First Joe Miller uses Palin's attorney, then possibly her ghost Twitter'er, and now her Fox News backdrop? I wonder if we will see him sporting a pair of her Naughty Red Monkey Pumps next? Update Murkowski concedes!

Okay seriously THAT is the exact same backdrop that Sarah Palin uses when she says the stupid things that she says on Fox News.  See?

No matter WHERE Palin is broadcasting from, THAT is what you always see behind her.

And now that is the same thing you see behind Joe the Teabagger.

And not only that but Miller also has the exact same Sarah Palin paranoia about the GOP and mistrust of the media.  He even went so far as to have Sarah Palin's pet attack attorney write a letter asking for the State Troopers to be posted outside of election headquarters in case somebody tries to steal back the election that he finagled away from Murkowski.  Paranoid much?

Wow! Same backdrop, same attorney, same paranoia, hmmm.  Has anybody actually SEEN Sarah Palin and Joe Miller at the same time?  I mean if Palin deepened her voice, didn't shave for a couple of days, and bought a more realistic looking wig  they could almost be the same person.

Update:  It looks like Murkowski has conceded.  So now it is Sarah Palin surrogate Joe the Teabagger VS the intelligent Alaskan voters.  Let's see if my people can finally get their heads out of their asses.

If Joe Miller wins the Republican nomination it will have little to do with Sarah Palin's endorsement. So there!

According to Public Policy Polling:

Contrary to the media spin on the surprise results of last Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary in Alaska, former Governor Sarah Palin did not seem to have a decisive influence on Joe Miller’s apparent victory over incumbent Lisa Murkowski (barring absentee ballot counts). If anything, her impact was minimal, with 65% of those who reported voting in the primary saying Palin’s endorsement had no bearing whatsoever on their vote. Only 15% said it was very important, and 20% somewhat important. In fact, a 39% plurality said that Palin’s endorsement in general makes no difference on who they support, with 35% saying it actually makes them less likely to support her endorsee and only 26% saying it makes them more likely.

Feelings on Miller and Palin do, however, seem to correlate, with both getting 51-40 personal favorability marks. Murkowski, meanwhile, has only a tepid 48-46.

As well as voters liking Miller more than Murkowski, the main thrust of his narrow win seems to have come from the ideology of the voters and the perceived ideologies of the candidates. 59% are conservatives, to only 37% moderates—actually less conservative than the GOP primary electorates in some other states. But 53% support the goals of the Tea Party movement, and Miller hitched every limb of his body to that Express. Indeed, a 47% plurality view Murkowski as too liberal, something only 7% say of Miller, whose views are seen as “about right” by a 51% majority, with only 33% saying he is too conservative. 38% think Murkowski’s ideology “about right.” Only slightly fewer, 34%, see the Republican Party itself as too liberal, than the 35% who see it is “about right.”

“Sarah Palin can claim credit for putting Joe Miller on the map, but not for carrying him to victory, should he end up prevailing,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “Instead, the story in Alaska is the same as most other places: the winner was better liked than the loser, and his views were seen as more in line with the electorate. Miller is yet another insurgent candidate who proudly claimed the Tea Party mantle.”

The simple truth is that the people who actually motivated to vote were either Joe Miller fans, or Independents who wanted to get Murkowski out of of the way so that Scott McAdams would have at least a shot at winning the Senate seat. It had, as proven by this poll, virtually NOTHING to do with Sarah Palin's endorsement.

Of course those are little things we call "facts" and facts will never convince teabaggers and Palin-bots of ANYTHING.

Unbelievably Sarah Palin provides criticism of Brian Williams interview with President Obama!

Transcript courtesy of Politico:

"My first reaction was listening to Brian Williams and wondering, 'Brian, that's some stealth reporting. You're not even going to follow up and ask him what in the heck is Barack Obama talking about. What is he insinuating?'

"I was pretty appalled at that notion that Brian Williams was just letting him get away with that kind of false accusation that there is some kind of suggested right-wing conspiracy again, especially knowing that the media still — the mainstream, lamestream media — they're in his back pocket, still."

Just when I think this no talent moron cannot get anymore arrogant and filled with self importance she says something as unbelievably arrogant as this.

Listen lady that is Brian "freaking" Williams!  He is the anchor on the highest rated evening news cast on television!  The last thing he needs is advice from a woman who went to FIVE different colleges before finally emerging with a degree in journalism, only to work for a brief time as the weekend sports girl at KTUU in Anchorage.  I mean when THIS is the example of your journalistic experience you do not have the right to judge ANYBODY on how well they conduct an interview! You ignorant, ignorant woman.

And the REASON that Brian Williams "let him get away with that kind of false accusation" is because there is NOTHING false about it!  And you damn well know it!

Maybe the next time you want to judge somebody for their performance you should pick something you actually know how to do. like play the victim, or take credit for other people's hard work, or convince uneducated people to donate their money and then use it to buy stuff for yourself, or raise a house full of dysfunctional children and lie to everybody about what saints they all are, or blame every stupid thing you say on the media.  You know, things like that.

Or, here's an idea, you could just SHUT THE FUCK UP!

Betwixt the Music: Jewel and Sarah Palin

Betwixt The Music: Jewel & Sarah Palin from Jewel

Well folks, it's official. Bristol Palin has finally reached the highest pinnacle of success ever achieved for having a baby out of wedlock.

From The New York Times:

The female contestants are Audrina Patridge of MTV’s “The Hills”; Brandy, the R&B singer and actress; Bristol Palin, daughter of the former Alaska governor Sarah Palin; Florence Henderson of “The Brady Bunch”; Jennifer Grey of “Dirty Dancing”; and the comedian Margaret Cho.

The male challengers are the musical crooner Michael Bolton; Mike Sorrentino, better known as the Situation of MTV’s “Jersey Shore”; David Hasselhoff of “Knight Rider” and “Baywatch”; Kurt Warner, the former N.F.L. quarterback and Super Bowl MVP; Kyle Massey of the Disney Channel comedy “That’s So Raven”; and Rick Fox, the former Los Angeles Lakers small forward.

Look at that lineup of legitimate stars, pseudo stars, reality stars, and people who probably once gazed at the stars.

Some can sing, some can act, some can play sports, some can tell jokes, some are simply interesting personalities, and one is famous for being the daughter of a failed politician who once faked a pregnancy.

Do you hear that scraping sound?  There won't be a bottom left in that barrel after this.

Glenn Beck admits to wearing bulletproof vest during his own rally. What a pansy ass!

(Bulletproof vest comment at the 1:10 mark)
Did anybody else throw up in their mouth a little when he was waxing philosophic about Sarah Palin?


At least Beck's wife is intelligent enough to see that the monster he is creating is dangerous and may soon be completely out of his control.

Of course I am still not sure why Glenn listened to his wife, since God himself had anointed the event as evidenced by a fly over by a flock of geese.  At least according to the possibly insane Beck.



You know God anoints my house several times every fall, and again every spring in Alaska. And sometimes I get an extra special anointing of ACTUAL goose poop! 

I bet Glenn Beck is simply seething with jealousy over that!

Libertarian Party unanimously votes to say "Thanks, but no thanks" to the idea of Lisa Murkowski running as their candidate.

From the Libertarian Republican blog:

The Executive Committee of the Alaska Libertarian Party held an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss the contested primary results in the Republican Senate primary. All 5 board members met in an undisclosed location in northeast Anchorage to hammer out a decision as to how to move forward.

Friends of Lisa Murkowski approached the ALP early Wednesday morning immediately after the Tuesday primaries, feeling out if there was any possibility that the Senator could appear on the Libertarian line for the fall election, as a third party candidate. Other supporters of the Senator, including at least two longstanding members of the Libertarian Party, also called to lobby ALP Chair Scott Kohlhaas to keep an "open mind," on the issue.

Kohlhaas was immediately innundated with Alaska and national media over the matter.

On Sunday morning, over coffee and donuts, the ExComm voted unanimously, 5 to 0 to deny the Senator the ballot line. There was no malice intended. ALP Chair Kohlhaas has repeatedly stated that she is a nice lady, and the ALP was flattered by the offer.

So it seems the die is cast.  If the votes that Murkowski needs to win this nomination do not materialize during the recount of the 23,472 ballots that are yet to counted then her Senatorial career is essentially over.

Which means that election comes down to a contest between the deeply flawed, wingnutty "Joe the Teabagger" and the little known Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams. Right now Miller is getting tons of both local and national media attention, while McAdams is receiving relatively little.  However if Miller continues to make statements like THIS the extra scrutiny might be his downfall.

It is very clear that the absolute WORST choice that Alaskans could make would be to send this idiot to represent our state in Washington.  He has NO idea how the Senate works, NO idea how to meet the needs of Alaskans, and NO hope of ever being re-elected after he fails the voters miserably during his first term.

Not that anybody should be surprised at his ignorance or lack of talent, I mean he WAS endorsed by Sarah Palin after all!

The seeds of hate have taken root as anti-Islamic furor spreads from Ground Zero to the Bible Belt.

From CNN:

A fire at the future site of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is under investigation but "you can reasonably make the assumption" that it was arson, an FBI spokesman told CNN Sunday.

"The evidence is being analyzed to see what the origin of the fire was," Keith Moses, an assistant special agent with the FBI in Nashville, told CNN Sunday. "We have to follow the facts."

The fire, which struck early Saturday morning at the future site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, is under investigation by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office.

The fire consumed an earth mover and damaged three other vehicles, according to Camie Ayash, a spokesperson for the mosque. Ayash said that the Mufreesboro Fire Department told her that the vehicles had been doused with an accelerant.

In July, several hundred opponents of the mosque staged a march against the project. Some objected to Islam itself, carrying signs like "MOSQUE LEADERS SUPPORT KILLING CONVERTS," while others opposed the project for environmental reasons.


Last month, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey publicly criticized the project. "You could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, a cult, whatever you want to call it," Ramsey, then a candidate for Tennessee governor, said at a rally.

It is really not surprising that the hateful rhetoric of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrtich, Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News have found a receptive audience eager to act out to protect their religion from what they perceive as an attack by "Islamofascists."

How much longer before they find a Muslim hanging from a tree, or flaming crosses in Islamic family yards, or bombs going off in mosques killing THEIR little children? We have seen this  movie before and we know how sadly it ends.

The only way to successfully deal with this growing problem would be for local Christian leaders to stand up to this hate speech and tell their congregations to embrace the people of Islam and to resist the urge to engage in religious warfare. But really what chance is their of THAT happening in places like Tennessee and other parts of the Bible Belt?

Sadly there is little our President can do at this point to interfere on the American Muslim's behalf because Fox News has managed to successfully paint him as either a Muslim himself, or an Islamic terrorist sympathizer. If President Obama were ever forced to federalize the National Guard, as Eisenhower did to protect the Little Rock 9, it would be seen as an act of war and a call to arms for every racist, every teabagger, and every Fox News watcher in the bible belt to start a religious/race war all across this country.

I am sad to say that I predict that this is only the beginning, and that we are going to see a lot more incidences just like this one in the next two years before the 2012 elections. I cannot even begin to predict what happens afterward, but I guess that has a lot to do with which party emerges victorious.

Another edition of the Immoral Minority's "I wish I had said that!"

This comes to us from a brilliant take down of that ridiculous rally of "Beckerheads" by Wonkette:

And here is their Idol, a hunchbacked fishmouthed monstrosity who will burst out of the hell-depths whenever anybody baits a hook with $100,000.

God that is good!  I have read it a half dozen times, and it STILL makes me laugh out loud!

P.S. And just for fun here is a link to a site that features the BEST anti-Glenn Beck signs.

Joe McGinniss is a guest on "Moore up North".

Part One.



Part Two



Part Three



Part Four

Is CNN even trying anymore?

I mean seriously!

What office did she run for?  How does she spell her name? What cable news channel is rated number three out of three?

Sarah Palin accidentally defends the wrong "Beck",

Apparently Sarah Palin was so incensed that the media were eviscerating Glenn Beck over his rally of hypocrisy that she fired off a tweet:

Silly media reports“maybe thousands”@Beck’s "irrelevant" event;insinuating MSM sheeple mustn't believe their own eyes&ears re: event's truth
about 8 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Strangely enough in her haste to defend her pudgy crybaby buddy, Palin inadvertently sent them, not to Glenn Beck's Twitter page, but to the page of Beck the famous and much more successful musician and singer.

Like I said we can DEFINITELY tell when Sarah sends her own tweets.

Too bad it was a mistake because I also feel that Beck the singer often gets a raw deal by the "lamestream" media.  I thought for one stomach churning moment that perhaps Palin and I had finally agreed on something.

Glenn Beck is so fearful of the Teabagger crowds that HE helped to create that he wore a bullet proof vest to his OWN rally yesterday.

Here is what Poiliticususa had to say about this:

Glenn Beck is so paranoid that he could not face his own fans without wearing a bulletproof vest. This fact not only speaks volumes about Beck, but also the mental stability of his fans. Ironically enough, Beck claimed that he is not a fear monger.

I want the next person who interviews Glenn Beck to ask him just WHAT he was so afraid of at his own rally?

By the way speaking of Beck having to answer uncomfortable questions check out this impromptu interview that he gave on the air to Joe Maddison which clearly demonstrates that he had NO right to even talk about Martin Luther King Jr., much less attempt to replace him as a modern day advocate for civil rights. 

The man has NO idea what he is talking about.  Not that I am at all surprised by that.

Somebody finally summed up Sarah Palin perfectly with a t-shirt.

If that is not the strangest combination of words to describe a person I don't know what is.

I would LOVE to ask the people who purchased this shirt what it says to them.

Because for me it creates this odd image of Sarah Palin and Jesus...hunting babies....with a gun.....from a helicopter.

The Daily Beast makes a fairly obvious observation about Glenn Beck's rally of hypocrisy that many others missed.

I have spent much of the morning wandering the internet looking for different perspectives on that ostentatious Glenn Beck rally yesterday, and have been a little disappointed with much of the coverage.

But then I ran across the Jon Avlon's piece over at the Daily Beast:

The Rev. Glenn Beck staged a religious revival on the National Mall in Washington yesterday.

His “Restoring Honor” rally sidestepped politics, instead offering a tribute to the troops and calls for a new Great Awakening, proclaiming “We’ve got to go to God Bootcamp,” to the applause of hundreds of thousand of followers.

But the most striking thing about Beck’s heartfelt evangelism was its hypocrisy.

“We’re dividing ourselves,” Beck lamented. “There is growing hatred in the country. We must be better than what we’ve allowed ourselves to become. We must get the poison of hatred out of us, no matter what smears or lies are thrown our way… we must look to God and look to love. We must defend those we disagree with.”

It made me wonder if Glenn Beck has ever watched the Glenn Beck show.

The man offers a daily drumbeat of division for a living, earning $32 million last year selling his paranoid snake oil. It’s almost impossible to keep up with Beck’s serial fearmongering, though a stroll through Media Matters will give an authoritative sampling. Just a few of his greatest hits include:

• “We are a country that is headed toward socialism, totalitarianism, beyond your wildest imagination.”
• “There is a coup going on. There is a stealing of America… done through the guise of an election.”
• “The president is a Marxist... who is setting up a class system.”
• “The government is a heroin pusher using smiley-faced fascism to grow the nanny state."
• “The health-care bill is reparations. It's the beginning of reparations."
• And of course, speaking of President Obama, “I believe this guy is a racist” with “a deep-seated hatred of white people.”

You can’t profit from fear and division all week and then denounce them one Saturday on the National Mall in Washington and hope nobody notices.

EXACTLY!  That is probably the most important point to take from this unbelievable bullshit.  Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and Fox News CREATED this fear and distrust for a profit, and are now attempting to profit by appearing to be the voice of reason.

It is like the insurance scammer who sets your house on fire in the middle of the night, and then arrives the next morning to sell you insurance as protection just in case it happens again.

Let's lighten the mood this Sunday morning with this comedian's VERY humorous take on morality vs homosexuality.

"Beckstock" turns out to a be a bizarre combination of religious revival, hostile corporate takeover of civil rights, and massive mental breakdown over having a black man in the White House.

Here is a portion of Sarah Palin's extremely defensive speech at this gathering of wingnuts.



(Here is a short transcript from the above video that I found especially bizarre.)

It is so humbling to get to be here today......patriots. You who are motivated, and engaged, and concerned. Knowing...to...never...retreat.

I must assume....(pause for smattering of applause), I must assume that you to knowing that, no we must not fundamentally transform America as some would want.  We must restore America and restore her honor!

Now I have been asked to speak today, not as a politician (Yeah right!), no something more, something MUCH more, I have been asked to speak as the mother of a SOLDIER! And I am proud of that distinction!

You know say what you want to say about me, but I raised a combat vet and you can't take that away from me!

Proud of that distinction but it is not one that I had imagined because...no woman gives birth thinking that she will hand over her child to her country, but that is what mothers have done from ancient days. (I guess military service beat prison for vandalism in ancient tiimes as well. Who knew?)

Even though Glenn Beck swore that this rally would NOT be political it will come as no surprise at all that he was completely full of shit.

Beck had appealed to those attending not to bring signs with them. But Mike Cash, a 56-year-old Atlanta businessman, found a way around that. Over his polo shirt, he wore a T-shirt that read "Treat Obama like a used tea bag, toss him out now!"

"I wouldn't have missed it (the rally) for anything," said Cash, who drove up with his family. "We are here kind of protesting about our government, too. I'm a businessman and I'm worried about taxes going up."

Many in the crowd watched the proceedings on large television screens. On the edges of the Mall, vendors sold "Don't Tread on Me" flags, popular with tea party activists. Other activists distributed fliers urging voters "dump Obama." The pamphlet included a picture of the president with a Hitler-style mustache.

The Washington Post also noticed the hypocrisy, as well as the poorly veiled message sent by having Sarah Palin give her speech in front of the disenchanted Teabaggers:

Beck's gathering was a non-political rally with strong political overtones, as the choice of Sarah Palin as the featured speaker testified. If Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) embody the party's establishment leadership, Palin is now the de facto leader of the non-establishment wing, and she is wreaking havoc within her party.

Palin's speech Saturday was heavy on patriotism and tributes to military heroes, but it contained one clear dig at the president when she said that what the country needs is restoring, not transforming. But her presence in the capital was more than a challenge to the Democrats; it also was a reminder to her party's congressional leadership that she and her grass-roots followers will be watching them closely and holding them to account.

One of the things that struck me about this gathering was how many African Americans appeared on stage, singing gospel songs and providing religious messages, and how very, very few of them were present in the audience that came to listen.  It felt very much like Glenn Beck had quickly made sure to get as many black faces for the cameras as he could, knowing full well that the majority of the people attending would be middle aged white Americans who were there, not to see the black faces on stage, but rather in opposition to the black face that peered out at them from behind the Presidential podium.

On the one hand they made so many references to Martin Luther King Jr, that you would have thought it was a gathering of the NAACP, but then on the other would quickly bemoan the horrible state of the country now that Martin Luther King Jr's greatest hope had been achieved.  It was almost as if the entire gathering were schizophrenic by its very nature.

Glenn Beck promised some amazing revelation were to occur during this rally, but the only revelation I observed was how easily duped a certain segment of this country's population are by patriotic music, ostentatious imagery, and blatant hypocrisy. Of course if they were not so easily manipulated they would not be watchers of Fox News now would they?

Off to the Fair!

Well my daughter arrived late last night, finally, and immediately upended my world. So clearly nothing has changed.

She told me about her trip from hell (which would make a GREAT blog post by the way), and immediately made herself at home.

Right now we are headed out to make a few stops before making the drive to Palmer and the state fairgrounds, and then I will be indulging in artery clogging foods, and dizzying carnival rides, until my money is all spent.  Sounds like fun.

I will be checking my comments via my I-Phone so you all can treat this as an open thread and I will make sure that your comments are approved.

I have watched a little of Glenn Beck's very confusing "Restoring Honor" rally and have no idea what to make of it right now.  If you have information to share on that topic, or any others, please feel free to post them.

Have a great afternoon.  I know I will.

Namaste my friends.

Newly minted family values Senate candidate, Joe Miller, "rear ends" fellow Alaskan.

From the ADN:

Troopers report no injuries in a three-vehicle accident involving Senate candidate Joe Miller early this morning.

Location: Fairbanks

Motor vehicle collision- damage

On 8/27/2010 at 0735 hours, Alaska State Troopers responded to a three car motor vehicle collision on Geist near Wilcox. Mark Alan Lewis, age 49 of Fairbanks, was rear ended by James Gregory Raisis, age 58 of Denali Park as he was stopped in the middle turn lane to turn left into Hutchinson high school. Prior to Raisis rear-ending Lewis, Raisis was rear ended by Joseph Wayne Miller, age 43 of Fairbanks. All drivers utilized their seatbelts and no one injured. All three vehicles sustained heavy damage.

“It was three cars,” Peters told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. “Two of them, they just weren’t paying attention and rear-ended each other.

So there were THREE cars involved.  Joe Miller's car seems to have been the first one to have made impact by hitting Lewis Raisis. And TWO of the drivers were not paying attention.  So clearly Joe Miller would have to be one of the two NOT paying attention since his vehicle was the first to make impact with the vehicle in front of him right?

Well no, not according to what a Joe Miller spokesperson told the Newsminer:

A Miller campaign spokesman said that Miller, an attorney, was not one of the drivers at fault.

“We spoke about it briefly,” DeSoto said. “He said that he did some damage to his truck. I think he’s a little sore. We didn’t get a chance to talk about it a lot. From what Joe told me, it wasn’t his fault.”

WTF?  So let me see if I have this right. 

Joe Miller's vehicle was the first one to hit another vehicle in this three car accident. 

But HE was not at fault. 

Yet two of the drivers involved  "just weren't  paying attention."

But HE, Joe Miller, was not at fault. 

Yet his vehicle was the first to hit the vehicle in front of him.

But Joe Miller, the driver of first vehicle to strike another vehicle, was NOT at fault.

I see.

I think I understand why Sarah Palin likes this guy.  He simply cannot take responsibility for his actions either.

First he denies sending this tweet from his Twitter account, and now he claims that he did not pummel the rear end of a fellow Alaskan on a road in Fairbanks. Interesting.

P.S. By the way speaking of the similarities between Joe Miller and Sarah Palin, if you check his Twitter account you will see that virtually every single tweet was sent from "tweetdeck", including the one that possibly referred to Lisa Murkowski as a whore.  All of them that is except the one claiming that the offending tweet was sent by a staff person and not Joe Miller.  THAT one was sent from the web.

Hmm makes me wonder if perhaps Sister Sarah does not have RAM working overtime doing damage control for both she and her pet senatorial candidate.  First Van Flein, and now possibly RAM, is there really any doubt that Sarah Palin owns this moron's ass?

Here is a very funny video that features a bright little boy who should make a great politician some day.

Such a busy day today I almost forgot to post this great Daily Show clip of Jon Stewart eviscerating Glenn Beck.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
I Have a Scheme
www.thedailyshow.com
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Joe Miller refers to Lisa Murkowski as a whore! Boy that Sarah Palin sure can pick'em! Update!

(H/T to Mudflats)

Holy crap!  The guy does not even have the nomination yet, and he is already starting to self destruct!

Apparently Miller took this down fairly soon after he impulsively tweeted it out to the world (What is it with the Palin people and their tweets anyhow?), however there are fast, internet savvy, people out there and his colossal screw up is now preserved for all to see.

Now perhaps Joe the Teabagger is NOT aware of this but Lisa Murkowski is pretty damn popular in Alaska, and even MORE popular among the Republicans that he needs to support his candidacy.

Or does he really think that all he needs to win is a couple of supportive Facebook posts and an encouraging smack on the ass from Sarah Palin?

All I can say is I do not have NEARLY enough popcorn for this circus!

P.S. By the way THIS is where that tiny url of Miller's was linking to. I am guessing he is almost as thin skinned as his benefactor Sister Sarah.

Update: Lisa is not buying that whole, "I was talking about the Libertarian party!", defense.

More talk of Lisa Murkowski running as a third party candidate, and more evidence that Joe Miller is surrogate for Sarah Palin.

(Picture borrowed from Progressive Alaska. Thanks Phil!)

The Alaskan Republicans are in a sort of frenzy right now trying to decide how best to deal with the fact that Palin endorsed upstart Joe Miller is currently leading Lisa Murkowski three days after the election.

So even though there are still over 20,000 ballots left to be counted, Andrew Halcro, Alaskan conservative blogger and Murkowski supporter, is looking into the possibility of a run  as a Libertarian if things don't go Lisa's way.

According to the Daily Beast:

The Daily Beast has learned exclusively that an individual independent of Lisa Murkowski’s campaign has commissioned a poll to see how she would fare if she ran as a third-party candidate under the Libertarian Party.

The poll is being commissioned by Andrew Halcro, a former Republican state legislator, Murkowski supporter, and Sarah Palin critic.

“I think [Murkowski’s] got to get out there because I think in a wider open field with a weak Democratic candidate and the other choice being Joe [Miller] on the extreme, I think Lisa has a shot and she has money in the bank and she has name-recognition,” Halcro said.

Okay personally I think that with 20,000 votes still left uncounted, and the GOP essentially still running the political machine up here in Alaska, that Murkowski still has a pretty good shot of coming out of this with the nomination. 

However if she does lose, and Joe the Teabagger is the nominee, than I cannot think of anything more entertaining than having this become a three way race.  I am not clairvoyant enough to determine if that helps or hurts the Democratic candidate Scott McAdams, but I KNOW it would destroy Miller's chances of winning this seat.

By the way did you catch this little tidbit form the Daily Beast report?

But the race is getting nasty. According to documentation received by The Daily Beast, Joe Miller’s legal counsel, Thomas Van Flein, has filed a formal protest with the Alaska Division of Elections against a Murkowski campaign absentee-ballot observer.

Thomas van Flein? Sarah and Bristol Palin's Thomas Van Flein?  Holy crap! Sister Sarah is in this thing up to her armpits!

I think it is clearer than ever that essentially Joe the Teabagger is a surrogate for Caribou Barbie, and that a win for him is actually a win for Sarah Palin. And I don't mean just a win because she endorsed him and it would increase her political gravitas, but an actual win meaning that he would represent her and her interests in the Senate.  Despite what he might say Miller would not be a representative for Alaskans, or even the Republicans, but instead a representative for Sarah Palin and the puppet masters in the shadows pulling her strings.

Hell, no wonder the GOP in Alaska is running around like chickens with their heads cut off!

Levi on the Early Show this morning.

No Levi running for mayor of Wasilla is not just about who people love most.  You have to be able to do the DAMN job!

I think he needs to undergo an exorcism to get the spirit of Sarah Palin out of his body. "Begone demon! By the spirit of rational thinking I eject you from this poor ignorant boy's body!"

That was just painful to watch.

The daughter has landed! I repeat, the daughter has landed!

Late last night I finally got a text from my angel, after TWO DAYS of no contact, telling that she was in Alaska and had finally received cell phone service again.

She has arrived safely in Tok, Alaska, and after getting a little rest will be headed down to Anchorage.  So I guess I can finally breathe now.

Thank you for all of your kind thoughts and positive energy.

Tomorrow I am going to load up my car and drive us all to the Alaska State Fair for some Gryphen style family bonding, some truly horrific deep fat fried foods, and some carnival ride induced nausea.  If you happen to be there as well I will be the one with the huge smile on my face and the empty wallet.

Namaste my friends.  It is going to be a GREAT weekend!

(The picture shows the light of my life in 1990 when she was the tiny blond haired little angel that my heart still sees today.)

The AFL-CIO President has somethng to say about Sarah Palin, and I don't think she is going to like it very much. Update!

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka gave a speech last night at the Biennial Convention in Anchorage.

He discussed the goals of the unions, the recent recession, the Obama administration, and then he got around to Sarah Palin.

Courtesy of  CNN:

What is this crazy magnet that’s pulling people to the right? I mean, look at your former governor….

Who is she, anyway?

Sarah Palin?

She used to have a job, your governor…. You knew her…. Or thought you did…. I know I thought I did. She seemed like a decent person, an outdoorswoman. Her husband’s a steelworker. She seemed to take some OK stands for working families.

And then things got weird. After she tied herself to John McCain and they lost, she blew off Alaska. I guess she figured she’d trade up…shoot for a national stage. Alaska was too far from the FOX TV spotlight.

I bet most of you, on a clear day, can see her hypocrisy from your house.

I think Sarah Palin quit so she wouldn’t have to be accountable… so she wouldn’t have a record that could be scrutinized…

Instead, she’s hanging out on cable TV, almost a parody of herself, coming out with conspiracy theories about Obama and his “death panels….” Talking about “the real America.” Talking about building schools in “our neighboring country of Afghanistan.” Writing speech notes to herself on her hands.

Sometimes – about Sarah Palin – you just have to laugh…. But it’s not really funny. In this charged political environment, her kind of talk gets dangerous. “Don’t retreat… reload” may seem clever, the kind of bull you hear all the time, but put it in context. She’s using crosshairs to illustrate targeted legislators. She’s on the wrong side of the line there. She’s getting close to calling for violence. And some of her fans take that stuff seriously. We’ve got legislators in America who have been living with death threats since the health care votes.

And down in Tyler, Texas, she’s talking about—and I quote— “union thugs.” What? Her husband’s a union man. Is she calling him a thug? Sarah Palin ought to know what union men and women are.

Oh, she goes to great pains to talk differently about unions and the working people who belong to them, knowing full well we’re one and the same.

But using the term “union thug.” That’s poisonous. There’s history behind that rhetoric. That’s how bosses and politicians in decades past justified the terrorizing of workers, the murdering of organizers….

To me, it just doesn’t seem OK to go where she’s going…. It sits wrong with me…. The Mama Grizzlies, Sarah Palin says, just sense when something’s not right. Well… I wonder if those Mama Grizzlies can sense something’s just not right with her.

Quite frankly, America works because lots of people contribute lots of ideas—that’s good—even when some of them are just plain wrong. But people need to come to the table in good faith. That’s not Sarah Palin. She’ll go down in history like McCarthy. Palinism will become an ugly word.

Who is this woman, anyway? What happened to her?

Wow! 

Well you know there is not really much I could add to that. Mr. Trumka did an excellent job of calling Sister Sarah out on her bullshit, and I hope that leaders in our communities continue to do exactly that.

Did I say "Wow" yet?

Update;  You knew it was coming.  Ram has fired up her computer. Put on her Sarah Palin wig and signature eyeglasses. And fired off a venom filled mean girl response.

I’m not sure why he’s attacking my record when I’m not the one responsible for the policies resulting in continued mass unemployment and a weak economy (that would be the man in the large white house on Pennsylvania Avenue). Among my “crimes,” the union boss cited the fact that I sometimes write notes on my hand (guilty as charged!); that I appear on cable television every once in a while to comment on the news (it’s called the First Amendment, Rich); and that my commonsense conservatism makes him laugh. Well, I guess that’s better than the failed leftwing big government policies of “his friend” Barack Obama, which makes the rest of us cry.

By "the rest of us" I am guessing she means the Republicans who are losing their minds while watching President Obama get more work done in less than two years than most presidents get done in two terms.

You should read the whole rant.  I really believe that RAM is the one who handles ALL of Palin's emotional overflow these days, and she sounds almost schizophrenic.  Of course considering that she is posing as a completely different person on Facebook I guess that is an obvious diagnosis, don'tcha know.

Here's a comic for the last post of the day. Both funny as well as completely accurate.

Sarah Palin takes her victory lap on Fox Business channel.

Palin's remarks about Alaskans "waking up" and wanting smaller government are a clear indication that she has NO idea how our small state was able to build our infrastructure and provide safe roads and airports for its citizens.  The fact that she was elected Governor of this state is going to confound historians for generations to come. She knows NOTHING about how Alaska has manged to survive and thrive in the 50 years of its existence.

When she brings up Senators "going along to get along" or adopting a "herd mentality" essentially she is saying that when they cooperate to get legislation passed, and hopefully get construction projects okayed and  for their state, that they should then be "fired" and that somebody else should be hired it shows an incredible lack of understanding as to how the Senate works.  If she is suggesting that Joe Miller will sit in the Senate for his entire term, refusing to cooperate, and essentially playing with his dick for six years, than I have little doubt that Alaskans will quickly fire HIM when his term is up and hire somebody who understands the damn job!

And THEN unbelievably she goes on to condemn Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, a man she once giddily endorsed, for actually understanding how to do the job he was elected to do!

That woman...is an idiot!

Update:  I almost forgot to add that little miss anti-big government took 27 million dollars in federal money when she was the mayor of Wasilla, a town of only 6,700 residents at the time. Fifteen million of that was for a rail project to connect Wasilla to Girdwood.  A project by the way that NEVER GOT PAST THE PLANNING STAGE!  Yet that money seems to have simply disappeared, and is, as far as I know, still unaccounted for.

Yes she is definitely an idiot, but she is also a crook and a hypocrite!

Glenn Beck is NOT Martin Luther King Jr!

On August 28th, I will stand with Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a just, diverse and equal society. I do not stand with Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin and their attempt to destroy and distort King’s vision.

You can sign a petition agreeing with the above statement by clicking here.

"Dancing with the Stars" needs to change their name to "Dancing with the MOST untalented people we could find!"

Okay so the blogosphere is all a twitter over the news that Bristol Palin will milk even more out of her fifteen minutes of reflected fame by appearing on the ironically named "Dancing with the Stars."

So far this is unofficial and the official announcement will not be until August 30th (Can't you just feel the excitement?)

According to sources for E Online the other untalented media whores, desperate for attention, to appear this season will be Brandy, Audrina Partridge,  the "Hoff", the "Situation", and of course our very own, "The Bristle." 

Sadly rumors of Kirstie Alley joining the show have proven false, so there is literally nobody left in the cast who may prove to have less talent than Bristol.  But hey, if she has learned nothing else from her mother it is that a paycheck is a paycheck no matter how much you have to humiliate yourself to earn it.

So obviously the question that all of you must be thinking is "How can Bristol appear on DWTS if she is preggers?"  And the answer is, "She can't!"  So despite numerous e-mails and comments I have received, and what we all though we saw in the US Weekly spread and the above photograph, it appears that Bristol is not pregnant.  At least not now. 

I had already pretty much reached that conclusion myself when Dennis Zaki and Mercede both assured me that the girl in this famous video with Sarah in Homer was indeed Bristol, and not Willow as I, and many others, had thought.

As you can imagine there are plenty of rumors swirling around about whether or not Bristol was ever pregnant, and if she was what happened to the baby, but I certainly do not have any definitive information on the topic, so all I can say is that there were a WHOLE lot of people that were absolutely convinced that she was "with child" and leave it at that.

And of course if Bristol IS going to make this appearance on DWTS how does THAT coincide with her plans, as stated on Facebook, of taking Tripp and going traveling for a couple of months?  And if she is going to be too busy to properly care for little Tripp while filming this program does that mean that Levi gets more time with him?  Or is she selfishly going to drag him along with her and have a nanny watch him while she rehearses for her big moment network television debut?

So, so many questions still left unanswered.

Update: Popeater has a little bit more to add:

Although she has never danced before, Palin is looking forward to living in LA while the show tapes and is bringing her son, Tripp, with her, sources at ABC tell PopEater's Naughty But Nice Rob. Her proud mama plans to be sitting in the front row cheering her daughter on

So it looks like Bristol will continue to deny Levi access to his son, even though he now supposedly has a custody agreement, and that Sister Sarah is going to make sure to get a little camera time by sitting in the front row as well. At this point how does ANYBODY take this woman seriously as a potential future President?

Hey Alaskans! Tonight is YOUR opportunity to thank Joe McGinniss for driving Sarah Palin just a little bit crazier during his book signing at Metro Books in Anchorage. You don't want to miss it!

Tonight at 6:30, Joe McGinniss will be giving a talk and signing copies of his newly reissued book "Going to Extremes"at Metro Music and Books at 530 E. Bensen blvd, in Anchorage.

If you have not had a chance to meet Joe and thank him for bravely standing his ground against Sarah Palin and her horde of Palin-bots this is your chance.

Oh and you can also purchase a pretty incredible book about our wonderful state as well, AND get it autographed by the author.  Not a bad deal I am sure you will agree.

And who knows, you might just see an Alaskan blogger or two in line to get THEIR books autographed as well.

Understanding the Tea Party phenomenon.

Democracy Corps conducted an analysis of the teabaggers and some of what they learned was expected, but some was not.

While many of the Tea Party supporters are also frustrated with the Republican Party of TARP bailouts, that does not alter the character of the movement:

• 86 percent of Tea Party supporters and activists identify with or lean to the Republican Party.
• 79 percent identify as conservatives.
• They are among the most pro-big business segments of the electorate: 54 percent rate it warmly and 20 percent coolly.
• The Tea Party movement is not particularly blue collar. Tea Party supporters are slightly less likely to be college-graduates than the likely electorate (41 percent, versus 45 percent), and the activists more so (48 percent). And 85 percent of the supporters are white.
• Only 5 percent report having voted for Obama in 2008.

More features of this somewhat monolithic, unsophisticated group are as follows:

• They are fired up – 94 percent of the supporters say they are almost certain to vote.
• They share a great disdain for President Obama, with over 92 percent disapproving of Obama’s performance, and 89 percent strongly. Only 6 percent think Obama ‘shares their values.’
• They share a coherent, anti-government, conservative ideology that wants small government, little spending and returning the country to the Constitution.
• They are united against “Obama’s Socialist Agenda” – that puts the country gravely at risk.
• They deeply identify with Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the NRA – which share their worldview – re-enforced by the echo-chamber of Fox News, their main source of news.
• They are gaining energy from the prospect that they can stop Obama in this year’s election, save the party from fake conservatives and use the Republican Party to save the Constitution.

Other indications of their intellectual laziness and weakness for snake oil salesmen is their adoration of Glenn Beck who they consider, get this, an "educator":

I like the way he’s trying to get back to the basics of the Constitution of the United States because I think that’s where our government is losing focus. They’re trying to change the Constitution or somehow twist it…

He brings out facts… And he actually shows the people saying the things. It’s not like just sound bites. It’s not chopped and really edited. And he is scary because every time I watch the show, which is pretty much every day, my heart feels…and I feel like I want to do something.

He really does his research and he really lays it out to you well; a good professor.

I don't think we have to look much farther than Fox News and Glenn Beck's ridiculous program to understand just how these people became so incredibly misinformed about the Obama administration and the history of this nation.

The one bright spot in this analysis seems to be that even though thses people appear to be woefully ignorant and easily duped they STILL recognize that Sarah Palin is not equipped to be President.

I mean, I don’t mind her. I think she was, you know, okay. I mean, I don’t think she was right for the job certainly. I don’t think she was experienced enough but I didn’t mind her.

I sometimes a little bit wonder because she just seems to kind of just repeat herself with the same things. It just seems like if you see her last year and you see her three months ago, she’s saying the same things. I’m certainly supportive of her, but I guess I’m a little disappointed that she seems so stagnated.

I kind of equate her on the same parallel as Bush; a likable person, kind of out of her element when it comes to the big league, not well informed but a very likable person.

I think she’s genuine, but I don’t think she’s educated enough. I don’t think she’s savvy enough and I don’t think she knows enough actually to, you know, let’s put it this way there’s no way that she’s going to go anywhere. I mean, it’s just, I don’t see it. I don’t see it happening. I don’t see her becoming another one that’s going to be electable.

Hmm interesting.  I guess even Fox News cannot dumb down their viewers enough for them to actually elect somebody as completely unqualified as Sarah Palin to run the country. Good to know.

In fact, according to Wonkette, some Team Sarah members are becoming worried that Fox News has turned on their preening political princess:

Team Sarah knows that the only place truth can possibly exist is in their teevee box, when it’s tuned to Fox News. But what happens when Fox News talks about Sarah Palin and it’s not in the religiously masturbatory way they do at Team Sarah? Is Fox News starting to HIDE the truth that Sarah Palin is your best friend and a national hero who speaks the word of God Himself?

I know that part of the many freedoms that we enjoy in this country is the freedom to choose WHERE we get out information, or in the case of Fox News misinformation, but wouldn't it be great if some of these whack jobs could be picked up in a white van, evaluated by a mental health professional, and then prescribed 72 hours of the Rachel Maddow show, just to clear the fog out of their tiny little pea brains?

Would THAT be so wrong? 

Of course I guess such an abrupt change from the information free atmosphere of Glenn Beck to the factually based world of Rachel Maddow might give their frontal lobe a kind of intellectual whiplash.

Countdown discusses the elections in Florida and Alaska and "refudiates" the idea that Lisa Murkowski might run as an independent.

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

Is Lisa Murkowski considering a run for the Senate as a third party candidate?

From the Daily Beast:

The ongoing battle for who won the Republican primary in the Alaska Senate race will come down to the absentee ballots, but in an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast, a source within the Murkowski campaign says they know of one possible legal option to pursue a third-party run. If Murkowski is not victorious when the absentee ballots are counted and decides to wage an Independent party bid, they might consider using this option, which the source wouldn't describe, but did confirm they were seriously looking at.

"We are going to take a look at them and see whether the option is there or not, but it's a decision she (Murkowski) has to make," the Murkowski camp source said. "There is an option I know of."

In a general election, Murkowski would be hard to beat. The camp said it would also be a message to their supporters who didn't bother going to the polls Tuesday.

"If she were to make that decision she would definitely be a strong candidate. She has a substantial amount of money left, and one would have to wonder whether or not last night's results are a wake-up call to less-motivated, moderate, middle-of-the-road voters who went home after work yesterday in the sunshine and thought it's not a big deal, she would win."

If Murkowski were to choose to run as an independent, probably as an AIP candidate like Wally Hickel, she would pretty much guarantee that Joe Miller would not win the election, and if Democrats turned out in large enough numbers it is somewhat doubtful she could beat Scott McAdams.  Of course considering my recent track record I would certainly not want to make any definitive predictions as to what the outcome of a three way race might be.

I met Scott McAdams just about two hours ago, and listened to his first press conference as a Democratic Senate candidate.  I found him to be intelligent, quick witted, and pretty well informed on the issues. I still have some reservations, but he is certainly not an Alvin Greene type.  He is the real deal and he has a very real resume of accomplishments and experience to run on.

By the way the rumor that the Democratic party is going to ask Scott McAdams to step aside and let ex-Governor Tony Knowles take his place, is just that, a rumor.  From what I learned today Tony is not interested and the rumor was started by somebody OUTSIDE of Alaska. And by the way that was, sadly, the very first question posed to Mayor McAdams during his first ever press conference as a senatorial candidate.  Not exactly a positive first note to start off what will likely be a very contentious campaign now is it?

P.S. by the way despite how the national media might frame this upset, literally every single person I have talked to here in Alaska have said they don't believe that Sarah Palin had ANYTHING to do with Miller's victory.  The lion's share of the credit seems to be going to the large Evangelical turnout in response to Ballot Measure 2.

Alaska's own Reverend Howard Bess puts the controversy over the Islamic Cultural Center in New York into frightening perspective.

From Consortium News:

There is a significant part of the American population (possibly as many as 20 percent), who believe that the United States has been chosen by God to be a special people led by Christians. Their vision is the United States leading the world under the banner of Christ.

One of the marks of Christian nationalism is that it identifies its enemies, and Muslims have been identified as the enemy that must be defeated.

Yet, Christians are very diverse as they always have been. Throughout history, there have been Christian peace lovers who cite Jesus’s teachings of loving one’s enemies and there have been militants who grab a sword with little provocation. Between these extremes, the varieties of Christians are endless.

The same is true of Muslims. Just as there is an ongoing struggle among Christians for the soul of the Faith, so also is there an ongoing struggle among Muslims for the soul of Islam. In recent decades, for a variety of geopolitical reasons, the militants of both faiths have become powerful.

In the past, when Christian militants and Muslim militants tangled, mighty battles have ensued. The Crusades, in which Christian armies invaded Muslim lands with the goal of claiming the Holy Lands, represent history’s most brutal example.

At present, the tensions between Christians and Muslims are heightened by world events. Trust is at a very low level. Emotions are high. A mosque and community center near Ground Zero has been cited by some Christians as an aggressive act by Muslims.

Of course the Reverend Bess is absolutely correct.  This is merely the newest chapter in the age old battle between the Christian fanatics and the Islamic fanatics played out in this brand new century, proving that regardless of how far we may evolve the anchor of fundamentalism will still connect many modern humans to their most primitive and deeply held feelings of religious hatred.

Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and their ilk are fanning the flames of hate on one side of the religious divide and the Islamic radicals are fanning the flames of hate on the other side.  But it will be the entire planet that is consumed by this religious inferno if cooler heads do not prevail.

The effects of this latest hate speech are already being felt in New York, as well as other places across this nation.

Jon Stewart and the Daily Show are on a roll!

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I don't now about you but hearing the "N-word" over and over again is very disturbing to me.  And yes I realize that is the point.

But I have to say, that was a BRILLIANT smackdown of Sarah Palin!

Unbelievable election night in Alaska. Update!

In total defiance of all local political wisdom Teabagger Joe Miller leads incumbent Lisa Murkowski by about three percentage points according to unofficial election results thus far.

Currently as I write this Joe Miller has 51.45% to Senator Murkowski's 48.55%, or 45,188 votes for Miller to 42,633 votes for Murkowski.  It is a squeaker to be sure, but the very fact that currently the numbers favor a man who has never held any elected office in this state against a woman with a well known record and famous family name is astonishing to say the least. (The numbers are now even closer with Miller holding onto his lead with 45,909 votes to Murkowski's 43,949 votes. Miller leads by the slimmest of margins with less than 2,000 votes placing him in front, and 16,000 absentee ballots yet to be counted.)

I know that the Palin-bots are going to want to give the lions share of the credit for Miller's success to Sarah for her endorsement, but I would definitely give far more credit to the bizarre mood among the Republicans in this country right now, and the anger on the right toward President Obama.  Lisa Murkowski has tried to show herself to be as fanatical as the teabaggers lately, but in reality she is an old school Alaskan Republican who essentially works for the energy companies.

If these percentages remain essentially the same, and Joe Miller remains the leader after a mandatory recount, the one thing it will do for certain is re-energize the Democrats in Alaska.

Personally I would not have given Sitka Mayor Scott MacAdams a snowball's chance in hell of beating Lisa Murkowski, but with Miller on the ticket it will be a much closer contest.  And I just have to say that the opportunity to put TWO Democrats in the Senate representing our state will be an extremely attractive opportunity for progressive Alaskans.

However this is the part where I feel I need to eat a little crow.  I ABSOLUTELY believed that Murkowski would crush Miller, and his little teabagging friends.  The idea of a political neophyte going up against a sitting Senator, backed largely by money from outside of Alaska, and then actually beating them for the nomination of their party seemed completely ridiculous. Alaskans rarely kick out incumbents unless they are convicted of corruption, and even then they are hesitant to do so.

But regardless of how this election turns out in the days and weeks ahead, clearly I was wrong about the support for Joe Miller in this state and the anger toward President Obama among the Alaska Republicans, as well as toward anybody who appears to be in agreement with any of his policy decisions.

All I can say is that if Miller emerges victorious the election in November just got a whole hell of a lot more interesting.

Update: Here is Politico's take on this race.

Update 2: It looks like I will have to save a portion of crow for Slate as well. They did not give Miller much of a chance either.

Let's take a trip in the wayback machine to a time when Sarah Palin, was still big haired little Sarah Heath perhaps one of the worst sportscasters in Alaska history.

Wow! Is there NO job that this woman can do with any competence?

If you listen close you can hear that she was dropping her "g's' even back in 1989. Just imagine how different our world might have been if she had just shown the tiniest inkling of talent as a sportscaster.

By the way, for you Alaska trivia fans, the woman who introduces her on camera is none other than Mark Begich's spokesperson Julie Hasquet.

Would you like to see Fox News playing on fewer television sets?

From the Color of Change.org:

When you sign the petition below, you use your power as a consumer to encourage businesses and other public places to become Fox Free.


Businesses know that every person who signs represents another customer or potential customer. Volunteers like you will approach establishments in neighborhoods across the country, and when they ask businesses to turn off Fox, they'll be acting on behalf of all of us who've signed the petition with them.

I signed the petition and I encourage all of you to do so as well.

I for one am beyond fed up with Fox News and their fear mongering, racism, and complete lack of journalistic integrity.  I absolutely hate to walk into a business and see Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, or Bill O'Reilly vomiting forth their garbage from the television screen. Perhaps this is the first step toward making our country a Fox News free zone within the next five years or so.

Did you all see this brilliant segment on the Daily Show last night?

Sooo awesome!

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WAKE UP ALASKA! IT'S ELECTION DAY!

Alright my fellow Alaskans it is time to wipe the sleep dust out of your eyes, slam back a pot of coffee or two, and exercise your constitutional right to help choose your next Republican/Democratic candidate for Senator/Governor/Lt. Governor today!  Can't you just FEEL the disappointing lack of excitement!

Okay so let's run down the list of the major and minor players in today's election day political dramedy.

In the running for Lt. Governor on the Republicans side are Mead Treadwell (Whose first name sounds like a frothy alcoholic beverage, so Alaskans should LOVE that!), Jay Ramras (Who got an early election day gift from APOC when they decided NOT to investigate his obvious violation of state election law until after the election), and rabid Palin-bot Eddie "Rascist" Burke who is running a distant, distant third.(Interestingly enough after being Sarah's major attack dog in Alaska for years Burke has received not one iota of support, or even acknowledgement, from his idol. Welcome to the undercarriage of the Palin bus Eddie!)

On the Democratic side we have the wonderful, and extremely qualified Diane Benson and....well who cares who else is running? Diane Benson in the only viable candidate in my mind. Go get'em Diane!

Next up is the Governor's race.  On the Republican side we have Bill Walker, Ralph Samuels, and Palin political bookmark Sean "The Phantom" Parnell. (Who was SO busy doing his very demanding job that he missed several recent debates, as well as a visit by President Obama last November, and the funeral of Senator Ted Stevens just last week.)

(Whoops! I stand corrected. Sean Parnell WAS at Ted Steven's funeral.  I apologize for that, I was relying on information sent to me by somebody who attended and did not double check.  I apologize to Governor Parnell for making that error.)

The Democrats have an embarrassment of riches as represented by Ethan Berkowitz and Hollis French.  In my humble opinion both of these gentlemen offer substantially better leadership than anything the Republicans have to offer, which makes the choice more about who can beat the Republican candidate in the general rather than who would do the best job as the Governor of our state.

I find both of them to be very intelligent and capable men, so you really cannot go wrong.  Berkowitz has better name recognition, while Hollis might be the more cerebral choice.

This brings us to the race that is getting the most national coverage.  Lisa "Daddy's girl" Murkowski VS Joe "Look, another antler!"  Miller.

Miller has been getting teabagged with hundreds of thousands of dollars from The Tea Party Express for months now, and Sarah "Ram" Palin has taken to Facebook to beg for money on his behalf as well, which means this guy is doomed!   Alaskans HATE for outside people to try and influence our elections, and LOVE to tell them to kiss our ass!  So today they will send a message to Joe Miller, Sarah "I quit, I quit, I quit!" Palin, and the outside agitators to KISS OUR ASS!

Lisa Murkowski is a far from perfect Senator, and I don't agree with hardly any of her choices, but dammit she is one of us!  And that still counts for something up here in the Last Frontier.

So get up, and get showered Alaskans!  We have a democracy to participate in today!

P.S. Don't forget to vote no on Ballot Measure 2 also. (And remember it is on the BACK of the ballot, so you have to flip it over.)

Mercede has a new post about the difficulty in caring for a mother under house arrest.

From Sadie's blog:

I cannot go out like a normal teenager and hang out with friends to watch movies, or play sports, or take in a late dinner, because I have to make sure I am in bed at a decent time every night just in case there is a UA scheduled early in the morning. There can be several UA’s each week as well as visits with mom’s parole officer, not to mention random visits at the house by her PO, and other appointments connected to her conviction. It often makes for a very busy and very chaotic week.

Apparently Mercede read my post from Sunday about her mother's drug testing and decided to explain exactly how intrusive the experience can be on her life, and also why it is virtually impossible for her to get a job or attend college right now.