The "Curse of Palin" infects the office of Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar. Apparently Thomas Van Flein is a carrier.

"Could you hold that thought Congressman? My Sarah Palin emergency cell phone is ringing!"

Courtesy of Politico:

Staffing problems at the highest level of Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar’s office have thrown his operation into disarray — spurring a string of departures and prompting members of the congressman’s inner circle to reach out for help, internal emails obtained by POLITICO indicate.

“Gosar has serious congressional staff issues,” said one Arizona Republican familiar with the operation. “It’s a total cluster.”

The emails, written by former staffers while they were still on the payroll, implicate chief of staff Rob Robinson and legislative director Tom Van Flein as the heart of the problem.

Gosar’s decision to hire the pair after he was elected raised eyebrows from the beginning — both men had no prior congressional experience and both had close ties to Sarah Palin, who boosted Gosar’s campaign with an endorsement.

Gosar’s relationship with Robinson began long before his recent venture into politics. They met when both served on the American Dental Association’s government affairs council, and eventually grew so close, Robinson quit his Wasilla-based dental practice in 2009 to become Gosar’s chief adviser. Robinson got to know Palin during his time dabbling in Alaska politics and through Van Flein, who also counts as clients Palin and the Alaska Dental Society.

In January, Gosar assured those concerned about Robinson and Van Flein’s lack of political experience that he trusted both men and that their relationships with Palin wouldn’t affect his office. “When it comes to politics, it’s nice to be mired with Sarah Palin. But I’m Paul Gosar. I’m my own person,” he told Roll Call at the time.

In a lengthy message sent in late January by Gosar’s former communications director, Stefani Zimmerman describes Van Flein as disengaged and preoccupied with the former Alaska governor’s portfolio.

Zimmerman accused Van Flein — who remains one of Palin’s most trusted advisers — of spending office time on Palin and other clients. She also said he “relays information the staff discusses with each other to people like Sarah Palin” and “writes op-eds and speeches without permission, all from Sarah Palin’s point of view.”

In meetings, Zimmerman claimed, Van Flein “asks questions that would benefit Sarah, not Paul,” and “advises Paul from a tea party perspective, not Arizona 1st’s perspective.”

Zimmerman also charged that Van Flein, like Palin, “goes rogue, … takes meetings, advises Paul, etc., without telling anyone, including Rob.”

Go ahead and ask yourself if this comes as any surprise to you.

No, of course not. Because as we all know EVERYTHING Palin touches turns to shit.

You know on a personal note I just have to say how much I have missed "Tommy" Van Flein around here.


Why it seems like just yesterday he was desperately bailing like a one armed sailor while Joe Miller's Senate campaign sank into the inky blackness of Alaska politics. With experience and credentials like that you can imagine what an asset he must be to Paul Gosar.

I am almost embarrassed at how sentimental I become when I think back to  the days when Tommy would threaten to sue me on the Grizzled Mama's behalf (When we both knew he did not have the legal right nor sufficient set of balls to pull it off), or I would trick him into having brunch with me just to see the shocked look on his face.

But does he ever call?  Or even write?  Hell no.

Oh well I guess those carefree days of constant strife and "take no prisoners" warfare are all but gone now.

What can I say?  Alaska's loss is....well apparently now Arizona's loss.

It is interesting to note, by the way, that it now seems apparent that whenever somebody pisses Klondike Kardashian off that it makes Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar's ability to do his job grind to a standstill, since part of his staff is then preoccupied with helping her with damage control and soothing her ruffled feathers.

You know SOMEBODY in Arizona politics might take that information and use it for their benefit.

I am just saying.

Arizona lawmaker introduces bill in the hopes it will keep President Obama from being reelected.

From Mother Jones:

Last week, Arizona state Rep. Judy Burges, a Republican, introduced a bill that would bar presidential candidates who do not prove they were born in the United States from appearing on the ballot in the Grand Canyon state. And state Rep. Chad Campbell, the top Democrat in the GOP-controlled Arizona House of Representatives, tells Mother Jones that the bill is likely to pass. It was introduced with 25 co-sponsors in the House and 16 co-sponsors in the state Senate; the measure needs 31 votes in the House and 16 in the Senate for approval. "Will it matter?" asks Campbell. "We've started a tradition here of passing legislation that is political grandstanding or that sets up litigation."

But the birthers—those ardent Obama foes who believe the president was not born in Hawaii and, thus, is not constitutionally qualified serve as president—see this measure as more than symbolic. For them, it's part of a well-orchestrated campaign to deny Obama reelection.

It's not that Obama necessarily requires Arizona's 10 electoral votes to win reelection in 2012. In 2008, he lost there to John McCain, Arizona's senior senator (though in 2012, Obama could make a play for the state). More important, Burges' bill—which would establish a strict standard for proving natural-born citizenship (which the birthers presume Obama could not meet)—is a model for other states, and similar efforts are under way in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Montana, Georgia, and Texas. (Obama won Pennsylvania in 2008 and lost Missouri by less than 4,000 votes.) Arizona may be where this birther ball gets rolling.

Jesus no wonder Sarah Palin is shuffling her kids off to Arizona and helping to set up a ground base there.

(Picture removed at request of source.)
.

So first Thomas Van Flein hightails it to Arizona to work for a teabagging Congressman as his "political advisor. "

Then Bristol defies her custody agreement, kidnaps her son and runs off to practice abstinence with her pipeline working boy-toy in the same state.

Later we come to find out that Sarah is also renting a humongous McMansion there as well.

And just now we learn that another teabagging Arizona Representative is trying to pass a  law to make it impossible for Barack Obama to get on the ballot, because they realize that the only possible way they have of beating Obama is by somehow managing to stack the deck against him.

You know, much like Sarah Palin I also do not believe in coincidences.

At least not in this case.

Palin posse sinks their teeth even deeper into Arizona politics.

From Roll Call:

Gosar, who unseated Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D) in Arizona's 1st district, has named retired dentist Rob Robinson as his chief of staff. Robinson left his son in charge of his Wasilla, Alaska-based dental practice to move to Arizona in 2009 and become Gosar's campaign manager, treasurer and chief adviser.

Gosar told Roll Call that Robinson introduced him to Palin. Robinson got to know Palin from being politically active in their 7,000-population town, where Palin served as mayor. "I know he was very involved in the politics in Alaska and very involved in the politics of Wasilla," Gosar said.
Robinson, who will work from Gosar's Arizona district office, isn't the only person with Palin ties on the fledgling payroll.

Gosar hired Palin family attorney Thomas Van Flein to be his legislative director and deputy chief of staff. Van Flein graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1989, according to his profile on his law firm's website. Van Flein's Alaska law firm, Clapp, Peterson, Van Flein, Tiemessen & Thorsness, helped Palin and her family navigate the Troopergate scandal when she was governor. Van Flein also represented Palin-endorsed tea party Senate candidate Joe Miller. Palin paid Van Flein a hefty retainer over the course of 2010, with the most recent payment of $10,000 coming on Oct. 28, according to her FEC filings.

Gosar is the only Arizona candidate Palin endorsed during the general election campaign. (Earlier in the year she supported her 2008 running mate, Sen. John McCain, in a Republican primary.) In July, Palin called Gosar "a bold man" who "shares our belief that the federal government's reckless spending is putting us on a dangerous path towards insolvency."

Interesting no?

First Van Flein joins Gosar's as Deputy Chief of Staff, then somebody buys a home in Maricopa in Bristol's name, and now this dentists with strong ties to Palin, Van Flein, and Wasilla becomes Gosar's Chief of Staff. A position by the way that he seems completely unqualified for.

It seems that the only ties that Van Flein and Robinson have with Gosar are Palin, politics, and dentistry.

Which is kind of interesting because if not for the support of dentists, and their families Sarah Palin may not have turned out to be....well Sarah Palin.

It was Linda Menard, Dentist Curtis D. Menard's wife, that convinced a young Sarah Heath to compete in the Miss Wasilla competition and later, to take two runs at the Miss Alaska crown.

She was living next to Curtis C. Menard (The man, now a dentist, that she had been infatuated with in High School and the son of Curtis Sr.), while she was pregnant with Track, and damn near put the city of Wasilla into bankruptcy by building a Sports Center in his honor after he died.

Dentists and Arizona, even in the world of Sarah Palin this is an odd combination of "coincidences."  And what is it that Sister Sarah always says about coincidences?

Well THIS one is definitely one we all need to keep our eyes on.  Something smells extremely  fishy.

But hey, at least she has straight teeth.

Scary, but straight.

Palin attorney, and pet poodle, Thomas Van Flein escapes to Arizona. Hmm what does THAT mean for Snowdrift Snooki?

From Politico:

One of Sarah Palin’s most-trusted advisers is going to work for a newly-elected Arizona congressman.

Tom Van Flein, an Anchorage lawyer who has become a political adviser and fixer of sorts for Palin and her family, will become legislative director and deputy chief of staff for incoming Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, it was announced Monday.

Van Flein is one of the four aides Palin most relies on, helping to devise political strategy and do research. He graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law, and formerly lived and worked in Arizona, Gosar pointed out in a statement announcing the hiring and praising Van Flein, who worked on Gosar's campaign, as "one of my trusted advisers."

"I look forward to working with him in Washington and ensuring that we listen to the American people and work to uphold the principles that make this country great," Gosar said.

As many of you are aware Van Flein has been one of Palin's most loyal and versatile staff members.  He aggressively represented Palin during the Troopergate investigation, he aggressively went after me on her behalf after I posted the Splitsville story, he represented her during the so-called "e-mail hacker" trial, represented Bristol in her child custody case with Levi, and even represented Palin's butt-boy Joe Miller in his fight to dismiss write in votes for Lisa Murkowski.

Yes Tommy-boy has been one of the Grizzled Mama's most reliable supporters and defenders, so what does it mean that he is suddenly picking up stakes and winging it to sunny Arizona?

Well he could simply be jumping off of the Palin Titanic before it finally hits that iceberg that everybody knows is in its path.  Or he might know that the Palin gravy train is about to run out of gravy and that there are more lucrative offers elsewhere. 

Van Flein worked on Gosar’s campaign, donating $2,760 worth of legal services, according to Federal Election Commission reports. They show that Palin’s political action committee, Sarah PAC, has paid Van Flein’s firm $155,000 in the past year for legal fees.

Or, if some of the rumors I keep hearing are correct, he might be heading off to help set up Palin's operation in Arizona, before the family all moves down there en masse.

I have to say that at this point I am not exactly sure which one of these scenarios, or which combination of them, is the actual reason.

However it seems that Palin is not completely cutting ties with Van Flein, like she did with some other staff members who rode off into the sunset.

It is unclear whether Team Palin intends to add staff to replace Van Flein during his absence.
In a statement, Palin said Gosar "is getting a wise, experienced and principled hand that will help him hit the ground running."

That sounds pretty magnanimous for the Grizzled One now doesn't it? 

And isn't that old fart that Palin allowed to share her 2008 Presidential ticket still Senator in Arizona as well?

Yes, I think this bears watching. I have the feeling that Van Flien's association with Sister Sarah is far from over.

98 percent of write-on ballots go to Murkowski, Miller team aggressively challenging even those with correct spelling.

From ADN:

Almost 98 percent of write-in ballots opened Wednesday went to Lisa Murkowski on the first day of a count meant to decide Alaska's U.S. Senate race.

The Division of Elections accepted few of the objections made by Joe Miller's campaign to the ballots.

"So far things look really good for us," said Murkowski campaign manager Kevin Sweeney, who is in Juneau watching the write-in ballot count.

So it looks like the Miller campaign is essentialy fighting a lost cause, and their desperation is evident for all to see.

Miller campaign observers successfully challenged only 1.44 percent of the 19,203 ballots counted on Wednesday. Fenumiai agreed with challenges by the Miller campaign of ballots like "McCosky," "Misskowski" and "Morcowski."

Some of the ballots challenged by Miller campaign observers Wednesday appeared to be correctly spelled "Lisa Murkowski," with the oval filled in as required. Fenumiai said she was seeing "a lot" of such apparently properly filled out write-in ballots being challenged.

The Alaska Dispatch seems to have a handle on the Miller campaign's game plan at his point.

If each of the ballots the Miller observers challenged Wednesday was, indeed, thrown out and the early rate of unacceptable ballots, as judged by the Miller campaign, were to continue, Miller would be close to having enough votes to win a Senate seat.

So apparently they seem to be banking on the idea that if they just keep randomly challenging votes maybe enough of the challenges will stick to give Miller the victory.  Can you say "pathetic?"

Of course having his minions challenge every other write-in vote is not the only spoiler that Miller and Sarah Palin's attorney have up their sleeve.

(November 10, 2010) - Lt. Governor Craig E. Campbell held a press conference today in Juneau regarding the recent lawsuit filed by U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller, the write-in ballot count and allegations of bias.

Miller filed suit in Federal Court Tuesday in an effort to stop the write-in count from proceeding alleging voter intent is addressed in Alaska state statute.

"From the beginning, it has been our position that slight misspelling of a write-in candidate's name would count. I have not waivered from this stance. The state will continue its efforts to count write-in ballots, unless we hear otherwise from the courts," Campbell said.

Perhaps my favorite part of this little dramedy is that the judge, Joe Sedwick,  who was originally assigned to oversee Miller's write-in lawsuit had himself taken off because essentially he does not like the little shit.

Here is his recusal:

Plaintiff Joe Miller was once employed by this court as a part-time magistrate judge in Fairbanks. Subsequent to Mr. Miller's appointment to that position, I became chief judge of the district. As a result, I also became Mr. Miller's direct supervisor.

Mr. Miller's service came to an abrupt end when he called me to say that he planned to run for elective office and so would have to resign. Mr. Miller called at about 4:20 PM on the day of his resignation. The process for filling a part-time magistrate judge position is lengthy, a fact well known to Mr. Miller because he had gone through that process. Mr. Miller's failure to give reasonable notice of his resignation left the court with no judicial officer resident in Fairbanks, and no ability to fill the vacancy for many months. This incident caused me to form a negative opinion of Mr. Miller.

As a federal judicial officer, it is my duty to discourage political activity by my family members, and I do so. Nevertheless, members of my family have civil rights which they are entitled to exercise. Following the primary election, my spouse contributed to the write-in campaign of Senator Murkowski.

A reasonable person with knowledge of the above facts would conclude that my impartiality might reasonably be questioned. I recuse. The Clerk of Court will please re-assign this case to another judge.

Ouch!  You know, not that I give a shit, but one has to wonder exactly what kind of employment Miller  will be able to seek when he loses this election, since he seems to be burning his bridges like a pyromaniac on a weekend pass!

Though I guess if the rumors turn out to be true that he could always apply for the job of carrying Sarah Palin's purse.

Court case over Miller records has been expedited. Could be resolved as early as this weekend.



When is the court case?

From Alaska Dispatch:

Joe Miller has been added as an intervenor in a court case filed by Alaska media outlets seeking documents related to his employment as an attorney with the Fairbanks North Star Borough.

In hearings Tuesday in Fairbanks, attorneys for Alaska Dispatch, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Anchorage Daily News asked for expedited consideration of Alaska Dispatch LLC et al v. Fairbanks North Star Borough so the issue can be resolved prior to Election Day, Nov. 2.

Attorneys for Miller opposed the request, arguing that errors could be made and Miller's rights could be violated if the process is rushed through the court system. Judge Douglas Blankenship agreed to hear the case on an expedited basis, however, and scheduled a special hearing for Saturday, meaning some or all of the case issues could be resolved as early as this weekend.

Now THAT is some very good news!

Well geez I wonder what Sarah Palin will do if she needs any legal help while her attorney is busy desperately trying to keep Teabagger Joe's damaging employment records from being opened to public scrutiny?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Did US Weekly pay Levi and Bristol $100,000 for the scoop on their upcoming fake marriage?

From Page Six:

Money certainly talks. Our sources estimate Us Weekly paid $100,000 to Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston for the story on their engagement. The cash not only bought an exclusive interview with the couple, but also screwed competitor People. The single mom gave interviews to both magazines, but didn't tell People about the engagement or that they'd hidden their reconciliation from Sarah Palin.

Bristol lied to People: "We're not totally back together, but I'm not ruling it out . . . I don't want to get into what's in store for our future because, who knows?" But Us Weekly knew. Bristol hid her left hand in the People photo shoot, though proudly revealed her ring to Us Weekly. An Us Weekly rep said, "We were approached by Bristol and Levi to break the news, and we didn't pay $100,000."

$100,000 BUCKS! Jesus that is a lot of money! No wonder Bristol brought Levi back into her little "bed of faux abstinence!" I mean can you imagine US Weekly paying that kind of money for the announcement of the Bristol Palin/Ben Barber engagement? Hell no! Barber is not a marquee name! He does not inspire tongues to wag and billfolds to open.

Once the bun in Bristol's oven began to rise it simply HAD to be Levi!

So Levi and Bristol get to split $100,000. Not bad. Of course if we know Sarah Palin's little girl, Levi will probably not get a chance to even smell that money before Bristol puts it into a bank account, the number of which he will be told not to worry his handsome little head about.

Of course Levi should be used to having somebody else control his money since he was also put on an allowance by Rex Butler, who only allowed Levi enough money to pay his rent and go hunting once in awhile. Of course at that same time Rex and former bouncer Tank Jones were opening an ostentatious watering hole simply called "The Office" in mid-town, which features two huge leather thrones to cushion their grifter asses . Gee I wonder how they managed to scrape together enough money to do that?

By the way for those who are still accepting the story that "mommy fearest" was not aware of this engagement, you need to be aware that in order to broker a payday this large Bristol would have had to have her attorney work out the details. That attorney is Thomas Van Flein who, by no coincidence whatsoever, is also the attorney that Sarah has on a $10,000 a month retainer. You can bet your ass that Van Flein would NEVER dare to cross Mama Grizzly by helping Bristol and Levi go behind her back to make this announcement. He knows full well who the real golden goose in the family is, and also what a vindictive bitch that goose can be.

Now the only question remaining is how to work Bristol's swelling extremities and bulging baby belly into the storyline of their new reality show? Perhaps they can say that while Levi was posing for Playgirl he was bitten by a radioactive porn star and now his sperm have super potency powers. Meaning that in six weeks after they are married and can "finally" re-consummate their relationship, his special Levi Johnston baby batter will hunt down Bristol's defenseless egg and fertilize it so aggressively that it will fast forward Bristol's pregnancy four months in a single weekend!

What? Is that really any dumber than a the story of Sarah's last "pregnancy"?

All hail the glory that is Sarah Palin.

I have been a little tough on Palin and her supporters lately. I hope this will smooth things over.

You know the scary thing is that THIS is exactly how her followers see her.

(H/T to the artist who created and e-mailed this image to me.)

Sarah Palin's hired gun gives Levi Johnston both barrels.

This just showed up on the TMZ website.

The lawyer for Sarah Palin's kid is scoffing at legal docs filed by Levi's lawyer -- docs claiming Levi made but a pittance over the last few years and should not have to pay $1,688.42 a month in child support - which is what Bristol wants.

Levi says the best he's done in the income department so far is last year -- claiming he made approximately $101,000. Apparently Palin's not buying it, because her lawyer issued subpoenas today to CNN, Playgirl, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Star Magazine, and National Enquirer, asking for hard figures on how much they paid Levi.

And there's what Palin's lawyer believes is a smoking gun. Levi claimed in legal docs that he made no more than $10,000 a year prior to 2009. But in the new docs, Palin's lawyer attached Levi's pay stub from 2008, showing he raked in $18,594.50 from one employer - a construction company in Alaska.

This is just more bad news for Levi.

The thing that is so frustrating is that Van Flein is clearly trying to drain Levi's resources by making him respond to one legal challenge after another. There is NO way he can compete with Sarah Palin's money, and they know it. So they plan to empty his pockets and make him completely unable to fight back anymore.

They also plan to occupy so much of Rex Butler's time responding to legal paperwork that he will not be able to attend to his other cases and continue to make a living. The day that I visited Rex's office he had case files and unopened mail stacked all over the place, and that was BEFORE this custody case started. One can only imagine how far behind he is now.

And just think if Van Flein had gotten his way ALL of this would be happening behind closed doors and NOBODY would know just how petty and ugly the Palin's were planning to get.

But since Van Flein wants to play things this way perhaps it is time to find out how much BRISTOL made in 2009! And is there any way to get information about that LLC? I bet THAT is especially interesting.

Update: Somebody asked in the comments HOW TMZ gets this information so quickly. I do not yet have proof but I am fairly confident that Van Flein is funneling them information. The real question is do they pay for that information? And in whose pocket does that money end up?

Update2: And yes if you look at the net amount Levi only made $11,771.34 on that job, which I believe was his only job that year. So Van Flein's explosive revelation is that Rex Butler rounded down in estimating that Levi made around $10,000 that year, and therefore was off by $1,771.34.

I guess in Palin-land that is a huge lie, but a fake story about a threat of gang rape against your two girls, or a denial that your husband was a member of the AIP is no big deal.

Update3; It looks like Levi's sister Mercede has gotten wind of the new legal maneuverings from the Palins:

Recently I have become more and more baffled and heartbroken. I can not wrap my head around how one family could be so cruel and ruthless. Why would one want to deny their child the love of both familys? It's crystal clear I cherish that precious baby boy with every bone in my body. I would do and will do anything and everything I can for my nephew. What happened to FAMILY VALUES?!?

You can almost see the pain in her words.

I get a call from somebody who has been inside Palin's Safari Lake properties. Update!

(Photo courtesy of Mudflats)

So I get this phone call last night from a source close to the Palin's who tells me they have been INSIDE the famously untaxed Palin Lake Shangri La on Safari Lake.

"Do tell" I say.

Well for one thing those are NOT cabins! They are very nice homes, much nicer than many of the other homes in that area.

The main house (which my source estimated cost between $50 to $60,000 to build) has a kitchen and living room on the bottom floor and two upstairs bedrooms.

There is a guest house (which they estimated to cost about $40,000 to construct), and what was described as a "snowmachine warehouse" (also costing about $40,000).

Property co-owner Scott Richter (Who got the property in a divorce settlement) also has a three-bedroom A-frame up there as well.

Now I did not get an exact date for when all of this was constructed but my understanding is that it was done before Palin was elected governor. So essentially the money for this would have been coming from Todd's oilfield job. On the Palin's 2007 tax returns it shows that Todd made about $102,716. I am guessing he made somewhat less in the years before, so where did they get the $130-$140,000 to build this little "home away from home"? And yeah I know they commerical fish, but that still would not cover such an expenditure.

And while we are on the subject of questionable Palin goings on, here is a little write up from Palin legal mouthpiece, Thomas Van Flein, attempting to tell the public that "there is nothing to see here just move along" concerning the recent Todd Palin e-mails.

A recent article discusses what purports to be a new "revelation" that Todd Palin was a "powerful first dude." To most Alaskans, and to the millions of people who read "Going Rogue" this is neither new nor a revelation. Like many married couples, including political 'power couples,' it is common for a spouse to play the role of key advisor to the other spouse. The Palins were no different. Todd Palin had official and unofficial duties, but one thing was clear: he was a key advisor to Governor Palin and involved in her efforts to improve the State of Alaska. Officially, in addition to the duties traditionally expected of the spouse of the Governor, Todd Palin was put in charge of a Workforce Development commission with the goal of increasing vocational education opportunities and awareness. But unlike some spouses of elected officials, Todd Palin did not travel with an entourage, had no designated office, had no title other than "First Dude", received no pay, and had no staff. He donated his time to the people of Alaska by assisting the Governor. Each spouse of the chief executive is free to define his or her own role. From the policy oriented Hillary Clinton, to the more traditional and charitable work of Laura Bush, to the combined policy/traditionalist role of Michelle Obama, the first spouse takes on the duties within their interests and within the context of their marriage to the chief executive. Todd was no different.

What Van Flea (sorry couldn't resists) fails to divulge here is that, though historically first spouses played some role in their partner's administration, the first spouse role was usually relegated to photo ops, and having tea with visiting dignitaries. It was NOT being CC'd on sate business, vetting CEO's, and choosing judges!

Van Flein uses the example of Hillary Clinton to make the case that some spouses have been known to get involved in policy making. However I must point out that Hillary was a graduate of Yale and taught law at the University of Arkansas, she was NOT a Wasilla high school graduate whose claim to fame was riding a snowmachine really fast.

Todd had absolutely NO business being involved in state business, and neither did daddy Chuck for that matter, but Sarah was so overwhelmed by her responsibilities that she desperately needed her family to help her do her job. THAT is what the e-mails help to illustrate, and that is why they are a big deal.

Before I close this post I cannot resist addressing another part of Van Flea's (Oops did it twice!) post.

What is interesting is that the same media outlet that today breathlessly reports how close the Palins were while Sarah Palin was Governor--too close for at least one reporter--earlier reported that the Palins were not close enough and headed for divorce. Consistency is not necessarily a hallmark for investigative journalists, but certainly truth should be.

Now I have no idea if this is directed at me, or perhaps some other media outlet, but since I broke the story perhaps I should address it.

When I reported my information, the Palin's were definitely having severe marital difficulties. (That has now been reported by a variety of sources.) And they were indeed throwing the word "divorce" around quite often. In my estimation they were probably headed for a separation or an actual divorce. Now that is just my estimation, there is no way to conclusively predict the future of their marriage.

However when I decided to report the Splitsville story I knew full well that they would almost certainly NOT get divorced once I reported it. By this time I had a kind of understanding of Sarah Palin and how her petulant mind worked. She would NEVER allow an Alaskan blogger, especially me, to get this scoop. NEVER!

Which is exactly the way I want it. Now Sarah and Todd are bound together in defiance, and possibly a lucrative monetary agreement, as the scandals just keep right on coming. Perfect.

Occasionally somebody will come over and try to poop on my parade by pointing out that I was wrong about their marriage and...and... "nanny nanny boo boo"! But those people must not play chess.

By the way if you want to read the rest of Van Flea's post I am afraid I have to direct you to the sea of urine. As much as I hate to send anybody into the darkness, it IS their post and those are the rules of blogging. Just remember not to touch anything over there, and to scrub up with disinfecting soap after you are finished.

Namaste

Update: I just got of the phone with my source and, since so many of you wanted to know, I asked about the plumbing situation at the "cabins". I was told that at the time my source visited, and this was a few years ago, there was NO indoor plumbing but that there was a generator. So for those of you who were curious about that, now you know.

Rachel Maddow is hot on the trail of the facts behind Bristol Palin's Public Relations enterprise. And then suddenly she isn't.

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

"Percolating on the blogs and throughout the internet"? I did a quick Google search and I cannot find anything about Bristol and her LLC anywhere. As far as I can tell it has only been reported on this blog. And for the record I NEVER suggested that she was working as a lobbyist or political consultant.

Now the information about what kind of LLC this is can be found here. Yep 541820 = Public Relations Agencies. It is right there in black and white on page 11. It is the ONLY definition offered for this code in the state of Alaska, so I have no idea who came up with those other possible definitions.

And as for Van Flein's suggestion that this LLC is to handle money that Bristol is making in her CURRENT role as a spokesperson for Candies, I have to respond with a WTF? I have not heard a thing about Bristol working as a spokesperson for the Candies clothing line since May of last year. Well before her mother quit as governor.

If she has been working as a spokesperson since then how come there have been NO public appearances? How can you help publicize a company if you are never seen in public? Something about this does NOT add up.

Is there any way to find out if the money for this company comes from the Candies organization? Couldn't it come from somewhere else? Perhaps somewhere that has her mother's name in the title?

I absolutely LOVE Rachel Maddow! She is famous for doggedly going after a story and staying on it until she reveals the facts and exposes the lies. So how can ONE phone call from Thomas Van Flein discourage her from this potentially explosive story? I have to say I am a little disappointed.

However I am still a huge fan and will continue to watch her show every day. Do you think that is enough kissing up?

Johnston/Palin custody case round one: Van Flein wants pseudonyms used. DENIED! Wants case closed. DENIED! Stomps his feet. DENIED!

The first volley was fired back in November 3, when Van Flien files an "Ex Parte" motion to close the custody proceedings, institute a protective order, and to use pseudonym's to protect the anonymity of Levi, Bristol, and Tripp. This is followed quickly by a filing for full custody from Van Flein using Levi's lack of employment (Thanks Sarah Palin!), the fake tweets attributed to him, and Sherry Johnston's arrest to claim that Levi is unfit to share custody.

In these filings we see Levi's attorney, Rex Butler responding to the filings by Van Flein.

Van Flein attempts to make the case that by talking about his intent to file for custody Levi is in violation of a court order not to talk about a case that had already started and requests that he be found in contempt and fined. I have to disagree. By saying he was GOING TO file papers, Levi quite deftly deflected any question of whether anything had already been filed. (By the way the Palmer judge denied Van Flein's request.)

Rex quite intelligently makes the point that it is clear that neither Levi, nor his family, talked about the filings because NO news agency posted a story. (Hell I did not have a clue, and believe me I would have known if anybody was talking.)

On page 51 Rex says that he is NOT going to be the attorney to see this thing through, and that Levi is seeking other legal counsel. (Do you hear that Alaska attorney's? Levi might be in need of your services.)

In this series of filings, we can see Van Flein spending Palin's money by the fistful as he sits around reading blogs, citing Hollywood gossip rags, and photocopying legal papers, blog posts, and celebrity interviews, to slow down the process and dramatically increase his billable hours.

On page 62 Bristol provides an affidavit where she uses interviews given by Mercede in which she honestly expressed her feelings about her brother's ex-girlfriend, as an attack on her, and demonstrates the same bad girl vindictive streak that her mother is famous for. (Or is that really YOU, Sarah?)

Van Flein throws in everything but the kitchen sink in his desperation to convince the judge to keep this case closed to the public. He cuts and pastes whole pages from the Basinger/Baldwin custody battle, from the Spears/Federline custody battle, from the interviews that Sherry, Mercede, and Levi gave to Larry King, gossip blogs (complete with Google ads and reader comments), and yours truly (on page 58. And let me just point out, the post was absolutely accurate.)

Essentially Van Flein's goal seems to be to make the point that Levi Johnston is seeking to try this case in the media and does not care that the public scrutiny may prove harmful to little Tripp. (Hang on while I catch my breath, that overwhelming use of hypocrisy almost knocked the wind out of me!)

Having Sarah Palin's attorney make that argument is almost unbelievable in its stupidity. Sarah Palin is the one who dragged this family, along with the very reticent Levi Johnston, into the glare of public scrutiny. SHE is the one who invited all of this attention, and for Van Flein to argue that it is Levi's doing is completely ridiculous.

And Levi's contention that keeping the media involved will make Sarah behave may be a little naive on his part, but he is correct that without the public attention things will get even uglier, much uglier.

Here is Judge Kristiansen's denial of Van Flein's argument. It is so nice you should read it twice.

There is much, much more to be found in the legal filings I cited above, but I am not an attorney so I leave it up to those with more knowledge to sift through the jargon and tell us all what I have left out.

Here is the ADN article about the case. Which includes this GREAT Rex Butler quote: "He feels Sarah Palin, through her lawyer, under the guise of Bristol Palin's name, would run roughshod over his very bones," Butler wrote.

Here is a Politico article which identifies an attorney who is NOT Van Flein, by the name of Lisa Hamby, as Bristol's attorney in this case.

Wednesday's lunch with Sarah Palin's lawyer, Thomas Van Flein.

The life of an Alaska blogger is never dull.

Okay well sometimes it is dull, but when it is not dull, it is REALLY not dull!

About two months ago, I received a call from a friend asking me if I wanted to bid on a lunch with Sarah Palin's attorney which was being offered at a silent auction to raise money for a Japanese immersion program at a local elementary school.

Me? Bid on a lunch with the lawyer who threatened to sue me and who may have been instrumental in outing my true identity? Well of course I would!

When I arrived at the school I found that only one person had made a bid on this lunch, and that was a member of the family who had put the packet together. I made my bid and waited to see if anybody else was going to outbid me.

Nope, my bid, the only real bid, was the winner and I picked up my packet and went home.

I had previously contacted my friend Linda, Celtic Diva, to ask if she wanted to go "halfsies" with me on the lunch. No hesitation whatsoever...yes she did.

A day or two later Linda contacted the person setting up the lunch and gave a nom de plume (We assumed that if we had identified ourselves as Alaskan bloggers Gryphen and Celtic Diva we would have received a refund and a "thanks, but no thanks"). After a number of false starts I finally received a phone call from Linda saying that we had a date for 11:45 yesterday, at a restaurant downtown.

I arrived early, which is my habit, and waited for Linda and Van Flein to arrive. Van Flein arrived first and sat down at a nearby table. I had hoped that Linda would have been there by then, but when I called her she was still several minutes away. Throwing caution to the wind I went up to Van Flein's table and introduced myself, by my real name, and said that I was his lunch date.

It took a second or two for him to understand just who was sitting across the table from him, but then I could see the realization slowly dawn over his face. For a moment he looked a little constipated, but I assured him that I was not going to make a scene or become aggressive.

"So you are Gryphen." He said.

"Yep, I am Gryphen." I replied. I did my best to smile and be as non-threatening as possible and he seemed to relax relatively quickly.

We talked about a few innocuous things for a minute or two until Linda arrived and then ordered our food. As we waited for our food to arrive the discussion turned to weightier topics.

We discussed blogging and the difference between that and journalism. Both Linda and I dismissed the notion that we were journalists, however I did add that we HAD done investigative journalism in the past though it was not strictly my comfort zone. I could not help but notice Van Flein kind of giving me a sideways glance with that statement, no doubt remembering when my "so-called journalism" brought us into direct conflict.

We covered a number of topics. Linda asked some questions pertaining to her specific e-mail request, which I will let her cover more fully in HER post about this lunch date. I will volunteer that he asked her if she had received her documents, at which time Linda was able to smile and say "Why yes I did."

Both Linda and I offered some advice for Van Flein to take back to his client. We talked about the perception that people had of her as a mother based on the photographs of her constantly carrying little Trig off of planes and buses in her high heel shoes and with his little legs exposed. I also suggested that she develop a thicker skin concerning news reports. I made the case that if they had ignored my story about their marital trouble it would have blown over in a day or so, but since Meg Stapleton issued a statement, and he sent me a letter threatening to sue me, it had validated my post and made national news.

Van Flein did not verbally respond but it did appear that he was listening.

Probably the most interesting exchange came when suddenly Van Flein leaned toward me and asked point blank: " Do you sincerely, honestly believe that Trig is not her baby?"

To which I replied: "Yes, I sincerely, honestly believe that Trig is not her baby. Do you sincerely honestly believe it is her baby?"

VF: "I have no doubt."

G: "No doubt because you were there and watched it pop out?"

VF: "Have you been in a hospital room for the birth of a child? There are usually three nurses, the anesthesiologist, pediatrician, maybe three MDs. Somebody is obligated under the laws of the State of Alaska to fill out an accurate report for Vital Statistics..."

G: "...right...the birth certificate...where is that?"

VF:" ...and they could lose their medical license if they falsify that. They'd need to have a whole bunch of people lying about something and willing to put their careers on the line."

G: "During the pregnancy, how often did you see her?"

VF: "I did not see her during the pregnancy at all. Whose baby do you think it is? What woman would give up her baby?"

G: "I do not know. That's one thing I actually cannot put together. I've said that point blank...I have no freakin' clue."

VF: "Just so you know, if you have convinced yourself this is the case and are trying to find proof of it, it undercuts everything else that you do. It's kinda like saying "9/11 is an inside job" or that OBAMA IS NOT A US CITIZEN. There's just some instances where rational people take a step back. This is fun to think of maybe but it's crazy."

VF: "You're asking for something short of a DNA test..."

G: "...birth certificate..."

VF:" ...that's a matter of public record...Isn't it recorded in the Mat-Su records with the other births recorded that day?"

G: "We're not talking about birth announcements but there never was a birth announcement and there was never a birth certificate provided by Sarah. Though she was asked by the McCain Campaign it was never provided." (To be honest this is a rumor that I heard, and not a verified fact. However does it not seem reasonable that the McCain campaign would have asked her for a document that would have put the whole baby story to rest? Instead she offered up her daughter's "pregnancy" as proof that she must Trig's mother. Now of course we realize that there were more than just two options.)

I have to say that Thomas Van Flein seemed genuinely to be under the impression that those records were readily available by request. And when I explained that we had tried and been unable to get ANY documentation he seemed mystified by that information, which I found sort of puzzling. He may have been lying, but my initial impression is that he was not.

Of course those of us who have been following the "babygate" story know there is much more to it then simply missing a certificate of live birth, or witnesses to the delivery. There are also pictures of a woman not visibly pregnant less than a few days shy of giving birth, the bizarre wild ride story, the disappearance of Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, not to mention the fact that Sarah's story keeps changing, (for example telling the ADN on April 21st, 2008 that there were no visible signs of Down's syndrome, and then telling People magazine that thirteen year old Willow had identified him as a Down's baby by simply looking at his little newborn face). I did not have time to bring up ALL of the inconsistencies in Sarah's stories, as we had finished eating and everybody had places to go.

We left the restaurant and said our good-bye's on the frigid Alaskan street. Van Flein seemed in no hurry to make his escape and even engaged in a little small talk before walking off toward his office.

My impression overall was that he was not a necessarily villain, though he had clearly played the part for Sarah Palin more than a few times. His threats against Shannyn Moore and myself being just two examples. Ultimately, in my opinion, he is like a Mafia hitman in that is it is not personal, it is just business.

And Thomas Van Flein is just another person caught up in the bizarre, not quite reality based, world of Sarah Palin. Unfortunately, for him, he has the unenviable job of trying to insulating her against the people who are going to recognize her lies and half-truths, and wish to confront her on them.

Perhaps it helps Thomas Van Flein not to know too much about the truth that Sarah Palin is trying so desperately to keep secret, for he seems to have little understanding of how many layers of obfuscation that Palin has applied to separate herself from the reality that threatens her personal mythology.

It must be nice to be so lacking in curiosity that you can ignore the logical inconsistencies in Sarah Palin's life story. Perhaps sadly for me I have an overabundance of curiosity an it will simply not be satiated until, I and everyone, else know the truth behind one the biggest lies ever foisted upon the American people.

Update: Here is Celtic Diva's post on our now famous lunch date.

Of all of the websites that covered my story I think that Wonkette has the very BEST comments! Don't you agree?

1) Everyone knows that Sarah Palin is divorcing that hunter-fisherman guy to marry Larry Craig!

It’s no secret that Palin and Craig have been in love for years, and are just crazy about each other!

Palin even told Craig that if they get married, she’ll take his name and work at his new consulting firm, Wide Stance Consulting.

2) How ’bout in honor of the troops you quit suing everything that moves. Or, better yet, move to the UK, where they’ve institionalized thin skin and you can sue people all day every day and be taken seriously.

3) I PRAY that these are the same advisers who will run her campaign.

4) Signed “Thomas Van Flein, for Governor Sarah Palin.”
Did she unquit?

5) Dear Mr. Flein:

Thank you for your thoughtful letter. As for the summons: please wrap it in one of Trig’s soiled diapers (BM) and eat it. Then, when you’ve shat it out, eat it again. The place it on your fireplace mantle, next to the urn that holds the ashes of your embarrassed ancestors.

Thank you very much,Yours Truly: Amendment One.

Now don't get me wrong, the comments I receive on this blog are also very humorous and, with the possible exception of the most recent "Johnny come lately's", VERY intelligent.

But you have to admit that Wonkette has some truly gifted visitors.

Just click the title to read all of the comments.

I have the best friends in the world!

Having somebody reveal your "secret identity" can be a little unsettling (Just ask Batman).

And the attacks against me, and my school, have been just as vicious as you would expect from supporters of Sarah Palin. The e-mail boxes at the elementary school are full of allegations that I am a pervert, and the phone has been ringing non-stop.

I am just thankful that this all happened before school was actually in session.

However the bright ray of sunshine bursting through this ominous cloud is the incredible support I have received from all over. I have received supportive phone calls, e-mails, and even a nice bottle of wine delivered to my door by a fellow teacher.

I am very grateful for all of the support that I have received and feel truly humbled by it.

Thank you.

Here are some of the wonderful things that my fellow bloggers wrote about my "episode".

Leave the Kids Alone!-Mudflats

Kindergarten Wisdom-Mamadance

Thomas Van Flein NEEDS a Time Out Chair!-We're not that Stupid

The Pitbull and the Bloggers.-Palingates

The Really Big Palin Story this Weekend-Hypocrites and Heffalumps

About Sarah Palin, And Her New Mistakes, and How she has decided to Target Bloggers-Watergate Summer

I am usually somebody who prides himself on being independent and capable of dealing with whatever life throws my way without asking for help, but thank you very much for all of your kind help.

Now just keep paying attention and you will see that your trust was not misplaced.

I think that Juan Cole is jealous that I have all of the Palin-bots over here. Check out his article on Salon.com.

Is Sarah Palin America's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? The two differ in many key respects, of course, but it is remarkable how similar they are. There are uncanny parallels in their biographies, their domestic politics and the way they present themselves -- even in their rocky relationships with party elders.

I think somebody needs to alert Van Flein so he can send out another e-mail threat.

You wouldn't want one of these "so-called journalists" to get away with such "malice" and "defamatory" statements now would you?

Once again, I am just saying.