Convicted domestic terrorist Schaeffer Cox is getting a new sentence hearing.

Courtesy of the Newsminer: 

A panel of 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges has reversed one of Fairbanks militia leader Francis Schaeffer Cox's convictions but affirmed others. 

A six-page unpublished memorandum filed on Tuesday states Cox will get a new sentencing hearing. It's not yet clear whether the decision will affect his total prison sentence of 26 years. 

Cox, 34, was a one-time Alaska Legislature candidate and leader of a Fairbanks gun rights organization until his arrest in 2011. He has advocated the "sovereign citizen" ideology that disavows the legitimacy of the U.S. government, although he has rejected the label as a pejorative term in writings from prison. 

This week's appeals court ruling came less than two weeks after three appeals court judges heard oral arguments in Cox's case in an Anchorage courtroom. 

Cox is serving his sentence at a federal prison in Illinois after an Anchorage jury convicted him in 2012 on charges including conspiracy to murder federal officials, solicitation to murder federal officials and charges of owning illegal weapons.

It is very unlikely that this new sentence will have any significant impact on Schaeffer's prison time.

If you want to learn more about this you can actually read a great new book about the case called "The Blood of Patriots," written by Bill "Dropzone" Fulton and fellow Alaska blogger Jeanne Devon.

I received an early copy and read it a few months back.

It is a gripping tale, full of heretofore unknown details, and after reading it you will want Schaeffer Cox to stay in jail for as long as possible.

(You can order your copy here.)

Drop Zone Bill's book is finally available for pre-order.

Here is the blurb from Amazon:

For Bill Fulton, being a soldier was his identity. He was called to protect and serve. So when the Army wanted to send him to Alaska, he went—they had never steered him wrong, after all. 

After an involuntary medical discharge, Fulton was adrift until he started a military surplus store in Anchorage, where he also took on fugitive recovery missions. He was back on his feet, working with other badasses and misfits he considered brothers. He took pride in his business, with a wife and daughters at home. His life was happy and full. 

But when a customer revealed he planned to attack a military recruiting station, Fulton had to make a choice: turn a blind eye and hope for the best or risk his safety, his reputation, and his business by establishing contact with his customers’ arch nemesis: the FBI. 

He chose the latter, and his life changed forever. 

Fulton would soon find himself tumbling down a rabbit hole, learning of a militia movement afoot called “sovereign citizens” who believe themselves to be above the law. The FBI classifies this domestic terrorist group as the number-one threat to law enforcement in the country. 

Set against the vast, rugged, and sometimes lawless backdrop of Alaska, The Blood of Patriots is the story of an ideology gone bloody in the distorted belief that murder is patriotic. It is the true story of how Fulton wrestled his demons and became an undercover confidential informant for the FBI, helping to bring down a militia whose charismatic leader was plotting to kill federal judges and their families and law enforcement officers. 

Gee that is quite a glowing description, now I almsot feel bad about once calling Bill a "jack booted thug."

Nah, no I don't.

Actually our history is fairly bizarre and complicated.

In the beginning I was calling him out for roughing up a journalist during a Joe Miller rally, and then later outed him as the FBI informant who who helped get Schaeffer Cox arrested, and then even later he became a good friend and a reliable source of information. 

One thing about Alaska, you find friends in the oddest places.

This book has been pushed back so many times that I began to think it was never coming out.

Glad to see I was wrong.

The release date for the book is still not until May of 2017, but if you want to reserve your copy you can do so now. 

I am certainly going to read it, and I am sure I will love it.

Bill "Drop Zone" Fulton's book is finally happening.

From my e-mail: 

Bill Fulton with NYT best-selling author and cowriter Jeanne Devon's "THE BLOOD OF PATRIOTS," set against the vast, rugged, and sometimes lawless backdrop of Alaska, the true story of Army veteran Bill Fulton, who went from leading fugitive recovery missions to capture felons straight out of a Coen Brothers movie, to going undercover for the FBI to take down a private militia group plotting to assassinate judges and law enforcement officials.

You can read more about the book over at Jeanne's Facebook page.

This book has been a LONG time in the making.

In fact it was supposed to be published way back in 2014, but there were all kinds of unforeseen obstacles which delayed it until now.

I actually know quite a bit about what will be in the book, and I have to say that it should prove an entertaining read.

And yes I'm sure there will be a little in there about a certain half term governor and a vaguely bearded wannabe Senator.

Mudflats digs deep in Bill Fulton interview.

Bill was very impressed with Jeanne Devon's reporting during the Schaeffer Cox trial, and in response reached out to her to see if she would be interested in an interview.

She was.

That interview can be found here.

I think one of my favorite parts is this explanation of the part he played in radio shock jock Eddie Burkes' run for office:  

And I like Eddie. I don’t believe everything that he believes, but I kind of like Eddie. He’s a big, gruff, kind of rude guy, a Navy vet with lots of good stories. And I kind of used him as my… what do actors use to get ready for their roles? He was my case study. Eddie Burke was good for business at the shop, and he was deeply embedded with the fringe right wing, which you know. And if one is playing in the world of the fringe right wing, there’s nothing better than helping their poster boy run for public office.

 Of course my interactions with Burke were far more adversarial as he was an aggressive Palin defender who did everything he could think of to destroy my credibility after the Splitsville story broke nationally. The things he did on behalf of Sarah Palin, to a number of people, were some of the ugliest things I have ever seen.

Just another example of the things that Bill I have agreed to disagree about.

Of course there is much more to Jeanne's post. so I urge to take the time to read it.

A Pugnacious Potpourri of Palin Presentations.

First up we have more tidbits from Jeanne Devon and Ken Morris, co-authors of the book "Blind Allegiance."

Courtesy of Mudflats:  

In writing Blind Allegiance—and even more so after listening to those who reflected on her non-political life—we struggled to understand Sarah’s lack of New Testament virtues including charity, forgiveness, and compassion. The born-again bona fides she swore were at the core of her spiritual life seemed hollow and without substance. Despite Sarah’s pleas to staff and followers to shield her with prayer when she believed evildoers were seeking to do her harm, Frank Bailey suspected that she had a different approach to faith than the one he’d embraced growing up on Kodiak Island. 

For us as authors who read over 50,000 emails and spent two years researching Sarah’s campaign and governorship, we developed more than a suspicion. The only Biblical message that seemed to resonated for the half-governor was from the Old Testament, and Sarah seemed a revisionist at that – rewriting the familiar verse from Exodus as Two eyes for an eye. Our subsequent interviews with those who knew her well confirmed and extended these observations. Blind Allegiance, we were authoritatively told, was, if anything, understated, and the devout images projected publicly were nothing more than a sham. 

One friend of the Palins commented, “I cannot ever remember a religious moment in the house. Ever. I can’t remember hearing a prayer. Ever. Todd rarely would get up and go to church with Sarah. When they did decide to go to church, it was a screaming match. ‘We’ve got to go now!’ Sarah would scream. ‘Get your asses in the car!’ The girls would roll out of bed, no breakfast, hair all messed up. Seemed that there was a lot of swearing.” Mad and stressed out, “Sarah often yelled at her family . . . the kids kind of learned to ignore it because it happened so much.”

Pictures of Sarah and family attending a church service to appear in 3..2..1

For those of us who have been covering Palin lo these many years, this information is quite will known.

Essentially Sister Sarah talked the talk but rarely, if ever, walked the walk.  For her God was a kind of cosmic Santa Claus whose job was to give HER what she wanted. However she was not one to consider herself a servant to ANYONE.  Not even the creator of the universe.

Palin did resort to prayers in times of great difficultly, or intense stress, but once again it was to ASK for something that she needed but NEVER to give thanks for what she already had.

There is more over at Mudflats so click the link to read the rest.

Now let's visit the world of Garry Trudeau to see what he, as one of only three people to read an advance copy of "Going Rogue," has to reveal about Joe's book.

(To read more Doonesbury strips click here to visit Go Comics.)

By the way according to Joe he has NO editorial control over the Doonesbury strips, nor contractual agreement with Trudeau. So for what it is worth he cannot be held accountable for how he, Fox News, or Sarah Palin are portrayed in the comics.

This is what Andrew Sullivan had to say today about the book:

One tiny nugget. Joe McGinniss sent advance copies of his devastating book on Sarah Palin, "The Rogue," to three people: me, Garry Trudeau and Rosanne Cash. Make of that what you will; but that book is unputdownable.

Update: Sullivan also had this to say:

One of the fascinating aspects of the coming Rogue whirlwind will be how the MSM handles it. Can they handle the Palinista blowback? Are they so afraid of being called "liberal"? Will they even note the existence of Chapter 19? 

I am still waiting for my advance copy to arrive so I cannot say with authority that it is "unputdownable," but I have every confidence that it will be a very good book that, despite the unfortunate drama surrounding it, will please many people who have been waiting patiently (Or for some impatiently) for more truth about Snowdrift Snooki revealed to the public at large. As for Chapter 19, I am pretty sure I know exactly what is contained in THAT chapter!

For those who like their information delivered in a more visual medium, there is this great interview from CBC News with Nick Broomfield, that may whet your appetite further in anticipation of his documentary "Sarah Palin: You Betcha!"

I have long said that this fall would be very satisfying for those of us following the saga of Sarah Palin, and I think that so far I have been proven correct. And of course as we know there is still MORE yet to come.

Update: Speaking of pugnacious presentations about Sarah Palin, what do we make of this rather interesting article from the Storm Lake Tribune?

Brenda McVinua was among the Storm Lakers Palin chatted with after the race. McVinua was working as a volunteer in the "chute" near the finish line, and was impressed with the former vice-presidential candidate's form. 

"She wasn't even breathing hard. You could tell she's an athlete. If you didn't know better you would have thought she'd just run around the block once or twice." She reportedly said, "Boy, that was fun," as she crossed the line. 

Really? Ms. McVinau said "She wasn't even breathing hard. If you didn't know any better you would have thought she'd only run around the block once or twice?"

This is a woman who has not run competitively since 2005 and she "wasn't even breathing hard?"Puh-lease!

I know people get really pissed at me for pursuing this story but seriously, who in their right mind believes THIS fairytale?

Joe McGinniss and "The Rogue" get the Doonesbury treatment. Update.

I am a little intrigued with where this story line might go, in light of what happened with Joe and the authors of "Blind Allegiance." However Joe has been urging people to read Doonesbury, so he must have faith it will not show him in an unfavorable light.

By the way let me just say that I used to be a HUGE fan of Doonesbury!  And I mean HUGE!

I got hooked on them after I bought a bunch of the pocketbooks to read on the plane on my way to college. By the time the plane landed in Hawaii, I was hooked!

Hell I even named my cat "Doonesbury." And as much as I usually shun publicity it would absolutely make my decade if I showed up in one of the strips, unlikely as that may be.

Speaking of showing up in one of the strips, check out Trudeau's evisceration of Palin in this one from Sunday.

And since I brought up the authors of Blind Allegiance, I guess I should probably report that there is still some chance that they are planning to sue McGinniss over the leaked manuscript:

One of the three co-authors of a Sarah Palin tell-all said he's weighing his options -- including whether to sue -- over the unauthorized leak of the book's manuscript. 

Ken Morris said he spent tens of thousands of dollars on attorneys to try to fight the leak -- more than he made from "Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of Our Tumultuous Years." The tell-all by former Palin aide Frank Bailey was also written with blogger Jeanne Devon. The book was eventually published in May though Morris and Devon have said they struggled to find a publisher. 

Rival author Joe McGinniss was accused of helping leak the manuscript in February. McGinniss, a best-selling author, made headlines last year when he moved next door to Palin in Wasilla, Alaska, as he researched his own book, which is due out later this month. 

McGinniss' attorney Dennis Holahan has acknowledged McGinniss sent a copy to media outlets and others in Alaska but said he told them not to reproduce any of it without the authors' permission. A message left for Holahan wasn't immediately returned Friday. 

Bailey's book was published in May though Morris and Devon have said they struggled to find a publisher. Morris said in an interview that he believes tens of thousands of copies of the draft manuscript were downloaded after the leak and said the manuscript became "one of the most Googled stories" in the world. He said he hired attorneys and cease-and-desist orders went to publications and file-share sites.

I know that many of you feel very frustrated at how all of this played out, and yes there is reason to be especially pissed off at certain parties, but I would still discourage any of you from cancelling your pre-orders of "The Rogue."

Joe CAN be a curmudgeonly pain in the ass, but he is ALSO a very fine author, and his book may be perhaps the best, and most damaging, one written about the Grizzled Mama.

Update: It looks like Andrew Sullivan agrees with me about Joe's book.

But having now read Joe McGinniss's "The Rogue," I can safely say that reality is about to re-attach to her. Finally! Some actual, reported, unafraid journalism on this farce of a candidate. Pre-order it now.

Shannyn Moore is hosting the FDL Book Salon with Blind Allegiance co-author Jeanne Devon right now! Update!

Just click here, head on over and join the party!

You can still order your copy of Blind Allegiance by clicking here.

Update: Okay everybody hold off on condemning Frank over this supposed "donation to fight for parental consent, even for  incest victims."

Phil called me before he went over to FDL and said he thought it was mentioned in the back of Bailey's book, though HE had not yet seen it.  If it is I have not been able to find it so far.

He also said Frank mentioned it while being interviewed by Dana Loesch.  I just listened to the interview and (unless I missed it) there was absolutely no mention of this. (You can listen for yourself here.)

I also just received an e-mail from Jeanne Devin and she has never heard anything about this.

So before we all go off half cocked, let's make sure this information is accurate.  Right now Phil is the SOLE source of this information. I know that Frank is a supporter of parental consent, but I have NO concrete evidence that he is donating the proceeds of this book to that cause.

Update 2: I just heard back from Jeanne again.

Bailey has NO plans to donate any money to Pro-Life programs of any kind.

I have no idea why Phil made this accusation, but it has NO validity, and was NOT found in the two places that he identified such a statement could be found.

To repeat, this is a FALSE statement, and should not keep anyone from purchasing this book.

Have you ever wondered WHY Sarah Palin relies so heavily on ghostwriters? Well the answer is in Frank Bailey's book.

In Bailey's book he reveals an attempt that Palin made to write a 675 word op-ed to the Anchorage Daily News entitled "Nonsensical Gas Agreement."

As it turned out "nonsensical" was the key word here.

The ADN editor, Larry Persily, must have thought that Palin had one of her daughters write it for her.

Larry Persily’s reply, after reading her draft, was blunt in its dismissal, despite Sarah’s insistence that she was good at writing in plain English:

Sarah,

Thanks for the op-ed column, but it will need some changes before we can publish it. As I have told all the candidates, we are not going to let anyone (incumbents or challengers) get by with easy political speeches on the page, especially on oil and gas issues.

The public deserves specifics, not just promises. So -- and nothing personal in any of this -- I've added my comments where appropriate to give you an idea of what would need to be added or explained before we could publish the piece...

Picking up with Persily's comments in an emasl exchange on Sarah's fourth point we read:

Sarah wrote: Fourth, the contract doesn’t ensure gas for in-state use.

Persily commented: (How do you propose to ensure in-state gas? Everyone is quick to promise in-state gas, and to attack the draft contract for being deficient in this area, but I'm not going to allow anyone to get by with more of the same promises. If you're going to raise the pledge of in-state gas, you will need to explain how you plan to fulfill that pledge.).

Further down, Sarah then wrote: As Cook Inlet supplies diminish, the concept of importing natural gas while ours goes to Canada is abhorrent.

Persily replied: (through Canada, not to Canada).

Sarah: Fifth, under this contract, if gas prices dropped to certain levels, we’d actually pay oil companies for the privilege of producing our gas while they reaped profits.

Persily: (Please explain. Yes, the state would have to pay the processing costs for its share of the gas, and the cost of removing and disposing of impurities, but we're talking around 50 cents per mcf. Do you expect gas prices to drop that low? And if gas prices were that low, and we lost money, how would the companies "reap profits"?)

Sarah: We assume more cost and risk than the oil companies do, including contributing our land and 7/8 of our gas to make the project happen. All told, our concessions could nearly equal the cost of the entire project, yet we’d only own 20% of it.

Persily: (How is any of this true? We would take 20% of the cost risk under the contract vs. 80% for the companies. How does that translate into the state taking on more cost and risk than the companies? And we didn't "contribute" our land, we leased it to the companies for a substantial upfront payment and royalty terms. And, if the project is $20 billion, what state "concessions" would nearly equal $20 billion?)

Sarah: Seventh, Administrators refuse to disclose details of negotiations with viable alternatives like TransCanada , MidAmerican, and the Alaska Gasline Port Authority.

Persily: (Not entirely true. The state eventually released most of the negotiation documents from its talks with MidAmerican. And there were no negotiations under the Stranded Gas Development Act with the Alaska Gasline Port Authority, just informal talks outside the Stranded Gas Act. This could easily be fixed by changing the allegation to a statement about the state has been less than fully honest about our projects, or something like that.)

Sarah: Eighth, the deal was the Administration was forced to propose sweeping legislation to amend the Stranded Gas Act to retroactively legalize their deal.

Persily: (Not quite "retroactively legalize their deal," since the Legislature has not approved the deal. It would be more accurate to say "to allow the deal to proceed under the law," or "to make the law match the deal.")

Sarah: Ironically, other viable alternatives projects were hypocritically rejected as ‘illegal under the Act.’

Persily: (What alternatives were called "illegal?" I'm not aware of any. The state did determine that the Alaska Gasline Port Authority does not qualify under the Stranded Gas Development Act, but not qualifying for a negotiated fiscal contract is not the same as "illegal.")

Sarah: Like other Alaskans, I crave a profitable gas line agreement. But it must pass Constitutional muster and be derived through a competitive process where all viable proposals are fairly and openly considered. My preferred alternative will first provide gas for energizing Alaska’s homes and businesses, employing Alaskans, and reducing rural energy costs.

Persily: (Again, how do you propose to ensure gas for Alaskans and how do you propose to guarantee Alaska hire? Local-hire requirements are unconstitutional, so if you're going to imply you have a way around that, you need to say how. And, as for ensuring gas for Alaskans, do you propose reserving a portion of the state's royalty gas and selling it to Alaskans at below-market prices? Whatever the answer is, you need to say what you have in mind.)

Sarah did not take rejection well. That her editorial didn’t accurately address the issues, misstated facts, and was devoid of proposals, was unimportant. The blame went to Persily and the Anchorage Daily News. She wrote back:

To: Persily, Larry

See?! Your piddly little 675-word limit forced me to lower my own standards.

OK - back to the drawing board. Thanks for the challenge Larry.

Sarah

This basically marked the beginning and end of Sarah’s extensive writing career.

And THAT my friends is why Palin might be very, very reluctant to dump RAM despite her embarrassing tweets.

And that is only ONE of the amazing, and highly embarrassing revelations to be found in Frank Bailey's book.

The Associated Press interviews Frank Bailey.

From the AP:

A former member of Sarah Palin's inner circle has written a scathing tell-all, saying Palin was ready to quit as governor months before she actually resigned and was eager to leave office when more lucrative opportunities came around.

"In 2009 I had the sense if she made it to the White House and I had stayed silent, I could never forgive myself," Frank Bailey told The Associated Press.

Palin's attorney did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.

"Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of Our Tumultuous Years" is due out Tuesday and based on tens of thousands of emails that Bailey said he kept during his time with Palin. It began with working on her 2006 gubernatorial campaign and continued through her failed run for vice president in 2008 and her brief stint as governor.

The Alaska attorney general's office has said it's investigating Bailey's use of the emails. Executive ethics laws bar former public officials from using information acquired during their work for personal gain if the information hasn't been publicly disseminated.

The state has yet to release thousands of emails that Palin sent and received during her 2 ½ years as governor. Bailey's attorney has said Bailey took "great care" to ensure his writings were consistent with legal requirements.

Billed as the first Palin book by a former aide, "Blind Allegiance" bolsters the perception of Palin as self-serving, while casting Bailey as her enforcer — willing to do the dirty work, no questions asked.

The interesting thing about this book is that Bailey does NOT attempt to sugarcoat his blind obedience to Sarah Palin, nor his often unethical behavior on her behalf.  In fact Bailey uses his very real, and personal religious convictions to guide him through some very painful confessions, and seems more concerned with receiving forgiveness from his God then worrying about how Sarah Palin or the public judge him based on the information that he reveals.

I can certainly attest that Frank earned his nickname "The Enforcer" as I had my own run in with him back in 2009.  However since that time, from everything that I have heard, Frank has been trying to turn his life around and make amends for the part he played in further the Grizzled Mama's political career.

Which is why I have "Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin" pre-ordered on my Nook, and set to arrive tomorrow. And when it does I am going to dive right in and devour every morsel of what I know to be a fascinating story of what happens behind the scenes in the world of Sarah Palin, as told from a self identified "Palin-bot."

How could this NOT be good?

(And of course since I have already read the leaked manuscript, I am more than a little confident that this book is worth the purchase price.)

Uh oh! Alaska Attorney General's office to investigate whether or not e-mails used in Frank Bailey book belong to the state.

From ADN:

The Alaska attorney general's office says it's investigating a charge that former Sarah Palin aide Frank Bailey wrongfully used state emails as the basis for his coming book slamming the ex-governor.

Assistant Attorney General Margaret Paton Walsh on Friday wrote to Anchorage activist Andree McLeod, who filed an ethics complaint against Bailey in September and has been repeatedly asking since what's being done about it.

"In addition to the ongoing investigation ... this office has been working with Enterprise Technology Services, the state's IT division, to ascertain whether the state is missing emails that are state records and which Mr. Bailey may have in his possession," she wrote to McLeod.

"Please be assured that we take this matter very seriously and are working to ensure that the state has possession of all state records and emails," Paton Walsh wrote.

Bailey did not respond to the Daily News on Monday. He did express confidence to The Associated Press in September, after McLeod filed her ethics complaint, that his "efforts and procedures" had been lawful in preparing his memoir.

This possibility has been widely discussed by a lot of people behind the scenes, and some of us even suggested releasing the e-mails on Wikileaks before the book was published.

A few have even put forward the opinion that the leaked manuscript simply could NEVER have been published as it was written due to the heavy reliance on the e-mails in Bailey's possession which fleshed out the narrative, and gave it iron clad credibility.

However I have also been told that the authors were prepared for this contingency, and are prepared to address it legally. I certainly hope they are correct, because I really do want to read the final version of this book.

Frank Bailey's book to be released May 24th. Update!

Courtesy of Today Book News:

An imprint of Simon & Schuster announced Monday that it had signed up "Blind Allegiance," a long-rumored tell-all by former Palin aide Frank Bailey.

The imprint, Howard Books, will release Bailey's book May 24. Excerpts from an early draft were leaked to reporters earlier this year.

Bailey worked with Palin while she was governor of Alaska and when she was John McCain's running mate on the Republican presidential ticket in 2008.

Howard Books is calling "Blind Allegiance" a "chilling expose." Author Ken Morris and Alaska political blogger Jeanne Devon helped write the book.

Wouldn't you like to see Palin's face when she sees THIS news?

And for all of you who saw the leaked copy and figure you have read all that Bailey has to offer, believe me you have not!  There were tons of e-mails and quite a lot of amazing information left out of that leaked manuscript, and I am confident we will see some of that included in this book once it hits the bookshelves.

Update: Here is a look at the cover.

Oooh, I like it!

McGinniss lawyer responds to the leak of Frank Bailey's book.

From All Around Philly.com:

Dean Steinbeck, an attorney for Bailey and writers Ken Morris and Jeanne Devon, alleged that McGinniss received a copy of the manuscript between Feb. 16 and Feb. 18. In a letter to McGinniss, he said the matter "appears to be no more than that of a jealous author sabotaging a competitor via unlawful and unscrupulous means." A copy of the letter was posted on Devon's blog.

The Anchorage Daily News has reported that it received copies of the manuscript from multiple sources, including McGinniss.

McGinniss' attorney Dennis Holahan, in a letter to Steinbeck dated Tuesday, acknowledges that McGinniss sent a copy of the manuscript "to a few people and media outlets in Alaska, advising them that they should not reproduce any of the manuscript before contacting the authors for permission."

Holahan said the manuscript McGinniss received by e-mail had already been widely disseminated within the publishing world. He said the book agent for Steinbeck's clients, in sending the manuscript around, included no request for confidentiality. Holahan balked at any claim of copyright infringement or alleged attempt by McGinniss to derail a rival project.

"Mr. McGinniss is one of the top investigative journalists in the United States," Holahan wrote in the letter, a copy of which was provided to The Associated Press late Tuesday. "He does not waste time trying to eliminate the competition, especially in this case, where the competition does not appear to have the right to publish the material that forms the strongest appeal of the manuscript."

This is not my fight, especially since I have friends on both sides of this conflict, but since I posted the Ken Morris article from Mudflats the other day I felt that I should give both sides the same opportunity to explain their position.

Personally I want all of this resolved so that we can move forward on revealing the truth about Sarah Palin to the widest possible audience.  After all, the true enemy of the Grizzled Mama is not liberals, the media, or book authors.  Her true enemy is simply the truth.

P.S. BTW I want to give a shout out to Regina over at Palingates for demonstrating the kind of ethics that make me so proud of my fellow bloggers.  Thank you Regina!

Sarah Palin's secret Facebook account revealed!

Apparently one of the fun facts revealed in Frank Bailey's manuscript (This one perhaps accidentally) is Sarah Palin's current e-mail address. (Another one?)

The ever vigilant folks over at Wonkette decided to put the e-maill address into Facebook and lo-and-behold "Lou Sarah" was revealed. Here is her Facebook page. (Well here is what it looks like before Palin has it torn down and stomps on her Blackberry for daring to betray her...yet AGAIN!)

Apparently this "Lou Sarah" is also BFF's with Bristol Palin and somebody named "Mary Kay Sheeran" (Wait! Isn't that?).  She also hates her some Obamacare, so obviously there is no real way to be sure THIS is the actual Sarah Palin's secret Facebook account. (I put that last part in there to give the Sea o' Pee a jumping off point as they try to refute this entire discovery. "What? Sarah Palin does NOT have a secret Facebook account!  She would have shared that with us!  Wouldn't she?")

Here is more of the activity by "Lou Sarah" that gives the impression it is written by a 12 year old girl rather than a forty seven year old failed politician.

You know if this were ANYBODY else I would find it almost unbelievable.  But it's Sarah so nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, surprises me anymore.

Please take a moment to head on over to Wonkette and read even more juicy details.

Finished!

I just read the last word on page 456 of the leaked manuscript, and my totally impartial opinon of this potential blockbuster is....  Damn!

There is a lot of amazing and incredibly damaging things in the book as it pertains to Todd and Sarah (It is a close call, but I think Todd comes off a little worse.), and there is the fascinating opportunity to view Sarah Palin at the beginning of her political career through the eyes a self professed "Palin-bot," that all on its own will make this book a must have for those of us who have often wondered "just what is the damn attraction?"

As I type this there are many news sites and blogs taking down their "cut and paste" excerpts from the manuscript in response to the cease and desist letter that they received from the co-authors legal representative, while others are stubbornly putting internet clicks and a temporary increase in  viewership over any possibility of lawsuit.

Believe me I understand the temptation to post huge sections of the manuscript and indulge in an orgy of self congratulations and "I told you so's" as so much in those pages back up almost everything that I maintained was happening behind the scenes. The exhilaration of seeing printed in e-mails what I could only imagine must be happening within the deep dark depths of Palin-land is hard to put into words.

However to do so would risk a possible lawsuit and, more importantly, might potentially impact how quickly this manuscript will get published.  So once again my desire to be FIRST with the breaking news must take a backseat to helping to get this book into the hands of an anxiously waiting public.

To be completely honest I was disappointed that some rather large scandals and incidents that were covered extensively by the blogs and new sites were virtually ignored in the book, but I do understand that this is Frank Bailey's version of what happened and some of the things that WE thought were big deals just did not interest him. (Or else he did not want to relive parts of the timeline that made him particularly uncomfortable.)

However there is ONE very important point repeatedly made about Sarah Palin in this manuscript that I feel the authors would not mind that I share with you.  And that is that this.....


Sarah Palin on "hurt feelings" from Dennis Zaki on Vimeo.

..is absolute bullshit.  In fact Sarah Palin may be one of the MOST thin skinned people on the planet. (Video of Sarah's return to Alaska on November 5, the day after the 2008 election.)

If you thought Sarah Palin was vindictive, you will not be disappointed by this book. 

If you thought the personal mythology about her family was bullshit, this is the book for you.

And if you thought that Sarah Palin uses her looks to get away with everything just shy of murder, this book will make that an absolute certainty.

Another thing that I am going to share as that it is definitely possible that when the finished product finally does hit the bookshelves it may contain quite a lot of new information NOT contained in this leaked manuscript.  So if you believe that it will not get published because it is all over the internet, don't worry about that.  Remember there were 60,000 e-mails, and only a small portion made it into THIS particular version.  There is much more that can still be added.

In case Mudflats is down, and you can't gain access, here is the last post.

Jeanne said that she is having trouble with Mudflats, as it keeps getting shut down from too much traffic, so she asked me to post this on IM for her:

Say it Ain't So, Joe! Co-Author of Leaked Palin Book Speaks Out


Mudflats Friends:

When I first appeared on Jeanne’s groundbreaking pages well over one year ago, I wrote about participating in the eBay auction to buy a meal with Sarah Palin to benefit a worthy veterans’ charity. A short time later, after losing that auction to what looked like a rigged bid, I then offered through Mudflats an additional $200,000 for that same charity if Sarah would answer civil question over a second meal, on the record, with the likes of Jeanne, Rachel Maddow, Shannyn Moore, and Keith Olbermann.

While I waited in vain for an answer from your ex-governor, I managed to contact Frank Bailey and his wonderful wife Neen. Over fourteen months ago, after substantive dialogue, we decided to pursue a memoir. Two months later, I realized I needed Jeanne Devon to help me navigate the million details of Alaskan politics and personalities. I invited (actually, demanded) she join the team. Frank balked at first. After all, he's conservative and she's a liberal blogger. I insisted they meet or I'd walk away from the project. Well, no surprise, he embraced her inclusion after only a second cup of coffee.

For over a year—that’s right, friends, over a year—we worked in silence. We spent countless hours (on my end, upwards of 70 hours per week) constructing what we believed was an important book, based on documented truth. Within the last month, we finished a marketable draft. Not a final draft--we anticipate changes, both additions and deletions--but something that our agent believed would result in substantial interest in the publishing world. You can imagine our joy.

Then the manuscript was sent out, illegally, to the media. Why? Good question (Jeanne and I have discussed writing-up this disturbing story-behind-the-story with its ethics be damned. New Yorker, are you interested? Rolling Stone?).

With permission from my legal team, Jeanne and I decided to post what is known as a Cease and Desist order. And while there are many other unnamed parties who have engaged in unethical behavior and violated copyright law (you should be ashamed of yourselves), this is the most shocking.

What is written below includes only part of what we sent to this now-officially-named individual, but is, I believe, self-explanatory (a similar letter is going out to those we have identified as also unlawfully reproducing portions of our work). I guess you can say we are not rolling over, and for those who ignore law and morality, we are not going away:

BONFANTE STEINBECK, A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION
February 20, 2011
SENDER INFORMATION:
Ken Morris, Frank Bailey and Jeanne Devon

RECIPIENT INFORMATION:
Joe McGinniss

RE: COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
Dear Sir:
I write on behalf of Ken Morris, Frank Bailey and Jeanne Devon (collectively, the “Copyright
Owners”). The Copyright Owners are co-owners of the copyright in the unpublished manuscript
entitled “Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years” (the “Work”).
Between February 16, 2011 and February 18, 2011 you were the recipient of an unlawfully
distributed version of the Work. Although you knew that the Work was (i) distributed to you in
strict confidence, and (ii) an unpublished manuscript, you choose to unlawfully distribute the
Work to multiple news outlets, bloggers, political activists, and any one else you felt might be
interested.

As a result of your actions, hundreds of articles and blogs have been published detailing the
Work. Some of the publications have summarized the Work in great detail, and others have
reproduced the Work’s content verbatim. As an author, you are well aware that your actions have
significantly impaired the Copyright Owners ability to market the book....

...The Copyright Owners believe your actions were done with the single intent of destroying the
marketability of the Work. It is no secret that you are writing your own “tell-all” book about
Sarah Palin. By releasing the Work prior to publication, you have limited the actual interest in
the Work and thereby salvaged the marketability of your own book. This matter appears to be no
more than that of a jealous author sabotaging a competitor via unlawful and unscrupulous means.

The Copyright Owners are currently reviewing their legal options and I can assure this is not the
last time you will hear from them. Besides showing an utter lack of professionalism, you have,
at a minimum, willfully caused significant damages by engaging in unfair competition and
violations of copyright law. In order to minimize the damages caused by your actions, the
Copyright Owners hereby demand that you cease and desist from distributing any portion of the
Work. Additionally, the Copyright Owners demand that you provide a full list of the parties to
whom you distributed the Work.

This letter is not intended as, and may not be construed to be, a complete recitation of the facts or
circumstances connected with this matter. Furthermore, any statement contained in this letter is
not intended as, and may not be construed to be, a waiver or relinquishment of any of the
Copyright Owners’ rights or remedies under law, all of which the Copyright Owners hereby
expressly reserve.

Please feel free to contact me to discuss this matter further.
Sincerely,
Dean M. Steinbeck

(I am always ready to help my friends so I am fine with posting this here. However I will keep my opinion of this situation, and who is or is not to blame, to myself for the time being.  You all are free to discuss it in the comments section of course, but don't bother asking me for a response.  Thanks for your understanding.)

Cease and Desist order from the attorney representing Frank Bailey, Ken Morris, and Jeanne Devon.

Dear Sir:

I write on behalf of Ken Morris, Frank Bailey and Jeanne Devon (collectively, the “Copyright Owners”). The Copyright Owners are co-owners of the copyright in the unpublished manuscript entitled “Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years” (the “Work”).

Between February 16, 2011 and February 19, 2011 you were the recipient of an unlawfully distributed version of the Work. The Copyright Owners kindly request that you do not violate US copyright law by distributing, coping, reproducing or displaying any portion of the Work. The Copyright Owners are currently assessing their legal position with regards to those parties that violated the copyright in the Work. In an effort to assist the Copyright Owners, we kindly request that you provide exact details as to how you obtained unlawfully distributed copies of the Work and which parties (including names and contact information) sent you the Work

This letter is not intended as, and may not be construed to be, a complete recitation of the facts or circumstances connected with this matter. Furthermore, any statement contained in this letter is not intended as, and may not be construed to be, a waiver or relinquishment of any of the Copyright Owners’ rights or remedies under law, all of which the Copyright Owners hereby expressly reserve.

Please feel free to contact me at (310) 776-0865 or via email at deansteinbeck@bsalawfirm.com to discuss this matter further.
Sincerely,
Dean M. Steinbeck
----
Dean M. Steinbeck
Bonfante Steinbeck
A Professional Law Corporation
http://www.bsalawfirm.com/


I knew this was on its way and personally I am glad that it has arrived.

This has been sent to ALL of us who, without authorization from the owners of the copyright, received this manuscript in our e-mail boxes on Friday.

I have already told you that I planned to comply with the wishes of the authors to NOT disseminate important facts from this manuscript, and except for letting you know that there is nothing relevant about babygate I have kept that word. (By the way I am not considered out of compliance with this Cease and Desist order.)

However as you know there are a number of news sites and blogs that have been putting out large portions of the manuscript without authorization, who WILL be facing some serious repercussions if they continue.

Look believe me when I say I completely understand the desire to read and discuss what is in this wonderful book-to-be, but ALL of us who want to get the truth about Sarah Palin out into the mainstream have to help protect this intellectual property. What is contained in these pages simply MUST make it into the bookstores.

So if you know of a blog, website, or forum that has post a portion or ALL of the manuscript please notify Mr. Steinbeck and let him know.

P.S. I will NOT be providing the name of the person who sent me the manuscript to this attorney.  In all other ways I will be compliant. But you know me, a source is always to be protected.