to be gaining traction, predictably they have turned their misplaced frustrations on the "Liberal Media." When all else fails, blame the media, not their own agenda of self interest and manipulation of the political process to further their own neo-conservative agenda and worldview. It was Chris Matthews, Keith Oberman and Andrea Mitchell who sent our troops to Iraq without a declaration of war by congress; it was Meet The Press, PBS and The New York Times that created the current foreclosure crisis, and it is Air America, The L.A. Times and the San Francisco Chronicle who are responsible for the massive debt which threatens the economic landscape for current and future generations. Why are we listening to these people? Can someone please show them the door which leads back to private citizenship?

Not a word from Governor Palin about Healthcare, The Economy or Education, but she did manage to give lip-service to energy independence and of course "The War," which was the only thing that seemed to cause eruptions of shouts and applause. Why are Americans so obsessed with war and hero worship? Such a topic requires extensive analysis and consideration and is perhaps something to be explored in a future posting. It's great that Palin is a "Hockey Mom," and it's great that "Hockey Moms" support her, but let's hope that "Hockey Moms" have better judgement that "Soccer Moms" and "Security Moms," who voted to keep George Bush in office a second term and here we are.

Secessionist Sarah obviously has a vested interest in Alaskan drilling explorations which will bring money into her state's coffers and since her son is leaving for The Middle East on 9/11 perhaps her support of our foreign occupation will become less enthusiastic after he has been redeployed 3-4 times. By republican standards, Palin is already more than qualified to join McCain's inner circle of Washington lobbyist and players. The governor is already under investigation, has a hint of corruption attached to her administration and has no problem abusing her position of power. These attributes not only qualify Sarah Palin - they practically vet her; the past eight years of crime-family styled politics in Washington has in many cases been The Republican Party's modus operandi.

The way Palin won her way into the hearts and minds of the party faithful was impressive; her persona was one of the everyday working mom combined with sarcastic proletarian wit and the skillful ability to trash, denegrate and marginalize the accomplishments of Senator Obama. Both Palin and Giuliani pretended to view community organizing and activism as a huge laughing matter, dismissing it as a cute, but monumental waste of time, but the truth of the matter is that community organizing is the linch-pin upon which all other politcal movements hinge, and both Giuliani and Palin know this. Oh yeah, building coalitions from the bottom up, instead of top down is hilarious - stop me, my side is about to split.

As it has been discussed in the progressive blogosphere and among grassroots organizers, perhaps what lies behind this feigned mockery of community activism is a veiled attempt to declare a covert war on those who threaten the status quo. God forbid we return to the days of COINTELPRO and other secret plots against American citizens. The McCain campaign cannot shield Palin from the hard questions about foreign policy, the economy and healthcare, and she will not be given a pass.

Senator Obama's life has been an open book for the past 3 years and despite the ridiculous claims that we really don't enough about him, we have more substantive information about his life than we did Bush or Clinton before they were sworn into office. Bush's alcoholism and drug abuse preceded him and with the exception of his so-called "conversion," and how many people he put to death while Governor of Texas, all we know about him, we found out through investigative reporting. His handlers presented him to the nation as someone who had reached across party lines in the Texas Legislature, but let's be real; he reached out to them because it didn't cost him anything; they were few in number and never posed any real threat to the legislative agenda of conservatives.

Since the RNC has spent a great deal of time and energy questioning Obama's loyalty and patriotism, it is only fitting that Palin offer more transparency about her association with The Alaskan Independence Party. The most important thing to remember about conservative rhetoric is its looking-glass feature where up is down, in is out, black is white, the truth is a lie and well you get the picture. So when we hear a republican accusing a Democrat of some unsavory or unpatriotic act, there is a good chance that said republican is only projecting his or her own fill in the blank. So when Palin insinuates that Barack Obama isn't quite American enough or patriotic enough, what she really means is that she has ties to the Alaskan Independence Party; a movement whose principal aim is to secede from the U.S. So when Palin says "Country First," what she really means is Alaska First and that she doesn't really value her U.S. Citizenship or The U.S. Constitution for that matter. When John McCain says that he supports Veterans, what he really means is that he voted against an increase in their benefits and when he couldn't defeat the bill took credit for it along with G.W. who was also against it, before he was for it. When Republicans say "Support Our Troops," what they really mean is put a yellow ribbon magnet on your hummer, wave a flag and under-fund badly needed equipment for soliders in dangerous combat zones: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. Rest in Peace George… Orwell that is.

Watchdog group says McCain aired negative TV ad in violation of 9/11 pledge

Jennifer Mohr — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:22:24 EDT

Associated Press | 6 hours, 52 minutes ago in Politics

An independent watchdog group says that Republican John McCain's campaign violated a pledge not to air any negative TV ads on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Read more of the article

I Think I'm a Marine Biologist!

KG in Milwaukee, WI — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:09:57 EDT

I've always lived near Lake Michigan. In fact, I currently live within walking distance to America's largest body of freshwater. I guess that makes me qualified to be a marine biologist.

If you disagree with my absurd logic, just ask the Republicans about McCain's sidekick's foreign policy credentials...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/cindy-mccain-on-abc-today_b_122759.html

The Arrival of The Queen of Alaska (Apologies to Handel)

John DesMarteau, MD — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:34:46 EDT

The night before (early morning hours of September 11th) I stayed up because of a health issue. So I ended up watching CNN only network that continued its live coverage by way of Anderson Cooper 360. Cooper, David Gergen and Candy Crowley were the three commentators. Although it was late here on the East Coast it was only about 10:30 PM in Fairbanks and still light when the Sarah Palin’s plane arrived. David Gergen commented that he could not remember a time when a major network covered the arrival of a vice presidential candidate.

In any event, She and her husband, Todd, were greeted by some of their children as they de-planed. (I didn’t see Levi Johnson although I think Bristol was there). Then they walked into the hanger where several thousand cheering supporters waited. Anderson Copper said that Todd Plain was going to introduce his wife; I said to myself not bloody likely. He didn’t say a word even when Palin referred top him as Alaska’s “first dude.” She gave a speech that was basically about how great Alaska is and how it was going to solve our energy crisis by more drilling and the pipeline.

Of course she skipped the part about how Alaska’s oil windfall profits tax would sore if oil production increased. She could have said something such as “If we [Alaskans] make a lot more money from oil and gas then maybe we can take less money (can you spell earmarks?) from the federal government. I guess she doesn’t want to knock Alaska from its number one spot, the state that gets the most federal dollars per person in the whole country.

No wonder Todd once belonged to the Alaska Independence Party (AIP) and Gov. Palin gave a welcoming address to the AIP convention held this year in Fairbanks. With all the money rolling into Alaska’s coffers pretty soon Alaskans will be able to buy back their state.

Sarah Palin's Hostile Record on Tribal Issues

Paul DeMain — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:28:20 EDT

By Lloyd Miller and Heather Kendall Miller

Perhaps no issue is of greater importance to Alaska Native peoples as the right to hunt and fish according to ancient customary and traditional practices, and to carry on the subsistence way of life for future generations. These rights are not just a matter of custom, they are a matter of necessity in a State where Native villages are spread across a largely roadless area covering 375 million acres, and where subsistence foods are still fully 60% of the local diet.

But Governor Sarah Palin has consistently opposed those essential and fundamental rights.

As soon as Palin was sworn in as Governor she set a firm course against Native subsistence rights. One of her very first decisions was to continue litigation that seeks to overturn every subsistence fishing determination the federal government has ever made in Alaska. The goal of Palin's law suit (now known as Alaska versus Kempthorne) is to invalidate all the subsistence fishing regulations the federal government has ever issued to protect Alaska Native fishing in navigable waters. If successful, Palin's attack would move every subsistence issue into the courts and thus tie up Alaska Native subsistence for generations. The reason is no secret: to diminish subsistence fishing rights in order to expand sport and commercial fishing.

How Do We Get The Truth Out When A Blizzard of Lies Is Swriling

Prissy Williams — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:22:26 EDT

I am somewhat disheartened when I reflect on what has been happening on the campaign trail in the last two weeks. I am even more disturbed by how the media has framed these events. I just wanted to go in my corner and cry my eyes out, thinking about how far we have come, how much we have accomplished on our way towards seeing real change in our country,,, All for Naught!!!! So it occurred to me that the only way for us to combat the events of the last two weeks is to get the real truth out. I wish that everyone would read the article I have attached here, by Paul Krugman, Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times. Are there any creative ways to fight wide-spread lies that are given a face of credibility by the mainstream media? How can we fight this? Read on.... (also read the email at the end of the article) In the email by an Alaskan resident, background is provided of which, only a local can have knowledge. Check it out for yourself. Personally, I disagree, however with name calling, and personal attacks on anyone.

writePost();new_york_times:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/opinion/12krugman.html if (acm.cc) acm.cc.write();
By PAUL KRUGMAN Published: September 11, 2008

Did you hear about how Barack Obama wants to have sex education in kindergarten, and called Sarah Palin a pig? Did you hear about how Ms. Palin told Congress, “Thanks, but no thanks” when it wanted to buy Alaska a Bridge to Nowhere?

Skip to next paragraph

Paul Krugman

Go to Columnist Page » Blog: The Conscience of a Liberal Readers' Comments

"...our system continues to reward false statements and outright lies with a winning campaign..."

ShelJW, Los Angeles

if (acm.rc) acm.rc.write();

These stories have two things in common: they’re all claims recently made by the McCain campaign — and they’re all out-and-out lies.

Dishonesty is nothing new in politics. I spent much of 2000 — my first year at The Times — trying to alert readers to the blatant dishonesty of the Bush campaign’s claims about taxes, spending and Social Security.

But I can’t think of any precedent, at least in America, for the blizzard of lies since the Republican convention. The Bush campaign’s lies in 2000 were artful — you needed some grasp of arithmetic to realize that you were being conned. This year, however, the McCain campaign keeps making assertions that anyone with an Internet connection can disprove in a minute, and repeating these assertions over and over again.

Take the case of the Bridge to Nowhere, which supposedly gives Ms. Palin credentials as a reformer. Well, when campaigning for governor, Ms. Palin didn’t say “no thanks” — she was all for the bridge, even though it had already become a national scandal, insisting that she would “not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that’s so negative.”

Oh, and when she finally did decide to cancel the project, she didn’t righteously reject a handout from Washington: she accepted the handout, but spent it on something else. You see, long before she decided to cancel the bridge, Congress had told Alaska that it could keep the federal money originally earmarked for that project and use it elsewhere.

So the whole story of Ms. Palin’s alleged heroic stand against wasteful spending is fiction.

Or take the story of Mr. Obama’s alleged advocacy of kindergarten sex-ed. In reality, he supported legislation calling for “age and developmentally appropriate education”; in the case of young children, that would have meant guidance to help them avoid sexual predators.

And then there’s the claim that Mr. Obama’s use of the ordinary metaphor “putting lipstick on a pig” was a sexist smear, and on and on.

Why do the McCain people think they can get away with this stuff? Well, they’re probably counting on the common practice in the news media of being “balanced” at all costs. You know how it goes: If a politician says that black is white, the news report doesn’t say that he’s wrong, it reports that “some Democrats say” that he’s wrong. Or a grotesque lie from one side is paired with a trivial misstatement from the other, conveying the impression that both sides are equally dirty.

They’re probably also counting on the prevalence of horse-race reporting, so that instead of the story being “McCain campaign lies,” it becomes “Obama on defensive in face of attacks.”

Still, how upset should we be about the McCain campaign’s lies? I mean, politics ain’t beanbag, and all that.

One answer is that the muck being hurled by the McCain campaign is preventing a debate on real issues — on whether the country really wants, for example, to continue the economic policies of the last eight years.

But there’s another answer, which may be even more important: how a politician campaigns tells you a lot about how he or she would govern.

I’m not talking about the theory, often advanced as a defense of horse-race political reporting, that the skills needed to run a winning campaign are the same as those needed to run the country. The contrast between the Bush political team’s ruthless effectiveness and the heckuva job done by the Bush administration is living, breathing, bumbling, and, in the case of the emerging Interior Department scandal, coke-snorting and bed-hopping proof to the contrary.

I’m talking, instead, about the relationship between the character of a campaign and that of the administration that follows. Thus, the deceptive and dishonest 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign provided an all-too-revealing preview of things to come. In fact, my early suspicion that we were being misled about the threat from Iraq came from the way the political tactics being used to sell the war resembled the tactics that had earlier been used to sell the Bush tax cuts.

And now the team that hopes to form the next administration is running a campaign that makes Bush-Cheney 2000 look like something out of a civics class. What does that say about how that team would run the country?

What it says, I’d argue, is that the Obama campaign is wrong to suggest that a McCain-Palin administration would just be a continuation of Bush-Cheney. If the way John McCain and Sarah Palin are campaigning is any indication, it would be much, much worse.

More Articles in Opinion » A version of this article appeared in print on September 12, 2008, on page A23 of the New York edition. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This is an email I received via general distribution. I do not know who wrote it, nor can I vouch for the authenticity of the content, but it does raise so interesting points tha can be easily verified and used to inform those who are inclined to believe how the mainstream media is framing the life, experience and impact of Palin on the Presidential Race.

Hi everyone, This was sent to me and I wanted to share it with you. Please share this info with your undecided friends. Deborah Note: I do not agree with calling anyone a redneck but I do want you to know about the real Palin. Date: Friday, September 5, 2008, 2:25 PM

In a democracy, the government we get is the one we deserve. Please pass this on to all of the undecided voters and those who question the need to vote.
As an Alaskan, I am writing to give all of you some
information on   Sarah Palin, Senator McCain's choice for VP. As an
Alaska voter, I know more than most of you about her and, frankly, I am
horrified that he picked her.

The most accurate description of her is red neck. Her
husband works in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and races snow mobiles. She
is a life time member of the NRA and has worked tirelessly to allow
indiscriminate hunting of wildlife in Alaska, particularly
wolves and bears. She has spent millions of Alaska state dollars on
aerial hunting of these predators from helicopters and airplanes,
dollars that should have been spent, for example, on Alaska's
failing school system.We have the lowest rate of high school graduation in
the country. Not all of you may think aerial predator hunting
is so bad, but how anyone (other than Alaska wolf-haters, of which
there are many, most without teeth), could think this use of funds is
appropriate is beyond me. If you want to know more about
the aerial hunting travesty, let me know and I will send some links to
informative web sites.

She has been a strong supporter of increased use of fossil
fuels, yet the McCain campaign has the nerve to say she has
"green" policies. The only thing green about Sarah Palin is her lack of
experience. She has consistently supported drilling in ANWR, use of
coal-burning power plants (as I write this, a new coal plant is being built in
her home town of Wasilla), strip mining, and almost anything else
that will unnecessarily exploit the diminishing resources of Alaska
and destroy its environment. Prior to her one year as governor of Alaska, she was mayor
of Wasilla, a small red neck town outside Anchorage.The average maximum
education level of parents of junior high school kids in Wasilla is
10th grade. Unfortunately, I have to go to Wasilla every week to get
groceries and other supplies, so I have continual contact with the people
who put Palin in office in the first place. I know what I'm
talking about.   These people don't have a concept of the world around
them or of the serious issues facing the US. Furthermore, they don't
care. So long as they can go out and hunt their moose every fall, kill
wolves and bears and drive their snow mobiles and ATVs through every corner of the wilderness, they're happy. I wish I were exaggerating. Sarah Palin is currently involved in a political corruption
scandal.  She fired an individual in law enforcement here because she
didn't like how he treated one of her relatives during a divorce.
The man's performance and ability weren't considered; it was a
totally personal firing and is currently under investigation. While the
issue isn't close to the scandal of Ted Steven's corruption, it
shows that Palin isn't "squeaky clean" and causes me to think
there may be more issues that could come to light. Clearly McCain doesn't care. When you line Palin up with Biden, the comparison would be laughable
if it weren't so serious. Sarah Palin knows nothing of economics
(admittedly a weak area for McCain), or of international affairs,
knows nothing of national government, Social Security, unemployment,
health care systems - you name it. The idea of her meeting
with heads of foreign governments around the world truly frightens me.

In an increasingly dangerous world, with the economy in shambles in
the US, Sarah Palin is uniquely UNqualified to be vice president. John McCain is not a young man. Should something happen to him
such that the vice president had to step in, it would destroy our
country and possibly the world to have someone as inexperienced and
inappropriate as Sarah Palin. The choice of Palin is a cheap shot by
McCain to try to get Hillary supporters to vote for him. when McCain
introduced her today, Palin had the nerve to compare herself with Hillary
and Geraldine Ferraro. Sarah Palin, you are no Hillary Clinton.

To those of you who, like me, supported Hillary and were
upset that she did not get the nomination, please don't think that
Sarah Palin is a worthy substitute. If you supported Hillary, regardless of
what you think the media and the Democratic party may have done to
undermine her campaign, the person to support now is Obama, not Sarah
Palin. To those of you who are independent or undecided, don't
let the choice of Palin sway you in favor of McCain. Choosing her shows how
unqualified McCain is to be president. To those of you who are
conservative, I guess you have no choice for president. But please try to
see how the poor choice of Palin tells us a great deal about
McCain's judgment.  While the political posturing inherent in the choice of
Palin is obvious, the more serious issue is the fact that the VP is,
literally, a heartbeat away from the presidency. Sarah Palin is
totally and unequivocally unqualified to be vice president, let alone
president.   I know this is a lengthy and emotional email, but the  stakes are high.
I thought it might help for all of you, regardless of political
affiliation, to know something about Palin from someone who has to
live with her administration in Alaska on a daily basis.

Jackie S.

( end of email)

Gov. Palin -312 days at home

Beth — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:17:08 EDT

On Tuesday 9/9, the Washington Post reported that Gov. Sara Palin requested and was paid a per diem (allowance given when traveling for work) amounting to $16,951. There are a couple of things with this that bother me.

1.) the per diem was for 312 that she spent in HER home
2.) 312 days is about 10 months (give or take a day or two)
3.) She has only been Alaska's governor for 19 months.

Does anyone else see a problem with this? She was at home MORE than where she was elected to be. The people of Alaska trusted her to run the state, but she was gone more than she was there. The republicans say that I am supposed to be excited and energized over her.

Thanks, but no thanks. Sen. Obama has a lifetime of experience working hard for the people that he represents.

LTE - Lee's Summit Journal

Geoffrey from Lees Summit, MO — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:29:38 EDT

The following letter is in response to commentary from Dan Hall of Lee's Summit, MO that appeared in the Lee's Summit Journal on September 10, 2008. I would link to the original commentary, but the Community Forum portion does not seem to be working. It should be noted that the Journal's policy is to not edit letters to the editor. However, Mr. Hall's piece is presented as commentary, complete with his picture, so I find it odd that so many typos were left uncorrected. I have a tendency to write very long letters to the Journal, so I will post the first paragraph here, and the rest can be found after the jump. EDIT - Okay, my high horse is a little shorter now. I have corrected several grammatical mistakes here that unfortunately made it into the letter sent to the paper. Apparently my haste did indeed lead to waste.

I don’t know about Dan Hall’s forty-million-dollar Americans, but I was not very impressed at all by Gov. Palin. While she is certainly a good public speaker, and a skilled politician, I have heard nothing of substance from her since her arrival on the national stage, and the only truth I’ve heard from her is that she is a pit bull with lipstick. Her “refreshing” speeches are filled with nothing but smears of Senator Obama and exaggerations of her own record. She claims that the “Bridge to Nowhere” was killed by her pen, but she merely stuck it in the proverbial dead horse. Not only that, but far from saying, “Thanks, but no thanks,” to Congress, she kept the $200 million for her state, including $27 million for the road that was to lead up to the infamous bridge. As mayor of Wasilla, she hired lobbyists in a successful effort to obtain earmarks for her town amounting to $27 million, many of which where harshly criticized by Sen. McCain. She has also requested nearly $400 million in earmarks for Alaska for 2008-9, yet loudly proclaims that she is against them without any reference to her former position. Even after all of the major news outlets revealed the truth about her role in pursuing federal dollars for the BtN, and its eventual demise, she still uses her version of the story in stump speeches across America. I guess she doesn’t want to lie to us one way in St. Paul, and another way in Lee’s Summit. As to that jet she put on eBay, while it makes for good rhetoric in a speech, it is worth noting that after three attempts to auction it off, it was finally sold by an aircraft broker for $600,000 less than they paid for it.

Barack Obama vs. Sarah Palin

mathpol — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:38:18 EDT

Obama
Palin

Is Hawaii really part of America?
Is Alaska really part of America?

Charismatic star power when speaking
Ditto

Sometimes sounds like an egg-head
Sounds like a ditto-head

Opponents try to paint spouse as not patriotic (“Proud“ statement)
Ditto (Alaska Independence Party)

Opposes more drilling for oil in Alaska
Asked churchgoers to pray for a natural gas pipeline in Alaska

His former church pastor doesn’t always watch his tongue
In her church they speak in tongues

Has somewhat rigid position on abortion
Has extremely rigid position on abortion

Believes in faith-based initiatives
Practices faith-based politics

John McCain thinks that she's an energy expert.

Allan from Silver Spring, MD — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:50:39 EDT

I think that the rich get richer and for the rest of us it's "Arbeit macht frei".

Here is a link to a current article with Sarah Palin's byline in an energy publication discussing the development of Alaskan oil and gas resources. It recommends building a second trans-Alaska pipeline with a trans-Canada extension for natural gas and doubling our reliance on the existing Trans-Alaska Pipeline System by drilling for oil in the ANWR. Her Alaskakin perspective leads her to promote it as a good idea for America but her discussion is devoid of any comparison to alternatives. She seems conversant enough with the issues to refer to some of the challenges involved but makes no mention of the very real national security risk of loosing even the oil now being delivered by the existing pipeline for an extended time.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/energycentral/energybiz0908/

Oil needs to be heated to 120 degF to be able to make the 800 mile trip from Prudhoe Bay to the Gulf of Alaska at Valdez where it is loaded into tankers for the trip to the US. When it was approved, the pipeline was supposed to be capable of restarting after being shut down for three weeks in the middle of winter. As built, it will not meet that requirement if the temperature is lower than +40 degF. In winter, when it goes to -40 degF, it will take less than four days for the cargo to congeal into an 800 mile (dare I say) lipstick that's unpumpable until the weather warms up. As things are, the pipeline transports 20% of the total US production of oil, the loss of which would cripple the west coast for long enough to severely undermine the whole economy.

The Trans-Alaska pipeline is is commonly understood to be the single most potent terrorist target in the US. Built during less dangerous times, it was not hardened or even insulated sufficiently to recover from, much less withstand, a serious attack. Now the Governor of Alaska wants us to up the stakes by increasing the oil flow from a newly developed ANWR field and by building a 1,715 mile natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to the TransCanada hub in Alberta. And she wants to do it on the cheap like Rumsfeld:

"In order to protect the value of our resources, we must be sure that the cost of transportation is not made unnecessarily expensive."

It's nuts. Whatever you think of the T. Boone Pickens plan for converting commercial vehicles & trucks to natural gas, his map of all the natural gas fields in the continental US begs the question of why it's a good idea to invest billions to get the gas from Alaska by tripling the size of the pipeline bulls eye. Absent lower cost alternatives that abound, expensive and risky measures like these could be considered. As it is, undeveloped Alaskan resources should be considered more of a last resort than the first thing you'd turn to - the same as making war because it costs and risks too much. But sure enough, Big Oil has found another proxy and sure enough, The Washington Post reportes that 20% of white women just jumped ship and ran off to get on the Alaska bandwagon.

Deep Throat was right when he advised: "Follow the money." Even Alan Greenspan admitted that the Iraq adventure was primarily about oil. The oilers are not comfortable until they're running their agenda straight at us hard enough to generate so much cognitive dissonance that it hurts. I guess that undecided people vote for big oil supporters thinking they'll get some relief.

Apply Directly to the Wallet. Apply Directly to the Wallet. Apply ...

Sara's no different - Republican energy experts are mostly like white coated actors in drug adds telling us what's good for us. They do it because some of us are ditzy enough to believe them - like if rape is inevitable just roll over and enjoy it. I'm sorry, we're being violated. If she walks like a junky and she hawks like a junky and she's got her hand in our pocket and tells us it's OK because our gang is getting the money but we still run the risk of geting busted: she's a junky. It appears that her expertise is more in the nature of diverting our money to the Alaska drillers.

And in case you think any of it will trickle down (aside from paying for Alaska state government where citizens get a check instead of a tax bill), you've forgotten to follow the money: Exxon and BP are currently spending more of their windfall profits and government subsidies buying back common stock than they are on exploration while they leave existing offshore drilling leases untouched. When Senator McCain talks about giving oil companies even more leases to leave fallow as CHANGE, people who believe him are buying a bridge to nowhere that he doesn't own and for which they can't pay. With fingers crossed behind their backs, the Republican candidates are thinking: "Plus ca change! plus ca la meme chose".

Republican Hush Money

Miz Clark — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:58:07 EDT

I must be a psychic! It looks as though I may have been correct in Republicans trying to steal royalties from Alaska. I don't want to call her a sellout, but why else would you accept the nomination? See the letter below from an Alaskaian Senator who is opposed to drilling.

The Honorable Samuel W. Bodman

U.S. Department of Energy

1000 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20585

Dear Secretary Bodman,

On June 3, 2008 and July 30, 2008 respectively, your Department issued and affirmed an order pursuant to Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act that will allow two major integrated oil companies – ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil – to export 98.1 billion cubic feet of Alaskan natural gas to Japan and other Pacific Rim countries. This order, which will allow the export of as much natural gas as is used by 1.4 million American families in a year, comes at a time when the President had demanded that the moratoria on oil and gas drilling along our environmentally-sensitive coastal areas be lifted and Americans are being warned that their winter heating bills are going to be dramatically higher. The Administration is trying to have it both ways – arguing that we need to drill everywhere because we don't have adequate energy supplies, while finding that we have so much energy that big oil companies can export it overseas and keep prices here at home higher than they would otherwise be. On its face, the order that Department has issued to allow the continued export of Alaskan natural gas does not meet the public interest test required by the Natural Gas Act and I respectfully request that you review and revoke it.

As you know, the United States has been exporting natural gas from Alaska to Japan since 1969. Historically, these exports were deemed in the public interest because there were no pipelines to the lower-48 states and no West Coast LNG terminals to bring this gas to market. Indeed, even in this most recent order, which would allow ConocoPhillips and Marathon to continue to export Alaskan natural gas when their current long-term authorization expires next April, the Department dismissed the possibility of supplying this gas to the lower-48 and only considered the local need for this natural gas within Alaska in its determination that the proposed export met the statute's public interest test.

What the Department should have fully considered, but did not, was the need for this natural gas in the lower-48 and the fact that the capability to import LNG to the West Coast has been commercially available as of May 15, 2008 – the date Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, announced that its Energía Costa Azul LNG terminal in Baja California was ready for commercial operation. In fact, the Department appears to have relied upon inaccurate and out of date information submitted by ConocoPhillips and Marathon on this point. For example, the Department's June 3rd order cites arguments by these companies that, "(w)ith respect to national need, CPANGC [ConocoPhillips Alaska Natural Gas Corporation] and Marathon state shipment of LNG from the Applicants' Kenai LNG facilities to the lower 48 states does not appear to be a viable option due to certain regulatory and economic hurdles."

The hurdles cited by the companies, according to the Department, are the Jones Act which restricts shipments between U.S. ports to U.S. flagged vessels, the argument "that there are no existing U.S. west coast LNG receiving terminals," and the cost of shipping LNG to the East and Gulf coasts would be prohibitive. The Costa Azul facility was specifically designed to provide natural gas to U.S. markets, as well as Mexican customers. It is connected by a cross-border pipeline system capable of delivering natural gas to the U.S. market today, and that system is being expanded to provide even more capability. Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, there are no additional duties or tariffs on natural gas trade between the two countries. And because your Department already approves all exports and imports of natural gas between the U.S. and Mexico, it (and you) should be well aware of these capabilities. Since the facility is located in Mexico, the Jones Act does not apply.

Coming as it does, at a time when the Energy Information Administration (EIA), an agency within your own Department, is projecting that American consumers will be facing these high natural gas prices, it is inconceivable that the Department would accept, and apparently base its own decision upon, such flawed and out of date information. As described by the EIA in its most recent Short-Term Energy Outlook, Americans are facing dramatically higher natural gas costs this year, and especially this winter. According to EIA, the average price of natural gas consumers are expected to pay this winter will increase by more than 22% nationwide, and by more than 24% in the Western U.S. where the Alaskan gas would add to supply. EIA projects that natural gas prices will continue to remain high in future years with the spot price in 2009 averaging 25% more than 2007.

In Wasilla Rape Victims Forced to Pay for Forensic Testing

Jennifer from Washington, DC — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:32:06 EDT

Wasilla's Police Chief Charged Rape Victims for Forensic Testing Under Mayor Sarah Palin
Posted By Christine C. On September 9, 2008 (11:41 am) In Legal, Politics, Violence & Abuse
In a proclamation recognizing that Alaska has “the highest per capital occurrence of sexual assault in the nation at 2.5 times the national average,” Gov. Sarah Palin earlier this year proclaimed the month of April “Sexual Assault Awareness Month.”
But her record still doesn’t show that she gets it.
As mayor of Wasilla, where she served for two terms between 1996 and 2002, Palin hired a police chief with a highly offensive and unusual attitude toward crime investigation: making victims of sexual assault pay for their own forensic exams as part of the crime investigation.
It’s an incredible story that’s making the rounds today.
In 2000, then Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles signed legislation that put an end to police departments billing victims for the tests, but the Wasilla police chief was none too happy about the switch. From the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman (May 23, 2000):
The new law makes it illegal for any law enforcement agency to bill victims or victims insurance companies for the costs of examinations that take place to collect evidence of a sexual assault or determine if a sexual assault did occur.
We would never bill the victim of a burglary for fingerprinting and photographing the crime scene, or for the cost of gathering other evidence, Knowles said. Nor should we bill rape victims just because the crime scene happens to be their bodies.
While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.
Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon does not agree with the new legislation, saying the law will require the city and communities to come up with more funds to cover the costs of the forensic exams.
In the past weve charged the cost of exams to the victims insurance company when possible. I just dont want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer, Fannon said.
According to Fannon, the new law will cost the Wasilla Police Department approximately $5,000 to $14,000 a year to collect evidence for sexual assault cases.
Yes, we’re talking about that little money. But besides that, the police department didn’t charge other crime victims for evidence gathering and testing. Just those whose bodies happened to be part of the investigation.
I suppose one might appreciate the attempt to charge the insurance company instead of the victim — unless of course the victim didn’t HAVE health insurance. And even if the victim did, could you imagine adding working out the billing with your insurance company to the list of things you have to deal with after being raped? And what happened if the victim couldn’t come up with the money for the test?
This is mind-boggling on so many levels. Just one more question for Palin, who also doesn’t believe women who are victims of rape or incest should be allowed the choice of having an abortion …
Article taken from Our Bodies Our Blog - http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org
URL to article: http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2008/09/wasillas-police-chief-charged-rape-victims-for-forensic-testing-under-mayor-sarah-palin

An Interview with Anne Kilkenny - Author of the controversial viral email "Letter About Sarah Palin"

Amy from Atlanta, GA — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:33:41 EDT

I was fortunate that on such a short notice, Anne Kilkenny, this awesome housemaker, voter registrar of Wassila, Alaska - now the famous author of that viral email "A Letter About Sarah Palin" gave us the opportunity to chat with her for an hour.

For that short hour, atleast, the interview gave us the opportunity to get to know the woman herself. The interviewed had almost 9,000 listener that hour, had over twenty something chatters online asking Anne questions. I didn't have any problems until my switchboard froze - one "republican" listener got mad because he or she thinks that I was ducking his call and won't let him or her get on the air --- anyway, the interview went well, my women listener appreciated her honesty and thank her for her bravery.

Interview with Anne Kilkenny

WALL STREET JOURNAL, SEPTEMBER 10: REVIEW & OUTLOOK Running Alaska September 10, 2008///[SURE WOULD BE NICE TO SEE A LOT OF ALASKANS WRITE INTO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL REALLY STRONG LETTERS ABOUT WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE PALIN AS GOVERNOR! an idea from Ste

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:50:54 EDT

Page A14

One rap on Sarah Palin's qualifications to be Vice President is that she governs one of our least populated states, with a budget of "only" $12 billion and 16,000 full-time state employees.

On the other hand, it turns out that the Governor's office in Alaska is one of the country's most powerful. For more than two decades Thad Beyle, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina, has maintained an index of "institutional powers" in state offices.

He rates governorships on potential length of service, budgetary and appointment authority, veto power and other factors. Mr. Beyle's findings for 2008 rate Alaska at 4.1 on a scale of 5.

The national average is 3.5. Only four other states -- Maryland, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia -- concentrate as much power in the Governor's office as Alaska does, and only one state (Massachusetts) concentrates more. California may be the nation's most populous state, but its Governor rates as below-average (3.2) in executive authority.

This may account in part for Arnold Schwarzenegger's poor legislative track record. The lowest rating goes to Vermont (2.5), where the Governor (remember Howard Dean) is a figurehead compared to Mrs. Palin. In Alaska, the Governor has line-item veto power over the budget and can only be overridden by a three-quarters majority of the Legislature.

In 1992, the year Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton was elected President, his state budget was $2 billion and among the smallest in the country. Compared to that, Sarah Palin is an executive giant.

COMMENT?

See all of today's editorials and op-eds, plus video commentary, on Opinion Journal.

And add your comments to the Opinion Journal forum.

The Audacity of Everything McCain

jude jones — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:50:15 EDT

John McCain has mastered audacity this week, while losing himself more or less completely. Let's review!

Exploiting 9/11 for political gain: The film at the RNC was inexcusably vile and inappropriate when all decent outlets had self-imposed a moratorium on such painful and traumatic footage. But since pain and trauma are now campaign strategies of the RNC, it is to be expected of them. Still makes us want to vomit, but to be expected. Kind of like spoiled seafood.

Stolen Message: Absent any ideas of his own, John McCain has now coopted the "change" message of Barack Obama. That's pretty audacious and then some. And quite unbelievable. Hey, there's his slogan: "Change That Is Unbelievable". Listen John, if you haven't managed more than one or two pieces of major legislation in 30 years, and Obama passed one like yours in his first term, I think it's pretty clear who's the change agent in this race. Changing your positions and your moral believability is not the change WE need, though it may have been the change McCain needed to try and win. Maybe a better slogan would be, " A Changed Man :( ".

Lies, big lies, and outrageous lie-bombs: The "Bridge To Nowhere" queen, who kept the money despite her current "no thanks" message about it, has now lied seven times about that boondoggle, five of the lies coming after the debunking of the lie. McCain falsely claims that Obama has never faced his own party on anything, when in fact he confronted both parties with effective ethics legislation, akin to Mccain's ONLY senatorial achievement on campaign finance. The campaign of Mccain keeps falsely claiming that Obama will raise taxes despite the truth being that 95% of Americans will get tax breaks (and despite the tax that McCain will impose on our health care benefits from our employers even as he refuses to extend healthcare in a civilized way). That's pretty audacious, I'd say! Hair-blowing-back audacious. I just change the channel now every time Nancy "Lobbyist-cum-spokesliar" Pfotenhauer comes on the t.v. Oh, there's another lie: the plan to come down on lobbyists when in fact the whole campaign is being run by them. Wooey, thats AUdacious (in an Alice in Wonderland kind of way...).

The new ad on "education": Claiming that Obama's only accomplishment is passing a bill to provide sex education to kindergarteners when in fact that bill was to protect kids from predators is about as politically vile as one can get, and truly marks McCain's departure from the sphere of decency. By the way, I thought his only accomplishment was being a community organizer (say it with a sneer)? McCain can't even keep his lies straight anymore I guess. This ad--exploiting children's protection for political gamesmanship--is such a thick pool of vileness that I lost that last little tiny sliver of respect I used to have for the former hero. Oh yeah, he sacrificed that label this week. Heros don't need to play cynic, and shouldn't. Play cynic, and you are not a hero anymore, sorry.

Cease and Desist? Not!: By my count, McCain has now OFFICIALLY stolen the use of four songs and been asked to cease and desist by all four copyright holders. This week his answer was to just keep using one of them. If he can't be trusted with intellectual property rights, how on earth can he be trusted with our government? It was more important to celebrate the meanness of SP than to abide by the law. But that, truly, is symbolic of the woman, I suppose, as she bent and manipulated whatever laws were inconvenient to her in Alaska.

The Audacity of Soullessness

Barack has conveyed the audacity of hope to many of us over the past few years, but the new audacity is really all McCain's (another theft, I suppose)--the audacity of being a lying, politically savage dishonorable man whose soul is now permanently tarnished. I don't use "soul" language or moral recrimination lightly--I really mean it when I say it. This will be the week we all remember how good a time John McCain had out on the trail with Sarah, selling his soul to Karl Rove for the enjoyment of saddling our country with another four years of war, and a 25% chance (those are the mathematics of VP succession) of being governed by a bigger liar and more mean-spirited person than himself.

McCain/Bush Morph

The audacity of all this is such as to leave our jaws dropped. How...on...earth....could....he.....?? we might say. But McCain has learned the lesson of his master, GWBush: you can because you CAN and because you DO. It's a particularly vile example of the Jesuit maxim, "Better to ask forgiveness than permission". Except the Bush--Rove--McCain strategy is "Better to do the unpermitted and unforgiveable" and thumb your nose at those who might morally balk at the strategy. I think even the press is stunned, but since they've been semi-neutered for years by the emergence of the reality-challenged right-wing alter-press, they barely know what to do. Asking some real questions would be a start, thnx.

John McCain (really, Karl Rove is behind this, but it's YOUR campaign, John), you have sacrificed your manhood, nay your very humanity, this week. It's a tragic fall story about a former hero. It's ugly, it's vile, and it excites people who are moved by the lizard brain. Congratulations, Mr. McCain, for exciting your "base". How base.

McCain-Palin Same Ole Same Ole Speech

Tony — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:14:39 EDT

Jesus, have you seen what they talk?, well I thought I was seeing a rerun speech from the republican convention but I saw now different cities and they say the same BS looking like parrots who memorized a speech. I can't believe it and the mediatic media doesnt get it OR they favor them. Sarah Barracuda, has yet after 10 days to mention a word about the economy or foreign policy and all she does is talk about McCain like he is a superman at 72!!...people go look and i am predicting they will get burned repeating same thing day after day in each city, Are american people dumb?? I am beggining to say YES and those people are republicans hearing same old BS day after day...well imagine if Palin were to meet the tiger PUTIN who is trained as all KGB agents to outsmart their opponents, woww. PUTIN would make Palin a ridicule in front of him if she were to someday be the president. Ladies and gentleman this ticket is smelling like a worst foreign policy that the one of Bush administration, I hope Americans wake up and see these parrot -like speeches, I am just waiting for the big debate to see her nervous and people will see her inexperience, so far it looks like she is carrying the pants instead of McCain..Hillarious what we see and Democrats dont pay attention to the manipulated polls, many people will wake up to this mediocrity soon and she hasnt even faced the media, look at that..all we see is scary cats, ladies and gentleman.

Palin's Alaskanomics

Tim — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:46:18 EDT

The very wise Michael Kinsley points out in a recent Time piece just how fiscally unconservative Palin is. Alaska is awash in Government money and Palin was happy to be dipping her bucket.

White women for Palin?

Scott — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:21:09 EDT

Charles Gibson reports tonight on ABC's World News that there has been a 20 pt. swing in the support of white women from Barrack Obama to John McCain. Part of this, I'm sure, is undecided voters responding to the last thing they saw...which would be "Baracuda" giving somebody else's speech and having a great time at the Republican convention. Only problem is, many things that she said are patently false. The question is this then...why has there been a 20 pt. swing in the polling numbers if she delivered a speech riddled with lies and pandering to the Republican base? There is the obvious "She looks like me!" novelty. There is, for a reason I can't figure out, a compulsion of some mothers to vote for other women solely because they're moms also. But the main reason this swing has occurred, I believe, is that most women have not had a chance to examine her background closely, and do not know her positions on important issues.

The Republican party has gone to great lengths to insulate her from the media, and with good reason. The hiring of a lobbyist while she was mayor to garner tens of millions in federal funds for her tiny town Wasilla. The illegal firing scandal that has erupted when she tried to have her former brother in law fired. Her dubious claim that she stopped the Bridge to Nowhere. Her request that the local library ban books while she was mayor. And most importantly, her obvious lack of depth and experience on national and international issues. I believe when undecided and women voters are exposed to this kind of bad judgement and raw ambition, they will ultimately decide to vote Obama/Biden. But how is this accomplished?

Joe Biden has to run circles around her in their vice presidential debate. He has to be cognizant that even though women want to be on equal footing in politics, that the country still has a tremendous double standard when it comes to what questions and accusations you can make towards a woman candidate without hearing the cries of sexism. We have to reach out the women in our lives and make sure they know that the Palin myth is just that, when you take a closer look at her record. We need to tell them that they are voting for McCain and his unfriendly policies towards women and the working class. Finally, the democratic party has to get it's women surrogates out there to take on Palin so Obama can stay focused on the top of the ticket, John McCain.

Do your part!!

Wall Street Journal (Hardly "Liberal Media") Blasts McCain's New Ad and the Palin Disavowal of Her Support for "Bridge to Nowhere." Please, write a letter to Editor of the WSJ to commend them!

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:29:18 EDT

Record Contradicts Palin's 'Bridge' Claims

By ELIZABETH HOLMES and LAURA MECKLER
September 9, 2008

[to write a letter to the editor of the WSJ: wsj.ltrs@wsj.com or Fax: 1-212-416-2255 Attn: Ned Crabb. See http://www.opinionjournal.com/guidelines/ before submitting. Editorial Page Submissions including the Op-Ed page pieces should go to: fax: 1-212-416-2255 Attn: Tunku Varadarajan or email: edit.features@wsj.com]

The Bridge to Nowhere argument isn't going much of anywhere.

Despite significant evidence to the contrary, the McCain campaign continues to assert that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told the federal government "thanks but no thanks" to the now-famous bridge to an island in her home state.

The McCain campaign released a television advertisement1 Monday morning titled "Original Mavericks." The narrator of the 30-second spot boasts about the pair: "He fights pork-barrel spending. She stopped the Bridge to Nowhere."

Gov. Palin, who John McCain named as his running mate less than two weeks ago, quickly adopted a stump line bragging about her opposition to the pork-barrel project Sen. McCain routinely decries.

But Gov. Palin's claim comes with a serious caveat. She endorsed the multimillion dollar project during her gubernatorial race in 2006. And while she did take part in stopping the project after it became a national scandal, she did not return the federal money. She just allocated it elsewhere.

"We need to come to the defense of Southeast Alaska when proposals are on the table like the bridge," Gov. Palin said in August 2006, according to the local newspaper, "and not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that's so negative." The bridge would have linked Ketchikan to the airport on Gravina Island. Travelers from Ketchikan (pop. 7,500) now rely on ferries.

A year ago, the governor issued a press release2 that the money for the project was being "redirected."

"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer," she said. "Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island. Much of the public's attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened."

On Monday in Missouri, Gov. Palin put it this way: "I told Congress thanks but no thanks for that bridge to nowhere. If the state wanted to build a bridge we would built it ourselves."

..............................................................................

But she's drawn considerable fire as result. Sen. Obama's campaign released an advertisement3 pointing out her original support of the bridge. And on Monday, an Obama staffer emailed a photo of Gov. Palin holding up a T-shirt that was made shortly after the bridge caught national attention. It reads "NOWHERE ALASKA" and "99901," the zip code of Ketchikan.

The McCain campaign jumped back with spokesman Brian Rogers calling the attacks "hysterical."

"The only people 'lying' about spending are the Obama campaign. The only explanation for their hysterical attacks is that they're afraid that when John McCain and Sarah Palin are in the White House, Barack Obama's nearly $1 billion in earmark spending will stop dead in its tracks," Mr. Rogers said.

At a rally today, Sen. McCain again asserted that Sen. Obama has requested nearly a billion in earmarks. In fact, the Illinois senator requested $311 million last year, according to the Associated Press, and none this year. In comparison, Gov. Palin has requested $750 million in her two years as governor -- which the AP says is the largest per-capita request in the nation.

Obama Campaign Oficially Debunks "Bridge to Nowhere"

N. Julio Barthson - E-Campaign Leader — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:57:31 EDT

Time to tell the truth...

Someone Who Knows Gov. Palin Very Well

Bill & Brenda Reitter, Gloucester Co, NJ — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:50:21 EDT

Palin. McCain's quick pick was obviously an act of both despiration and accommodation to the far right. He wanted to galvanize Bush's base and create a distraction from the issues, where he is such a looser.

His strategy is either mad or genious. But it seems to be working for him temporarily. However it is unlikely the bump will last when voters get to know the real Palin. Here is testimony from someone who knows Palin well: Anne Kilkenny from Alaska:

"Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too.

She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later. The sports complex itself is a nice addition but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing."

ENOUGH!

Bill Reitter

Glassboro

We're giving her the power...

EMC — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:48:22 EDT

Enough about the "political glamour-puss" Sarah the Slaughterer. All the focus just feeds the hungry GOP. Democrats should be responding:

Question: What do you think of Palin?

Answer: I don't.

'Nuf said. She 's enjoying her stint as the world's oldest prom queen and is sharing headlines with Britney Spears - give me a break! Let Palin Start Failin' !!

Palin's Aerial Wolf cull: "somebody who doesn't have any use for science."

Chuck — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:12:04 EDT

SALON has an excellent article on Palin's "preditor control" program to reduce some wolf populations by "by 60 to 80 percent" despite, (or maybe in-spite) of science to the contrary. Shooting these animals without scientific backing is like sending fugitives to the death chamber without a trial - is that the kind of leader we need running our country?