Read about the ridiculous fees the State of Alaska (under former half-Gov. Sarah Palin and now) requires citizens to pay for public information!
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Thank you!
Though many of us suffer from Palin Factor Fatigue, it is irrefutable that there is a nagging curiosity to have the question answered, ?How in the world did Sarah Palin become so popular and why do we still need to hear about her?? My book answers these questions in detail and urges us all to be vigilant. She is one of a small pool of ?rising stars in the republican party? as John McCain stated as recently as January 25, 2009 on Fox News Sunday.
As unbelievable as her meteoric rise was we cannot delude ourselves, turning our backs once again, into thinking that she and those like her are going away. This woman is joined by millions of loyalists whose perception is that she was persecuted in the media, stifled by McCain, and mocked by liberals - and now the theocratic conservatives are regrouping with a vengeance!
"Blue Oasis" began in 2005 in its Blogger format (now an archive) and became possibly the first Alaska Blog on Progressive Politics. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis was honored to represent Alaska as the state blog.
Transition--Community Blog
In September 2008, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis moved to a Soapblox Community Blog format. Readers can become full participants by registering on the blog to comment and write "diaries." Diary titles appear on the right sidebar for folks to read and provide comments. Blog editors may choose to move some of these diaries to the front page.
While this Community was formed specifically with Alaska in mind, all "friends of Alaska" are welcome as members!
**Note about registering** Scroll down the right side until you find the link to register. Then, just follow the instructions!
**Note about comments** To comment on a story, click on the heading and then look for the "comment bar" at the bottom (it's light grey, I can't seem to change it). I believe the font color NOW permits you to see the "post comment" text.
YOUR BLOGMISTRESS
My name is Linda Kellen Biegel and I am a former 15-year Federal employee. Thirteen of those years were spent working for the US Army Corps of Engineers. I am also semi-retired from the Alaska music scene (singer, sound tech, stage manager, logistics).
When the blog was chosen to represent Alaska in the DNCC State Blogger Pool at the Denver Convention, I attended with the help of Alaska Real blogmistress, Writing Raven and my daughter Morrigan. On August 29th, one day after Barack Obama's inspiring speech at Invesco Field , my life took another turn as it did for all Alaska bloggers when Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen to be John McCain's VP running mate. Since then, I've either assisted or have been interviewed by media from the UK, Italy, Australia and Germany as well as national media outlets such as Wall Street Journal, NY Times, ABC Good Morning America's Kate Snow, National Journal, Dallas Morning News, LA Times, and NPR.
Presently, I work as a freelance writer, PR, event coordinator, community organizer, wife to computer programmer Josh and mother to 11-year-old Morrigan. Our family especially enjoys our summers in Alaska where we get to subsistence set-net fish Sockeye salmon as well as halibut fish/whalewatch in the family's homemade aluminum boat, "The Neverdone" (when it's working). We reside in Anchorage, Alaska.
Origin of "Celtic Diva"
I've used "Celtic Diva" as a screen name since the early 1990's on Web TV.
"Folks have asked about my Celtic heritage, especially in light of my name. What they don't realize is that I'm adopted. I was born Valerie Morehead of the Clan Muirhead. I was adopted at three-months-old by the Kellens. I always "knew" I was Celt even before really knew. I was drawn to all things Scottish, especially music. That's why my parents eventually told me at age 16."
"Linda is well-known in Alaska & beyond as the prominent progressive political blogger Celtic Diva of Celtic Diva?s Blue Oasis. But back in the day, the early 1990s, I knew her as Linda Kellen, a member of the local folk/rock band Sky is Blu, which amongst other things performed in at least a couple or so of the annual women?s show Celebration of Change, in which I also performed. And if you don?t already know, let me tell you: Linda is one fine damn singer."
I went on after the break-up of "Sky is Blu" to perform with various Alaska musicians and work with national folks like Bo Diddly, Coco Montoya, Debbie Davies, Taj Mahal, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bad Company, Creedence Clearwater, Carny Wilson, etc...
A bee on Dragon Tongue Stonecrop in my rock garden
August 2010
(Scroll down to find posts.)
(Please register to participate in diaries and comments! We'd love for you to join our Community!)
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Yes, this is another Sarah Palin interview that was done at the Palin's Wasilla home. Yes, a lot of the same themes were covered in this video (billed as "excerpts"): bad, evil bloggers...bad, evil media...more bad, evil media...Sarah's a victim, victim, victim. But there were some significant differences:
-- This was done on January 5th and was originally released earlier on Wednesday the 7th as a "private" YouTube video. (Some YouTuber eventually converted it to a public format.)
-- It was done for a bigger project: a "documentary on the media coverage of the 2008 election" called "Media Malpractice"
-- The interview was conducted by a man named John Ziegler, who describes himself here:
I am virtually unknown nationally and there was absolutely no reason for anything to be done differently as a "show" for us. We saw the genuine Sarah Palin and it is patently obvious that this is the only one that exists. She is the real deal.
As a former TV sportscaster and radio talk show host, I have interviewed a lot big-time "celebrities," and I can honestly say that, even though you could argue that Sarah Palin was the most prominent I have ever spoken to one-on-one, she was also by far the nicest, most sincere and, seemingly, honest subject that I have ever questioned.
He also admits (big shock):
For context, I admit to being a fan of Sarah Palin from before she was ever named John McCain's VP candidate. I attended her convention speech and consider it to be by far the finest that I have ever personally witnessed.
-- Most significantly, this interview was very clearly geared towards the Republican base in the lower-48. How do we know that? From Palin's own words:
Ziegler: Why would you ever want to go through this again?
Palin: (*snipping out another media-bash*)...I would do it again, though, knowing that there is great need in our country for reform.
Ziegler: What do you say to people who really like you, who want to support you in the future, but who might be influenced by the media that says, "This Sarah Palin is incompetent and not qualified, maybe not even that smart." What do you tell those people to hang their hat on?
Palin: I wish that there was opportunity, especially for those in the lower-48, to look at my record...at my Administration's record...our Administration wanting to shrink government again so that families and private businesses can be the ones growing and prospering, not government, not people having to look to government to solve their problems. But, those things we've done in our Administration, our record there, I wish that people in the lower-48 who, perhaps, would be tempted to be influenced by this media thing...that we're just incompetent or ill-intended up here...I wish that they could just see our record, let it speak for itself and perhaps believe the facts there verses being sucked-into believing what it is that too many in the mainstream media would want them to believe.
The target audience of that exchange was quite straight-forward. (By the way, is she suggesting that people who work for the "government" don't have families that deserve to "prosper?")
Ziegler acts as Palin's male version of Greta Van Sustern (whom he jokes about on his website, saying that Greta is "changing her address" to the Palin home). Ziegler throws Palin soft-balls that probably qualify more as nerf-balls. There are also a number of pot-shots in here...at Katie Couric, at Tina Fey...this is definitely geared towards a Palin-friendly audience.
No more denials from Governor Palin; the 2012 Presidential Campaign has now begun.
***************UPDATE******************
There is a lot in this interview that's newsworthy. Politico.com highlighted the part of the interview where Palin talked about how she believed Carolyn Kennedy was having an easier time of it with the media.
"It's going to be interesting to see how that plays out and I think that as we watch that we will perhaps be able to prove that there is a class issue here also that was such a factor in the scrutiny of my candidacy versus, say, the scrutiny of what her candidacy may be."
Let's see...Carolyn Kennedy is only going for a Senate appointment where Gov. Palin was vying for the second-highest job in the land. Carolyn Kennedy is a Harvard and Columbia Law School grad and an author. Gov. Palin is a former beauty contestant (she didn't win, folks) who took 5 colleges to get a BA in Communications. (She couldn't even get through the University of Hawaii??????)
Yes, Sarah...it is a class issue...Carolyn has it and you don't.
