Here is Andrew Sullivan telling Joy Behar about Sarah Palin's "Wild Ride" story last night on her show.

Damn! How satisfying is it to see this whole ridiculous story talked about on national television?

(H/T to Palingates for the video.)

Update: This guy was kind enough to write out the whole transcipt even as he damns Andrew for attacking Queen Ester.

Update 2: Huffington Post has the story up as well. So if you all would not mind taking a moment to comment, it would be much appreciated.

No, no, no!

A man was arrested for allegedly throwing two tomatoes at Sarah Palin from the second floor balcony during a book signing event at the Mall of America in Minnesota, MyFoxTwinCities.com. reported.

Neither tomato came close hitting the former 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, but did hit a police officer in the face, the station reported.

Okay a couple of things.

First, throwing food at Sarah Palin is waste of time. As John Bitney has explained Palin's body rejects real food of all kinds and only accepts Red Bull and Lattes into her system. I believe when she needs actually nourishment she simply saps the life force from her supporters. Which is why when you see them interviewed on television they can barely form a coherent sentence. (That is also why nobody ever sees Meg Stapleton anymore either. Now she is nothing but a dried up, virtually lifeless husk used only to reject an offer for an interview once in a while.)

Second, the only thing that you can throw at Sarah Palin that will do her any harm is the TRUTH. That is the one thing to which Sarah Palin is completely allergic. Smack her in the face with some cold hard facts and you will immediately see that horrible expression.

Yeah, THAT'S the one!

See NOW she is wounded, and all she can do is slither out of the public eye until she can jab her Facebook ghostwriter with a cattle prod and force her to type out a response to the "lies".

Wow!

Well it came as no surprise that Levi did not divulge anything new on the Joy Behar show.

But he did do a good job of standing by his statements, defending Bristol, and pointing out how often Sarah lies. Nicely done.

But the BIG story is that Andrew Sullivan got to put the ENTIRE wild ride story out on a cable news station!

Now I know that Behar does not have a huge following yet, which means it is up to us to talk about what he said and perhaps contact other shows so that they can cover it as well.

If we keep bringing this up over and over again, it should start getting harder and harder for the MSM to ignore it. At least that is my theory.

By the way it looks like Andrew DID get a little face time with Levi today.

Just a reminder that I'll be on the Joy Behar show on HLN tonight after Levi Johnston at 9 pm. Johnston, his aide, Tank Jones, and I had a fascinating chat in the green room. It was all off the record but I hope at some point to be able to interview Johnston on the record as a way to get some first-hand fact-checks on the Palin book and public statements.

Levi made a point to mention his book and it looks like nobody is going to get any serious dirt until it is published. Or about to be published.

P.S. I know that some of you are trying to leave comments and they are not appearing. Blogger is having some kind of fit today, and they are not getting to me so that I can approve them. I apologize for the inconvenience. If you need to contact me just e-mail me at Gryphen2009@yahoo.com. I will check that throughout the evening and hopefully Blogger will have things sorted out soon.

Don't forget to watch Levi Johnston and Andrew Sullivan on Joy Behar tonight.

I don't think they are on together, but it must make Sarah's heart beat like a trip hammer at the very idea that they might strike up a conversation.

Here is a preview of Levi from tonight's show.

I thought my earlier post was stomach churning but no anti-acid could possibly combat this one. Updated.

Billed as a children's book, "Help! Mom!" tells the story of two brothers who sell lemonade to earn money for a new swing set, only to have the "radicals" tax and regulate them into oblivion. Just when the obstacles seem insurmountable, "Governor Sarah" comes to lend a hand.

Sarah Palin helping children? Really?

Is she going to fake a pregnancy for one of them? Or keep them out of school so they can travel around the country to be used as props? Or is she going to teach them that faith in God will prevent conception?

In my opinion if you are buying a book for your child which suggests that they ask Sarah Palin or help, you are guilty of child abuse. No really, I think that might stand up in court.

Update: Currently Huffpo has the "11 Craziest Palin stories of 2009", guess which one is missing? I think they may need our help.

Most insulting image of the day.

(Photo courtesy of Jim Lee of the AP)

This from Palin's book tour stop in Iowa, which unbelievably seems to be inspiring talk of a presidential run in 2012. No seriously.

I am sorry but seeing an image of Abraham Lincoln, the man who united a nation, clutching a book by Sarah Palin, the woman who is one of the most divisive people on the planet, is an insult to the memory of Abraham Lincoln and should make school children all over this country weep.

Just take a listen to what some of her supporters list as reason to support a possible run for president.

"She's a down-to-earth person who will fight against the government," Millage said. "I can see her out there fishing with the guys. Plus, she's hot."

Is that what the American people are looking for in a President? An attractive, fish slaying President who will fight her own government? Well now that's intelligent.

"I think she's one of the few individuals who can whip Congress into shape," said Grant Buldhaupt, who drove nearly four hours from Des Moines. "She's conservative, and she can stop the runaway government spending."

Where do they get this? Palin was a terrible governor, who never had a handle on ANYTHING. She was slow to respond to a crisis, difficult to work with when she did not get total agreement, and more interested in self-promotion then doing the job she was elected to do. In her book she blames her political difficulties on the ethics charges, but those came in RESPONSE to her failings, they were not the CAUSE of her failings.

This over the top fawning around Caribou Barbie might be explained by this fact.

Iowa's Republican caucuses have been increasingly dominated by social and religious conservatives like Palin. Many strategists noted that her book-signing event was in Republican-dominated western Iowa, which would likely be her base if she ran.

"In Iowa Republican politics, the more populist and religious conservatives are in control," Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford said. "They adore her."

And that just about sums it up. The people who line up to support her are only interested in putting an uber-religious leader into the White House. They simply do not care about competence or integrity, and that is a very troubling thing indeed.

(Click the title to read the entire article at the ADN.)

Saturday's Moore up North, December 5, 2009.

Part One



Part Two



Part Three



Part Four



Part Five



Part Six

Have you seen Andrew Sullivan's quote of the day?

"I had an interesting conversation with an Alaskan two days ago who had spent time speaking with one of Sarah’s family members. My friend was curious how Sarah’s extended family and small circle of close friends, who know the truth behind many of the mistruths she tells the rest of the nation handle what they know her deceptions to be. “It was so surreal,” my friend recounted. It is as if there is real reality, and then there is “Sarah Reality” and in Sarah Reality whatever Sarah wishes were true at the moment, whatever she wants to be true, then that is what true is for her, and subsequently for those in her inner circle and her fan base. Sarah is not to be questioned. She is to be agreed with and honored.

My friend went on to say this particular family member mentioned that Sarah was the “most important person in the world right now” and that Christians needed to get behind her and pray for her.

One question. When the hairs on the back of your neck are standing straight up on end, how do you coax them into lying back dawn again?

(You can read the rest of Andrew's post by clicking the title.)

My evening spent with a room full of Muckrakers.

Last night I got the privilege of witnessing my friend, and fellow Alaskan blogger, Jeanne Devon receive the Muckraker of the year award from the Cook Inlet Keeper's.

Shannyn Moore was the "Mistress of Ceremonies" and the place was packed full of bloggers (Celtic Diva, Phil Munger, and John Aronno of the Alaska Commons were there as well), mudpuppies, local activists, and more than a few luminaries.

Jeanne (AKM) gave a great speech in which she talked about the importance of becoming involved in our community and having our voice heard in whatever way suits us, whether it be blogging, writing letters to the editor, leaving comments on established blogs, or even sending e-mails with information alerting bloggers to a new idea for a post. She also discussed the importance of the new media and reminded us that there are some who are working to silence us, after which she emphasised our concerns over Net Neutrality.

I also had a very interesting conversation with Anne Kilkenny, who did not know who I was at first but became fascinated with the story of my outing this last summer. Surprisingly she told me that she had received NO death threats which I found remarkable considering how many the bloggers have received over the last year or so.

I also congratulated Diane Benson on her wonderful portrayal of Elizabeth Peratrovich, in the amazing documentary "For the Rights of All". Which VERY person in this country should watch. It is an eye opening, and brutally honest look at how the Alaskan natives were treated, and mistreated, by the Americans since the purchase of Alaska from Russia, and how the native people fought to be treated as equals.

Diane also invited me to the Bartlett Club meeting on December 17, where she said she will be making a very special announcement. (Hmm, I wonder if this means what I THINK it means?)

All in all, I had a great time. I ate good food, had wonderful conversations, and watched my very good friend receive an award that she deserves more than anybody. (As you can tell because they named it after her.)

If you want to read AKM's account of the evening, you can do so by taking a hop skip and a jump over to Mudflats.

Update: Here is Phil Munger's account of last night over at Progressive Alaska.

Sarah Palin's stand up comedy career?

The former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate stopped in Washington to be the Republican speaker at the annual black-tie winter dinner of the Gridiron Club, the 124-year-old assemblage of veteran Washington reporters. She gamely appeared opposite Democratic Congressman Barney Frank, one of the capital’s funniest people.

Ms. Palin effusively described the big crowds at her appearances around the country to sign her best-selling memoir, “Going Rogue.” On her luxe bus, she added, “the view is so much better from inside the bus than under it,” a laugh-getting allusion to the attacks from embittered McCain campaign advisers. Ms. Palin said she’d even thought that the Gridiron Club might drop its tradition of having a speaker from each party so the McCain campaign could offer a rebuttal.

Yet “on my far left,” as she aptly put it, was the liberal Democrat Mr. Frank. At the other end of the dais, he looked stoic or even pained much of the time. But when Ms. Palin noted how busy she has been — with five kids, a book tour, running a huge state — Mr. Frank suddenly started and looked quizzical, seemingly wondering at her last item since she unexpectedly quit as governor last summer.

She wondered at “what might have been” if she had been elected vice president. Then she would be the one helping to sign bailout checks and Democrat Joseph R. Biden Jr., the once nearly bald former senator, might be the one on the road hawking a book—“Going Rogaine,” she suggested.

I like a good joke as well as the next person, and that was not a good joke, but I have to wonder if it is a good idea for somebody as notoriously thin skinned as Sarah Palin to be making fun of somebody's appearance.

I also have to wonder if she really has to SAY anything. After all if you are yourself a national joke, don't you just have to stand there to get the laughs?

That worked just fine on Saturday Night Live.

Is Sarah Palin a racist?

The New Yorker book review of "Going Rogue" offers this interesting bit of information on sister Sarah.

Palin, though notoriously ill-travelled outside the United States, did journey far to the first of the four colleges she attended, in Hawaii. She and a friend who went with her lasted only one semester. “Hawaii was a little too perfect,” Palin writes. “Perpetual sunshine isn’t necessarily conducive to serious academics for eighteen-year-old Alaska girls.” Perhaps not. But Palin’s father, Chuck Heath, gave a different account to Conroy and Walshe. According to him, the presence of so many Asians and Pacific Islanders made her uncomfortable: “They were a minority type thing and it wasn’t glamorous, so she came home.” In any case, Palin reports that she much preferred her last stop, the University of Idaho, “because it was much like Alaska yet still ‘Outside.’ (Not to mention the population is as white as the driven snow.)

So does this mean that Sarah is a racist? Well not necessarily, but it does demonstrate that she feels much more comfortable surrounded by people who are "like her", whether that be racially, religiously, or politically.

In the interest of full disclose I should tell you that I also attended college in Hawaii. At that time we could attend without paying out of state tuition, so it was a good deal for a struggling college student who was working his way through school. But it was also a chance to go to Hawaii, and stay for almost a year. I jumped at the opportunity.

And like Sarah I also suffered a little culture shock. Growing up in Alaska you are surrounded by white folks. In the seventies especially we did not have a great deal of diversity.

At college in Hawaii I was most definitely in the minority. They tried to make us feel comfortable by pairing Alaskans up with Alaskans as dorm mates, but I ended up with a big old farm boy from Idaho. He was a hoot, but damn that guy got on my nerves some days.

However unlike Palin I was very fascinated with the culture of Hawaii, and made friends with the locals fairly easily. For me it was quite informative to see myself in the minority and it helped to shape my perceptions of how people view each other depending on what side of the equation they happen to be.

I would think the experience would prove invaluable to a person if they were someday to govern a state like Alaska. The ability to understand what it is like to feel isolated by the color of your skin, your religious beliefs, or your cultural differences should give you a unique perspective when it came to dealing with the native population, or other ethnic minorities up here in Alaska.

But based on what we observed during Palin's short, yet memorable, stint as our governor, it was not evident that her experiences afforded her the same kind of personal understanding that mine afforded me.

(You can read the rest of the book review by clicking the title.)

SNL cold open features White House party crashers.

More evidence that Palin is blurring the line between politics and religion.

This is a little of what Palin says in a BGEA (Billy Graham Evangelical Association) video discussing the importance of America rededicating itself to God.

"No one person has all the right answers," Palin said. "It takes a united nation, and it does take godly counsel, and it takes prayer and answers to prayer - and a collective humble heart of a nation seeking God's hand of protection and his blessings of prosperity. I think if we can get back to that, our country will be a safer, more prosperous and healthier nation."

Do you hear that Hindus? Buddhists? Atheists? The woes of this country are your fault for not seeking the blessings of Sarah Palin's God. If this nation were united, and humble, and following the right religion everything would be just peachy. See how simple it is?

"If we could get back to that - that humbleness, with that kind of contrite spirit - I think that we would be able to be provided more of the answers to so many of the great challenges that we're facing," Palin said. "And these are huge challenges, whether we're talking about health care, whether we're talking about energy independence, whether we're talking about national security measures."

I just wish the world that I live in was as simple as Sarah Palin's world. In my world problems are complicated and it takes many very intelligent people putting their heads together and compromising to solve them, and even then it may not be the perfect solution.

But for sister Sarah it is a snap. You just ask God for the answer and "VOILA", it is done! It is just like rubbing a magic lamp and then asking the genie for three wishes.

You know I like my religious politicians to recognize that their faith may offer them solace and comfort, but that it is not the source of answers to complex questions.

This may at first seem like a minor thing, after all Billy Graham has prayed with numerous politicians including all of our most recent presidents at one time or another, but you have to listen carefully to the message in Sarah Palin's words. She is not talking about the importance of faith in America, she is talking about the NECESSITY for people to believe in the Christian God, HER version of the Christian God. Once the country has accepted Palin's brand of religion then she is suggesting that the answers to our country's problems will be "provided" to us directly from God.

In other words, don't "think", that will not solve our difficulties. Instead we must "believe", and the answers will suddenly become available to us through divine providence. Through Sarah Palin all things will be revealed.

Essentially Sarah the politician, and Sarah the Evangelist, are becoming one.

Hey gang it almost time for Moore up North. Got your popcorn?

From left to right.

Bob Shavelson,Elstun Lauesen (I love talking to Elstun), Eric Croft, and in the middle is some blond whose name escapes me right now.

The show is on KYES, channel 5, and I hear from my sources that it should be a good one.

(I will have the embed available later for those who are not lucky enough to live in our wonderful state.)

Later you can listen to Shannyn live on the radio at KBYR 700. To listen just click here. And you can call in and hear your very own voice on the ray-dee-oh by calling 907.274.5297.

Then at 7:00 all of the truly cool people will be over at Rum Runners, in downtown Anchorage, to celebrate AKMuckraker receiving the award for "muckraker of the year". So if you get the chance, swing on by!


You know this is almost too much excitement for one Saturday evening. Don't you think?

President Obama's Weekly Address. Let's talk about jobs.

You know one of the things that really irritates me is how quickly the country's economic woes become the fault of President Obama. Especially since I felt for quite some time that Bush and company were really TRYING to destroy this country.

I know it may seem a little over the top, but they started two huge conflicts overseas, borrowed billions of dollars from other countries, refused to raise taxes to pay for these expenditures, and allowed Wall Street and the Housing market to run amok with virtually no government oversight. So am I exaggerating?

And then almost immediately the same people who worked so hard to derail the American economy are bitching at how long it is taking Obama to get it back up on the tracks.

I just hope the American people are paying close attention to what this administration is doing, and are seeing for themselves how complicated and time consuming fixing problems of this magnitude are for a President who really works to solve the problems rather than waiting to hand them off to the next administration. Because the Republicans are already trying to convince the voters that the eight years of the Bush administration never happened. (How often do you hear them bring it up when they proffer arguments against THIS administration?) And that ALL of the problems facing this country are the result of the eleven months Obama has been in office.

I am not worried about 2012, I think Obama will win that in a walk. But in the elections to follow lets' not allow ourselves to get distracted by winking, or fancy pageant walking, or name calling, or any other transparent tricks that politicians may throw our way.

From now on let's ask for substance, substance, substance. How does that work for you?

Sarah Palin calls climate research "snake oil" and demands President Obama boycott Copenhagen conference. Are you serious lady?

The president’s decision to attend the international climate conference in Copenhagen needs to be reconsidered in light of the unfolding Climategate scandal. (This is a "scandal" only in the minds of those whose agenda is to undermine the research being done by climatologists. As Media Matters has pointed out the e-mails are being taken out of context and misinterpreted. This is NOT accidental.)The leaked e-mails involved in Climategate expose the unscientific behavior of leading climate scientists who deliberately destroyed records to block information requests, manipulated data to “hide the decline” in global temperatures, and conspired to silence the critics of man-made global warming. I support Senator James Inhofe’s call for a full investigation into this scandal. Because it involves many of the same personalities and entities behind the Copenhagen conference, Climategate calls into question many of the proposals being pushed there, including anything that would lead to a cap and tax plan.

Climategate? Does Sarah Palin REALLY want to have her name attached to a post that supports some kind of "gate"? Does she really want to open THAT can of worms? Well if THAT is fair game then perhaps we should revisit some of Sarah's multiple "gates". Such as "Dairygate", or "Religiongate", or "Prisongate", or " Troopergate", or how about a personal favorite of mine, "Babygate"? Oops did you forget about those Sarah? Well guess what. We haven't!

And speaking of "opening a can of worms" Palin is now "palling around" with the last "flat-earther" in the Senate. Senator Inhofe's crazy rantings against climate change has caused him to be marginalized, and in some instances ostracised, by his fellow senators, and yet Palin has no problem citing him as a credible critic of the work done by these scientists. Good choice Sarah.

Policy should be based on sound science, not snake oil. (Did she really refer to the decades of peer reviewed scientific research into climate change as "snake oil"? Isn't this the scientific wizard who claims the earth is only 10,000 years old? And did she not write THIS passage in her new book? “But I didn’t believe in the theory that human beings—thinking, loving beings—originated from fish that sprouted legs and crawled out of the sea. Or that human beings began as single-celled organisms that developed into monkeys who eventually swung down from trees; I believed we came about not through a random process, but were created by God.” Is THAT the scientifically inquisitive mind we want to trust when it comes to defining the difference between "snake oil" science and "real" science? I am just asking.) I took a stand against such snake oil science when I sued the federal government over its decision to list the polar bear as an endangered species despite the fact that the polar bear population has increased. (This is a story that has been debunked repeatedly and yet Sarah still uses it as if it were factual.)I’ve never denied the reality of climate change; (No, just the science that determined the source of that climate change: “A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made.”) in fact, I was the first governor to create a subcabinet position to deal specifically with the issue. I saw the impact of changing weather patterns firsthand while serving as governor of our only Arctic state. But while we recognize the effects of changing water levels, erosion patterns, and glacial ice melt, we cannot primarily blame man’s activities for the earth’s cyclical weather changes. The drastic economic measures being pushed by dogmatic environmentalists won’t change the weather, but will dramatically change our economy for the worse.

In other words ANY science which keeps oil companies from accessing that sweet, sweet bubbly crude, under the pristine Alaska tundra, is at loggerheads with Sarah "drill baby, drill" Palin's acceptable definition of "real" science. She classifies it as "snake oil" if it does not allow her to safely retain her beliefs, or to get her way. "What? Eating piles of Atkins bars and washing them down with Red Bull is not a nutritionally sound diet for a middle aged woman? Well by God, I hereby declare that "snake oil" science. Hand me another one of those Chocolate Coconut bars will you Piper?

Policy decisions require real science and real solutions, not junk science and doomsday scare tactics (Yeah don't you just hate all of those "doomsday scare tactics"? Like that whole Rapture, End of Days, idea. How crazy is that?) pushed by an environmental priesthood that capitalizes on the public’s worry and makes them feel that owning an SUV is a “sin” against the planet. (I agree with sister Sarah on this point. Owning an SUV is NOT a sin. A sin would be breaking one of the Ten Commandments, like...oh I don't know..."Thou shalt not commit adultery", like when Sarah was banging Brad Hanson. And "Thou shalt not steal", like when she is always taking money from the people who donate to SarahPAC and not doing anything for them in return. Or "Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor", like when Sarah accused Obama of "palling around" with terrorists. Remember that? So no, owning an SUV is not a sin, however listening to Sarah Palin MIGHT be.)In his inaugural address, President Obama declared his intention to “restore science to its rightful place.” Boycotting Copenhagen while this scandal is thoroughly investigated would send a strong message that the United States government will not be a party to fraudulent scientific practices. Saying no to Copenhagen and cap and tax are first steps in “restoring science to its rightful place.”

- Sarah Palin

This is almost too stupid to address, but since it is expected let me make this short.

Wrong, wrong, wrong you fucking imbecile! The effects of climate change have been studied by numerous scientist, of all nationalities and scientific disciplines for over two hundred years. The facts are in, and the findings are conclusive, climate change is real and humans have definitely contributed to it. The idea that a handful of e-mails, taken out of context and used to smear decades of scientific research, should signal an end to the United States participation in this important event is insane. Only a person with a serious ment....oh yeah, I almost forgot who I was talking about.

Well anyway, once again Palin has demonstrated an incredible lack of intelligence married to an out of control ego. I cannot believe people are still taking this woman seriously.

Update: Here is a little more information on the tactics being utilized by the climate change deniers: For thirty years, defenders of a pollution-based economy have intimidated, smeared, and suppressed climate science, using a playbook perfected by the tobacco industry and Karl Rove. Now — as the United States, led by President Barack Obama, finally appears ready to join the world in the fight against global warming — the opponents of reform are resorting to criminal desperation, harkening back to the paranoia-fueled extremes of Richard Nixon.

Interesting no?

(H/T to Gail.)

Levi to guest on Joy Behar on Monday.

There is a place for you to leave question for Behar to ask Levi, but let me tell you right now, he will NOT answer the ones you want him to.

Trust me.

Still it should be interesting to see what she asks him. She is kind of like me, no filter.

Sarah Palin and her magic baby.

But the most striking evidence of her son’s impact has been Palin’s book tour promoting her memoir, “Going Rogue.” As she descends from her tour bus or private jet to meet her fans, 19-month-old Trig has been a conspicuous presence — and generated a huge response. “There’s a lot of people who come through the line to see Trig instead of to see her,” says Jason Recher, a campaign aide who remained close to Palin and is now accompanying her on her book tour.

And those people, says Greg Mueller, a veteran anti-abortion political operative and former spokesman for Pat Buchanan, are getting a powerful message. “She’s going out there as a pro-life woman to say that there’s great joy in special-needs kids — and that we shouldn’t be aborting them.”

Though the anti-abortion movement remains strong and deeply rooted on the right, the recent conservative resurgence has been driven by anti-government sentiment — not by the abortion battle. Palin’s own ability to infuriate and delight often has more to do with her notions of patriotism and her views of the White House than with her place in the abortion wars. But Trig is part of what makes Palin so singular among conservative leaders.

“You just can’t escape it — she really is cut from a completely different cloth than most men, but also women, in politics,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which supports anti-abortion candidates. “She had the audacity in the eyes of the abortion rights world to actually have this child and then has the audacity to bring him along with her and feature him as a centrally valued person in their family.”

Palin’s increased focus on abortion rights, an aide said, was driven by the passionate response to Trig during the final days of John McCain's presidential campaign.

“It was something we were all surprised by — the reaction to Trig and the reaction to the special-needs portfolio that McCain had given her during the campaign,” said Recher.

Palin, like most politicians, has sought to capitalize on her family’s story without subjecting her children to unpleasant scrutiny, but with decidedly mixed results. Her daughter Bristol’s unmarried pregnancy took center stage at the 2008 Republican National Convention, and Bristol's breakup with Levi Johnston, the baby’s father, continues to generate headlines.

But if Palin had any ambivalence about exposing her older children to the spotlight, there’s none for Trig. He enjoys the crowds, said Recher, and at every stop, there are admirers who have come specifically to meet him.

“It’s always a special moment when he meets somebody else who has Down's,” said Recher. “I get emotional, the security people get emotional, the parents get emotional.”

I received a lot of blow back from people when I made the statement that Trig is not only NOT Sarah's, but that he is also NOT Bristol's. The comments have been like this:

"Well WHY would she adopt a baby if he were NOT her daughter's?"

"Why would a person, who clearly does not care for that child, cart him around if he were not a member of her family?"

"You just hate Sarah because she did not abort that baby like any liberal mother would have done!" (That is actually one of my favorites.)

Well the answer to that question was first addressed by Max Bluemnthal in his book "Republican Gomorrah" when he made the following point.

After learning through a sonogram that her child would have been born with Down Syndrome, Palin bravely chose to carry him to term.

Her decision excited James Dobson (of Focus on the Family), and he wrote her a letter congratulating her for having what he called "that little Down Syndrome baby." "What a way to emphasize your pro-life leanings there," Dobson declared on a September 2 radio broadcast. Tony Perkins, who phoned in from the Family Research Counsel office in Washington, DC, echoed Dobson: "It's one thing to support the policy. Its another to live it out."

And as crazy as that may have sounded at first we are now seeing just how powerful the "baby Trig prop" has proven to be.

So WHY would Sarah Palin adopt and carry around a child that is no relation to her? Because it serves a very important function. It give Palin IMMEDIATE credibility within the "Right to Life" camp and it supports the mythology of the selfless, loving working mommy. There are literally millions of women around the country who feel a tug at their heart when they see Palin with her little Down syndrome toddler.

Now I can feel women all over the country getting ready to pound out a response on their keyboard to the above statement. "WE are not fooled by her! Not ALL women think that her toting that poor child around makes her a good mother!"

Of course you don't. But YOU are women that are visiting THIS blog. You are not Sarah Palin's constituency. You are thinkers, not just believers. She never had a chance to get your support no matter what she did, because she is a liar and a fraud, and you were smart enough to have seen that. I know that sounds like kissing up, but I am really making an important point about WHO is drawn to Palin.

The women who see Sarah, and feel drawn to her, are women who want to feel validated for simply being mothers. They want a role model that "has it all" so they can feel that someday so will they. However they are unwilling to look even one layer beneath the surface for fear of having that image damaged in some way. They are happy simply accepting that Palin is what they imagine her to be. And Trig Palin is key to that mythology.

And that is why it is time to demand that Sarah Palin produce his birth certificate. Palin cracked open the door with her statements on the Rusty Humphries show yesterday and it is time for us to "plow right on through".

So I am asking you my friends to make that request on every Sarah Palin story that comes out in the weeks to come. "Where is Trig Palin's birth certificate?", should show up in the comments section of every pro, or con story about Sarah Palin until her camp finally feels compelled to address it.

Sarah cannot stand this kind of thing and she will have to do something, I don't know what, but something. But whatever it is I am very sure it will NOT be to provide a birth certificate. She simply can't.

And yes I will keep working on getting my information out to the public as well. We have made a lot of very good progress lately, and yes we are getting closer.

Sarah Palin has given us a wonderful opportunity so let's make sure we capitalize on it. Is it really any wonder anymore WHY the McCain campaign did not like her to give interviews? The woman is her own worst enemy.

Update: It looks like Progressive Alaska is on the same page too.

And Phil also brings up another good point. Just where the hell is CBJ?

Update 2: Andrew Sullivan joins the party.

Update 3: I just got off of the phone with Alaska Center for Resource Families, which provides information about foster care and adoptions in Alaska, and learned a few facts.

For instance once you adopt a child the birth certificate ONLY has the name of the adoptive parents and the name of the child, which can be their original name or, if you want, have your last name.

In all respects it looks EXACTLY like any other birth certificate.

But one interesting point, and I asked this specifically, is that the birth certificate CANNOT change the actual birth date of the child. In other words, if you faked a birth and needed a child that was born on...oh let's say....April 18, 2008, you MUST find a child born on that EXACT day in order to present a birth certificate that matched your story.

I have discussed the reasons WHY Palin would not have been willing to present a birth certificate in the past, and THIS seems to be the main reason. If little Trig was born on some other day than the one that Palin identified, and notified the news to report as accurate, that would be a very big hole in her story.

Good news for Alaskans as the Congressional Budget Office determines that our state would see substantial savings from the Senate health care bill.

Alaskans, who currently pay the highest health insurance costs in the nation for premiums purchased by individuals, would see among the largest insurance premium reductions, under the national health insurance reform bill pending in the U.S. Senate, according to a just-released congressional study.

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich welcomed the study results, saying the high cost of health insurance premiums is one of the major complaints he hears from Alaskans in the discussion of health reform.

The study, released this week by the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committees and based on estimates provided by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, says the current single policy insurance premium in Alaska averages $4,680 annually and the current family policy is $12,637. Both rates are the highest in the nation, with the national single policy averaging $3,658 and the national family policy averaging $9,876.
Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the bill pending in the Senate, single policy Alaskans could see a savings of $1,013 to $1,269 a year, while the savings for family policies could range from $1,769 to $3,426 annually.

"In part because only two health insurance companies provide coverage in Alaska, health insurance rates are the highest in the nation," Begich said. "The reform bill pending in the Senate is designed to lower health care costs by improving competition and choice, promoting better delivery of health care and cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse."

I think that this clearly defines just which of our political leaders are putting the needs of the Alaskan people before their partisan political agenda, and which ones are not.

Senator Murkowski and Congressman Young can wax poetic about the problems of "big government" intrusion all they want, while genuflecting toward their big business overlords, but the facts on the ground are that the people who voted for them will benefit if this legislation passes and that is something they should keep in the forefront of their minds as we move toward the next election cycles.

If they think THIS will not be a huge bludgeon to be used against them in their re-election bids then they simply have not been paying adequate attention to the voices of the Alaskan people. We have never NOT had government intrusion in our lives, and it doesn't really bother most Alaskans so long as it provides more benefits then costs, and this legislation fits that criteria.

I think Don Young is finished, and cannot hope to get re-elected again, but Lisa still has a good shot at keeping her job. She needs to decide if it is worth risking her bid for re-election to demonstrate solidarity with a crumbling Republican party, or if she should make a decision that benefits the voters of her state and trust they will reward her with another term in office.

The people or the party Lisa. Your call.

Sarah Palin lies about having produced Trig's birth certificate.

At 9:04 Palin says that she has produced a birth certificate for little Trig Palin.

Really? Gee I have been looking for that thing everywhere! So my question is when did this happen and where the hell is it?

If any of you folks know the answer please let me know, because I would really like to get a look at that document. I have seen Barack Obama's, but Trig's certificate of live birth is still MIA as far as I know.

Update: It looks like Sarah is trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube. She still has trouble understanding the concept of "recorded on video".

Uganda preparing to pass bill requiring the execution of convicted homosexuals.

Life imprisonment is the minimum punishment for anyone convicted of having gay sex, under an anti-homosexuality bill currently before Uganda's parliament. If the accused person is HIV positive or a serial offender, or a "person of authority" over the other partner, or if the "victim" is under 18, a conviction will result in the death penalty.

The MINIMUM punishment for daring to love somebody who shares your gender is life imprisonment? Where would these people get the idea to treat each other like this?

I think Rachel Maddow has 411 on that.

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So the newest American product being delivered to the Uganda people is homophobia? And of course it is neatly wrapped up in Christianity so that it is more palatable.

And that colorful Christian wrapping is the subject of Frank Shaeffer's post on BradBlog about this same incredibly sad development. Here is just a sample:

More "respectable" leaders like Warren, Huckabee and Palin won’t admit it but they would like to do here what the Ugandans are doing there, and not just to gays, to all the "other" who are in the way of their taking America into the darkness of theocracy.

Christianity can bring many good things to the people of the world, but in the hands of SOME people it can be as destructive as terrorism. In fact the difference between THIS kind of Christianity and the kind of Islamic teachings that encourage terrorism is almost impossible to differentiate.

Image of the day!

This image comes to us courtesy of Bree Palin.

Don't you just love it?

Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan allows his grudge against Mark Begich to distract him from the job for which he was elected.

Count Mayor Dan Sullivan among those who think there's more investigating to be done into the process used last year to approve four big labor contracts and this year's city budget.

Questions about whether former Mayor Mark Begich provided enough information to the Anchorage Assembly about city revenues and investment shortfalls started surfacing soon after Begich left office to become a U.S. senator. Acting Mayor Matt Claman announced the city faced a $17 million budget deficit only a few days later.

Claman and other Assembly members Tuesday voted to simply accept Municipal Attorney Dennis Wheeler's review of the situation. Claman and an Assembly majority said they think it's time to move on with other city business.

On Wednesday, Sullivan said it may be a good idea to revisit Wheeler's findings. An Assembly work session on Wheeler's report is scheduled for Jan. 8.

"There still seems to be some questions about things that he stated in his report versus things that former administration officials said, and I don't see that there is a problem in ... reconciling those things," Sullivan said at a weekly news conference. "Leaving things inconclusive, I'm not sure serves the public interest."

What is it with Alaskan Republicans? First we had Don Young blaming the Obama administration for the dismal economy (Apparently in Don's eyes everything was fine with George Bush in the White House), then we had Sarah Palin write an ENTIRE BOOK blaming everybody from Alaska bloggers, to Katie Couric for her political downfall, and now we have Dan "I don't need a chin to be mayor" Sullivan desperately trying to smear the name of Senator Mark Begich instead of dealing with the problems facing our city.

Okay we get it, you don't like Mark Begich. Maybe you can tap that out in Morse code on the ass of the next young blond you fondle.
(Yeah you know that picture is NEVER going to get old for me.)

Look according to the Wheeler report, even finding that Begich had dropped the ball when it came to informing the Assembly of a potential shortfall, will not make a bit of difference in solving the problems facing the city right now.

This from the Wheeler Report. "There is no basis under principles of contract law that would justify the rescission of the 2008 IBEW or the APDEA CBAs approved by the Assembly. Rescission is not available on the basis of unilateral mistake or error on the Assembly’s part."

In other words the union contracts in question are a done deal, and successfully sticking Begich with some of the blame will not make one bit of difference going forward, except that Danny-boy can then say "Ha, ha, I told you so!"

And now while the city's problems continue to fester, Sullivan insists upon wasting the Assembly's time and resources to pursue this witch hunt, rather than to utilize their abilities to help solve the issues at hand.

What Sullivan so conveniently fails to mention is that, then mayor, Mark Begich inherited a 33 million dollar shortfall in 2003 from the Weurch administration, but instead of throwing himself on the floor, and kicking and screaming about it, he fixed it.

Isn't THAT what Sullivan was elected to do? Fix the problems of the city? I mean if we just wanted somebody to go around pointing fingers, and shirking their responsibility, we may as well have just kept Sarah back here in Alaska. After all that is her specialty.

Update: There is a post over at Mudflats that helps to explain exactly how superfluous and politically motivated this entire thing has become.

Did Governor Sean Parnell appoint an Evangelical time bomb to the Alaska Supreme Court?

Parnell announced his choice of Judge Craig Stowers on Wednesday, citing his "character, legal experience, his strong work ethic, his intellect, and his record of service to Alaska's people."

Stowers is president of the board of Anchorage-based Christian Health Associates, a nonprofit involved in medical care for low-income people and "pastoral and clinical counseling

Absolutely NOTHING wrong with a person of strong faith doing good works in the name of Christianity. A lot of people give to the community in this way. MY only concern is the "pastoral and clinical counseling" which sounds very much like proselytizing under the guise of providing psychological counseling. I am not a fan of untrained individuals providing such counseling based on their biblical beliefs and not on years of therapeutic training.

"I care deeply about people, families, Alaska and law. I have an abiding love of theology and strive to follow Micah 6:8," Stowers wrote in his application to the judicial council.

That Bible verse says, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

He put a bible verse on his application to the judicial council? Who does that? I mean it is little presumptuous to assume that quoting from the bible will garner support from council focused on the law of man, and not God's law.

Stowers, 55, also wrote to the council that growing up in Yorktown, Va., "imbued me with a deep respect for American history and the principles upon which our country was founded."

Oooh that sounds a little "teabaggy" to me.

Parnell's choice has the approval of the Alaska Family Council, a Christian group that lobbied hard against then-Gov. Sarah Palin's choice of a former Planned Parenthood board member to the Alaska Supreme Court earlier this year.

"We're very pleased with that, (Stowers) was what we were hoping for," said Jim Minnery, president of the Alaska Family Council. "He seems to have been someone that's followed the more constructionist viewpoint of interpreting the Constitution, and we'd like to think his track record shows he's not going to legislate from the bench."

Well if Stowers is the choice the Alaska Family Council was "hoping for" that is a pretty big red flag in my humble opinion. After all the AFC is "all anti-abortion, all of the time" and they would not be "hoping" for a candidate that they were not confident shared their agenda.

On the other hand Stowers WAS the judge who demanded that the state preserve Palin's e-mails until Andree McLeod could successfully sue for access. Of course Stowers was also the judge who recused himself from Andree's case when he was first under consideration for appointment to the Supreme Court, at that time by Sarah herself, back in June of this year.

On yet another hand HE was a founding partner of Clapp, Peterson and Stowers, which is now known as Clapp Peterson Van Flein Tiemessen & Thorsness, and is the law firm that represents Sarah Palin. (I believe I received a threat from Van Flein that featured their letterhead. If I am not mistaken.)

So is this an appointment that should concern progressives in Alaska? Let's look at the evidence. Palin lapdog appoints him, the Alaska Family Council salivates over him, and he seems to view the world, and the law, through a biblical prism. So yes we should be concerned.

Remember, just because Sarah Palin is gone does not mean her agenda is not continuing forward. Sean Parnell is easy to overlook because, well frankly, watching him is like watching paint dry. But the guy is cut from the same wacky cloth as Palin and we do ourselves a disservice not to keep a very close eye on him.

Is Sarah Palin leaving politics to pursue a higher calling?

I made mention way back on November 15 that Palin's book was written for a very specific audience. And as it turns out I was not alone in that observation.

Though most of the talk surrounding the release of Going Rogue revolves around how it affects Palin's standing as a political figure, including her chances of winning the White House, should she choose to run, the book is as much poised to heighten Palin's profile as a Christian leader. "It's a mistake to frame all this in the context of her potential candidacy," Mark DeMoss, one of the country's top Christian media specialists, says of Going Rogue. "She wants to tell her story and the story of her personal faith journey." At a time when politically conservative evangelicals lack a national figurehead, Palin's ability to connect with them could also deepen her appeal to a key part of the Republican base. "Christian audiences could respond to this like they did when George W. Bush talked about his faith," says John Green, a religion and politics expert at the University of Akron. "This community takes faith very seriously and likes people who talk about their faith journey."

Until now, that part of Palin's story has been mostly implied. As John McCain's vice presidential running mate last year, she generally avoided talk of her faith and its influence on her politics. But word of her decision to carry her pregnancy to term despite knowing her son Trig would be born with Down syndrome was an inspiration to antiabortion activists, mostly Roman Catholics and evangelicals. (NOW do you understand how important Trig is to Palin's mythology?) News that Palin's unwed teen daughter Bristol was pregnant and would give birth had a similar effect. "[The Palins] should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values," Focus on the Family's James Dobson said at the time, "but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances."


In promoting the book, Palin is building on that Christian outsider theme. She accuses the news media of singling out conservative religious politicians like her for unfair treatment.(And firmly connects herself to the persecution complex promoted by Evangelical Christians in this country) "I do absolutely notice that some of the conservative Christians who are members of Congress . . .it seems like the leftist media treats them a little bit different," she said during a recent interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. Such sentiments are likely to resonate with evangelicals, many of whom feel embattled by the secular culture. "A lot of evangelicals say, 'The press covers us the same way—she must be one of us,' " says Green.

That solidarity may help the 45-year-old Palin become an heir to Focus's Dobson, who is giving up his decades-old radio show, and other graying Christian right leaders. "What makes her different from other political leaders is that she sees politics as a vocation, as something you're called to do," says Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the antiabortion group the Susan B. Anthony List, who is hoping Palin steps up her role in the conservative values movement. Whether she winds up doing so is an open question. But after Palin governed Alaska as a centrist, Going Rogue is helping solidify her national reputation as a poster child for religious conservatives.

Can you just picture it? "Sarah Palin's Wasilla Hour of Gospel Power" beaming into your home from the last frontier, and the last best refuge from the coming Rapture.

Well I have been saying for quite some time that Palin is acting more like a televangelist then a person with political aspirations. She is focused almost exclusively on making money and gathering disciples, and seems to be forming some kind of base camp in Fairbanks, where writers from C4P have ensconced themselves and seem to be awaiting further instructions.

I have been struggling to decide if she was helping to form a third political party or a new religious movement, But now I am wondering if what she ends up creating will not be some hybrid of both!

One of the main focuses of the Religious Right has been a campaign to remove the separation of church and state and to make constitutional law subordinate to biblical law. In other words they want to form a Theocracy. And what better way to do that then to form a third political party defined both by its ultra-conservatism as well as its unrestrained promotion of their brand of Christianity?

The internal battle within the GOP between the social conservatives and the old guard, fiscal conservatives has rendered the party useless for moving swiftly to find and promote candidates that the followers of Sarah Palin, James Dobson, and Franklin Graham can give their seal of approval.

A third party where the lines between politics and religion are blurred to form a "Christocrats" party, which can funnel evangelical candidates (and money raised directly from the pulpit) into local elections all over the country, would be just the thing to satiate their hunger for power and control. A party which could very well saturate state governments, city governments, and school boards with Warriors for Christ in just a few years.

These "Christocrats" would focus all of their attention on fighting to repeal Roe vs Wade, getting prayer back into the classroom, and establishing Christianity as the one true religion in America. They would not be distracted by such mundane things as balancing a budget, maintaining roads and highways, or promoting equality for minorities.

So the question that we need to ask is, will a party like this be able to compete with the two parties we currently have? The answer is yes, it can. Truthfully it has already begun.

We have seen how easily it is to agitate and mobilize these people by watching it being done on Fox News by Glenn Beck. We have also seen a totally unqualified candidate, supported by Palin and her ilk, crush a Republican candidate in New York and come within a hair's breath of defeating the Democratic challenger.

The same teabaggers who were directed to vote for Doug Hoffman are just looking for a new party to lead them forward, and they already believe that Sarah Palin is God's gift (literally) to politics. It is only a hop, skip, and a jump from there to starting a new all white, all Christian, all coo-coo, third party that will gladly, and energetically, push their agenda forward on the House and Senate floors.

Sure at first they will have no power and will get laughed out of Chambers. But what happens when there are three of them, and five of them, and twenty five of them? Who will be laughing then? And we have already seen Republican politicians embracing this primitive brand of conservatism in an effort to hold onto their positions so we can definitely expect more of the same.

No my friends, we are in for a battle for the very heart of our nation. And there is coming a time when those who decide to sit out elections because "voting doesn't help anyhow" will find themselves living in a country where their rights to religious freedom, their right to a secular education for their children, and their right to be treated equally will be a thing of the past.

If you think I am overreacting then just take a moment and think back to when you believed that there was no way in hell that somebody as ignorant and untalented as George W. Bush would EVER be elected to the Presidency. But it happened didn't it?

Yep, it sure did.

Stephen Colbert takes a moment to educate America, and Glenn "there's something in my eye" Beck, about the chain of command.

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Finally Sarah Palin finds an appropriate venue to her brand of "celebrity".

The Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA), the bowling industry's leading trade association, announced today that the bowling industry rolled a strike, securing Sarah Palin as the keynote speaker at this summer's International Bowl Expo 2010.

Now we are talking! I knew it would not be much longer before Palin had burned most of her bridges as a speaker by not showing up as promised. (And disappointing the rest when she DID show up. Sorry couldn't resist!)

No more invitations to speak at large Republican conventions, or $1,000 a plate fundraisers for GOP candidates, or to participate in important gatherings of the American conservative elite. Those days are over!

So now that Palin has properly identified her fan base she will be able to choose much more appropriate locations to display her "unique" speaking abilities.

Such as:

The opening of Burt's Fishing Tackle and Hair Care Emporium.

The keynote speaker at the first annual "Quitterball 2010!"

Giving the commencement speech to the graduates of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.

Handing the trophy to the winner of the 40th Annual Demolition Derby in Wasatch County, Utah

Delivering a congratulatory speech to the new Imperial Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, in Arkansas.

You get the idea. So finally Palin does not have to do all of that preparation for a speech which will surely be analyzed and picked apart by political pundits and bloggers. She can simply stand before her hand picked, sympathetic audience and allow the crazy to pour out until her mouth dries out and she has to run backstage for a Red Bull energy drink and a full body massage from Meg Stapleton. (I do believe this is the only service Meg is asked to provide anymore.)

(My apologies to any KKK clown college graduate, demolition driving, fishermen who may have been offended by my remarks. I am sure YOU are much too classy to EVER attend a Sarah Palin speech.)

(H/T to Bree Palin for link.)

Celtic Diva got her e-mails! (Well sorta.)

FINALLY, after many, many months and many, many dollars (thanks internet donors!), the Diva has received several thousand e-mails to sift through for the holidays.

Since this is the Palin administration of course they are incomplete, but still she received quite a lot of information.

I know many of you have been very interested in when this request would be met, so just click the title and take a look at Linda's update, and perhaps give her a little cyber pat on the back for a job well done.

Sarah Palin takes credit for President Obama's Afghanistan "surge".

Three months ago, I joined a number of Americans in urging President Obama to provide the resources necessary to achieve our goals in Afghanistan. Tonight, I am glad he mostly heeded that advice.

At long last, President Obama decided to give his military commanders much of what they need to accomplish their mission in Afghanistan. In the end, he decided to endorse a “surge” for Afghanistan, applying the counterinsurgency principles of “clear, hold and build” that worked so well in Iraq. Given that he opposed the surge in Iraq, it is even more welcome that he now supports a surge in Afghanistan.

This approach means, as Senator John McCain has noted, that “We now have an opportunity to build a bipartisan consensus in support of a vital national security priority: defeating Al-Qaeda and its violent extremist allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and ensuring that these countries never again serve as bases for terrorist attacks against America and our allies.”

We should be clear, however, that fewer troops mean assuming more risk. Talk of an exit date also risks sending the wrong message. We should be in Afghanistan to win, not to set a timetable for withdrawal that signals a lack of resolve to our friends, and lets our enemies believe they can wait us out. As long as we’re in to win, and as long as troop level decisions are based on conditions on the ground and the advice of our military commanders, I support President Obama’s decision.

- Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is a deeply disturbed. megalomaniac who probably believes that the birds outside her window are singing just to her and that the voices inside her head are heavenly angels telling her how super special she is, you betcha.

President Obama certainly does not give two steaming shits what she thinks he should do in Afghanistan, or anyplace else. Palin's support in this country is getting smaller and crazier by the day, and the President has much more important things to do then swing by the mental asylum to ask how they think he is doing.

Obama opposed the surge in Iraq because he believed the war in that country was illegitimate. His feelings about Afghanistan are different and it is his opinion that we can make an important difference, and that we should make that difference.

As for the exit date, well that is a message to the Afghan people that in the near future America is going to let go of the back of their bike seat and they are going to have to start pedaling on their own.

It is also a message to the American people that someday soon we can stop dumping billions of dollars into foreign countries and start using those resources to help solve our problems here at home left behind by the LAST delusional Republican who believed God had chosen him and who damn near steered the ship of America over the edge of the world.

I don't agree with everything our President does, that is true. But the day he takes advice from a Rapture ready, Red Bull swilling, psychotic like Sarah Palin is the day I pack my bags and start driving toward Canada.

Free socialist health care here I come!

President Obama to send 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan and then start withdrawing forces by July of 2011.

President Barack Obama is sending 30,000 extra U.S. troops to Afghanistan on an accelerated timetable that will have the first Marines there as early as Christmas and all forces in place by summer. But he'll also declare Tuesday night that troops will start leaving in 19 months.

So apparently the President has decided to disappoint everybody, both hawks and doves alike.

So my question is, where do we get these additional troops when several military experts have said we just don't have that many left to send? Are they coming from Iraq? Is that part of the plan?

There have been MORE American deaths in Afghanistan in 2009 then IN ANY OTHER YEAR PRECEDING IT! Those are not deaths that happened under the Bush administration, those are deaths that happened on President Obama's watch. That seems to indicate that we can expect even MORE American deaths as we increase our military presence in the country and more aggressively go after al-Qaeda.

I am still trying to support my president, but damn I am having trouble digesting this decision.

I am very aware that America has made promises to the Afghan people that Obama feels compelled to keep, and he should feel a sense of responsibility. But what about his responsibility to the people who elected him? What about the families whose loved ones will lose their lives in the months and years to come? President Obama was NOT elected to win the war in Afghanistan, those people voted for the other guy, Obama was elected to END the war in Afghanistan.

I will be watching today's speech. I have no idea what President Obama could say to make this seem like a good idea to me, but I have trusted him up to this point so I will hear him out.

Update: Here is the full speech for those who may have missed it or wish to see it again.

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Feel free to share your feelings.

Liz Smith weighs in on the Levi Johnston career path.

Let’s talk here about Levi Johnston and then, possibly, we can forget about him for 2010. I was amused reading the gay columnist Michael Musto’s interview with Sarah Palin’s almost-son-in-law. Here, Levi displayed uncommon good sense in refusing to discuss the details of his romance with Palin’s daughter, Bristol. He said: "I’m not gonna get into that. That’s too personal."

But Levi got in another shot across the bow of the ex-governor of Alaska, saying he actually voted for her in the last election: "At the time, she was gonna be my mother-in-law, and everything was good. I knew some things but I was gonna marry her daughter. I wouldn’t vote for her again – I’ll tell you that. She puts on a big front. She’s a big backstabber. She said things to me and things behind my back. And the truth really comes out now!"

Now we have seen almost all that Levi has to offer. The Playgirl photos of him escaped onto the Internet and there he is, nude, if not in the mood.

He doesn’t look all that confident after deciding against frontal nudity. So there’s only "backal" nudity.

Levi is an attractive young man. But he comes off with a "dumb-as-a-stump" affect. For those girls who desire an Erica Jong-type zipless you-know-what, that might be appealing. But I fear this is it for Levi.

Perhaps Sarah Palin is sincere in saying she’ll welcome him back into the fold. (It would be better to have him, in the words of LBJ, "pissing out of the tent instead of pissing into the tent!" She does need him to shut up about her. Maybe he’ll go back to Alaska, return to school or get a real job.

But ongoing celebrity? Hmmm, for some wannabes the limelight is a big lemon that can never be made into lemonade.

A couple of things worth discussing here.

For one I agree with Ms. Smith that Levi shows some class by refusing to discuss the intimate details of his relationship with Bristol. That is both gentlemanly and mature of him. (It is worth noting that this his level of maturity FAR exceeds that of his almost mother-in-law.)

However I do not fault Levi for not revealing his schlong to the leering masses. I know he disappointed his many gay and cougar fans, but it was the right choice. (Besides everybody up here knows that Alaskan men are hung like water buffalo and there is no sense in making men in other states feel inadequate. I am just saying.)

As for being dumb, well I would not say that Levi is dumb. I would say that he is still unsophisticated and essentially very shy at heart. Remember he did not have much time to prepare before he was thrust into the spotlight. It chose him, not the other way around. However if you were lost in the Alaska wilderness with Levi you would suddenly be very appreciative of his expertise.

The LBJ reference is interesting as well. Yeah I bet that Sarah would MUCH rather have Levi "pissing out of the tent, rather than into it". However Sarah packed up her damn tent and left Levi standing here without his son, AND with a very full bladder. So I think her chances of being on the receiving end of a "golden shower" are pretty damn good!

Not only that, but there are a number of other Palin "under the bus" alumni getting ready to empty THEIR bladders as well. Gee I hope she likes water sports! (Too far?)

And while I am on the subject of Levi and his career, I would like to make another point.

People have been very critical of his lawyer and manager, saying that they have turned Levi into a celebrity and taken away his chances for a regular life. But let me remind you that there are people who would very much like to keep Levi from talking about what he knows concerning Sarah Palin. Very dangerous people, who might be more than willing to do harm to some punk kid in Wasilla. But they will find it much harder to touch a guy standing in a perpetual spotlight.

How many seconds do you think it would take the media to be all over Wasilla if anything happened to Levi or his family? And how long before they were able to identify the strangers in town, discover who had sent them, and what they were trying to do?

Remember things are not always as they appear.

The Daily Show examines the problem of refugees crossing the border of Mexico. Wait, going into which country?

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While global warming skeptics argue that hacked e-mails prove falsity of data, polar bears turn to cannibalism to survive.

After hackers leaked e-mails they obtained from University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit, skeptics began referring to them as the "smoking gun" which proves scientists have been working to fudge the data to prove the claim that climate change is largely caused by the actions of man.

However despite the jubilation of the global warming deniers the leaked e-mails really do not discount the reams of evidence gathered by numerous scientific disciplines which point to man's negative impact on earth's environment.

The revelations did not alter the huge body of evidence from a variety of scientific fields that supports the conclusion that modern climate change is caused largely by human activity, (Director of policy and communications at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, Bob)Ward said.

Prof Bob Watson, the chief scientific advisor at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said, "Evidence for climate change is irrefutable. The world's leading scientists overwhelmingly agree what we're experiencing is not down to natural variation."

"With this overwhelming scientific body of evidence failing to take action to tackle climate change would be the wrong thing to do – the impacts here in Britain and across the world will worsen and the economic consequences will be catastrophic."

And as the global warming naysayers were taking their ill advised victory lap, it became horribly clear that somebody had failed to alert the polar bears living on the rapidly melting Arctic sea ice that climate change was just a bunch of hooey.

Scientists say shrinking Arctic sea ice may be forcing some polar bears into cannibalizing young cubs.

So far this fall, tour operators and scientists have reported at least four and perhaps up to eight cases of mature males eating cubs and other bears in the population around Churchill, Man. Four cases were reported to Manitoba Conservation; four to Environment Canada.

"That's a very big number," said Stirling, a retired Environment Canada scientist, who has studied the Churchill population for 35 years.

"I worked there well over 30 years and never saw a single case of cannibalism."

I often become very angry at those working to refute the affects, or the cause, of climate change especially when it is revealed that their "research" is funded by the oil companies.

The fact that climate change is real has been something that Alaskans have known for many years. Weather is very important to us, and we cannot miss the changes as they happen.

The unfortunate thing is that many people arguing against the effects of climate change are living in big cities where their climate is controlled artificially while working inside an office or living in apartment buildings. I wonder how long they would continue to deny the evidence if they were living in Barrow, Alaska and their very livelihood and survival depended on the weather conditions? Or if they were fleeing the floods in Africa? Or if they were dealing with a drought in Australia?

The facts are that the planet is going to survive. It has a mechanism for dealing with problems created by its inhabitants, it is called mass extinction. If we don't begin to do something to clean up our mess, the planet will do it for us. And Mother Earth is a harsh disciplinarian indeed.