The REAL story on the Dennis Zaki video

by: Celtic Diva

Sun Jun 07, 2009 at 20:30:04 PM AKDT

So Conservatives4Palin (C4P...or as folks who frequent Alaska blogs like to call them, "Pee-ers") have their panties in a knot because Alaskan videographer/blogger Dennis Zaki, HuffPo writer Geoffrey Dunn and AKM at Mudflats busted the object of their worship in a big way.  At worst, Palin is a plagiarist...at best, she does a REALLY BAD JOB of attributing what turns out to be a large chunk of her speech to an article by Newt Gingrich (whom she does "mention" twice) and Craig Shirley (whom she doesn't "mention" at all).

C4P blogger R.A. Mansour has her panties in SUCH A KNOT that she's made up some wishful, fanciful story in which Dennis Zaki, free-lance videographer, got this footage illegally and through (I must assume she believes) cloak-and-dagger gyrations.

As I noted a few days ago, Zaki recorded the speech without permission and then sold it to CNN for a pile of money.

And then she said:

Anyone believe that he had permission "from Sarah Palin herself"? I don't.

See, this is why non-Alaskans shouldn't try to write about this stuff as if they have a clue what's going on.  They just come off looking like complete idiots.

1)  CNN doesn't have a correspondent up here and Dennis Zaki is...say it with me...a FREE-LANCE PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER.  It's HOW HE MAKES HIS LIVING.  He has worked his way into a relationship as a regular contributor to CNN, allowing him to use their name when he's on the job.  This is a result of the quality of his work and because quite frankly, no one else up here who doesn't already work for a news outfit does what he does.

2)  Not only have I been to many events at the Alaska Performing Arts Center, I've also done many musical performances on each of the stages, my daughter has acted in plays on two of the stages and I've been backstage mom for two different plays.  I know the layout and the rules and regs like the back of my hand.  Dennis has one of those huge news video cameras worth thousands of dollars...it's not like he can sneak it in under his coat.  There is NO WAY he could set up in the media area (which is why he had a great shot) without going through security or the event coordinators.  

I called Dennis to find out the exact story on Thursday night.  He explained that he walked in to the Performing Arts Center with his camera along with Channel 2 and Channel 11.  When one of the event coordinators asked if they had obtained permission ahead of time (unusual for Alaska) Channel 11 said "yes" and both Dennis and Channel 2 said "no."  The coordinator then explained that she had to "ask Ms. Palin" if it was OK for Dennis and Channel 2 to film.  The event coordinator came back after a few minutes and let them know that "Ms. Palin" gave her OK.  (Interesting that they didn't call her "Governor," I know.) I call Channel 2 and Channel 11 "news media," even though there are those who claim there was no media there.  I also call them "witnesses" when it comes to C4P's bogus claim that Zaki didn't have permission.

3) No one knew that Palin was going to actually make a policy speech...she was only introducing Michael Reagan after all.  A little ways into the speech, Dennis realized what was happening and contacted CNN.

Sarah Palin knows Dennis Zaki, has been interviewed many times by Dennis Zaki and knows that he sells his clips to outside media.  IT'S WHY SHE SAID "YES"...because she needs all the attention she can get.  

If you really knew Palin, I wouldn't have to tell you that.
 

Sarah Palin is a plagiarist

by: Celtic Diva

Sun Jun 07, 2009 at 11:38:07 AM AKDT

There was almost an odor emanating from the computer when I was listening to a recording of Sarah Palin's speech before Michael Reagan's appearance in Anchorage on Thursday.  I thought that perhaps, it was Sarah herself...maybe sandals aren't the way for her to go unless odor-eaters involved.

It seems that Geoffrey Dunn has a really good memory and discovered that Sarah Palin's speech wasn't exactly "fresh."

Sarah Palin's speech delivered in Anchorage on Wednesday -- the one in which she declared "screw political correctness" and wondered why "we have to pussyfoot around our troublesome foes" -- repeatedly lifted from an article written four years ago by Newt Gingrich and Craig Shirley without attribution.

While Palin twice mentioned Gingrich in the speech (she never acknowledged Shirley), she frequently mixed her own remarks about Reagan with passages that appear to be pulled directly from the Gingrich-Shirley article.

Geoff did the equivalent of finding the the old fish left in the cooler from last months camping trip...it's the rotten smell in the house that no one else could nail down.

He rightly attributes his success in this discovery to Mudflats, who exhaustively transcribed this speech until about 4:00 in the morning after the Reagan event.

There are those out there who try to claim that Palin's mention of Newt's article at one time covers her.  No...not according to the journalism classes I attended.  The "mention" came only AFTER SHE'D ALREADY BEEN PLAGIARIZING IT and she didn't mention the co-author, Craig Shirley:

After that, Palin acknowledged that, "Recently, Newt Gingrich, he had written a good article about Reagan...." (Recently? It was four years ago.) Without mentioning Shirley, she quotes and paraphrases from the article at length...

Then, she continues to use it:

At this point, things get very problematic. Palin continued on with her speech, using her own words while seamlessly quoting almost verbatim from the Gingrich/Shirley piece, multiple times, without citing it.

Sarah "it-took-me-a-bunch-of-different-schools-but-I-have-my-journalism-degree-dammit" Palin has no excuses.    Palin has recently touted her degree in discussions about her book deal, saying she's excited to put her "journalism degree to work."  Perhaps she should have "put it to work" a little earlier.  I distinctly remember that plagiarism-and-how-to-avoid-it was covered in my Media 101 class.

In the next several days, you'll see a lot from the Palinbots about 20-year-old issues with Joe Biden (which were vetted during the Presidential campaign).  I'm sure if Palin also apologizes, this incident could become a minor glitch on the radar.

But when has ANYONE EVER known Palin to apologize for ANYTHING?




(Not:  The "stinky fish" picture comes from an old newsletter of Sen. Kim Elton)

Democratic candidates are chosen by vote, not "entitlement"--Correction and comment from Ethan

by: Celtic Diva

Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 01:43:11 AM AKDT

*********************************UPDATE****************************

Ethan Berkowitz properly corrected me on my brain fart (I fixed it) and added a comment on the post:

I read your recent piece and just wanted to remind you about the Cngressional race.

After Diane Benson declared, State Democratic Party Chair Jake Metcalf jumped in, then I entered.  It's not accurate to say that the primary was just between Diane and myself.

As far as the governor's race goes, no one is entitled to any elected race -- not those who've run before, not those who served the party, not those who started early.  It is supposed to be a bout a contest of ideas and qualifications, and the voters make the determination.

Thanks,
Ethan

Thanks, Ethan!

Those of you who follow the blog understand; these days, I don't put much stock in what Sheila Toomey writes.  However, this week's Alaska Ear put out some scuttlebutt concerning Gubernatorial Candidate Bob Poe that concerned me:

A MORE INTERESTING QUESTION ... How hard are mainstream Democrats, perhaps including Ethan Berkowitz, Hollis French and Eric Croft, trying to convince Bob Poe to drop out of the nascent governor's race "for the good of the party?" It's hearsay, but a persistent claim, the fear being he splits the primary vote enough to win but can't take the general. Unclear who they think the best candidate is. Probably some differing opinions there.

In hopes that this was just information thrown out there to divide the Democrats, I decided to do some research of my own and talked to a source close to the campaign...

...only to find out that the story is true!  Fellow Democrats truly are trying to dissuade Bob Poe!!!  Are you kidding me?

So...let's get this straight:

"Hey, Bob! We know you've been out there for the last six months working your butt off and dumping your own money into this campaign because you weren't allowed to raise any.  Now, only a couple of weeks into being able to receive contributions, we want you to back out of the race because a couple of our buddies are going to jump in and take it from here."

Are you serious?  That doesn't even make any logical sense!

For one thing, this isn't the Anchorage Mayor's race when coming to a candidate's agreement would have made sense.  The Governor's race has a lovely primary far enough ahead of the General Election that the winner can pick up considerable momentum.  There's NO real reason (other than for candidates who are afraid of the competition) to try and cull the herd ahead of time.

Secondly, it's only June 2009.  The election isn't until November 2010!!!  The talented Kay Brown just got to work on the Poe campaign,
there's still another Legislative Session in between and NO ONE knows what's going to happen between now and then!  

The really irritating/disturbing part for me is this sense of "entitlement" that seems to be expressing itself here...that one has to "prove" him/herself to a certain "clique" before one can run for office in this state, especially in the urban areas.  It's especially discomfiting because I've been witnessing this and hearing about it for awhile.

There's the case of Diane Benson, two-time candidate for Don Young's seat, who received no Alaska Democratic Party money either time.  When former legislator Ethan Berkowitz and Jake Metcalfe joined the race, both men were showered with praise and contributions before Jake dropped out.  Meaning no disrespect to Ethan, I must point out that Diane got the same percentage of votes against Don Young on a shoestring budget during a Republican-friendly year that Ethan got in 2008 with a huge warchest.  Also meaning no disrespect, I must point out the Native woman vs. Caucasian male issue...it is there.

During the session, when the Legislature and Governor Palin were having their standoff over a replacement for Juneau Senator Kim Elton, we were introduced to the name Joe Nelson.  Joe was clearly not the right guy, as he allowed himself to be used as a "spoiler" against the Senate Democrats and he also said something really stupid in a Governor's Press release when he withdrew his name from consideration.  However, before all of that happened, I remember wondering "Why wasn't this guy courted by the Juneau Democrats before?  After all, he IS married to Mary Nelson, former Democratic Legislator.  What's up with that?

Then some of my sources from Juneau (especially the Native Community) explained how "cliquish" it is there.  I was tp;d that it's almost impossible to "break in" to the circle of Democrats who make a great deal of the decisions.

And once again, when we look at the racial and gender make-up of the urban legislators from Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau, you would think that those of us who live in these cities are all-white and mostly male.

So, it seems we have two issues here that are interrelated:

1)  Some people get huffy if a "new face" tries to run for office without "paying their dues"...whatever those "dues" may be...and...

2)  While the Democratic Party is definitely the party of inclusion (especially in comparison to the Republicans), we still have a long way to go to improve representation within our own ranks.

We MUST reach out to enthusiastic candidates who can fire up a campaign.  We cannot allow one faction of the Party to dictate the views that EVERY DEMOCRAT must have, discouraging highly qualified potential candidates from running.  We MUST encourage young minority members to become active in the party and mentor them into running for office.  For Alaskans to become engaged in the political system, they must be able to see their own faces in the legislature and the local councils and assemblies.

Resolving both of these issues depends upon nurturing, encouraging and supporting new blood to run for office as Democrats at ALL levels on the ballot. If that didn't happen nationally, Barack Obama would not be President today.

Is Alaska Dispatch kidding? ****UPDATE 2****

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Feb 24, 2009 at 00:05:43 AM AKST

This is the summary of the above video (originally appearing on the ADN) according to Alaska Dispatch:

Palin approached a topic that most Alaska politicians shy away from -- the need to seek employment and opportunities outside village Alaska. (For Outside readers, there are more than 200 villages in Alaska, most unconnected to roads and the power grid.)

Palin may have been criticized for not reacting swiftly enough to cries for help from villages hurting this winter from high food and fuel prices, but she clearly is thinking about the long-term future of rural Alaska.

The harsh reality is that rural Alaskans have limited opportunities, be it employment, education or even dating. In the early 21st century, rural residents are still dealing with many of the same perplexing questions as they have for decades:

How do they hold on to tradition, to hunting, to fishing? If people leave the village for new opportunities, how can the community sustain itself? What is the purpose of the village today? Why are so many people suffering from suicide and alcoholism?

Watch this video and listen closely to Palin's remarks. It seems she's thinking about these larger issues, and perhaps this might prompt a state conversation sorely needed, especially in these uncertain economic times.

I say again...are you kiddding me?

I spoke to Writing Raven on Saturday after being alerted via email to this post.  Her poignant response and educated and informed summation of Palin's comments have been rightfully quoted by many other blogs.

Her response to the seemingly uninformed staff of the Dispatch should be shouted from the rooftops:

After stewing all night, I woke up this morning to a phone call from Celtic Diva. She and Mudflats pointed to an article in the Alaska Dispatch, praising Palin for "speaking from the heart" and being "thoughtful" about solutions for the communities.

You can only be thoughtful if you've met with the people from the communities and listened to them. Palin is calling for a change in leadership - with who? What are these leaders doing wrong? Who are they? When has she talked to them? And she gave NO solutions except to say these youth should think about leaving. So the solution is "leave the village"? She can't be a spark to "real dialogue" when she's never taken part in a dialogue! The dialogue has been going on, but Palin doesn't care to be part of it.

The article was also preemptively defensive about the race card being thrown at Palin. As if Palin needs to be a racist to make ignorant remarks about the state of rural Alaska. Personally, I believe Palin is willing to be pretty racially equal about throwing rural Alaska under the bus. For that matter, she's screwing us all equally in her painfully obvious stab for national attention. I didn't agree with the remarks about Ted Stevens at the time (don't think the guy was racist, just wrong) and it is interesting to note that the only people to bring up racism with Palin's remarks have been the people of the Alaska Dispatch.

To be very clear - Palin's remarks aren't racist. They are ignorant of the real issues, display a willingness to decide what is right having never had the dialogue, and take us back about 50 years in the struggle to maintain thriving rural and cultural communties. But in ignorance, she's being quite equal.

My own observations:

-- I was angered and amused by the Dispatch's reference to former Sen. Ted Stevens as someone who also "thoughtfully" discussed rural Alaska's future.  In truth, the FBI investigation of Stevens originated as a result of the shady deals involving his son Ben with various fishery entities in Alaska and Seattle.  The results of this and other Stevens-supported legislation has been the all-out acquisition of the Alaska cod and other federally-controlled fisheries by the Washington State fishing fleet, the loss of thousands of fishing jobs in Alaska, and possibly irreversible damage to the King Salmon run on the Yukon River...a run many villages depend upon for their survival.

Any "musings" of former-Senator Stevens may not be racist, but are clearly warped by his corporate ties and the undue influence of monies from big-business over his decisions.

-- I agree with Writing Raven in that Governor Palin's comments do not necessarily reflect racism but do reflect self-promotion and ambition in its purest form.  

Governor Palin has shown that she is actually quite predictable...whatever most benefits her is the direction she will follow, no matter what the results or consequences.  Most recently, with the dawn of "SarahPAC" and her recent trip to meet with huge donors and "bundlers" like Fred Malek, it has been clear that her quest for finances and support for a 2012 presidential run has dominated all else. This includes her Governor's "State of the State" speech, where Alaskans were looking for some glimmer of a message among the platitudes directed at her national audience.

Some of this will be tricky, however.  Sarah Palin desperately needs money and must somehow court the corporations without appearing to contradict her "Mavricky" image crafted during her Vice-Presidential run.  So I don't believe it's a coincidence that the position on Rural Alaska reflected in her comments has been the same position spouted by corporate-hacks-posing-as-Republicans for years.

And this ties in with a theory:

The vast majority of Alaska's resources including gold and other minerals, oil, natural gas, etc...are found on and under lands traditionally inhabited by Alaska's Native people.  The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was a tool by which all individual Alaska Natives legally relinquished their claim on the land.  It established the Village Corporations (for example, Emmonak Village Corporation...the people who live there) as owning the surface rights to the patented land while the regional corporation (for example, Calista Corporation) owns the subsurface rights.  This lasts as long as the Corporations exist.

For those of you who have never lived/worked up in oil country, much of the North Slope is completely under corporate control.  The only "police" are oil-company security.  Whoever gets in/out is completely within the control of the oil companies.  

So, what happens if the Native population of Emmonak is starved out of a village, the people move and the village no longer exists nor is it incorporated?  Is it probable that the surface rights would be up for grabs or revert back to the government?  Would the government also have a case to challenge Calista for the subsurface rights if there was no longer a Native population living there?

I believe that corporations would love to encourage the Alaska Native population to leave their villages in order to clear the way for unfettered development.

-- The Alaska Dispatch commentary on Palin's remarks and their further response to emails show the same ignorance of the issues that our Governor displays...an ignorance born of not even bothering to investigate or learn from the people whose lives are presently touched by the problems.  Both Palin and Alaska Dispatch focus on "charity"...something which the Alaska Natives abhor more than anyone.  However, both Palin and the Dispatch ignore what the communities have needed for years from the state and federal governments...not charity, but simple infrastructure like a port at the mouth of the Yukon (jobs), energy extraction projects (inexpensive energy, jobs), and a solution to the fishery problem which has severely damaged their ability to live off of the King Salmon run (jobs, income, food).  Palin is clearly willing to (quietly but deliberately) continue the quest for the billion-dollar-plus Knik Arm Bridge, but wants to reject the infrastructure money coming in from the stimulus package which could revitalize Rural Alaska.

So yes, there must be many discussions on Rural Alaska and the solutions to their issues, but the discussion doesn't begin as one-sided commentary suggesting leadership change (before the leadership has been consulted) and that the youth move to the cities to find jobs...a sure death of the villages  The fact that neither Palin nor the Dispatch seems to "get" that reflects badly on their understanding of the issues and, for the Dispatch, their alleged "journalistic neutrality."

********************UPDATE********************

From Pekoe's comment below (good catch!):

Todd wasn't raised in a village, was he? Palin made it sound like he was with this statement, like he was tanning hides and smoking salmon and thought, "Dang! I live in a cash-based society! I need a mainstream job!"

So how exactly did Todd go to the North Slope directly from Dillingham when he attended high school in Wasilla, where he met Sarah?!

Hmmmmm...

*******************UPDATE 2************************

Per an October article in the ADN (emphasis mine):

Culturally, the Palins live a lifestyle of small-town Alaska. Todd does not take part in Native organizations or tribal politics. He grew up in Glennallen and Wasilla. His Native roots can be seen in his dividends from the Bristol Bay Native Corporation and boyhood visits with his grandma, where he learned to tend fish nets along the Nushagak River.

(hat tip--Palingates.blogspot.com)

Via an email source, I was told that the most Palin ever "lived" in the village was a few weeks each summer fishing with his grandma.

I spent a few weeks every summer of my life until age 19 on my grandmother's/aunt's/uncle's farms in Iowa, while I spent the rest of the year in Ohio, Philadelphia or Chicago.  According to "Palin-logic," I'm an Iowa farmer.  

Exclusive Palin interview geared towards the "lower 48" **UPDATE**

by: Celtic Diva

Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 04:03:20 AM AKST

Yes, this is another Sarah Palin interview that was done at the Palin's Wasilla home.  Yes, a lot of the same themes were covered in this video (billed as "excerpts"): bad, evil bloggers...bad, evil media...more bad, evil media...Sarah's a victim, victim, victim.  But there were some significant differences:

-- This was done on January 5th and was originally released earlier on Wednesday the 7th as a "private" YouTube video.  (Some YouTuber eventually converted it to a public format.)

-- It was done for a bigger project: a "documentary on the media coverage of the 2008 election" called "Media Malpractice"

-- The interview was conducted by a man named John Ziegler, who describes himself here:

I am virtually unknown nationally and there was absolutely no reason for anything to be done differently as a "show" for us. We saw the genuine Sarah Palin and it is patently obvious that this is the only one that exists. She is the real deal.

As a former TV sportscaster and radio talk show host, I have interviewed a lot big-time "celebrities," and I can honestly say that, even though you could argue that Sarah Palin was the most prominent I have ever spoken to one-on-one, she was also by far the nicest, most sincere and, seemingly, honest subject that I have ever questioned.

He also admits (big shock):

For context, I admit to being a fan of Sarah Palin from before she was ever named John McCain's VP candidate. I attended her convention speech and consider it to be by far the finest that I have ever personally witnessed.

-- John Ziegler is a sometimes-nasty right-winger who, according to the inner-flap of his first book has been fired "numerous times for his on-air comments" from radio/television jobs. Ziegler has two websites, one is self-titled.  The other one is called www.howobamagotelected.com, best known for commissioning Zogby to do an anti-Obama push-poll before the election that even Zogby eventually denounced.

-- Most significantly, this interview was very clearly geared towards the Republican base in the lower-48.  How do we know that?  From Palin's own words:

(more below the fold)

Saxby Chambliss victory: good for Governor Palin but bad for Alaska

by: Celtic Diva

Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 11:23:08 AM AKST

Saxby Chambliss won his runoff election, yesterday by a 15% margin to retain his seat in the US Senate.  The Republicans are touting this as a victory, since they've had little to smile about this year.  However, Georgia is a red state so this really wasn't a surprise; it's part of the Conservative white South...the last Republican stronghold left after the election.  The larger story would have been had Saxby actually lost. Yes, it would have been good for the Dems to get another Senate seat towards their filibuster-proof majority.  However, there are enough moderate Republicans willing to vote with them on a number of issues that there shouldn't be much of a problem.  

The biggest impact of Chambliss's win could be felt thousands of miles away in Alaska.

Chambliss was counting on Gov. Palin to "close the deal" by stumping for him in Georgia.  By all accounts, she came through for him--the rallys she attended were much larger than the others; they were advertised as opportunities to see Gov. Palin and required people to RSVP.  The crowds were more enthusiastic for Palin than they were for Chambliss.  

And of course, he won...and then attributed a chunk of that win to Palin:

What's also good for Palin--she now has a US Senator as an undying supporter, as seen on the Anderson Cooper video I put up in the previous post:

Unidentified journalist:  Senator, will you support Sarah Palin for President in 2012?

Sen. Chambliss:  Hey, wherever she wants to go!

It's a big injection of adoration for a Diva Governor in withdrawal...especially when her popularity is slipping on the home front.

(more below the fold)

Charity-schmarity...did Sarah keep those darn clothes?

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Dec 02, 2008 at 17:12:31 PM AKST

And here she is arriving at the RNC in Minneapolis August 31...look familiar?

More on Huffington Post:

"the jacket was first photographed on Palin on August 31st, two days after joining the McCain ticket, when she started the day at a rally in O'Fallon, Missouri before flying to Minneapolis for the Republican National Convention. So was Palin valiantly recycling old clothes or defiantly wearing items from her $150,000 wardrobe? You be the judge."

However, this isn't the "real story."

The first part of the real story is that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed an FEC complaint against multiple candidates:

2 Dec 2008 // Washington, D.C. - Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against candidates for the House of Representatives and the presidency, for improperly spending campaign funds in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA).

According to FEC reports, clothing purchases were made by the campaign committees of Reps. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Utah congressional candidate Bill Dew (R), North Carolina congressional candidate William Breazeale (R), and Andrew MacPherson, campaign staffer for Bob Barr's 2008 presidential campaign committee.

The comparison to Palin as far as amounts spent is rather laughable, though:

The amount each candidate spent on clothing is as follows:
Rep. Andrews, $952.04
Rep. Sanchez, $334.09
Bill Dew, $1,089.16
William Breazeale, $1,000
Andrew MacPherson, Barr campaign staffer, $500.00

These acquisitions violate campaign finance law.

They filed against the McCain/Palin Campaign awhile back:

CREW filed an FEC complaint in September against failed vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and the Republican National Committee (RNC) for spending $150,000 on clothing for Palin and her family in violation of the FECA.

An interesting addition to the "real story"-- according to a records request by Andree McLeod for a list of gifts and services recieved by Palin from July 1 - Nov. 6, 2008, there is no mention of anyone donating for clothes or other gifts (as was reported in the news outlets) that were recieved while on the campaign trail.

More on that in a separate post.

Here we go...Sarah Palin is off to Georgia to campaign for slime ball Saxby Chambliss

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Nov 25, 2008 at 07:38:53 AM AKST

Pushing through a gasline contract that may never get built

-- minus $500,000.00 $500,000,000.00

Running out of gas in the most populous area of the state

-- incalculable loss

Primary source of state income down to $49.00/ barrel

-- minus millions of $$$

State budget that desperately needs to work
BEFORE the Legislative session because of loss of income

-- unimaginable future consequences

Highest sexual assault and DV rate in the country, especially in Rural Alaska

-- untold human misery

Flying off whenever you want, ignoring all "actual responsibilities" so that you can campaign for a racist jerk-off on the State of Alaska dime

--PRICELESS

Palin's private little war on bloggers

by: Celtic Diva

Wed Nov 12, 2008 at 11:36:15 AM AKST

Then, it continued yesterday with Palin's Fox interview:

According to the Bob and Mark interview:

"And then, of course, in the world of the blogosphere where so much is based on...where they allow for a hard news source...again, like you're suggesting, from an anonymous blog somewhere...some kid in his pajamas sitting in his parent's basement down on his computer gossipin' or just what's being typed in a blog and then they use that as a hard news source. That does not bode well for the state of journalism today."

Palin wishes there was something:

"...I could do about that to help too because I have great respect for what journalism is supposed to represent and that is a cornerstone of our democracy.  They provide the checks and balances that our elected officials and the electorate need.  So that's gotta be cleaned up for the sake of reporters and all those in media."

First off, Sarah, I'm no kid (I'm a year older than you), I do blog in my pajamas sometimes but I live with my husband and child.

(more below the fold)

The Governor will continue to collect per diem in her house & have the State pay for family trips

by: Celtic Diva

Mon Nov 10, 2008 at 00:54:07 AM AKST

Governor Palin did her first full interview with Channel 2 and the Anchorage Daily News tonight.  The raw feed video is also there.

She had on a very nice black dress and necklace while stirring the family's moose chili and cooking their moose cheese dogs...not props, they swear.  Piper Palin was also wearing an apron and running around taking drink orders for the media.  I figure she was practicing for her future career in the service industries.  She's missed so much school lately (and let's face it, education does NOT seem to be a family value) that might be all she's qualified to do when she grows up.

Right off the bat, Sean Cockerham asked the question I've wanted to ask and her answer left my jaw on the floor and steam coming out of my ears.

Sean:  One of the things that came up during the campaign was that you charged the State per diem for time spent here in Wasilla.  Is that something that you are going to continue to do.

Gov. Palin:  Oh we've always followed the law and fully disclosed all that.  The choice there in many months of the Juneau mansion being replumbed and all the improvements being made in the infrastructure of the Juneau house...well, we weren't going to be there anyway.  It would have cost the State more to do what other governors had done and that is either charge the State for hotel rooms or the State rents you an apartment, like they did for Governor Murkowski.  We said "No, we just won't sell our house," knowing that we're going to spend quite a bit of time here especially those months where the remodels were taking place in the Governor's mansion.  We would disclose my per diem, we wouldn't try to hide it.  As long as this is about full disclosure, not trying to take anything from the State, just trying to do my job.  Part of my job is with the First Family...having them with me and some of these events.  I'm going to continue to do my job and my family is going to continue to be a part of it.

Later on in the interview, when asked about troopergate and those people who protested her, she responded, "It's done!  It's over!  People need to move on!"

Yup, you heard it, that's a Palin throw-down.  That's equivalent of Palin saying: "I dare you to touch me now that Rasmusson says that 64% of Republicans NATIONALLY want me to be their candidate in 2012!"

I wonder if anyone is going to respond?

(more below the fold)

Forget "Peter," it's "The Palin Principle"

by: Celtic Diva

Sun Nov 09, 2008 at 03:13:44 AM AKST

"The Peter Principle" is a book by Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull which states that "In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence."  We've seen this as a chronic problem with Palin appointees.   The LA Times also pointed out Oct. 24th how many of those appointees were not just friends, but also donors, something (according to former Gov. Tony Knowles) that was formerly unheard of in the Governor's office.

Men all over the U.S. will be envious if they find out what...or who...Joe Schmidt (second from left) had to do to get his Commissioner of Department of Corrections job.

He's an ex-boyfriend from Governor Palin's past. He also feels the need to brag about it.  I found out from a friend who said he recounted that...errr...biblical knowledge to her rather luridly.

(Yes, he's the same Joe Schmidt who scored a "no confidence vote" from the Alaska Correctional Officers Association.)  

TMI, Joe, TMI...

The Diva is baaaaaaaaack and there are many lingering questions about her divaness!

by: Celtic Diva

Thu Nov 06, 2008 at 00:45:44 AM AKST

I watched the report on Channel 2 KTUU and noticed that her facial expressions did NOT match her words.  She has a tendency to tighten and jutt-out her jaw a bit when she's...ahhhh...cranky.  Her jaw was so tight, I was surprised she could even speak clearly and as the Channel 2 anchor commented, there was not even a whisper of that signature smile.  

I guess getting blamed for McCain's loss and all of the information coming out about her from Campaign insiders could be rather irritating.

Here's Keith Olbermann's take:





But far-and-away my favorite Palin-bashing-fest is happening on, believe it or not, Fox News!!!!!

(more below the fold)

Sarah Palin votes in Wasilla...then talks about "fixing" journalism

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 14:30:10 PM AKST

From "The Swamp":

"My efforts have always been here in the state of Alaska to get everybody to unite and work together," she added. "It certainly would a uniter type of roll"

Governor, you are coming home to a very different atmosphere.

Asked if she had any regrets in this campaign, Palin first said wished she had "more hours in the day so we could've gotten around to more areas of our country." She then seemed to find her preferred answer: blaming the media.

Palin said she was disappointed with much of the reporting about her.

"The state of journalism today, the world, for the blogosphere, the 2-3-hour news cycles, where just too much is reported based on gossip and innuendo and things taken out of context," she said.

She then suggested that her next role might be righting the wrongs she sees in journalism.

"I'd like to help in that effort also because I have great respect for the world for journalism."

I'll bet you'd "like to help."  I knew things had changed when I was "shown the door" at the McCain-Palin Campaign during a press conference and now bloggers cannot get credentialed for Republican events, when they were once welcomed over the summer at the AK Republican Convention.  I also noticed that the only local media permitted to watch you vote this morning was one local television station and the Anchorage Daily News.  Did they have to sign a loyalty oath?

Your kind of "help: might make China proud.

Wasilla 2000: We're having a sale...on rape kits!

by: Celtic Diva

Fri Oct 31, 2008 at 08:28:03 AM AKDT

I don't understand why this issue alone doesn't turn EVERY WOMAN away from supporting Palin.

**LIVE** Women Respond to Palin Web-a-Thon

by: Celtic Diva

Thu Oct 30, 2008 at 10:45:22 AM AKDT

This is truly facinating..."Women Respond to Palin" along with "Women Against Sarah Palin" are sponsoring this "web-a-thon" which is running from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT.  It is a reading of over 200,000 letters they recieved from women all over the US negatively responding to the Palin VP candidacy.

Here is the explanation from their website:

It all started with a letter written by two women (Lyra and Quinn) that they emailed to 40 of their friends. "We are writing to you," wrote Lyra and Quinn, "because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party.. She does not represent us."

Within one week 100,000 women responded with their own impassioned stories and statements about why Sarah Palin should not be Vice President.

Join us on October 30th, 2008, when performers from all walks of life (unknown and celebrity) will lend their voice and human presence to the thousands of women across America who responded to Lyra and Quinn's letter across America by reading their comments LIVE.

This is **LIVE** coverage of these speakers (I love web technology) so listen to women from all over the country!  

Which AK Republican is hoping to run in a "special election" for Ted's Senate seat?

by: Celtic Diva

Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 15:49:47 PM AKDT

"The Lyin' Witch and her Wardrobe"-- Mudflats' posts an inspired bedtime story!

by: Celtic Diva

Mon Oct 27, 2008 at 00:56:47 AM AKDT

However, this story doesn't induce sleep as much as it induces insomnia.

In "The Lyin,' the Witch and the Wardrobe," we see the perfect fairy tale icon for Palin.  She's obviously not the good and pretty princess she's trying to sell, but she's not quite the beautiful, terrible Maleficent because her sights are set much higher than some tiny fiefdome...she wants to be queen of the world!

Like the White Witch, rules are for everyone else...not for her.  Cross her and she'll throw you under the bus or turn you to stone.  (Which may not work out too well for her as neither condition is permanent.)  Nothing is ever HER fault, there is always some campaign-worker/servant to blame.

Even today, she's at it again...on-fire and off-message (warning--reading this whiny gibberish is seriously painful):

A senior adviser to John McCain told CNN's Dana Bash that the comments about her wardrobe "were not the remarks we sent to her plane this morning." Palin did not discuss the wardrobe story at her rally in Kissimmee later in the day.

But in Tampa, Palin happily broached the clothing issue after being introduced by "The View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who accused Palin's opponents of being "fixated on her wardrobe" and "deliberately sexist."

That opened the door for Palin to weigh in on a topic that has frustrated the candidate and her advisers since the story first broke five days ago.

"This whole thing with the wardrobe, you know I have tried to just ignore it because it is so ridiculous, but I am glad now that Elisabeth brought it up, cause it gives me an opportunity without the filter of the media to get to tell you the whole clothes thing," she said.

"Those clothes, they are not my property. Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the RNC purchased, I'm not taking them with me. I am back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska. You'd think - not that I would even have to address the issue because, as Elisabeth is suggesting, the double standard here it's - gosh, we don't even want to waste our time."

Palin, however, forged on.

"I am glad, though, that she brought up accessories also. Let me tell you a little bit about a couple of accessories, didn't think that we would be talking about it, but my earrings - I see a Native Americans for Palin poster," she said. "These are beaded earrings from Todd's mom who is a Yupik Eskimo up in Alaska, Native American, Native Alaskan.

"And my wedding ring, it's in Todd's pocket, 'cause it hurts sometimes when I shake hands and it gets squished," she continued. "A $35 wedding ring from Hawaii that I bought myself and 'cause I always thought with my ring it's not what it's made of, it's what it represents, and 20 years later, happy to wear it. And then finally the other accessory, you bet I'm a gold - I'm a blue star mom. I'm wearing this in honor of my son who is fighting over in Iraq right now defending all of you."

This is Sarah Palin trying to avoid paying taxes on $150,000.00 worth of wardrobe.  What does she care if it hurts the campaign to talk about it?

While this story is scary enough, the thing that keeps ME up at night is the fear that Alaskans will forget all of this soon after she returns home.  I'm afraid that she'll find some other form of Turkish Delight to satiate her minions, mum those who fear her and cause everyone to once again ignore her critics.  I count on those outside of Alaska to help remind us of the danger...it seems the year 2012 may already be in her gunsights and the hunt has already begun.

Chris Matthews destroys defense of Sarah Palin

by: Celtic Diva

Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 20:30:11 PM AKDT

The Legacy (so far) of the McCain Campaign in Alaska: The word "rogue" (**UPDATED**)

by: Celtic Diva

Mon Oct 13, 2008 at 10:26:04 AM AKDT

This is what they "showed" me when I tried to sit in on a "Truth Farce" press conference last week

Well, I'm very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing ... any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that.

Huh?  

As amazing as that response may be, the question I found most interesting was one asked by KTUU:

KTUU-Channel 2: Governor, so good to hear from you. Do you approve of the way that your campaign has handled themselves here in Alaska? We've had a lot of people voice concerns about what they call attacks of good people in our state while you are away.

Palin: Well I haven't heard of any attacks on good people in Alaska from our campaign. If you have specifics there, maybe I could answer specifically. But no, in John McCain's mission here, in taking the high road, as you're going to see too with a lot of unfair shots he has taken in this campaign with some of his opponents' supporters, McCain and I taking the high road, being positive. I wouldn't support nor would I condone taking shots at any good Alaskans.

KTUU-Channel 2: Let me answer your question since you asked for specifics.

Palin: Sure.

KTUU-Channel 2: Walt Monegan was called "rogue." How do you feel about that?

Palin: Rogue isn't a negative term when you consider that in a cabinet you need a team effort going forward with a governor's agenda. And our agenda has been to find efficiencies in every department and make sure that we are serving the people of Alaska to the best of our ability given the resources that we have. And remember I fought very hard to increase funding for state troopers so that we could fill positions there and goals not being met that included not being able to recruit and retain all the state troopers that I wanted to best serve Alaska. That could be characterized I think as a cabinet member who - it's not a negative term I think -- being rogue in terms of not meeting those goals.

The governor's lawyer has accused the troopers of turning a blind eye to an alleged rogue officer, Mike Wooten, who also is the governor's ex-brother-in-law.

Amazingly, while I've been sitting here writing this article, (9:30 AM, 10/13/08) Meghan Stapleton just called Mike Wooten a "rogue trooper" again in her interview with Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC.


***UPDATED***Video of Meg Stapleton trying to take on Andrea Mitchell (she can't)





Are we expected to believe there's some kind of "positive" aspect to this word?

Of course not!


(more after the fold)

Supreme Court appeal by the Religious Right lawyers Part I -- Who are they?

by: Celtic Diva

Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:37:16 AM AKDT

Dobson: Have you ever, in your life, seen as large a crowd of people give a standing ovation to [the Palin announcement on] CNN? Have you ever seen that happen?

Kelly Shackelford: I don't think so and the other thing is, a number of people literally had tears in their eyes. I think that there was such pent-up worry, prayer that had been going on for so long and they really felt like the Lord was answering those prayers with somebody who is pro-life, somebody who is committed to the definition of marriage and the issues that we believe in so strongly.

Yes, he actually said "...they really felt like the Lord was answering those prayers..."

In the same broadcast, he discusses his involvement in the Republican Party Platform Committee:

Dobson: Would you agree that this is the strongest pro-life platform in the history of the Republican Party?

Shackelford:  There's no doubt.  I was on that sub-committee and every pro-life leader who was there watching from Phyllis Schlafly to you name the pro-life group, they were all watching and they all said this is the strongest pro-life platform ever in the history of the party.   We not only kept the famous plank that was put in during the time of Ronald Reagan, but we added additional strong language that made it even stronger.  It was really incredible to be a part of this and I will affirm what Gary said; this is my third platform committee in a row and it was different than the last ones.  The McCain campaign not only did not fight us as severely as the last campaigns did but they actually were in favor of the platform becoming more conservative because they knew that's where the people were.