It's Your Own Damn Fault, Sarah

What a hubbub, all about a recent Family Guy episode in which a young woman with Down syndrome goes out on a date and turns out to be overly demanding and insensitive to her would-be beau. Just do a search on 'family guy down syndrome' if you've missed this story.

Sarah Palin got in an uproar about the episode and talked about it on the teevee and posted about it on her LookAtMe page, and her daughter Bristol even posted about it, too. How terrible of Fox Hollywood to make fun of Sarah's claim to fame among the right-to-lifers! How far is too far, they moaned.

But how exactly did the writers (and performers) of the animated show mock Trig (the child nobody but Sarah is allowed to politicize)?


They didn't.

Show me where in the episode there is any reference or similarity to Trig. Show me where anyone makes fun of someone with Down syndrome. Show me where someone makes fun of Sarah Palin, even. You won't find it because it isn't there.

Chris asks Ellen out on a date (Family Guy, 2-14-2010)

So why did Sarah Palin get all in a tizzy about the show?

There's only one line, one part of one line, that ties the character Ellen with Sarah Palin:

My dad’s an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska.

Now, if the Family Guy writers wanted to add a touch of real-life connectivity to what Ellen says in the show, where do they go? Why, there's Sarah Palin, rearing her head ever since April 2008, making sure everyone knows what a saint she is because she decided to give birth to a Down syndrome baby!

Who else in popular culture do you think of? And whose fault is it that Sarah is firmly linked with this image of having a child with trisomy-g (Tri-g)?

Sarah, girl, you set yourself up as the automatic link, and nobody did that but you. You did it for your own self-aggrandizement, for your own political gain. You did it, Sarah. Every day in every way possible, you did it yourself.  And you keep on doing it.

There was no infant boy in the show and no two-year-old boy in the show either. There was no mention at all of the word 'retarded,' by the way.  Boy wants to date a girl he goes to school with. He finds the self-confidence to ask her out, and discovers that girl is incredibly demanding, much too much for his taste. Girl happens to have Down syndrome but she is far from helpless or pitiable as portrayed in the episode. There is no similarity to anything in your life or your family's lives, Sarah, except for Ellen saying her mother was once governor of Alaska. 

Would that Trig will grow up to be as fully functioning as Ellen (voiced by Andrea Friedman) is, both in character and out.  A good first step would be for you to stop insisting he's a victim.

If you were really bugged by this show, you've got nobody to blame but yourself.  Grow up already.

Revisiting Preemies and How Many Trigs?

In August, 2009, I put up a post on how unusual "Trig" looked on the day of his birth, titled What a 5-Week Preemie Really Looks Like. I place Trig's name in quotes here because now we don't know for sure how many kids have played Trig since April, 2008. It seems as though renting or borrowing babies may be something that comes easy for Sarah Palin.

A closer examination of pictures of "Trig" from birth to present reveal that his features have been changing in ways that don't happen to real children! If you haven't already, please examine for yourself:

1. "Trig" at his baby shower early in May, 2008
   
   
   
   VERSUS
   
   
2. "Trig" on the campaign trail a few months later
   
   
   

For a great deal more information on this topic of many Trigs, please see Gryphen's and Bree's blogs for their excellent write-ups.

Psst... the ears, it's the ears...

Letter to Levi Johnston

Hey there, Levi. Ever since you got dragged onto the national stage as Bristol Palin's betrothed, I've had my eye on you. I mean, after all, you were intimate with someone in the Palin household and when Sarah got introduced to us all, we really wanted information about the Palin household.

I see you've tried to make the best of what is probably a really rotten situation. Your gal Bristol dumped you (was she enticed by the offer of a Cadillac or was it she had the hots for another guy?) and since then you've done your level best to be a good father to Tripp (whose last name was originally announced as Johnston). Sarah blew your cover on the electrician job on the slope although I don't know why your dad couldn't fix that up for you. So you started reaching out via the media and found yourself taking deals with glossy mags and even Playgirl. I hold no grudge against you for that, and in fact, find you to be an attractive young guy. I'm sorry that I'm way too old for you and probably shouldn't be saying that but hey, that's the way it goes.

But what I really want to write to you about is your former possible future mother-in-law. She's been prancing around the stage with her ultra-short skirts, her faux hair, her high heels and manicured fingers, and of course gobs of makeup over a plasticene face (courtesy of some surgeon). That in itself would be just fine except, because she is a ditz who once shared a ticket with John McCain, she makes national news whenever a piece of gravel falls from her perfectly pouty lips... The health care debate, for example, was derailed for days if not weeks because she claimed the proposed legislation would create a "death panel." Of course that was totally false. But just because she said it, it was repeated ad nauseum and continues to this day to be something that mindless minions believe.

Let me sum up here. The longer she remains someone that a certain small demographic cling to, the longer our national dialogue on some very important issues is clouded with her stupidity. I know and you know that there is information you have that could blow her out of the water. I know that she and her daughter are doing their best to drain you of any financial resources you may have or may even hope to have. I know that the longer you remain silent (out of some dutiful or honorable notion regarding Bristol), the less likely it is that we can finally send Sarah back to the wilds of Alaska where (forgive me, dear ones in Alaska) she should remain forever banished.

It's time, past time even, Levi, for you to say what you know and/or get your book out. And I'm not talking about revealing that Sarah likes crunchwraps. It's time for you and Mercede and even your dear mom to tell -- once and for all -- what you know about the Palin clan (mafia, if you prefer). Don't succumb to fear. It's clear that either they will get you, or you will get them. I know which option I'd prefer. Please think about it, but don't take too long!

What's holding you back? Let us know. You have a lot of support down here in the lower 48. Reach out, we can and will help.

Best wishes,

Ennealogic

Sarah Palin - Queen of Fools

Sarah getting her hair sprayed...

We've all heard Bush the younger's infamous misstatement: "There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee that says, 'Fool me once... shame on, shame on you.  [But] fool me, can't get fooled again."

Of course, the old saying really goes like this:  "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."

If there's one thing that really burns my oatmeal, it's getting fooled.  I'm not talking about April Fool's pranks, or any good-natured ribbing.  I'm talking about being fooled by someone who calculates what they are doing and plays me for the fool with malice intent.  Or, let's say, with premeditated purpose that essentially says, "Screw you, I'm going to do and say what I need to in order to advance my own agenda."

Those who are regular readers of H&HT know that Sarah Palin has fooled a lot of people into thinking she gave birth (in miraculous fashion) to a Down Syndrome child. Her acidic and avid lawyer has never (not once!) called anyone out for saying so. Sarah Palin has fooled countless thousands of devout ultra-Christians, winning their support, for this massive foolery.  There are too many links to list that show how she's pulled the wool over the eyes of her slavering minions (yes, C4P people, talking to you...).

Here are some other ways Sarah is fooling and continues to fool people.

1. Climate change
2. Resigning, mid-term, from the Alaska governorship in order to work for Alaska
3. Selling that jet on E-Bay
4. Being a champion of women
5. Pretending to run for office (POTUS) in order to garner funds for SarahPAC  (here, and here, and here)

The folks who believe in Sarah keep sending her Fund Trust money and her PAC money. Maybe they even send her money directly.  Maybe they don't realize that she is no longer "just like them..."  She owns several properties, several houses, a Cadillac, she gets paid twice as much for a single speech as most families earn in a single year.  She has a plane, lots of snowmobile toys, a gig on Fox television, private jets to shuttle her around, and she's playing to weaknesses and fears in middle America.  Plus she gets someone to apply hairspray.  I can't even imagine that.

She's fooling many, and she keeps trying to fool more.

When you realize someone is fooling you, how do you feel?  I feel totally sucky about it, so bad in fact that I can imagine someone denying what has become obvious truth in order to preserve my own sense of not-suckiness...!

We each must always guard against foolers.  Sarah Palin happens to excel at it.  Take note.  Otherwise, shame on you.

Short 'n' Sweet - Presumption

So okay, I was an advanced placement A student. I have kids and was a soccer mom for a time. I was on the board of, and later 2-term president of, an educational non-profit. Later still, I was the president of a for-profit, handcrafted gift importing and distribution company who can list several measurable accomplishments. I was born in the US, have a strong spiritual streak, and attended five colleges. I believe in continuous education. Am I a good candidate for President of the US?

HELL, NO.

I want someone smarter than me, someone much more capable of handling stress, someone who has taken a serious interest in domestic and foreign policy. Someone who is well-studied in economics, the environment, our history and our Constitution. Someone who reads 10 times as many non-fiction books as I do in any given period. Someone who refrains from cheap shots and someone who has the patience and will to keep trying to scale impossible walls with grace and aplomb.

Anyone as provably ill-prepared as Sarah Palin is for any public trust role, much less the highest office in our government, who declares that she would most certainly consider running for the Presidency, must be disabused of that notion with all due haste. Who among you, good readers, figures that based on your ordinary life experience you would make a good President? Certainly not I.

The ego it must take, the self-delusion it implies, for Sarah to entertain such a notion is truly mind-boggling. Where do you get off, Sarah? In spite of what you and some of your minions seem to believe, God doesn't call people into politics. God is not on the side of one nation or another. God doesn't care who wins the Superbowl or who gets the gold in the Olympics, either. And it isn't God's fault that earthquakes and floods happen or snowstorms cripple cities or Down Syndrome babies are conceived. And God will never take sides in a Presidential race. To think otherwise is to spurn the notion that we have "free will."

Love your freedom? Use it to educate yourself... learn how to tell who is a class A charlatan. Hint: who, personally, is raking in the dough?

Short 'n' Sweet - 'Nuff Said!

This is Sarah Palin's palm during the scripted Q&A after her cotton candy headliner at the "Tea Party Convention:"


Credit for photo: Palin's Tea Party Crib Notes.

She can't remember "Energy, Budget cuts, Tax, Lift American Spirits......"

Not like she's unfamiliar with that mantra, eh? And... what's that beef again you have with a teleprompter, Sarah? Not like you gave YOUR speech without the benefits of notes you looked down at every few seconds, eh what?

Short 'n' Sweet - Superbowl and Snow

Isn't it a pity that the "news" of this weekend is at least as much about the massive snowstorm that buried the mid-Atlantic states and tomorrow's Superbowl as it is about the Teaparty?

And honestly, doesn't Teaparty sound like something you did as a young child, a young girl-child, with stuffed animals as your fellow partiers?

I heard a Palin apologist today explain why Sarah is popular.  She said that Sarah sits down at her kitchen table with the rest of her family to figure out how to pay bills.  Just like you and I do, working within a family budget. I guess that apologist hasn't heard about Sarah's rise to stardom and her $100,000 a pop speaking fees, and the million dollars from her own PAC that she spent basically on herself, or her $1,250,000 (minimum) advance for "Going Rogue."

If I owned several pieces of real estate, along with 2 impressive houses, 3 luxury cabins, 2 outiftted snowmobile garage-workshops, a cadillac, and still had enough left over to hire a private jet and do my hair and nails regularly ... I wouldn't put myself in the category of most hard-working middle-class Americans anymore.  Would you?

Short 'n' Sweet - A Challenge

I firmly believe that Sarah Palin was NOT pregnant with Trig Van Paxson Palin when she announced that she was, just a day after John McCain got the nod as the Republican presidential candidate. Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy with Trig for a variety of reasons, but an important reason was that "choosing life" when she supposedly knew (from week 13!!) that this child would have Down Syndrome would serve as a tremendous boost to her cred with the religious right.

In order to disprove this statement, all Sarah Palin (or Todd Palin or any member of her family) has to do is provide medical records showing the care and treatment she received during this (fake) pregnancy. Who saw Sarah Palin obviously pregnant in late February or March or early April 2008? At the store. At the doctor's office. At a sporting event. At a government function. On the airplane to or from Texas in mid-April. At the Mat-Su clinic where she supposedly gave birth. Anyone?

An independent DNA test would work best, of course. What do you say, Sarah?

Sarah Palin is very good at one thing -- fooling people. Just take a look at some of the e-mails that MSNBC finally got from the state of Alaska. She knew full well that she'd have to fudge about a lot of things in order to rip off the taxpayers in Alaska. Children's travel. Per Diem while living at home. Getting her tanning bed hooked up. Dumping security detail during her trip to Texas when she supposedly went into labor. And she's still fooling people. But that's the subject of another Short 'n' Sweet.

The challenge stands. Who can certify that Sarah actually gave birth to Trig? And if you have no verifiable evidence to offer, why do you just take what she says for granted when she's been proven to lie many times before?

Short 'n' Sweet (+ Preface) - Tax Cheat

My hard-working fellow bloggers and commenters have been so on the ball lately that it is difficult for me to come up with an idea for a good post! Yet, I still experience my own personal outrages daily and maybe the best thing to do -- since I haven't been able to settle down and find the time to do a decent well-researched post -- is just to at least lay out what boggles my mind today in a segment I'll call "Short 'n' Sweet." Which brings us to the latest Palin grifter scam and how it is being excused by the Palin bots. (Read up at Mudflats for the full story, or visit HuffPo because it's there, too.)

I don't know how it works in Alaska, being a frontier state and all that, where women are pitbulls and men wear silk boxers and governors quit in the middle of their terms but that's okay. Here in West Virginia when you make a substantial or significant change to your property (such as building a house on an empty lot) you are supposed to tell your local taxing authority about the change you made. In our case we get a little form mailed to us each year where we list our vehicles and any mobile homes we have, plus any additions to our dwelling -- in other words, anything other than routine maintenance we do, we are supposed to list on this form along with the value of the improvement.

Maybe they don't have those kind of forms in Alaska and maybe the local taxing authority doesn't care whether or not they are paid what the rules say they should be paid. All I know is if you are as God-fearing and upstanding and patriotic and honest as Sarah Palin pretends to be, you'd for sure let your local taxing authority know your empty lot got converted into a vacation retreat plus professional snowmachine workshop long about the time you completed such construction. Wouldn't you?

Yet the Palin bots don't seem to mind that their goddess talks the talk but when it comes to walking the walk, she can't even stand up.

Sarah's Just Not That Into You!

Yes, I mean you. You know who you are. You point out whenever Sarah Palin tells little harmless white lies. You call her names like "the Quitter Queen." You ask tough questions that get her all discombobulated, like, "What newspapers and magazines do you read?" You post pictures of her on your blogs that show what she looks like without makeup, for crying out loud! And you even investigate her past when we all know there is only one real unfiltered version of her history that she's already laid out for you in her new book, "Going Rogue." No wonder she banned you from the last stop on her book-signing tour. How dare you think you could invade her space right there in her beloved Wasilla. Sheesh!

*removes tongue from cheek now*  :)

Here's an image borrowed from ADN's story on the whackjob's wierd Wasilla signing. The only reason I looked at their story is because two of my most favorite netizens were unceremoniously escorted out of the venue of the signing, the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, after being informed that they were "banned" from the event. [BANNED!! Making it on Sarah Palin's enemies list.]

Palinbots gather before climbing stairs where Great Leader deigns to sign their books

Three things struck me about this picture right off the bat.

1. The floor of the upper walkway definitely looks wavy.  How many people can safely walk up there? Who was responsible for the design and construction, and were inferior materials used?  Was the architectural engineering flawed?  The building is not that old!  Oh right.  Sarah picked the architectural firm who just happened to be a significant contributor to her campaign for Lt. Governor.  [Village Voice: The Book of Sarah]
   
   
2. And there's that railing, the one that looks awfully like the one in Sarah's house. You'd almost think the same architect designed both buildings, except according to Todd Palin, he built their house on Lake Lucille (a mere mile or so away from the Sports Center) himself with the help of some buddies. [H&HT: The House That Sarah Built]
   
   
3. Then there's a veritable wall of mesh netting hanging from the ceiling all the way down to the lower floor, serving as .. ? .. a tomato-proofing curtain?  I realize this is a space where people play sports that involve moving objects like basketballs and hockey pucks.  But is this netting necessary for crowd control?  Or is it just to add to the sense of special-ness one feels as one reaches the upper level and grows close to the precious one?  I guess it could be to keep Sarah from throwing herself over the edge of the railing to fall into the arms of her devotees below.
   

But back to the event itself.  Turns out there's not one but two reasons that certain people were escorted out of this public (as advertised by Sarah in a recent tweet) event.  First, someone drew up a list of people to be banned and provided names and photos for the reception desk at the Sports Center.  I wonder who that could be?  Sarah won't take credit for the ID package, claiming that Harper Collins (publisher of "Going Rogue") was responsible.  But who here believes Harper Collins determined that a blogger (Gryphen of Immoral Minority) and a videographer (Dennis Zaki) should appear on a "banned" list?

Second, according to Wasilla Recreation and Cultural Services Manager James Hastings, he didn't want to be responsible if Sarah's minions created "a negative situation" for our intrepid blogger and his photo-journalist friend.  "If I take three minutes on Google I can see that, given the nature of the people who were here, it wasn't in his (Zaki's) best interest to be here. He and others could have found themselves in a negative situation," Hastings told ADN.  That admission alone says tons about Hastings, Wasilla Palin-worshippers, and of course Sarah herself.  But we already knew that.

Sarah, just between you and me, hon, you've gone as far as you can go in public life. But it sure is fun to watch you try and pretend otherwise.  Now, can I be banned too?  Please?

To Sarah Palin's Fans

The media knows when someone is a celebrity. They rightfully labeled this picture, "Sarah Palin waves at fans during book tour."

I don't think religious figures in history had fans. I don't think monarchs had fans. Even politicians don't seem to have fans. But musicians do. Television, movie and stage stars do. Some professional athletes do. But not Senators or Representatives or Mayors or Governors or Presidents.

But that's neither here nor there. Bottom line is, Sarah Palin has fans. Fans who wait in the cold for her plane to touch down, wait while she switches to the big blue bus parked on the runway, wait while the bus drives a few miles to the local bookstore, and wait while she regally disembarks the bus, clutching Trig (the token child) like a security blanket and her personal pro-life badge, and wait while she enters the bookstore for "The Amazing Signing Ceremony."

Fans of Sarah Palin, I know you are out there. I doubt many of you frequent my blog but I have a very serious question to ask you, and I would really, really love to get an answer from some of you. But before you consider the question, you have to promise to think about it and then be as honest as possible with yourself, with me, and with my other readers.

I don't expect many responses but hey, surprise me! So here's the question:

If you found out that Sarah Palin told a lie and continued to perpetuate a hoax about giving birth to a Down syndrome child, would you still be a fan?

Even if you who read this have absolute adoration for Sarah Palin (if your minds are at all free to think), you should be able to imagine the scenario. I'd be very happy if you left a comment on how that might change your perception of her. Would that totally destroy what you think of her? Partially destroy? Would you forgive her this kind of fraud if it occurred under certain circumstances?

I'd really like to know.

Thank God for Tiger Woods

First of all, a very sincere mea culpa to those who visited my blog and who had, by every right, an expectation that if I took a break I would at least say something about it.  I have no explanation for my absence that would hold water... suffice it to say I blew a gasket and skittered off for several weeks in random wanderings, unable to give voice to any of my opinions or feelings.

Second of all, were it not for Tiger Woods and the daily revelations of his dalliances, I expect we'd be hearing even more inane coverage of Ms. Inane herself.  Yes, the self-appointed Queen of the North, the female Jesus (Jesusia?) who loves to cry that she is being crucified by the press and her former close friends and co-workers, and frankly, most of the world.  Thank goodness for the steadiness and reliability of the Alaskan bloggers (you know who you are!) and even some not-so-Alaskan bloggers and journalists for debunking Ms. Rouge Renegade at nearly every step of the way.

Third, by this post I'm not quite sure that "I'm back..." -- but at least I'll try not to leave you hanging as before.  Nothing ill beset me in such a way that I felt warned off my usual blog-course.  Ha.. as if I'd made such a dent in anyone's usual deception!  I wish.  I thank the many of you who worried and questioned, though. It was humbling to receive your e-mails and comments.  But I do sense that we all need to do what we can, again, to gather up the steam needed to melt the mask off Ms. S'error so that there is no chance, whatsoever, of seeing her name on a ballot for our national leadership.  Ever.  Again.

Thank you for your patience with me, and for keeping the faith.  Now, let's get busy!

Moose Masks

"the problem child," this is for you:

Behold AKMuckraker, posing for a picture at the Pittsburgh Mudstock, in one of the moose masks!

Mudstock Memories -- Random Thoughts and Images

What a joy to meet so many other mudpuppies in Pittsburgh, for the 3rd Mudstock there!  This post is just random thoughts and images of the event.

Here is our live blogging setup.  I think that's Lori in LA and behind her is a computer (someone is at it) and if you follow the wire up, there's a projector that is shooting The Mudflats dot net comments up on the screen.  We took turns posting our hellos from the room at Roland's where we gathered, waiting for the guests of honor.

I got there about 20 minutes before 1:00 PM, but it still took about an hour for everyone to arrive.  All told a good 35 folks came up, although not necessarily all at one time.

There's some mudpups on the left, and on this shelf that divides our "room" from the rest of Rolands' upstairs area, a lovingly carved wooden moose held forth.  Nearby were baskets where one could make donations to the Pittsburgh mudpups who organized the shindig, and donations to the Alaskans whose villages got wiped out by the flooding ice.

It was amazing to many of us that we had learned so much about Alaska thanks to John McCain's insane shot in the dark.  And we also expressed our amazement and delight that we had found each other as a result of the intrepid bloggers, primarily AKM, who helped us connect.

Shannyn and AKM arrived, bubbling with smiles and energy.  Here's Shannyn holding forth by the projector screen.  I kept trying to figure out where the "receiving lines" started, but I should have had no worry.  The two lovely ladies circulated throughout the room throughout the event and we each had lots of opportunities to greet, hug and chat with the guests from the "upper 1."

You know, Shannyn looks just like she does when she's on Countdown.  And AKM looks just wonderful too, although she asks that we don't publish her pic directly.  However, I did manage to get a photo of her in disguise ... incognito, as it were... and here it is:

AKM is wearing a Steelers cap and a moose mask, graciously provided by our hosts for the afternoon, Hamlets Mill and the other Pittsburgh mudpuppies.  Okay, so I used a little Photoshop filtering too...

One thought dawned on us as we discussed AKM's identity exposure by Doogan.  Had that not occured, it is quite likely that AKM would not have appeared in person at Netroots Nation, and by extrapolation, we would never have gotten to meet the real live AKM.  There was a silver lining in the Doogan cloud, and now, months later, my disgust and antipathy towards him has moderated.  He's still a dirtbag, though.

My sincere hope is that our intrepid Alaskan bloggers, having trekked this far, make some new friends and firm up some good contacts for the future.  I am ever so grateful they were there, doing what they do, because without a doubt they helped save us from the massive disaster that would have been a McCain-Palin administration.

Safe travels, AKM and Shannyn.  Thanks for meeting with us!

Good Morning From Pittsburgh

I'm watching Rachel Maddow on Meet the Press.  She makes Dick Armey uncomfortable and he gets very loud and keeps wagging his finger and talking over people.  Ugh for Armey.

Soon it will be time to meet up with the other Mudpups.  Meantime, I'm enjoying a third cup of coffee.  Byron was fascinated by the mini-Melitta setup I brought with me so I could brew my favorite blend:

I'm pretty sure Byron is related to Brian.  He seems to be enjoying the trip to Pittsburgh, as am I!

Something Completely Different

I don't usually post YouTubes as the sum and substance of a blog entry, but if you haven't seen this yet, I heartily recommend it. 

Why does this move me so much?  Maybe it's my heritage, or my age, or simply my delight at seeing something so different, so evocative, so stunning and, for lack of better words, so deeply real.

Please see the Huffington post for the story that goes with this video.

Get Ready, Pittsburgh!

Netroots Nation starts tomorrow, and the firecracker radio host and blogger, Shannyn Moore, together with the irrepressible weaver of wonderful parables, AK Muckraker, have hit the town to attend this annual event. These two are not the only Alaska bloggers I admire greatly, but they are the two who actually made it this summer to the eastern part of the 'lower 48.'

The Pittsburgh area folks have been planning and plotting and putting together a Mudstock to coincide with the conclusion of Netroots. A Mudstock is usually a brief gathering of mudpuppies, ordinarily consisting of sharing a delectable meal somewhere and possibly joining for some sightseeing to boot. A mudpuppy is simply someone who is an admirer of AK Muckraker, and by extension, the rest of the fantabulous, progressive Alaskan voices we turned to when Sarah Palin was thrust upon us as a candidate for ... Vice President of the United States of America. I still can't believe John McCain did that to us. Oh, the two iconic images that all mudpuppies respond to are a pair of yellow boots (duh, for walking through mud!) and a majestic moose, code-named Brian.

It is my great fortune to be near enough to Pittsburgh and able to travel to the upcoming Pittsburgh Mudstock! Can you tell I'm excited? I've been preparing for days.

• Ordered and received my very own figurine of a moose - check
  
• Dusted off and cleaned out travel bags - check
• Made a list of computer essentials to bring - check
• Installed IPhone apps that will let me tweet text and even images - check
• Got approved for a day off work - check
  
• Reserved a rental car since mine may or may not make it - check
• Reserved a hotel room - check
• Cooked and froze food so housemates wouldn't starve in my absence (guys... *eyeroll*) - check
• Charged up the battery on the camcorder - check
• Printed out driving directions and loaded destination maps - check

Okay, well, it's just a weekend and I won't go into what I'm packing to wear and stuff. But I'll be tweeting as I can along the way (you can see my Twitter feed on the left of the blog), and blogging when I can when I get there, and uploading pics when I return.

For anyone in the neighborhood, you can still RSVP until Friday night to join in the fun! Here's the forum thread with all the Pittsburgh Mudstock info. Just e-mail Hamlet's Mill and let him know you are coming!

Here's a Sign I'd Like to See

Wouldn't it be lovely... to drive down a local highway... and see this:


I can dream, can't I?

Is There a Felony Conviction in Sarah's Future?

Where's the Coverage?

The ADN doesn't have it. Not a peep from C4P on the story, either. And there's no mention at Sarah Palin's Facebook page, although there's a new note today with a statement in which the crazy ex-governor lady praises Michele Bachmann. Yes, that Michele Bachmann, the even crazier (if that's possible) Minnesota congresswoman.

The Sarasites and Palinbots across the country went fairly flipping insane over Gryphen's revelatory blog post of Saturday, 1 August, 2009. The internets burned furiously for the next several days with made-up nonsense about the blogger. Sarah's private attorney even sat down on his day off to write a letter threatening a lawsuit, just because Gryphen said that his sources reported Sarah and Todd's marriage was on shaky ground. Well, okay, he said more than that but the potential break-up of this holy couple is what seemed to infuriate Sarah's faithful.

Yet on Monday this past week, 3 August 2009, a legal document was filed that alleges the crazy ex-governor lady attempted to commit bribery. Say what...! No word? No tweet? No statement on Facebook? No announcement or denouncement by Meg-the-mouth or Todd or Chuck or Van Flein or anyone? The silence on this is stunning.

Background

Here's the story as I know it. Back in March of this year, an African-American musician named Gregory Royal filed a Federal lawsuit in Washington,DC, against then-governor Palin(PDF) for failing to declare June 19th, 2007, as a day of celebration—you know, the kind of stuff governors do all the time. Juneteenth, as it is called, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, and is recognized worldwide.

The Juneteenth proclamation is required by Alaska law. Each year the governor is supposed to make the declaration so that festivities may ensue with the government's blessings. On being reminded that then-governor Palin failed to meet this legal obligation, AK administration officials claimed it was a stenographic mistake. But given the opportunity to retroactively make the declaration, stubborn Sarah apparently shrugged it off and let things ride. The law suit alleges damages because vendors and others who were involved in preparing for and hosting events related to Juneteenth suffered from a lack of participation both from citizens and the governor's office.

Sarah Palin was the only Alaska governor who failed to issue the proclamation or appear at the festivities. She didn't even send a representative. She never apologized for failing to do her legal duty. And apparently, she refused to accept a summons from the process server and tried to have the suit dismissed claiming the court failed to properly serve the documents.

Attempted Bribery Charge

Kim Chatman, an Alaskan who believes in holding Sarah Palin accountable, joined the suit when it was transferred by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton to the U.S. District Court of Alaska. Last Monday, plaintiffs Kim and Gregory filed another document with the court seeking to add to the original complaint. Alaska Report has a link to the document along with a story about this incendiary charge.

According to this new claim, Sarah Palin, then governor, attempted to bribe a third party with state funds and legislative support if s/he would convince the plaintiffs to drop the lawsuit. Hopefully someone with a good understanding of the law can clarify this for me, but I believe this additional charge escalates the lawsuit from a civil matter to a criminal matter, and if found guilty, that would make Sarah Palin, the crazy ex-governor lady, a felon. [Please see readers' contributions in the comments that clarify the felony issue.]

Why am I not surprised then that such a hoopla and circus was taking place over Gryphen's "Splitsville" blog post while this serious charge was being filed in Federal court? Could it be someone was trying to misdirect attention from what really matters to what doesn't?

What a 5-Week Preemie Really Looks Like

Sarah's "gone dark." Her devotees are experiencing withdrawals. Her lawyer is sending out unprofessional attack letters with demands—via e-mail, for chrissakes!

It's time to re-visit a certain time and certain images many in the media took for granted.

According to popular myth, Trig Paxson Van Palin was born on April 18, 2008. He was also reportedly born with jaundice, a hole in his heart, and with trisomy 21, otherwise known as Down syndrome.

Not only that, he was also reportedly born at 35 weeks, which would make him 5 weeks premature.

This little fact has never been examined much, as far as I know, so I did some reading on premature babies. Even those who are NOT already genetically challenged and are born this far in advance of their due dates normally undergo a week or two in a NICU, or a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Why?

Because infants born before they achieve 37 weeks gestation have difficulty breathing and eating. Additionally, even without the Down syndrome complication, premature babies require temperature control because they simply do not have the capacity to warm themselves... thus they need a special environment in which to spend their first several days. They normally have to be fed by a nasal tube because their ability to suck a bottle or a breast is undeveloped. They also frequently need additional oxygen because their lungs are not developed enough to take in sufficient air. Another very common complication is jaundice, as a result of the fact that the infant's liver is simply not mature enough to process the bile before it builds up. If you doubt anything I'm saying here, please check yourself.

Here are three pictures of premature infants. These images were found searching '5 week premature infants' on Google's "image" search page. After reading the stories that came with each picture, I have every reason to believe that they represent actual pictures of newborn babies who were 5 weeks premature.

4-day old infant born 5 weeks prematurely, with feeding tube, in NICU

Infant born 5-6 weeks prematurely with jaundice

Newborn, 5 weeks premature, with jaundice and feeding tube

Now, here is Trig Paxson Van Palin right after he was born on April 18, 2008.

Trig Palin, shown here on the day of his birth, supposedly 5-weeks premature

Please recall that Trig and his "mother" were supposedly released from the hospital the day after the birth—a Saturday—and that his "mother" took him to work the following Monday for show and tell with the media.

Re-think this. The facility in which this premature infant was supposedly born didn't even have a NICU. So whatever early intervention may have been required was not even possible. If you knew you were having a special needs child, five weeks too soon, with the great likelihood that special equipment or treatment would be needed to preserve the life, would you intentionally go to a local clinic without the facilities, staff or know-how to help?

Re-think this. This 5-week premature infant with jaundice (what jaundice?) and a hole in his heart and Down syndrome, all conditions which require, anywhere else in the world, careful treatment and monitoring in a facility specially equipped to handle it, was taken to work a couple days after birth and presented as proof of the crazy ex-governor lady's religious pro-birth credentials.

As the crazy ex-governor lady would have us believe, not only was she pregnant for just a month, her miracle baby managed to be born and survive without any of the customary clinicians or neonatal equipment that any of us would have insisted upon, in spite of his early arrival and challenging circumstances.

Yeah, right. And I've got a bridge to nowhere for sale. Any bidders?