WTF? The e-mail hacker posted picture of Bristol's newborn son? In September of 2008? Updated!

From Fox News:

Palin and her daughter Bristol testified during the trial, which lasted just a few days. Bristol Palin said she was distressed to find pictures of her newborn son in the public eye after her mother's e-mail was hacked.

Pictures of BRISTOL'S newborn baby? Well isn't THAT interesting?

Now the only picture of a baby that I know of from the Yahoo account is the one posted above. Is this what Bristol is referring to?

There has already been some conjecture that this baby is the ruffled ear baby, but to be honest I cannot be sure from this angle.  I will say however that it does not seem to closely resemble the Trig Palin we know and love today.  However as a male I am not an expert on babies.

What do you think ladies.

Of course the other option is that the reporter simply got the quote wrong.  Fox News getting the quote wrong?  I think in the Palin household that would be considered blasphemy.

Palin e-mail "hacker" found gulity on only two of the four charges!

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A federal jury has convicted a former Tennessee college student of two charges in the hacking of Sarah Palin's e-mail account.

The jury convicted 22-year-old David Kernell of unauthorized access to a computer and obstruction of justice. He was found not guilty of wire fraud and the jury failed to reach a verdict on identity theft.

I doubt his sentence will be very stiff. 

Oops I may be wrong according to ABC News:

He was found not guilty on a charge of wire fraud, and the jury was deadlocked on the charge of identity theft.

Prosecutors say they'll try him again on that charge.
He could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison on the obstruction charge. The jury deliberated for four days before reaching a conclusion on three charges.

Jesus he could STILL get 20 years?

Charges, possible sentence

Count one: identity theft
Maximum 5 years in prison
$250,000 fine
3 years supervised release

Count two: wire fraud
Maximum 20 years in prison
$250,000 fine
5 years supervised release

Count three: unlawful computer access
Maximum 5 years in prison
$250,000 fine
3 years supervised release
**Lesser included misdemeanor offense on count 3 carries a maximum of 1 year in prison

**Count four: obstruction of justice
Maximum 20 years in prison
$250,000 fine
5 years supervised release

**David Kernell convicted on these charges

Well I damn sure hope that if they attempt to try him again on the identity theft charge that Wade Davies gets Sarah Palin and her family in the witness stand, and this time, "Grill, baby, Grill"!

Update: Palin responds

My family and I are thankful that the jury thoroughly and carefully weighed the evidence and issued a just verdict. Besides the obvious invasion of privacy and security concerns surrounding this issue, many of us are concerned about the integrity of our country's political elections. America's elections depend upon fair competition. Violating the law, or simply invading someone's privacy for political gain, has long been repugnant to Americans' sense of fair play. As Watergate taught us, we rightfully reject illegally breaking into candidates' private communications for political intrigue in an attempt to derail an election.

I want to thank the public servants who worked so hard on this case, particularly the jurors who gave up precious time from their jobs and families to listen to the evidence and reach a decision.

My family and I appreciate the good people of Knoxville, Tennessee, who showed us true Southern hospitality. We can't wait to visit again - but without having a subpoena in hand.

- Sarah Palin

Looks like she already had a statement prepared. 

I cannot believe that she really believes that this piddly bullshit case compares to freaking Watergate!

Further proof that Sarah Palin's political career is essentially over.

For those of us paying special attention to the Palin train wreck the idea of Sarah pursuing a legitimate political campaign probably seems ridiculous.  However there are those people who still believe that she has an actual chance of both running and winning a national election.

So for those of you on the short bus let me help to put your mind at ease.

First there is the myth that she is worshipped by the conservative voters in the southern states.  As recent polling shows, that is not factually based.

It's been assumed the South will be a source of strength for Sarah Palin if she decides to make a 2012 Presidential bid, but our early polling isn't backing up that assumption.

In Georgia we find Mike Huckabee as the leader with 38% to 28% for Mitt Romney and 25% for Palin. Palin has also finished behind Huckabee in recent polls of North Carolina and Alabama, and she's in third behind both Huckabee and Romney in Texas.

Huckabee has the lead with both moderates and conservatives. Interestingly Romney outruns Palin with both groups as well, including a 28-24 advantage over her with conservatives. As has been the case in other states Palin is not getting any boost from female voters- her 24% level of support from them is pretty much the same as her 25% with men.

Then there is the question concerning her ability to put together a team that will not only give her the kind of support she needs to make a viable run for office, but also one (and this would be new for her) whose advice she would both listen and respond to.

Jon Stewart has WAY too much fun with Gordon Brown's recent embarrassing gaffe.

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Is today the day? Palin e-mail trial enters fourth day of deliberations.

From the AP:

Before deliberating a fourth day at the trial of a man charged with hacking Sarah Palin's e-mail, a federal jury in Knoxville will get some encouragement from the judge.

Jurors told U.S. District Judge Thomas Phillips they have reached unanimous verdicts on three other charges but were still deadlocked on a count of identity theft Thursday.

The judge said after jurors left the courtroom that he will "encourage them" Friday to decide the identity theft charge.

It would suck if we had to wait through the weekend to hear the verdict.

President of FAIR, a group who helped to write the "show your papers please" bill in Arizona learns why you NEVER question Rachel Maddow's research!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wow!  Remind me to NEVER debate Rachel Maddow, about anything!

If you help to write a bill which potentially treats minorities like criminals without just cause and you have one racist associated with your group you might expect to get a pass. But after two, or three, or four I think you are justifiably damned by the company that you keep.

2nd Amendment Task Force rally on University campus ends up shooting blanks.

A couple of days ago a friend forwarded the following notification to me.

Attention Alaska Patriots (Don't you hate it when they throw around the word "patriot"?  As if everybody who does not agree with them is somehow NOT a patriot. Assholes!)

Anchorage Second Amendment Task Force has with other organizations attempted to bring University of Alaska in compliance with state statutes and the state Constitution regarding firearms on UA properties. UA Board of Regents have refused to comply with the laws of our state and continue to violate our rights to keep and bear arms. We will be accessing all UA properties in Alaska next week with the intention of forcing a conclusion. Either the Board of Regents will arrest law-abiding citizens for trespassing while doing what is constitutionally protected, or they will refuse to engage us. We will win legally, or by rendering the rule limp ("Limp"? Methinks somebody has revealed what their  gun REALLY symbolizes.) We do have Pro Bono representation for any who require it due to this action. I anticipate national media coverage for this event, so represent with the dignity we all exemplify daily. For all interested in participating with bringing our overreaching government officials into compliance with the constitution please contact me at alaskasccc@gmail.com. This will occur next week so prepare now to force compliance of our government.

Thank you

George Hines
State Representative
Alaska Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC)

My first thought was why can't these guys simply purchase a fancy car to compensate for their inadequacies?  I mean nobody has ever been killed because somebody's Corvette accidentally went off while they were cleaning it.

Then I figured I might as well go to the UAA campus and see what happens because, who knows, one of these guys might do something really stupid and get shot, and I would just hate to miss that!

Well as it turned out the whole event left me feeling, much like I am sure the wives and girlfriends of these gun nuts often feel, completely disappointed. 

At around 11:15 the group representing the SCCC, emerged from behind a building led by, I kid you not, some grandmothers holding flags and a tin of cookies decorated with gun symbols. Following the grannies were a couple of portly gentlemen, well into their late forties (Where the hell were the students?), who ambled up to the gaggle of reporters and cameramen and started to speak nonsensically about "civil rights", and "fairness", and "campus police can't keep us safe".

Then the guy with the biggest mouth, George Hines, used his hand to push his stomach off of his waistband to reveal a fairly tiny pistol in a holster on his now exposed hip. At this the campus police moved forward to address the group.

After telling the two gentlemen who actually had weapons that they were in violation of UAA policy they then asked for their names and proceeded to fill out notification of violations. As soon as the campus police issud the notifications, the John Wayne wannabes meekly took their yellow copies and walked off of the campus over to a nearby sidewalk.

No arguments.

No,  "You can take my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hands". 

Nothing.  Just a sheepish...somewhat subdued...compliance. The very definition of anti-climatic.

However once they were safely off the campus, and  felt the comforting embrace of the liberal Alaska gun laws again, they quickly puffed up their man-boobs and renewed their macho spiel.

Palin e-mail trial deliberations, day three. Update: Jury hung up on identity theft charge.

From the AP:

A federal jury has begun a third day of deliberations in the trial of a former University of Tennessee student accused of hacking Sarah Palin's e-mail.

The six women and six men are considering four felony charges against 22-year-old David Kernell. The jury in Knoxville deliberated about six hours Wednesday, their second day behind closed doors and resumed the process Thursday morning.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Weddle said he is "not encouraged or discouraged" by the deliberations going into a third day.

Personally I am starting to feel a bit encouraged by the time it is taking the jury to reach their decision, but again there is no guarantee they are recognizing that this case was blown well out of proportion.

Update:

A federal jury in the third day of deliberating the Sarah Palin e-mail hacking case told the judge Thursday they are deadlocked on one charge after reaching unanimous decisions on three counts.
The deadlocked charge is identity theft.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Phillips told the jurors they could deliberate longer or go ahead and announce the three verdicts on charges of wire fraud, unauthorized access to a computer and obstruction of justice.

The jury then went behind closed doors again.

Here's hoping the kid gets off on all or most of these.

Sarah Palin inadvertently identifies Fox News as lamest of the "Lamestream Media".

Brought to our attention by Media Matters:

The other day Palin was throwing out talking points on Sean Hannity's show when she made the following fairly salient point.



Well you know as much as I disagree with Sister Sarah I have to give her this one.  I mean what kind of ignorant news outlet would make the statement that the law "would make it ILLEGAL to be an ILLEGAL immigrant"?

Ooohh!

Arizona sheriff calls new immigration law "racist, disgusting, and stupid".

From the Huffington Post:

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who I am assuming is something of a master of the "complex and demanding craft of policing" seeing as how he's been a policeman for over five decades, begs to differ.

Per Amanda Terkel, Dupnik called the law "racist" and "disgusting" and "stupid" and, in his "nuanced judgment" could not be enforced without mandatory racial profiling. Dupnik's reckoning of the legal issue is that he's just as likely to be sued for racial profiling as he is for not doing enough racial profiling, so he's standing pat, and will not enforce the new law.

Interesting turn of events. What exactly does happen if local law enforcement refuses to enforce this new law? Do THEY get thrown in jail instead?

Well now that we have identifed that there is something "racist, disgusting, and stupid" in Arizona, you know who simply has to show up to defend it don't you?

Right on cue!

From Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's Facebook page: "Had such a great time with Sarah Palin last night that we went to the Diamondbacks game today before she left town. It was great talking to her about my efforts here in Arizona of securing our borders, fighting Obama Care and preserving our 2nd Amendment rights."

Second day of Palin e-mail trial comes to an end, still no vedict.

From Wate.com:

The jury failed to reach a verdict for a second day Wednesday in the federal trial of David Kernell, who's accused of breaking into Sarah Palin's email account.

Jurors got the case about 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, and the judge dismissed them for the day around 4:40.

They spent Wednesday deliberating from 9:00 a.m. until around 4:15.

The jury isn't sequestered in this trial.

Almost fourteen hours later and still no verdict.  I wonder if this is better for the defense or the prosecution?

Any guesses?

Witness in Sarah Palin e-mail trial says prosecution "ginning up findings" in an attempt to get maximum sentence for David Kernell.

From The Register:

A witness who testified against the man accused of breaching Sarah Palin's Yahoo! Mail account has criticized federal prosecutors for distorting the facts in an attempt to score legal points.

Gabriel Ramuglia said the episode left him so disenchanted that he's changing the logging policy for Ctunnel.com, the anonymity proxy used to access Palin's Yahoo account while she was running for vice president in 2008. Before, he collected the IP address of each user along with the time and address of each web visit and stored it for seven days. Now, he logs the minimum required by law.

Ramuglia said he's taking the step because he believes prosecutors exaggerated entries in the log information when presenting it to the jury in the case. On several occasions, he said assistant US attorneys told him privately they wanted to "show as much commerce as possible" by emphasizing connections his proxy made to ad servers, even though his site almost always filters out their content.

Sean Hannity does everything except write the answers on her hand for her in this "interview" with Sarah Palin.

Whenever I hear Sarah Palin talking about the "lies" the media tells about her, it always reminds me that everyday is opposite day with Sarah Palin.  The more she screams that somebody is lying the more confident you can be that they are indeed telling the uncomfortable truth.

You can see how she really worries that by telling these truths it will somehow "discredit" Time magazine. Which of course it will to the teabaggin, Fox News watching, Sarah Palin adoring simpletons that believe the President is a fascist and that the founding fathers were closet evangelicals. (By the way Sean Hannity is spreading something alright, but I have never heard it called a "message" before. Unless the message is "Don't step in it!")

At the end of this interview did the crazy, violence inciting failed Governor just accuse our President of being the one who is dividing this nation?  Surely I must have heard that wrong!

Like I said, everyday is opposite day with Sarah Palin!

You know of all of the Fox News giant talking heads, Sean Hannity might be the one that consistently helps Palin look her best.  He does not get testy and confront her on things she should, but does not know, like O'Reilly, or openly masturbate in front of her like Glenn Beck, but instead not only pitches her the softest of softball questions, but actually runs up to her, cradles her lovingly in his arms and helps her to hit it at least back to the pitcher's mound.

Even at Fox News Palin only connects well with a small portion of the demographic, Sean Hannity.

Palin's debate answers "scripted". Is anybody really surprised by this?

From Sky News:

The strategist behind John McCain's presidential campaign says Sarah Palin had to be coached so thoroughly before her TV debate her answers were almost 'scripted'.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Steve Schmidt, nicknamed The Bullet, says her preparations were going so badly in the days leading up to the debate with the vastly more experienced Joe Biden, the campaign was facing an "emergency" and a "crisis".

Don't Know Much About History. Teabaggers and their revisionist American history.

Slate:

Of course Obama is also probably an evil "socialist" which is apparently, in the Tea Party worldview, pretty much the same as a fascist or a communist. (One gets the impression that some T.P.ers have had major, life-changing, "aha!" moments when they first learned that Hitler's party was the National SOCIALIST German Workers Party. Slam dunk!)

And if Obama's not a socialist fascist communist, he may be—ooh, scary, kids!—a "progressive," which, as Victoria Jackson learned from the erudite Glenn Beck, is really a secret "code word" for communist.

And they believe him! That's the thing. The recent New York Times study of T.P.ers reported that party members are "better educated" than most Americans. But educated in what? Clearly, they—or at least a significant, influential portion of them—are utterly uneducated in history. One can get a college degree without taking a single class in world history and thus still be ripe for the idiot distortions of a Glenn Beck.

We should have a verdict on Sarah Palin's e-mail identity theft sometime today.

From the Globe and Mail:

The case against a man charged with hacking into Sarah Palin's e-mail went to a federal jury Tuesday in eastern Tennessee.

The jury of eight men and six women started deliberating in Knoxville after getting instructions on the charges against David Kernell, 22.

After Mr. Kernell chose not to testify, defence attorney Wade Davies told the panel Monday in a closing argument that his client pulled a prank and guessed his way into Ms. Palin's e-mail. He said Mr. Kernell as a 20-year-old college student made “some stupid decisions” but had no criminal intent.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Weddle told jurors Monday that Mr. Kernell set out with a plan to derail Ms. Palin's campaign when she was the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 2008.
Convictions on the identity theft and three other felony charges carry a maximum possible 50-year prison sentence.

Now it is up to a jury to decide if Wade Davies did enough to protect his client.

Update: A moment of clarification.

Look I am not saying that David Kernell should not face some punishment.

He done did it, bad on him.

However the prosecution put Bristol and Sarah on the stand to convince the jury that there was some real harm done to the family.  And to dazzle them with their celebrity.

So in my mind cross examining Sarah and Bristol with the facts eagerly testified to by Sherry and Mercede Johnston, as well as the Alaska Bloggers, and others in the know, which demonstrated that there was NO real loss of contact because Bristol had at least two or more other phones at her disposal, And that Bristol could not have truly been afraid of attack because she had around the clock Secret Service protection, and ex-hockey brawler Levi Johnnston literally grafted to her side. And that what resulted from Kernell's invasion of her privacy was really no more than a temporary nuisance, just most college pranks, would have served the interests of his client.

And of course catching one of the Palins perjuring themselves could not exactly have hurt either, and we all KNOW that Sarah cannot stand to tell the truth for a very long without Palinizing it.

So if Kernell gets off, or receives a reasonable sentence, then no harm, no foul.

But if they throw the book at him, then I think we are justified in suggesting that Davies had more in his arsenal that he could have used to damage the credibility of the government's witnesses. And that perhaps he should have used them.

Tickets for Sarah Palin's speech in Dallas end up in the bargain bin.

Dallas, Texas:

Ticket prices are dropping for the Friday night gala that features a VIP gathering and speech by former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Instead of $1,000, attendees can pay $250 for one ticket to the 7 p.m. dinner at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas. Tickets for two to the VIP reception and dinner, once priced at $25,000, now cost $2,000 (and include six non-VIP dinner tickets and a photo with Palin). Organizers say that "ticket sales have been reduced to offer a greater number of people an opportunity to attend."

Priced DOWN from $1,000 to $250?  Not just cut in half once, but essentially cut in half twice? And the reason given is so MORE people can hear her screechy voice saying ignorant things?  Please, NOBODY cuts the price of tickets down to a quarter of its original price if sales are brisk.

And from $25,000 to $2,000 for a chance to see get close enough to see the multiple layers of makeup on the Teabagger Queen's face?  Could it be that even though the media is fixated with Palin that the real people are starting to tire of the three ring circus that is her life?

I wonder how much longer it will be before Sarah is reduced to showing up for the grand opening of an IHOP in Tallahassee, Florida?  Or perhaps a new Piggly Wiggly in Alabama? 

Jon Stewart: "Turns out Arizona is the Meth lab of democracy!"

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One gay young man's story of abuse, prejudice , and believe it or not, exorcism in the Anchorage Baptist Temple.

RJ: I returned to Alaska and, since I had no place to stay, I told my father it was just a phase, moved back with him, and back into the closet. I tried to pray my gay away. I begged God. I would have given anything to be straight.

Editor: Is this when the exorcism took place?

RJ: Yes. I went back to ABT. They had been studying Bob Larson's "Deliverance" exorcism ministry. They had a class to teach how to cast out demons on Friday nights. There was a questionnaire to determine if I had done something to open a portal which leads to demonic possession. The questions were things like did I try to control the weather, change stop lights, read horoscopes, use tarot cards and, of course, have sex with a man.

Editor: What happened at the exorcism? Who was there?

RJ: The exorcism took place at ABT. There were others there as well. I sat down and started crying. The Board of Directors, deacons, classmates, and family prayed over us. They anointed us each with oil and tried to cast the demon out.

Please visit my friends at Bent Alaska to read the rest of this brave young man's incredible tale.

As some of you may know I have written about the Anchorage Baptist temple a number of times in the past.  Including a description of my visit to the belly of the beast.

We have a lot of things to be ashamed of in Alaska.  Sarah Palin, more than our share of corrupt politicians, Sarah Palin, the horrible way we treated the indigenous people of this land, Sarah Palin, the shooting of wolves from helicopters, Sarah Palin, just to name a few.  But perhaps one of our biggest sources of shame is that the Anchorage Baptist temple is the biggest, and most influential church in our state.

ABT is right about one thing, we are indeed sinners.  But not because of the lust in our heart, or the times we take the Lord's name in vain, or for loving somebody of the same gender.  No we are sinners for allowing a horrible place like the Anchorage Baptist temple to continue to poison the minds of our young people in their so-called "Christian schools" and send them out into our community without the ability to understand, or accept, or love those different than themselves.

D.C. Douglas, the ex-Geico voice over actor VS the Teabaggers. Who you got?

This made me laugh so much I just had to share it.

By the way D.C. has since apologized for calling the nutjobs at Freedom Works "mentally retarded".

I think he meant to say "ignorant assholes" but it just came out wrong.

WTF?

From the Winnipeg Free Press:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The attorney charged with hacking Sarah Palin's email says the defendant will not testify in his federal trial in Knoxville.

Prosecutors say college student David Kernell was trying to derail Palin's campaign when he accessed her personal email account while she was the Republican candidate for vice-president in 2008.

Kernell's attorney, Wade Davies, said Monday morning that Kernell won't testify and that the defence has rested its case after only putting one witness on the stand Friday, an FBI agent who said Kernell had been emotionally upset.

This is bullshit!  I have personally talked to Wade Davies assistant and told her what I know, Mercede has called and left messages repeatedly, and my fellow bloggers have written blog posts which have been sent to the defense (Not to mention what all of you have undoubtedly sent their direction).

I was told that Wade Davies is a very competent attorney and that he had a plan.  But THIS simply cannot be it!

Palin Inc. "Or how a middle aged imbecile from a hick town in Alaska, with passable looks and no conscience, became the most famous political brand name in the world."

This is from New York magazine and it was written by author Gabriel Sherman.

It is kind of late and I don't have time to dissect the whole article.  So I will simply link to it and go to bed.

When I wake up refreshed in the morning I will wade back in and see what juicy nuggets are contained within.

Here is how it begins:

On the morning of July 3, 2009, a national holiday, Sarah Palin placed a call to her communications director and told her that she wanted to hold a press conference at her Wasilla, Alaska, home. She wouldn’t disclose the topic. For Palin, the months since Election Day had been a letdown even bigger than the loss to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Being governor was drudgery. “Her life was terrible,” one adviser says. “She was never home, her [Juneau] office was four hours from her house. You gotta drive an hour from Wasilla to Anchorage. And she was going broke.” Her sky-high approval ratings in Alaska—which had topped 80 percent before John McCain picked her—had withered to the low fifties. She faced a hostile legislature, a barrage of ethics complaints, and frothing local bloggers who reveled in her misfortune.

Here's the Levi Johnston portion:

President Obama has meeting with Billy Graham. Sarah Palin seen screaming "Get that Islamic Kenyan away from him he is MINE!"

From Huffington Post:

President Barack Obama made a pilgrimage Sunday to Billy Graham's mountainside home, concluding his North Carolina vacation with his first meeting with the ailing evangelist who has counseled commanders in chief since Dwight Eisenhower.

The 48-year-old president made the short drive to Montreat from Asheville, where he spent the weekend, to see the 91-year-old Graham and son Franklin, also an evangelist.

During the visit, which lasted about 30 minutes and included aides and advisers to both men, Obama had a private prayer and conversation with Billy Graham. The evangelist gave Obama two Bibles, one for him and one for the first lady, Graham spokesman Larry Ross said.

Franklin Graham said his father and Obama did most of the talking. They reminisced about their roots in Chicago – Graham went to Wheaton College and began some of his ministry in the region; Obama moved to Chicago after college and began his political career there. And they talked about golf.

"The conversation was very cordial, very nice," the younger Graham said. "When the president got ready to leave, the president prayed for my father, my father prayed for him."

Billy Graham PRAYED for him? Oh you just know that Sarah Palin is sitting somewhere hella  pissed off and waiting for her hands to unclench so that she can tap out a message on her Blackberry to her Facebook writer telling them to unleash "Facebook hell" on Obama for daring to connect with Billy Graham and receiving spiritual guidance. 

"He was just being polite to you!  I am his favorite! Me, me, me, me, NOT YOU!"

Hit show "Glee" has a liberal bias? Man I knew there was something about that show that I just loved!

Yeah kids stop watching this high school teen musical or you may find that your mind has been opened, that you find racism repugnant, and you are not ashamed of your sexuality.  In other words you might be turned into a thinker instead of a believer, a progressive instead of a regressive, and person who sees the glass as half full instead of filled with liberal poison.

And hey, we have good music too!

Man on the street impression of Sarah Palin in Tennessee courtroom.

This is a man of few words, but they actually convey quite a lot of information:

Some superficial observations:

1. Sarah Palin was wearing 5-6" heels. I am NOT exaggerating.

2. When she left the courtroom, at least 25 people left as part of her entourage. It definitely conveyed the "rock star" impression to the jury.

3. Todd Palin was rockin' the hair gel.

4. Sarah Palin wears A LOT of makeup. Personally, I think she'd look better without it.

5. Her accent is not a put-on, unfortunately.

I would respectfully disagree with that last portion.  She definitely changes her crazy accent to match the audience she is talking to.  I have witnessed this personally.

Other than that this guy's observations sound very accurate, and very telling.

She glammed up to dazzle the jury, and brought a giant entourage to let them know how important she is. Or rather how important she THINKS she is.

Two segments from Real Time April 23, 2010.

Sorry the videos were removed.  Usually by Sunday morning HBO unclenches its sphincter and allows the segments to stay up on YouTube.  I guess they are feeling especially Grinch-like today.

I am always a little confused by this attitude.  Do they really think they will get more people to buy the HBO package JUST to see Real Time if they don't even know what is on it?

Don't they realize that if people get to see how good the program is, and make the assumption that there is other good programming on HBO, that they stand a much better chance of attracting customers?

I remember when Comedy Central pulled the same crap with THEIR programming.  But they had the presence of mind to set up a website where people are encouraged to embed their programs.  In my opinion THAT has really helped to attract new viewers to programs like the Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Tosh 2.0.

Smarten up HBO, not everybody has cable.....yet.

Wonkette is all over Sarah's pity party concerning the e-mail trial.

From Wonkette:

Sarah Palin is now using her vast political knowledge and expertise as one of America’s greatest leaders to help brutally prosecute a dumb college student who figured out her incredibly easy e-mail password hint two years ago and uploaded a few screen shots to some web forum leading to a day or two of pranks which meant nothing in the end and probably just boosted her career through faux-victimization, the only weapon in her arsenal; she is awful.

As usual Wonkette does not pull any punches.

And don't forget to check the comment section kids, that is always good for a chuckle or two.

MSNBC's Kerry Sanders provides more cover for Sarah Palin's lies, which allows her to continue to play the victim.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Number one Mr. Sanders the "blogosphere" was asking questions about the skeletons in Sarah's closet weeks before David Kernell published Sarah's e-mail account information. 

Second Mr. Sanders why did you only mention TODD'S alleged affair? Is it because when the National Enquirer reported Sarah's affair with Brad Hanson NOBODY running the McCain campaign, or from the RNC, or in the Palin camp, threatened to file a  lawsuit?  And as we know if it had in fact been baseless there is no doubt they would have sued.

As for the "rumor" of Todd's alleged affair?  Trust me that has never been disproven either. And it also had NOTHING to do with this e-mail account being made public.

The report that the FBI was investigating Sarah Palin stemmed from a misunderstanding which unfortunately caused somebody to identify the FBI as the agency investigating the Palins.  Again no connection to the e-mail account.

And in the case of the Trig Palin birth story, we started working on that on August 29th.  Well before Kernell started guessing Yahoo passwords. Oh by the way, that "rumor" is still alive and well. 

Perhaps MSNBC could replace Mr. Sanders with a reporter who actually investigates the things he is reporting on.  You know, just for a nice change of pace.

(And b the way if Sarah and Todd would like to finally put those "rumors" to rest, I have little doubt I could scrape together the money for both of them to take a lie detector test.  Or I guess in some cases a DNA test might suffice as well.)

I do agree to some extent with the legal analysis of Susan Filan at the end of this video.  If this were not Sarah Palin there would be NO consequence for this young man's actions. But her contention that the justice system is sending a strong message to potential hackers rings false. Let's be honest, even if Palin manages to get this kid sent away for 50 years, it will mean absolutely NOTHING to the average person who has their internet privacy violated.  Unless they are as famous as Sarah Palin of course.

Mercede Johnston, in her own words.

As many of you probably know, I don't have guest bloggers on this site.

Oh I will gladly post a portion of somebody's article and then make a few snarky additional comments, but I have never allowed anybody to write their opinions or thoughts directly onto the blog.

However recently somebody asked me if I could tell all of you what is going on in their life.  After listening to them I realized that, though I could probably do a reasonable job, I could NEVER capture the depth of pain that they are suffering.

So for the first time in Immoral Minority history I present guest blogger, Mercede Johnston, in her own words (with just a little polishing from Gryphen).

Sarah Palin appears with Greta Van Susteren and trots out the mean girl for all the world to see.

I was going to take the res of the day off from blogging until I happened across this exchange between Sarah Palin and Greta Van Susteren. Listen to how many times she says she was "telling the truth". You know what that means don't you?



"Did the college student hack into my e-mails?" Actually NO he did not!

"Did he disclose personal private e-mails for the world to see or not?" Yes he did but then so did MSNBC when they published Todd's e-mails for the world to see. The only difference is that Sarah could not have most of it redacted when Kernell posted it. Face it Sarah when you became the VP candidate the privacy of all of your friends and family was sacrificed to your ravenous ambitions.

By the way I think this "News show" she is referring to was Fox News. (At least that is where Bristol claims to have seen it.) Of course Palin does not want to mention Fox's name because that is the hand that helps to feed her ravenous appetite for money and fame.

Now if you listen carefully around the 5:00 mark you will hear Greta ask Palin if she feels any empathy or sympathy for the young man who did this.  Listen to her response.

Did you hear her answer?  She simply talks about what she perceives as his intent to derail her campaign and then clenches her manly jaw and says the punishment is up to the judge. She displays NOT THE TINIEST BIT of empathy for this kid!  Not the tiniest bit!

Shocked at that response Greta tries to ask her again, and this time Sarah goes on the attack against the boys defense team!  Claiming that they are not doing their job and should have offered a plea bargain.  She even questions their intelligence?  Un-fucking-believable!

Clearly she want this kid to fry! He dared to embarrass her, and interrupt her rise to power and she wants him to suffer for his crimes against her. If ever you gave her the benefit of the doubt about being a vindictive bitch this should put any of your doubts to rest.  If she could strap him to an electric chair and pull the switch her self I doubt she would even hesitate.

Sarah Palin defends Franklin Graham and his right to call Islam "a very evil and wicked religion".

In case you have not heard Franklin Graham, Reverend Billy's less oratorically gifted son, was disinvited to the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer service.  The reason why is that after 9-11 Graham, like a lot of evangelical bible thumpers, attacked Islam calling it "a very evil and wicked religion".

"It wasn't Methodists flying into those buildings, and it wasn't Lutherans. It was an attack on this country by people of the Islamic faith."

Now keeping a man who attacked an entire religion away from a multi-denominational, religiously tolerant  prayer service might seem like a no-brainer. 

So cue the no-brainer defender of Franklin Graham, Sarah Palin. (From her Facebook account, of course.)

My, have things changed. I was honored to have Rev. Franklin Graham speak at my Governor’s Prayer Breakfasts. His good work in Alaska’s Native villages and his charitable efforts all over the world stem from his servant’s heart. In my years of knowing him, I’ve never found his tempered and biblically-based comments to be offensive – in fact his words have been encouraging and full of real hope.

It’s truly a sad day when such a fine patriotic man, whose son is serving on his fourth deployment in Afghanistan to protect our freedom of speech and religion, is dis-invited from speaking at the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer service. His comments in 2001 were aimed at those who are so radical that they would kill innocent people and subjugate women in the name of religion.

Are we really so hyper-politically correct that we can’t abide a Christian minister who expresses his views on matters of faith? What a shame. Yes, things have changed.

- Sarah Palin

My how unusual it is too see one crazed dominionist defending the hateful speech of another crazed dominionist.  But hey, maybe Sarah is right this time, maybe Franklin Graham should NOT be judged by words that he spoke during those very emotional times back in 2001.

Perhaps he has changed his tune and become much less judgemental and much more gracious toward religions that do not share his particular belief system.

From Fox News April 22, 2010.



See?  If the Islamic people will simply accept that Jesus Christ is the son of God and embrace him as their own personal savior Franklin Graham will have no problem with them whatsoever.

The ball is in your court Muslims!

What an idiot.

P.S. Here is Celtic Diva's take on this from over at the Mudfalts.

I cannot yet locate the MSNBC video of Palin's interview outside of the courthouse but here is WBIR's.

Here is the MSNBC video with better angle and better sound.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sarah Palin could testify today!

According to MSNBC Sarah is at the courthouse right now and could testify at any minute.

I have cleared my calendar to keep an eye on this today.  If any of you fine folks hear anything or get a hot tip please send it my way and I will try to stay as current as possible.

Update:  Palin is indeed on the witness stand right now.

Update2:

 Sarah Palin has taken the stand at the trial of a former University of Tennessee student accused of hacking into her email account.

Palin told jurors she was on the 2008 campaign trail in Michigan when she first learned from a news report that her email had been hacked. She said the account and a Blackberry were the main ways she communicated with her family while she was campaigning as the Republican vice-presidential nominee.

Pretty straight forward and boring so far.  I cannot imagine that Sarah can make it through her testimony without lying at least once.  By the way, does anybody know if the defense has cross examined any of the witnesses yet?  If they have not then the good stuff is still coming.

Update 3:  A little more information available from the Washington Post:

The former Alaska governor said she used the "gov.palin" Yahoo! account and a red Blackberry almost exclusively to communicate with her family in Alaska while she was campaigning as the Republican vice presidential nominee.

Palin told jurors that she only returned to her home in Wasilla, Alaska, once during the campaign to speak at the ceremony when her son deployed to Iraq. (We are checking but I actually think she came back more times than just once.)

Palin's husband, Todd, listened as she testified. Their daughter Bristol testified earlier this week that she got harassing calls and text messages after screen shots of e-mail from the account revealed her cell phone number.

MSNBC is reporting much more, including the fact that Sarah still claims she did not have a land line in her Wasilla home, that she blames the e-mail disclosure for starting the rumors about Trig not being her son (Not true we were on that the DAY she was nominated), that Todd and she were having affairs (Also not true. That information was swirling way before her nomination and came to light nationally when the National Enquirer wrote their piece), and that it invaded the privacy of her friends and family. (Okay I will give that one to her.)

Sure in Alaska our ex-half term Governor was a moron, and the majority of our politicians are whores for big business, but dammit our dogs are heroes!

From Huffington Post:

Anchorage Alaska-The video on the troopers' website shows the German shepherd running to meet the trooper's vehicle, then racing to the house on Caswell Lakes on April 4.

Troopers say Buddy and his owner, 23-year-old Ben Heinrichs, were in the family workshop when a heater ignited chemicals. Heinrichs told Buddy: "We need to get help.

The dog eventually found a trooper responding to a call about the fire.



Now THAT is an anmial who earned an extra doggy treat or two.

Jon Stewart has a message for the Islamic group threatening the creators of South Park, and other overly sensitive religious communities.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
South Park Death Threats
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

You know I do believe I have heard this message before.

A couple of nuggets from Andrew Sullivan yesterday about the questions surrounding the birth of Trig Palin.

The first one about the MSM's failure to properly vet Sarah:

I will never forget the conversation I had with a leading journalist as I asked him about the Palin Trig story in the middle of the last election campaign. His view was that there were many unanswered questions but I should leave the matter be, because it would "hurt your reputation" to pursue it. This remains the prevailing narrative among Washington's MSM. They care much much more about their reputations and their money than with getting at the truth. And they know who they are.

And this one whch references a quote by Nicole Wallace, and then makes the following point.

What's interesting to me is that even the controversy - and this fascinating Wallace quote - was never covered in any serious way in the MSM. And yet, it dominated Republican conversation at the St Paul Convention in the days after Palin's veep nomination was announced. According to several journalists who were there, it was all anyone was talking about. But the press kept a lid on it. The "refs" decided what was legit and not legit in an election campaign with a completely unknown candidate with a long record of crazy, obvious odd lies. The press acted as a guardian of those in power, not as a fearless skeptic. That's what worries me. If they did it once, they'll do it again.

Remember when I asked a simple question? And when the Anchorage Daily News asked, after the election? And this is not a question that has already been answered, like the Obama birth certificate. It is a question that has been ruled unaskable. By those tasked with asking questions.

What I do know is that no one on the McCain campaign asked, and some on the McCain campaign still harbor deep doubts about the truth. Still: no answer. No answer at all. And that's absolutely fine by the MSM. They have their reputations to worry about.

Were the RightNetwork and the Sarah Palin Network separated at birth?

Did anybody else notice the resemblance between the very serious RightNetork and the much less than serious Sarah Palin network as present on SNL by Tina Fey?

Here just look for yourself.





Freaky isn't it?

AKMuckraker just posted her take on the Palin e-mail trial (which includes some very ineresting photographs) up on Huffington Post.

Huffington Post:

The trial of the infamous Sarah Palin email hacker is underway.

The defendant, David Kernell, managed to figure out Sarah Palin's super dooper top secret question that allowed the password on her personal Yahoo! email account (where she conducted government business), to be reset. One can only imagine the long hours of pacing, and brain straining it took to come up with the answer to.... "Where did you meet your spouse?" Google reveals all.

On Wednesday's witness list were then Governor Palin's designated attack dog Ivy Frye, top aide and keeper of the secrets Frank Bailey, and daughter Bristol, who has apparently taken lessons from Dear Ol' Mom about how to play the victim card to its maximum dramatic potential.

For more Huffington Post/Mudflats goodness just click the link at the top.

Sherry Johnston in her own words.

Here is a brief clip of Sherry talking about how Bristol and Sarah keep them from seeing Tripp.

Sherry Johnston on not being allowed to see her grandson Tripp Palin from Dennis Zaki on Vimeo.

As of right now. today's date, the Johnston's have not seen Tripp in over a month.

THIS is the family that has been vilified by the Palins and their supporters.  I have talked to both Sherry and Mercede numerous times and have found them to be a very loving family.  And one that wants nothing more than to spend time with their grandson/nephew and are kept from doing so by Sarah and Bristol for no good reasons except vindictiveness and the desire to prove to the courts that Bristol is a
"single mother struggling to raise her child all on her own". And that is bullshit!

Both Sherry and Sadie have said they would watch Tripp ANYTIME Bristol needed them to.

Sherry told me "Bristol does not need to pay for childcare.  I would gladly watch my grandson for free every day if she would just allow it."

Bristol testifies during trial in Tennessee. Update! Sherry Johnston weighs in.

From Knoxville:

Sarah Palin's daughter testified Wednesday against a former college student charged with breaking into her mother's e-mail account, saying she got anonymous phone calls and hundred of text messages after her cell phone number was posted online.

"There was one that really scared me," Bristol Palin testified in federal court. She said she was concerned when a bunch of boys called, claiming they were at her front door and needed to be let in.

"We live in the middle of nowhere in Alaska ... in the middle of the woods," Palin said.

A couple of things.

First the Palin home is NOT in the middle of nowhere.  It is in a wooded area right off of the main Interstate that goes through town.

Second Sarah Palin still had two security people sitting on their asses in Anchorage who could have easily gone out to make sure Bristol was safe while Sarah was on the campaign trail (She essentially stripped them of responsibilities and they would have jumped at the chance to do their job again.).  Not to mention they had access to the Secret Service who were more than likely available if needed as well.

Third I know for a FACT that Bristol was staying in the Lake Lucille home house with Levi the whole time that mom was out of town and, I also know for a fact, that Levi can shoot a damn gun!

Why Sarah Palin owes David Kernell a big sloppy kiss, instead of testifying against him in a Tennessee courtroom.

(Ivey Frye is pictured to the left)

Knoxville:

A longtime friend and one-time employee of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told jurors today of vulgar and threatening e-mails she and others received after news hit that Palin's personal e-mail account had been illegally accessed.

"I received (e-mails) many a day, violent, sexual, threatening ... throughout the course of the (2008 presidential) campaign," Ivey Frye testified in U.S. District Court.

She read from one that said: "You don't know me. Neither do I know you, but we can change that."

She said the e-mails, which were sent to everyone on Palin's e-mail contact list, were anonymously sent.

Later this afternoon, jurors will hear from Palin's oldest daughter, Bristol Palin. Authorities say Bristol Palin also received vulgar and threatening messages after the account was accessed.

It is very unfortunate that Palin's daughter and friend received hateful threatening e-mails, just like it is when people who criticize Plain receive them, but I still don't believe it constitutes anything more than a misdemeanor on David Kernell's behalf.

He may have realized that people would use access to the accounts to send annoying e-mails to the people on the e-mail list, but unless he encouraged people to make those threats, he can hardly be held accountable for what those individuals did with the information he provided.

Palin condemns President Obama for not using force to stop Icelandic volcano from disrupting air travel.

From TPM:

In a speech to the national convention of tea-party lawyer's Sarah Palin criticized Obama for his handling of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull. She also suggested that volcano's if they found there way into the hands of terrorist or rouge states could be s serious national security issue.

Palin suggested in a Q&A session that President Obama isn't doing enough to stop the Icelandic Volcano from disrupting European air travel. When asked about the situation in Europe the former governor replied: "Say he decided to use force on Eyjafjallajokull or decided really to come out and do whatever he could to support Air travel, which I would like him to do,"

When asked if Volcano's could form a threat to the united states she implied Obama's handling of the matter might just make things worse: "He hasn't come right out and threatened violence on Eyjafjallajokull. Who calls a shot like that? Who makes a decision like that? It's a disturbing trend."
Perhaps the most shocking revelation in her Q&A session came when she suggested failed states might weaponize volcano's: "What if Ahmadinejad obtains one of these monsters? That could be a serious threat, one which Obama has said nothing about.".

Even though Sarah Palin no longer leads our state her legacy continues, as the Palin-bot she left in charge, Sean Parnell, sues Federal government over health care bill. Is there no end to the stupid?

From ADN:

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said Tuesday the state will join 20 others led mostly by Republican governors in suing to overturn the health care overhaul bill signed into law last month by President Barack Obama.

Calling it an "unprecedented exercise of congressional power," Parnell said Alaska would follow the other states in challenging the constitutionality of the mandate that people buy health care insurance or pay a fine.

"For the first time we now have a federal government dictating our economic activity," Parnell said. "Alaska will use the courts to fight this federal encroachment on our citizens."

Everybody in Alaska knows that Parnell is essentially a charisma deficient, slightly less masculine version of Sarah Palin. However until just recently he has been so insignificant that he can barely be seen with the naked eye.  However now with an election coming Parnell has decided that he needs to do something bold to gain some conservative credibility.  So being a disciple of the incredibly politically savvy Sarah Palin (Snark alert!) he has decided to do something truly stupid to make himself stand out.

"Look there is Governor Sean Parnell.  I can see him now!  Damn is he an idiot!"

Jon Stewart takes on Fox's Bernie Goldberg in hilarious fashion.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Bernie Goldberg Fires Back
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Stewart is really pulling out the stops lately.  This is almost as good as his unbelievable imitation of Glenn Beck.

The guest that Jon had on his show last night was some kid who wrote a Teabagger book, but I was a little disappointed that he handled him with kids gloves and did not call him out on his obvious hypocrisy. If you want to watch that you can visit the Daily Show here.

(By the way if anybody is having trouble watching the video, I have found that clicking the title so that it opens in its own window will help it to play more smoothly.)

California Attorney General launches investigation into threatening messages sent to Senator Yee.

From ABC affiliate:

The California Attorney General's office has launched an investigation into hate mail and threatening messages sent to the offices of Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) on Monday, which may be in response to his questions over Sarah Palin's scheduled appearance at California State University, Stanislaus, according to Yee's office.

There has been a lot of talk on this blog and others that there is no proof that these messages came from Palin supporters. So let's all sit back and see what the Attorney General discovers.

However let me just say that I have seen plenty of hate mail that has come from Palin supporters in my time. Some sent to me, or my blogger friends, or to various authors that I know, and the example provided by Senator Yee looks EXACTLY like the kind of crap that these Palin-bots send out.

Finally! What the nation has been breathlessly awaiting! A television network even crazier and more right wing than Fox News!

Hey Teabaggers!  Do you love Fox News, but just hate when they accidentally seem reasonable and report a story without attacking a liberal or calling Obama a socialist?

Well don't you worry your empty little heads one minute longer.  Now there is a new network coming to a trailer park near you.
Rightnetwork, all the Obama hating you can handle with none of the liberal leaning commentators like Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly!

Here is but a taste of the kind of programming you can expect from a network that will definitely not have any entertainment savvy Jews on staff.



To learn more about this combination of CNN and Hee Haw just click right here.

Damn I knew electing a black man as president might shake things up a bit, but I have to admit that I had no idea how bad it would get.

And by the way when did Frasier turn into such an ignorant knuckle dragging mouth breather?

"It was just a college prank" Roommate testifies about night Kernell accessed Palin Yahoo e-mail account.

From Knoxnews:

"There was a knock on my door," he said. "It was David. He told me come to his room to check this stuff out."

He said Kernell had on his computer a Yahoo! page used to change a password and a Wikipedia site about Palin.

Kernell explained that he had heard about the private account and was trying to figure out the answer to her security question.

Omiecinski said he did not think Kernell would be successful and went back to bed. He said Kernell later apologized to him about involving him albeit it briefly after Kernell learned he was under FBI probe.

The trial resumes tomorrow.

The facts are that Kernell gained access to this Yahoo account by guessing the password, NOT by hacking the site.  And it is also a fact that if this were not Sarah "Oh God I'm a victim again" Palin we would never even have heard about it.  Kernell's punishment should be a slap on the wrist, the suspension of his Yahoo account, and perhaps a weekend of community service, and that is all.  Anything more shows an undue influence from Sarah Palin on the Tennessee justice system.

California Senator Leland Yee suffers barrage of hateful attacks from supporters of Sarah Palin.

(If you are especially sensitive to racial, homophobic, and hateful language you may want to skip this post.)

From Politico:

From Yee's press release:

An expletive-laden fax received yesterday in the Senator’s San Francisco and Sacramento offices says, “To: JoBama Rectum Sniffer Fish Head Leland Yee” and then in all capital letters, “WERE YOU TO EXTRACT YOUR HEAD FROM TREASONOUS MARXIST NIG**R HUSSEIN OBAMA’S RECTUM, YOUR BRAIN WOULD STILL FUNCTION AT ITS PRESENT MUCH DIMINISHED LEVEL BUT AT LEAST THE NIG**R SH*T SMELL WOULD EVENTUALLY DISSIPATE.”

The fax, which included a graphic of an American flag adorned pickup truck dragging a noose, also states “FIGHTING The Marxist Nig**r Thug Hussein Obama” and “Safeguard the Constitution, Death of all Domestic Marxists!”

Another fax received by the Senator’s office with a similar graphic says, “NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON: lyeesucksobamasnig**ras*.com,” as well as “JoBama. HE IS BRAVE ENOUGH TO KILL OUR UNBORN, JUST NOT BRAVE ENOUGH TO CALL OUR ENEMIES WHAT THEY ARE: Muslim Terrorists!” The fax also includes a rifle scope targeting a shirt with the communist hammer and sickle symbol.

Sarah Palin e-mail "hacking" case begins today. Update: Much of Palin family will be called as witnesses!

From the AP:

A former college student charged with hacking Sarah Palin's e-mail account fears some jurors in heavily Republican East Tennessee could be dazzled when the conservative star testifies.

Jury selection begins Tuesday and Palin's testimony could soon follow in the case against 22-year-old David Kernell.

An attorney for Palin, Thomas Van Flein of Anchorage, Alaska, said in an e-mail that the former governor has been subpoenaed by prosecutors "and she will honor that commitment." Van Flein declined to comment about the case or about how Palin feels about it.
 
I am very excited at the prospect of hearing what Palin is asked on the witness stand, and what her answers to the questions might be without a script or scribblings on her hand to guide her.  This could be very interesting indeed.
 
However there is some question as to whether or not David Kernell will receive a fair trial in Tennessee.
 
"If I was the individual being charged I would be concerned, particularly the other party," East Tennessee State University political analyst David Briley said. "Politics and religion are pretty close to the vest here."
 
Of course the eyes of the world are on Tennessee's justice system, so if there is any undue prejudice it will not escape the scrutiny of media from all over the world.