Fun With Doogan

 

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Silly Doogan.  How many of us are you going to 'out?'

Googling Mudflats + Doogan = 20,000 and Counting

=== Updated to make the title better 5:30 pm ===

As of the date and time of this post, just 3 days since doogan dumped on pseudonymous blogger AKMuckraker, the story has spread—like wildfire.

A lot of nobodies and everybodies now know your name, too, Mike Doogan (D), member of Alaska House of Representatives.  And they know what you did.  And almost universally, they don't like it. one. bit.

For anyone who is new to the story, see post below titled, "It May As Well Be Rape, Sir" and a list of links that I can no longer keep up with.

Open Letter to AKMuckraker

Hey AKM,

I kept waking last night.  One after another dream turned ugly on me, and every time I woke and rolled over and groaned, I kept thinking about how perfectly awful this congressman had acted.  I know what he did can't be undone, and for that, I'll never forgive him no matter what else happens to him as a result.

I wish I could tell a story like you do, weaving in classical authors or just your own amazing imagination.  I think it might do us all good to hear about wicked ice witches or fuzzy brown moose getting tangled in swing sets.  Heck, I'd settle for a no-nonsense story about whales or imminent danger to oil storage tanks or a stark report about struggles in yet another remote Alaskan village.

In all that's happened over the last day or two, the worst part for me is feeling powerless to help you and all the rest of us, who blog and comment, in some concrete way.  If all it takes is one uncaring or vindictive or enchanted-by-GINO official to put the big kabosh on Mudflats, what does that portend for our future?

I've donated.  I've written letters and e-mails.  I've commented everywhere I could and blogged as best I can, but it doesn't feel like enough.  I'm a peace-loving person but I swear, I'm riled up beyond belief that someone has robbed you of your innocence, your relative anonymity, in a single malicious swipe.  The part that gets me most is, what that fool took from you never belonged to him and he can't return it even if he wanted to.

I've either got to let it all go and say "que sera sera" or I've got to dive into a class action lawsuit that makes it clear to this and any other crude Duggoon wanna-be that this crap won't be tolerated.  Fight or flight.  I haven't got all that many good years left, but I still have a fight in me.  Please let me and the rest of your devoted mudpuppies know how we can help right this egregious wrong.

There's surely a case to be made for 'turning the other cheek,' but doing so may be throwing away an unparalleled opportunity to make things better for the next AKMuckraker.

From my personal experience, you are a thoughtful, decent and wise person who manages to view even the worst situations with wit and good humor.  You are always respectful, and for that, you have my abiding respect.  You are always honest, and for that I salute you and respect you even more.  You are always welcoming, and there are no words to express how wonderful that has made me, and countless others, feel.


And with that, I'm going to try to get a little more sleep tonight.  I hope you can, too.

~May all beings be well and happy.~  Bhante

It May As Well Be Rape, Sir

To Mike Doogan, Alaskan Democrat, member of the AK House of Representatives:

You took something from AKMuckraker that you can never give back - his/her privacy.  You violated him/her, against his/her clearly stated wishes.  What you've done can't be undone.

 

Unmasking Avenger or Privacy Rapist? 

I'm dumbfounded that you thought so highly of your own opinion about whether bloggers should remain anonymous that you felt justified to invade AKM's privacy.  I'm appalled that you used government time and resources to reveal AKM's identity to all your constituents and to the rest of the world by publishing your e-news on AKDemocrats.org as well.  Did you ever pause to consider what repercussions your irreversible actions might have -- for AKM, or for you?

No, probably not.

Do you value privacy at all?  There are laws concerning the invasion of privacy.  Did you consider that you may be breaking laws by 'outing' AKMuckraker in the way you did?

Where are your ethics, sir?  Where is your sense of decency?  Why do you think it is your job to mete out 'justice' in this way?  How can you compare the Mudflats blog to a KKK lynching?

Do you know AKMuckraker at all?  Do you have any idea of how passionate his/her blog's followers are?  Do you know how legion they are? Do you realize the can of worms you've opened for yourself, and by extension, your family?

I doubt it.

And just like your fellow Alaskan, the GINO, you probably don't think you did anything wrong.  If you don't resign or get hit with a law suit first, I certainly hope your current constituents let you know how they feel about your crusade the next time you are up for re-election.

Shame on you.  Truly.

NOTE: I will be editing to add more links to sites that have weighed in on this incident as I find them - and the list keeps growing.

Source Material:
[Full Post by AKMuckraker]  [Mudflats Forum]


Progressive News, Diaries and Magazines:
[AK state rep Doogan outs Mudflats! (DailyKOS diary)]
[Open Letter to Alaskan Rep Mike Doogan (DailyKOS front page)]
[Response to Rep. Mike Doogan re: Mudflats (DailyKOS diary)]
[The Blog Herald]  [Huffington Post]  [Talking Points Memo] 
[Washington Monthly]  [The Zoo]


Facebook Groups:
[Mike Doogan is Alaska's Blow Hard Ash Hole]
[Shame Mike Doogan for Outing Anonymous Mudflats Blogger]


Alaska Blogs:
 [Andrew Halcro]
[Discontinuous Permafrost]
[Diva's Blue Oasis]
[I Eat Gravel]
[Immoral Minority]
[Mamadance]
[Progressive Alaska]
[Shannyn Moore]
  [ThinkAlaska]
[We're Not That Stupid]
[What Do I Know]
[Writing From Alaska]


Blogs Across the USA:
[0>w/hole>1]
[Anahata56]  [Anonymous Blogging]
[The Bachmann Effect]  [Balloon Juice]  [Bilia]
[Digital Dame]
[Library Grape]
[The Mahatma X Files]  [Mercury Rising]  [Mind-O-Nicki]  [Motley Moose]
 [Obsidian Wings]  [OmegaMom]
[Palin' Around With Pooh Pooh]  [Palingates]  [Pat's Place]
[Rainbow Reflections]  [Run4Chocolate]
[SanityRant]  [The Sideshow]  [SillyWhabbit]
[TalkLeft]  [tin, steel and rust]
 [W.Va. Fur and Root]  [William K. Wolfrum Chronicles]  [The World According to MEH]

Time to Unite

[Edited to add: See new post on this topic above]

Today we have heard much sad news.

First of all, blogger Celtic Diva is being assaulted by e-mails (too obscene to repeat) and phone calls and a promise to be stalked and ambushed by "Fox News" aka Faux Noise.

Then we learn that AKM, of the progressive blog Mudflats, has been stalked also -- by a Democratic representive named Doogan.  He must be feeling pretty good that he unmasked a blogger and exposed his/her identity in an e-mail sent to his constituents.

I've wiped away my tears and decided it is time to stop pussy-footing around with these a-holes.  Here is Doogan's contact info, please let him know NOW that his research is in violation of every ethical rule:

doogans@gci.net

Rep_Mike_Doogan@legis.state.ak.us

http://www.akdemocrats.com

http://www.blogger.com/profile/9578977

email: Rep.Mike.Doogan@legis.state.ak.us
PHONE: (907) 465-4998
FAX: (907) 465-4419
ADDRESS: AK State Capitol
Room # 112
Juneau, AK 99801

Call Doogan’s NUMBER: 907.561.7990

As for the Sarasites who plague Celtic Diva, just let Faux Noise know that we know that Bill O'Reilly's tactics attempting to intimidate people won't fly here.  Let them know that falafel-loofah Bill is well known for his unwanted advances.  Tell them in no uncertain terms that their harassment of law-abiding citizens is not only unwarranted but unwelcome and potentially illegal.

And let SarahPAC and RedState and Conservatives4Palin know that the vicious, foul, racist comments their members are sending to Celtic Diva just confirm that their organizations are corrupt and violent.  Watch for the law to knock on your doors.

I thank Sarah Palin for much of this, given that she is brilliant at inciting violence and hatred of anyone who dares challenge her ethics, her governance (or lack thereof), and her most royal high queen-ness.

Links will be embedded later when I have a chance.  You know who you are in the meantime.  Shame on you all.... SHAME.

BabyGate Stuff

==== UPDATED to indicate correct date for video =====

I know there are already tons of photos and evidence that clearly indicate that GINO faked her pregnancy.  Here is a short video of her on February 16, 2008 -- exactly two months before her alleged delivery of her fifth child, Trig.

I'm not an OB-GYN, although I was a medic in the Air Force and a 3-time mother and 2-time grandmother.  I think I can tell when someone is sufficiently pregnant, when that someone will give birth in a couple months to a 6+ pound baby... and my observation of the pink-coat-clad Palin who is waving, bending, darting, running about and hugging in this video is not even pregnant 6 or 7 months.  But I'll let you be the judge.

I Take a Walk on the Red Side

This post is about my visit to Redstate.com last night, wherein I read a diatribe by someone named Martin Knight.  His/her speech was filled with hyperbolic outrage and unsupported wide-ranging accusations.  If you'd like to read it yourself, it's titled The Campaign to Bankrupt the Palin Family.

Even though the speech was disturbing, I was somewhat heartened to find one or two people making relatively honest and even insightful comments vis à vis GINO's latest ethics complaint.  One of them referred to the 'Sarah-can-do-no-wrong gang' as sycophants.  An online dictionary I visited says that a synonym for sycophant is parasite.  Para rhymes with Sarah, so from now on, I'll refer to Maet Haras and other Palinbots as "sarasites."  I kind of like it!  The image below, well, it's really a parasite but I think it fits. 

I think M. Knight is a sarasite.  His post, as you can guess from the title, suggests—no, claims outright—that there is a "group of Alaska liberals, with the apparent cooperation of members of the Alaska Democratic Party" who are filing baseless and "even fairly deranged" ethics charges with the express purpose of destroying the Palin family's finances so they are left destitute after GINO leaves office.

Sounds like quite a conspiracy!  What does M. Knight use to support his/her assertions?  Well, nothing really, except he/she goes on to relate that David Bonior (misspelling the name as Bonoir), a House Democratic Whip in the 1990's, filed lots of ethics complaints against Newt Gingrich for political reasons.  Therefore this new cluster of Alaska liberals must have resuscitated the tactic, only they don't care about politics, just personal destruction... GINO's personal destruction, that is.

I mentioned that the post was filled with hyperbolic outrage.  This first quote gets me humming the Subway commercial -- five, five hundred, ...

From just September till now, Sarah Palin has accumulated a personal dept [sic] of over $500,000 in legal fees defending herself against fake/false/frivolous ethics charges. That’s Five Hundred Thousand Dollars.

Then this one, a rather stunning accusation (not to mention totally off the mark):

These people want to bankrupt the Palins and leave them destitute. They want to empty their bank accounts so that they cannot afford the basics and necessities of life after Governor Palin leaves office.

Oh no, not the poorhouse!

This one refers to GINO's whine that she'll have to set up a legal fund:

But it’s the fact that she has to consider doing this to keep her and her husband’s life savings - a man and woman with minor children at home - from disappearing altogether that should sicken all of us - I don’t know about any of you, but I’m literally shaking with rage here.

And then we have the obligatory declaration of who's evil:

I knew the Left’s tactics were ugly, but this … this is beyond wrong, this is pure evil.

M. Knight calls out the ugly tacticians by name:  McLeod, Henning, Biegel, etc., but offers no evidence that they are participants in such a conspiracy -- with each other or anyone else, for that matter. Yet he would like to see their names "turned to mud in Alaska and all over America."  Why?  For "depriving the people of Alaska of the services of their governor because of nothing more than hate."  Oh my.  You mean, an ethics complaint could get GINO removed from office?  Gee, why didn't I think of that?  :)

M. Knight also asserts that every one the ethics charges against GINO was filed after she was selected as the Republican VP candidate, except for "the partisan ethics complaint [Troopergate]..."  I'm not sure how he/she can say this.  First of all, the initial Troopergate inquiry was set in motion by a unanimous vote of a bipartisan 12-person council.  It didn't become partisan until later, and it wasn't the Democrats who turned it into a partisan issue.  Second, we don't know how many ethics complaints there have been or when they were filed, since at least some of them have not been made public.  Third, at least one of Andree McLeod's complaints was filed pre-August 29, 2008, when McCain announced his VP pick.

After reading the post and the 100 or so comments that were there, I decided to blog about it here instead of adding my own comment over there.  The sarasites were out in force, and it was quite an education in denial, delusion, deflection, and general dirt-under-rug-sweeping!

Oh the Outrage!!

There is a new item on Alaska's state Web site under "News & Announcements."  (H/T to Wes_Ben, a poster on Immoral Minority blog.) You can read it for yourself, as long as it stays up.  If it gets taken down, I have archived a copy of the page... just e-mail me and I'll send you the files.  The outrage is frankly unbelievable.  Here's the content:

Governor Comments on Latest Bogus Ethics Complaint
March 24, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin issued the following statement in response to another ethics complaint filed today. Filed by an Anchorage political blogger, the complaint alleges the governor “… improperly used her position and state resources to serve her personal financial interests by being a walking billboard for Arctic Cat ...”
"Are Alaskans outraged, or at least tired of this yet - another frivolous ethics charge by a political blogger? This would be hilarious if it weren’t so expensive for the state to process these accusations and for me to defend against these bogus harassments. Yes, I wore Arctic Cat snow gear at an outdoor event, because it was cold outside, and by the way, today, I am wearing clothes bearing the names of Alaska artists, and a Glennallen Panthers basketball hoodie. I am a walking billboard for the team’s fundraiser! Should I expect to see an ethics charge for wearing these, or the Carhartts I wear to many public events? How much will this blogger's asinine political grandstanding cost all of us in time and money?"

Where to start... does anyone anywhere have a problem with the Governor of a state referring to a "blogger's asinine political grandstanding?"  Please, please please show me and my readers where any other Governor of any other state uses state resources to whine about a duly-filed ethics complaint?

Yes, Sarah, you did wear Arctic Cat snow gear during your official appearance at the start of (and the end of) the Iron Dog race.  You state that it was because "it was cold outside."  Do you mean to say that you have no cold weather gear besides that given you by Arctic Cat?  Do you not realize that displaying company logos on your person while performing your OFFICIAL duties is tantamount to giving unwarranted benefit to that company?  And you neglected to mention the financial benefits you and your husband have received from Arctic Cat -- to wit, according to your 2008 financial statements, "Discounts on Snow machines."  Please don't think we are so dumb that we missed Todd's interview with Sports Illustrated where he bragged that his entry to the Iron Dog, which would have cost nearly $30,000:

Some Iron Doggers have spent upwards of $30,000 to finance a once-in-a-lifetime run into the wild heart of Alaska. Tapping their credit cards, they've shelled out $10,000 each for a 2009 snow machine, $10,000 more for an identical training sled, $2,500 for the race entry fee and a few thousand more for trailing airplane support. Palin and Davis, in contrast, have spent almost nothing. They are prodigiously sponsored, with their names monogrammed in script on their matching Arctic Cat jackets.

Sarah, Sarah, you are using your OFFICIAL Governor's Web site to launch a slime attack against one of your consituents?  Do you really, really not understand the difference between wearing a Van Halen t-shirt when you cook dinner and wearing an Arctic Cat jacket when you are interviewed, AS GOVERNOR, by major news, entertainment and sports media?  And since when do you get to use your BULLY PULPIT to label any complaint "bogus" from a citizen of Alaska to whom you are accountable?

Bad form, lady.  Really bad form.

BTW, for those posters at C4P who were excusing GINO on account of "Team Arctic" on her jacket being the name of Todd Palin's two-man team, you are wrong.  "Team Arctic" and "Arctic Cat" are plainly emblazoned on her jacket, and both terms are copyrighted by Arctic Cat.  "Team Arctic" can be plainly seen on this jacket sold by Arctic Cat in their current catalog:

This is the same jacket that Sarah wore, except hers was personalized (monogrammed).  Wear this, and proudly advertise Arctic Cat - aka Team Arctic.  That's exactly what she did, and she (and her family) benefited from the relationship, to the tune of several thousand dollars.  Google "Team Arctic," folks, and you will be taken directly to Arctic Cat's Web site.

So much for an "asinine" complaint.

Those Pesky Ethics Complaints Keep Coming!

Here's a list of known ethics complaints filed against Governor Sarah Palin (GINO).  The list does not include the original Troopergate investigation, unanimously approved by a bipartisan panel and initiated in July 2008 following GINO's controversial firing of Walt Monegan.

1. August 6, 2008  Cronyism in hiring [edited to correct date to 2008, not 2009]
   
2. September 3, 2008  Troopergate (Palin complains against herself)
3. September 4, 2008  Releasing protected personnel file information
4. October 24, 2008  Charging Alaska for children's travel
5. November 18, 2008  Campaigning on Alaska State property
6. January 23, 2009  Palin aides using official position to advance Palin's campaign

According to GINO, she has had to defend herself against 10 ethics complaints so far (the complaints do not have to be made public, so these are just the complaints I can readily find). As a result of paying for legal assistance to resolve these complaints, GINO claims she has racked up more than half a million dollars worth of debt.

Sarah Palin advertises Arctic Cat while performing official Governor duties at Iron Dog 2009

And the complaints keep coming.  Celtic Diva, a progressive Alaskan blogger, is set to file yet another ethics complaint.  This one alleges GINO used her official position to benefit herself and her family financially.  It's a good, solid complaint.  It is supported by pictures in state and national publications and GINO's own, recently released, financial report filing.

The essence of the complaint (please visit divasblueoasis.com for a copy of the document that will be filed) states that GINO had official responsibilities to start the 2009 Iron Dog race, and charged Alaskans for the trip to the starting location.  The Arctic Cat company sponsors Todd Palin's racing team and in exchange for monetary payments, clothing and discounts, Todd's team advertises for Arctic Cat.  Piper Palin even sports a "Team Arctic" jacket.

It is ethically wrong for a Governor, or any public official for that matter, to promote a product or a company -- especially when the official has received financial benefit from such promotion.

For those who think this is an inconsequential misstep -- I can hear some saying already, "What's the big deal, so she dressed up in her husband's colors?" -- please imagine if public officials in places outside Alaska thought it was no big deal to advertise while on the job.

 

Artist's conception of what's next if public officials followed Sarah Palin's "ethics"  

What if President Obama's relatives got free seed and fertilizer for their lawns and gardens, in exchange for signs like these on government property over a weekend when national media were taking pictures of the lawn?  (I believe in chemical-free organic lawns and gardens, but you get the idea...)  There's really no difference between this scenario and what GINO was doing at the start and the finish of the Iron Dog race.

If GINO still aspires to a national political office, she had better take a crash course or three in ethics.  If she would only learn why what she does so flippantly is so very wrong, she could save herself (and the Team Sarah and SarahPAC devotees who will contribute to her legal fund) a LOT of money.

So, Who's Whining and Why?

As most of my readers know already, GINO's recent personal financial report reveals that the Guv owes nearly half a million in legal fees to the firm for which Van Flein works.  It's actually comforting, in some way, that Van Flein actually charged GINO for his "services" wherein he acted as the AK Personnel Board's chosen one to examine the Guv's involvement in the pressure to get Walt Monegan and Trooper Wooten fired for a personal grudge.

 

I was in the kitchen prepping dinner when it struck me... GINO is whining yet again, saying she'll have to set up a special fund (hear that, TeamSarah?  SarahPAC?) to solicit funds to pay her ginormous legal bills.

But how did she get in such a position in the first place?  Shouldn't you ask before you contribute to the "FREE SARAH" fund?

Ethics complaint #1 -- she and her staff and her husband, against the specific advice of the divorce judge for cryin' out loud, kept hounding Wooten and his employer and his union and revealed information in his private personnel file in a failed attempt to get Wooten (GINO's sister's ex-husband) fired as a Trooper.  When that didn't work, GINO fired the boss of all public safety officials in Alaska, claiming that he was insubordinate and a rogue cabinet member.  This came just a month or two after the same GINO praised said cabinet member for his hard work, dedication and efficacy in his job.

Ethics complaints #2-8 -- GINO has consistently failed to separate the personal from the public.  She charged the state for airfare and lodging for her children, when they accompanied her on travel.  She involved her state staff in her personal political ambitions over and over.  She's used the State Web site to address personal political issues.  There is a line, and GINO seems not to know where that line is.  For her, if it is about her, it is about her even though and because she is also Governor.  She'll post announcements about her children on the official site, she'll also post announcements flaming media outlets on the official site, she'll also post announcements about her daughter and her daughter's illegitimately born child there...

GINO does not understand ethics.  Not the basics, much less the advanced.  Everything is always about her, and as long as she is Governor, she'll use state paid staff, Web sites, and her own Alaska-paid time to plan, deal with, advertise, socialize, and proselytize about future state and/or national political offices.

My feeling?  If GINO had not acted unethically, there would have been no probes, no investigations, no complaints.  Anyone who contributes to GINO's "legal fund" is throwing precious money into a burning pit.  Good luck with that.

Current GINO Miscellany

Cashing In On Trig - Again

"Governor Sarah Palin Will Make Special Guest Appearance at Vanderburgh County Right to Life Event" reads an announcement at TristateHomepage.com.

Excitement is mounting at Vanderburgh County Right to Life as Governor Sarah Palin’s visit to attend the banquet draws near. According to Mary Ellen Van Dyke, Executive Director, “Sarah Palin is an exemplary role model for all with her dedication to her faith, her family, and her country. She is an outstanding pro-life leader.”

Apparently all you have to do is get elected Governor and then claim you decided not to abort a child with Down Syndrome to become an "outstanding pro-life leader."  It must not matter if you use your children as campaign props, have them fill in for you at state functions, let them miss months of school, let them drop out of school, get pregnant at 16 and/or 17 and then not get married...  I wouldn't call that exemplary, but then I'm not a "right-to-lifer" either.  :)

Delaying Decisions

In spite of the fact that Juneau Democrats have put forward one name only (Beth Kerttula's) as a replacement for Kim Elton's State Senate seat, GINO invited others to apply and will now interview some of the candidates who put their names forward.  By law, the replacement must be selected 30 days from March 2, when Elton left to join President Obama's cabinet. Perhaps GINO is weighing what sort of fallout she'd get by ignoring the Democrats' suggestion.

Colberg the Mayor?

When Talis Colberg abruptly resigned on February 10 as Alaska's Attorney General, he said he was moving on to "pursue other opportunities."  On March 2 Mayor of Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Mad Zoo), Curt Menard, succumbed to cancer.  The Borough Assembly passed an ordinance on March 17 calling for an election and Talis "Troopergate-Enabler" Colberg was the first to apply.

Colberg believes he has "the experience, the ability and the desire to be a good mayor."  He's learned how to shine GINO's boots, and she used to be a mayor. I don't know what that portends for Mad Zoo, but I don't think it's all good.  Nobody else has expressed a desire to run for the position yet.

Palin Just Says NO to Stimulus Funds

GINO wants money only when there are no strings attached, so she will only accept funds for capital projects.  That means programs for education, health care and energy research will not receive intended funding.  GINO is turning down those bucks, apparently, because the state would be obligated to continue the programs after the funding runs out.  I'd like to know what kind of capital projects need no maintenance into the future.

According to President Obama at a town hall meeting in California today, only a small handful of Governors (2 -3) have said they will refuse funds intended for social, community, and environmental programs.  He urged the people who live in those states to let their Governors and Legislatures know how they feel about it.

Joe McGinnis Nails It

Let me lead off with a link to Pipe Dreams.  The author, Joe McGinnis, relates in a several-page article, just how much of a GINO Sarah Palin really is.

For a teaser, here's his opening paragraph:

Forget “Drill, baby, drill.” Sarah Palin says she’s building a $40 billion gas pipeline, which even President Obama wants. The only problem: It isn’t there. And it’s her fault.

 It only gets better from there.  Here's another gem:

Sarah Palin had been a bare-knuckle backwoods populist who’d built a career out of puffing up dragons she could then slay. Her tactic was first to demonize, then to defeat.

Populist.  Yes, that is exactly right.  In fact, Syrin from Wasilla has a most excellent blog post detailing exactly why GINO is nothing if not a populist.  Actually, I think populist is a kind tag, one that doesn't necessarily carry the negative impressions we get elsewhere... such as:

There is a considerable gap between the image Sarah Palin tries to project and the reality that underlies it. In sometimes startling fashion, her deeds often belie her words. And as I learned on a recent visit to Alaska, nowhere is this more evident than in the story of the still-chimerical gas pipeline.

Apparently, the horse Sarah wanted to ride in on has yet to be born.  She's managed to piss off the companies who can actually feed gas into the AGIA pipeline.  Instead, she cut them out of any conversation, in an attempt to sign up a company to build the pipeline, even though that company is in Canada.  But even with the $500,000 she gave them, the Canada company isn't about to start construction until the companies that OWN the gas commit to shipping it via the pipeline.  Companies like Exxon, Conoco and BP.  Yes, she pissed them off.  They have rights to the natural gas she wants to see running through this pipeline. 

That's our Sarah!  Here's more:

“Facts to her are like Silly Putty,” said Larry Persily, former deputy commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Revenue, who later worked for Palin in the state’s office in Washington. “She shapes them into whatever people want to hear.”

And this:

“It’s just so puzzling,” he told me, “that the state has gone in the direction of dividing the players instead of trying to bring them together. It dumbfounds me. I’m not sure what point the governor is trying to prove, but everything she’s doing is the opposite of ‘Drill, baby, drill.’

Suffice it to say -- the Conde Nast Portfolio article is biting, incisive and revealing.  The article's author sums up GINO's achievements like this:

The bottom line is that for all her posturing, and as much as she might wish it were not so, Palin’s only accomplishment in two years of work on the pipeline project has been to give $500 million from Alaska’s budget to Canadians and to leave Alaska, once again, at the not-so-tender mercies of Big Oil.

A sad legacy, considering that her term is about over... Team Sarah, tell me again just what you admire about this waffle-headed would-have-been???

Is This Woman Pregnant?

I just had to post this... the Vogue photo shoot happened in December 2007.  Now, if we are to believe the "official" reports, GINO was pregnant here, by about 4 months.  Consider, please, that she had already had 4 children.  I've brushed out the words that were over her picture on the new cover of uhm... oh yeah, Conde Nast's publication.  You tell me if you think this woman gives birth in 4 months ... to a baby that does not have a premature birth weight...

I don't see a belly.  Maybe I'm blind.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - or Not

Posted on the NRSC.org site, the chairmen of both the NRSC (National Republican Senatorial Committee) and the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) are still pleased to announce "that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will deliver the keynote address at the annual Senate-House Dinner to be held on June 8th at the Washington Convention Center."

I read both chairmen's comments with amusement and thought they would be better if they were fixed as follows:

“Governor Palin has quickly emerged as one of the most popular hilarious and recognizable faces in the Republican Party, and we are honored to have dreading her delivery of the keynote address at the Senate-House dinner. As a proven leader in ethics violations in her home-state of Alaska, Governor Palin represents a breath of fresh air from the business-as-usual crowd of Republicans in Washington, and is one of our Party’s up-and-coming young governors poseurs who will play a critical role in ruining our re-building efforts in the years to come.  Last fall, she electrified and energized crowds opponents across the country, and we expect she will generate a similar amount of enthusiasm resistance at this spring’s dinner.” – NRSC Chairman John Cornyn

“On behalf of Congressional Republicans, it is a pleasure pity to announce one of the brightest rising stars dimmest bulbs in the Republican Party, Sarah Palin, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s Senate-House dinner.  Gov. Palin’s conservative values talking points, her commendable dubious achievements in Alaska and the sheer energy pantyhose she personifies make her one of the most compelling visionaries sex symbols of our Party.  With I'll try to feign respect, admiration and enthusiasm, I look forward to as I welcominge her to Washington and await the inspirational vacuous address our Party doesn't needs, as it rebuilds and prepares for a victorious viscious election cycle.” – NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions

As it turns out, GINO may not be going after all.  I wonder how excited Cornyn and Sessions will be the next time they see her?

Round-up

I haven't had time to develop a new, researched blog post in a while, so here is a brief rundown on some stories that are floating around.

Good News
President Obama has done away with the label, "enemy combatant." This was a category of personhood that BushCo made up to justify torture, detention without charges for however long Bush wanted, extraordinary rendition, and a host of other serious Constitutional violations including abandoning the implied right to habeus corpus.  President Obama disavows the privilege to hold people without charge indefinitely, instead leaving it to Congress and international law to provide authority for detention and subsequent prosecution.

Just Desserts
Bernard (I Made Billions Off Of You) Madoff has been taken into custody, since the judge felt he was a flight risk following his guilty plea on 11 counts of wire fraud, securities fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, etc. etc. The dude is 70 years old and his immediate family's net worth is in the half-a-billion range.  The people he defrauded have little hope of getting their life savings back.  I just can't figure out why he'd do it.  I mean, how could you not get caught, eventually, even with the pathetic excuse for a Securities and Exchange Commission we have?

Unwed Mother
It looks like Bristol Palin will remain an unwed teenage mother.  Bristol is quoted in a statement released by SarahPAC (so THIS is official business now???) saying the various details about the breakup are a result of people cashing in on the Palin name.  She doesn't say which details -- maybe it has to do with the rumors that Levi has another child, not Bristol's (one or two).  Levi said the two broke up "some time ago."  Inquiring minds suspect that was already a fact when GVS interviewed Bristol last month and she was still going to marry Levi ... eventually.  [Insert your own smirk here.]

Somehow I don't think this bodes well for Sarah.  Rumor is that she really wanted them to get married and sanctify their consummation.  So now, GINO (Governor in Name Only) has to live with the embarrassment of having a baby momma in the house who has no prospect of getting married in the near future, and no prospect at all of getting married to the baby daddy.

Outstanding Blog Post of the Week
AKM at Mudflats proved once again that he or she has a brilliant mind and a devilish imagination.  AKM's daily posts are always educational or witty or enlightening or inspiring, but this one in particular is at the top of my list:

Sarah Palin’s REAL Ambition for 2012. (Hint: It’s Not What You Think)

It's well worth the read, and if you are not acquainted with Mudflats, well, go get there. It's not just for Alaskans!

That's all for now.  Maybe I can find something in the muddle to focus on next week.

Tweet Tweet! I See an Earmark!

Short and sweet
I heard on Tweet,
McCain complains
Alaska's gains.

A big earmark
But is it pork?
A fairground waits
For Palin's state.

Perhaps McCain
Is still in pain -
He lost his bid
While Sarah did

Her best to make
Each campaign stake
Her resume
For future play.

No way.

So say I, anyway.

============================

Apparently John McCain (or someone using his name) is on Twitter listing out the top 10 pork projects (aka earmarks).  Today's number 8 is "$380,000 for a recreation and fairground area in Kotzebue, AK."

From my limited research on what an earmark actually IS -- it looks like our tax money, all those dollars that go into the federal coffers, get allocated to various agencies.  When a Congressperson or Senator specifies that a portion of the allocation must go to a particular project, that's an earmark.  Earmarks comprise maybe 1% of a funding bill.

Important to note:  Earmarks do not ADD to the total allocation.  Earmarks specify where some of the monies must be spent.  That's all.  The reason some people are up in arms about earmarks is because a Senator or Representative can dedicate a portion of the total allocation to a particular project and even a particular company, bypassing competitive bidding in some cases.

Senator McCain's morbid fascination with earmarks makes as much sense as being concerned with the lettering on the license plates the state DMV makes.  They are going to make the license plates anyway.  He may or may not like what kind of license plates are made, but some people will want some of those license plates!


Remember: The Bridge to Nowhere earmark was ridiculed.  After the earmark was rescinded, the state of Alaska got the money ANYWAY.  They just didn't have to spend it on that bridge.  They DIDN'T spend it on that bridge because it would have required the state to also put up additional funds.  Earmarks, schmearmarks.  Political Posturing 101.

Now Is the Time for All Good Men...

Okay.  I've been struggling for days about whether or not, how or not to talk about the decimated Republican Party.  Let's face it.  GW Bush destroyed his party.  It's not like he was new to destroying things... just look back at his career in business and sports.

The people spoke loudly in the election of 2008, and even 2004 (except the presidential race which I firmly believe was stolen).  No more Republican hypocrites.  No more war-mongering congresspersons firmly and fastly in the pockets of war profiteers.  No more lying us into wars or hiding anti-constitutional endeavors like spying on US citizens.

But enough is enough.

First of all, I value and cherish a good debate about fiscal policy, social grants, and taxes.  I listened with great appreciation to Ron Paul.  I agree with Ron Paul that it is NOT the province of our country to spread itself across the globe, militarily, to be saviours bearing "democratic" principles.  What right do we have to assassinate or decapitate in one way or another, the leaders of other countries!?  How dare we tell largely Muslim nations that they have to accept Christ as their saviour?  Where the hell do we get off saying if we don't like the policies your country adopts, we will invade you?

All that does is engender fear and hatred of us.  And then, that gives rise to massive defense spending and super fear-mongering on the part of certain agencies in our government.  And that, in turn, stimulates Blackwater and Halliburton and whoever else benefits from "defense" spending.

Now, back to the big, black-wrapped, bombastic, blowhard known as Rush Limbaugh.  He is only getting press now because the Republican party is wiped out.  Done for.  Decimated.

The Republican Party self-destructed because it (for some unknown reason) hitched its star to GW Bush.  Now that Bush is past tense, the Party has had no compunction in bashing him and his administration.  But they have no one to stand up instead.

My personal opinion as to why Steele got RNC leader?  Because no one else in their right minds would have wanted to scrape the walls and try to pull together a re-made party.

So, in the absence of any reasonable, true-to-principle leader, everyone kowtows to Rush.  Remember, Rush is a drug addict.  Rush is an uncontrollable mouth.  Rush is known to favor young boys.  Rush was caught with sex drugs as he crossed a border.  Rush is a blowhard, he is a babbitt who seems to think that corporations will ensure the success of middle and lower class individuals.  There is no evidence to support this notion.

Rush is misogynistic.  He is a racist.  He cares about his ratings, and to hell with you.

Maybe why this strikes a chord with me is that my own mother, now dead, was a ditto-head.  She had a small gas station / convenience store in her later life.  She put up hand-made signs in the store, welcoming ditto-heads.  When her husband died, we (my brother and I) moved her up to where we both lived.  After we found her a house to buy, she told my children not to darken her doorstep again ... even though I put her up in my own house for 5 months while she searched for her own place.  All because we leaned Democratic.

Now is the time for all good Republicans (I know you are out there!) to come to the aid of your (decimated) party.  Don't be shy and don't be put off by the engorged blowhard.  The times we face are serious.  The decisions we have to make are not a game -- this is NOT a football match.  This is a life-threatening, honest-to-god grave situation we face, whether you come at it from politics, environment, security, finances, or human decency.  Stand up please.  Tell Rush that he does NOT speak for you.  Tell Rush you will not bend over and grab your ankles so he can have his way with you.  Show some spine!!!

AK Death Penalty and Abortion Bills, Oh My!

Isn't it Sarah Palin who says government should be put back in the hands of the people?  Isn't she all about keeping government small and getting it out of the way?  Hasn't she repeatedly said that government is not the answer?

Government makes laws, and yet no matter how hard government tries, every law has the potential of doing some harm in spite of the good it intends.

There is a death penalty bill and an abortion law working their way through the Alaska legislature.  Both laws have the potential to do great harm.  Both laws have Sarah Palin's support.

Instituting the Death Penalty
(Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, sponsor)

Granted, some people have been guilty of committing horrible crimes. But there are also plenty of people who have been found guilty of horrible crimes yet they were innocent.  Innocent people have been executed in states that support the death penalty.  What greater harm could the state do?

What I don't understand is how a person can be adamantly "pro-life" and at the same time believe the state should kill people for their crimes.  Studies show that states without the death penalty have had consistently lower murder rates than states that do impose a death sentence. This tells me that the possibility of being put to death if caught does nothing to deter such crimes, which is the stated justification for the death penalty.

To strike a religious chord, the Christian Bible says that Jesus asked his heavenly father to forgive those who murdered him, "for they know not what they do."  (Luke 23:34)  I doubt Jesus would have supported the death penalty.






Parental Consent for Teen Abortions
(Alaska HB 35 and SB 6)

  On the surface, a law that requires caregivers to obtain the consent from parents of girls under 17 who seek an abortion sounds almost reasonable.  What harm could come of such a law? 

It is unrealistic to think that the only teens who get pregnant are delinquent, rebellious tramps with intact, loving, supportive, well-off families capable of providing everything a young mother and her baby needs.

Incest is real.  Rape happens.  Parents can be impoverished, or abusive, or addicts, or just single and struggling.  Some parents may believe the choice they make for their pregnant daughter, based on their own religious beliefs, is the right one.  They may be blind to the ramifications for their daughter's future.

Can a law force families to be whole, supportive, loving? Can a law insure that every child in every home has access to sex education and contraceptives in case abstinence doesn't work?  Can a law prevent incest or rape from happening?  Will the law insure that the special needs of a teenage mom and the child she may be forced to bear be met, during and after pregancy?  What about continuing support for the child as it grows up?  Or will the law provide free counseling for the teen mom if she has to put the baby up for adoption?

The main problem I see with the proposed consent law is that it is one-sided. The law does nothing to protect children, not the teen mother and not her child. The law only serves to cover for parents who failed to raise their children in an environment that made real communication between those parents and their children the norm.  

If a teenage daughter is unable, for whatever reason, to come to her parents when she discovers she is pregnant, that is not something the state can solve.

I think a law that prescribes penalties for parents who allow their children to procreate as teenagers makes at least as much sense.  But I doubt that Sarah would support that, now would she?

[Edited to add image credits, fair use claimed:
Hangman's Noose
In the Name of God (Pregnant Teenager)]

What Does Ethics Mean to Sarah Palin?

The Alaska Governor's office released a statement from Sarah Palin where she announced,

I am gratified that this settlement explicitly recognizes and establishes ...  that I broke no laws or ethics rules.

This is not the first time Sarah has denied breaking ethics laws. In the matter of Troopergate, the Branchflower report made it abundantly clear that Sarah overstepped her bounds in pushing to get her former brother-in-law removed from his job as a State Trooper. Yet Sarah declared that she had been exonerated of any wrongdoing.

 

 image credit

Since then, many respectable publications have raised serious questions about Sarah's ethics, covering not only Travel-gate and Troopergate but a multitude of other simmering scandals as well.

I started looking for a good definition of ethics and ran across an article published by The Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University titled, "What is Ethics?"  It's an excellent read.  I've excerpted some highlights below.

Feelings	Being ethical is clearly not a matter of following one's feelings. A person following his or her feelings may recoil from doing what is right. In fact, feelings frequently deviate from what is ethical.
Religion	Nor should one identify ethics with religion. Ethics applies as much to the behavior of the atheist as to that of the saint. Ethics cannot be confined to religion nor is it the same as religion.
Law	Being ethical is also not the same as following the law. Laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is ethical (example-Apartheid).
Society	Being ethical is not the same as doing "whatever society accepts."  An entire society can become ethically corrupt (example-Nazi Germany).
So, what is ethics?	First, ethics refers to well based standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Secondly, ethics refers to the study and development of one's ethical standards. [...] So it is necessary to constantly examine one's standards to ensure that they are reasonable and well-founded.

When Sarah Palin excused travel expenses for her family by saying that her job should not keep her away from her children, she was operating on feelings.  It feels good for me to take my kids along with me, so I'm going to do it.

When Sarah Palin excused her actions in Troopergate and more recently, Per Diem-gate, she insisted she had done no wrong because she had not broken a law.

I'm confident that Sarah would say her ethics are derived from her religious faith, but we have all seen repeated instances of hypocrisy here.  Does Sarah lie?  Yes.  Does she bear false witness?  Yes, on several occasions I can think of.  Does she envy the glamorous and lust after the things that belong to that lifestyle?  I think so.  Has she committed adultery?  There are a few people in Wasilla who are sure of it.  Does taking tax-free per diem money and family travel re-imbursements sound a little like stealing from the State?  It does to me.

And while it may be acceptable in Wasilla society to fake a pregnancy, that doesn't make it or any of the contortions and lies that necessarily follow ethical.

 

fair use claimed

Being ethical requires that

• we pursue a continuous study, and self-study, of what constitutes good ethics
  
• we make sure our decisions do not serve to take away anyone else's rights
• we uphold our personal, professional and societal obligations regardless of whether they are written into any law or rule
  
• we do no harm but instead improve life for our neighborhood, community and environment
• we treat others as we wish to be treated, and
  
• we make sure our actions and deeds are worth repeating by others

Where I work, part of being ethical is shining a light on apparent ethics violations so they can be examined and corrected if necessary.  Doing nothing can sometimes do harm.

Three Hundred and Twelve Nights, and Nine Family Trips

The Washington Post sums up Governor Palin's latest ethics antics:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin used a government "per diem" allowance to charge the state for more than 300 nights spent at home and spent another $43,490 on travel for her children and husband...

Alaska Daily News (ADN) closes the curtain on the Travel-gate episode:

Gov. Sarah Palin has agreed to reimburse the state an estimated $6,800 to cover assorted costs related to nine trips taken by her children in 2007 and 2008, but she's not admitting that she did anything wrong.

As for Per-Diem-gate, ADN reports:

Gov. Sarah Palin must pay income taxes on thousands of dollars in expense money she received while living at her Wasilla home...

Here are the main characters in today's tale - we've seen them before.

 

Sarah Palin

The Client

An Anchorage resident and retired electrical power lineman, Frank Gwartney, submitted an ethics complaint against Governor Sarah Palin last year when he learned she had charged the state for her children to accompany her on  travel.  News media also widely reported on Sarah's penchant for living at home and charging the State for meals and incidentals while she did so.
 

 

Thomas Van Flein

The Lawyer that Sarah Hired

We've seen Van Flein before.  He's been one of Sarah's BFFs and he can spin with the best of them!  In addition to parsing words on Sarah's behalf in Travel-gate, he was paid by the State of Alaska to defend Sarah during the Troopergate episode.  It must be nice when you are a governor under fire to have the state pay for your lawyer.  Hmm, I wonder if the Gov had to report the fair value of his legal counsel as income?

 

Timothy Petumenos

The Lawyer the Personnel Board Hired

And there's Timothy Petumenos.  The three members of the Personnel Board, who serve at the pleasure of Alaska's Governor, hired Mr. Tim to investigate the Travel-gate complaint.  Mr. Tim is the same attorney who was hired by the same Board to produce the second Troopergate report -- the one that said Sarah Palin didn't really violate any ethics rules. Mr. Tim said Sarah denied having conversations about firing Trooper Wooten with Walt Monegan, contradicting testimony gathered by the first Troopergate investigation.  He never looked into who was telling the truth, though.  Oh, and Sarah's deposed testimony has never been made public.

So how does Sarah Palin explain why she charges the State for travel for her children?

I am blessed to have a large and loving family, and the discharge of my duties should not prevent me from spending time with them.

The convoluted thinking on display in this excuse should be obvious to anyone with a brain who's had a real job.  Bring your family if you want, but the State didn't hire Piper or Trig or Bristol or Willow, and especially not Todd, as co-Governors.  You want 'em with you?  You pay for 'em to be there.  That's so simple -- to all but Sarah, I guess.

How did Petumenos see it?  USA Today reports:

Timothy Petumenos interpreted the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act to require that state only pay if the first family serves an important state interest.

After reviewing "over 40" travel vouchers, Mr. Tim determined that 9 of them simply wouldn't pass the smell test.  (I'd be real curious to know how he justified the others... at last count there were 72 in all.)  He said the Governor agreed "not to contest certain charges."  In return, he "agreed not to file a formal accusation or take the case to a hearing."

How did Van Flein spin it? From ADN:

"The governor has been exonerated of all wrongdoing in this ethics act complaint. There is no finding of wrongdoing and there is no ethics violation," Van Flein said in a news conference.

There's a major mistake in that statement from Van Flein. There was no hearing so there can be no exoneration.  There was a settlement, and as a result of that settlement, Palin will pay the state back for some of her children's travel expenses.  The settlement simply states that Sarah does not admit to any wrongdoing.  Color me surprised... not!

And Mr. Tim, the attorney hired by the state Personnel Board, declined to pursue charges.  Again, this is hardly surprising.  These are Sarah's pocket-people.  I wonder if they realize how dismal their future will be.  They will forever be remembered for their willingness to whitewash Sarah's questionable ethics dilemmas.

Back to Per-Diem-gate, though.  Why did Sarah think charging the State while she lived at home instead of the Governor's mansion was okay?  Because the Governor's mansion is in Juneau and that's more than 50 miles from where she lives, and she would rather live at home and hold court in Anchorage (much closer to Wasilla).  Juneau is her official duty-station.  Not Anchorage.  Sarah's spokesperson, Ms. Leighow, said it was perfectly alright if Sarah charged for meals while living at home.  She even said Sarah could have charged per diem for her children, too, if she'd wanted.

As far as I'm concerned there is still a murky line about how appropriate this per diem is.  In the world I inhabit, you can charge per diem when you are on official travel away from home, not at home.  Per diem allowances are calculated based on the reasonable cost to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at a restaurant at your travel destination.  The cost of making meals at home is considerably less.  At least, I can eat for way less than $60 a day if I'm at home.  I would probably be fired if I put in for per diem for the days that I chose to work at home.  Heck, even if my office was being renovated and I had the capacity to work at home and did so to benefit my employer, there's no way I could charge per diem!

Sarah Palin is reported to have said, "I'll do what I want until the courts tell me I can't."  This is the Governor that claimed to be a champion of ethics, honesty, and transparency.  The Christian Bible says something like, "By their fruits ye shall know them.  Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?"  (That's Matthew 7:20.  Sarah's been quoting Matthew lately.)

Hey Sarah, we can see your thorns and thistles from all 50 states!