Gryphen's Sarah Palin checklist. A work in progress.

When Sarah Palin burst on the scene as John McCain's VP candidate and started fanning the flames of racism against Barack Obama, as well as making incredibly dangerous and fraudulent claims against our future President, I made a mental list of priorities that I wanted to help accomplish. (By the way this list evolved over time and now includes subjects that I was not even aware were coming down the pike in 2008.)

1) Stop John McCain and Sarah Palin from making it to the White House.

2) Reveal the truth behind the fantasy that Sarah Palin is a good and effective Governor.

3) Get her out of office!

4) Reveal the pathetic and controversial truth about Sarah Palin's personal mythology.

5) Provide a platform for those who know truthful stories about Palin, yet are afraid to report them to the press.

6) Direct focus on Palin, and her family's, attempts to grift money from her ignorant supporters, and report on how frivolously she spends that money.

7) Help journalists, authors, documentary makers, and anybody willing to tell the truth about Sarah Palin, make contact with sources willing to tell of their experiences with the Grizzled Mama.

8) Reveal to the widest segment of the American public possible, one of the BIGGEST, and most egregious, hoaxes ever perpetrated on them by a politician in our country's history. Babygate!

9) Draw back the cloak of secrecy that shields those that supported, and used Sarah Palin for their own nefarious reasons, to reveal them to the American public.

10) Help to make sure that another potentially dangerous politician, like Sarah Palin, George Bush, or John Edwards never gets close to the White House again. (I only include Edwards because his adultery could have made him a very easy person to blackmail into supporting policies that could have done our country great harm.)

So let's see how I've done.

1) After her defeat I received a lot of heartfelt thanks from many of the visitors here.

But in my opinion it was mostly undeserved.

I did only a small part in getting the truth out about Sarah Palin, John McCain, and the Republican party.

Others like Katie Couric, Keith Olbermann, Charlie Gibson, and even Tine Fey deserve FAR more credit than I do.  Of course ultimately the real thanks should go to Sarah Palin herself for being such an incredibly unqualified, and gaffe prone candidate.

(Half-check mark for me.)

2) I helped to found the Alaskans for Truth, and used my blog and networking, to get the truth out about Troopergate, the per-diems she paid herself to stay in her own house, the free travel vouchers she got on behalf of family members, the cronyism that riddled her administration, etc., etc., etc., to my fellow Alaskans.

(Check mark!)

3) I don't actually know how much I helped to accomplish this, but she's out! (Check mark!)

4) I don't believe there are too many people who are now unaware that the idyllic life that the Palins paint for themselves is pure mooseshit. Check mark!

5) I helped Mercede start her blog, wrote posts containing information from anonymous sources about the Palins that they could not get published in other places, helped Shailey get her story out in the National Enquirer, on this blog, and later on her own blog, tried to help Levi get his book written two years ago when it would have made a huge impact, and have maintained a blogroll linking to blogs ("Sarah Palin's Least Favorite Blogs") that have done some truly ground breaking work on getting the truth out about Klondike Kardashian. (Check mark!)

6) From SarahPAC, to "Sarah Palin's Alaska", to Dancing with the Stars, and even to Palin's 2012 Political Prick Tease, I have tried to rake away the Palin bullshit to lay bare what is REALLY taking place as often as possible.

(Half check mark. I could have done better.)

7) I have provided support to Geoffrey Dunn, Nick Broomfield, Joe McGinniss,  as well as others, and I have helped them as much as I could to make contact with people living in Wasilla, and around Alaska, that have stories to tell about the REAL Sarah Palin. I have certainly not provided ALL of their sources, and in fact all of them have made very impressive contacts of their own, but I did what I could. Some truths remain unrevealed.

(Half check mark.)


8) Most of this work has taken place right here on this blog, or on one of the blogs in the IM blogroll, but with Joe's book we are finally seeing the bizarre story reaching a much larger audience, and hopefully with the release of Fred's book , a much larger audience still.

(Pending check mark I hope to give myself soon.)

9) The Koch brothers, Fox News, the Dominionists, and the Republican party have all had their hands up the back of Sarah Palins blouse working her like a ventriloquist dummy voicing on their behalf crazy inflammatory things like "death panels," or "palling around with terrorists.'" Or ginning up racial hatred toward Barack Obama or the Muslim community.  This is clearly a work in progress, but I believe that we have made some significant connections between Palin and her puppeteers that have caused them some serious blowback and have forced them to abandon her in order to move on to less controversial marionettes.  However now that we know how they operate we can remain vigilant and help to identify the NEXT empty vessel that they fill up with their rhetorical poison.

Looking at you Rick Perry!

(Half check mark.)

10) This has ALWAYS been my ultimate goal, even while I am recognizing the possible futility of ever making it a reality.

Sarah Palin was chosen to be McCain's VP for the most superficial reasons imaginable.  She was attractive, she had faked having a Down Syndrome child to cement her pro-life position, she had hacked various polls to make herself seem popular in Alaska, and she was considered a Christian.

And that my friends was the whole package.

The fact that this occurred should have sent an electric shock of realization to the American population that candidates for the most important political positions in our country were being selected by shadowy figures who have determined that we are so simple minded that we could be seduced by a horribly unqualified pretty face, trained to read talking points off of cue cards.

If this had worked, and it came much closer to working than I think most of us want to admit, it would have furthered a continuing change in the political realities of our country that could have proved devastating.

This change has been orchestrated by the Republican party and started with Ronald Reagan, an actor who played the President, to George W. Bush, a simpleton who played a cowboy playing a President, to a Sarah Palin, a telegenic spokes model who played a Governor, who could have been groomed to play the President, once John McCain kicked the bucket served out his term and she ran in 2012. (Insert scream of horror here.)

Ultimately THIS is what the American voting population needs to be educated about, and Sarah Palin is the perfect example to illustrate that lesson. After reading what Frank Bailey, Geoffrey Dunn, and Joe McGinniss have written, it is clear that the information is now available for any of those who want to really understand how completely broken the political system is in this country.

Now all we have to do is help to encourage people to read the information that is now available, and the information that is still coming, about Sarah Palin, and then use that to vet the shiny new politicians that are just over the next horizon.

That sounds simple, right?  Yeah right.

Well I am not giving up.  After coming this far, there is NO WAY I am just walking away now.

Are you with me?

If you are then I perhaps someday this item will have a check mark as well. But not yet.

KUDO makes fatal business decision.

That lovely lady you see on the left is my friend CC.

She has been one of the most important progressive voices in Alaska for many years, and yesterday she lost her job.

Local progressive radio station KUDO has decided to rid itself of local talent and focus on national personalities like Rachel Maddow, Ron Reagan, Ed Schultz, etc. Apparently it was a "business decision", and it was a bad one.

In 2008 Nation magazine called CC the "MOST VALUABLE LOCAL MEDIA PERSONALITY". Here is the entire article:

When Sarah Palin stumbled onto the national stage, after her selection as John McCain's running-mate, everyone scrambled to figure out what was up with Alaska's governor. A lot of the lower-48 blogosphere (and the major media that followed its lead) obsessed about Palin's family life. But Anchorage radio host Camille Conte, who is universally known in Alaska as "CC," steered the discussion toward Troopergate--the scandal that proved Palin was not the reformer her supporters claimed but a Cheney-esque abuser of power. CC's daily "Cutting Edge" show on Anchorage's Air America affiliate, News-Talk 1080/KUDO: Alaska's Progressive Voice became required fare for journalists visiting the state--she had better access than anyone else to the key players, who trusted the veteran local host--and CC turned up on radio stations across the U.S. No one else contributed as much to 2008's Palintological studies.

But now her voice is silent.

Perhaps it is time to let everybody know just what an incredible loss that is to our state, to the local political scene, and to progressives everywhere.

CC was the spark that ignited the amazing response from local bloggers, and people around the world, to reach out and help the people of Emmonak. She was the one who called me and passionately spoke about how horrible it was that these people were suffering and that nobody was doing anything about it. I wrote about that conversation and the incredible result here. CC interviewed politicians about the crisis, she interviewed Nick Tucker and other native leaders about the crisis, and she even interviewed a few of our local progressive bloggers about the crisis. Myself included.

In the end there were a lot of kudos directed at the progressive blogger community, but they often forgot about CC's invaluable work and support for the people of Alaska.

But I did not forget.

During this last battle to stop Wayne Anthony Ross from being confirmed for the Attorney General position. Sarah Palin blamed the progressive bloggers for interfering and sabotaging that confirmation. Once again leaving CC out, who was working the story like a dog from the very beginning. She even mentioned that to me when I called in to her show, making a joke about it of course. It did not seem that people realized how important her contribution was to stopping a misogynistic pig like WAR from being our top lawman.

But I realized.

When it came time for Alaskans to form a PAC to help reveal the truth about the Troopergate investigation, CC was one of the brave Alaskans to sign her name to the paperwork, even though it meant revealing both her first and last name to potential detractors. Many people may not know how hard that was for her.

But I know.

You see CC was often the unheralded inspiration for a lot of what I and other of my progressive blogger friends wrote about the important issues facing our state. She is a font of information, and a passionate voice that often inspires us to take on important topics.

We need her. Alaska needs her. And I hope she comes back soon.

I put off writing this yesterday, because I wanted to talk to CC first. I have not been able to reach her thus far, but I want her to know that I am here for her, and I will help her in any way that I can. I know you visit here often Cees, we miss you already, call me.

And by the way KUDO, you are screwed. I only listened to you because CC was on the air. I am done now. It looks like the conservatives own the airwaves, but that is fine because WE own the internet.

The Alaskans for Truth website (Remember them?) has some interesting questions for Walt Monegan

Alaska's own ethical militia has taken it upon themselves to pose a few questions to the candidates that are campaigning to be mayor of Anchorage.

The first candidate to respond thus far is Walt Monegan (doesn't that seem somehow approprate?) and he does an admirable job of stepping up to the plate.

Click the title to be taken to Alaskans for Truth and take a moment to get to know Mr. Monegan just a little bit better.

Alaska state legislators tear Talis Colberg a new one over his advice to ignore "Troopergate" subpoenas.

State legislators assailed Attorney General Talis Colberg Wednesday for trying to kill the subpoenas issued during the Legislature's "Troopergate" investigation of the governor last fall.
The House Judiciary Committee grilled Colberg, an appointee of Gov. Sarah Palin, for about two hours. The committee chairman said he was incensed.

"I thought you did systemic damage to the rights of the Legislature to bring an appropriate subpoena against somebody," said Fairbanks Republican Rep. Jay Ramras. "You empowered these (Palin aides) with super rights. They were advised by you that they could ignore a subpoena."

Other committee members were also unhappy. Anchorage Democratic Rep. Lindsey Holmes said it was unclear to her whose interests the attorney general was supposed to be representing -- those of the citizens or those of the governor and members of her administration. Even North Pole Republican Rep. John Coghill, who didn't like the Legislature's investigation, said the subpoenas compelling the Palin aides to cooperate with it were valid and he wanted to make sure this does not happen again.

"I feel that a barrier to this Legislature is unacceptable when requiring information that's well within its authority," he said.

Colberg took the heat calmly, with his voice at times dropping to near inaudible levels as he defended himself. He emphasized his department never told anyone to disobey a subpoena -- just gave options to the seven state officials it was representing.

"The options they took were based on legal arguments that we had and issues we had with how these particular subpoenas were issued," he said.

Well it is about damn time!

Those of us who have paid close attention to this debacle have long said that ignoring those subpoenas was a clear violation of the law and the person who counseled those aides to do so should be fired. The question is whether these lawmakers have any serious desire to hold Coldberg accountable or if this is just a dog and pony show designed to placate those if us demanding Coldberg's resignation.

The Palin aides subsequently gave statements to Steve Branchflower, the investigator hired after the Legislative Council unanimously ordered the investigation.

Branchflower's report found Palin abused her power in allowing her husband and top aides to push for the firing of a state trooper who is her former brother-in-law. But a second report, conducted by attorney Tim Petumenos for the state personnel board, came to the opposite conclusion and found that Palin was not responsible for any wrongdoing.

Ramras told Colberg on Wednesday that he considered the Petumenos report a "whitewash." But that's far from a universal feeling in the Legislature, and both Palin and Colberg have defenders.

God I love seeing the term "whitewash" used to describe the Petumenos report! That is exactly what I have said it was all along.

However after reading this entire article I have very little confidence that the legislature will follow through with any serious recommendations against Coldberg. There is an incredible lack of will to stand up to Governor Palin by this group and the only way they will find the balls to hold them accountable is if the citizens of Alaska stand up and demand justice.

It just so happens we have a grassroots political action committee that was formed to do that very thing.

I think Beth Kerttula is my new favorite Alaska legislator.

This comes from an article in the ADN about the beginning of the 2009 legislative session.

Gov. Sarah Palin begins the 2009 session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday faced with a potential state deficit in the billions of dollars and at least some hangover among lawmakers from the "Troopergate" investigation.

The article begins with a fluff piece about how POSITIVE Sarah Palin is about this new session even though, with oil prices plunging, this will mark the FIRST time she is working with a state budget not spilling over with oil soaked doubloons.

(It is not a secret that buzzards are circling our state budget this year, just waiting for it to take its last gasp of air and expire well before the end of the fiscal year. )

The Governor then talks about her desire to focus on getting the doomed gas pipeline project moving forward. I am hoping that somewhere on her staff she has retained the services of one Dr. Frankenstein because as far as I can tell the AGIA corpse is almost up on the slab with its toe tag dangling off the side.

But despite all of Palin's best cheerleading and efforts to change the subject it appears that old business may rear its head and bite her on her elliptical machine toned ass.

Here is what my new legislative crush, Beth Kertulla, has to say about this 2009 session:

"Troopergate isn't going away, and it shouldn't go away," the Juneau Democrat said.

Yeah baby! Is that not the best news we have heard for a while? Yes it is!

And get this, Kerttula is not alone.

There doesn't appear to be sufficient desire in the Legislature to reprimand the governor. But there is bipartisan concern about the resistance the attorney general, Palin appointee Talis Colberg, posed to legislative subpoenas.

"One of the judiciary committees or both of the judiciary committees should maybe bring the AG in front of them and have some frank discussions about what his actions were toward the state employees, why the subpoenas weren't complied with," said Chenault, the Republican house speaker.

In other words, "Its on bitchez"!

However there is at least one lawmaker who is not interested in revisiting Troopergate.

But Anchorage Republican Rep. Bob Lynn said it's a bad idea to dredge it up.

"I think that's history. We should stop looking in the rear-view mirror," Lynn said. "I've got a news flash, the election is over."

That is right you little pissant, the election IS over, but your next run for re-election is still in the future. Good luck on that, because trust me, you are going to need all the luck you can get. And next time, don't pee on my parade.

And by the way, and keep this under your hat, I have it on good authority that the behemoth known as "Alaskans for Truth" is finally stirring from it post election hibernation, shaking out the cobwebs from its brain, and getting ready once again to wade into battle with a renewed sense of purpose and a reinvigorated membership.

On the one side we have the soldiers of truth, and light, and ethical integrity (That's us!). On the other we have Sarah Palin, and in his last term as an Alaska legislator, Bob Lynn. Let the battle commence!

Okay now if you will excuse me I have to compose a love poem to my new legislative crush.

What rhymes with "Kerttula"? Or for that matter what rhymes with "Beth"? Oh this is going to take a while.

Today when somebody wants to insult a politician they compare them to George Bush. To insult George Bush who do you compare him to? Sarah Palin!

Lawrence Wilkerson, top aide and later chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, said that as a new president, Bush was like Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee whom critics said lacked knowledge about foreign affairs. When Bush first came into office, he was surrounded by experienced advisers like Vice President Dick Cheney and Powell, who Wilkerson said ended up playing damage control for the president.

"It allowed everybody to believe that this Sarah Palin-like president — because, let's face it, that's what he was — was going to be protected by this national-security elite, tested in the cauldrons of fire," Wilkerson said, adding that he considered Cheney probably the "most astute, bureaucratic entrepreneur" he'd ever met.

I have received some comments lately asking why I still keep talking about Sarah Palin.

"She is yesterday's news". "Nobody cares about her anymore", "Aren't there more important things for you to focus on?".

Most of these comments come from people who DO NOT LIVE IN ALASKA.

You see though I want desperately to move on to other scandals, and other stories, I cannot.

Sarah Palin is still my Governor!

She is still making policy, deciding where our money is to be spent, and representing my state to the rest of the world. And she is still planning to run in 2012, don't think for a moment she is not.

When George Bush ran for President in 2000, he presented himself as moral, ethical, and bi-partisan. Would anybody describe George Bush in those terms today? Of course not!

Sarah Palin is also presenting herself as honest, ethical, and transparent. Do people still believe that ? Yes, they do. Unless of course Alaskans can reveal the truth before she fools the nation the same way that George Bush did in 2000.

Sarah Palin, is essentially George Bush with boobs. She is an empty vessel that can be shaped to fit any ideal the GOP wants her to fit. That is what makes her so dangerous.

On her own Palin is an uncultured, unsophisticated, embarrassment. But after the Republican machine has had a chance to tweak and shape her she may be able to fool enough people some day to actually become a Senator, or heaven help us, the President.

It is my duty, as an Alaskan and an American, to do everything I can to keep that from happening.

Alaskans for Truth has a little something in their stocking just for you!

The Alaskans for Truth website now has items for sale!

There are t-shirts, hoodies, mousepads, mugs, barbecue aprons, tote bags, stickers, and much, much more!

So if you are still stuck on just what to buy that one liberal rabble rouser in your group, or you just want some cool stuff for yourself, then click right here and start helping to bolster up this ailing economy.

It is the patriotic thing to do.

Andree McLeod sues to get access to Todd Palin e-mails.

He's been called the shadow governor. Now Todd Palin's role in state government is at the center of a lawsuit seeking state e-mails the governor's office has withheld for reasons such as "executive privilege."

Andree McLeod, a former state worker, has been seeking telephone and e-mail records since June for two aides to Gov. Sarah Palin. While she received boxes of records, others were withheld, including a considerable number of e-mails that were copied to the governor's husband, Todd.

So this week, McLeod went to court to appeal a decision by the governor's office to withhold the e-mails that included Todd Palin.

McLeod made a public records request on June 17 for telephone, text message and e-mail records involving two aides to the governor, Ivy Frye and Frank Bailey, between Feb. 1 and April 15. Her request was similar to that of another activist, Zane Henning.

While they each received bankers boxes full of records, many of the records were partial, with some portions blacked out for reasons including executive privilege and deliberative process.

And they received a log of some 1,100 e-mails that were being withheld, most of them because of "deliberative process/executive." McLeod, through an administrative appeal, has since received some of those.

Todd Palin was copied on dozens of the withheld e-mails, if not more.

Andree McLeod is a one woman corruption fighting machine!

Now THIS is how all citizens of our state should be responding to the obfuscation coming from the governor's office.

We were promised a "transparent government" and Palin herself said, on camera, to "hold me accountable". So all McLeod is doing is following the wishes expressed by our governor herself.

Now THAT is true Alaskan patriotism!

And stay tuned kids because the Alaskans for Truth are about to get back in the ring as well.

Georgia re-elects hate mongering, disabled veteran bashing, grand daughter groping Saxby Chambliss. May God have mercy on their souls.

Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss won re-election Tuesday in a runoff, dashing Democrats' hopes of capturing enough seats in the U.S. Senate to thwart Republican filibusters.

This is very sad on a number of levels.

For one it means that either the Georgia voters have once again decided to keep in office a creepy, mean spirited Senator who represents a party that has done more damage to this country then any foreign invader could ever hope to accomplish, or that they have allowed their election to be stolen and are too ignorant and lazy form eating those deep fat fried Oreos to notice it.

Either way Georgia is a huge disappointment to other red states that have now taking this historic opportunity to turn a little bit blue. Like say Alaska?

And speaking of Alaska, this also reinforces the pipe dreams of many Republicans who now think that Sarah Palin is the solution to all of their ills. They will continue to fly her around the country speaking on behalf of GOP Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and city mayors believing that if they can just rub her for good luck she can ensure victory for them in their next election, or corruption trial, or ethics investigation.

Which means that Alaskans can continue to have the only State in America run completely via Blackberry. And gosh that has worked out so well thus far. (Hey kids if you click the links hidden in the previous sentence you can see what Alaska bloggers REALLY think about Palin being MIA.)

So now it falls on the brave, intrepid Alaska bloggers to continue to highlight just what a dismal failure Governor Palin has been for our state, and how unethical her actions have been, not to mention how many good people she has thrown under the bus.

Oh well "ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die". In other words you can count on the Alaska bloggers to keep the heat on. After all it is our state and our future on the line. And perhaps yours.

Why I support Alaskans for Truth.

Since Alaskans for Truth has become an actual Political Action Committee there has been a desire by the MSM to define us. And their attempt to do so has been flawed at best.

So let me simply tell you what I know about this courageous little group, and why I support them.

The first thing to understand is that Alaskans for Truth is made up of REAL Alaskans. Unlike that other PAC which is currently buying up commercial time all over the country and is made up of conservative politicians and other out-of-staters, WE are made up of people who have faced harsh Alaskan winters, chased moose out of our gardens in the spring, and cleaned coolers full of fish in the beautiful Alaskan summers.

We are Alaskans through and through. And we dearly love our state.

We love it enough to stand up for cleaning up its politics, repairing its recently damaged reputation, and earning back the opportunity to see the faces of outsiders turn to envy when they learn of the place that we call home.

And despite what you may read in the Anchorage Daily News or other media outlets we are NOT ant-Sarah Palin! We do not wish her any ill will, we simply want her to keep her promise for transparency in government, to honor our state constitution and abide by its ethics rules, and to put the needs of our state ahead of her own selfish desire to constantly be in the spotlight.

We have sat back and watched one Alaskan politician after another indicted and sent to jail. We have even watched the only Senator that many of us have ever known convicted of seven felonies! Do you realize how that makes us feel? How can any real Alaskan not speak out?

We simply want what every American should want. We want honest elections, ethical representatives, and the opportunity to ensure a better future for our children.

And yes we are bi-partisan. Though my personal politics are clearly liberal, the Alaskans for Truth contains liberals, moderates, and yes even one or two Republicans. But rather then focus on what divides us we have found a common desire in cleaning up how our politics are conducted and how our state is represented.

We have received support from ALL over the country. However the only people who set our agenda are those of us right here in Alaska. We cannot be swayed by contributions nor bullied into compliance, we will do what we believe is in the best interests of our fellow Alaskans. For us it is Alaska first, and politics second. Or in some cases even third or fourth.

The Alaskans for Truth have a website that you can visit to learn what we have on our agenda. But to understand what motivates us, you only have to listen to your own conscience. And if you want to join us then please do, we welcome ALL Alaskans, and any others, who truly want to make Alaska the "Great Land".

Alaskans for Truth call to action!

‘Alaskans for Truth’ Issues a “Call to Action” to the Alaska State Legislature
Alaskans for Truth, a non-partisan group organized to hold Alaska’s leaders accountable, has issued a Call to Action to all concerned citizens to join them in insisting that the Alaska State Legislature respond to the findings of its own Legislative Council’s Investigation, known as “Troopergate”, as conducted by Special Counsel Stephen E. Branchflower and take the following actions:

- Censure Governor Sarah Palin, who the Branchflower Report found to have "abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act" which provides “The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.

- Seek contempt charges against the Governor’s husband, Todd Palin, and the state officials who willingly ignored the Legislative Council's subpoenas during the investigation.

- Hold hearings on whether Gov. Palin and her husband, Todd Palin, committed perjury in their sworn statements to Timothy Petumenos, in his function as independent counsel to the Alaska State Personnel Board.

- Call for an independent investigation to determine if Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg or others, engaged in criminal witness tampering in advance of the Branchflower investigation.

The Legislative Council’s investigation cannot be illegitimized. Though the Personnel Board tried to do so with their own report, the findings in the Legislative Council’s investigation stand. Now it’s up to the Legislature as a whole to follow up on the ethics violation and the other serious matters, let alone potential crimes that may exist.

Gov. Palin campaigned on the promise of an open, honest and transparent administration. It’s our responsibility as citizens of this state to stand together and uphold the ethics in which Governor Palin believes.

(‘Alaskans for Truth’ is Political Action Committee (PAC) organized under Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) rules and regulations. It is not affiliated with any political party. Any appearance of affiliation is purely unintentional and was neither initiated nor supported by Alaskans for Truth)

Alaska Legislator emails:

Senator_Johnny_Ellis@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Gene_Therriault@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Con_Bunde@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Bettye_Davis@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Fred_Dyson@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Kim_Elton@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Hollis_French@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Lyman_Hoffman@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Charlie_Huggins@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Albert_Kookesh@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Lesil_McGuire@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Donny_Olson@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Bert_Stedman@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Gary_Stevens@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Joe_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Thomas_Wagoner@legis.state.ak.us, Senator_Bill_Wielechowski@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Bob_Buch@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Mike_Chenault@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Sharon_Cissna@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_John_Coghill@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Harry_Crawford@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Nancy_Dahlstrom@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Mike_Doogan@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Bryce_Edgmon@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Anna_Fairclough@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Richard_Foster@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Les_Gara@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Berta_Gardner@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Carl_Gatto@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Max_Gruenberg@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_David_Guttenberg@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_John_Harris@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Mike_Hawker@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Lindsey_Holmes@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Kyle_Johansen@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Craig_Johnson@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Reggie_Joule@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Scott_Kawasaki@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Wes_Keller@legis.state.ak.us, Representative_Mike_Kelly@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Beth_Kerttula@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Bob_Lynn@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Kevin_Meyer@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Mark_Neuman@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Kurt_Olson@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Jay_Ramras@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Woodie_Salmon@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Bill_Stoltze@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Bill_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us, Rep_Peggy_Wilson@legis.state.ak.us

New Legislators:
joe@joepaskvan.com

Charisse@votemillett.com

info@petepetersen.net

cathym@riemunoz.com

chris@tuckforalaska.com

austermanforhouse@hotmail.com

bobherron@gmail.com

Fixing Alaska politics one corrupt bastard at a time.

As the whole country is now aware there has been a very dramatic change in Alaskan politics.

What the casual observer may not be aware of is what has been happening behind the scenes. Though if you are a dedicated reader of Alaska blogs you probably have some idea as to what is happening just beneath the spongy Alaska political tundra. And good for you for staying informed.

When Sarah Palin was gallivanting across the US of A giving the world a Bizarro version of the typical Alaskan, we spoke up and held the biggest rally in Alaska history, to stand up for Walt Monegan who was the first of many that our Governor threw under the bus.

When the Alaska Legislature was meeting behind closed doors and trying to decide if they should release the Branchflower Report concerning "Troopergate" we encouraged our readers to call them and e-mail them until they simply had no choice but to let Alaskans see a report that their tax dollars had paid for. As one legislator commented "Maybe I'll be able to get through my inbox again."

When Mark Begich was trailing convicted felon Ted Stevens by over 2000 votes, a number of us blogged our brains out to make sure our election received the scrutiny of the world. Miraculously Mark Begich emerged victorious with almost 4000 more votes then the much revered Ted Stevens. Coincidence? Okay let's call it a coincidence.

There is still much work to do. Our legislature will reconvene in January and they are going to need some "inspiration" as to which issues are the most important for truth seekers in Alaska, we also have an Attorney General who violated our ethics laws by encouraging state employees to ignore subpoenas, and of course the consistently entertaining (but still dangerous) Governor Sarah.

That is just what is on the table right now. In the future we are hoping to tackle election reform, investigations into corruption, bold alternative energy policies, and anything else that we believe Alaskans feel passionately about.

What can you do to help? Well thank you for asking. We cannot do this without the assistance from supporters of truth all over the country.

Take a minute to visit our Alaskans for Truth website. There you find our "call to action", various e-mail addresses of Alaskan legislators you can contact, and a big yellow donate button.

We appreciate all of the support that we received from all of you in the past and hope that you will continue to support our efforts in the future. If you have been angered and disappointed that your voice has not been heard, or if you have felt you could not make a difference, well now you can. Even donating a small amount will have a large impact up here where media is cheap and every voice has an opportunity to be heard. Together we can make dramatic changes, and the proof of that can be seen by what has been accomplished thus far.

This blogger is not just committing his time and energy, I have also made a sizable donation just to get the ball rolling. I believe in this cause and will give nothing but 100% to make sure that we are victorious. And with your help I am sure we will be.

Thank you very much for your support.

So who are these people who still support Sarah Palin? I am so glad you asked.

I know what you are thinking, "Gryphen you simpleton, clearly that is a joke!"

Au contraire, mon ami. It most certainly is not.

Those are the actual Sarah Palin supporters just doing their gosh darnedest to let her know how much they appreciate her.

I know that you expect me to just rip into this video, and pick it apart, leaving the bits and pieces scattered all over this page. But that just shows how little you know about me.

You see I have been inspired to take the time to add my "thank yous" for Sarah Palin as well.

Sarah Palin thank you.

Thank you for being so completely inept at your job that even mentioning the word "recall" or "impeachment" draws immediate interest and support from all around the world.

Thank you for being such a habitual liar that even the casual observer cannot help but notice the inconsistencies.

Thank you for breaking Alaskan ethics laws like saltine crackers with never a thought as to who has to clean up the mess or that the trail of crumbs leads right back to you.

Thank you for demonstrating on the campaign trail that there is literally NOTHING you won't do to smear and damage anybody that you perceive as a potential threat, whether it be a highly respected law enforcement professional, an inspirational leader who is working to repair the deep divides in this country, or even your own teenage daughter.

And finally a big thank you for standing in front of that turkey holocaust so that the world could see how terminally clueless you really are, and for making the job of Alaskan Progressive Bloggers just that much easier.

For all of that, and more, I would like to say THANK YOU SARAH PALIN! We simply could not do this without you!

Sarah Palin's addiction to the limelight shows no signs of fading.

The spotlight on the governor is even brighter now than after Sen. John McCain first chose her as his running mate, McAllister said.

Barbara Walters wanted to make Palin one of her "10 most fascinating people." Requests from news media, production companies and agents ring non-stop. They want Palin to sit down for interviews. Or to write a book about her life. Or host a talk show.

"The William Morris Agency has called me several times," McAllister said of the talent agency that has handled the likes of the Rolling Stones, Eminem and Elvis.

Remember Alaskans, every time she gives an interview she is representing you.

Did you vomit in your mouth just a little?

Soon the Alaskans for Truth will give you an opportunity to do something about that.

Just stay tuned.

And what is to become of the "Troopergate" investigation?

After months on the vice presidential campaign trial, Sarah Palin stepped back into her job as governor Friday with an Alaska controversy still unsettled: Troopergate.

But it's looking like the public may never get a clear answer about what really happened. Two highly anticipated investigations came up with dramatically different results, and lawmakers seem poised to move on.

State legislators interviewed this week say they haven't come to a consensus on what should happen next, although some said they plan to look further at side issues about personnel complaints in general, subpoenas, and the use of private e-mail accounts.

The first report, done for the Legislature by retired state prosecutor Steve Branchflower, concluded that Palin abused her power in allowing her husband and top aides to push for the firing of a state trooper who is her ex-brother-in-law. Failure to stop these activities violated the state ethics law, Branchflower said.

The second -- done for the state Personnel Board by Tim Petumenos, a prosecutor turned defense lawyer -- came to the opposite conclusion, finding that Palin didn't know what her family or staff were doing so couldn't be held responsible.

Even if she did know, he says, there's no evidence that she or anyone else violated the state Ethics Act.

I don't think it is telling tales out of school to say that for the Alaskans for Truth this issue is far from over. In our discussions we have weighed the integrity of the Petumenos report and have found it wanting. In the opinion of most the Branchflower report is the most comprehensive of the two, as Petumenos seemed to have used the hard work done by Stephen Branchflower to do much of the heavy lifting for him. Then Petumenos simply reinterpreted the findings and issued a report more favorable to the Palins. Exactly what he was hired to do.

Petumenos also allows Palin to make the ridiculous claim that she did not directly talk to Walt Monegan about Trooper Wooten which is refuted by HER OWN E-MAILS.

"This trooper is still out on the street, in fact he's been promoted," said a Feb. 7, 2007, e-mail sent from Palin's personal Yahoo account and written to give Monegan permission to speak on a violent-crime bill before the state legislature.

"It was a joke, the whole year long 'investigation' of him," the e-mail said. "This is the same trooper who's out there today telling people the new administration is going to destroy the trooper organization, and that he'd 'never work for that b****', Palin'.)"

The fact of the matter is that we have learned to our dismay that our Governor is simply not a credible source, and has lost the benefit of the doubt with many Alaskans.

So Tim Petunemos was hired to derail the Branchflower report, and essentially failed to do so. It is pretty clear that the Anchorage Daily News and other local reporters remain unconvinced (I have heard anecdotal evidence that many reporters had to suppress actual laughter as they read the Petumenos report for the first time), and Alaskans for Truth have definitely not been swayed by the findings.

Currently the state legislators have talked publicly about pursung the following:

Legislators say they intend to address some side issues raised by the dueling reports. They include:

• Subpoenas. Seven state employees didn't show up when subpoenaed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The matter went to court, a judge ruled they were legally required to comply, but ultimately they only answered written questions late in the investigation. The Palin administration is appealing the ruling.

Legislators still want to examine whether there was an abuse of process, Chenault said. State Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, wants to know if there was any witness tampering.

• Private e-mails. Petumenos raised concerns about the use of private e-mail accounts for state business. Palin and an aide, Frank Bailey, both deleted some e-mails, though there's no way to know if any were related to the investigation. They testified they were told they didn't have to keep e-mails, but that advice was wrong, Petumenos wrote.

I can guarantee that there will be pressure applied on them to favor the findings of the Branchflower report over the hack job done by Petumenos. In the Branchflower report there are numerous actionable items that we feel the legislature should address.

And now it is time for Sarah Palin to make her long journey back home.

While standing in the Egan Center last night watching the election returns coming in I wondered out loud who would pay for Palin's return to Alaska in defeat. Since it is very unlikely that the McCain campaign will foot the bill.

But then my friend AKMuckraker said "Alaskans do of course". Sadly that is undoubtedly correct.

She is now OUR problem, and it will be up to us to deal with her. And deal with her we shall.

(I must give a tip of my hat to Lady Rose for this image.)

Chris Matthews talks about the future for Sarah Palin on "Hardball".

I think Ron Brownstein is incorrect.

I believe that the American people have a very short memory about some things, and I believe that Sarah Palin can indeed reemerge as a shiny NEW Republican that the party will embrace with open arms.

Christ, I just got a cold chill up my back.

Well Sarah Palin has to face Alaskans, the REAL Alaskans, when she gets back. So if I were her I would not be putting that house in Wasilla on the market just yet.

Results of our poll "What should Alaskans do when Sarah Palin returns to our state?"

So the results of the poll were as follows:

"Welcome her with open arms and thank her for bringing so much attention to our state". 25 votes,

"Start a recall petition". 134 votes.

"Pressure our legislators to impeach her". 114 votes.

"Let her finish out her term and then vote her out in the next election". 63 votes.

I do believe that based on this poll, as well as those on numerous other Alaska blogs, we have ourselves a mandate.

Mudflats is voted number one political blog of 2008!!!

My friend AK Muckraker beat out multiple well known political blogs to take this prestigious award. It literally could not have happened to a more deserving person.

Muckraker and I have often been co-conspirators, sneaking into Sarah Palin rallies, organizing rallies, and sharing interesting tidbits about the Palins and Alaskan politicians. I have enjoyed hanging with Mucky and hope that we can continue our collaboration in the future.

As I told him/her earlier this week, I am still having a lot of fun, and I know Mucky feels the same way. It has been a wild ride, but neither one of us is interested in getting off any time soon.

Once again congratulations Mudflats!

P.S. You can click the title and give Mucky some love. I know it will be much appreciated.

So which Sarah Palin will we see return to Alaska?

When all is said and done, and after John McCain gives his concession speech, Sarah Palin must make the long sad journey back to the snow covered landscape of Alaska. However during her grand adventure the political landscape has been changing.

Gone are her 80% approval ratings.

Gone is the buffer of anonymity which kept voters from truly understanding what Governor Palin was all about.

Gone is all of the supposed bi-partisan support that Sarah enjoyed:

"I think things will be very, very different for her if she comes back," Erickson said. "She's done some things as vice-presidential candidate that are not favorable for her role as governor, her ability to govern."

Dittman agreed that a returning Palin would face a more aggressive Legislature than before her turn on the national stage, one that probably wouldn't be as intimidated by her as before.

No Governor Palin will be returning to a much different Alaska then the one she was ceremoniously plucked out of at the end of August.

And what should Alaska expect from her?

Will she come back angry at all of the negative stores that poured out of her state and damaged her credibility?

Or will she come back humbled and with her tail tucked tightly between her legs?

Well as of now we simply do not know. But I do know this. There are already a number of efforts being organized to make her pay for embarrassing her state, for lying to her constituents, and for making the town of Wasilla a laughingstock.

If I were advising Governor Sarah (Yeah fat chance huh?), I would tell her that she needs to come back prepared to face the music, and finally present herself with the transparency that she promised all of us oh those many months ago. She is still going to have to face a gauntlet but she might emerge with at least some of her dignity intact.