I read trashy gossip magazines so that YOU don't have to!

"She treats him so badly!"

This is how Mercedes Johnston begins her interview with Star magazine. And of course this was right after Bristol and Sarah Palin claimed that Levi was a "hands on dad", and that they were looking forward to getting married and raising their little bundle(s) of joy together.

But as we have seen time and time again, NOTHING that Sarah Palin and her crew say can ever be accepted at face value.

"Bristol's just crazy. That's the nicest way I can put it!" Says the sister of perhaps the most famous teenage father in the world. "She and Levi actually broke up a while ago!"

Now this little nugget is in exact opposition to the big happy family picture that Bristol and Grizzly Gramma Sarah tried to serve us with the help of FOX News Palin-bot Greta Van Susteren. As is this:

"Levi tries to visit Tripp every single day, but Bristol makes it nearly impossible for him. She tells him he can't take the baby to our house because she does not want him near 'white trash'. She treats him so badly!"

Now compare that to what Bristol said to Greta:

VAN SUSTEREN: What about Levi? How is taking all this?
BRISTOL: Well, he's a really hands-on dad. He's just in love with him as much as I am.
VAN SUSTEREN: Does he -- how often does he see his son?
BRISTOL: He sees him every day.

Mercedes continues. "At first Levi was hanging out with the Palins because he wanted to see his son as much as possible. But he couldn't take her being such a b***h."

"She's cruel and unfair. Levi isn't even allowed to take the baby for a few hours on his own unless Bristol wants to go shopping or hang out with her friends. Those are the only times Levi gets to see Tripp (Trigg?)--when Bristol is busy. One time, Bristol came to pick Tripp up and didn't even get out of her car. She just screamed, 'Bring my damn baby out to the car!'"

Mercedes also claims that the Palins lied about attending school.

"Bristol isn't working, and she is not in school. She was taking the certified nursing assistant classes for beginning nursing, but she dropped out because she did not like one of the girls in her class. As far as I know she hasn't gotten her GED or high school diploma either."

Wait! How can this be? Didn't Governor Sarah herself say that Levi and Bristol DID NOT DROP OUT OF SCHOOL! Yep I believe she did.

"Things are not how Bristol described them, with 'everyone pitching in'. Sarah is away from home way too much for that to happen. From what I know of that family, I don't see anyone helping at all. Not even Sarah."

According to Mercedes the Greta Van Susteren interview was supposed to be a joint interview with both Bristol and Levi.

"They had been planning it, and it was all set. Then, the day of the interview, Bristol sent a text message to Levi saying, 'I hate you, and when I found out I was pregnant I wished the baby wasn't yours.'" Ouch!

Asked if that meant that Bristol may have been cheating on Levi when she got pregnant, Mercedes replied, "It sure seems like that."

Alright now I know some of you are thrilled that I read this article and posted it for you to read. But others are probably saying "Geez Gryphen, we understand you reading the Trailblazer book, but this thing is total trash."

I could not agree more. But I will point out that the book and the magazine are really not that much different, with the exception that I believe this magazine reveals much more of the REAL truth then the book did. Let's face it the book was a love letter to Sarah Palin.

So here is why I felt the need to make this post.

First, the allegation has been made that Mercedes did not actually allow herself to be interviewed and that this was overheard on a plane ride. That is completely ridiculous because of the amount of material in this article, the fact that Mercedes has not publicly retracted it, and the fact that NOBODY involved is talking about suing Star magazine.

Second, because a number of bloggers had located the address of one of Mercedes friend's MySpace pages and were sitting on the story that Bristol was not allowing Levi to see the baby. They did not move forward with it because we had no independent confirmation and did not want to expose this teenage girl to the Palin wrath. In my opinion Mercedes just confirmed it.

Third, I have confirmation that Todd Palin and Levi Johnston had a HUGE argument in Wasilla after Bristol snuck out of the house to see Levi after being told not to. This directly contradicts everything the Palins said about Bristol and Levi's relationship, but supports Mercedes version of events.

And then there is this persistent rumor, and let me go on record saying it is still just a rumor, that Levi may have placed yet another bun in the oven in Wasilla, and THAT may explain Bristol's anger toward him. If that were the case I think we could all understand just why she is so upset.

So taking ALL of that into account, your choice dear reader is to decide who to believe. Sarah Palin, Bristol, and the carefully crafted public relations red herring they have manufactured for our enjoyment? Or the rantings of a hormonal teenage girl who is angrily defending her brother?

I report, you decide.

Update: There have been a number of questions about this picture so I scanned it. I am struck by how young Levi looks in it however.